The Sixer Sense
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Philadelphia 76ers: Top 10 Greatest Coaches of All Time

By Jonathan Kelly

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The Philadelphia 76ers have had multiple Hall of Fame coaches. From Al Cervi to Larry Brown, which coach ranks best of all time for the Sixers?

10. Maurice Cheeks

For 11 NBA seasons, Maurice Cheeks played point guard for the Philadelphia 76ers. Mo Cheeks played a huge role in the 1983 Championship run for the Sixers and was also a four-time NBA all-star during that 11 year span. It is no wonder that some would consider him as one of the greatest point guards in Philadelphia 76ers history.

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After he retired in 1993, he returned to the city of Philadelphia as an Assistant Coach in 1994. After spending six seasons as an Assistant, Cheeks became the Head Coach for the the Portland Trailblazers from 2001-2005. While in Portland, he coached the Trailblazers to 162 wins and 139 losses before returning to Philadelphia to become the Head Coach of the Sixers for the 2005 NBA season.

While Cheeks playing days for the Sixers received much praise from the fans, his coaching days were not nearly as successful. In the three full seasons that Cheeks coached the Sixers, he did manage to lead them to the playoffs in 2008 before being eliminated in the first round by the Detroit Pistons. Cheeks was let go during the 2008-09 seasons after a rough losing streak to start the year.

The people of Philadelphia loved seeing Cheeks manage the game while on the court as a player, but his coaching days left a little more to be desired for Philly fans.

9. Jim Lynam

Jim Lynam also started as an Assistant Coach for the Philadelphia 76ers before taking over as the Head Coach during the 1987-88 NBA season.

After finishing that season, he coached the Sixers for another four years where they reached the NBA playoffs in three of those seasons. That being said, they never managed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals as they were eliminated by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in back to back seasons.

Lynam’s overall record as a Sixers head coach was 194-173 during four and a half seasons. He went on to coach multiple other teams before returning to the Sixers as an Assistant Coach from 2005-2010. His dedication to the Sixers and the city of Philadelphia are much appreciated by the 76ers faithful.

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