1982–83 Philadelphia 76ers season

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1982–83 Philadelphia 76ers season
NBA champions
Conference champions
Division champions
Head coachBilly Cunningham
General managerPat Williams
ArenaThe Spectrum
Results
Record65–17 (.793)
PlaceDivision: 1st (Atlantic)
Conference: 1st (Eastern)
Playoff finishNBA Champions
(Swept Lakers 4–0)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionWPHL-TV
PRISM
RadioWIP
< 1981–82 1983–84 >

The 1982–83 Philadelphia 76ers season was the 37th season of the franchise (going back to their days as the Syracuse Nationals) and their 20th season in Philadelphia. The 76ers entered the season as runner-ups in the 1982 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.

Harold Katz bought the 76ers in 1982. On his watch, the final piece of the championship puzzle was completed before the 1982–83 season when they acquired free-agent center Moses Malone from the Houston Rockets in a sign-and-trade for Caldwell Jones.[1] Led by Hall of Famers Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks, Bobby Jones & All-Star Andrew Toney, they dominated the regular season, starting the season with 49 wins against 7 losses and winning 65 games in what is still the second most winning year in franchise history.

Erving led as the team captain and was named the NBA All Star Game MVP, while Malone was named league MVP, and when reporters asked how the playoffs would run, he answered, "four, four, four"—in other words, predicting that the Sixers would need to only play four games in each of the three playoff series to win the title. Malone, speaking in a non-rhotic accent, pronounced the boast "fo', fo', fo'."

However, the Sixers backed up Malone's boast. They made a mockery of the Eastern Conference playoffs, first sweeping the New York Knicks in the Semifinals and then beating the Milwaukee Bucks in five games in the Conference Finals. Regarded as one of the greatest teams in history, the Sixers went on to win their third NBA championship with a four-game sweep of the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, who had defeated them the season before. Malone's prediction turned out to be only one game off, and some used the adapted phrase "fo', fi', fo'" reflecting their one playoff loss to the Bucks. Malone was named the playoffs' MVP.

Their 12–1 playoff record still ranks as the third-best in league history after the 2016–17 Warriors, who went 16–1, and the 2000–01 Lakers, who went 15–1 en route to the NBA title coincidentally beating the 76ers in the finals. The Philadelphia-based group Pieces of a Dream had a minor hit in 1983 with the R&B song "Fo-Fi-Fo", which title was prompted by Malone's quip.

Draft picks[]

Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club Team
1 22 Mark McNamara C/F  United States California
2 36 J.J. Anderson SF  United States Bradley
2 45 Russ Schoene PF  United States Tennessee-Chattanooga
3 68  United States Virginia Tech
4 91  United States Duquesne
5 114  United States Fresno State
6 137  United States Iowa
7 160  United States Southwest Missouri State
8 183  United States Jackson State
9 204  United States Cheyney (PA)
10 224  United States Drexel

Roster[]

Roster listing
Philadelphia 76ers roster
  • v
  • t
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY-MM-DD) From
G 10 Cheeks, Maurice 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1956-09-08 West Texas A&M
F 25 Cureton, Earl 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1957-09-03 Detroit
G 14 Edwards, Franklin 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1959-02-02 Cleveland State
F 6 Erving, Julius 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1950-02-22 UMass
PF 8 Iavaroni, Marc 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1956-09-15 Virginia
C 45 Johnson, Clemon 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1956–09–12 Florida A&M
SF 33 Johnson, Reggie 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1957–06–25 Tennessee
F 24 Jones, Bobby 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1951-12-18 North Carolina
C 2 Malone, Moses 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1955-03-23 Petersburg High School
C 31 McNamara, Mark 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1959-06-08 California
G 4 Richardson, Clint 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1956-08-07 Seattle
G 22 Toney, Andrew 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 178 lb (81 kg) 1957-11-23 Louisiana
Head coach
  • Billy Cunningham
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Regular season[]

Season standings[]

Atlantic Division
W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Philadelphia 76ers 65 17 .793 – 35–6 30–11 15–9
x-Boston Celtics 56 26 .683 9 33–8 23–18 14–10
x-New Jersey Nets 49 33 .598 16 30–11 19–22 11–13
x-New York Knicks 44 38 .537 21 26–15 18–23 10–14
Washington Bullets 42 40 .512 23 27–14 15–26 10–14
# Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Philadelphia 76ers 65 17 .793 –
2 y-Milwaukee Bucks 51 31 .622 14
3 x-Boston Celtics 56 26 .683 9
4 x-New Jersey Nets 49 33 .598 16
5 x-New York Knicks 44 38 .537 21
6 x-Atlanta Hawks 43 39 .524 22
7 Washington Bullets 42 40 .512 23
8 Detroit Pistons 37 45 .451 28
9 Chicago Bulls 28 54 .341 37
10 Cleveland Cavaliers 23 59 .280 42
11 Indiana Pacers 20 62 .244 45

