March 10, 2022
For the second time in as many weeks, the Sixers will have their “biggest home game in years.”
It was just nine days ago that James Harden took the court in South Philly and Sixers fans welcomed him like a basketball messiah. Pantheon-level Philadelphia sports villain Ben Simmons will make his return to the Wells Fargo Center for the first time since the franchise’s embarrassing Game 7 loss to the Hawks in last summer’s playoffs. He won’t be suiting up for the Nets, merely sitting on the bench, but, rest assured, Simmons will be the main talking point even in a game featuring multiple NBA MVPs and All-Stars.
Sixers fans’ focus in the arena will certainly be on Simmons, who will receive an avalanche of boos, heckling and chants in his direction. For those not in attendance, I’m banking on tonight’s TNT announcers to be discussing the Simmons situation as much as, if not more than, the actual on-court play.
What cliches will they lean on? What phrases that live rent free in Sixers fans’ heads will they be forced to listen to? What will dominate the discourse?
I came up with a Ben Simmons Bingo card for tonight’s game:
Here's my most likely scenario for hitting Bingo:
B: I'd bet all the money in my wallet ($8 USD) that Simmons' infamous pass to Matisse Thybulle against the Hawks after passing up a wide-open dunk is shown.
I: I'm expecting the audience to hear about Simmons working on his shot with Nets assistant coach and former Sixers guard Kyle Korver.
N: Other than the free square, I expect TNT to be all about the raucous history of Philly sports fans, so I'm thinking last year's Russell Westbrook debacle to be brought up.
G: "Snowballs and Santa Claus" is a lock, no?
O: These selections have more of a wild card feel, but I'm going to go with "Hack-A-Ben," as I anticipate Simmons' free throw shooting to be a talking point.
I'll be at the arena for the Sixers-Nets game, but if anyone is watching from the game at home and gets bingo, shoot me a tweet and win a prize (I will retweet you).
Follow Shamus & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @shamus_clancy | @thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
Add Shamus' RSS feed to your feed reader
