The Philadelphia 76ers. The Process. Joel Embiid. TJ McConnell. The most clutch team in the NBA. Last second baskets, come from behind wins, a complete effort game in and game out.

This season, I decided to get season tickets. Everyone laughed at me.

“What a waste of money!”

“Why would you do that? They suck.”

“You’re in for a long season.”

Etc., etc., etc.

And for the first few months, they did suck. The team lacked leadership. They were too young. Dario Saric wasn’t acclimated to the pace of the NBA. Ben Simmons and Nerlens Noel were hurt. The only thing going for the team — well, for the fans — was Jo Jo.

Opening night against the Oklahoma City Thunder on national TV, the world got the first glimpse of Joel Embiid. He came out firing, and the crowd was pumped. It’s been a while since the Philadelphia fans had someone to cheer. (They hated Desiigner perform the halftime show, as he got showered with boos from the entire crowd). Anyway, back to Jo Jo. During trips to the foul line, in his first ever NBA game, fans started to chant “M-V-P, M-V-P!”

It didn’t work. Embiid missed the foul shot. His next trip to the line the fans changed the chant. “Trust-The-Process. Trust-The-Process!” Embiid made every other free throw he took that night. He became the process. We had put our trust in him. He embraced it and since, he has been referred to as Joel “The Process” Embiid.

Trust The Process.

Even with the trust, the Sixers were young and inexperienced. When your highest paid player is Jerryd Bayless and he’s only played in 3 games all year, there’s bound to be ups and downs. I really think Gerald Henderson has stepped up as a leader and veteran role model for many of the younger guys.

Here’s how I became a sudden season ticket holder, and I’m glad it happened.

My Experience

Three weeks before opening night, I wasn’t even thinking about the Sixers, let alone season tickets. I had just bought a pair of tickets to see Anthony Davis and New Orleans when they came to town in December. I’ve seen the Pels play in Philly the past four years.

That’s because I covered the team back when I was a columnist for Bleacher Report. When Anthony Davis came up. When Jrue Holiday was traded there. When they signed Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, and brought in Tyreke Evans. That was a fun gig. I learned a lot about the Pels and the Southwest division as a whole.

About a week after purchasing those tickets, I got a call from a ticket rep for the Sixers. I knew the question was coming — “hey, check out our available ticket packages” — I just didn’t know I’d commit. I committed to the 12-game Big Game plan. The price was affordable and I thought it would be worth it to see all the big names when they came to town.

Then, the price for season tickets shocked me. The payment plan was easy. I hopped on that train and became a season ticket holder. I was probably the easiest season ticket sale that dude ever made.

But because I signed up so late, when it came game day for OKC, I didn’t have my tickets yet. Had to pick them up at will call. Then, game 2 was three days later. Still no tickets. I was handed all the tickets when I entered the arena on that Saturday, then watched practice from the court. But I had to walk around with a season’s worth of tickets in my pocket.

Dwight Howard.

As my process was starting, so too was the Sixers process of becoming a team. And they’ve come a long way in just a few months. When Nicolas Batum of the sputtering Hornets guaranteed a victory over the Sixers…and lost thanks again to the clutch-factor and last-second heroics from TJ McConnell, McConnell said to Molly Sullivan postgame, “you’re not gonna overlook us — we’re not a guaranteed victory for the other team.” He went on to say “we’re a damn good team, we just gotta keep fighting.”

The team has become a brotherhood. They continue to click and support each other. They’re even lobbying behind keeping Jahlil Okafor in the City of Brotherly Love. As the saying goes, you just gotta ‘Trust the Process.’

It’s an exciting time for the Sixers. They’re a few steps away from making the playoffs.

Trekking Through The Process

They were in games at the beginning, only really getting blown out at the hands of Kyle Korver and the Hawks.

They took the reigning champion Cavaliers to the buzzer. Side note, the Cavs bus was late because then Vice President Joe Biden was in town on the campaign trail.

They’ve seen some small winning streaks. They had one of the best January’s in the NBA. They’ve won more than double the amount of games they won last year. Really, 10–72 is abysmal.

I feel fortunate to be a season ticket member this season. I’ve been able to watch the transformation of players learning to play together, trusting each other, and becoming a team.

I’ve seen the game from every corner of the arena.

From row one to club boxes to upper bowl to lower bowl to risers behind the net. I’ve been there. (It’s actually not worth it to sit first row because the courtside seats are elevated and you’re forced to watch the game by peering over the heads in front of you. Not fun.)

I sat behind the bench for LeBron and the Cavs; next to the bench for Vince and the Grizz; in a club box for Harden and the Rockets; and got to take a few pictures with the Championship Trophy. It’s been a unique experience.

LeBron.

I saw Saric make an inbound, alley-oop layup pass to RoCo with 2.5 seconds left to win the battle between Embiid and Karl Anthony Towns’ T-Wolves.

I saw Melo standing there in shock as TJ spun around and hit a buzzer-beating baseline jumper to win the game over the Knicks. Then, I got to shoot a free throw on the court post game. It bounced around the rim, but eventually it went in!

It actually went in.

I watched RoCo stun Portland with a DEEP three to take a one-point lead with four seconds remaining against the Blazers.

I watched the crowd go crazy as DeAndre Jordan forgot the distance of a free throw as he air balled consecutive attempts. They beat the Clippers in arguably Nerlens Noel’s best game of the year. (My buddy got kicked out of the arena as he tried to leave the bar after the third quarter with a drink in hand. Why he put his Jack and Ginger in his pocket, I don’t know. I had to watch the fourth and see them seal the win by myself.)

There’s going to be plenty more big wins, and plenty more memories from these Philadelphia 76ers. I sure got these tickets at the right time.

At the All-Star Break, this team is fun to watch. With the Sixers, you never know what to expect. You don’t think they’d be able to compete by looking at their roster. But that’s all they do. TJ and the crew. They work hard and compete. For a team that went 10–72 a year ago, it’s a complete 180. Trust it.

Trust the process.