Sixers

20 Years Ago Today – A Massive Sigh of Relief

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: May 20th, 2021 · 12:57 PM EDT

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Admittedly, there’s not much we’ve been doing in the way of Sixers stuff leading up to the playoffs.

The team is practicing this week, and we get a couple of people on a Zoom call after each session, but there’s no gym access and no in-person stuff until the NBA says otherwise. So sorry if the basketball content kind of sucks.

One thing that should get the juices flowing a little bit is this video clip, takes us back 20 years, to the day, when the Sixers escaped the Raptors at home:

https://twitter.com/DidTheSixersWin/status/1395399629081038855?s=20

I remember watching this game with my dad at home. It was a knock down, drag ’em out rock fight. Allen Iverson couldn’t get anything to fall, and finished 8-27 on the evening, but logged a boatload of assists. They needed points from Aaron McKie and Jumaine Jones to stay ahead. Vince Carter also did not have a great shooting night, and he and Iverson both played the full 48 minutes.

Believe it or not, that Dell Curry three pointer in the clip above is one of just SIX makes on the evening. The Raptors went 4-14 from three and the Sixers were 2-8, which is insane. Now you’ve got NBA teams chucking up 35 three pointers per game.

And the funny thing is that the Sixers’ final two shots in this game were long twos. Terrible looks by today’s standards. A.I. turned a floppy set into a pick and roll and 22-footer. Eric Snow stepped on the line when attempting a three. Carter I thought had a clean look at the end, and you could just feel the air being sucked out your lungs. It was like a near-heart attack. When that ball came off the rim it was the biggest sigh of relief, ever.

Great moment at the FIRST UNION CENTER.