For many of my generation or younger, this may be hard to believe – but if you look at the all time NBA teams winning percentage, the Philadelphia 76ers still rank in the top 10, sitting at 10th with a .519 winning percentage.
This season marks the 18th time since 1986 that the franchise has missed the playoffs. To put things into perspective, I’m turning 47 this July, and the Sixers have only made it past the second round of the playoffs one time since I was 7. Prior to that, the Philadelphia 76ers were one of the 3 marquee franchises in the NBA right behind the hated Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. Old school Sixers fans, or even NBA fans, can tell stories of the great rivalries such as Wilt Chamberlain vs Bill Russell in the 1960’s or Doc J vs Larry Bird in the early 1980’s. The 76ers and Lakers also developed a great rivalry as Doc J’s 76ers would play the Lakers in the finals 3 times, in 1980, 1982, and 1983.
In the East, most seasons in the early 80’s would have the Sixers, Boston, and to a lesser degree, the Milwaukee Bucks, competing to see who would play the Los Angeles Lakers in the finals. Other than a few terrible seasons after trading the great Wilt Chamberlain, 76ers fans were able to watch great basketball from the mid 60’s to the mid 80’s. For a long stretch, The Sixers were among the NBA elite.
After acquiring the great Doc J, “Julius Erving,” from the ABA’s New Jersey Nets, The 76ers would go on to appear in 3 NBA finals from 1977-1982. They lost each time, first to Bill Walton and the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977 and then two times to Magic and the Lakers in 1980 and 1982.
In the 1982 offseason, the Sixers acquired All star center Moses Malone from the Houston Rockets. Moses would lead the Sixers to the “promised land” of getting the title, after so many years of coming up short in the “we owe you one” campaigns. For those unfamiliar, The 76ers put out a slogan called “we owe you one” after losing to Portland in the 1977 finals, despite being a favorite and having a 2-0 lead in the series. The 1983 Sixers are regarded as one of the greatest teams in NBA history, as they recorded a 65-17 regular season record and blitzed through the playoffs going 12-1. They missed league MVP Moses Malone’s famous prediction of “Fo, Fo, FO” by just one game. The Sixers were dominant and set up for many years of success in the future.
Unfortunately the Sixers would not repeat in 1984, losing to the New Jersey Nets in a stunning first round upset. The future was still bright though as in the 1984 draft the Sixers added future Hall of Fame forward Charles Barkley to this great veteran nucleus. The Sixers were still a top level team but the Celtics big “3” of Bird, McHale, and Parrish were dominating the East. In the next few years injuries, the retirement of Julius Erving, and terrible franchise altering trades would take the Sixers from perennial contenders to mediocrity first and then the NBA Abys for over a decade. The first domino came late in the 1984-1985 season where star guard Andrew Toney, famously known as the “Boston Strangler,” developed foot issues that led to his eventual retirement and forever ruined his relationship with the organization. Moses, Doc, Cheeks, and Bobby Jones were all still effective players but the team was moving closer to becoming Charles Barkley’s team.
This is the timeline where I first fell in love with professional basketball and the Sixers in general. My first NBA game was on March 28, 1986. This was the first sporting event I ever attended. I had won tickets from a father and son event at my school. Making it even more memorable was that this was Moses Malone’s last game as a Sixer. Moses would suffer an orbital fracture vs the Bucks that evening. He would miss the remainder of the season and would go on to wear protective goggles, like his arch rival, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, for the remainder of his career. The 76ers without Moses would lose to the Milwaukee Bucks in 7 games in the second round of the playoffs. As a young fan, the future seemed bright, despite Doc J announcing he would retire after the 86-87 season. The 76ers had a budding super star in Charles Barkley, solid vets in Moses Malone and Maurice Cheeks plus the first pick in the upcoming draft. What could possibly go wrong?
June 16, 1986 is a day that forever changed the fortunes of the Philadelphia 76ers. The decisions made on this day took away any chance of Charles Barkley winning a title in Philly. Harold Katz deciding to trade the number one pick in the draft, North Carolina Center Brad Daugherty, to Cleveland, for forward Roy Hinson, was terrible. Even worse, the same day, the Sixers traded Moses Malone to Washington for a center with bad knees, in Jeff Ruland. Ruland was a good player but had chronically bad knees. Katz made the trade against his doctor’s advice and Ruland would only play 5 in his first stint as a Sixer. He came back briefly a few years later to play a few games but his career was pretty much over. The franchise would go from legit NBA contender every single year to NBA mediocrity and purgatory. Barkley was an all time great so the Sixers had some good years, particularly in 1989-90 when they won the division with the “thump and bump” tandem of Barkley and Mahorn. They were never real contenders to win the title as they never could get past the second round.
Barkley was traded to Phoenix a few years later in the 1992 offseason. Sixers basketball was officially dead for the rest of my childhood. The only highlight for Sixers fans was the NBA draft lottery and draft. Even that was disappointing as every year it seemed they screwed up the pick. The 1993 draft the Sixers picked Shawn Bradley at number 2 right between Chris Webber and Anfernee Hardaway. The next year they took Sharone Wright from Clemson, another bust. 1995 I remember being at sneaker stadium with my uncle Johnny and the Sixers drafting North Carolina Guard Jerry Stackhouse. Stackhouse had a long career and was a pretty good player especially after being traded from Philly. He wasn’t the “answer” though.
In the spring of 1996, prior to the draft, Sixers fortunes were finally changing. Owner Harold Katz sold the team to Comcast and a group led by Flyers owner Ed Snider. Pat Croce would become president and a minority owner. Croce immediately brought a different vibe and energy to the franchise. Croce represented the Sixers at the draft lottery, where the team would win the lottery, getting the number one pick. With the number one pick the Sixers would select the first part of the 2001 championship contending puzzle, the “answer” future Hall of Fame guard Allen Iverson from the university of Georgetown. Listed at just 6 ‘0 Iverson was the shortest player ever selected first in the draft. While he was short in stature, his heart was immense. Even with this new addition, The Sixers had a ways to go. Did they finally land the starting piece to bring the franchise back from the bottom of the league?
Iverson immediately took the league by storm, winning Rookie of the Year accolades. He would average 23.5 points, 7.5 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. Being rookie of the year in any year is an accomplishment, but especially when you look at the strength of the 1996 draft. The 1996 draft had 4 future Hall of Famers, 3 MVPS, 7 All NBA players, 10 All stars and 14 Championships. Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant, and Steve Nash were also selected in the 1996 draft. Iverson had an iconic moment when he crossed over Michael Jordan and hit a jumper. Sixers management and fans were excited about the young back court duo of Allen Iverson and second year guard Jerry Stackhouse. While Iverson shined as a rookie, the team was once again dreadful. The Sixers finished with a 22-60 record despite Iverson’s great play.
Another major turning point in this era happened when Pat Croce met with about 200 season ticket holders, just 90 minutes before a game on February 20, 1997. The team had a 12-39 and the fans were not shy with Croce about their displeasure with the team. After the season, General Manager Brad Greenberg and head coach Johnny Davis were fired. The fans spoke, and Croce listened. He knew the team needed a real direction and real leader to run the franchise and coach the young super star talent in Iverson.
The Sixers hired Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown in May of 1997. Brown had success everywhere he went, including winning an NCAA title with Kansas in 1988. Brown was coming off of a 4 year run of success in coaching the Indiana Pacers. Brown was known as being a great franchise “fixer,” but had never won a title at that point. He would eventually win a ring with the Detroit Pistons in 2004. He was given the keys to not only coach Iverson, but also run the franchise as he saw fit. Brown didn’t come alone however, as he brought longtime assistant Billy King with him as vice president of basketball administration. King would later be named general manager in 1998 but Brown had final say in the roster.
The Sixers just barely missed out on an ultimate franchise changing player in the 1997 draft, winning the second pick in the lottery. Hall of Fame Center/ Power Forward Tim Duncan was selected by the Spurs with the first pick in the draft. The Sixers wound up trading the number 2 pick which was forward Keith Van Horn to the Nets for Tim Thomas and some other assets to clear up some salary cap space that was left from the previous regime. One can only imagine how many titles the Sixers could’ve won with Brown as coach and Duncan and Iverson as a tandem. Probably one of the greatest what ifs in Philadelphia sports. The Sixers couldn’t ever get that second star to go with AI.
There were two other great “what if” moments of this era. In the 1998 draft, the Sixers selected guard Larry Hughes at number 8 based on a promise from coach Larry Brown made to Hughes. Many in Philadelphia wanted the selection to be Kansas forward Paul Pierce. Hall of Fame forward Paul Pierce was selected 9th and Hall of Fame forward Dirk Nowitzki was selected 10th. Having either of those guys next to Iverson would’ve greatly enhanced the Sixers chances for a title. In 1999 the Sixers had a deal worked out with Toronto in which Larry Hughes would be traded for future Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady and a first round pick. Toronto got cold feet and backed out after the news was leaked.
