1981–82 Philadelphia 76ers season
1981–82 Philadelphia 76ers season | |
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Conference champions | |
Head coach | Billy Cunningham |
General manager | Pat Williams |
Arena | The Spectrum |
Results | |
Record | 58–24 (.707) |
Place | Division: 2nd (Atlantic) Conference: 3rd (Eastern) |
Playoff finish | NBA Finals (Lost to Lakers 2–4) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Local media | |
Television | WPHL-TV PRISM |
Radio | WIP |
The 1981–82 NBA season was the 76ers 33rd season in the NBA and 19th season in Philadelphia. They would finish with a record of 58–24.
In the playoffs, the Sixers swept the Atlanta Hawks in two games in the First Round, and defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in six games in the Semifinals to face off against the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics in the Conference Finals.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Sixers defeated the Celtics in seven games to earn a trip to the NBA Finals for the 3rd time in 6 years. In the NBA Finals, the Sixers faced off against the Los Angeles Lakers in a rematch of the 1980 NBA Finals, where the Lakers won in six games. In the deciding 7th game, with under a minute and a Sixers victory well secured, the fans at the Boston Garden chanted "Beat LA" to the Sixers, one of pro basketballs most enduring moments, wanting the team to defeat the Lakers in the NBA Finals, as Celtics fans hated the Lakers. However, the Lakers would go on to win in the NBA Finals, defeating the Sixers in six games to capture their second NBA championship in the 1980s. The Lakers won game one by going on an incredible 40-9 scoring spurt in the second half. The home team would win each of the remaining five contests.
Draft picks[]
Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
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1 | 22 | Franklin Edwards | PG | United States | Cleveland State |
2 | 46 | Vernon Smith | United States | Texas A&M | |
3 | 68 | United States | Maryland | ||
4 | 92 | United States | Texas A&M | ||
5 | 114 | United States | Brigham Young | ||
6 | 138 | United States | North Park | ||
7 | 160 | United States | Kansas | ||
8 | 183 | United States | St. John's | ||
9 | 202 | United States | Temple | ||
10 | 223 | United States | Delaware |
Roster[]
Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Regular season[]
Season standings[]
Atlantic Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
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y-Boston Celtics | 63 | 19 | .768 | – | 35–6 | 28–13 | 20–4 |
x-Philadelphia 76ers | 58 | 24 | .707 | 5.0 | 32–9 | 26–15 | 16–8 |
x-New Jersey Nets | 44 | 38 | .537 | 19.0 | 25–16 | 19–22 | 12–12 |
x-Washington Bullets | 43 | 39 | .524 | 20.0 | 22–19 | 21–20 | 7–17 |
New York Knicks | 33 | 49 | .402 | 30.0 | 19–22 | 14–27 | 5–19 |
# | Eastern Conference | ||||
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Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
1 | z-Boston Celtics | 63 | 19 | .768 | – |
2 | y-Milwaukee Bucks | 55 | 27 | .671 | 8 |
3 | x-Philadelphia 76ers | 58 | 24 | .707 | 5 |
4 | x-New Jersey Nets | 44 | 38 | .537 | 19 |
5 | x-Washington Bullets | 43 | 39 | .524 | 20 |
6 | x-Atlanta Hawks | 42 | 40 | .512 | 21 |
7 | Detroit Pistons | 39 | 43 | .476 | 24 |
8 | Indiana Pacers | 35 | 47 | .427 | 28 |
9 | Chicago Bulls | 34 | 48 | .415 | 29 |
10 | New York Knicks | 33 | 49 | .402 | 30 |
11 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 15 | 67 | .183 | 48 |
Record vs. opponents[]
1981-82 NBA Records | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | ATL | BOS | CHI | CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GSW | HOU | IND | KCK | LAL | MIL | NJN | NYK | PHI | PHO | POR | SAS | SDC | SEA | UTA | WAS |
Atlanta | — | 1–5 | 2–3 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 3–2 | 5–1 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–4 |
Boston | 5–1 | — | 4–2 | 5–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 6–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 5–1 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 6–0 |
Chicago | 3–2 | 2–4 | — | 5–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–6 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 3–2 | 1–5 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–4 |
Cleveland | 2–4 | 0–5 | 1–5 | — | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–5 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–5 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–6 | 0–6 | 0–6 | 0–5 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–5 |
Dallas | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | — | 1–5 | 1–1 | 0–5 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 2–3 | 1–5 | 2–3 | 1–4 | 3–3 | 1–1 |
Denver | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 5–1 | — | 1–1 | 3–2 | 5–1 | 0–2 | 4–2 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 2–3 | 2–4 | 5–0 | 2–3 | 3–3 | 2–0 |
