Doc Rivers Says Rivalries Are 'Good' for NBA Ahead of Nets vs. 76ers Showdown

Doc Rivers may not have loved the months-long saga that led to the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers becoming bitter rivals, but he recognizes it's good for the league as a whole.

"I don't like how, let's say, this rivalry was started," Rivers told reporters Wednesday. "I'll pass on all that, let me put it that way. But I love when there's rivalries. I love when there's teams that are in the same conference that want to play each other and go after each other. That's all good."

James Harden went from beloved to despised in the course of a few weeks among Nets fans, while Ben Simmons did the same over a course of months among Sixers fans before the two All-Stars swapped locales at the February deadline.

Simmons is yet to make his debut for the Nets amid a back injury but will travel with the team to Philadelphia for what's assuredly going to be a raucous chorus of boos at Wells Fargo Center.

The trade has already proved fruitful for the Sixers, who are 5-0 in games started by Harden and Joel Embiid since the deadline.

Harden has looked rejuvenated since forcing his second trade in as many seasons, averaging 24.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 12.4 assists while shooting 53.1 percent in a Sixers uniform. He looks like a completely different player than the one who moped around on the floor late in his Nets tenure.

"It's fine. It makes for good stories. It makes for good narratives and good buildup for our league," Kyrie Irving told reporters about the impending Harden matchup. "It's never too personal, but we understand as competitors we want to win the game. But it's not about us and any individual matchups. It's about being a great team and building on what we set out to do."

Irving's status as a part-time player, caused by his refusal to comply with New York City's COVID-19 vaccination mandate, has caused a strain on the Nets all season. Harden said Irving's vaccination status played a "very minimal" role in his request for a trade but admitted it did impact the Nets' performance on a night-to-night basis.

The focus would have been much brighter on Simmons if he were in the lineup, but it's likely the crowd won't be able to pay much attention to him after the ball tips. Philadelphia as a whole may have to wait until next season to truly allow its full feelings to be known.