I think we all know by now that Thursday night didn’t exactly go as planned for the Philadelphia 76ers when they welcomed Ben Simmons (to the bench) and the Brooklyn Nets to the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers got absolutely destroyed during the game and killed a ton of good vibes surrounding the Harden-era in Philly.

Still, the atmosphere in the city and at the Wells Fargo Center was incredible. I was in attendance (VIP courtesy of RushOrderTees, no big deal) and the energy was nothing short of a playoff game. I got down there early and headed down to the Center City Club and ran into my guy Kyle Pagan, who was there courtesy of Crossing Broad to get some content filmed from his seats right next to the Nets bench.

You can watch Kyle’s full YouTube Video Here >>

Yesterday a clip from the video of Kyle talking to Kyrie Irving went viral on social media. Irving told him to grow up, people commented on the shape of Kyles face (great jawline by the way, I’ve seen it up close and it does not disappoint), and of course, everyone had their reasons for liking or hating the video.

In the video, Pagan is asking Simmons if he was filing grievances. against the 76ers to get back the $20 million he lost while refusing to play basketball. Kyrie Irving then yelled back and told him to grow up.

I think it’s important to note that Irving also appeared to ask Pagan if “this is what he does” in regards to having a camera follow him around and film content for him. Kyle then told Irving, yes.

That’s a key part of the video that people seem to have glossed over, including Robert Covington.

Last night, 76ers fans weren’t happy with the former process legend, who should know better than to comment something so dumb about Sixers fans, took the bait and commented on the video, saying “Philly at his finest, now you see why he wanted out.”

Covington Comment:

First off, no we don’t see why he wanted out, Rob. There’s literally no reason for Ben Simmons to “want out” of Philadelphia and then get traded to the Brooklyn Nets, be cured of “mental illness”, say his “back is sore” so he doesn’t have to play, while trying to get his $20 million back from the Sixers for not playing all season when he was here.

From there, RoCo immediately tries to backpedal. In the ensuing replies, he says fans can be over the top, but that’s how Philadelphia is. Covington then mentions how he’s seen the hate towards his friends and family and understands what Simmons is going through.

Here’s my thing and honestly, I find it pretty bizarre that no one else is even mentioning this. The Nets are using Brooklyn as a rally cry. The national media wants to paint the 76ers as the enemy and haven’t stopped talking about how Ben Simmons and the Nets are vindicated after beating the Sixers Thursday night.

Why? I honestly have no idea and it’s not like it’s a complex issue.

• Ben Simmons didn’t play on Thursday night.
• He left the city of Philadelphia.
• People are mad at Simmons because he turned his back on his team and Philly.

So please, let’s just give it a rest and as for Covington, you should know better. I guess credit to you for backpedaling your way out of it on Twitter.

Of course 76ers fans took it personally since Covington had become a cult legend in the city. People are still campaigning to get RoCo back ina 76ers jersey. I have no idea why but that’s beyond the point.

Fans flew out in the hundreds to watch him in Minnesota, then had a sold-out crowd to welcome him and Dario Saric back. The Sixers are back in action tomorrow night against the Orlando Magic. We never needed a bouce-back game more than this in the month of March.

Mandatory Credit: USA Today Sports