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Either The NBA Regular Season Matters Or Not, Can’t Be Both

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Author Tyrone Johnson and Dylan MacKinnon
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - DECEMBER 20: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts during the first quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Wells Fargo Center on December 20, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Last year Joel Embiid made history when he dropped 70 points in a regular season game. Many fans celebrated it, as they should. It was an amazing accomplishment and worthy of praise. But a specific segment of fans were not so thrilled. We heard the cries of “It is just the NBA regular season, who cares.”

If you are one of those people who don’t care about the regular season, fine. I think you are missing out on how fun regular season Embiid is, but everyone is entitled to their opinion. I can’t say I blame fans for being apathetic after watching so many quick playoff exits. The problem is that the people who say that aren’t consistent.

They will discount it as just a regular season game if he does well, but then rip him if he struggles in a regular season game, or misses a game. Case in point, what just happened when it was announced he would miss the home opener, and the whole first week of games.

Related: Joel Embiid And Paul George Will Both Miss Game 1

Fans Take Out Their Frustration

Fans are right to be frustrated by that. If you were looking forward to watching him, or paid for tickets to see him, and you are upset that you now can’t, that is 100% fair. It sucks that he won’t be out there. It sucks that we will miss him on a lot of nights this season. People who enjoy watching regular season games have every right to be unhappy about this.

My problem is with the specific sect of fans who always say that the “regular season doesn’t matter,” being upset about it. Those fans want to have it both ways. They want to use the regular season to rip him when something goes wrong, but then won’t give him credit when he deserves it.

Tyrone Johnson weighed in on this exact subject on The Best Show Ever. See what he had to say below.

“You can’t have it to where if Embiid gets another 70 spot, you Tweet me no big deal. But if he misses two or three games, it is a big deal. It can’t be that. Either we care about the regular season or we don’t. And I’ll let the people decide. If you tell me the regular season matters then I’ll be mad with you. But if you tell me the regular season doesn’t matter, then what am I getting mad for?

You can’t have it to where it only works when you can be mad at somebody. Where you use the regular season as a battering ram. I don’t care if it he scores 50 on the Bucks. But if he scores 20 on the Knicks then I’m livid. That’s not fair.“

Make Up Your Minds About The NBA Regular Season

If the regular season truly doesn’t matter, why do you care? It is just another regular season game. They say they are protecting them this year to ensure he is healthy for the playoffs. Is that not what you want?

He is sacrificing being eligible for any of the regular season awards, that people have accused him of caring too much about so that he can be healthy when it matters. Is that not a good thing according to you? If you are one of those people who dismiss the MVP performances, why are you complaining?

If you say that fans paid to see him, that is fair. But that is admitting the regular season matters. If playing for the fans has value, then all the great things he does in the regular season also has value. That 70-point performance in front of the home crowd was an accomplishment because he gave the fans a show worthy of the ticket price.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 30: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts after he turned the ball over to the New York Knicks during the second half at Madison Square Garden on April 30, 2024 in New York City. The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the New York Knicks 112-106 in overtime. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.
(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

If the only thing that matters is the playoffs, like many people seem to think, him missing the game is fine. It is just a regular-season game, so who cares? But if he should play for the fans, if he should show up and put on a show, then you can’t discount all the great things he has done for this team and city in the regular season.

The 3 straight MVP-worthy campaigns, a 158-66 record with him on the court the past 4 seasons, and 48 games with at least 40 points. If you are mad about him missing opening night, then those things clearly matter.

Fans can’t have it both ways. Make up your mind. Either praise him for his greatness in the regular season or be okay with it when he misses regular season games. Anything else is just being a hypocrite.

Listen To Or Watch ‘The Best Show Ever?’ Live On The 97.5 The Fanatic And On NBC Sports Philly From 2 To 6 p.m. every Weekday

Dylan MacKinnon is The Digital Content Coordinator For 97.5 The Fanatic. he has been an Eagles, Flyers, Sixers, and Flyers fan his whole life. He graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelors in Journalism. Dylan has worked at the Fanatic since 2016, starting as an Intern, moving to the Street team, and eventually was hired as an Associate Producer before settling into his current role in the Digital Department. You may hear him referred to on-air as "The D-Train."

The All-Time Roster Of Homegrown Sixers Players

  • PG- Maurice Cheeks (1978-1989)

    11.1 pts, 2.8 rebs, 6.7 asts, 2.1 stls, 0.3 blks, 52.6 fg%

    Who else was it going to be? Ben Simmons? Hell no. Jrue Holiday? Love him, but Mo accomplished more here. Mo was an elite defender, was part of the last Sixers team to win a championship, and is in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Also unrelated to what he did as a player, he will always be a legend for stepping in and helping this girl who was struggling with the National Anthem.

  • SG- Allen Iverson (1996-2006) and (2009-2010)

    26.7 pts, 3.7 rebs, 6.2 asts, 2.2 stls, 0.2 blks, 42.5 FG%

    I mean, duh. There are other great SG options, one of which we will get to. But AI defined a generation of basketball in Philly. Check that, he kind of defined a generation of Basketball period. He may not have won any rings, but he was as influential as anyone in his era.

    AI carried the Sixers on his back to their one NBA Finals appearance since the 1980s. That team around him was not a Finals worthy roster. There were nice pieces, but without AI they wouldn’t be competitive.

    AI has a special place in this city. I saw the ovation he got when he came to Fan Fest and saw the emotional reaction it sparked in him. His time here was not without controversy, but AI will always be a legend in Philly.

