The Philadelphia 76ers had a game cancelled on Wednesday night, and it could lead to less wins over the next several games.
Wednesday night was a public relations disaster for Comcast Spectator, the owner and operator of the Wells Fargo Center, as well as the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers were supposed to tip off a game against the Sacramento Kings at 7pm, but the initial start of the game was delayed due to moisture on the court. By the end of the night, the game was officially cancelled for Wednesday and postponed to another time, which has yet to be determined.
According to Derek Bodner, the moisture was apparently pointed out early by the Kings, around 4pm, but the staff at the Center didn’t start mopping and trying to clean things up until about 6pm.
It was an interesting delay for a basketball game, and one that never would be fixed enough that night to play the game. The Sixers tried everything they could to get the game tipped off before 8pm, wet mopping and then dry mopping the floor. Kings’ center DeMarcus Cousins even came out to help mop.
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Fans who came to the game left angry. Those who had paid for parking had to leave just hours later, and wondered when the game would be made up. In an effort to help the situation, the Sixers have reportedly offered fans who purchased Kings tickets free admission to the rescheduled game (whenever that will be) and possibly more games in the future. The parking receipts will also be fixed.
But some fans who came from further away may not be able to get to that game as easily.
That’s not the worst of the Sixers issues. The worst of it just might be that the Sixers were in the midst of a possible great grouping of won games. The game against the Kings was a very winnable one, and it was followed by three home games, two of which looked very winnable as well.
That grouping of possible wins can always lead to more. Momentum is big in the NBA, and we’ve already seen the Sixers win consecutive games for the first time this season and for the first time since March, 2015.
The Grizzlies follow that grouping of home games with three games on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, and Detroit Pistons. The Sixers were able to take the Grizzlies to double overtime just last week at the Center, and the other two games look like games that the Sixers can walk away triumphantly from.
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Perhaps they could enter a bit more confidently if they would have been able to play on Wednesday, though.
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Sure, it might seem just a little far-fetched to say a game on November 30th would impact a game on December 11th, but streaks and momentum are important in the NBA. The “watergate” may just have cost the Sixers a few wins.