The 1997-98 season was a year of transition. Larry Brown was just coming in to sort out the roster. Brown recognized that Iverson and Stackhouse didn’t have the right chemistry. Brown’s vision was for Iverson to play next to a more defensive minded guard that would allow AI to be able to play off the ball and concentrate on what he did best, which was score. In January 1998 Point Guard Eric Snow was acquired from the Seattle SuperSonics for a second round pick. Snow had talent but was trapped on the bench behind Gary Payton. This move didn’t seem like much at the time, but Snow would go on to play a pivotal role as the starting Point Guard next to Iverson for years to come. In February of 1998 Brown traded Jerry Stackhouse and Center Eric Montross to the Detroit Pistons for Former Temple Guard Aaron McKie, shot blocking center Theo Ratliff and a future first round pick. Myself, along with many other fans, questioned the move at first, since Stackhouse was an early pick and obvious talent. Brown was proven right as McKie and Ratliff would play a huge role in the Sixers resurgence back to the top. Stackhouse would have a long and pretty good career at multiple spots but never became a star. The Sixers would only finish with a 31-51 record in Brown’s first season but the team really started to play good ball towards the end of the season. Hope was on the rise.
The 1998-1999 season was a lockout shortened 50 game season. It wasn’t the usual 82 game marathon. The Sixers would sprint to the playoffs for the first time since 1991 with a 28-22 record. They finished as the 6th seed and upset the 3rd seed Orland Magic 3-1 in the first round before being swept by the Pacers in the second round. The Sixers added two more players who would be significant starters for the 01 team this season. Forward George Lynch came over as a free agent. Starting Power Forward Tyrone Hill was acquired in March of 1999 along with Jerald Honeycutt for Tim Thomas and Scott Williams. Neither Lynch or Hill were stars or real scorers but they were solid players who played good defense and knew their role. Prior to the 1998 season the Sixers signed Center Matt Geiger as a free agent. He would play a role on the court and more importantly off the court.
The Sixers continued to improve in 1999-2000. The team would finish 5th in the conference with a 49-33 record. They’d once again make it past the first round as they beat the Hornets in four. They’d go on to lose the Pacers again in the second round, this time in 6 games. While things were improving on the court, off the court tensions between coach Larry Brown and Iverson were rising. Coach Brown was growing very frustrated with Iverson’s practice habits, lateness and staying out late. The Sixers had a multi team trade worked out where Iverson would go to Detroit. The trade couldn’t go through because Matt Geiger refused to waive his trade kicker. Geiger wasn’t a bad player, but this by far was his biggest contribution to the Sixers. The 2000-2001 finals run almost didn’t have a chance to happen.
Everything finally clicked in the 2000-2001 season. Many wrote off the Sixers before the season, due to the tensions between coach Brown and AI. The team also brought back the same nucleus that had lost consecutive years to the Pacers. Other teams like the Orlando Magic made major offseason moves. The Magic added Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady. The Sixers were betting on chemistry with it being the 3rd year most of these guys were in coach Brown’s system. The bet paid off immediately as the team sprinted out to a 10-0 record. Iverson came into the season extremely motivated from almost being traded and was dominant from the first tip. AI would have his best season as a pro, winning the MVP award leading the league in scoring with 31.1 and steals with 2.5 per game. Aaron McKie would win the 6th man of the year award, Larry Brown would win coach of the year and Dikembe Mutombo would win defensive player of the year.
This Sixers team came out with a mission. The defensive intensity was relentless. They finished 5th in defensive rating. The team was 36-14 at the All star break and coach Brown was the coach of the Eastern conference for the game. Even though the team was rolling at the break, All star center Theo Ratliff had just sustained an injury. The All star game was a big moment for the Sixers. Allen Iverson, along with soon to be teammate Mutombo led the East back from a huge deficit to win the All Star game. AI was named All star game MVP and upon accepting his award asked for coach Brown and gave his coach a shout out. This was one of many defining moments of this great season. Brown saw how Iverson and Mutombo worked together and due to Ratliff’s injury decided to make the big trade for Mutombo at the deadline. The Sixers traded Ratliff, Toni Kukoc, Nazr Mohammed, Pepe Sanchez for Mutombo and Roshown Mcleod. The Sixers would have some growing pains after adding Mutombo, only going 14-12 the rest of the regular season. The Sixers finished as the number one seed in the East with a 56-26 record and it was onto the playoffs.
