Philadelphia teams that play Philly ball don’t get mad, they get even. None moreso than the recent play of the NBA’s hottest team, the Philadelphia 76ers
When the Philadelphia 76ers were winning just 47 games in the past three years, they were an easy target for disgruntled NBA fans. So much so, Tankadelphia became a common term in social media. In fact, query on #tankadelphia in twitter and clench your teeth. It’s not pretty.
But the 2016-2017 version of the Philadelphia 76ers is playing way above expectations. Are the players somehow inspired by the years of disdain? Have the Philadelphia 76ers learned to channel the ire and vitriol hurled mercilessly at them into some form of motivational inspiration? And so, it seems that way right now.
For example, this year the NBA changed the format for the NBA ALL Star game to limit fan voting to 50 percent of the overall score. In previous seasons, Joel Embiid earned enough fans’ vote to start as the center in the NBA All-Star game this season. But due to the format change, he won’t. snubbed completely: both as starter and as reserve. The NBA will learn not to fire up the troops in Philadelphia.
T.J. McConnell passionately spoke about Joel Embiid not making the All-Star team. https://t.co/947Vhyfskf pic.twitter.com/JpyzdUNKYI
— Jessica Camerato (@JessicaCamerato) January 27, 2017
To be fair, T.J. McConnell said what is on the mind of virtually every Philadelphia 76ers fan.