On Tuesday, Oct. 28, the Philadelphia 76ers were on the road on the second night of a back-to-back. This early in the season, most players have yet to reach the level of stamina they need, and there are still many kinks to iron out. Sure, they were taking on the lowly Washington Wizards, but the circumstances were ripe for the Sixers to be handed their first loss of the season.
Then, down as many as 17 points in the fourth quarter, the Sixers did what they had already done twice in their first three games and stormed back to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. It was not always pretty, but wins are wins and they count just the same.
Is it ideal for the Sixers to dig themselves holes they have no business getting out of? Of course not. However, what this team is proving is that no matter how bleak things get, they will keep fighting until the clock hits zero. They will learn, grow, and continue to improve, as it is clear that the cultural tone of the team is headed in a positive direction.
They are not going to win every game they find themselves down big in, though.
In their very next game, the Celtics came to town on Halloween night and put a thumping on the Sixers early. But true to the trend they have created for themselves, they battled all the way back and had a chance to win the game at the buzzer, ultimately falling short, 109-108. Even after this loss, the message remains the same.
It should not be lost on anyone that the Sixers’ 4-1 record could easily be 1-4. Many, if not most, expected this to be a transitional year for the Sixers, where they would figure out what they still have in the aging veterans while simultaneously paving the way for the young players to ascend to the top of the pecking order. If these first five games had played out the exact same way except the Sixers lost all the games they clawed back into, the general tenor amongst the fanbase would still be that this team is exciting to watch and will simply not give up. The fact that they have won most of them is the icing on the cake.
The bulk of the credit for the way this team competes has to go to Tyrese Maxey and Nick Nurse. Maxey was often frustrated with how tumultuous the previous season had become. Nurse, frankly, seemed burnt out before the team ever had a chance to buy in. Last year was arguably the worst season of either of their careers, but it looks like they both learned a lot from it.
Tyrese Maxey has become the emotional leader this team needed him to be. He is the guy who is capable of putting the team on his back on any given night and telling his teammates to follow him to the finish line. He is the guy who claps his hands in the timeout huddle and doesn't let anyone get discouraged. One of the biggest proponents of VJ Edgecombe’s fantastic start to his rookie year is his relationship with Maxey and how much trust he has already gained in his backcourt running mate, which allows Edgecombe to play loose and freely.
Nick Nurse is coaching with renewed energy because his lineup finally has the athleticism and versatility to play the style of basketball he wants to play. There will be some growing pains as Joel Embiid continues to ramp up and players like Jared McCann and Paul George return from injury, but the guard rotation being the strength of this team should and will remain consistent.
There are several avenues for the Sixers to continue improving as the year progresses. One of those ways they have already figured out: keep playing hard and see what happens. They will win some and lose some when they have to fight just to make it close, but the first thing that will truly surprise me about this team will be the night they roll over.
