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This specific game already had a certain buzz to it before it began. The fans and media were beating the Allen Iverson angle into the ground, and Elton Brand was out with a bum hamstring. Little did we know, a certain "secret weapon" would be unleashed and steal the show.
In the red corner, Allen Iverson. In the blue corner, the Ludacris look-a-like, the missing jersey, the King of +/-, the three-point assassin, the one, the only, Donyell "Donny-Ice" Marshall!
During what looked to be yet another depressing loss, head coach Mo Cheeks seemingly threw in the towel by inserting the elderly Donyell Marshall into the game with 13 minutes to play. Upon his insertion the Sixers were facing a deficit of 12 and had shown no signs of life through the first 35 minutes. Then the unthinkable happened.
During the next 13 minutes, Donyell scored 8 points on 3-6 shooting. He pulled down three rebounds, and even blocked a shot. But his contributions went far beyond the numbers. During Donny's 13 minutes, he helped the Sixers outscore the Pistons by a whopping 17 points en route to the Sixers biggest win thus far.
To this point in the season Donyell had played a total of 20 minutes. Obviously, none of us expected him to lead the Sixers to a comeback win. Coach Cheeks desperate substitution not only helped the Sixers win this game, but a handful of games throughout the season. Expect more appearances by Donny-Ice during the top 10 countdown.
Make the Jump.
#8: The Secret Weapon
"I forgot what happiness felt like." -- Sexy T-Rex after the game.
That's how bad things were in Sixers Nation on December 5, 2008, and it shows with quotes like that, and recaps like this.
After reading my second recap, I realized Louis Williams played the Robin to Donyell's Batman in the comeback win.
He dropped 14 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and I had to check and make sure this was the 2008-2009 Lou-Will I was watching, because he looked a lot like the Lou-Will of last year, playing studly defense, getting to the rim with ease, making shots, making smart decisions. It was by far, his best game of the season.
Unfortunately, his success was not sustained.
Here are the highlights: