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The Anniversary Of The Answer

By Ray Boyd

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- At 0-2, Sixers fans are looking for anything to celebrate. With the current rebuilding plan in place, we all know wins will be few and far between, but that doesn't mean we can't pay attention to special moments.

As the calendar has turned to November, Sixers fans can celebrate the anniversary of a day that changed the fortunes of the franchise.

On November 1st, 1996, Allen Iverson made his Sixers debut. It hardly feels like it was 18 years ago, but that day symbolized a new direction for a franchise that was mired in mediocrity. The franchise finally had the "Answer," to their greatest problem.

On that night, the Sixers took on the Milwaukee Bucks. Iverson scored 30 points and dished out six assists to introduce himself to the league.

The difference between a team that has a franchise player and a team that doesn't is night and day. Iverson filled that void and brought the team their franchise building block.

He also delivered a sense of swagger to the franchise that was missing. That term may not have existed at that time, but he certainly embodied it nonetheless.

On Saturday night, the Sixers will play their first home game of the 2014-15 season. The franchise is 18 years removed from the last time they debuted a franchise player and now his jersey hangs in the rafters at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Sixers have to hope that one of these young building blocks that they have acquired will one day see their name up there alongside Iverson's. The rebuilding process is all about finding that next "Answer."

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