With the NBA in an indefinite hiatus due to COVID-19, we continue our day-by-day look back at the history of the Philadelphia 76ers. We continue down our path into Sixers history every day as we look to fill the void left by the absence of basketball.
This one takes us back to 2011 when the Sixers made a surprise trip to the playoffs. They were a scrappy bunch led by Jrue Holiday and Andre Iguodala and they were battling the loaded Miami Heat led by the Big 3. On Easter Sunday in Game 4, Philadelphia was facing elimination. However, they dug deep and they played to live for another day.
April 24, 2011
The Sixers were outmatched in this series from the beginning. They would definitely fight as they were not the type of team to just lie down, but they did not have the talent to match up with a team that had LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh on it. Things looked bleak in Game 4 as they trailed the Heat by six with 95 seconds left, but Philadephia dug deep and they got a little help from the bench.
With time winding down and the Sixers down by one, Lou Williams sized up Wade and knocked down a deep 3-pointer to give the Sixers an 84-82 lead with 8.1 seconds left. The faithful Philadelphia crowd was sent into a frenzy and the Sixers earned a trip back to South Florida with an 86-82 win.
Williams had 17 points off the bench and he explained his big shot late to reporters:
D-Wade gave me a little room and I was able to knock it down. We’ve always been a team that fought, all the way until the end. I just wanted to give us an opportunity to win the basketball game.
Of course, the Sixers would be finished off in Game 5 as they were not able to keep the series going, but Williams’ shot was something special for a young team just trying to earn their playoff stripes. [lawrence-related id=29953,29945,29936]