The playoffs are right around the corner, and for some teams, it is already here. It’s been an odd season due to a shortened schedule and a surplus of injuries. Nevertheless, there were still some incredible moments and some riveting games. Let’s take a look at the best moments from the Sixers 2020-2021 season.
The Season Opener
The anticipation was sky-high going into the season opener against the Wizards. Fans didn’t know what to expect from Doc Rivers’s new system. A fantastic first quarter had the Sixers jump out to a 30-26 lead. The third quarter was extremely rough and it was starting to look like the same lazy, dysfunctional effort coming out of halftime that we saw the previous year.
The team completely turned it around in the 4th quarter outscoring the Wizards 40-24. Joel Embiid dominated, Ben Simmons was locked in on defense, and Shake Milton provided some great playmaking. The Sixers proved in game one that they could close games out as a team. A great start to the season.
Tobias Harris Game Winner vs Lakers
After a disappointing 19′-20′ season for Tobias Harris, the fanbase was beginning to give up on him. Harris had a great and consistent start to the season. His revenge tour was starting to heat up. Fans started to become aware that Tobias was stepping up his game. But the game against the Lakers certified his role as the second scorer and team closer. This was a rare game where all the stars were healthy for both teams. Sixers blew a late lead, but luckily, Tobias Harris continued his hot streak and proved he was able to take over a game. Flash-forward to later in the season when Tobias yelled: “I’m a F***ing All-Star” after taking over another game down the stretch.
Joel Embiid vs Heat
In a game that stripped most players away because of COVID, there was one player who stood tall: Joel Embiid. The Sixers had an interesting lineup but they still had their start center. It was a rough first half but Embiid decided that he wouldn’t let them loose in the second half. This was my favorite Embiid game of the year. I’ll even rank it over his 50 point game. The reason why? He started playing point guard!!! Embiid was bringing the ball up the floor while a guard would set a screen for him. He would then shoot a fade-away mid-range that looked more like Kevin Durant than a 7-foot center. I’ve probably watched his highlights from this game about 20 times. We’ll make it 21 times as I write this article.
Ben Simmons Career High
Despite the loss, it was really fun seeing Ben Simmons explode. He dominated from the very first minute and never looked back. He took it as a sign of disrespect being guarding by Rudy Gobert. Simmons put his head down and attacked every possession. It was an encouraging loss considering the Sixers were shorthanded. Even though the result wasn’t ideal, it was still a very memorable game.
Sweeping the Celtics
Sixers were able to win a close game against the Celtics in their first matchup. The Celtics were without Jason Tatum, so the win was expected. After the game, Marcus Smart threw some shade at Embiid for flopping. Ironic. Embiid dominated the Celtics for the second straight game a couple of days later. The third game against the C’s included Jayson Tatum. Once again, Embiid proved to be too much to handle. The Sixers dominated Boston for the third time. It was no contest.
Sixers vs Jazz- March 3rd
The game of the season in my opinion. The Jazz started the game shooting the lights out but the Sixers wouldn’t give up. They stuck to their game and they continued to score inside. Embiid proved that even against one of the best defenders in the league, he could not be stopped in a 1 v 1 matchup. The Sixers inched their way back and it took a late-game Joel Embiid 3 to send it into overtime. In overtime, Tobias Harris proved ONCE AGAIN, that he could completely take over games. Ben Simmons put Donovan Mitchell in jail down the stretch of the game. The memes after this game were absolute gold. The day after this game was one of my favorite days on Sixers Twitter. “wE WoN tHiS gAmE iN mY oPiNiOn”
50 Piece McNugget
Joel Embiid was leading the MVP discussion for the majority of the year and this game was a trademark performance for the big man. His career-high proved to be way too much for the Bulls. He was pure dominant down the stretch all while doing it efficiently. He was scoring every way possible including Kobe-Esque fade-aways and guard-like Euro-steps. I’ll always remember Tobias saying “50…Piece… McNugget.”
#1 Seed
The Sixers did something that they haven’t done in 20 straight years… They clinched the #1 seed. Amazingly, they are in this position after everything that has happened since 2013. The pay-off is amazing and we are looking forward to the playoffs. I couldn’t be more excited!
