Sixers Round Table Day #3: Best Win of the Season
By John Adair
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"