The Sixers would open up the playoffs vs the Pacers. Game one was on a Saturday afternoon which I’ll never forget was a dark day in Philly sports. I remember watching the Flyers get blown out and eliminated in Buffalo 8-0 on the same day. The Sixers blew a big lead and lost on a Reggie Miller 3 pointer. I remember wondering if this great season was all for nothing. Could they just not get past Indiana? The Sixers came out a few nights later and took care of business evening the series going to Indiana. The Sixers went to Indiana and won games 3 and 4 finally getting over the Pacers hump. 2001 was clearly not 1999 or 2000. These Sixers were different.
In round 2 The Sixers would take on the Vince Carter led Toronto Raptors. This was an epic 7 game series which tested the heart and endurance of the Sixers. I’ll never forget being in awe of the back and forth between AI and Vince Carter. Iverson averaged 33 points per game in the series, Carter 30. This was about as tight of a series as you could get. Game 7 came down to a jump shot by Vince Carter that seemed to be in the air for an eternity. Thankfully, it clanged off the back iron, and the Sixers were headed to the Eastern Conference Finals—for the first time since 1983 and the first time in all my years as a fan.
Up next were the Milwaukee Bucks. If you were from Philly, this was the first time that you started seeing the Sixers flags on just about every car on the road. I don’t know if I can recall the city rallying behind a team more than it did with this Sixers team. They were on the cover of the Daily News for 38 straight days – Philly loved this team.
This was another back and forth epic series that also went to 7 games. The real nail biter in this series was game 5 where Bucks forward Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson missed a short jumper that he makes the majority of the time. Game 7 was back and forth for awhile but the Sixers pulled away comfortably in the 4th quarter. AI ran around the court, cupping his ear – as he was known to do – as the crowd went wild. The Sixers, despite being banged up and missing forward George Lynch since game 4 of the Toronto series, were on the way to Los Angeles for the NBA Finals.
The finals was a showdown between the injured Sixers and the dynasty that was the Los Angeles Lakers of Kobe, Shaq, and coach Phil Jackson. While the Sixers fought and clawed through the East, the Lakers came into the finals undefeated in the postseason. The Lakers had just dismantled a great Spurs team in the Western Conference Finals. The Laker dynasty was at its peak. Shaq and Kobe were the most dominant force in the league. The Lakers were the biggest favorites in finals history at -2000 vs the Sixers. I think most fans probably knew this was going to be a long shot, especially with a hobbled Snow, a banged up McKie, Iverson playing through a ton of bruises, and short Lynch. The first 3 games of the series were toss-ups. The Sixers won game 1 in LA in OT behind Allen Iverson’s unforgettably gritty 48 point performance. Plus, who can forget when AI stepped over Ty Lue. It’s one of the most iconic shot images in NBA history. Games 2 and 3 the Lakers escaped with narrow victories.
Despite a raucous home crowd, the Lakers dominated games 4 and 5 and captured their second title of the 3 peat on the Sixers home floor. The Sixers had simply run out of gas. All the effort needed to make the finals and all of the injuries had caught up to them. The Sixers crowd gave the team a nice ovation. If there was ever a team that deserved a title for Philly, it was these guys. The 2001 Sixers captured the hearts of Philadelphia like no other.
2001 was clearly the high water mark for the Iverson era. Larry Brown would leave after the 2003 playoffs to coach Detroit. The Sixers tried to pair Iverson with another star but it just never worked out. The team acquired former all star forward Chris Webber in 2005 but at that point his knees were pretty shot and he wasn’t the same player that he was in Sacramento. Iverson would be traded to Denver in 2006 and the era was over.
Since then Sixers fans have endured bad luck, with the mediocrity of the Iguodala Era, the tanking of the Process Era, or the never ending injury saga of the Embiid Era. If ever a fan base has deserved a title it’s the Sixers fan. We’ve faced one frustrating moment or near miss after another. I still wonder what could’ve been had that shot not gone down in game 7 of 2019 in Toronto. Would the process have worked? Would Butler have stayed? Who knows? Now going forward our Sixers are once again in limbo in the lottery, with the 3rd pick. Will Embiid ever be healthy? So many questions, but one thing I can look back on and remember was the 2001 Sixers. For all my years of watching basketball, through mostly frustrating times, I can say the ‘01 team will always be special in my heart. That team deserved a title and even though they couldn’t quite get the ring on, they will always be champions in my book and for many others of my generation.
Here’s to better days ahead! Go Sixers!!
