The second and final day of practice prior to the NBA London game has been and gone. The Celtics once again took to the court first, followed by the Sixers. Media members were only able to catch the first ten minutes or so of Sixers practice, so there wasn’t a lot of observations to make…although I did nearly obtain a concussion from a stray Ben Simmons trick shot, so there’s that. Anyway, here is everything you need to know from the day’s action.
Kyrie goes OFF:
A short sample size, but Boston focused a lot of their shootaround efforts on shooting from the perimeter. A lot more coordinated than what we saw yesterday, the Celtics looked sharp. In particular, Kyrie Irving. Irving was relatively limited in yesterday’s practice, spending most of the session on the sidelines talking with coaches. Today, the former NBA Champion was dialed in.
https://twitter.com/LiamJenkins21/status/951073582708330497
In fact, it felt like the only shots he missed were when rogue balls struck his shot off target. If Irving is this hot during the game tomorrow evening, look out Philly.
Trickshot central:
The Sixers meanwhile, spent the time that media were able to spectate using the walls for trickshots. The team looked loose and relaxed. Brett Brown was wandering between the courts and laughing with his players so he didn’t seem to mind. It’s a little difficult to analyze as it’s difficult to imagine the team would spend their entire practice like that…especially after shooing the media away after the opening 10-15 minutes.
We’re live from London for Sixers practice! https://t.co/skmkmw3upz
— Philly Sports Network (@PhiladelphiaSN) January 10, 2018
Not everyone was as relaxed however. Brown had Embiid working on some mid-range shots during that timeframe too.
Moment de complicité entre @JoelEmbiid et son coach Brett Brown #NBAGlobalGame #NBAlondon pic.twitter.com/oBE7l5jhIv
— First Team (@FirstTeam101) January 10, 2018
Talking to the media:
Before practice started, every player made themselves available to the media…but beyond that some surprising faces did too. Bryan Colangelo opened himself up to interviews, as did Head Coach Brett Brown. There were plenty of interesting takeaways that will all be detailed in our ‘NBA London Diary’ series over the next day or two.
Overall, it was hard to really take anything from the Sixers’ time on the court today, however there were plenty of insightful quotes from veterans and staff alike. We will also be releasing a ‘vlog’ showcasing some of our personal highlights from the last couple of days.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
