This past week, the NBA ran their first ever “Rivals Week”, which saw several teams pitted against their rivals, hoping to stoke a flame in the narrative fire which helps drive the league.
The Philadelphia 76ers were no different, with their games against the Brooklyn Nets and Denver Nuggets being filled with chippiness and intensity which isn’t usually there.
Their game against the Nets had the extra drama of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons playing against each other for the first time since Simmons was traded for James Harden last season.
If their game against Brooklyn felt like a conference finals, than their game against the Nuggets felt more like a Finals game, with the game going down to the wire once again.
Embiid would lead his team over defending back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic, dropping 47 points on 58 percent accuracy from the field against Denver.
With both games creating an almost playoff like atmosphere, Doc Rivers thinks it can help acclimate players who aren’t used to it before the start of the playoffs in the coming months.
“You can make a case for the intensity in the Brooklyn game, the intensity tonight, I think all of those games are good for us,” explained Rivers, “We don’t have that experience, I think it’s good for any team that hasn’t been through it.”
As a result of their recent run of success, Philadelphia finds themselves getting close to the top of the Eastern Conference, trailing the Boston Celtics by two and a half games.
Declan Harris contributes to All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him on Twitter: @DecIanH.
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