Still Processing: Fandom and the 76ers’ pursuit of an NBA Championship

The Philadelphia 76ers have ended yet another season in heartbreaking fashion. This year marks the fourth in five years that the Sixers have been sent home in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. It’s also the fourth straight year that severe question marks have followed the team into the offseason. The fans have been subjected to an unending amount of drama in the nearly nine years since “The Process” began. Is this life as a fan of the 76ers? Why do fans subject themselves to this frustration? What can the franchise do to make “The Process” worthwhile? These are all fair questions to ask after yet another disappointing season.

Before answering those questions, however, it’s important to review the recent postseason history of the Philadelphia 76ers.

A brief 76ers’ history

In 2018, the team was coming off of a disappointing five-game series against the Boston Celtics, which began their trend of second-round finishes. At the time, the future actually looked as bright as ever. Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were finally healthy, and it seemed that the team was not in prime position to add a superstar — which they would early the following season.

Jimmy Butler was traded to the Sixers the following year, and from there, a series of miscues led to failure after failure. After failing to round out the roster properly, the Philadelphia 76ers were knocked out in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by Kawhi Leonard’s shot and the Toronto Raptors. The following season, the bubble season, featured was lost as soon as it was known that Simmons would be unavailable for the playoffs — the Sixers would be swept in the first round by the Boston Celtics.

Both of those playoff exits by themselves are understandable — although a first-round sweep to a hated rival is tough to swallow. What’s even more troubling is how the Philadelphia 76ers performed in the two postseasons to follow. The Sixers’ 2021 playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks is one of the biggest disappointments in the franchise’s history and led to the Simmons dilemma that helped derail the 2022 season as well. Despite this, the team was able to add James Harden for the aforementioned Simmons, and all seemed well going forward.

That was the case, at least, until Embiid suffered a fractured orbital and a concussion in an unnecessary Game 6 against the Toronto Raptors in the first round. This injury would keep the two-time MVP runner-up out of the lineup for the first two games against the Miami Heat, and the injuries — along with Embiid’s already torn thumb ligament — clearly affected his performance. What this injury really did was reveal the many blemishes of this current 76ers roster.

Who’s to blame?

As much as many want to blame Embiid, Harden, and Doc Rivers, the answer to the question “who’s to blame” is not that simple. The true answer ranges from those obvious candidates all the way up through Daryl Morey and even the team’s ownership group. Perhaps even down to the fans and the media for enabling the franchise to continue its constant missteps.

The fact of the matter is that from top to bottom, the Philadelphia 76ers just can’t seem to get out of their own way. The team impressively finds new ways to fail each season, as shown by this past postseason.

It couldn’t be that the 76ers just lost. It couldn’t just be that Embiid suffered three injuries that would have ended many players’ seasons, that Harden hasn’t had an actual offseason to get back into shape, or that the roster construction was horrendous, including one of the weakest bench units in recent memory. It couldn’t just be the questionable coaching, not to mention that the entire team just didn’t supply any effort. No, it’s the assemblage of this and more.

These aren’t excuses either; these are simply the reasons for the Philadelphia 76ers once again coming up short. So again, the question remains, why be a fan? Why are so many drawn to this team that not just disappoints them but does so in such grandiose fashion? And what will it take for this team to finally realize the dreams of all those who have stood by them throughout “The Process” and more?

Why be a fan?

Being a fan of Philadelphia sports is historically not something for the faint of heart. Passion is the key in every sport hosted in the City of Brotherly Love. Passion is what drives fans — especially in this city — and for whatever reason, fans of Philly seem to be made with an extra dash of it. All of this passion leads to fans becoming invested in their team, financially, of course, but also emotionally.

Even so, why is it that a team this flawed continues to have fans this passionate? Why is it that fans remain loyal just to watch a team break down just before the finish line? And why do the fans of Philadelphia continue to put up with it? The answer to this is love. Fans love their team, especially in this city, and love drives people to do crazy things, things that may not always be in their best interest. Love is confusing, raw, powerful, and often, in the end, painful, and if that doesn’t describe being a fan of the Philadelphia 76ers, or even general Philadelphia sports, then I don’t know what does.