Saying goodbye to the Spectrum
The legends were in the house Friday night for the last game at the 42-year-old Spectrum. Even Julius "The Docer" Erving, was on hand to challenge the Sixers to beat the Bulls. And when Dr. J speaks, everyone must listen.The Sixers sure did listen last night as they sealed a 104-101 victory over Chicago on Friday night in the final game at the Spectrum. The Sixers, who normally play across the street at the Wachovia Center, gave a capacity crowd one more thriller to remember in their first game here since April 19, 1996.Thaddeus Young scored a career-high 31 points and Andre Iguodala had 25 to spark the victory over Chicago.Before the game Julius "Dr.J" Erving was joined by Moses Malone and other members of of the 1966-67 and 1982-83 NBA champion Sixers. The authentic court was one of many old school features for the special night. Most notably, no rap or dance music was blasted through the arena during play. Some oldies were played during timeouts, and recordings of organ music were played to pump up the fans. "There will be a void when this building doesn't exist anymore,'' Erving said. "I used to proudly bring family and friends to Philadelphia and find time to bring them down to see the statue of me.''