76ers Road to Relevance
The date is May 14, 2013. The Philadelphia 76ers have just hired Samuel Blake Hinkie as the team’s third general manager since 2011. Two seasons earlier, the Sixers made an improbable playoff run as an 8 seed that ended in a nail-biting game 7 in Boston. Little did the fan base know, the next three years would be the equivalence of “basketball hell”. The Sixers decided to take the “tank” route and trot out rosters that consisted of James Anderson, Vander Blue, Kwame Brown, Royal Ivey, and Tony Wroten, just to name a few. This was the moment when the 76ers staff and fans alike realized that the franchise had hit rock bottom.
During these years, Sixers fans were introduced to the slogan “Trust the Process”. At times, fans became frustrated with the slogan and often wandered if the “Process” would ever come to fruition. Would basketball in Philadelphia ever be relevant again? Although the recent years have been painstaking, the long awaited answer to the question has been revealed during the latest five game stretch for the Sixers.
On January 11th, the Sixers won their eleventh game, which surpassed their ten game win total from the year before. Over the past few months, the Sixers are a top five defensive team in the league. As a team, they are beginning to climb the statistical ladders to respectable heights compared to being the cellar dweller in years past. Joel Embiid is still moving along at an all-star pace (#NBAVOTE), while becoming a social media icon in the process. Timothy John McConnell, Robert Covington, and Nerlens Noel have solidified themselves as key role players in the organization. Not to mention, Ben Simmons is less than a month away from making his long awaited debut.
The world of Sixers fans is almost back to normal. From hearing Embiid say “playoffs” to seeing ESPN cover the team, a sense of normalcy can be felt. The days of 35 point blow outs and attendance at the Wells Fargo Center maxing out at 10,000 have all but ended. It feels good. For those who have been with the “process” since the beginning, congratulations, the end is near. For those who are just joining us all, have fun on the ride, relevance is just up ahead.
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Categorized:Sixers