Brett Brown
(LM Otero / AP Photo)

A halftime explosion from Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown paved the way for their victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

The Philadelphia 76ers outscored the Brooklyn Nets 51-23 in the third quarter en route to a 22-point victory in Game 2. Things didn’t look good for Philly at halftime, but head coach Brett Brown knew exactly what his team needed.

“Coach really got into us,” Tobias Harris said to Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia. “It was fiery.”

Philly needed a shot of life after letting the Nets cruise to a Game 1 victory and bomb their way to a tightly contested first half in Game 2. Philly did nothing to slow Brooklyn down on offense—until Brown’s outburst.

“It was great,” Mike Scott said. “We needed to hear it. Some lazy plays defensively, myself included. Yeah, man, get them off the three-point line. I think that third quarter we came out and played hard defensively.”

Philly was teetering on the edge of disaster. They couldn’t afford to drop their first two home games of the series before traveling to the Barclays Center. However, the star-laden team responded to Brown’s challenge and the uber-competitive Jimmy Butler couldn’t help but love Brown’s competitive fire.

“OK, Brett, I see you,” Butler said with a grin. “Yeah, he came in here and said a few cuss words. Shocked me a little bit, to tell you truth. But I like it. That’s that type of energy I love. Just make sure everybody did their job, letting them know you can’t have it — it’s not winning basketball. And we came out here and did what we were supposed to do.”

Philly made the necessary adjustments in Game 2. After halftime, the Sixers raised the defensive intensity as a unit and stopped Brooklyn’s onslaught from behind the arc. After shooting 10-for-23 from the three-point line in the first half, Brooklyn only went 5-for-13 in the second half.

Philly’s energy, stemming directly from Brown’s impassioned halftime speech, was the difference in Game 2. Now it’s up to Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson to make the necessary adjustments and bring that same energy.

NY/NJ hoops reporter (NBA/NCAA) & sports betting writer for XL Media. Never had the makings of a varsity athlete.