When the 2020-21 season starts, Dwight Howard and the Philadelphia 76ers do not only plan on beating teams physically in basketball. Apparently, the Sixers also want to win in the mental warfare.
Dwight said so as much after leading the Sixers to a 113-107 preseason win over the Indiana Pacers on Friday. Howard had a perfect shooting night as he started for the Sixers, banking all seven of his field goals for 14 points while grabbing four rebounds in just 16 minutes.
Dwight Howard relishes the opportunity to agitate opponents for the Sixers.
“…a big part for our team is to mentally destroy the other teams and it starts with Joel and myself.” pic.twitter.com/xbmBQlZWXD
— 𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚜 𝚆. 𝙲𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 🏙 (@ChrisWCrouse) December 19, 2020
According to Dwight Howard, part of Phlliy's strategy in the game was to agitate Domantas Sabonis. While the Pacers' big man still ended up with 26 points and 11 boards, it was quite clear that the Sixers' plan worked to their advantage.
Dwight Howard indicates that part of the game plan was to irritate Sabonis: “You know, I’ve been the agitator, I’ve been on the other end, other people trying to agitate me. So, whatever it takes to help this team win."
— Austin Krell (@NBAKrell) December 19, 2020
Joel Embiid didn't play in the game due to a non-COVID-19 illness. With that said, it will be interesting to see how Dwight and JoJo will fair with their mind games when the season stars on Dec. 22.
Embiid is known for his rather annoying antics on and off the court. His personality can be irritating for opponents more often than not, giving him some real estate in their minds.
Now that it seems the Sixers plan to get into the opposing team's heads during games, fans can expect both Howard and Embiid to be more active physically and vocally.
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