Fresh off what might be the best win of his head coaching career, Brett Brown today hopped on 97.5 the Fanatic with afternoon host Mike Missanelli.

They talked a bit about the 113-104 victory in Oakland, then Mike asked if the win convinced Brown that his team could be competitive in the later rounds of the playoffs.

Brown:

“I still think we’re going to be aggressive by the trade deadline. Elton (Brand) is being very proactive on looking at how you sort of bolster the bench. Everybody’s kind of been on record wondering what’s going to happen at the backup five. There’s gonna be some wing considerations that we think through, Corey Brewer’s 10-day contract is coming to an end. I feel like last night, on a one-game snapshot, everybody walks away excited. But what you and I both know is to beat somebody four times in a seven game series is a different task. And so I like what I’m seeing. I feel like we’re headed in the right direction. But if I’m honest, I feel like we might need a little bit more to do ultimately what we all want to happen.”

Yes, that’s true. Amir Johnson is out of the rotation, as is Furkan Korkmaz, though he goes right back in if the Sixers let Corey Brewer walk following the looming expiration of his second 10-day contract. 

Brown left all options on the table:

“It’s difficult to say that one thing could happen more than another thing. It’s just so much a fluid thing and it’s all on the table. We saw what happened with the Knicks and Dallas is significant, in the ripple effects of what that might mean, and how it might relate to us,. And I’m not suggesting it is, I’m suggesting that so much is fluid, the league is moving, it’s going to heat up over the next 3 to 5 days. Whether it’s a buyout, a trade, or whatever, Elton has been great, he’s been very aggressive trying to figure out how to make our team better so we can make a deep run in the playoffs.”

Regarding Markelle Fultz, and whether or not the Sixers would consider moving him, Brown declined to answer:

I’m leaving this all with Elton. You try to do whatever you can to make the team better. It’s a boring answer, but it’s all I can give you. 

Missanelli also asked about Jimmy Butler, who I thought played a deferential game last night. He seemed hesitant to shoot, which Brown agreed with while pointing out contributions in other areas:

I think he flipped the switch and locked in defensively. He came out and made some tremendous passes. I do understand when you look at the stat sheet in the first half, it wasn’t like he was trying to forcefully impose himself on the game. I think none of that should surprise us. I feel like this is what we’re learning, what we’re seeing. I do think when the game matters and when the game starts to heat up, that’s where historically he’s been at his best and his mindset just goes to another level. I also think, as I start to move to some point guard type of minutes, different areas he can fit in with a pretty good team, all of this is starting to take shape. But last night it’s true, I think like he was focused on other areas than shooting.

The Sixers are 5-2 now more than halfway through this hellish 12-game stretch. They finish up the west coast road swing Saturday in Sacramento.