Most games in the NBA flaunt an atmosphere that makes everyone fall in love with basketball. Fans play a crucial role in creating that atmosphere with their amazing support throughout the fixture.
While each NBA game is watched by thousands of in-stadium fans, the atmosphere is different during matches played between two rival teams. We witnessed that magic in the most recent fixture between the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers.
The game was already being played in Philly, where fans are simply crazier about the game than elsewhere. On top of that, this fixture held a lot of expectations on its shoulder as this was the first time Ben Simmons was returning to Philly after forcing his way out of the team.
Well, as most would have expected, Simmons was heckled beyond need by Philly fans. Although the 25-year-old wasn’t part of the playing team for this match, it must be pretty tough to be present in such a hostile environment.
Fortunately, Simmons and the Nets registered a victory over the 76ers in a historic fashion. At one point in the game, the Sixers fans couldn’t even boo Simmons anymore as their team was down by so many points.
After the sensational victory, Nets’ Kyrie Irving was asked about his thoughts on playing in such an environment. Irving revealed:
“It was lovely. I enjoyed it. I hope everybody at home enjoyed it. It’s great for our league when you can build off emotions for a night like tonight. And you know it’s going to be one victor and you want to be on that other end.”
As Kai said, there is only going to be one victor regardless of the atmosphere in the stadium. This time around it was the Brooklyn Nets.
But the Nets still need some work before relaxing as their spot in the playoffs is yet to be confirmed. Moreover, with Kyrie being a part-time player, he will not be a part of many remaining games. So the team needs to keep that in mind while pushing towards their goal of winning the 2022 NBA Championship.
