LeBron James seemed pleased with how the new-look 76ers’ audition went in front of fans.
“To be able to take what we’ve done on the practice floor, bring it to a game floor situation around our fans … it was a great first step in the direction we’re trying to go,” James said after the team’s Blue-White scrimmage on Saturday, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
The Sixers are again expected to contend for the Finals, and perhaps more now than ever with the additions of James and Jaylen Brown to the starting lineup. That is likely why about 10,000 showed up to watch them scrimmage.
“We love the fans,” Joel Embiid told reporters. “We want them, and we need them to be part of this. I mentioned it at media day: It’s already hard enough to win as a group that gets together for the first year. So we’re going to need all we can, whether it’s from everybody in this building, the fans, the outside people, we’re going to need to get together. We’re going to need all the support possible.”
Philly opens the preseason on Monday against the defending champion Knicks.
“It will be good to get out there with some of our guys to just get a rhythm,” James said of the preseason schedule. “At the same time, also not overdo it, because we’re putting a lot into our practices right now, fine-tuning what we want to do once the [regular-season] games come, but there’ll be opportunities when we get out there in the preseason.”
Looking for the latest NBA Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow Hoops Wire on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NBA News and Rumors for all 30 teams!
