April 16, 2022
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
Fans wave their hands for t-shirts during the Sixers' game against the Raptors at the Wells Fargo Center on March 20.
Over the last five years, I've made a Spotify playlist ahead of each NBA postseason for the Sixers.
Spotify wasn't even a big "thing" the last time the Sixers made the playoffs in 2012 before their huge post-Process breakthrough in 2018. The playlists are always exactly six songs. It's bookended with "Ribs" by Lorde every year. Besides just being an infectious jam that makes me want to run wild down Pattison Avenue, it's a song about growing up and how doing that is hard and the freewheelin' energy of your youth can be gone before you even realize it.
"This dream isn't feeling sweet, we're reeling through the midnight streets and I've never felt more alone, it feels so scary getting old."
I kind of feel that way about the Sixers. I've gone from a rabid fan prowling the Wells Fargo Center parking lot before Game 1 against the Heat in 2018 to a guy sitting behind a computer trying to make sense of what's happening on the floor with as much objectivity I can muster in the name of being a "Big J" journalist. Maybe it's an individual thing in how my fandom (or current lack of fandom) has changed in my role here at PhillyVoice, but the vibes and feelings around this year's Sixers squad don't compare to how this city has felt in the past handful of years. Am I wrong there?
The Sixers are, on paper, a better team than they were in 2021 when they clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference and felt primed for a Finals run. The wind getting sucked out of The Center this spring, however, likely has to do with the way former MVP James Harden has played since he arrived in Philly. In an "it only happens to the Sixers, man" fashion, one of the most lethal scorers in NBA history is playing the worst ball of his career before turning 33 this summer. The boost that had one over-eager writer (hint: he's writing this story) proclaiming Harden and should-be MVP Joel Embiid as the best duo in the NBA has not aged well.
Doc Rivers seems to be in "please, PLEASE, fire me so I can leave this city and go back to LA" mode. If he gets asked another question about Paul Reed, he's going to become the Joker. Then there's Matisse Thybulle, once a cult darling among Sixers Twitter honored with a mural alongside Garage Fishtown, who selfishly isn't fully vaccinated. Now, he'll miss any road game the Sixers have against the Raptors in their opening playoff series because of Canadian vaccine requirements.
That just sucks. It does regardless of the status of your fandom or place of employment or walk of life. Bopping around in Philadelphia is simply better when the Sixers are good and exciting. It's just like that with the teams in the city. I could wrote a PhD dissertation about why the mood of Philadelphians ebbs and flows with the success of their sports teams, but anyone reading this that cares this much about the Sixers assuredly understands that.
I wish I could be more optimistic about this Sixers run. I really do. Hey, it's more fun to "cover" a good team. In checking in with some friends, I know my concerns are shared. There should be an air of elation floating through the city. It's not quite there, but maybe a 40 burger from Embiid or a 25-point triple-double from Harden gets it there Saturday evening. As Lorde says, that's "how you wish it would be all the time."
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