It's just what you emphasize. Brown emphasizes defense. Over and over and over again. And that's the other quiet, little fear here. Offense is fun.
Defense is hard work.
And there seems to be a timer that is punched whenever Larry Brown arrives at a new place. When he left Indiana, some Pacers players complained that his constant harping grated on them, even as it made them play better. Eventually, the law of diminishing returns kicked in, and the coach once lauded for building a shiny, new playoff vehicle began to sound like an old Chevy without a muffler. The difference, Sixers general manager Billy King said, is that some of Brown's team in Indiana was there when he arrived. With the exception of Iverson, that is not the case here, and we all remember how hard Brown tried to make it a clean sweep last summer.