DETROIT — Fresh off another impressive win, Philadelphia 76ers star LeBron James cautioned against championship talk despite an 8-1 start to the season and what that record usually means for a James-led team.
The previous five times James has started the season at least 7-1, his team has made the NBA Finals.
“It’s too early to be talking about the Finals and things of that nature on Nov. 4,” James said after the Sixers beat the Detroit Pistons 112-106 on Wednesday night. “So we’ll continue just to buy into what we want to do. … We got a good team. Guys vibe with one another, guys like each other, guys enjoy being around each other.”
The victory avenged Philadelphia’s only loss of the season. Forward Jaylen Brown had one of his best games as a Sixer, finishing with a season-high 30 points and a game-saving block on Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham. Joel Embiid added 26 points and 15 rebounds, and James finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
76ers coach Nick Nurse shared James’ sentiment.
A Strong Start Built on Consistency
James has a strong track record when his teams hit the ground running. In the five seasons in which his teams started 7-1, they made the NBA Finals.
“I wouldn’t read any super long-term stuff into anything, cause it’s early,” he said. “I think we feel like that was another game where it feels like we’re getting a touch better. … But the goal right now is to stretch out those good periods of play and minimize those bad periods of play.”
The Sixers also made history on the road. It was their first time starting 4-0 away from home since 2000-01, their last NBA Finals appearance. It is also the fifth time in the past 50 seasons that Philadelphia has started 4-0 or better on the road, and the 76ers reached the NBA Finals in each of the previous four instances.
“Well, those teams just had consistency throughout the whole year and every day we wanted to get better, every day,” James said. “We didn’t want to take too many steps backwards. Like I said, it can happen throughout the course of a marathon, but we understood what the assignment was and we all held each other accountable. And I think early on I kind of see that here as well.”
Injury Updates
Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey had a scare late in the win. The point guard injured his right pinkie finger while trying to split a double team in the game’s final seconds. In the locker room afterward, a Sixers athletic trainer briefly examined his swollen finger.
“I’ll be fine,” Maxey said when a reporter pointed out the swelling. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you this is how my finger’s looked all season since last year. But I’m fine.”
Center Adem Bona also exited in the fourth quarter with what Nurse described as a neck injury. Nurse said Bona appeared to be OK but would have an official update Thursday.
Next Up: Cleveland
James will return to where he began his career and won his first title when the Sixers play the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.
“We know we got a long way to go,” James said.