The #FireBrett crowd was alive and well after the Sixers fell in overtime to the Celtics on Christmas day.
Then again, it was a loss and that’s really the only time the pitchforks come out for Brett Brown. When the Sixers win a game, it’s generally attributed to the dominance of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons or Jimmy Butler.
Of all the things Brown is criticized for — Embiid’s usage, turnovers, rotations, etc. — there was only one thing yesterday you can truly question.
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SIGN UP HERE With the game on the line and the ball in the Sixers’ possession, Butler should have the ball in his hands.
But let’s go back to the unfair criticism for a moment.
So many Sixers fans bemoan the usage of Embiid and even Embiid himself again voiced his displeasure with his touches in the fourth quarter and OT (see story). Brad Stevens is a smart coach. He recognized that Embiid was virtually unguardable yesterday so he aggressively double teamed the All-Star center. That’s not on Brown. That’s on Embiid’s teammates for not stepping up and forcing Boston to fear double teaming off them.
It’s true that turnovers are going to be a part of Brown’s offense because he wants his team to play with pace. There are two things to consider here.
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One is that a high turnover rate is not indicative of a bad team. The Warriors turned the ball over the fifth-most times per game last season on their way to a championship. Meanwhile, the Mavericks, who won 24 games last season, took care of the ball better than anybody in 2017-18.
The other is if you watched yesterday’s game closely, there’s no way you could pin the turnovers on scheme or game planning. The Sixers’ turnovers were from just careless, self-inflicted mistakes. That’s not coaching. That’s execution.
My favorite complaint about Brown is his “rotations.” He simply doesn’t have the players. T.J. McConnell deserves a role on this basketball team, but not one where he’s playing 25-plus minutes a night. It’s like asking a fisherman to fish without bait. Maybe they’ll catch something by accident, but if you give them a worm or two, their chances go way up.
While the idea of getting Butler the last shot over JJ Redick is more than reasonable, Brown has also been criticized for not calling a timeout prior to that possession. There is some merit to this argument. Perhaps you give your team a moment to collect itself and give yourself a moment to draw up the proper play. His explanation was fair in that he didn’t want to give Boston the opportunity to put out their best defensive lineup. Let's call this a push.
If you want to crush Brown for not dialing up a play for Butler, the four-time All-Star who’s already nailed two game-winning buckets in the closing seconds of games, I can’t fault you. Butler was acquired because the Sixers desperately needed a star player that can go get his own shot. He can’t do that if you don’t even get him the ball.
So blame Brown if you must, but in reality, much of the blame for Tuesday’s loss should fall on the players themselves.
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