Scene Setter:
The 76ers (0-1) – now off and running in the regular season – begin their 41-date home schedule at The Center with a 7:00 PM meeting against the Utah Jazz (0-1). Each team is coming off a Wednesday loss. The Sixers dropped a 112-95 decision at the Boston Celtics, while the Jazz watched a last-minute lead disappear in a 92-87 defeat at the Detroit Pistons.
The Sixers have enjoyed recent success in their annual South Philadelphia debut, winning four of their past six home openers. All-time, the team is 34-18 in such games.
Fans on-hand for Friday’s match-up will be privy to some special features surrounding the night. All attendees will take home ‘Since 1776’ t-shirts, courtesy of Independence Blue Cross. Additionally, the Sixers plan to celebrate the lives of Darryl Dawkins, Moses Malone, and Harvey Pollack, all of whom passed away this off-season after making substantial contributions to the organization during their lives. A new 3D court projection video will premiere at the start of the game as well, and multi-time Grammy-winner Patti LaBelle – a native Philadelphian – is scheduled to perform the National Anthem.
Series:
The Utah Jazz have had the Sixers’ number of late, earning victories in each of the team’s past five match-ups. The Sixers’ most recent win versus the Jazz came on November 16th, 2012.
In the Sixers’ first meeting with Utah last season, Tony Wroten came off the bench to score 20 points in an 88-71 loss. The second time around, the Sixers saw a one-point halftime lead slip away, ultimately falling 89-83. Nerlens Noel delivered a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double.
Subplots:
The mid-1970’s to mid-1980’s was indeed a time of great prosperity for the Sixers. They strung together 12 straight playoff appearances, and made four trips to the NBA Finals. In 1983, they won the league title. Also during that era, some of the franchise’s most memorable characters emerged, and came into their own. Without question, Darryl Dawkins, Moses Malone, and Harvey Pollak were a part of that development. Dawkins displayed endless creativity, not only with his dunks, but with his names for them. Malone, with his dynamic two-way game, proved to be the difference-maker during the 1983 championship season. Pollack, meanwhile, was unmistakable; his statistical innovations, t-shirts, and longevity were among the many distinct attributes that defined him.In the span of less than three months over the summer, the Sixers organization lost all three men. Pollack passed on June 23rd, Dawkins on August 27th, and Malone on September 13th. Tributes commemorating the trio will be unveiled Friday over the course of the Sixers’ first home game.Brett Brown said he interacted with Dawkins and Malone at several team-related functions, but would chat frequently with Pollack when the Sixers were at home.”I go down to the arena early, always, and you go up and you see this older man wandering through the arena, by himself, and you bump into him and you talk, and I’d always be blown away at something that he said that I would find interesting from a statistical standpoint,” Brown said. “I remember him for that, just this wild statistic that you’d never ever even think of that he would share with you, and that he so thoroughly enjoyed talking to you about that.
The Utah Jazz – with a young nucleus beginning to show promise – ended the previous season on a positive note, winning 22 of their last 36 games following a 16-30 start. The optimism surrounding Quin Snyder’s team took a significant hit in August, however, when point guard Dante Exum tore the ACL in his left knee. He suffered the injury while playing internationally for his native Australia. Exum was selected fifth overall in the 2014 NBA Draft, and has a connection to Brett Brown. Brown coached for the Melbourne Tigers while Exum’s father, Cecil, played for the team.
The Sixers and Utah share another connection, via the University of Michigan men’s basketball program. Nik Stauskas and Jazz point guard Trey Burke were part of the same backcourt during the Wolverines’ push to the 2013 NCAA national championship game. Burke and Stauskas ranked second and third, respectively, in scoring on that year’s team.
Health Report:
Nik Stauskas (back spasms) has been designated as “probable.”
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