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Trade deadline week is here and the Sixers kick it off with a gritty win, taking down the Knicks 101-100 in overtime on the second night of their back-to-back.
Philadelphia came into New York off of a back-to-back. No, Ben Simmons didn’t play on Saturday night. Yes, several of the club’s rotation players got an early rest in the home demolition of the Kings. No, Philly to New York is not the longest distance. But yes, it is still an NBA back-to-back, something that takes a toll on players even when it looks easier than it seems.
The Sixers maintain a one-game advantage over Brooklyn in the Eastern Conference standings, though they, like Milwaukee, continue to breathe down Philly’s neck. The franchise is thrilled with the success thus far but they’re not naive to think that crossing the finish line will be easy with those two rival behemoths sharpening their tools in preparation for the playoffs..
The Nets already made their big splash earlier in the year, landing James Harden, and they followed it up with the signing of Blake Griffin. The Bucks got their reinforcement last week, netting P.J. Tucker from the Rockets. Neither team is phased by having to look up ever so slightly at the Sixers in the Eastern Conference standings.
Daryl Morey isn’t one to sit still; for years in Houston, he showed creativity in adding value to his teams prior to the trade deadline. What will he do in his first one in Philadelphia? Doc Rivers was asked about that prior to the Knicks game.
Coaches answering questions about trades their front offices may or may not make are never fun for them. They have to work with the players day-in and day-out and it’s clearly a somewhat uncomfortable situation. Imagine going to work in your cubicle as your boss answered questions from the media about who was going to come in and elevate the accounting team.
Rivers & his staff aren’t phased by the deadline; they care about counting the wins, particularly four of them in a quartet of seven games series later this year. The coaches, the team’s stars, and the fans all trust the process and part of that is what should be a fun NBA trade deadline.
