Tyrese Maxey, Doc Rivers Discuss the Battle of Top Dogs vs. Heat on Saturday

The Philadelphia 76ers completed Friday night's matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers with a comeback victory. After taking out the Cavs for the second time this season, the Sixers won't get much rest as they are set to tip-off on Saturday night against the Miami Heat on the road.

Saturday's game between the Sixers and the Heat will be the battle between the top dogs of the Eastern Conference.

Going into the matchup, the first-seeded Heat possess a 42-22 record. The Sixers, who place two games behind the Heat, carry a record of 39-23. As Philadelphia's currently on a five-game win streak, which is the longest active win streak in the conference, they will look to keep the fire burning on Saturday.

The Sixers know that Saturday's game isn't make or break -- but there is a lot at stake. Not only could they put themselves closer to the top seed, but they could also pick up yet another impressive win against a thriving team.

However, the Sixers make it clear they are taking it game-by-game -- and they aren't currently thinking about locking in the top seed.

"I'd love it, but I don't even think about it like literally one second," said Sixers head coach Doc Rivers on Friday. "Tonight, we get in at what, 3:30 in the morning? They've been sitting there waiting both times we've played them. We're flying in back-to-back games, but it is what it is. That's why I don't overdo regular-season games, but we want to win the game. We'll give it everything we have."

Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey has been explosive since returning from the All-Star break. But the young guard doesn't want to get overly confident or too ahead of himself as he understands there is still a lot of hoops left to be played this year.

"We take one game at a time," said the second-year guard on Friday. "This game is over now, and as we get off the plane, we'll probably get some rest and then wake up in the morning and prepare for Miami."

The first time the Sixers and the Heat met this year was back in December when Miami paid a visit to Philly. Despite being extremely shorthanded, the Heat defeated the Sixers 101-96. Exactly a month later, the Sixers visited Miami and got revenge with a 109-98 win. Did the Sixers have the battle of the top dogs circled on their calendars recently? Not necessarily, but they are surely looking forward to the matchup as it could be a preview of what's to come in the 2022 NBA postseason. 

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