New Orleans Pelicans vs. Philadelphia 76ers
“Bryan Colangelo’s collars” is not a phrase I had ever considered until it became my favorite thing on the internet. Last year, speculation among fans grew that Colangelo, the much maligned Philadelphia 76ers’ President of Basketball Operations, was operating a series of anonymous Twitter accounts for the purpose of defending his own actions from online criticism. In the process, the accounts criticized key players and revealed previously non-public information from within the organization.
It turned out that Colangelo’s wife was the one operating the anonymous accounts and vociferously defending her husband, but the damage was already done when “find a new slant” entered the lexicon of NBA fandom.
In response to a tweet from @Philly_Asshole (some people are very good at choosing Twitter handles) poking fun at the size of Colangelo’s shirt collars, one of the suspicious accounts responded, “That is a normal collar. Move on, find a new slant.”
The internet did not move on, nor did it “find a new slant.” Instead, it sprang up with Photoshopped images of Colangelo’s collars growing ever larger and an online game called Normal Collars where players attempt to collect as many collars as possible without being hit by “exposers” like The Ringer, NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski, or former 76ers GM Sam Hinkie.
It may be that last “exposer” who causes the most trouble for Colangelo. In 2013, the Sixers hired Hinkie to bring a new analytical approach to the front office. Hinkie quickly realized that the transition towards building a championship contender would be long and difficult, requiring a lot of personnel moves and — most notably — a lot of losing in order to acquire additional draft picks and improve positioning. Thus, the phrase “Trust the process” became oft-repeated within the organization.
After a series of high-profile trades and draft picks, some believed the Sixers were poised to turn a corner. “Trust the process” became popular among the fan base, a mix of sarcasm in the face of continuing losses and desperation to believe that the pieces to eventual success were finally being competently (albeit painfully) assembled. Hinkie’s highest-profile draft pick, the oft-injured Joel Embiid, even jokingly nicknamed himself “The Process” in support of Hinkie’s vision.
Then, during the middle of the 2015-16 season, the 76ers hired longtime exec Jerry Colangelo as Chairman of Basketball Operations. Before the end of the regular season, Hinkie resigned and Colangelo’s son, Bryan, was hired to replace him. The Process no longer held the trust of the front office.
It is with these events in mind that I arrived at the Wells Fargo Center to see Joel “The Process” Embiid — now healthy — play in-person for the first time. I arrived via the SEPTA train from my downtown hotel, taking the Broad Street Line from the City Hall station to the aptly named “Sports & Entertainment Complex” station. The Eagles’ stadium, 76ers’/Flyers arena, and Phillies’ ballpark are located within the same sports complex in South Philly, so I got a nice preview of the same train trip I would later make to Lincoln Financial Field for the Army-Navy game.
The exterior of the Wells Fargo Center was fairly nondescript aside from a glass-encased canopy structure and atrium in one corner, although reports indicate new additions and exterior LED lighting may be in the works.
The interior of the arena was similar: modern enough, with escalators to move people up and down and well-lit portals leading to pairs of sections, but no major defining features. The only notable observation I made was that the concourses didn’t seem quite as wide as the newest NBA arenas I’ve visited.
I decided to grab some concessions right before tip-off. The lines were relatively quick and efficient given the rush of people trying to pick up a bite before heading to their seats.
I opted for a giant slice of pizza from famed Philadelphia institution Lorenzo & Sons. Its brick-and-mortar shop is located on South Street in Philly and is primarily known as a late-night spot popular for serving massive slices from 28-inch pies. Given its size and offsite preparation, the pizza was actually pretty solid: crispy crust (for its size), lightly herbed sauce, and just the right amount of mozzarella on top.
As a former classmate of Al Horford’s at Florida, I also opted for a souvenir soda cup with his face on it, despite Big Al being unable to play due to injury.
Upon walking out to my seats in the lower-level corner ($48.50 including fees via StubHub), my eyes were immediately drawn to the Sixers’ midcourt logo, one of the most gorgeous in all of basketball. I’m typically a staunch proponent of returning to the days when midcourt logos were confined by the jump circle, but the Sixers logo extended beyond those traditional bounds without being grossly oversized. The unmistakable Liberty Bell shape and red-white-and-blue coloration, complemented by “Philadelphia” in script lettering, were deserving of a slight enlargement beyond the jump circle.
I also couldn’t help but notice the rafters. The Flyers occupied considerably more banner space, despite the Sixers having won more total league titles and a more recent championship. Either way, the 35+ year title droughts seemed to loom large in comparison to the recent success of the neighboring Eagles and Phillies.
The seats themselves were pretty standard: chair backs with cupholders in front. The legroom was fine for people under 6-feet like me, but may be a little tight for those who are taller. The space is certainly not wide enough to easily allow others to cross in front, so there’s a lot of standing to accommodate passersby whenever someone in the row makes a bathroom or concessions trip.
The game itself was a back-and-forth affair. The Sixers started out hot offensively, taking a 14-point 1st quarter lead. The Pelicans, led by Brandon Ingram, cut the lead to 5 by halftime.
One of the most entertaining features was a group of 3 fans seated behind the basket to my left. In true Philly fashion, the expletives rained down all night. These guys also had a knack for particularly well-timed insults during the otherwise brief silence prior to the entire behind-the-basket section making noise to distract Pelicans free throw shooters.
Those sections have extra incentive to make a lot of noise and distracting motions during Pelicans’ free throw attempts, as all ticket holders receive free Chick-Fil-A nuggets if an opponent misses both free throws during a 2-shot foul.
And in the end, this game came down to free throws. After Philadelphia entered the 4th quarter with a 10-point lead — propelled by a trio of strong performances from Tobias Harris, Ben Simmons, and Embiid — the Pelicans stormed back late to make one final run. A foul on a 3-point attempt by Jrue Holliday sent the Pelicans to the free throw line, where Holliday made 2/3 and cut the lead to only 3 with 21 seconds left in the game.
New Orleans quickly fouled Embiid after the Sixers inbounded the ball, and The Process stepped to the line. Proving not to be hot under the Bryan Colangelo-sized collar, Embiid knocked down both to make it a two-possession game and seal the win for the 76ers.
Lesson learned. Always trust The Process.
CFB Travel Guy 