PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) -- The Sixers have played on Christmas Day for the last three years, but the NBA did not include them among the five Dec. 25 games played this year.
Playing on the holiday is the hallmark of a marquee team, so not including them could be a sign of disrespect. Or it might be a result of their disappointing 2020 playoffs finish.
The New York Knicks — who have also traditionally played on Christmas Day — were also left off this year's Dec. 25 schedule, because they've been cellar dwellers in a rebuild.
It just so happens that the Sixers will visit the Knicks on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. In essence, this allows a family get-together for new Sixers coach Doc Rivers.
Rivers has been coaching his son-in-law, Seth Curry. And his son, Austin, plays on the Knicks.
"You still gotta be very careful with gathering right now," Rivers said on Thursday. "The good news is my family is all in the NBA, so they get tested every day. It's kinda nice. It's an advantage, I guess, in that way."
The 59-year-old said hes looking forward to spending time with his grandchildren.
He playfully suggested he didn't really need to see his son, his daughter Callie, or his son-in-law (who he obviously see a lot now).
"The fact I get to see my grandkids -- man, cmon. That's the best," he said.
Will the road woes vanish in 2020-21?
The Sixers got by the Washington Wizards on opening night -- just barely -- thanks to a fantastic fourth quarter. It was yet another victory at Wells Fargo Center, but it continued a pandemic-era streak dating back to Dec. 20, 2019 — the last time they lost in that building.
If the 76ers are going to improve upon last season, they must do better on the road, where they won only 10 games in 2019-20 before the pandemic paused the season.
They'll have their chance. Their first road trip is this weekend, at the Knicks. Then they take the Cavaliers, in Cleveland, on Sunday.
"Well, the only way you get a new road identity is by winning, Rivers said. "We got to go win games. This is what it is. Again, I'm watching these games, and I think you guys are watching all these games too. It's amazing, like, some play is good, some is sloppy, you don't know. But at the end of the day, you got to find a way to win the games."
Rockets' James Harden avoids suspension because 'it's Christmas'
Sizers fans are going to keep their eyes and ears on Rockets superstar James Harden until Houston either trades him to another team, or it simply becomes obvious that they're not moving him.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver had a couple of reasons why Harden was only fined $50,000 and not also suspended for violating safety protocol, which contributed to the postponement of the Rockets-Oklahoma City Thunder game on Wednesday. (The Rockets had coronavirus-related reasons, and Harden's ineligibility would have left them without the minimum numbers of players.)
Silver told Rachel Nichols on ESPN's "The Jump" that it was Harden's first infraction and it's the holiday season.
"The precedent is that discipline gets ratcheted up and — it's Christmas," Silver said. "It was a first offense." 7
