Looking Back at the Best Moments of the Sixers 17 Game Win Streak

All good things must come to an end. And thanks to Dwyane Wade turning back the clocks to 2006, our stretch of 17 consecutive wins has to come an end. Before we turn our focus to Game 3, let’s take a look back at the best moments of the historic winning run.




The “This Could Be Real” Onslaught of the Twolves (Win #6 Sixers 120 – Timberwolves 108):

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers will always be linked with one another as long as both teams’ cores stay in tact. They are, in a way, the Western Conference version of The Process. They ended up with Wiggins and KAT, us with Embiid and Simmons. They traded draft assets for Jimmy Butler. We traded draft assets for Markelle Fultz. I remember last year, our supposed coming out party was on TNT against the Timberwolves. The game promo was “KAT VS EMBIID: THE FUTURE OF THE LEAGUE”. They smoked us. It left me doubtful that they were ahead of us, they “Processed” better than we did. Fast forward a year and this blowout win was one of the many “look how far we’ve come” moments of the season.




The Return of Markelle Fultz (Win #7 Sixers 123 – Nuggets 104): 

An hour before tip-off, the Sixers announced Markelle Fultz’ return like Nike restocking a pair of Jordans and we were off and running. It could not have worked out much better for the Sixers. They announced the return of the rookie suddenly, and late in the day, so it missed the talk show circuit. No time to analyze, just hoop. Then, after Fultz gets a lengthy, supportive ovation, a blown defensive assignment leads to Fultz first bucket and an easy one at that. A confidence booster to say the least. Philly blows the doors off Denver in the third quarter, allowing Fultz to get some extra time in the fourth quarter and be the star of the show. A well deserved perfect moment for Markelle. Oh, and we found another way to mock the Minnesota Vikings.




Embiid Breaks His Face, Simmons Steps Up (Win #9 Sixers 101 – Hawks 91)

You had your pick of Simmons’ games to highlight during the streak but this one seemed to sum it up the best. The game immediately following Joel breaking his face on Markelle’s shoulder (a little too poetic for my liking), Ben Simmons recorded yet another triple double and the Hawks never stood a chance. I have been watching Ben Simmons highlights since his senior year of high school. I’m not trying to brag, I’m not pretending to be Bill Simmons, just simply stating a fact. Being fascinated with his game for that long, then seeing how much he has developed in such a short period of time is nothing short of incredible. He is the next Magic. But, as well as Simmons played, he didn’t have the play of the game. Look at this shoulder extension!




Our Process Babies Grow Up and Conquer the King (Win # 13 Sixers 132 – Cavaliers 130)

The first half was the greatest form of basketball played in Philly since Allen Iverson scored 60 on the Wizards. The second half was more stressful than the Super Bowl. In the end, when we could finally breathe again, we watched our young guys molded by losing, win against the greatest athlete of our generation. This was the best NBA game of the year so far, right?




The Fultz Triple Double (Win #16 Sixers 130- Bucks 95)

No time dwelling much on this paragraph. It should end quicker than the Sixers dispensed of the Bucks that night. After scoring 46 in the first quarter, there was no turning back. The perfect cap to one hell of a regular season.



The Playoff Win, Four Years of Losing in the Making (Win #17 Sixers 130 – Heat 103) 

If there is a heaven, it’s walking the Eagles Championship Parade Route and it leading to Wells Fargo Center to watch this game over and over again. Watching that crowd react to every off balance Bellinelli three and every Ben Simmons dish to JJ Redick, I could have cried. I guess the fans came back from all that losing after all.

 

By Aidan Powers | April 17, 2018