Getty Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and Sixers coach Doc Rivers have struck up a fast friendship.
Doc Rivers seems to be the guy that Philadelphia fans love to hate these days. Mired in a two-game losing streak, there are already faint calls for his job. Fair or not, it’s the reality of the situation in a town suddenly crowded with winners.
The Philadelphia Phillies have captured lightning in a bottle during an unexpected playoff run. The Philadelphia Eagles own the best record in football at 6-0 as Super Bowl talk heats up. And the Sixers are still searching for their first win following back-to-back losses to the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks.
“We lost two games and I told ’em no moral victories,” Rivers said. “We played two great teams. We knew from the day they released the schedule that they were coming and we have to expect to win these games. Even while we’re a work in progress, we still want to win these games. Can’t get ’em back now. We have to move on and get to the next game. Each game there’s small improvement.”
Doc Rivers on the energy around Philly sports right now:
“It’s awesome… It just gives the city a different energy. Walking in the street, people are engaged. It’s nice.”
Rivers understands the goal is to win a championship. He watched Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni work out some kinks last season before finding the right buttons to push. Philly is an unforgiving town that demands tough skin. Some guys can’t handle it.
Luckily, Rivers and Sirianni can. They are birds of a feather who have developed a growing relationship, checking in with each other after wins or losses and sharing motivational tools. The Philly coaching fraternity runs deep.
“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.”
Sirianni Knows Hoops, Rivers Respects Football
Sirianni’s passion for basketball has been well documented. He brought a mini hoop – complete with a Villanova logo – to the NFL Scouting Combine and challenged prospective draft picks to beat him in a shooting contest. Eagles players have talked about playing H-O-R-S-E at the practice facility, too, with Gardner Minshew calling it a “good ice breaker.”
Coach Sirianni = pure mini hooper
And Sirianni often brings up Kobe Bryant to pound home messaging about being great to the point of obsession. When it comes to hoops, does he really know his stuff?
“I think so. I’ll put it this way, he knows his stuff far better than I know my stuff football-wise,” Rivers said. “I love football because we’re trying to get five guys to do the right thing on one play and they’re trying to get 11 guys on one play to do the right thing. I just think it’s really fascinating, their execution. Now they do get to huddle every time, that helps, but it’s still amazing. It’s really a very disciplined game, football is, so I learned a lot from that.”
Joel Embiid Needs to Work on Ball Security
Sixers star Joel Embiid was a special guest at the Eagles-Cowboys game on October 16. He strolled out of the tunnel during pre-game warmups and tossed the pigskin around on the field. Embiid fired off a few bullets, showing good arm strength and decent accuracy, but Sirianni was quick to point out one major problem. His ball security needs work.
“I think Embiid was playing catch on the sideline yesterday and there were a couple things I didn’t like about his ball security,” Sirianni said on October 17. “I would’ve said something to him. You can’t be around this facility and not be coached about how the ball is.”
can @JoelEmbiid take a few snaps tonight, @Eagles?!
It was a harmless comment at the time, although it looks a bit prophetic in hindsight. Embiid has committed 10 turnovers through his first two games, which fueled frustration from Sixers fans at the home opener. Clearly Sirianni and Rivers need to talk.