In the 1950-51 season, led by Hall of Famers Dolph Schayes and Al Cervi, the Nationals made a serious run at the NBA Finals as they beat the best team in the East - the Philadelphia Warriors - in 2 straight games in Round 1, but at the east finals they ran into a dead end as they lost to the New York Knicks in a tough 5-game series. In the 1954-55 season, led by Alex Groza and Ralph Beard the Nationals made it to the playoffs for the 9th straight year. The team would go on to beat the Boston Celtics in 4 games to advance to the NBA finals. In Game 7 of the finals against the Fort Wayne Pistons, unsung hero George King sank a clutch free throw to give the Nationals a 92-91 lead. King would then steal an inbound pass to clinch the First NBA Championship for the Nationals. Although the Nationals would remain a playoff contender for the rest of the 1950's and into 1963, the Nationals would never again reach the NBA finals, and by 1963 the Nationals would be gone from Syracuse.
The Nationals moved to Philadelphia in 1963, the year after the Warriors had left for San Francisco. They were the longest-surviving of the NBA franchises based in medium-sized cities. Their name changed to the "76ers," after the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia in 1776. In the 1964-65 season, the 76ers acquired the legendary Wilt Chamberlain from the Warriors. The 76ers would push the Boston Celtics to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals, with the 76ers trailing 110-108 in Game 7. After Hal Greer's pass was stolen by John Havlicek - an infamous blow to 76ers fans, rubbed in by fabled Celtics announcer Johnny Most when he yelled into the microphone "Havlicek stole the ball!" - the Celtics went on to beat the 76ers and win another NBA Championship.
Led by head coach Alex Hannum, the 76ers had a dream season as they won the first 38 of 41 games en route to a magicial 67 games. Chamberlain, Billy Cunningham, and Hal Greer, along with all-stars Chet Walker and Lucious Jackson, led the team to the Eastern Conference finals. This time, with the Celtics aging and hurt, the 76ers beat the Celtics in 5 games. In Game 5 of that series, as the 76ers went to the NBA Finals, 76ers fans chanted "Boston is dead!". The 76ers' magicial season ended with a convicing 5-game series victory over the San Francisco Warriors to give the Sixers their first NBA Championship.
In the 1967-68 season, the 76ers made it back to the NBA Playoffs and in the rematch of last year's Eastern Conference Finals, the 76ers held a 3-1 series lead over the Celtics, before selfish play and ego cost them big, as the Celtics came back to beat the 76ers in 7 games. This, and the subsuquent trade of Chamberlain to the Los Angeles Lakers would send the 76ers into a freefall that culminated in the 1972-73 season, in which they won only nine of 82 games (9-73). The next year, the 76ers would hire Gene Shue as their head coach and slowly they came back. In the 1975-76 season, the 76ers got George McGinnis from the Indiana Pacers of the ABA (after the New York Knicks tried to sign him, not knowing that the Sixers owned his rights), and with him, the 76ers were back in the playoffs after a six-year absence, but they lost to the Buffalo Braves in three games, but it was clear they were back, all they needed now is a 'doctor' to lead them back to the promised land.
The 1976-77 season would be memorable for the 76ers as they acquired Julius Erving from the New York Nets, and with him, the 76ers began an exciting ride for the fans of Philadelphia, the 76ers first beat The Celtics in a 7-game slugfest, then in the Eastern Conference Finals, they beat The Houston Rockets in 6 games to advance to The NBA Finals, and there they would lose to The Portland Trail Blazers in 6 games, after The 76ers built a commanding 2-0 series lead. in the next five seasons, the 76ers would fall short of the NBA Championship. In the 1980 NBA Finals against the Lakers, they lost the decisive game six at home, with Magic Johnson playing center for the Lakers in place of an injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and scoring 42 points. Then came the 1981 Eastern Conference Finals in which the 76ers opened a big 3-1 series lead over the Celtics only to choke under pressure as the Celtics beat them in 7 Games. In the 1982 Eastern Conference Finals as the 76ers were about to be choked again by the Celtics after they squandered a 3-1 series lead into a 3-3 series tie, 76ers fans had given up hope as the 76ers faced the Celtics in Game 7 at Boston Garden. But instead of a funeral, the 76ers played angry but inspirational basketball, as they advanced to the Finals, the fans at Boston Garden had a chance of heart and began chanting Beat L.A., Beat L.A., a incredible moment in basketball history, and although the 76ers lost in the NBA Finals, the 76ers began the 1982-83 season with great momentum, all they needed now is a guy named Moses to lead them to the promised land.
The final piece of the championship puzzle was completed before the 1982-83 season when they acquired center Moses Malone from the Houston Rockets.They went on to capture their historic second NBA championship as they won 65 games, beat The New York Knicks, and the Milwaukee Bucks to post a 12-1 playoff record including a four game sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers who had defeated the Sixers the season before. The 76ers were also led by hall of famers Julius Erving, and all stars Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney, and Bobby Jones.
After a disappointing 1983-84 season, Charles Barkley arrived in Philadelphia for the 1984-85 season, and with it the 76ers made it to the conference finals but lost to the Boston Celtics in 5 games. For the next 8 seasons, Barkley brought delight to the Philadelphia fans thanks to his humorous and sometimes controversial ways. In the 1989-90 season, the 76ers won the Atlantic Division title and went on to face the Chicago Bulls in the 2nd round of the NBA Playoffs. But the 76ers fell to the Bulls that year and then again in 1991. Some 76ers fans say that was the beginning of the end of Barkley's stay in Philadelphia, after a very disappointing 1991-92 season for the 76ers, Barkley was traded to the Phoenix Suns marking the end of the Charles Barkley era at Philadelphia, and with it a downhill slide that wouldn't end until Allen Iverson arrived in Philadelphia.
During the 2000-2001 season, the 76ers got off to a hot start by winning their first ten games. In total, the team won 56 games en route to becoming the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Little did they know, but a season ending loss to the Chicago Bulls, would give the Lakers the #1 seed in the entire playoffs. In the first round of the playoffs, the Sixers defeated the Indiana Pacers 3 games to 1. In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, Raptors forward Vince Carter missed a jump shot during Game 7 to send the Sixers to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks. This series also went to a Game 7. In Game 7, Allen Iverson scored 23 points and dished out 19 assists to help the Sixers win by 17 points. The Sixers were set to face off against the Lakers who had not lost a game in the playoffs. The Sixers came out fighting in Los Angeles, and came away with a shocking Game 1 overtime upset of the Lakers. After Game 1, the Lakers went on to sweep the next four games in the series to win the NBA Title. This Sixers squad had the NBA's MVP, Allen Iverson, the NBA's coach of the year, Larry Brown, the Defensive Player of the Year, Dikembe Mutombo, and the 6th Man of the year, Aaron McKie. The 76ers also hold the record for the most losses in a season. In the 1972-73 season, the 76ers lost 73 games, a record that has been threatened at times, but still stands to this day. The club in the recent years has revolved around Allen Iverson, a high-scoring guard. With the addition of Chris Webber from Sacramento Kings in 2005, the 76ers hoped that the duo would make a volatile and powerful combination. However, the team did not improve significantly and was defeated in the postseason by the Detroit Pistons. In the offseason, the 76ers fired coach Jim O'Brien and hired Maurice Cheeks, a popular former 76ers star.
--Wikipedia
--Wikipedia
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