Eric Bledsoe said the Sixers would be beaten by the Kentucky Wildcats in a mythical seven-game series, and then later backtracked on that statement.
Bledsoe is a Kentucky alum, of course, and it seemed fairly clear from the jump that his comments were meant to be taken with a grain of salt.
But perhaps preparing for the worst, Bledsoe was on edge to start the contest against those same Sixers in Philadelphia on Friday. And when he took a shot to the face from Nerlens Noel on his team’s first offensive possession, he reacted as though the hit was intentional, and one that he was expecting.