Record vs. opponents[]

1982-83 NBA Records
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 5–1 6–0 1–1 1–1 3–3 0–2 2–0 6–0 0–2 0–2 1–4 2–4 3–2 2–4 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 2–0 4–2
Boston 5–1 — 3–2 5–1 2–0 2–0 3–3 1–1 2–0 4–1 1–1 2–0 3–3 5–1 3–3 3–3 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 2–0 3–3
Chicago 1–5 2–3 — 5–1 1–1 1–1 2–4 2–0 1–1 4–2 0–2 0–2 1–5 2–4 1–4 1–5 0–2 1–1 0–2 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–5
Cleveland 0–6 1–5 1–5 — 2–0 0–2 1–5 2–0 2–0 5–1 1–1 0–2 1–5 0–6 1–5 0–5 0–2 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 3–2
Dallas 1–1 0–2 1–1 0–2 — 3–3 2–0 3–2 5–1 2–0 3–3 2–3 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 2–3 3–2 2–4 5–0 2–3 2–4 0–2
Denver 1–1 0–2 1–1 2–0 3–3 — 2–0 4–1 5–1 1–1 3–3 1–4 2–0 1–1 0–2 0–2 4–1 2–3 2–4 3–2 3–2 4–2 1–1
Detroit 3–3 3–3 4–2 5–1 0–2 0–2 — 2–0 2–0 4–2 0–2 0–2 3–3 3–2 1–5 0–6 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–2 3–2
Golden State 2–0 1–1 0–2 0–2 2–3 1–4 0–2 — 3–2 1–1 1–4 1–5 1–1 0–2 1–1 0–2 2–4 2–4 1–4 3–3 3–3 3–2 2–0
Houston 0–2 0–2 1–1 0–2 1–5 1–5 0–2 2–3 — 2–0 1–5 0–5 0–2 1–1 0–2 0–2 0–5 0–5 1–5 2–3 1–4 0–6 1–1
Indiana 0–6 1–4 2–4 1–5 0–2 1–1 2–4 1–1 0–2 — 1–1 0–2 1–5 0–6 3–3 1–4 1–1 0–2 0–2 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–5
Kansas City 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 3–3 3–3 2–0 4–1 5–1 1–1 — 1–4 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–4 2–3 3–3 4–1 1–4 4–2 2–0
Los Angeles 2–0 0–2 2–0 2–0 3–2 4–1 2–0 5–1 5–0 2–0 4–1 — 2–0 1–1 2–0 0–2 3–3 3–3 1–4 5–1 5–1 4–1 1–1
Milwaukee 4–1 3–3 5–1 5–1 2–0 0–2 3–3 1–1 2–0 5–1 1–1 0–2 — 3–2 4–2 1–5 1–1 2–0 2–0 2–0 0–2 2–0 3–2
New Jersey 4–2 1–5 4–2 6–0 2–0 1–1 2–3 2–0 1–1 6–0 1–1 1–1 2–3 — 4–2 3–3 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 2–0 1–1 3–2
New York 2–3 3–3 4–1 5–1 2–0 2–0 5–1 1–1 2–0 3–3 1–1 0–2 2–4 2–4 — 1–5 0–2 1–1 2–0 0–2 1–1 1–1 4–2
Philadelphia 4–2 3–3 5–1 5–0 2–0 2–0 6–0 2–0 2–0 4–1 2–0 2–0 5–1 3–3 5–1 — 2–0 0–2 1–1 2–0 2–0 2–0 4–2
Phoenix 1–1 0–2 2–0 2–0 3–2 1–4 1–1 4–2 5–0 1–1 4–1 3–3 1–1 1–1 2–0 0–2 — 5–1 3–2 4–2 5–1 5–0 0–2
Portland 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–3 3–2 1–1 4–2 5–0 2–0 3–2 3–3 0–2 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–5 — 2–3 5–1 3–3 3–2 1–1
San Antonio 2–0 0–2 2–0 2–0 4–2 4–2 1–1 4–1 5–1 2–0 3–3 4–1 0–2 2–0 0–2 1–1 2–3 3–2 — 4–1 1–4 5–1 2–0
San Diego 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–5 2–3 1–1 3–3 3–2 1–1 1–4 1–5 0–2 1–1 2–0 0–2 2–4 1–5 1–4 — 0–6 2–3 0–2
Seattle 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 3–2 2–3 2–0 3–3 4–1 1–1 4–1 1–5 2–0 0–2 1–1 0–2 1–5 3–3 4–1 6–0 — 5–0 1–1
Utah 0–2 0–2 1–1 2–0 4–2 2–4 2–0 2–3 6–0 0–2 2–4 1–4 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–5 2–3 1–5 3–2 0–5 — 0–2
Washington 2–4 3–3 5–1 2–3 2–0 1–1 2–3 0–2 1–1 5–1 0–2 1–1 3–3 3–3 2–4 2–4 2–0 1–1 0–2 2–0 1–1 2–0 —

