The Pheisty Philadelphia 76ers Are Winning Philadelphia Style

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.

To be fair, T.J. McConnell said what is on the mind of virtually every Philadelphia 76ers fan.

In Your Face

And so, this is not a group of rollover and play dead athletes the media has portrayed. It’s now something different.  Suffice to say, this is a group of players who are no longer hanging their heads in shame.  Whereas in the past, the Philadelphia 76ers would freeze up as the game clock would expire.  Nobody wanted to take the shot, nobody believed the team could win the close ones.

And now, this season? The team already has three buzzer beating game winners. As a matter of fact, this is a team with a different “In Your Face” attitude. So much so that the team resembles the embodiment of the spirit of the fans that fill the stands.

The bigger the competition, the harder the fall.

That’s the Philadelphia way. The fans love a team that can topple the unbeatable. Win the unwinnable. Pull out a miracle when nobody believes in the team.  Why? Because in the hearts of every Philadelphia sports fan, whether cheering or jeering, there is a voice that keeps screaming:
“Get Up!  Get Up and win this one!  We know you can do it!”.  As cynical as Philadelphia fans are portrayed, they are one of the most optimistic fan bases in the nation.

They simply need a team to deliver.

Sixers Deliver

And so, even when the Philadelphia 76ers take on one of the hottest teams in the NBA, the Houston Rockets, television networks did not hesitate to flex the game to a national prime-time audience. Despite losing, the Philadelphia 76ers played a hard fought buzzer-to-buzzer game, losing by the score of 123-118.

Soaring Down South

At halftime, the teams were knotted up at 61-61.

In fact, even a span of two months ago, this game would have been absolute carnage. Now, its a nationally televised gem of a game, complete with highlight reels, drama, and the NBA’s top stars. Unless you seek All-Stars. None in Philly this year (see, I can’t help myself either).

Despite the loss, the Philadelphia 76ers fought hard. They took on an incredibly talented NBA team and stuck it out.  Philly fans are okay with an occasional loss too, as long as the team fights until the end, plays sound fundamentally, and shows signs of coming back.

On one hand, losing is tough. On the other hand, fighting throughout the game from behind give fans a sense of pride. The team didn’t shut down. In fact, the team kept coming back.

Just like the optimism.

Sixers See Success

For the first time in a very long time, the Philadelphia 76ers have begun to string wins together, and are defeating pretty good NBA teams along the way. As a result, we’ve asked the question “what has gotten into these 76ers?”.

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Not surprisingly, there are two answers.  On one hand, Duncan Smith at 16winsaring has a great piece about that very question.  Per his analysis, Joel Embiid in crunch time has given the team just enough of a “booster shot” to win in clutch time.

On the other hand, I have a similar but different theory.  In fact, in my piece to the same question, I see the pieces as already in place, and that it’s been the play, and the leadership, of Joel Embiid which has made it all start to piece together.

In conclusion, Toe MAY Toe, Toe MAH Toe. Let’s call the whole thing Sauce (no, Nik Stauskas, not you).

How Philly Wins Is Important To Philly

In Philadelphia, HOW a team wins is nearly as important as WHETHER a team wins. Regardless of the outcome, a Philadelphia team must be able to show resolve. Tighten up defensively when it needs to. Shoot a game winner to beat the buzzer.

But most of all, the team must be able to get angry, and use that anger to play light’s out.  Joel Embiid can do it. As a result, the team is winning and learning how to play philly style as well.

And so, where do we leave this story? In the hands of the great one, Allen Iverson, and his infinite wisdom.

"“It hasn’t been hard [to watch the Sixers],” Iverson said to the media. “I see where it’s going. I see that we have the talent to be great. The experience is going to matter.”"

As a matter of fact, Allen Iverson was a player who was always in tune with the fans.

Next: Six Philadelphia 76ers Things I like and don’t like

Yes, it’s not hard to watch these Philadelphia 76ers. In fact, right now it’s a pleasure. I very much look forward to doing so.