This NBA season has provided us with a lot of questions: Where do the Golden State Warriors rank among the greatest all-time teams? Speaking of great all-time teams, how about the San Antonio Spurs? Is LeBron James a coach killer? Where will Kevin Durant be playing next season? What will this strong rookie class look like in a few years?
But with all teams hovering around the 50-game mark, we have found only one truth: Don’t lose to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Sixers have seven wins. And I couldn’t help but notice that other teams’ reactions to losing to the Sixers have been… interesting. Let’s run through all of the Sixers’ wins one by one to see how each of their opponents responded:
Win No. 1: Kobe shoots Sixers to a win
December 1st: Sixers 103, Los Angeles Lakers 91
There wasn’t anything too out of the ordinary after this one. Kobe Bryant shot a ton of bricks, the Sixers got their first win in 19 tries, and Kobe talked at length afterwards because this was his last time playing in his hometown. He was the story of the night:
Maybe the lack of reaction was at least partially due to the Lakers not being much better than the Sixers. As of today, their respective point differentials are very similar.
Win No. 2: Fire a couple of assistant coaches
December 26th: Sixers 111, Phoenix Suns 104
Ish Smith re-entered the fray the day after Christmas, and Phoenix didn’t know what hit them. Smith went for 14 and 5, and the Sixers doubled their win total (2). So, how did Phoenix respond the very next day? By firing two of Jeff Hornacek’s assistants, but not Hornacek himself. Here’s Woj:
After owner Robert Sarver and general manager Ryan McDonough met with starting players and coaching staff on Sunday, management has fired two assistant coaches close to head coach Jeff Hornacek, league sources told Yahoo Sports.Woj even used, “In the wake of a humiliating loss to the 2-30 Philadelphia 76ers” in the article. It’s never a good sign for a franchise’s stability when assistant coaches are getting fired during the season. We’ll come back to the Suns again later.
The Suns fired top assistant, Mike Longabardi, along with Jerry Sichting on Sunday night, and Hornacek's future is teetering on the brink, league sources said. Hornacek was adamantly against the dismissal of his staff, but appears that he’ll decide to continue on the job.
Win No. 3: Cause general panic
December 30th: Sixers 110, Sacramento Kings 105
After the Sixers flat-out outplayed the Kings, Sacramento radio hosts were calling for the team to be blown up:
Vivek Ranadive apparently left the building and got into his car much faster than usual. USA Today’s Sam Amick speculated if there would be more changes coming for the dysfunctional Kings:
Something has to give, and the harsh truth about the most popular strategy in times like these — a coaching change — is that the Kings have tried and failed four times with five different coaches to find their way on that particular road. From Paul Westphal to Keith Smart to Michael Malone to Tyrone Corbin and the future Hall of Famer in Karl, they have yet to win 30 games in a season with Cousins as the centerpiece in the past five years (good news, Kings fans, they’re currently on track for 30 wins).
Cooler heads prevailed and the Kings didn’t end up doing anything drastic. They currently sit 2.5 games out of the playoffs in the Western Conference.
Win No. 4: Get chewed out by the coach
January 4th: Sixers 109, Minnesota Timberwolves 99
This result might have more to do with Minnesota’s strategy than anything else — They attempted a measly five three-pointers — but that didn’t stop Sam Mitchell from yelling at his team for a really long time. From Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune:
Afterward, Wolves interim head coach Sam Mitchell’s voice — booming but measured — seemed to seep through brick and mortar as he scolded his team inside its locker room more than 20 minutes after the final buzzer.
Win No. 5: Stunned silence
January 16th: Sixers 114, Portland Trailblazers 89
For a team that has exceeded expectations and is currently in the playoffs, it was an all-time doozy:
More than anything, it just seemed like the Blazers were stunned. They responded pretty well, though, winning six of their last seven.
Win No. 6: Call out competitiveness
January 20th: Sixers 96, Orlando Magic 87
From Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel:
“Our lack of competitiveness is frightening, really,” Magic coach Scott Skiles said. “They were pushing us all around on both ends of the floor, making it hard for us to do anything, and we just basically capitulated.”
Win No. 7: Fire the coach
January 26th: Sixers 113, Phoenix Suns 103
It took three more games after this one in Philly (capping off a stretch of 19 losses in 21 games), but Phoenix axed Jeff Hornacek. Lose once to the Sixers? Fire two assistants. Lose twice to the Sixers? Fire the head coach
The Sixers are 6-12 since they acquired Smith, and they have resembled a run-of-the-mill bad team. In fact, they have been better during that span than four of the six teams listed above. Still, it seems like a loss to Philly carries a stigma with it.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann