Tag: Dan Burke

Joel Embiid doing things on the road for Sixers not seen since Wilt Chamberlain

Superstar big man Joel Embiid joined Wilt Chamberlain in the record books of the Philadelphia 76ers.

As the Philadelphia 76ers wrapped up an impressive 3-0 road trip on Thursday with a 110-102 win over the Brooklyn Nets, they received another big performance from superstar Joel Embiid.

The big fella dropped 34 points, including 22 in the first half, and he was dominant all night long. The Sixers close the 2021 portion of their schedule with a 19-16 record despite all of the adversity surrounding the team.

In the process, Embiid joined franchise legend Wilt Chamberlain in the history books. He is averaging 36.3 points and 10.4 rebounds over his last seven road games. He joins Chamberlain as the only Sixers to average at least 30 and 10 over a seven-game road span.

“I need to do it at home and on the road,” said Embiid. “I’ve been pretty good, which is not usual. Usually, we are so good at home as a team, but this year, we haven’t been protecting home court the way we should so we need to do it at home and on the road.”

With the win on Thursday, the Sixers improved to 13-8 on the road. They are only 6-8 at home. So, to Embiid’s point, they have to find some consistency at home as well.

“We do it as a team,” said the big fella. “It’s good to win. The vibes are great so we need to keep on doing it.”

After the game, acting head coach Dan Burke indicated what helped Embiid get into a groove.

“He started trusting his teammates more,” said Burke. “Sometimes when you want to win it so badly, you try to do it by yourself. I thought he had a good mix, especially in that second half, and we know we have to play through him. I told him after the game, we’re OK with him calling plays, it doesn’t always have to be for him, but we know we gotta play through him.”

The Sixers start the 2022 portion of their schedule by playing host to the Houston Rockets on Monday.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Sixers happy to see Andre Drummond return to the team in win over Nets

The Philadelphia 76ers were happy to have Andre Drummond rejoin the team in a win over the Brooklyn Nets.

On a day where the Philadelphia 76ers were hit with more bad news when it comes to the health and safety protocols, they were able to at least get some reinforcements on Thursday.

Andre Drummond returned from a 4-game absence from being in the protocols and he had a big impact in their 110-102 win over the Brooklyn Nets. The former 2-time All-Star had 10 points and 10 rebounds off the bench in support of a big game from Joel Embiid and he was a plus-8 in 15:58 of playing time.

“Every time he’s played, he’s given us a lift,” said acting head coach Dan Burke of Drummond. “Just a simple fact that he runs the floor. The end of the third quarter, he runs the floor, and we’re thinking we’ve got a rough offensive unit, but when you run the floor, and make the extra pass, and get him in the paint, he’s always getting his hands on rebounds, and he protects the paint. He’s so agile. He’s got quick feet, quick hands, that was a huge lift for us.”

Drummond, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 19, was able to return to practice on Wednesday. With the team in need of some reinforcements, he stepped up in a really big way for them. He was anxious to get back out on the floor.

“It was great to come back,” he beamed. “Being on lockdown for 10 days is definitely no fun especially being away from my guys. Missing their energy and watching them from afar was definitely hard to do, but coming back out here tonight, my main goal was just to play hard and give it the best I had with whatever minutes I got. I didn’t know what they were gonna do with me being gone. I did what I was supposed to.”

The Sixers are a team that relies on everybody to step up and produce. They are not the type of team that will be able to just randomly turn it on. They need every to help and contribute and Drummond’s return was just what they needed against a very good Nets team.

“We do it as a team,” said Embiid. “We need everybody every single night. We’re not a team that’s gonna come out and play bad for three quarters and turn it up in the fourth quarter and win the game. We need everybody to contribute and it’s great to have him back. Whether it’s rebounding the ball, setting screens, and just getting extra possessions, and he’s a great passer.

Like I said, we need everybody. It’s good to have almost everybody back.”

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Sixers express happiness for Dan Burke after first career win over Nets

The Philadelphia 76ers give praise to Dan Burke for his first coaching win against the Brooklyn Nets.

Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Dan Burke was thrown into a tough spot on Thursday when he had to serve as the team’s head coach against the Brooklyn Nets. Coach Doc Rivers entered the health and safety protocols on Thursday morning and Burke had to take over coaching duties at that point.

In his third career game serving as head coach–he did it twice with the Indiana Pacers–Burke got his first career win 110-102 over the Nets on the road. It was an impressive win all-around as the Sixers had to get a win in tough circumstances.

“I’m just happy for those guys,” said Burke. “We’ve got four days or so before we play again. To get this win, build this momentum, and I don’t know what the protocols are gonna allow practice-wise, but this is something that I think we can all look at and say ‘We’re better when we’re like this vs. this’ and this is stronger and we just gotta build that. That’s what Doc has been building up to.”

While Burke will deflect the praise, he has his players tooting his horn for him. Joel Embiid gave credit to Burke while also recalling the time Burke said he hated Embiid for how many fouls he draws while he was with the Pacers.

“I always go back to before he was a part of our coaching staff, the way he used to hate me,” Embiid laughed. “The stuff that he used to say. It’s funny. That’s the same thing that kind of goes with fans too, when someone doesn’t play for your team, it’s easy to hate. When you’re on the same team, you appreciate it even more. I think that’s what I see with him.”

After the win, the Sixers did give Burke a bath. They doused him with a lot of water bottles to celebrate his first win as a coach.

“For him to step up and do what he did today on short notice was great,” said Andre Drummond. “It’s a testament to how great of a coach he really is despite him being an assistant and him stepping up to the plate and being able to run the show and give us the tools we need to be great. It was really good for us.”

Burke has been the defensive coordinator for Rivers during his time with Philadelphia and he has had a positive influence on the team. It’s clear that he has the respect of the Sixers despite Rivers obviously running the show there.

“He’s been great for our defense and just as a voice,” Embiid added. “He’s been in the NBA for a long time. We’re extremely happy for him.”

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Sixers give a lot of praise to Tyrese Maxey for big game in win vs. Nets

The Philadelphia 76ers give a lot of praise to young Tyrese Maxey after a win over the Brooklyn Nets.

The Philadelphia 76ers received a big game from Joel Embiid on the road on Thursday in order to knock off the Brooklyn Nets 110-102 and he will be the main story of this one. However, if it wasn’t for the effort of their 21-year old point guard, they probably don’t win this one.

Tyrese Maxey stepped up in a big way with 25 points and seven rebounds and he knocked down a career-high five triples in order to get the job done. He hit four triples after halftime and he knocked down two clutch ones in the corner in the fourth when Philadelphia really needed it.

When it was all over, Embiid was happy that Maxey took and made those shots. It is something that Embiid has been pleading for all season when it comes to his team on the offensive end of the floor.

“He needs to do it every night,” Embiid said. “He will tell you, I’ve been on him about not just shooting the open ones, just being aggressive and looking for his own shot all year. That’s what he did tonight. He took them and he made them. He needs to do it every night.”

Embiid, playfully, called Maxey “trash” after their win over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday when Maxey shot only 2-for-11. He gave him some praise in this one.

“You were great today,” Embiid said to Maxey. “That’s how you respond to criticism.”

Maxey was able to get open for triples in the fourth due to the fact that the Nets were paying such close attention to Seth Curry and Embiid in the pick-and-roll game. Maxey’s defender was paying attention to Curry and Embiid so much that it allowed him to get open looks.

“We started running some plays for Seth and when I was cutting out,” Maxey explained. “I kinda realized that my guy was staying so I just started to loop around to the corner because my guy was staying and helping with the Joel and Seth pick-and-roll and I was just getting wide-open 3s. It’s just that simple.”

Maxey had to do all of this while also defending Nets star James Harden. It was an impressive performance for the young man on the road.

“Tyrese is not afraid and that’s huge,” said acting head coach Dan Burke. “He’s got a big heart and a lot of guts. He’s coming on.”

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Dan Burke says Sixers are going to run things as if Doc Rivers were here

Philadelphia 76ers acting coach Dan Burke wants the Sixers to act as if Doc Rivers is here with them.

As the Philadelphia 76ers were preparing to take on the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday to wrap up a 3-game road trip, they received some tough news when they found out that coach Doc Rivers would enter the health and safety protocols and he will be out for the game.

That means that assistant, and defensive coordinator, Dan Burke will act as the team’s head coach until Rivers could return. As the team continued its prep for the Nets, Burke wants to keep things as close to Rivers-like as possible.

“He and I both got tested, just out of precaution, when I got the word, I said ‘Well the next one will be negative’,” said Burke on Thursday before the Nets contest. “After that, it was just we got on the phone with Doc on speakerphone and it’s gonna be business as usual as much as possible. Follow his lead, he’s building something here, we gotta come in and do our job and follow up on that.”

Burke will be a little lonely on the bench as they will be missing assistant coaches Sam Cassell and Brian Adams on the bench as well while Dave Joerger remains out due to his battle with cancer. Cassell entered the protocols on Dec. 23 while Adams joined Rivers in the protocols on Thursday morning. He will have three coaches on his staff on Thursday.

“Brian Adams tested positive before we came over here,” said Burke. “He’s been behind the bench helping me a lot defensively, but it’s gonna be Jamie Young, Dwayne Jones, and Eric Hughes.”

Burke has coached an NBA game twice in his career before Thursday. He did so while he was a member of the Indiana Pacers and serving on Nate McMillan’s staff.

“Twice for Nate McMillan in Indiana a few years ago,” said Burke. “If you’re gonna ask the record, 0-2. Warriors and at Charlotte.”

With that being said, Burke does want to keep things running as close to how Rivers would like to run it as much as possible as Rivers kept his instructions to Burke clear and brief.

“Just a general term of what was good last time against Brooklyn offensively, what we need to do better, nothing real specific,” Burke finished. “Just trying to give these guys some freedom. With a guy like me running it, they might have a little more freedom, but just what we stress on the offensive end. Defensively, it’s been pretty much in our hands, that’s the side I’ve been concentrating on, and we’re gonna try to do much the same.

As close to 76ers basketball as we can be. Doc Rivers basketball. That’s what our goal is.”

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Sixers coach Doc Rivers enters health and safety protocols, out vs. Nets

Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers has entered the health and safety protocols and is out against the Brooklyn Nets.

As the Philadelphia 76ers prepare to take on the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday to wrap up this 3-game road trip as well as the 2021 portion of their schedule, they understand that they will be without Danny Green as well as possibly Shake Milton.

Those two are in the league’s health and safety protocols, but now their coach has joined them in the protocols and he will miss the game on Thursday.

Doc Rivers will enter the health and safety protocols and the Sixers will be coached by assistant Dan Burke. For however long Rivers is out, Burke will be the acting head coach for the Sixers.

The Sixers are 2-0 on this current road trip and they will be looking to finish up the trip with a sweep of it all on Thursday. While Rivers is obviously the voice of this team and he is the one who leads the way, Burke will have to be able to take over and help this team get it done.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Doc Rivers explains importance of Dan Burke for Sixers on defense

Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers explains the importance of Dan Burke on his staff.

The Philadelphia 76ers have one of the stronger coaching staffs in the league. Led by coach Doc Rivers, they have big names such as Sam Cassell and Dan Burke they can lean on.

Burke, especially, is a guy who has one job for Rivers and that is to focus on the team’s defensive performance. Rivers brought Burke in from the Indiana Pacers to be the team’s defensive coordinator, and he helped guide the Sixers to the No. 2 defensive rating in the NBA in the 2020-21 season.

“Dan and I come from the same person in Dick Harter,” Rivers stated. “He was my coach with the Knicks. That’s why I’ve always styled my defense after that. So it was an easy fit for us and you trust him. You know he’s going to do the work. That’s what makes Dan so well. No one’s gonna watch more games or more preparation than him. It’s a nice guy to have on your staff.”

Rivers got the idea to hire something of a defensive coordinator for his staff from being around New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick. That led him to hire Tom Thibodeau during his days with the Boston Celtics. Burke filling the role in Philadelphia is something that makes Rivers happy.

“I think it’s huge,” said Rivers. “I’m probably one of the first to start doing it. I just traveled in the football systems with three or four different head coaches, Belichick being one and I just kept noticing that they focused on the one side of the team and they gave one side to someone else. I didn’t know if we could do it in basketball and I tried it one year, I liked it, and in the following year, I think I hired Thibs and it just allows you to sit with him and you tell him what your philosophies are defensively, you see if it matches.”

The Sixers are not quite the same on the defensive end to begin the 2021-22 season, but that’s what happens when a team is missing Joel Embiid and Matisse Thybulle, two of the top defenders in the league. It does not change the fact Burke has had a positive impact on this team.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Bell Ringer Podcast: what does Daryl Morey hire mean for the Sixers?

The Bell Ringer Podcast returns to discuss what hiring Daryl Morey does for the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Bell Ringer Podcast returns as Ky Carlin welcomes on Ben DuBose of Rockets Wire to talk all things Philadelphia 76ers. With the team bringing on former Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey to run their basketball operations, Ben comes on to discuss what Morey will do for the Sixers and their organization.

Morey did a terrific job of helping the Rockets transition from the Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming era into the James Harden era and now he takes on a new challenge of Philadelphia. The Sixers are in need of shooting for their awkward roster and Morey is a guy who has never been afraid to make a big move so we get into that as well as the Sixers hiring Sam Cassell as well as the possibilities for the 2020-21 NBA season.

As always leave your thoughts with us on Twitter and we thank you for listening. We are now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify as well so make sure you check out past episodes! We will continue to add new episodes whenever we can and when basketball does eventually return, we will ramp up our efforts to bring you basketball content. [lawrence-related id=38688,38676,38674]

Joel Embiid trolls new Sixers assistant Dan Burke for old hate comments

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid trolls new assistant coach Dan Burke for his old hate comments.

The Philadelphia 76ers are in the middle of a total revamp of their organization as they have completely retooled both the coaching staff and the front office. That is what happens when a team falls completely short like they did in the 2019-20 season.

One move that the Sixers made on Wednesday was to bring n Dan Burke from the Indiana Pacers to join new coach Doc Rivers’ staff. Burke was with Indiana for quite a while and he raised eyebrows when he said that he hated the Sixers and that Joel Embiid gets away with too much earlier in the season.

Embiid clearly remembered the comments and he welcomed Burke to Philadelphia in the only way he knows how which is by trolling him.

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