Game log[]

1982–83 Game Log
Total: 65–17 (Home: 35–6 ; Road: 30–11)
October: 2–0 (Home: 1–0 ; Road 1–0)
November: 11–3 (Home: 7–2 ; Road 4–1)
December: 11–2 (Home: 5–0 ; Road 6–2)
January: 14–1 (Home: 7–0 ; Road 7–1)
February: 11–1 (Home: 7–0 ; Road 4–1)
March: 11–5 (Home: 6–1 ; Road 5–4)
April: 5–5 (Home: 2–3 ; Road 3–2)
1982–83 Schedule

Playoffs[]

1983 playoff game log
Conference Semifinals: 4–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 2–0)
Conference Finals: 4–1 (Home: 3–0; Road: 1–1)
NBA Finals: 4–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 2–0)
1983 schedule

NBA Finals[]

The 1983 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1982–83 season.

The 76ers went on to capture their second NBA championship in Philadelphia, and the third as the 76ers/Nationals franchise as they swept the New York Knicks, and proceeded to beat the Milwaukee Bucks in five games. They finally finished it off with a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers, who had defeated them the season before, making this the only NBA championship not to be won by either the Lakers or the Boston Celtics from 1980–1988.

Said head coach Billy Cunningham, "The difference from last year was Moses." Malone was named MVP of the 1983 Finals, as well as league MVP for the third time in his career. The 76ers completed one of the most dominating playoff runs in league history with a 12-1 mark after league and NBA Finals MVP Moses promised "Fo', fo', fo" (as in "four, four, four" – four wins to win each playoff series). The 76ers were also led by Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney, and Bobby Jones.

The 1983 NBA Finals was the last to end before June 1. This championship is especially noted because it would be the last major sports championship for the city of Philadelphia until the Phillies won the 2008 World Series.[2] At the time, no other city with all four professional sports teams had a championship drought last as long as that from 1983–2008 (25 years).[3] When the Flyers played for the 2010 Stanley Cup, The Ottawa Citizen reported that the main reason for that lengthy championship drought was because the only years the city's teams played for championships during that time were years presidents were inaugurated.[4] The city's teams had lost championships during such years, beginning with the 76ers themselves in 1977.[4] The exceptions were the Phillies in 1983 and the Flyers in 1987.[4]

Following the 1983 NBA Finals, a video documentary called "That Championship Feeling" recaps the NBA Playoff action that year. Dick Stockton narrated the video, and Irene Cara's 1983 hit single "What A Feeling" is the official theme song for the video documentary. For the first time, NBA Entertainment used videotape instead of film for all the on-court and off-court footage.

Awards, records, and legacy[]

At the time, their 65-17 regular season record ranked as the fifth greatest regular season win total in NBA history. Previously, only the 1972 Lakers (69-13), the 1967 Sixers (68-13), the 1971 Bucks (66-16), and the 1973 Celtics (who lost in that years Conference Finals; 68-14), exceeded this total.

Their .8105 winning percentage, combined regular season and post season (77-18) in 1983, has been topped since by just five(5) teams, the 1986 Celtics (.820, with 18 losses), the 1996 Bulls (.870), the 1997 Bulls (.832), the 2016 Warriors (.830, also with 18 losses, lost NBA finals), and the 2017 Warriors (.838).

In fact, after 66 regular season games, their record stood at 57–9 (the 2016 Golden State Warriors were only 3 games ahead of this pace at 60-6, in the record breaking 73 win regular season).

Possessing an exceptionally talented roster, and having a brilliant coaching staff in Billy Cunningham, Matt Goukas, and Jack McMahon, the 1982–1983 Philadelphia 76ers were one of the very best teams in NBA history.

References[]

  1. ^ "Malone Goes to 76ers for Caldwell Jones". The New York Times. September 16, 1982.
  2. ^ Sheridan, Phil (October 30, 2008). "WORLD CHAMPS!; 28 years later, Phillies again are baseball's best". Philadelphia Inquirer. p. A1. After 25 years of drought...Philadelphia has its championship...the Phillies really are World Series champions.
  3. ^ Levin, Bob (October 21, 2008). "Phillified". The Globe and Mail. p. S1.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c Warren, Ken (June 2, 2010). "Two cities that could use a CUP". Ottawa Citizen. p. B3.
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