The Detroit Pistons signed Tobias Harris to a two-year deal this summer, which already looks to be paying dividends.
He’s a stabilizing force on a young team that needed one and will hopefully help them take the next step to competitive basketball. There are nothing but good vibes around Tobias Harris and his return to Detroit.
That wasn’t the case in Philadelphia, where the angriest fans in sports quickly turned on Harris and made him the scapegoat for their failures last season. Harris had his typically solid year, but didn’t shoot the ball well in the playoffs (hard to when they just have you stand in the corner) and the 76ers were bounced in the first round.
It got ugly in Philly, with fans calling Harris a “thief” for collecting one of the biggest NBA contracts of all time for a non-All-Star.
I’m sure Harris has plenty of friends left on his old team, but when it comes to the braying and booing Philly fans, he’ll be looking for revenge.
The 2024-25 season starts in less than a week and Harris won’t have to wait long to get a shot at his old team and try to stick to the fans in Philly.
Detroit Pistons vs Philadelphia 76ers: The Tobias Harris revenge tour
Harris will get three shots at the 76ers this season, including the 5th game of the season, which I am sure will be an interesting one in Philadelphia. Here are the dates:
-October 30th @ Philadelphia
-November 30th
-February 7th
The Pistons will travel to Philly just once this season, so this will be their fans’ big chance to boo a role player who scored 17 points per game for them last season, and unlike their MVP center, played in almost all of the games.
The next two matchups are in Detroit on November 30th and February 7th the latter of which will be broadcast on ESPN. You can get the Pistons’ full cable and streaming guide here.
Given his acrimonious relationship with the Philly fans, the first game is the one to look forward to, as it would be great to see the Pistons take down an Eastern Conference powerhouse early in the season behind a huge game from Harris.
Harris won’t be the first returning player to be booed in a place that has famously booed Santa Claus, and I hope it gives him a little extra fuel that night to drop 30 on his old team and lead the Pistons to momentum-building win.