Doctor J and the Philadelphia 76ers of the early Eighties are the reason why I love this game. All my italian friends “escaped” (like me, more or less) from football (soccer), were all Lakers or Celtics fans. It was right, Los Angeles and Boston was the great rivalry of the Eighties, but for me The Doctor was the only one who shaked my chair for real. No way out, I couldn’t escape from his House Calls. So, seeing in person Doctor J walking on the Spectrum’s court last friday has been one of the most emotional things I felt in my life.

For the last NBA game at the Spectrum, the Sixers organized a great ceremony before the game, with Wali Jones, Earl Cureton, Clemond Johnson, Marc Iavaroni, Bobby Jones, Moses Malone and obviously Julius Erving, all NBA Champions from the 1967 and 1983 teams, all honored on the court. The Spectrum’s crowd was scary (too much more than Wachovia Center, a lot of times a “cold” place), and when the speaker, introducing Doctor J saying: “JULIUS ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRVING!!” (like Dave Zinkoff, the former Sixers’ speaker passed away in 1985, used to say), the ovation for the former Sixers Champion was absolutely unforgettable.

The Spectrum will be replaced by “Philly Live”, a destination retail, dining, and entertainment district in the Philadelphia Sport Complex area. It’s very sad to see explode (that’s how the Spectrum will come down) this part of Philly history and a treasure of the basketball heritage in the world, just in the name of “progress” and the “comfort” of the area.

The Spectrum will live forever in the heart of all the b-ball fans in the world.

Long live the Spectrum.