Philadelphia 76ers' Top 5 Plays of the 2012-2013 Season Thus Far

With a young, athletic team and a talented point guard, the Philadelphia 76ers are no stranger to highlight-reel worthy plays.

Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Nick Young and company have been able to bring Sixers fans to their feet with their electric play through the entire 2012-2013 campaign—a trend fans hope to see continue.

But which of these plays are the best?  Without much further ado, here are my picks for Philadelphia's top five plays to date.

Nick Young Posterizes Larry Sanders

Larry Sanders has been a rebounding and shot-blocking machine for the Milwaukee Bucks so far this season, but don't tell Nick Young that.  Here we see the former USC Trojan drive the lane and elevate over Sanders for a defiant dunk before crashing to the floor, clearly showing no regard for his own safety.  

Unfortunately, this was only able to silence the Bucks momentarily, as they went on to win the January 22 contest, 110-102.

Evan Turner's Game-Winning Shot vs. Celtics

Here, we see Evan Turner hit the go-ahead bucket that would end up winning this December 7 game versus the Boston Celtics, 95-94, with 3.9 seconds left in overtime.  

Two things stand out about this play: First, Turner was given the ball on an isolation play with the game on the line.  Keep in mind that Philadelphia was down by one at this point and would lose the game if he did not come through; there was no second overtime waiting if he were to miss.  

Second, this was what the Sixers went with even though ET was being guarded by Courtney Lee, who is a superb on-ball defender.  He is able to create enough space from Lee on his terms and gets off a great shot, not worrying about leaving time on the clock.  This is important, considering young players often think too much in situations like this and may possibly try to only shoot as the clock winds down to zero. 

This also really shows the growth in Turner's game as a ball-handler, an area in which he was surprisingly shaky coming out of Ohio State despite his tendency to play point forward while there. Turner has certainly shown his flair for solid late-game play.

Nick Young Throws Evan Turner an Ally-Oop

At first glance, this may not seem like the flashiest or most impressive alley-oop.  

Instead of focusing on the dunk itself (like most alley-oop plays focus on), take a second gander at Nick Young's pass to Evan Turner here.  He throws what can only be described as a perfect pass from 40 feet away, making Turner's assent to the basket that much easier.

This is the kind of pass we're accustomed to seeing a guy like Chris Paul make, showing what an athletic player Nick Young really is.  Also, I would be less surprised if I watched a highlight of Nick Young taking a 40-foot jump shot than of him throwing a 40-foot alley-oop.

This play helped elevate the Sixers to a strong first-half lead against the New York Knicks on January 26, a game they would go on to win easily, 97-80.

Jrue Holiday Forces Overtime with 1.1 Seconds Left in Regulation

Finally, a highlight with Jrue Holiday in it! 

We see the Sixers young star dish the inbound to Spencer Hawes, who promptly hands it back to Holiday with the clock winding down.  From there, it becomes a foot race between Holiday and Landry Fields—a race Holiday should win every time.  He does not disappoint, getting to the rim with ease.  He then absorbs the contact of the sliding Toronto Raptors defender and caps the play with a fundamentally sound finish.

In overtime, Holiday put the team on his back and scored all 12 of the Sixers' points, sending the Raps back to Toronto with a 108-101 loss.  Holiday finished with an impressive 33 points and 14 assists.

Nick Young's 360 Slam

This wouldn't be a respectable list if this play went unacknowledged.  

First, Nick Young displays his hands and awareness by swiping a terrible and head-scratching bounce pass from the paint to the perimeter.  From there it becomes the Swaggy P show, and with no one in sight, Young takes flight.  (Rhyming intended.)  

This highlight is especially refreshing in an age in professional sports where players are encouraged to take the safe play as opposed to the riskier, jaw-dropping one.  And his 360 and flush are performed with such smoothness, it almost makes one forget how difficult such a feat really is.

Philadelphia went on to win this game against the Orlando Magic, 78-61, and Young left fans at the Wells Fargo Center with a highlight they won't soon forget.