Detroit | 4–2 | 0–6 | 6–0 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–4 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–4 |
Golden State | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 5–0 | 2–3 | 0–2 | — | 1–4 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 3–2 | 5–1 | 1–5 | 3–2 | 1–1 |
Houston | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 0–2 | 4–1 | — | 2–0 | 3–3 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 4–1 | 3–3 | 4–1 | 2–3 | 6–0 | 2–0 |
Indiana | 2–4 | 1–5 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | — | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–6 | 4–2 | 3–2 | 0–6 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–5 |
Kansas City | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 3–3 | 1–1 | — | 1–4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 0–5 | 1–5 | 4–1 | 2–3 | 3–3 | 0–2 |
Los Angeles | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 4–1 | — | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 5–1 | 2–3 | 5–1 | 4–2 | 5–0 | 2–0 |
Milwaukee | 3–3 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 6–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 6–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | — | 4–1 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–2 |
New Jersey | 2–3 | 1–5 | 4–2 | 6–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–4 | — | 4–2 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 4–2 |
New York | 1–5 | 1–5 | 2–3 | 6–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 2–4 | — | 1–5 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–5 |
Philadelphia | 3–3 | 2–4 | 5–1 | 5–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 6–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 5–1 | — | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 6–0 |
Phoenix | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 2–4 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | — | 3–3 | 4–1 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 3–2 | 1–1 |
Portland | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 5–0 | 1–5 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–3 | — | 3–2 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 4–1 | 0–2 |
San Antonio | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 5–1 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 3–3 | 0–2 | 5–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–4 | 2–3 | — | 3–2 | 4–1 | 3–3 | 1–1 |
San Diego | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 0–5 | 0–2 | 1–5 | 1–4 | 0–2 | 1–4 | 1–5 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 2–3 | — | 1–5 | 1–4 | 0–2 |
Seattle | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 5–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2–4 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 1–4 | 5–1 | — | 5–0 | 1–1 |
Utah | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 0–6 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 0–5 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 1–4 | 3–3 | 4–1 | 0–5 | — | 1–1 |
Washington | 4–2 | 0–6 | 4–2 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 5–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 2–4 | 5–1 | 0–6 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — |
Game log[]
Regular season[]
1981–82 game log Total: 58–24 (Home: 32–9; Road: 26–15) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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November: 11–1 (Home: 6–1; Road: 5–0)
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December: 9–5 (Home: 3–2; Road: 6–3)
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January: 8–8 (Home: 3–3; Road: 5–5)
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February: 10–2 (Home: 8–0; Road: 2–2)
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March: 10–6 (Home: 7–2; Road: 3–4)
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April: 8–2 (Home: 4–1; Road: 4–1)
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1981–82 schedule |
Playoffs[]
1982 playoff game log | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First Round: 2–0 (Home: 1–0; Road: 1–0)
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Conference Semifinals: 4–2 (Home: 2–1; Road: 2–1)
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Conference Finals: 4–3 (Home: 2–1; Road: 2–2)
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NBA Finals: 2–4 (Home: 2–1; Road: 0–3)
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1982 schedule |
Awards and records[]
- Julius Erving, All-NBA First Team
- Bobby Jones, NBA All-Defensive First Team
- Caldwell Jones, NBA All-Defensive First Team
References[]
- 1981–82 NBA season by team
- Philadelphia 76ers seasons
- Eastern Conference (NBA) championship seasons
- 1981 in sports in Pennsylvania
- 1982 in sports in Pennsylvania