By: Jesse Larch, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Sixers will be featured on the international stage when they play the Boston Celtics at the O2 Arena in London, England today.
The Celtics hold the best record in the Eastern Conference, while the Sixers are looking to move past .500 with a statement victory over Boston.
International play is great for the melting pot Sixers
The Sixers are an appropriate choice for the NBA's international marquee with a plethora of international players.
Joel Embiid is from Cameroon, Ben Simmons is from Australia as is 2017 second round pick Jonah Bolden, Dario Saric is from Croatia, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot is from France as is Mathias Lessort who is another stashed prospect, Furkan Korkmaz is from Turkey, and 2017 first rounder Anžejs Pasečņiks is from Latvia.
With talent from all over the globe the Sixers will be an appealing team for years to come not only domestically but internationally as well.
One Sixers in particular is getting afforded a rare opportunity from playing overseas. For the first time Dario Saric's father will get to see him play live in a 76ers uniform.
Predrag Saric will be in attendance at the O2 Arena on Thursday, and he had a role in molding Dario Saric into a professional basketball player – having played professionally himself.
You can see clips of Dario's daddy here lighting up Real Madrid in the early 90s. He also shows off the shooting touch that he passed down to his son:
Embracing the Stage
There is no doubt that being featured in the NBA's London game is an honor bestowed on the Sixers by the league, and the Sixers have not lost sight of what this game means.
“We’re going over there to try to play a great game. In that sense, it is a business trip. It’s more of a wins and losses thing for us,” said shooting guard and veteran leader J.J. Redick. “There’s no free time. It’s going to be a business trip with the intent of trying to win a basketball game.”
Redick added that the Sixers are not going into the game with the intention of entertaining like some kind of Harlem Globetrotters knock off, keeping the focus on wins and losses.
Whether or not the Sixers put on a show for the London crowd, the chance to play for an international audience on national television will only ontinue to grow the game, and the Sixers' brand across the globe.
Old versus New
This game will feature a matchup of two of the best big men in the NBA in Joel Embiid and Al Horford.
Embiid is averaging 23.8 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.0 blocks per game. Horford – a four-time NBA All-Star – is averaging 13.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.0 blocks per game and has been brought up frequently in the defensive player of the year conversation.
Horford is a grizzled veteran with a long track record of success, but Embiid represents the evolution of big men in the NBA with his ability to defend and score with versatility and elite efficiency.
A matchup with great importance, but also with great entertainment value will be Al Horford versus Joel Embiid.
| Matchup Preview | January 11, 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Boston Celtics (33-10) |
Philadelphia 76ers (19-19) |
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