Getty Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and Sixers coach Doc Rivers have struck up a fast friendship.
Doc Rivers is no stranger to championships having won one in 2008 as head coach of the Boston Celtics. Still, to hear him guarantee a Super Bowl for the Philadelphia Eagles — well, that wasn’t necessarily what fans wanted to hear coming off two straight ugly defeats.
Following a 20-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints, Rivers was asked for a quick comment about the Eagles. He didn’t disappoint (via The Inquirer’s Keith Pompey): “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.”
The Philadelphia 76ers leader had good intentions, of course. He has been a mentor of sorts to Nick Sirianni, always quick to answer a text from the Eagles coach and share coaching tips and philosophies. He was in his ear about defining players’ roles earlier this season, especially when injuries and adversity hit. Further, Rivers went on record with how much he loved Sirianni’s “growing grass” speech from 2021. Their personal relationship continues to flower.
“I like him,” Rivers said of Sirianni. “I said it last year when he made the comment, and everyone was trying to figure out what flowers and growing grass and all that was, and I made the comment ‘Man, he’s right. He’s on to something.’ I just like him. I like his spirit. And I love how they’re playing. They’re locked in. You can see it as a group.”
Nick Sirianni spoke to Doc Rivers & used some of his advice about telling players their roles in front of the entire team
I asked Doc why and he says Nick is impressive being open all the time to coaching tips and philosophies
“He’s fantastic. I’m really impressed with that”
Sixers Riding Momentum, Rising Up NBA Standings
Rivers’ name seems to be always trending whenever the Sixers hit a rough patch, like when the team jumped out to a disappointing 0-3 start. Now the Sixers appear headed in the right direction. They have won two straight games while going 10-2 since December 9. Joel Embiid was just named Eastern Conference Player of the Month after averaging 35.4 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.
Joel Embiid is averaging 36/10/5 on 65% true shooting over his last 20 games.
The Sixers are 14-6 over that span, and Embiid is +166 (!!) in his minutes.
If that’s not an MVP candidate, what is?
Meanwhile, Philadelphia has vaulted up to the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. Yes, things are looking up for the hometown basketball team after a rash of injuries sought to dash their championship dreams.
“We’re just trying to tick off as many wins as possible. We still have a really key guy out of our lineup, but we look at this year as building so, yeah, we like where we’re at but we’re going to be a better team in a month,” Rivers told reporters on December 21. “And so we look at every night, every practice, we talk about it verbally, outwardly, that every day is a day to get better and we are a team that believes we are just going to keep getting better.”
That “key guy” Rivers referenced was Tyrese Maxey who returned from a fractured foot on December 30. The Sixers have been easing their third-year guard back into the mix: 9 points in 19 minutes on Friday, then 12 points in 27 minutes on Monday. He felt an overwhelming amount of love from the home crowd at Wells Fargo Center the other night. It warmed his heart and helped fuel a 120-111 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
“It was lit. It was amazing,” Maxey said of the atmosphere. “Especially when they got to come home for that homestand. A lot of those groups are playing phenomenal basketball and I’m just trying to ease my way back in and help them as much as I possibly can.”
WELCOME BACK, @TyreseMaxey!
Sirianni, Rivers Comment on Bills Safety Damar Hamlin
Everyone in the sports world has been openly praying and sending support out to Damar Hamlin. The safety for the Buffalo Bills went into cardiac arrest on the football field and received immediate CPR to restore his heartbeat. Hamlin remains “sedated and listed in critical condition” in a Cincinnati hospital, although multiple reports say he’s moving in a positive direction.
Sirianni was asked for his thoughts during an appearance with “Angelo Cataldi and the Morning Team,” via Audacy’s SportsRadio 94WIP:
“It puts everything in perspective,” Sirianni said. “You come back to work and you have a loss that you’re really upset about, and you’re thinking about that, and then something like that happens at night and puts everything in perspective. These players put their bodies on the line, and I know we’ve got some guys that know him, the first thought obviously is for the kid, that he’s OK, and then you want to check on your guys that know him.”
Just spoke with Jordon Rooney @jordonr, family friend of Damar Hamlin, who noted that “things are moving in a positive direction” but that there is still no clarity or timeline in final recovery yet. More coming on @nflnetwork
Rivers also commented on the Hamlin situation, starting his post-game press conference by saying:
“I hate to start on a heavy note, but watching what’s going on with Damar Hamlin, prayers out for him,” said Rivers, via Ky Carlin of SixersWire. “That’s tough. It’s tough when you see that in sports or in anything. That’s a hard one.”
For Damar.
