The Art Of The Revenge Game: Jrue Holiday & Former Philly Stars

As a fan of the Philadelphia 76ers, I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen Allen Iverson carry this team to the NBA Finals on his own back. I’ve seen Andre Iguodala nail two free throws to carry the Sixers to the second round of the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2003. I’ve also seen Jrue Holiday blossom from an unknown youngster from UCLA to an All-Star point guard. While I’ve seen the ups, the downs have also been unavoidable. All three of these All-Stars had illustrious beginnings with the Sixers, only to see them comeback in a different uniform and have a memorable homecoming.

This summer, Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie shocked the world (and Holiday) by trading Holiday for Nerlens Noel and a 2014 first-round pick. The former Philly point guard returned to Philadelphia for the first time on Friday night. Between Holiday, Iguodala and Iverson, it’s obvious the connection is deeper than basketball in Philadelphia…

Allen Iverson built his own house of hoops in Philadelphia. Anyone that knows anything about basketball in Philadelphia can’t deny that. From breaking Michael Jordan‘s ankles, to stepping over Tyronn Lue after securing an NBA Finals victory, “The Answer” always had exactly that for Philadelphia. If you don’t understand the connection AI had with Philadelphia, imagine LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and then multiply it. But in December of 2006, Iverson was traded to the Denver Nuggets, which truly ended an era in Philadelphia.

Iverson made his return to Philadelphia as a member of the Denver Nuggets on March 19, 2008. Just like old times, after being introduced as a member of the Nuggets, Iverson trotted over to the Sixers logo at midcourt and kneeled down and kissed it. Everyone in the arena that night wanted one thing: A Sixers victory while seeing Allen Iverson score 30-plus points. As fate would have it, both things would be delivered. The Sixers won 115-113 that night and Iverson led all scorers with 32 points.

“I dreamed it up a certain way, and it was better than that,” Iverson told the media. “Everything was perfect but one thing, and that was not winning the game.”

When Allen Iverson left Philadelphia, he took the town’s basketball passion with him. It would take a special player to bring that energy back to Broad Street. Enter Iguodala.

The relationship between A.I. 2.0 and Philadelphia would be far from a storybook ending. Often ridiculed for not being the superstar the city wanted him to be, Iguodala spent much of his eight years in Philadelphia being maligned and booed. There was a lot of hate towards Iguodala, even though he is among the top 10 in franchise history in points, defensive rebounds, assists, steals, field goals, three-pointers and minutes. Iguodala also took the Sixers to the playoffs five out of his eight years in Philadelphia. However, even with a rocky relationship with Philadelphia, Iguodala could not be denied his signature moment.

Iguodala captured Philly hearts after those free throws, arguably his most memorable moment in Philadelphia. As fate would have it, those free throws would be some of his last. In the summer of 2012, after being selected as an All-Star for the first time in his NBA career (and the first Sixer to be selected since Allen Iverson) and a member of Team USA in the 2012 London Olympic Games, Iguodala was traded to Denver for Andrew Bynum.

“Money always plays a role in how someone is perceived or looked at as far as production,” he said about his time in Philly. “I feel like I made a huge impact on my team night in and night out, whether it showed up on the stat sheet or not, and it was always brought up. Every night, you’re thinking, this last game I played good, but it’s still not enough, not enough, not enough.”

Keep reading to hear more about Holiday’s return to Philly…

Even his former coach Doug Collins had his back, telling The San Francisco Chronicle, “In Philadelphia, when he was making the kind of money he was making there and was the signature player, I think people felt like (he) should score X number of points, should be the guy at the end of the game to have the ball in (his) hands. ‘Dre is a guy who can dominate the game without scoring in double figures.”

Iguodala returned to Philadelphia as a member of the Denver Nuggets during the season opener on October 31, 2012.

This video perfectly captures the relationship Philadelphia had with Andre Iguodala. When he was introduced as a member of the Nuggets, Iguodala was booed to no end. But, when the Sixers showed this tribute video of him advancing the Sixers to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2003, everyone in the Wells Fargo Center began to rise and clap. Ironically, after the tribute ended, he was booed every possession he touched the ball.

