Brett Brown Embraces Those Who Hate the Sixers

Sixers head coach Brett Brown is hardly affected by Pacers assistant Dan Burke, who claims he "hates" playing the Sixers.
Brett Brown Embraces Those Who Hate the Sixers
Brett Brown Embraces Those Who Hate the Sixers /

CAMDEN, NJ -- Nobody truly likes a bully. So when Indiana Pacers assistant coach Dan Burke claimed he hated the Philadelphia 76ers, the NBA world was hardly shocked. Why wouldn't you hate the Sixers? After all, they are bullies!

By now, we all know Sixers' head coach Brett Brown implemented a 'bully-ball' mentality in his culture for the 2019-2020 season. And as expected, his team full of oversized, defensive-minded players have bought into it all.

Therefore, the Sixers sure know how to give the opposing team a fit as they are built to stop most offenses in the NBA. Just this past weekend, the Indiana Pacers got a taste of the Sixers' obsession with defense in 2019, as they visited Philly on Saturday.

While the Pacers put up a good fight, the Sixers' defense ultimately put a nail in their coffin during the late November meeting. On the final three offensive possessions for the Pacers, they turned the ball over each time by way of a Ben Simmons steal.

And a couple of nights after that road loss for Indiana, Pacers assistant Dan Burke had some strong words to describe his dislike for the Broad Street Bullies.

"I hate that team," Burke said, according to Fox Sports. "I really wanted to win that game. I think Embiid gets away with a bunch of crap the league ignores." As you could probably guess, Burke's comments stormed all over social media as the Sixers were looking ahead and preparing to take on the Utah Jazz.

Considering the timing of the comments, not too many within the Sixers organization were aware of the comments coming from Burke. So when Sixers' head coach Brett Brown was asked about it on Tuesday after practice, he was hearing about it for the first time.

If you told Brett Brown that another coach, player, or even fan, despises the Sixers because they play aggressive and bully their opponents on the court, he wouldn't try to save face or argue that sentiment. In fact, he would do the opposite and actually be excited and genuinely smiling.

"How do you want to be judged?" Brett Brown asked on Tuesday after hearing about the comments for the first time. "What would you want an opposition to say about you? What would you like to feature on a scout tape?" Brown asks these questions to get this point across -- because if you tell him that somebody "hates" playing against the Sixers, "It would be received as a compliment."

As for the comments regarding Embiid, the Sixers' head coach couldn't agree there. Considering Embiid's handful of flagrant fouls, and a suspension already this season, an argument could be made that the Sixers' center is actually under the NBA's microscope. And if the bully-ball keeps up, the entire team will be there as well.


Published
Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA