Ranking the top 5 Philadelphia 76ers rosters of all time
Where the 76ers ranked
Before the Chicago Bulls' dominance of the 90's, the Philadelphia 76ers were seen as the third best franchise behind the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. The 76ers figured prominently in how the NBA looked for decades. From Wilt Chamberlain and Julius Erving to Charles Barkley and Allen Iverson, the 76ers have had an abundance of talented rosters. It's tough to win a title in the city of brotherly love, and when the 76ers win, it's done definitively.
Let's see where historical 76ers teams rank among the all-time greats.
#5: 2001 76ers record: 56-26 Lost to Lakers in NBA Finals in five games
League MVP Allen Iverson carried the 76ers offensively in 2001, and won his second scoring title. The 76ers were the Eastern Conference's number one seed and Philadelphia head coach Larry Brown gave Iverson the green light all season. Brown backed his scoring champion with a stellar defense anchored by 2001 Defensive Player of the Year, Dikembe Mutombo. His front court teammates, George Lynch and Tyrone Hill, gave Mutombo toughness in support down low, and, as the 76ers made stops, it played under the philosophy of giving the ball to Iverson and getting the rebound if he missed. It's remarkable that such an offensively limited team could ascend to the Finals, yet with the heart and will of Iverson, and the support of the city, the 76ers were on the brink. The midseason trade of Theo Ratliff for the aforementioned Mutombo was the move the 76ers made that locked up the Finals appearance. Allen Iverson led the 76ers in scoring at 31 a game. Theo Ratliff was next at 12 points per. Aaron McKie led the 2nd unit with 12 off the bench. Raja Bell was a defensive stalwart. Eric Snow fit well with Iverson, and the point guard converted his signature foul line jumper when the 76ers needed it. After defeating the Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Toronto Raptors, the 76ers lost in five games to Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers lost just one game in the 2001 postseason, and it was to the 76ers in Game 1.
#4: 1980 Sixers record: 59-23. Lost to Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the NBA Finals
This was my most heartbreaking loss as a sports fan. Everything went right during the season, and it appeared Julius Erving would finally get his NBA championship. The two-time ABA champ and the 76ers were coming off a Game 7 loss to George Gervin and Artis Gilmore's Spurs, and the city wanted the 76ers to win one for Doc. When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar went down with an injury prior to Game 6, the 76ers looked to tie the series at 3-3 and force a game 7. Then Magic happened. Rookie Magic Johnson scored 42 points in Abdul-Jabbar's stead and Doc had to wait again for his NBA time to shine. The 76ers were led by Erving, Doug Collins, Mo Cheeks and Darryl Dawkins. Dawkins was the 80's version of Shaq, yet fouled out of so many games committing offensive fouls on drives to the basket. Lionel Hollins, sixth-man defensive star Bobby Jones, Caldwell Jones and Clint Richardson sparked the 76ers second unit.