Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers wary of Lakers threat ahead of the crucial matchup

The reigning NBA champions, the Los Angeles Lakers have picked up right from where they left last season. The LeBron James led side won the 2020 NBA Championship and they have continued their amazing run with a string of good results. Not only that, they are currently in the top of the Western Conference.

Despite some losses, this Lakers team has bounced back after every tough result and continued their exceptional form which shows how good they are as a team. Looking at all this, former Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers, who is very much used to seeing the intensity of the Lakers after a heated rivalry last season, feels that this Lakers side is better than last year.

“We’ll be ready when it comes, I’ll tell you that. They’re not a hard team to get up for. … They have LeBron James and Anthony Davis. They’re better than last year,” Rivers said.

The current Philadelphia 76ers head coach is gearing up for his team’s clash against the Lakers on Wednesday and therefore he feels that this team is better than what it was last season. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are easily one of the best duos in the league while the team management have also pulled off a great job in bringing in reinforcements in the form of Dennis Schroder and Montrezl Harrell.

This team has that right combination of experience in star power and also brilliance in the depth of a few of the youngsters coming together. It was an area where they struggled the entirety of last season and hence Rivers’ claim of Lakers being strong this season is justified. This, however, will be the biggest test for the 76ers who are currently at the top of the Eastern Conference.

With everything said and done, the Lakers have not fared well against top opposition till now. Be it Portland Trailblazers, LA Clippers or even the San Antonio Spurs. It has mostly been running riot against weaker teams. Hence the 76ers will be their biggest test of this season after the Clippers. Joel Embiid and company have found their mojo back with Doc Rivers’ appointment as coach. While they will be coming to this big match with a loss against the Detroit Pistons but that was mostly because they did not have Embiid in that game.

It will be interesting to see two top teams fighting out against each other as Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid will team up to take on LeBron James and Anthony Davis in a classic duel. Lakers coach Frank Vogel will also have his task cut out against the high flying 76ers.