    Natalie Egenolf on X (formerly Twitter): "The @alleniverson gives an emotional speech to the fans of Philadelphia at @975TheFanatic #FanFest."This is how Michael Jordan made me feel, this is legendary."❤️ pic.twitter.com/hqxS0WlIF3 / X"

    The @alleniverson gives an emotional speech to the fans of Philadelphia at @975TheFanatic #FanFest."This is how Michael Jordan made me feel, this is legendary."❤️ pic.twitter.com/hqxS0WlIF3

  • SF- Billy Cunningham (1965-1972) and (1974-1976)

    21.2 pts, 10.4 rebs, 4.3 asts, 1.8 stls, 0.5 blks, 45.2 FG%

    A member of the 1967 championship team. Cunningham was drafted by the Sixers in 1965 and became a scoring machine for them. He was the first player in franchise history to score 50 in a playoff game.

    He took a two-season break to play for Carolina in the ABA but then returned to Philly for the final two years of his career. Cunningham is in the Hall of Fame, made 4 All-NBA teams, and averaged a double-double across his career. He needed to appear on this list somewhere.

    Philadelphia 76ers on X (formerly Twitter): "Happy birthday to former player, coach and 2x NBA Champion Billy Cunningham! 🎂🎉 pic.twitter.com/nYAO3qot4Z / X"

    Happy birthday to former player, coach and 2x NBA Champion Billy Cunningham! 🎂🎉 pic.twitter.com/nYAO3qot4Z

  • PF- Charles Barkley (1984-1992)

    22.1 pts, 11.7 rebs, 3.9 asts, 1.5 stls, 0.8 blks, 54.1 FG%

    Most wasted Sixers career has a lot of competition. Allen Iverson is up there. Embiid is in danger of being there. But Charles Barkley also has a very strong case.

    Barkley is a Hall of Famer but never won anything here. Then they traded him for peanuts. But when he was here, he was must watch TV. Between shattering backboards, filling up the scoreboard, and being an elite rebounder, Barkley deserved better than he got here.

    Thankfully he doesn’t hold it against the city. Barkley still loves the city, and will still be in and around it during his downtime.

    Legion Hoops on X (formerly Twitter): "This is awesome.Charles Barkley receives his own statue outside of the Sixers practice facility.pic.twitter.com/tgxKx5gDoF / X"

    This is awesome.Charles Barkley receives his own statue outside of the Sixers practice facility.pic.twitter.com/tgxKx5gDoF

  • C- Joel Embiid (2014- Present)

    27.8 pts, 11.2 rebs, 3.6 asts, 0.9 stls, 1.7 blks, 50.4 FG%

    Thankfully Wilt did not start his career here, so we don’t need to start this debate. Joel is the most talented Sixers player ever, let alone being the most talented center. He is currently first in NBA history in points per minute. Add on elite defense, you get one hell of a player.

    Obviously, he needs to do more come playoff time. But if you can’t appreciate how amazing Joel Embiid is, you just don’t appreciate great basketball. Embiid will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer one day and will undoubtedly go down as a top 5 Sixer, if not the greatest Sixer of all time.

    Jack Connell on X (formerly Twitter): "Joel Embiid is the only player EVER to score 70+ points in 37 minutes or less. MVP. pic.twitter.com/CVvExMfl8J / X"

    Joel Embiid is the only player EVER to score 70+ points in 37 minutes or less. MVP. pic.twitter.com/CVvExMfl8J

  • BE- Hal Greer (1958-1973)

    19.2 pts, 5 rebs, 4 asts, 45.2 FG%

    When he was drafted, they were still the Syracuse Nationals. But that counts. You could argue he belongs in the starter spot over AI. Greer spent his whole career here, won a Championship, and made the All-NBA team 7 times.

    Even though he played his last game here 50 years ago, he still leads the franchise is games, minutes, and points. But I went with AI still, call it recency bias, or my personal bias because AI was the guy who got me into Basketball. But I had to put AI in the starting lineup.

    Philadelphia 76ers on X (formerly Twitter): "the all-time leading scorer in 76ers franchise history. remembering Hal Greer on what would have been his 86th birthday. 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/vXl2YjUlo4 / X"

    the all-time leading scorer in 76ers franchise history. remembering Hal Greer on what would have been his 86th birthday. 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/vXl2YjUlo4

  • BE- Daryl Dawkins (1975-1982)

    12.0 pts, 6.1 rebs, 1.3 asts, 0.5 stls, 1.4 blks, 57.2 FG%

    He had one of the best nicknames ever. Chocolate Thunder, given to him by Stevie Wonder. He got the nickname because of his knack for booming dunks. The NBA literally changed the way they make their rims and backboards because he kept shattering backboards.

  • BE- Andre Iguodala (2004-2012)

    11.9 pts, 4.9 rebs, 4.2 asts, 0.5 stls, 0.4 blks, 46.3 FG%

    Iggy gets a bad rap. He was expected to be the guy here and never was. But we saw him go on and be an important piece of winning teams. That is what he is. Had the Sixers put star power around him, and he was the 3rd or 4th guy, Philly would have loved him. But from the start here he had expectations thrust onto him that he was never going to live up to.

    NBA History on X (formerly Twitter): "In 2006, Andre Iguodala hit this putback buzzer beater to complete a dramatic 19 point Sixers comeback.#NBAClutchWeek pic.twitter.com/Pj0Cl2rdBG / X"

    In 2006, Andre Iguodala hit this putback buzzer beater to complete a dramatic 19 point Sixers comeback.#NBAClutchWeek pic.twitter.com/Pj0Cl2rdBG

     

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