For the first time since his death on Sunday, the NBA will play in Kobe Bryant’s old neighborhood of Philadelphia. With eyes watering and noses sniffing in parts of Wells Fargo Center, the Warriors and 76ers will pay homage to a legend and then start dribbling.
If ever a game seemed tone-deaf to mood, it is this one. In this town. At this time. Even if Kobe himself would have urged every player to drain every ounce of energy – and he certainly would have – and every fan to soak in every dribble and swish of the net.