This is what you’ve been waiting for, Philadelphia.
The years of seeing unfamiliar players suit up, all of the agony from one loss after another, dealing with the never-ending critics of “the process,” it was all for this moment.
So when things tip off Saturday (8 p.m./NBCSP) for the first Sixers playoff game in six seasons, Brett Brown wants you to soak it up just as much as the team.
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“I think it’s going to be stuff that we’ve seen recently, and some. It’s just going to be a fun night, it’s going to be an exciting night,” Brown said after Friday’s practice. “The city, my players, the season-ticket holders, our fans, I hope everybody finds a way to enjoy this.
“It’s a wonderful time of any basketball season, the postseason, and we hope that there’s a level of fun. I know there’s anxiety, but I sure hope for everybody that they find some enjoyment in this experience.”
While it’s been some time since Sixers fans have witnessed playoff basketball in the city, it will be the first taste ever for many of the players. There are 10 guys on the roster that have never taken part in the postseason, but they still understand it’s been a long road back for the franchise and its supporters.
“They’ve been there when the team wasn’t winning and obviously here now when we’re winning,” Ben Simmons said earlier this week. “For them to show support all year, it gives us that motivation and extra energy on the floor. It’s like an extra player out there, so they’ve been huge.”
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Having the fans’ unwavering support is great, but that doesn’t mean the Sixers are satisfied with just reaching the playoffs. They want more … a lot more.
“The goals keep changing,” JJ Redick said. “It was, get to the playoffs, and then it was, get home court, and then it was, well, let’s get 50 [wins]. Then it was, well, now we can get the three seed. Now the goal has changed.
“Our focus is absolutely 100 percent on Miami. Our attention is on Miami. They have our undivided, full attention. But our goal is to advance in the playoffs and hopefully make a deep run.”
It all gets underway Saturday night in front of a mob of noisy and passionate fans clad in “Phila Unite” T-shirts.
Sixers fans, welcome to the moment.