With Something to Cheer About, Sixers Fans Providing Energy

Toronto Raptors forward Norman Powell was ready to throw down a ferocious dunk with 8:48 left in the game with his team trailing the Sixers by six. That dunk could've silenced the crowd and gotten the Raptors right back in the game.

Instead, he was met at the rim and left feeling rejected. Not by Joel Embiid. Not by Nerlens Noel. But by rookie Dario Saric.

Saric wasn't done there. In his first game with Toronto this season, Jared Sullinger was in the same position, with an opportunity to finish a big dunk less than a minute later. Like Powell, Sullinger was turned away by Saric.

In that moment, 17,000-plus went crazy at the Wells Fargo Center. The cheers were deafening for the 22-year-old Croatian.

"I try to give effort for every game," Saric said. "And I had an opportunity. I had an opportunity to get blocks. I did it and then it started to get crazy. Of course as a player you like that. When you do a good move and the whole gym try to support you."

The Sixers rode that wave of energy to a 94-89 win over the Raptors on Wednesday.

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Sure, some on hand were there to see Villanova product Kyle Lowry and the Eastern Conference's second-best team, but when the moment arrived, the crowd was in the Sixers' corner.

"Obviously it's something new, something different, something I'm not used to but easily getting used to," Nerlens Noel said on the crowd support. "It's the sixth man. They come in there and they give us a whole new spark of energy, especially that Dario sequence. The fans, every block, they were on their feet, they were giving him extra motivation to go get another one. They come up big for us."

That wasn't the crowd's only moment to shine. "The Process" gave them plenty to cheer about all night.

Earlier in the fourth, Embiid had a sequence where he was at the elbow while Sergio Rodriguez had the ball up top.  Sullinger was draped over Embiid as he called for the ball. Instead, Embiid spun away from Sullinger and toward the basket, leaving the bulky forward grasping at air. Rodriguez fed Embiid and the latter finished the play with a slam.

After another sound defensive possession, Embiid struck again, this time nailing his second three of the contest. It forced the Raptors to call a timeout and the crowd to erupt. Chants of "Trust the Process" could be heard throughout the entire arena.

"It's amazing," Embiid said. "Even on the road, you hear 'Trust the Process' chants. I feel like everybody around the world is starting to follow and trust us and trust the process. The fans have been great. I'm glad we're winning games for them. We're doing it for the city."

While Embiid's global outreach may be somewhat exaggerated, there's no doubt this city has fallen in love with the charismatic Cameroonian. When it was time to close out the game, who else was in the middle of the action but Embiid.

After Robert Covington blocked a Lowry three with 30.1 left, Lowry was able to recover the loose ball and drive to the basket. The only thing he'd find there was Embiid waiting to swat away his layup attempt. Lowry then fouled Embiid, sending Embiid to the line to seal the game.

As the big man stepped to the charity stripe, a different chant broke out. While the "M-V-P" cries may not be realistic, Embiid enjoys every second of it.

"It's amazing. Last year that's something I never thought would happen," Embiid said. "I never thought we would be winning so many games, especially so many games in a row. But what I'm trying to do is change the culture. I like to get into it with the fans. I don't like it quiet. I play better when fans are into it, chanting ‘Trust the Process,' ‘M-V-P,' cheering for us. That's what I love."

The Sixers have now won five in a row with Embiid in the lineup and seven of nine overall. They have 14 wins with another month left until the All-Star break. They have a legitimate superstar and are garnering an identity as a strong defensive unit.

The atmosphere was electric in South Philly on Wednesday and it's been a long time coming.

"The fans are fantastic," head coach Brett Brown said. "We're all kind of starving for some success, we're starving for some good feelings, some wins. To feel it and feel it again, it's addictive. This city and the fans deserve it. They really deserve it."

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