Doc Rivers: 76ers Were on 'Wrong Side' of Emotions vs. Nets

Doc Rivers is happy with the win on Wednesday, but felt the 76ers were too emotional at times against the Nets.

Wednesday night’s matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets didn’t feel like a normal late January game. Instead, it had the intensity of a Game 7 playoff matchup between two division rivals. The outcome was fitting, considering the game was a part of the league’s new “Rivals Week.”

Going into the game, both the Sixers and the Nets attempted to downplay the hype surrounding the matchup. While players and coaches attempted to preach that it’s “just another game,” it was clear that not everybody bought into that notion.

After the matchup, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers described the atmosphere as a “boxer’s mentality crowd,” which he embraced. However, he thought that his team crossed the line between playing with intensity and playing too emotionally.

“There’s a difference between intensity, playing with emotion, and being too emotional,” Rivers explained. “I thought I saw our side of it; we were on the wrong side of that a lot tonight.”

Wednesday’s game featured some shoving, verbal exchanges, a handful of technical fouls, and oftentimes sloppy play on both ends of the floor. While the Sixers controlled the matchup for a good portion of the game, it was clear at times that they got out of their ways and would stray away from what was working. 

The good news for Philly is that in the end, they came away with a win, which is the ultimate goal. 

“We’ll take the win,” Rivers continued. “Both teams are coming from a west coast trip, you know, you didn’t know how that was going to go. I thought both teams performed well, but that’s a good test for us.”

The Sixers had a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter. A quick and successful run from the Nets allowed Brooklyn to tie the game with just a couple of minutes left. While the Nets teased a possible comeback, they couldn’t overcome the Sixers.

With a 137-133 win, the Sixers gained a two-game advantage over Brooklyn this year. A win’s a win, but Doc Rivers still saw that his team had a lesson to learn.

“We have to be better as far as handling our emotions,” he finished. “It’s good to have emotions. You want to have intensity and emotion, but you don’t want to be emotional. I thought we were a lot tonight.”

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.