The Philadelphia 76ers had to make a quick change in how to run things on Dec. 30 when they found out Doc Rivers was entering the league’s health and safety protocol. It was a tough time for him to do so as the team prepared to take on the Brooklyn Nets on the road.
To replace Rivers during his absence, the Sixers turned to defensive coordinator Dan Burke. Philadelphia ended up beating the Nets, and he improved to 2-0 as the acting head coach on Monday when the Sixers knocked off the Houston Rockets.
It is clear Burke has the respect and the attention of the players just as Rivers does, and it is why they have continued their strong play without their head coach.
“I think he deserves a lot of credit,” said Furkan Korkmaz. “I don’t know anyone on the team that doesn’t like him. It’s hard to create it as a coach because sometimes coaches are on our a****, to be honest, and he’s a defensive coach so he is even more but still, it’s hard to create love and respect at the same time. We all respect each other but also when you put love in there as a player you want to play more, more desire for him, want to win more for him. I really believe in him. I really like him.”
While Burke is the defensive voice and the defensive brain trust for the Sixers, they are still having success on the offensive end. They have scored 110 and 133 points in the two games he has coached. Obviously, things are going smoothly for them while Rivers is away.
“He’s a great dude,” said Isaiah Joe. “He’s a really good dude who always brings the best energy each and every day. He’s a really, really big asset to this team. As y’all know, he’s our defensive coach, but I really feel like he’s taken on the head coaching role really well since Doc has been out, unfortunately, but Dan Burke is a great guy, a great coach he knows what he’s talking about. He knows how to win.”
The Sixers visit the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, giving Burke another opportunity to continue as the leader of this team.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://sixerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
[listicle id=56739]
[lawrence-related id=56856,56853,56838]