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.
We take it back to 2012 where the 8 seed Sixers faced a big opportunity at home. They were hosting a Chicago Bulls team riddled with injuries and they had a chance to go up 3-1 before the series shifted back to the United Center. They would need all hands on deck and Jrue Holiday, who had struggled a bit in the series, stepped up in a big way down the stretch.
May 6, 2012
Despite missing Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, the Bulls were still the better team, on paper. They still had proven veterans like Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, and Richard Hamilton to lead the way. However, when a team is missing two starters, that can hinder anybody no matter who else is on the roster.
A young and scrappy Philadelphia team took advantage of this and outscored Chicago 25-19 in the fourth to win it 89-82. Holiday finished the contest shooting a dreadful 7-for-23 and only 2-for-7 from deep, but his two 3-pointers came at the perfect time in the final minutes to seal it for the Sixers. Holiday had 20 points to complement Spencer Hawes’ team-leading 22 points while Andre Iguodala had 14 and 12 rebounds.
While struggling, Holiday had to share a laugh with Evan Turner and he told reporters postgame:
You’ve got to be happy when you play. It really helps.
The young Sixers were now on the verge of upsetting the 1 seed Bulls. With the series shifting back to Chicago, it will not be an easy feat to get it done. Especially with the pride shown by the aforementioned vets on Chicago. [lawrence-related id=30563,30548,30539]