The Sixer Sense
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76ers Biggest Win in Brett Brown Era Signifies a Huge Chapter Change

By Josh Wilson

Mar 17, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard TJ McConnell (1) dribbles during the third quarter of the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the Wells Fargo Center. The Philadelphia 76ers won the game 116-74. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard TJ McConnell (1) dribbles during the third quarter of the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the Wells Fargo Center. The Philadelphia 76ers won the game 116-74. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Dallas Mavericks by 42 points on Friday night. The biggest win in the Brett Brown era is very significant.

Prior to the game on Friday night where the Philadelphia 76ers would host the Dallas Mavericks, I wrote about how the game would be very significant in the turning of a new chapter for both the Sixers organization as well as Nerlens Noel, the player that really was a main part of the start of the rebuilding process.

It would also prove to be big for Justin Anderson. This was the first time Anderson and Noel would be playing their former teams, and Noel’s first visit to Philadelphia as a visitor rather than a member of the home team.

Nerlens Noel was traded to the Mavericks at this year’s trade deadline after playing for the team for the last several years. He was traded for during the first ever NBA Draft that Sam Hinkie led the team into.

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All of that is very significant. And after Noel was adamant that the team could not successfully run three big men (him, Jahlil Okafor, Joel Embiid) on the same roster (he was right, they couldn’t) he was given the opportunity to play elsewhere. Noel has been impactful with the Dallas Mavericks so far.

But the game on Friday didn’t end up being hugely significant in turning that chapter. Instead, it turned the chapter yet again for the Sixers in their efforts to prove that they are the real deal. It allowed them to prove that they are no longer a laughing stock, and even as their playoff hopes are essentially destroyed, there’s nothing keeping them from playing their hearts out on every single night.

116-74 was the final score of Friday night’s win for the Sixers, a 42-point blowout. According to CSN Philly and Basketball Reference, it was the largest margin of victory for the Sixers since 2008.

While the game itself was big for the Sixers, and big in proving that they are to be taken seriously, their third quarter may have been the thing that proved they are not like they used to be. They scored 36 of their own points in the third, and held the Mavericks to a mind-boggling 16 points in that quarter.

Talk about a shut down. Talk about defense. Talk about the narrative that the Sixers can’t win the third quarter box score being murdered completely.

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Do yourself a favor and head to NBA.com and look at the “matchup” portion of the game recap. Look at the lead tracker. It was all  Sixers throughout the whole game, but it was an absolute landslide from the time halftime ended on.

The Sixers had an offensive rating of 118.7 and a defensive rating of 75.7.

All of this without Ben Simmons. All of this without Joel Embiid.

In all reality, this game means essentially nothing. The win doesn’t get the Sixers closer to the playoffs, and it hurts their draft standings in more ways than one. They keep the Mavericks further out of the playoffs which means they probably won’t get their first round pick in this year’s draft, and will probably get two second rounders instead. They also didn’t help their own draft standing by winning.

In previous years, fans might have even been upset at the win because of how it hurts draft implications. This year? It doesn’t matter. Go out and win, go out and prove that this team is worth reckoning with.

No longer is losing to the Sixers a disgrace in the NBA. It’s something that isn’t that surprising for a lot of teams.

Next: How Solid is the Foundation of the Sixers?

This will only get better. This team is really starting to gel, and yes, it was just the Mavericks on Friday night, but it felt like it was the Sixers coming out of their previous self.