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As the Philadelphia 76ers prepared for their matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans, spirits were high. Doc Rivers had a composed and relaxed attitude when speaking to the media pregame. He even changed the subject from basketball to talk football and the recent success of another Philadelphia sports team. Joking with a few media members who cover the Eagles, Rivers stated “They’re going to be in the Super Bowl. Relax. You, too, relax. They are going to be in the Super Bowl. It’s a guarantee.”
Eagles Chances at Super Bowl
These comments were met with mixed opinions on social media. Some were thrilled at the reassurance after the Eagles suffered their second consecutive loss this weekend in a frustrating matchup with the New Orleans Saints. However, many were concerned Rivers would be jinxing things and shared their frustrations.
Even with the back-to-back losses, the Eagles are considered to have the fourth-best odds of winning the Super Bowl. Rivers has spoken highly of his budding relationship with the Eagles’ head coach Nick Sirianni throughout the season. Sixers games have also become a common event for members of the Eagles to attend. Players like Miles Sanders, Darius Slay, Jalen Hurts, AJ Brown, and plenty more have all made appearances during the season.
Sixers Championship Aspirations
The Sixers also have their sights on contending for a championship this season, although have not produced as convincing of performances on the court. There are eight teams currently considered to be bigger favorites than the Sixers at this point in the season (Celtics, Bucks, Nets, Clippers, Suns, Warriors, Nuggets, Grizzlies).
Now 36 games into the season, the Sixers are still a bit of a question mark. Injuries have limited the team’s ability to evaluate how good this team truly is. Joel Embiid, James Harden, and Tyrese Maxey have each battled foot injuries and played a total of just 137:54 game minutes on the floor together so far this season.
There still have been some intriguing stretches of play, such as the team’s recent eight-game winning streak, but Philadelphia will not reach its peak until the three stars get on the same page. Plenty of discussions have also been had about finding a way to ensure all players are optimized as each guy is at their best with the ball in their hands. This has especially been a concern with the isolation tendencies of Harden and Embiid although the duo has taken some strides forward over the recent stretch.
Maxey is still kicking off the rust and Rivers also stated in the pregame press conference that he will continue to come off the bench while he still on a minutes limit. There is just over half of the season remaining and it will take some repetitions for the team to figure things out. For the time being, the Sixers will be locked in on their matchup with the Pelicans. With the Saints beating the Eagles on Sunday and Sixers losing to the Pelicans just three days ago, Philadelphia will be doing its best to avoid the New Orleans sweep.
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