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Opening Night special for Embiid

WITH SIX minutes left in the second quarter of Wednesday night's 103-97 Opening-Night loss to Oklahoma City, an already wildly entertained sellout crowd at the Wells Fargo Center decided to teach Joel Embiid about the city that loves you back.

WITH SIX minutes left in the second quarter of Wednesday night's 103-97 Opening-Night loss to Oklahoma City, an already wildly entertained sellout crowd at the Wells Fargo Center decided to teach Joel Embiid about the city that loves you back.

"Trust the Process . . . Trust the Process," they chanted moments after the Sixers center had picked up his second foul, holding his arms straight up for an endless string of seconds, feeding the crowd's outrage at the call, clearly not endearing himself to the first-ever officiating crew of his injury-delayed NBA career.

That day, a retelling of his NBA journey and particularly the last two trying seasons had appeared in Sports Illustrated, a story that included this eye-popping line:

"I really feel like I'm The Process," he was quoted saying. "Like The Process is about me."

"You see how I don't think that's funny," said Sixers coach Brett Brown when this was relayed to him before the game, and only after an eye-squinting laugh.

"I think he's hilarious. I think that he's got a sense of humor, a personality. Whatever he anoints himself to be is fine by me. As long as he rebounds and runs the floor to start with."

Yeah, he did that. Oh, my, did he do that. Less than 20 seconds into the game, Embiid yanked his first rebound. Ovation. Eight seconds later he rimmed out a jumper from the top of the key. Massive sigh. Shortly after, he side-stepped a box-out, sending 7-foot, 255 pound Steven Adams sprawling to the floor, maybe helping it a little with a hook from arms that have clearly benefited from the aerobic lulls of his last two years.

There were blips of course, but even the nature of those were encouraging, and in so many ways. Gerald Henderson took a pass and tried to feed him as he ran to the rim, but the ball sailed by the unaware big man.

He tapped his chest immediately. He smiled.

And then he did something to suggest how special he could be if that foot of his holds up. Given the ball with his back to the basket near the top of the key, Embiid stepped right and spun left, leaving Andre Roberson, a 6-7 forward, stumbling in the wrong direction. The ensuing jumper swished the net, and moments later, now back on the defensive end, he forcefully swatted away Russell Westbrook's 7-footer, initiating a break the other way.

This was all within the first five minutes of his NBA career, the crowd roaring almost rhythmically as one play layered the other.

And when he slapped hands with Jahlil Okafor on his way to the bench?

Well, children, this is what the buzz felt like when Allen Iverson played here.

We are, of course, not there yet. Not close. Ben Simmons was there to remind us of that Wednesday night, holding a media update seconds after Embiid had finished the one at this locker. But as Brown noted beforehand, it's not just Okafor out there anymore. Dario Saric got his own chant too, and guys like Robert Covington, Henderson and point-guard-of-the-week Sergio Rodriguez helped make this a spirited, hard-fought NBA game. And someday, hopefully sooner than later, young Ben will join them too.

They still played like the young team that they are of course, especially down the stretch, where quick, long shots allowed the Thunder to chip away and ultimately overcome their game-long lead.

Still, this was Embiid's night. Limited by the Sixers medical staff to 22 minutes, he nonetheless scored a team-high 20 points, grabbed seven rebounds, blocked a couple of shots - including Westbrook's - and disrupted Oklahoma City's offense.

It just wasn't a typical coming out, given his entertaining presence on social media over the last two years as he went through various stages of mend. Embiid and Sixers fans already are deep into their relationship, the emotion of Wednesday night spilling over like lovers kept from each other for years by outside interference.

"Anyone who has been around him for even 10 minutes can understand his personality is one of the liveliest around," teammate Richaun Holmes said. "I love being around him. Everyone does. The guy's hilarious. He's going to be someone who is going to wow the crowd with his play and his personality."

Before the game, Embiid conceded "a little" anxiety about his moment having finally arrived. It dissipated, he said, after that first basket, running the floor with a smile, playing to the crowd with a twirling finger, the bond with his public forged through his trying last two years clear in those process chants, and at the end, a few "MVP" chants for good measure.

"It was great," Embiid said. "They chanted my motto. The fans were so into the game. It was fun.

"And I love having fun."

"There are times I get emotional . . . " said Brown. "Because I lived every second of that journey with him, good times and bad . . . Knowing the work and the uncertainty and I'm sure the emotional strain he must have been going through. Just wondering if he was ever going to play again. To see him arrive now . . .

"Tonight," said Brown, now somber. "Tonight is a special night."

@samdonnellon

Columns: ph.ly/Donnellon