Mar 16, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doug Collins celebrates with center Spencer Hawes (00) and forward Dorell Wright (4) during the second quarter against the Indiana Pacers at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers defeated the Pacers 98-91. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Today is the third day of ten at The Sixer Sense Round Table. The Sixers struggled to a 34-48 record this season. With that said, today’s round table debates what the biggest win of the season was. There aren’t many to choose from, but here is what our guys had to say.

“Spencer Hawes’ near-quadruple double against the Pacers. That’s the kind of thing we’re going to tell our grandchildren about.”

- USA TODAY Sports NBA Writer Sean Highkin

“ I think Dec. 26 in Memphis was Philly’s best game. The Grizzlies are one of the top teams in the NBA and it’s always tough to play in Memphis. Against a very good defensive team the Sixers scored 99 points shooting over 50% from the field. That win also kept them close to .500 by bringing them to 18-19.”

- Robby Kalland, SB Nation

“ Probably the win against the Lakers on New Year’s Day. Anytime you beat the Lakers (on the road, no less), it’s a good day.”

- Roy Burton, SB Nation 

“The Sixers had a lot of quality wins over teams like the Knicks, Celtics, Nuggets and so on, but I think that their win over the Pacers on March 16 has to be what I’d call the best. That’s the game where Spencer Hawes went berserk for 18 points, 16 boards, eight assists and seven blocks (he also hit a three, which I think qualifies it as the best game by itself). Including Hawes, six players scored in double-figures for Philly, they shot 49.4 percent from the field and went 6-13 from three. They also held the Pacers to below 40 percent shooting. It just felt like the most complete and balanced game that they played all season, to me at least.”

- Cody Williams, Rant Sports

“The Sixers 98-91 win against the Pacers on March 16th was their best win for a number of reasons.  First, the Sixers were able to put together a complete team effort against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Their 19-4 run to start the fourth quarter was one of the rare occasions this season where the Sixers were able to effectively close out a game.  Additionally, it was during this stretch of the season that Spencer Hawes showed signs of maturing as a leader both on the court and in the locker room.  On the court in this game, we got a glimpse of Spencer Hawes at his best as he had 18 points, 8 assists, 16 rebounds and 7 blocks.  Jrue Holiday poured in 27 points and had 12 assists in the contest.  Lastly, it was Dr. J Bobblehead Night.  Need I say more?”

- Matt Buesing, Fire and Ice Radio

“Home opener versus the Nuggets.  The anticipation and excitement of a new season, mixed with Iguodala’s return to Philadelphia as a visitor, made this victory standout.  Ironically, these two teams have gone in complete opposite directions since that game.”

- Greg Duca, Fire and Ice Radio

“The best game was the first game of the Celtics Home and home back towards the beginning of the season. It was early and we were 11-8 without Bynum.”

- Average Bro, Sports Pro & Average Bro

“Beating Denver in the opener. We were UNDEFEATED! Until we lost our next three and pretty much every other one after.”

-Sports Pro, Sports Pro & Average Bro

“Home opener. 9-point win over Andre Iguodala and the Nuggets during his homecoming in Denver.”

- Danny Solis, The Sixer Sense

“ I couldn’t even tell you. I guess beating the Lakers in LA. That was fun.”

- Dante Nelson, The Sixer Sense

“The best win would have to be the Sixers destroying the Knicks at the Wells Fargo Center on January 26th. After a tumultuous January, the Sixers got the gift of a hot Knicks team that finally had their full roster on hand for the first time all season. Jrue Holiday played like an all-star, Thad shut down Melo, and Swaggy P drilled shots all over the court as his NYK counterpart JR Smith finished the contest with a whopping zero points (let it be known that this win was so good, I did not require a box score check to recall this information). The Sixers looked good that night, to the point where a buddy of mine who’s a Knicks fan actually said “if they can play like that, and steal the 7 or 8 seed and get Bynum back, they could be a force in the playoffs.” That was probably the high point of the season when optimism, Bynum’s return, and a playoff berth and run were still a real thing.”

