3. Tues. Feb. 12 vs. Boston Celtics — the Evil Empire
Just the mere thought of the Boston Celtics makes most 76ers fans automatically unleash a boo.
Since the 76ers have been in Philadelphia the Celtics have been their main archrival. Whenever the Sixers have been good, so have the Celtics it has seemed, blocking their path to a championship.
It was Wilt vs. Russell, Bird vs. Dr. J and now Tatum and Horford (or Irving and Hayward) vs. Ben and Joel. Even if you were not familiar with the history of the franchises, the fact Boston eliminated the 76ers last year is good enough to get the bile rising in fans when they see those green uniforms.
The opening night of the NBA season will feature a nationally-televised game between Boston and Philly as the whole nation is always captivated by the rivalry. That game is in Boston.
Oddly, the Celtics do not come to town until Mid-February, for another nationally-televised contest.
While both are considered, along with Toronto, the top teams in the Eastern Conference, they also both have lineup questions that need to be resolved.
By February, both teams should have solidified their lineups and at that late date the game should, hopefully for the Sixers sake, have meaning in terms of seeding for the playoffs.
That will just give fans extra incentive to boo the Celtics, not that they need much encouraging to go:
Boo!!