Getty Images Danny Green
The Philadelphia 76ers travel to Canada on Wednesday to take on the Toronto Raptors. It’s a pivotal game for the Sixers in terms of the Eastern Conference standings as they look to keep pace with the Boston Celtics for second place.
The Sixers are currently 49-30 and are a half-game behind the Boston Celtics at 50-30. The Celtics travel to Milwaukee on Thursday night to take on the Bucks, who are also 49-30. With so much on the line, it’s clear that tonight will be a pivotal night for conference playoff seeding.
The bad news for the Sixers is that they won’t be at full strength as they take on the Raptors. Matisse Thybulle won’t be available because he has not been vaccinated for COVID-19. In his absence, it’s possible that veteran Danny Green will get the start.
Big Night for Green
Ahead of tonight’s game in Toronto, Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey sent a tweet congratulating Green on finally receiving his NBA championship ring from the 2018-19 season with the Raptors. He turned to Beyonce for help.
Congratulations to @DGreen_14 finally getting his championship ring tonight. Let’s get him another one this season!
Green was traded from the Raptors in 2019 to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he went on to win his third NBA championship that season. Since then he has also been traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder then to the Sixers.
Tonight won’t be the first time that Green has played in Toronto since he left, but it will be the first time in front of fans because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the fans have returned Green will finally be honored by the Raptors and receive his ring tonight.
During that season with the Raptors, Green averaged 10.3 points per game and shot a career-best 45.5% from three-point range. He was a pivotal part of the Raptors being able to win their first-ever NBA championship.
Morey Sends Message
It’s also not hard to notice that Morey used his congratulatory tweet to also send a message to the Sixers. That message makes it clear that he’s expecting the acquisition of James Harden to be enough to win the Sixers an NBA championship.
One way that could get easier for the Sixers is if they can beat the Raptors on Thursday night and avoid them in the first round of the playoffs. If Philly can draw the Bulls or whoever ends up landing the seven seed in the first round then it would ensure the team would be at full strength in the first round. Whereas if they played the Raptors the Sixers would be without Thybulle for the games in Toronto.
Regardless there’s a lot of pressure on this Sixers team with the playoffs quickly approaching. Rumors have indicated that head coach Doc Rivers’s days could be numbered in Philadelphia. There have also been rumblings about whether Tobias Harris will be back with the team next season.
With all of that surrounding the Sixers, one thing is clear, this postseason will almost certainly impact the future of the team and Morey clearly has championship expectations.