- E.J. Aguado, The Sixer Sense

“The best win came on December 26th at Memphis where they won 99-89. Dorrell Wright had one his best games scoring 28 points and 6 rebounds and Spencer Hawes had 20 points and 9 rebounds off the bench. Considering how horrendous their road record was this was a great win.”

- Scott Boutcher, The Sixer Sense

“The best team win for me dates all the way back to the fifth game of the season against Boston. The Sixers handled the Celtics 106-100 at the TD Garden and the season seemed headed in the right direction. Jrue Holiday scored 21 points along with 14 assists, while Turner poured in 25 points and 11 boards.”

- Steve Garlatti, The Sixer Sense

“Each and every one of the whopping 34 that they won.”

- Spencer Layman, The Sixer Sense

Mar 21, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Philadelphia 76ers players Jrue Holiday (11) , Dorell Wright (4) , and Thaddeus Young (21) react during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 101-100. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

As promised, this is the second day of a ten day round table regarding the Sixers. Each person featured answered ten questions, and we’ll bring you their answers to a different question every day.

We asked each member of our staff, along with fans and some of the biggest writers in the nation what the most disappointing part of the 2012-2013 season was already. To see their answers, read yesterday’s round table.

Today’s question: “What, if anything, are you optimistic about looking forward?”

Below are everyone’s answers.

“Well, Jrue Holiday’s pretty good, isn’t he? There are so many elite point guards in the NBA these days that it’s tough to stay competitive without one unless you also have LeBron James. The Sixers have one of the most promising PG talents in the league, and they got him on a pretty great value for the next four years.”

- USA TODAY Sports NBA Writer Sean Highkin

 

“Jrue Holiday was an All-Star and Thad Young had his best year as a pro.”

- Chuck Bausman, Sports Editor at Philly Daily News

 

“Jrue Holiday. This season, we learned that he has the ability to be a very good point guard in this league for the next 10 years.”

- Roy Burton, Bleacher Report and SB Nation

“The Sixers have a couple very nice young pieces in Jrue Holiday and (Saint) Thaddeus Young. Both guys have a lot of ability and would be perfect compliments to a dominant scorer either inside or outside. If they can add that type player (the player they thought Bynum would be) then Sixers fans should be reasonably optimistic.”

- Robby Kalland, SB Nation

“Jrue Holiday definitely has been a cause for optimism this season. Whether Bynum was healthy or not, I don’t think anyone expected what Holiday did this season, setting career-highs in points, rebounds and assists per game and being selected as an All-Star. He’s been pretty awful over the last few weeks of the season, but it’s also the first time he’s logged this many minutes and had this much responsibility for an entire season. He’s even come out and said that the wear and tear of this season has surprised him and he’s worn down. Going forward, I think you have to be excited about what this guy can do for the Sixers. He is just 22 years old. I think what Thaddeus Young has done this season has some merit as well. He’s pretty much who he has always been offensively, an efficient and smart scorer. What I’ve really liked about Young this season, though, is how much more active he’s been on the glass and on defense than he has been in years past. He seems to have worked on his rebounding technique and is more aggressive on the boards. He’s also becoming a smarter defender and has obviously worked on his ability to jump passing lanes. That’s definitely got to count as a positive for this season and for the future.”

- Cody Williams, Rant Sports

“The young core of Jrue Holiday and Thad Young is a great reason for Sixers fans to keep the faith.  After the Andrew Bynum experiment this season, it is time to build a team around Holiday and Young for the future.  I am also not quite ready to run Evan Turner out of town, and I think it will be interesting to see if Turner can grow under a new coach.”

- Matt Buesing, Fire and Ice Radio

“The Sixers led by Holiday and Young.  I want to see the continued growth of Jrue Holiday.  He was great for 3/4 of the season and very much deserving of his All Star selection.  His play down the stretch of the season dropped off and I attribute that to tired legs.  He’s a young guy and was asked to carry a very large load for a team that struggled to put the ball in the basket.  Going forward, I expect Jrue to get stronger physically and mentally, and play at a high level for an entire 82 game season.  Also, Thad Young proved to be so valuable to this team because of his effort and energy everytime he stepped on the court.  No matter the situation, Thad brought it each night and was a joy to watch.  I expect his effort to continue to shine in years to come and I think he will continue to evolve as a leader.”

