2011-12
A lockout due to collective bargaining agreement disputes took 16 games away from the season. Even with the shortened season and less time to prepare, the Sixers started out hot. They began the season 7-2 and improved to as good as 20-9 in the first half of the season, with wins over the East-leading Bulls, Magic, Lakers, and two against the Celtics.
People around the NBA recognized the Sixers overachievement, awarding Andre Iguodala the only all-star appearance of his career. Even with the early success, the NBA’s best teams quickly figured them out. As long as teams took care of the ball and didn’t let the Sixers get out into the open court, they could hang around and then take games over late with their superior talent.
The Sixers would go on an impressive win streak and then follow it up with a disappointing losing streak; such was the cycle all season long. They would earn the eight-seed with a 35-31 record and play the one-seed Bulls in the first round.
I was watching Game 1 at a restaurant in Pittsburgh as we celebrated my cousin’s graduation from the University of Pittsburgh. The game was just about over when Derrick Rose went airborne looking to make a play for a teammate. Suddenly, he lost control mid-jump and came tumbling down to the ground on the baseline.
He laid there clutching his knee as the Sixers pushed in transition off of the turnover from Rose’s pass. All of Chicago held its breath, all of the NBA held its breath. When the league’s youngest MVP goes down in a heap clutching his knee, time freezes as the franchises, league personnel, media, and fans await the results of the MRI. The next day, the rumors were confirmed — Derrick Rose had torn his left ACL.
The Sixers would earn a blowout win in Game 2 to tie the series headed back to Philly for Games 3 and 4. In Game 3, the Bulls lost star center Joakim Noah to a severely sprained ankle for the remainder of the series. The Sixers would battle back from a fourth quarter deficit to win, and they would seize control of the series with a hard-fought win in Game 4. The Bulls would win Game 5 to put the pressure on the Sixers to end the series on their home court in Game 6.
The Sixers trailed by one point when C.J. Watson passed the ball to Omer Asik with less than five seconds left in Game 6. They quickly fouled Asik to put him at the line for two free throws. Iguodala pulled down the defensive rebound. Asik had missed both free throws. The Sixers were running. Iguodala, who had been heavily criticized for his lack of aggression in attacking the basket, turned on the jets and took the ball all the way to the other end of the court. He was going to try to end the game on a layup or get fouled doing so. The latter happened.
Iguodala, who shot lower than 65 percent from the line on the season, stepped up for the two biggest free throws of his life. The first one found the back of the rim and went through after the upside-down U that it followed from Iguodala’s release. The crowd erupted. Iguodala took a deep breath and released the second one. Good. The crowd erupted.
The Sixers had the lead. Watson’s halfcourt prayer was just a bit long, and the Sixers escaped. It did not matter that it took two of the Bulls’ best players getting injured to make it happen, the Sixers won the series. They were finally moving on.
They encountered a tough Celtics team in the Conference Semifinals. Although the Celtics defense was not great, their talent and championship experience was. Boston would escape with a tough victory in Game 1. Lavoy Allen would bank in a difficult fade-away dagger from the far wing with the shot clock expiring to insure a Sixers victory in the last minute of Game 2. The Celtics, who had been caught sleeping in Game 2, came out focused in Game 3 and won decisively.
Game 4 was one of the most memorable of my fandom. The Sixers came out missing just about every shot they took in the first half. They trailed by as many as 17 points before halftime. In the second half, the Sixers fought as hard as I’ve ever seen them fight. They clawed all the way back to tie the game with under two minutes remaining.
Iguodala, who had rediscovered himself as the go-to scorer, stepped back and drilled a jumper over Paul Pierce to take the lead. Then, the knockout punch. Lou Williams attacked right and drew Pierce away from Iguodala. Williams, seeing his teammate open behind an Elton Brand-Thaddeus Young pin-down screen, rifled a pass to Iguodala. Rise up, elevate, the building shook with cheer. The Sixers led by five. The series was headed back to Boston tied 2-2.
The Celtics would eek out a win in Game 5 and the Sixers would do the same in Game 6, leaving Game 7 to determine who would move on. The game would go to overtime, where Pierce would foul out. The Sixers had their best opportunity to win the series with Pierce gone.
In the end, the talent and experience would seize control. Rajon Rondo stepped into a huge three from the top of the arc to put the Celtics up two possessions with under a minute remaining. That was all she wrote, the Sixers had reached their demise. But, there was nothing to be ashamed of. The Sixers beat an injury-depleted one-seed and pushed an aging four-seed to the brink. Even Iguodala showed some reason to believe that he could finally become that primary option we had all hoped he’d be. How fun it was to have such low expectations that any level of achievement on paper read as excitement and optimism.