Sixers Fever

I'm a runner so obviously on some level I enjoy putting myself through a small form of torture with limited (usually long term) reward for my actions. But even with this unique disposition, it's hard for me to justify spending some of my hard earned money to watch the Philadelphia 53ers (they have yet to earn the full 76) play professional basketball. Especially considering my financial burden is increased by the necessity of travel to the great city of Philadelphia from my new residence in Babylon, New York.

But of course I will do it. And probably a bunch of times. 

I'm one of the few crazies that thinks this team could actually be kinda fun this year. For starters, we actually have a healthy first round pick (knock on wood) set to play basketball for us in the United States of America (and Canada of course)! Welcome Mr. Okafor! Hopefully he can be as transformative as Emeka Okafor was for the Charlotte Bobcats franchise that started their initial build around his talent. 

Plus, it's fun to see a bunch of guys who shouldn't actually be in the NBA try and play in the NBA. They have, what I will call, YOLOism, meaning they are just going to give it 110%, playing hard and playing aggressive, because they probably only live once in the national basketball association. 

I almost always root for the underdog so assuming we aren't playing the Pistons (who the Sixers somehow always seem to beat), I can both root hard for the underdog and root hard for the team of my childhood. It's so convenient! Ok, admittedly if you are reaching for convenience you are probably running out of good ideas. But just hear me out, I still have some gems up my sleeve.

Think of it this way. I just google searched the Sixers roster and half the dudes I had no idea were on the team. Half the dudes are wearing other teams jerseys in their pictures. When you go to the game, it's going to be a surprise for all involved who is on the court. 

Like apparently Kendall Marshall is on our team? That's pretty sweet, he may have a legitimate NBA future as a pure point guard. You show up to the game and get to watch a legit court general! Or, more likely, that man gets traded for the 54th overall pick in the draft, but still.

I just want to be in the crowd and enjoy the atmosphere. Before tip, I want to overhear some fans talking and saying things like, "Yeah it sucks Tony Wroten is out with injury, he's our best scorer. We need his offense." And they are serious! Like we actually need Tony Wroten's offense! Then the game gets going and, hopefully, it's a high scoring affair and Stauskus goes for 50 or something. I mean that won't happen, but we can hope right? Isn't that what a Sixers fan is all about? Or maybe, just maybe, I could be there for a moment when one of our random dudes just goes off (because somebody has to score the ball). Like think how sick it would be to see Jakkar Sampson drop 20 points in a quarter and then you can tell your kids, "Yeah, I was at the Jakkar Sampson game." Or even worse, "I coulda went to the Jakkar game, but instead I stayed in with your mother and agreed to watch 27 Dresses." I wouldn't be able to face my son if I missed the Jakkar Sampson and my much cooler brother would probably have to take over the father duties. 

Heck, it would be sweet to just go to the game watch Joel sit on the bench. Maybe photoshop Greg Oden next to him and post the pic to Instagram or something. My 30 followers would be all about that.

In all seriousness though, if I am blessed enough to attend a Sixers game, I really think I would have a good time. Nerlens is fun. Stauskus is Canadian. The thought of me and my nerdy friends referring to Okafor as Jah for 4 quarters seems like an amazing experience. And, most importantly of all, there will be another team on the court with actual professional basketball players that should be a lot of fun to watch. 

I'm not sure when my friends and I will schedule a game this year, but I'm not worried about it. I've learned to trust the process.