George Hill Fulfilled Wish of Performing for Sixers Fans on Sunday

Sixers veteran guard George Hill mentioned he fulfilled a wish of playing in front of Philly fans as a member of the home team on Sunday.

George Hill is no stranger to the Wells Fargo Center. Even before joining the Philadelphia 76ers a couple of months ago, Hill has appeared in his fair share of games in South Philly, but as a member of different squads.

Players might not like playing in Philly as a visitor, but they can't deny how excellent the atmosphere is. As the Sixers have no issue packing in seats no matter what the allowed capacity is at, the arena in South Philly gets rowdy on a nightly basis.

This past Sunday afternoon, the Sixers hosted a playoff game for the first time since the 2018-2019 season. As the city of Philadelphia eased its COVID-19 restrictions further, the Sixers were allowed to host a season-high of over 11,000 fans.

For George Hill, it allowed him to have the opportunity to fulfill a wish of playing for thousands of screaming Sixers fans in the postseason. On Tuesday afternoon, the veteran guard detailed just how exciting and eventful his first playoff game in a Sixers uniform was on Sunday.

"[The fans] are something that we truly missed," Hill said on Tuesday. "No one knows how big our fans matter until they're not there. This is one place that I always wanted to be in, see the fans, and be a part of. I got to do that the other night. Even though it wasn't packed all the way, it was a lot more than what we're used to, and we're going to rely on that here throughout the playoffs."

To no surprise, Sixers fans lived up to the expectations on Sunday. Not only was Hill impressed by the playoff environment, but so was his head coach, Doc Rivers, who believed there was no way the arena was filled at just 50-percent capacity.

"I can't believe that was 10,000-11,000 -- there is no way," Rivers said after the game. "I think we're counting like the Republicans, you know? Because it felt like 30,000 people in the stands. They were amazing. Let's keep it going. It's so nice to have that at home. We got down early in the second quarter and the beginning of the third, and they never wavered. That gives the team energy. I don't think people understand how important that is."

The Sixers, who finished the 2020-2021 season with the second-best home record at 29-7, picked up their first playoff victory of the year in front of their home crowd on Sunday. They'll attempt to do it again on Wednesday as they're set to host the Wizards for Game 2 in South Philly. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.