Nick Nurse attends brother’s funeral following Game 1 of Sixers vs. Knicks

I want to take a step back from the basketball for a second because there’s something more important that needs to be said.

Nick Nurse found out his brother Steve passed away unexpectedly last Wednesday. The day before Game 6 against the Celtics. He held it together, coached his team through one of the most electric home playoff performances this city has seen in years, flew to Boston the next day, and coached a Game 7 on the road that resulted in the greatest comeback in Sixers playoff history.

Then he flew to New York for a Game 1 loss to the Knicks on Monday night, flew back, went straight to Ankeny, Iowa for his brother’s funeral services, and turned right back around to rejoin the team.

I don’t care what your opinion is on Nick Nurse as a coach. Put all of that aside. That’s a human being dealing with one of the most painful things life can throw at you and he showed up for this city every single day through it.

Game 6. Game 7. Game 1 of a new series. A funeral. Back to work. That deserves to be acknowledged and respected regardless of how you feel about his rotations or his timeout usage or anything else.

Nick Nurse to attend funeral of his brother

Nick Nurse is away from the Sixers today to attend the funeral services of his brother, Steve, in Iowa.

Steve, 62, died unexpectedly last Wednesday, the day before Game 6 of Sixers-Celtics. https://t.co/zVikMFM5yk

— Gina Mizell (@ginamizell) May 5, 2026

I’ve been a Nick Nurse defender for a while and I’ve caught heat for it repeatedly. The same people who spent the regular season calling for his job have now watched this team push into the second round as a seven seed after completing a 3-1 comeback against the Boston Celtics. That happened under Nick Nurse. Not despite him. Because of him.

This man navigated a season filled with injuries to his star player. He dealt with a 25-game suspension to one of the team’s core pieces in Paul George. He leaned heavily on a 20-year-old rookie in VJ Edgecombe who had never experienced a single minute of playoff basketball before this postseason.

He did all of that with one of the thinnest benches in the entire league and still found ways to win when it mattered most. Three straight elimination games against Boston. With a short rotation. With Embiid playing on a body that had surgery three weeks prior. With his brother’s death weighing on him through the most important stretch of the season.

The Sixers are the thinnest team left in the 2026 playoffs. That’s a roster construction issue, not a coaching issue. Nurse has shown that if he hits the right buttons with the limited options available to him, this team can compete with anyone. Squeezing wins out of an eight-man rotation against a Celtics team with twice the depth is not something that happens by accident. That’s coaching. Give the man his credit.

Now Let’s Go Win Game 2

The Sixers have had proper rest heading into Wednesday night. The quick turnaround from Game 7 to Game 1 is no longer a factor. The team has had time to prepare, watch film, and make the adjustments that were impossible to make with 24 hours between games. Nurse has had time to game-plan for Brunson specifically and figure out how to limit the damage from the rest of the Knicks’ roster.

Game 2 at Madison Square Garden. Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET. Properly rested. Properly prepared. Time to go steal one in New York and bring this series back to Philly tied up.

Nurse coached through the worst week of his life and never made it about himself. The least this team can do is go out Wednesday night and play like they know what’s at stake. For the city. For the coach. For the brother who didn’t get to see how this story ends.

The Sixers Got Destroyed in Game 1. The Series Doesn’t Start Until Wednesday. >>

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