Philadelphia 76ers ready for 'toughest week' yet on schedule
The Philadelphia 76ers are doing their best to accelerate “The Process” this week, with a huge slate of games that could help define their early season. With the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Wells Fargo Center tonight (7 ET, NBA League Pass), Washington in town Wednesday, a road trip to Boston Friday and Detroit back at home Saturday, the opportunity to make a statement is there.
For a confident Sixers team eager to prove itself, this week brings in some of the Eastern Conference’s biggest stars and bas teams, a double-whammy for Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and the crew. It’s a chance for the Sixers to think big and be a bit greedy, as Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes:
The days of just trying to be competitive against elite teams are over. The Sixers are disappointed when they don’t win, no matter the caliber of the opponent.
“We’ve got to be greedy,” shooting guard JJ Redick said. “That’s what we talked about for the last three or weeks — is just being greedy.”
The Sixers (11-7) have reason to be optimistic.
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The Sixers are the league’s top rebounding squad, with an average of 48.8 per game. They’re also second in assists at 26.4 per game, behind the Warriors (30.1) and tied with the Toronto Raptors for fifth in scoring (109.6).
“It’s a challenge, for sure, this week,” acknowledged Redick, whose squad is fifth in the Eastern Conference standings, with 63 games remaining. “It’s the toughest week you’ll have in the NBA.”
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