Doc Rivers, Sixers Gear up for a 'Strange' Night at Madison Square Garden

After tipping off the season 2020-2021 NBA season on Wednesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers finally hit the road for the first time this year. On Saturday night, Doc Rivers and the Sixers are set to face the New York Knicks.

Despite the Knicks' struggles over the years, there's hardly ever a dull night at the legendary Madison Square Garden. Rivers knows the scene well as he was a member of the team back in his playing days -- and has made plenty of trips to The Garden over the years as a head coach of other organizations.

Saturday marks his first time stepping foot in The Garden as the Sixers' head coach, and the circumstances couldn't be more strange. With the COVID-19 pandemic creating an unordinary atmosphere in arenas everywhere around the NBA as there's a lack of fan attendance, starting the season on the road at MSG is definitely an odd scenario for Rivers.

"[It's] strange. . . It just really is," Rivers said on Saturday night just hours before tip-off. "You know, I played in the era of 'go, New York, go, New York, go,' and the place was on fire, and the whole city was electric if you can remember that."

"The Rangers were phenomenal as well with [Mark] Messier, and [the Knicks] obviously had Patrick Ewing, and it was just a great environment," Rivers continued. "Right now, going through the city with very few cars and very few people walking, walking into the Garden with no sound is just different."

Last year, when the Sixers hit the road, they often had a hard time coming out on top with a win with the crowd going against them as they had just nine victories away from the Wells Fargo Center last season. This year, a lack of away fans could help the Sixers secure a much better road record.

"Road victories matter and we have to start winning on the road," Rivers said on Saturday. So, how do they do that? Rivers kept it simple. "By winning," he said. "I mean, that's the only way to fix it. We can talk about it, we can sage the hotel, we can do whatever we want. But at the end of the day, we have to win on the road."

We'll see how the 76ers look on the road for the first time this year on Saturday night at MSG. While the circumstances are surely strange, as Rivers suggested, Philly is one of many teams who will benefit from fan-less environments. And as the Doc Rivers era begins, the former Clippers head coach is looking forward to turning the losing road record from last season into something much better this year.

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