While Iverson’s return to Philadelphia was one that sends chills down your spine, Iguodala’s was quite the opposite. The Sixers were able to spoil Iguodala’s homecoming, winning 84-75 victory. Iguodala was held to 11 points and four rebounds on 5-for-13 shooting (0-for-4 from deep) and had a +/- of -18. After the game, Iguodala gave the media some insight into a player’s mindset when facing his old team: “The first thought is always ‘destroy them.’ The human side, it’s hard to block that out. I tried to block it out many times.”

After a year in Denver, Iguodala moved on to the Golden State Warriors. Returning to the place where he started his career, Iguodala was in rare form and showed Philadelphia the player they wanted for eight years. Earlier this season, Iguodala and the Warriors trounced the Sixers, 110-90, behind a career performance from Iguodala. He scored 32 points on 11-for-18 shooting, while also making a career-high seven three-pointers. Whatever issues Iguodala had in his first return to Philadelphia were clearly absent during his second go around.

Keep reading to see how Holiday’s return stacked up against past Philly stars…

Jrue Holiday only spent four seasons in Philadelphia, but he was arguably one of the most beloved players in recent history. In his fourth season in the NBA, Jrue Holiday became an All-Star for the first time in his young career, ending the 2012 season with 17.0 PPG and 7.7 APG. In typical Philly fashion and with new GM Sam Hinkie manning the war room in Philadelphia, Holiday was shipped away this past summer.

The Iverson trade was expected; he wanted out. The Iguodala trade was welcomed; the fans wanted him out. Trading Jrue Holiday was perhaps the most stunning move in Sixers history. All the rumors on draft night mentioned many Sixers players, but Holiday was supposedly the only “untouchable.” Instead, he was traded, putting in motion the supposed seeds for the franchise’s tanking.

“It was a surprise, I didn’t know about it,” said Holiday before the Pelicans 121-105 win in Philly on Friday night. “The call was kinda awkward. I didn’t expect it and I was like, wait, what just happened? Yeah, it was awkward.”

Holiday had said his return to Philly wouldn’t be difficult. He’d played there his whole career. Why would it be? All the announcer had to say was “…a 6-4 guard from UCLA…” and the crowd erupted in applause for the former franchise player. Jrue Holiday wasted no time carving up his former team. He came three rebounds shy of his third-career triple-double, with 20 points, 13 assists (one turnover) and seven rebounds. Holiday also played a season-high 41 minutes.

“I’m glad we beat them twice, if you want to be for real,” Holiday said afterward. “Obviously it’s good to see all the [former] teammates, it’s great to feel the love from the fans, but it feels good to beat them.

“It was fun being back here and the crowd showed me a little bit of love. I didn’t hear too many boos, which is a bit surprising [because it’s Philly], but a good thing.”

Evan Turner, a former teammate, also expressed love for Holiday during his return.

“It’s great Jrue did well,” Turner said. “Obviously we wanted to win. A guy like Jrue, you want him on your side, but once again, I wish nothing but success for him and for him to keep growing as he is, so that’s it.”

We’ve seen Allen Iverson. We’ve seen Andre Iguodala. Now, we’ve seen Jrue Holiday. While Iverson and Iguodala lost in Philadelphia during their first homecomings (Iguodala won his second), Jrue Holiday was able to walk out of the building with a victory. From the tip, it was obvious Holiday wanted nothing more than to destroy his former team, with sharp bullet passes to open shooters and high-flyin’ alley-oops to Anthony Davis. There was no tribute for Holiday during the game, but his near triple-double will not be soon forgotten by the city and fans of Philadelphia.

It’s been a rough start for Holiday in New Orleans. At one point, earlier this year, he had more shots than points. (He’s since reversed that to 227 points on 214 shots.) This is only Holiday’s fifth season in the NBA, a season in a completely new situation with a group of teammates playing together for the first time. Jrue Holiday is a franchise centerpiece of the Pelicans future and his near triple-double against his former team should serve as a stern reminder that Holiday has a long illustrious career ahead of him.

What do you think?

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