9. ECF win vs. Bucks in 2001
The Sixers were about 18 years removed from their last NBA Finals appearance in 2001. That’s when Allen Iverson, fresh off his first (and only) NBA MVP win, dragged the Sixers to title contention. The Milwaukee Bucks posed the biggest threat in the Eastern Conference.
Holding the No. 2 seed, the Bucks were saddled with talent. Ray Allen, Sam Cassell and Glenn Robinson were NBA All-Star caliber players, giving Milwaukee a dynamic perimeter attack that thoroughly challenged the Sixers.
It was a long and grinding seven-game series, with both teams experiencing significant ups and downs. Iverson was cold early in the series, but the Sixers still managed to take a 3-2 lead before Game 6, which became a truly unique spectacle.
The Bucks won, but it wasn’t easy — not as easy as it should have been. Milwaukee was up 80-54 entering the final frame, but “A.I.” went off, scoring 26 points in the fourth quarter and asserting his dominance in the series.
After Milwaukee staved off defeat, Iverson went into Game 7 with unbreakable confidence, scoring 44 points and guiding the Sixers to a long-awaited NBA Finals appearance. It remains one of the most intense, drawn-out series in Sixers history.
Given the draining effect such a tough series had on the Sixers, one might expect them to fold in the upcoming face-off with Los Angeles. That, of course, didn’t happen. Iverson carried his hot hand into the NBA Finals, helping the Sixers pull off an epic Game 1 defeat — something we’ll touch on later.