Joel Embiid Excited to Play in Front of Wizards Fans for Game 3

Since debuting for the Sixers, Joel Embiid has had a special connection with the city of Philadelphia. His bond with the Philly faithful is something few players in the league have in their home arena. 

With the increased capacity for games, the two sides have been reconnected after a long year apart. The Wells Fargo Center has been arguably the loudest it has ever been to start this playoff run. 

Players have fed off the crazed energy by the home crowd. Embiid has even brought back his signature move of raising his arms to the fans. Something that is always met with loud cheers. 

"There's no better crowd than Philly fans," Embiid said after their victory in Game 2 Wednesday. The energetic home crowd is partly why the Sixers are one of the best home teams in the NBA right now. 

While Embiid loves nothing more than playing in front of the home fans, he is looking forward to heading on the road. The All-Star center enjoys the banter he receives when playing in opposing stadiums. 

"I love playing on the road also because people boo you and talk trash. For me personally, it makes me play even better. Just because I want to shut them up," Embiid said postgame Wednesday. 

Similar to the Sixers, the Wizards have also recently bumped their seating limit. Washington will be allowing 10,000 fans into the arena for Game 3 and Game 4 of the series. 

The energy levels are sure to be high for Game 3. After a fan at Game 2 threw popcorn on Russell Westbrook, the animosity is sure to be felt from the Wizards' crowd.  

Embiid will have his chance to stick to the Wizards crowd on Saturday. When the Sixers look to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series. 

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