<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">With training camp beginning Tuesday in Durham, N.C., O'Brien has a plan and a purpose to get the Sixers back into the playoff mix following a woeful, injury-wracked season that saw two head coaches, a career-low 48 games for Allen Iverson, and only 33 wins, fewest for a full season since 1997-98. O'Brien's philosophy is a combination of sticky defense and up-tempo offense that involves liberal use of the three-point shot. It has proven to be effective in turning around the fortunes of other teams he has taken over, both in college and the NBA. The most recent example came in Boston. O'Brien succeeded Rick Pitino as head coach of the Celtics midway through the 2000-01 season, finishing up a 36-46 campaign. But in his first full season in charge, he boosted that mark to 49-33, a 13-win improvement. "We have a track record of coming in and putting teams together," said O'Brien, who brought four assistants from his Boston staff to the Sixers. "We've had success in every situation. Of course, we expect a lot of leadership out of the players." The key is to have the players buy into what O'Brien is selling. But O'Brien thinks they're going to like what he has to say. "I think they want to win," he said. "We've shown that the way we play defense can pay dividends that can turn around a non-playoff team. Our veterans have expressed the desire to get back to playing defense the ugly, half-court way. So we want to develop a defensive mentality in training camp.</div> <div align="center">Full Story</div> It's not exactly considered a season preview, but it's filling us in on what we may expect this season. If you keep track of the 76ers throughout the offseason nothing in this article should be new to you, however it?s still a good read.
