It’s no secret that the Philadelphia 76ers benefit from their home court. In fact, it got so bad this past season that it was almost comical at times. The Sixers were a league best 29-2 at home, and a disastrous 10-24 on the road. Countless jokes have been made around the concept that the Sixers “need” their home fans to boo them in order for them to play their best.
With the NBA’s Orlando restart scheduled to kick off in a few weeks, an obvious problem awaits the Sixers. There will be no home court, there will be no fans, and there will be no-one there to boo them. This dilemma was proposed to Sixers’ rookie Matisse Thybulle during a Zoom call with the media, and he had this to say regarding the matter:
The Sixers definitely have some high energy personalities on their bench. Former G-League standout Norvel Pelle was a huge participator in team celebrations this year, Mike Scott is always talking some sort of trash, and even Thybulle himself brings an above average level of energy to the bench.
It’s near impossible to simulate the type of energy that that a packed Wells Fargo Center brings. However, it’s encouraging to know that the Sixers have at least had some internal conversations on the best way to replicate it. It would be foolish for the organization to acknowledge that they play better in front of their own fans, and that the loss of home court in Orlando is a significant issue.
Granted, every team will be facing the same issues as the Sixers. So while Philly will definitely miss their raucous home crowd, they also won’t have to worry about playing any “road” games. At the very least, this gives the Sixers an honest chance to beat their opponents straight up.
