The Philadelphia 76ers dug themselves an enormous hole in the first half of their home opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night.
They Sixers were outscored by 17 points in the first quarter of the contest, and they were down by as many as 29 before the first half came to an end. The team looked lifeless, and the Philadelphia fans who filled the arena to cheer on the new-look team had quickly converted those cheers to boos. It had the potential to be an extremely ugly home Sixers debut for new additions LeBron James and Jaylen Brown.
But, the Sixers made a potentially season-defining decision in the halftime locker room. They weren't going to be a team that just lies down when things aren't going their way. Instead, they were going to be a team that fights until the final whistle—which should have the entire NBA on notice.
76ers showed that they have more than just talent in comeback win over Cavaliers
The Sixers showed some serious resiliency in the final two quarters of the contest. They came out of halftime with much more energy and effort than they displayed over the first 24 minutes of the contest, especially defensively, and as a result they were able to climb all the way back into the game and ultimately pull out an extremely impressive comeback victory.
After the game, star guard Tyrese Maxey relayed the message that he shared with the team in the locker room at the half.
"I said, 'Well, it's time to see what we made of,'" Maxey said. "Are we going to be some front-runners and only be happy when stuff is good? Or when stuff is bad, are we going to fight and be resilient?' And we did that."
If the enormous halftime deficit was the first major test for the Sixers on the season, they passed with flying colors. All of the key cogs contributed in their own way down the stretch, with Maxey, Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown taking turns hitting clutch shots and LeBron James and VJ Edgecombe contributing with timely rebounds and assists. All five starters finished the game in double-figures, led by Maxey's 32 points.
The 29-point turnaround represented the biggest comeback victory of LeBron James' career, and one of the biggest comebacks in 76ers franchise history.
With the victory, the Sixers sent a clear message to the rest of the NBA: They're not just arguably the most talented team in the league on paper, but they're also extremely resilient and willing to fight when they need to. They also have the potential to be an elite defensive team.
The Sixers were dogged defensively in the second half of the game against Cleveland, as they held the Cavs to just 37 total points over the final 24 minutes of the contest. They forced 21 total turnovers in the game and used those turnovers to spark offense on the other side with 24 total fastbreak points.
The difference between the two halves for Philadelphia, according to Maxey, was simply effort and toughness. The Cavs dominated in those areas in the first half, but the Sixers were able to flip the script in the second half.
"They were just way, way, way tougher than us in the first half," Maxey said. "They were just punking us honestly, and we did a good job of playing back second." The fact that the Sixers can kind of just flip a switch like that should be an extremely scary proposition for the rest of the league.
Talent was never a question with this Sixers team, but their collective want, desire and ability to gel as a team were legitimate questions coming into the season. It's only been two games, but it seems like the Sixers have already answered some of those questions in a resounding manner.
The 76ers are still in the acclimation phase with their new-look starting lineup, but they've now started the season with consecutive wins over the two teams that were in the Eastern Conference finals last season, both of whom had the major advantage of continuity over Philadelphia.
Championships aren't won in October, but that is when championship habits are built, and it appears as though the Sixers are on the right track in that regard.
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