The Philadelphia 76ers have had one of the top home records in the NBA as they have gone to work at the Wells Fargo Center all season long. They entered Sunday’s matchup with the San Antonio Spurs with a 16-3 home record which improved with the win on Sunday night.
However, the Sixers have been playing in an empty arena all season and that is something that can wear on a player sometimes. Sure, basketball is basketball at the end of the day, but the fans are an important part of the game.
On Sunday, for the first time all season, the Sixers welcomed fans back to the arena. There were officially 3,071 fans there on Sunday and they let their voices be heard for their team.
“It was awesome,” said Tobias Harris. “From the minute we came out, the energy that they provided us, it was long overdue for us to have our fans. We’ve played in a couple of arenas with fans, but it felt like a packed crowd tonight just how loud they were, their energy, and atmosphere, so for us, that was an added boost.”
Ben Simmons, who can sometimes draw the ire of the fan base, returned after missing two games due to the contact tracing protocols and he put on a show for the fans. He had 14 points and nine assists and he had a couple of dunks that excited everybody. He was motioning to the crowd to get louder during the game.
“It was amazing,” Simmons said with a smile. “The energy is completely different when they’re there. I think it was a great experience for everybody who hasn’t played in Philly, that’s on the Philly team now, to really understand that, and I think they really understand it. Even if it was, 3000 fans. You can really feel them and feel the energy.”
Speaking of those who are in their first season with the Sixers, Seth Curry was able to play in front of his new home crowd for the first time this season and he had 21 points while knocking down three triples. It was a big night for him.
“It was fun, man,” he said. “They gave us an extra boost, obviously as a team, a little bit of an adrenaline rush of the fans in there. It was a great atmosphere. Obviously, it hasn’t been the same all year with no fans in the arena. Really appreciate the energy they brought all night.”
Philadelphia had played in road arenas with fans before. Such as Phoenix, Utah, and Orlando as examples, but those places just aren’t Philadelphia.
“Wells Fargo 3,000 was completely different to Phoenix, Utah, and Orlando,” said Simmons. “It feels like a packed arena, honestly, for us. Tha fans have been amazing throughout all of this and I’m glad they can come back and enjoy the game.”
The Wells Fargo Center is an arena that is always rocking and with only the limited number of fans who were there, it was a big difference for them on the floor.
“Man, when they were there and you walked out, it was awesome,” said coach Doc Rivers. “I thought their noise, their spirit, I thought it got our guys excited, it’s amazing how much we missed the fans and particularly miss our fans. I thought our crowd came like they haven’t been to a game either and they couldn’t wait to cheer and fortunately, we gave them something to cheer for. It was just an excellent atmosphere.”
Those same fans will return on Tuesday as the team hosts the New York Knicks.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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