The vibe in the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday prior to tipoff was somewhat different than at anytime during the previous series against the Miami Heat - more nervous energy than excitement this time around. That's bound to happen with the Sixers in an undesirable position down two games to none.
The special guest who rang the ceremonial bell pregame helped get the fans into the rabid mode we've come to expect from Philly fans.
It was none other than Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles! Guy knows a thing or two about beating a team from New England.
Nick Foles rings the bell! pic.twitter.com/RiJEc1wEnm— Enrico (@The700Level) May 5, 2018
This man knows a thing or two about beating Boston.
Super Bowl 52 MVP Nick Foles rings in the Sixers for Game 3 as Philly looks to take it's first win over the Celtics. pic.twitter.com/Lg2y6vzUit— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) May 5, 2018
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Philadelphia @Eagles quarterback and Super Bowl 52 MVP @NickFoles ringing us in! 🛎🔨 pic.twitter.com/2HFLtX9BgN— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) May 5, 2018
Safe to say that brought the energy level up a couple of notches.
Dario Saric is an admirer of Foles and said prior to the playoffs that any player on this Sixers team has the ability to step up and be an X-factor, just like Foles did for the Eagles this season.
Keeping the Eagles-Sixers Comps Going
The 76ers aren't the first Philly team to turn to masks as a rallying cry of sorts in 2018.
The Eagles turned to the underdog motif en route to bringing the Lombardi trophy back to Philadelphia during their magical Super Bowl run, so maybe covering some Sixers fans faces can't hurt in the quest to beat the Boston Celtics.
Sixers fans who stopped by the team's official watch party at Xfinity Live across the South Philly sports complex from the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday afternoon had the chance to pick up a Joel Embiid-inspired "Phantom of the Process" mask complete with his No. 21 and the team's playoff mantra, "Phila Unite," at the top of them.
Fans seem to be enjoying the masks a bit more than Jojo himself, who has had issues wearing his mask during the playoffs.
Game Faces#phantomoftheprocess pic.twitter.com/0B8WPoZdSh— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) May 5, 2018
