Doc Rivers Brushes Off ‘Schedule Loss’ Against Cavaliers

Doc Rivers, Sixers

Getty Head coach Doc Rivers of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on against the Detroit Pistons at Wells Fargo Center on October 28, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The vibes were extremely high for the Philadelphia 76ers ahead of their three-game road trip. The franchise has turned things around despite the injuries and continues to be getting healthier with James Harden targeting Monday as his return date. After a strong stretch of play, the team appeared due for a letdown and the Cavaliers were ready to deliver it. Cleveland pounced on the Sixers with a 44-point second quarter and cruised to a 113-85 loss. Doc Rivers downplayed the loss following the game and stated, “It was a schedule loss. That’s how it felt. When you can see guys—they just had no energy, no legs,” per Ky Carlin of SixersWire.


Tired Legs is All to Blame?

Rivers continued to make it clear by stating,  “We played a lot of games. Flying all the way home from Orlando for one game, but give them credit. Like we’ve beaten them four times in a row. We swept him last year, right? They have pride and you could feel them coming into the game. I told our guys before the game it’s gonna be a hard game. They’re fresh, they’re gonna attack you, they do not want to lose to you again, and if you don’t have a great mental mindset, tonight, it’s gonna be a tough game. That’s what it was.”

When asked if there were any areas of the game that he was disappointed in, Rivers also shut this down. He claimed this was one of those games where you just burn the tapes and move on which is a tactic he has used in the past.


Should There be Concerns From the Loss?

No team is going to go 82-0 throughout an entire season. The Sixers were in a need of a bit of a reality check and got exactly this against the Cavaliers. Clevland shot the ball incredibly well connecting on 60.8% (45-74) of their shots from the field and 51.7% (15-29) from beyond the three-point arc. During the first half, they shot 73% from the field (27-37) and 66.7% (8-13) on three-pointers to jump out to a 21-point lead.

The Sixers were never able to scrap back into the game and did not have an inspired performance on their end, to say the least. The team looked lethargic and, after an impressive streak of passing from Embiid to start the game cooled off, the team just lacked the offense to keep up with the Cavs. The biggest takeaway of the matchup is that the whispers of doubts about Philadelphia being better without their stars should be silenced.

While the team deserves a ton of credit for their strong play during this shorthanded stretch, they will not reach their peak without Maxey and Harden. Guard play is extremely valuable in the modern NBA and while Embiid has come a long way as a passer, he needs help from other creators on the floor. This was the biggest reason for bringing in Harden and why Maxey’s development has been so vital. When playoff time hits, the Sixers will need production from these players as Embiid cannot do it all on his own. Luckily the reinforcements will be on the way soon and hopefully, it converts to on-court success moving forward.

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