“I had to take a picture of it,” said gleefully Tyrese Maxey, holding his cell phone. “You may never see this again.”
The visitor’s locker room at Madison Square Garden was buzzing when Joel Embiid walked in on Christmas morning. The 76ers All-NBA center isn’t usually into high fashion and often changes into his team-issued sweatshirt after the game. However, at the nationally televised showcase game against the Knicks, Embiid arrived wearing a sharp blue letterman-style jacket over a white hoodie and gray pants.
A playful affirmation of “I like it, Joe!” And “I’m so proud of you!” rang out from all sides of the locker room. Veteran forward PJ Tucker, known for his eclectic (a.k.a. wild) wardrobe choices, suddenly popped out of the training room wearing nothing but tights to watch.
“I don’t know how you guys do it,” Embiid called out to his teammates, who care far more about how they dress on game days.
Oddly enough, this funny scene happened minutes before ESPN reported that Sixers star James Harden was considering moving back to Houston with free agency this summer. The mood changed almost instantly, including a curt response from Harden when Inquirer Keith Pompey approached to ask about the report, before returning to light-heartedness following the Sixers’ comeback victory.
» Read more: Pelicans ‘will be hard out’ in playoffs, Sixers coach Doc Rivers says
Perhaps that will be the case for the Sixers this week. They celebrated more than the holidays with wins over the Knicks on Christmas and the Oklahoma City Thunder on New Year’s Eve, but in between they lost disappointing games to the Washington Wizards and New Orleans Pelicans. After Saturday’s dominating win, Locker played the Thunder shorthanded, although his room was nearly as tumultuous. The players caught an instant glimpse of his classic college football playoff semifinals between Georgia and Ohio State as they prepared to head home from a four-game trip.
Here are this week’s behind-the-scenes moments:
The week was also marked by Maxie’s return from a broken leg that kept him out of action for about six weeks. Excitement erupted more than 90 minutes before his tipoff in New Orleans, and Maxey wore bright green sneakers for his pregame routine.
I was drawn to Maxie at baseline while working out with strength and conditioning coach Ben Kenyon, assistant coach Sam Kassel, and skill development coach Spencer Rivers. Teammate Shake Milton cheated on Maxie. At the end of the shoot, Maxie dunked.
And when the Sixers emerged from the locker room about 15 minutes before tipoff, Maxie ushered them out of the tunnel.
Some return to normalcy allowed Maxey to reflect on his rehab weeks earlier. He thanked senior physiotherapist John Tooher and skills development coach Tyler Rushbrook, who helped Maxxie with his ballhandling and on-court work without further injury. keep me active”.
“I never get bored,” Maxie said of his recovery process. “He one of the things I was trying to do was really challenge myself.”
Doc Rivers went from the Sixers’ Thursday practice in New Orleans to another team’s workout to visit the Alabama football team as they prepare for the Sugar Bowl at the Superdome on Saturday.
Rivers has long singled out the brains of football coaches. They impressed with their ability to get 11 players and perform on every snap. Over the past two seasons, Rivers and Eagles coach Nick Siriani have developed a mutually respectful relationship. And not surprisingly, Rivers is the “Big Savant Guy,” referring to arguably the greatest Alabama coach in the history of his sport, Nick Saban.
“He just wins,” Rivers said of Saban. “But I like a lot of what he does. I was really happy with their quarterback. [Bryce] young. I don’t understand why even the NFL doesn’t take out their quarterbacks when they get a puncture. It always bothers me.and saban did it [at the end of the Sugar Bowl]He took him out with seven minutes left in the game so he could get the flowers. It was his last game so it was really cool to watch. ”
Tucker missed Saturday’s first game of the season, which the team defined as “managing a left knee injury” referring to offseason surgery. is also influencing.
The veteran forward has publicly revealed discomfort and numbness when swinging his arms or repeatedly opening and closing his hands. We’ve outlined some of the “boring” treatments, such as
But some tight spots in New Orleans, with a training table set up in the middle of the Sixers’ locker room, gave us a glimpse of what Tucker would do before a game.
The medical staff pressed their fingers into Tucker’s arm and slowly moved them down as if they were giving him a deep tissue style massage. Closing his eyes, Tucker frowned and took a deep breath. To an outsider, that reaction from a player growing in physicality and toughness was a little harsh.
“Isaiah!” cried Georges Niang from the hallway just outside Thunder’s locker room at the Paycom Center. “Get out before you lock your head!”
Nyan hopes to reunite with former teammate Isaiah Joe, and he received a warm welcome Saturday night from several Sixers players and staff. (who were also part of the 2020 Draft class) exchanged an elaborate handshake. Milton gave Joe a big hug. Joe reached out to Kenyon, strength and conditioning coach Stephen Brindle, and skills development coach Dwayne Jones.
Joe has carved out a rotation role for the young Thunder, posting 44.8% on 3.6 3-point attempts per game. He had eight points and five rebounds in a 2-3 win from midnight Saturday night against the Sixers.
Finding a team where the third-year guard can get consistent minutes will come at a cost to Rivers’ “cruelty” to Joe after the victorious Sixers released him in a roster-trimming move just before the season started. Rivers added that he and Joe still text regularly.
“[I told him]”I have to go where I can play right now. You deserve to play. With all these guys in front of you, you wound up in the numbers of our team. …
“As a coach, you build relationships with some players. [and] It doesn’t stop when they’re not on the team. you still care about them You still hope they do well. Isaiah did everything we asked him to do, so we’re very happy he’s doing well. ”