Doc Rivers Reacts to Sixers' High Turnover Count vs. Pacers
The Philadelphia 76ers have had a turnover issue for years now. While Philly has been playoff contenders over the last few seasons, players on the team haven't done themselves any favors in the past as they made games more difficult to win as they dealt with high turnover counts.
On Friday night, the Sixers took the floor in Indiana for the team's preseason finale. Once again, the Sixers' less than ideal high turnover count reared its ugly head, and new head coach Doc Rivers was not too pleased with the total.
As he sat down to partake in a postgame media Zoom call with reporters, Doc Rivers looked over a print-out of the game's box score. "26 turnovers, lord have mercy," Rivers said as he realized the 76ers did not take care of the ball on Friday. The good news is, it's just preseason. This is the time to make mistakes.
But 26 turnovers in comparison to Indiana's 12 (less than what the Sixers had in the first half alone) is slightly concerning. "I was concerned that we were getting pressured and we didn't handle it well, to be honest," Rivers said following the game.
"I'm not adjusted to 26 turnovers, I have to tell you that," he continued. "We were trying to beat the pressure by going faster, but in the second half, we allowed them to pressure us, and we took our time. Then, we got every shot we wanted. So, it was good that we could make the adjustment because that's a mental adjustment. I was really happy we were able to do that."
Although he's not used to his team coughing the ball up nearly 30 times in one game, Rivers looked at the positives of the situation as the Sixers adjusted and bounced back better in the second half and managed to come away with the victory.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
