Last week, I said I was nervous about the 76ers’ prospects if Joel Embiid or Tyrese Maxey were to get hurt. I was bad luck for them both since they have now missed games due to injuries in the past week. It’s important for Maxey to stay healthy because Joel's latest knee injury is pretty bad and he has had a tough history of leg injuries. Maxey returned in strong form, dropping 51 points against the Jazz Feb. 1.
The 76ers had lost four games on the current road trip before the Feb. 1 win in Utah. Because the Eastern Conference standings are tight, they are 1.5 games out of second place, but sitting in fifth place. They have to start winning games to stay in the upper half of the standings.
The Super Bowl matchup is set. It should be a good game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. This is a rematch of the 2020 Super Bowl, played right before the pandemic officially started. The 49ers should’ve won that game. They were up by 10 points in the fourth quarter and the Chiefs came back to win. I will be cheering for the Chiefs to win because I like Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. I think the Chiefs’ offense will be quite powerful as the game is in a dome in Las Vegas, so there’s no weather conditions to worry about.
There is a small possibility that Andy Reid might retire after this season. If the Chiefs win, this will be a fitting way to go out. He is one of the best coaches in NFL history for both the Eagles and the Chiefs.
I am also happy with the Eagles’ decision for a new defensive coordinator for next season. Vic Fangio has almost 40 years of experience. With Kellen Moore as offensive coordinator, the offense will be more creative.
The Australian Open tennis tournament came to a conclusion last week. Aryna Sabalenka won her second consecutive Aussie Open title. She beat American Coco Gauff in the semifinals and then the surprise 12th seed Qinwen Zheng from China in the final. On the men’s side, Jannik Sinner from Italy won his first Grand Slam championship at the age of 22. He was able to beat Novak Djokovic in four sets in the semifinals, and came back from two sets down against Daniel Medvedev in the finals. It is a good thing for the future of tennis to have another new young champion.
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A 2002 Cape grad and 2007 UD grad, Lewes resident Sumner Spence is one of the Cape area's biggest sports fans. Although he’s used a wheelchair his entire life, he has lived vicariously through his sports-playing father, brother, and friends, who gave him his love of sports. He hopes to provide new and interesting perspectives on the sports stories and issues of the day. Email Sumner at sumspence@gmail.com.
