2. 1982-83 season (65-17, won NBA Finals)
The Sixers’ golden decade — 1976 through 1986 — has been mentioned throughout this article. 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985 and 1986 all have a spot on this list. It was the height of Sixers fandom and the team’s most competitive stretch since its NBA inception in 1949.
Julius Erving, George McGinnis, Moses Malone, Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney, Charles Barkley, Doug Collins, World B. Free, Darryl Dawkins. And more. All those names, in some capacity, are tied to the Sixers’ greatest era. Its highest point was 1983.
After a drought of over 15 years, the Sixers finally brought a second championship to the city of Philadelphia. It came one year after a gut-wrenching loss to the Lakers in 1982, the Sixers exacting their revenge on L.A. with a clean Finals sweep.
It was Moses Malone’s first stand with the team. He was traded in the summer of ’82, adding the final piece to Philadelphia’s talent-laden puzzle. He won regular season MVP before going on to win Finals MVP. That alone cemented Malone’s status in Sixers history.
His famous ‘fo, fo, fo’ prediction never came to fruition — the Bucks stole one game in the conference finals — but it was close. The Sixers rolled through the playoffs, putting together one of the most dominant seasons of the past 40 years.
Across 13 postseason games, Malone averaged 26.0 points, 15.8 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.5 steals. He was aided by Julius Erving and Andrew Toney, who averaged 18.4 and 18.8 points, respectively. Cheeks’ playmaking skills helped everything come together.
It was validation for Billy Cunningham, a coaching (and playing) legend. It was validation for Dr. J, adding substance to his unmistakable flash. It was validation for Maurice Cheeks, an all-time facilitator and textbook point guard. It was validation for Harold Katz, who bought the Sixers in 1981 and helped facilitate Malone’s arrival.
There were numerous moving parts and several seasons of important developments leading up to Philadelphia’s breakthrough in 1983. It deserves this spot, without question.