Sixers' Tobias Harris Enjoys Tight Standings Race With Brooklyn Nets

The Philadelphia 76ers have secured the top spot in the Eastern Conference months ago and haven't been knocked off entirely yet. With a 32-14 record, they remain at the top of the food chain in the East.

However, the Brooklyn Nets have been breathing down the Sixers' necks for a while now. Although the Sixers remain on top, Brooklyn is just half a game behind Philly. And as much as the Sixers keep on winning, the Nets continue to do the same.

This past Saturday night, the 76ers took their first loss in a little while to the Los Angeles Clippers. With that defeat, the Nets got even closer to them in the standings as they also have 32 wins on the year.

While some might think the pressure that Brooklyn is applying on Philly could be draining, Sixers veteran forward Tobias Harris sees it as just another challenge he looks forward to taking head-on.

“I look at the standings,” Tobias Harris admitted after Saturday's loss to the Clippers. “I know where we are. I know the race. I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t look at the standings every day. It’s just something that I do.”

Players would typically fib and act as if the standings aren't something they're paying attention to because they are so focused on themselves and their team. Harris doesn't believe that's productive for himself as he uses Brooklyn's progress as motivation.

“It’s a close race, which is good,” Harris stated. “At the end of the day, that’s another challenge and that’s something that I look forward to going out and just doing whatever we can to win a basketball game and to stay up at the top of the East.”

The Sixers continue their season on Tuesday night with another road matchup against the Denver Nuggets. A loss would allow the Nets to tie to the Sixers at the top of the East as the records would be even at 32-15. But if Philly pulls off a shorthanded win over the Nuggets, they'll live to see another day in first place alone.

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