The Ben Simmons saga is finally over for the Philadelphia 76ers, with the former All-Star guard being dealt to the Brooklyn Nets in a trade that has seen them acquire James Harden. The fallout between the franchise, their fans and Simmons has been on a scale that the NBA hasn’t seen in many years and there is no love lost between the city of Philadelphia and their now former player in Ben.
So it’s no surprise that there is already an eye on the next time the Brooklyn Nets have to visit the Sixers. This contest promises to be extremely spicy and Simmons can expect to face the full wrath of the entire city that is often known for having the most passionate fans of any place in the country. And the Twitter account for the Wells Fargo Center, the 76ers’ home arena, has gotten in on the action, tweeting out the date for the fateful encounter.
3.10.22 😤
— Xfinity Mobile Arena (@XMobileArena) February 10, 2022
Exactly a month from now, the Sixers and their fans will get the opportunity to let ben Simmons know exactly how they feel about the way he has conducted himself, with the bonus advantage of having James Harden on their side during the game. It is hardly going to be pretty for Ben, who might want to consider sitting out of the clash.
Sixers star Joel Embiid is a very expressive person on the basketball court and he will surely try to rile the crowd up and get in Simmons’ face if the game ends up getting testy. Considering how tight the fight for the top spots in the Eastern Conference is, the game would have probably been quite intense already even without the additional context of this trade.
The city of Philadelphia has defended Simmons from criticism time and again but that same loyalty will now turn into hostility of epic proportions. And considering how close the Sixers are to getting one of the top 2 seeds in the conference, this game could simply end up being a precursor to a potential playoff series that would take this new rivalry to the next level.
