Before the down years and the rebuilding process took place, there were two straight years of surprisingly big success in Philadelphia. In the second of the two, 2012, the Sixers won just 35 games but they earned their way to a nERD of 67.8 on the season.

With a defensive rating of 99.2, the Sixers' defense was elite. Jrue Holiday, Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams also made for a respectable offense. The result was an appearance in the playoffs where they defeated the Bulls first before dropping a second-round matchup to the Celtics.