Wizards' Bradley Beal Reacts To Sixers' Home Crowd In Game 1

The emotions were riding high in Sunday's game one matchup between the Sixers and Wizards. There was no denying that the playoff atmosphere had the Philly crowd fired up. 

After a season of mainly empty arenas, having fans back has added a new element to games. Things are finally starting to look and feel normal again and couldn't have come at a more perfect time. 

Over the past few seasons, the Sixers have established a strong homecourt advantage. Their record at home is among the top of the NBA over the last three years. This has come about in part because of the home crowd. 

The Philly faithful have flooded the Wells Fargo Center to cheer on the Sixers. Their engagement and energy levels have made it one of the most difficult buildings to come in and play for opposing teams. 

Restrictions have slowly been lifted in recent weeks, allowing the Sixers to add more fans to the crowd. For Sunday's matchup, close to 10,000 patrons packed the arena for the team's playoff opener. 

Although still at limited capacity, the crowd more than made up for it with their energy. Doc Rivers said postgame that he couldn't believe how loud it was, and it felt like there were 30,000 people in the arena. 

Rivers was not the only person to give their thoughts on the home crowd after Sunday's matchup. Wizard's star Bradley Beal also spoke about playing in front of what sounded like a packed house. 

"Crowd definitely plays a factor. Especially here in Philly, their fans are rowdy," said Beal. Even Beal fed off the energy in the arena, constantly shouting to the crowd after made baskets. 

Playing in front of their home fans is one of the factors that made securing the one seed important for the Sixers. Having a packed crowd behind them will give an added edge in what could be a deep postseason run.  

Kevin McCormick covers the Philadelphia 76ers for South Jersey's 97.3 ESPN and Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @KevinMcCNBA.