- Greg Duca, Fire and Ice Radio

“I’m optimistic to see Jrue and Thad grow together. Hopefully the Sixers can trade Turner for a solid big in the offseason.”

- Jeff McMenamin, Sixers Columnist at Philadunkia

“Thad. In his 5th year, Thad put up his best numbers of his career, averaging 15 points and 7.5 boards while shooting 53% from the floor. The man is a beast and I love watching him play. Interestingly enough, Thad played tremendous on Fridays, averaging 17.5 points and 9 boards on a whopping 59% from the floor. There’s something to say about a guy whose willing to show up to work on a Friday night, and give it his full effort, because I sure don’t when I work Fridays.”

- Sports Pro, Average Bro & Sports Pro

“Now that they have Jrue Holiday’s older brother, I’m pretty psyched to see the T-shirts that people come up with. Plus the brother thing is working for the Upton’s right now so there’s that.”

- Average Bro, Average Bro & Sports Pro

“Whether the organization can make the right moves. Hire the right athletes to pursue and find better opportunities that don’t include Kwame Brown, Andrew Bynum and Spencer Hawes.”

- Danny Solis, The Sixer Sense

“The near future (1-3 years) looks grim. I can’t say I’m excited about what will happen. They have money but the FA class is rather weak and I fear the Sixers will spend money on players that won’t really take the team to the championship level. Instead, it’ll be just to be relevant, as usual.”

- Dante Nelson, The Sixer Sense

“Unfortunately, there is nothing specific that I am optimistic about going into next season. There is too much uncertainty to pinpoint a bright spot of the future, besides of course Jrue. That being said, the extensive minutes and pressure of this season got to Jrue towards the end, and that’s too scary of a prospect to not hope his role is eased a bit next year. Anyway, I’m optimistic and hopeful that the front office makes some kind of move(s) that promote long-term success over immediate 6, 7, 8-seed mediocrity, and get Jrue some help before he gets run to the ground. More optimistic thoughts will come in the offseason after the future is a bit more clear.”

- E.J. Aguado, The Sixer Sense

“The two things I am looking forward to are Jrue Holiday and Arnett Moultrie. Holiday is an all star point guard that has great court vision and has a well rounded game. Moultrie is still very raw but has the potential to be a solid power forward in this game. Hopefully next year’s coach will play him more minutes so he can develop.”

- Scott Boutcher, The Sixer Sense

“As bad as this past season has gone for the organization, I am still optimistic for the team’s future. Jrue Holiday has proven his value around the league and was selected to his first All-Star team.  While it will be sad to see Doug go, I think the team can use a change of direction. With a new coach, I am excited to see if Collins was a factor in the lack of Evan Turner’s development. The Sixers have many options this summer, with a ton of cap space, a lottery draft pick, and many tradable assets. The future may not be as bright to some fans, bu there are reasons to be optimistic heading into this summer.”

- Steve Garlatti, The Sixer Sense

“Jrue. Other than that, not so much really. I think the Sixers are going to try to blow it up this season. Trade Evan, Thad, and hope some one takes Kwame in a deal. I think Dorell and Swaggy are both gone. The Sixers will have some money though; So there’s that.”

- Spencer Layman, The Sixer Sense

Now that we’ve given you some expert opinions, here’s a look at some responses from fans via the Twitter world.

@sixersense the kid @yungsmoove21 and the young bul @jrue_holiday11.But no one is untouchable for the right trade

— seth (@RupacShakur) April 17, 2013

@sixersense absolutely none happy Doig is gone but until a legit GM is brought in it will never change

— Sam McClafferty (@arocketsa) April 17, 2013

That’s it for the second day here at The Sixer Sense Round Table, thanks for reading! Stay tuned for tomorrow’s edition, a look at the Sixers’ best win of the season.