The NBA schedule has been released, and the Philadelphia 76ers have a ton of games that you won’t want to miss. Here are the top five.
The 2016-17 NBA season represents the start of a new era for Philadelphia 76ers basketball. With potential franchise pieces in place, the organization will begin the steep climb back to contention.
With a championship won’t come right away, a boost in watchability certainly can. In stark contrast to the past couple of years, the Sixers project to be fun and exciting to watch this year.
Loyal Sixers supporters will be treated to 80+ games of Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid (hopefully), Dario Saric and co. But, if you can only watch five Sixers games this season, make it these five:
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Wednesday, October 26 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Ben Simmons is projected to make his NBA debut. As is Joel Embiid (fingers crossed). As is Dario Saric. As is Brett Brown’s beard. Unless he shaves it beforehand. Either way, this game also represents the first for the Thunder in the post-Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook-unhinged era, so I fully expect Russ to morph into one of the Monstars, probably Pound, and deliver some sort of a 45-15-15 stat line while breathing fire. All of this, combined with the general excitement of opening night, makes this game must-watch basketball.
Saturday, November 5 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Ben Simmons has been compared to LeBron James. He is friends with LeBron James. He is repped by LeBron’s people. If he turns out to be anywhere near as good as LeBron, the Sixers will be very fortunate. It will be cool to watch the two go head-to-head for the first time.
Thursday, November 17 at Minnesota Timberwolves
Former Kansas teammates Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid will go head-to-head on the professional level for the first time. If Embiid hadn’t gotten injured prior to the 2014 NBA Draft he may have been the top pick instead of Wiggins, and today’s NBA landscape would potentially look very different. It will also be interesting to see how Embiid is holding up at this point — a few weeks into his first active season.
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Friday, December 16 vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Who doesn’t want to see the top two picks from the 2016 NBA Draft go at it? As the number one and number two overall picks, Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram will be linked together — at least in casual conversation — for years. Best-case scenario: Both players live up to their potential, help lead their franchises back to prominence, and spark a cross-country rivalry. Maybe the Sixers could even get revenge for the 2001 NBA Finals somewhere down the line.
Next: Meet Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid at the Beach Bash
Monday, February 27 vs. Golden State Warriors
The Sixers host the Warriors for the first and only time on February 27. The Sixers may very well have a good amount of losses at this point in the season. The Warriors probably won’t. But still, watching the young Sixers compete against the league’s most talented team will be entertaining. The Sixers almost beat the Warriors last season with Isaiah Canaan leading the team in scoring; who knows what could happen this year.