76ers' Bold Court Design for In-Season Tournament Draws Mixed Fan Reactions

Do not adjust your television set.
76ers' Bold Court Design for In-Season Tournament Draws Mixed Fan Reactions
76ers' Bold Court Design for In-Season Tournament Draws Mixed Fan Reactions /

Even by the unhinged standards of the NBA in-season tournament, the 76ers' court design is something.

Hours before Philadelphia's home tournament opener against the Pacers Tuesday evening, fans and reporters were treated to their first look at the 76ers' aggressively red, white and blue design.

Pictures surfaced of Philadelphia, the best team in the NBA so far this season, warming up on what appeared to be an ABA ball smashed and smothered across the entire floor.

A picture of the court tweeted by John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia drew mixed reactions from the basketball universe.

A broad verdict was quickly reached: the court was, conservatively, difficult on the eyes.

A few pointed out that the in-season tournament courts' garish designs could be detrimental to the fan viewing experience.

Jokes about the sheer redness of the playing surface flew.

There were a precious few dissenters.

If Philadelphia continues playing like it has been, perhaps the floor will win a few converts.


Published
Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .