“Doc Rivers been coaching his a** off,” Kendrick Perkins claims Joel Embiid, Sixers to be a massive THREAT for Celtics and Bucks in the East

Kendrick Perkins believes Philadelphia 76ers can take the crown Celtics and Bucks are battling for.


“Doc Rivers been coaching his a** off,” Kendrick Perkins claims Joel Embiid, Sixers to be a massive THREAT for Celtics and Bucks in the East

Kendrick Perkins and Doc Rivers

Since preseason the narrative around the Eastern Conference crown has centered around the potential battle between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics. Last year as well, these two were seen as the aces of the east. In the series, Khris Middleton got injured and thus, everyone has been craving a rematch ever since, with everyone healthy. However, the Philadelphia 76ers will want to play spoiler to the prospect of the dream match.

ADVERTISEMENT

Kendrick Perkins sure believes in the Sixers’ ability to do just that, fresh off a 10-point victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in which Joel Embiid — yet again — dominated. The 76ers have been on a tear since James Harden returned from injury and led by the dynamic duo of Harden and Embiid, the team has climbed up to the third spot in the Eastern Conference standings, only behind Milwaukee by virtue of head-to-head.

The former NBA champion, Kendrick Perkins heaped praise upon the Philadelphia 76ers and especially head coach Doc Rivers. In a passionate tweet, Perkins claimed that the Sixers were indeed a legitimate threat to Boston and Milwaukee and should be taken seriously. He then went on to say that Doc has been “coaching his a** off,”. Rivers has come under fire previously for the team’s poor showings in the 2021 and 2022 playoffs under him.

Previously in his career, Rivers failed to lead the famous lob-city Clippers to even a conference final. In a way, this Philadelphia team is also his shot at redemption for previous failures. We’ll have to wait and see whether Philly can actually challenge the likes of Boston or Milwaukee once the playoffs come around.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related: “This team is definitely the best chance I have had to win” James Harden denies trade rumor surrounding his tenure with 76ers

Are the James Harden and Joel Embiid led Sixers contenders or pretenders?

James Harden and Joel Embiid
James Harden and Joel Embiid

Led by the feared duo of Harden and Embiid, the Sixers have the star power to go toe-to-toe with anybody in the NBA. But one has to look deeper than that to examine the legitimacy of the Sixers’ title charge. Taking the years of the KD-Warriors out of the equation because they were such an anomaly, the last 5 champions were the Warriors in ’22, the Bucks in ’21, the Lakers in ’20, Raptors in ’19, and the Cavs in ’16.

The average net rating of those teams in the regular season was +5.9. The Philadelphia 76ers’ net rating in their last 21 games? +6.8. The team is playing at an elite level with the unstoppable Harden-Embiid pick-and-roll attack leading the way. These performances since after a slow start, definitely signals that they are a true Eastern Conference contender.

In case you missed it

ADVERTISEMENT

“Stole his championship and now his kid” – NBA Twitter reacts to Draymond Green and Deuce Tatum sharing a wholesome moment

WATCH: NBA Officials throw Ben Simmons out for arguing during Nets vs. Suns showdown

Do follow us on Google News Facebook | Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT