Few players are as respected or revered in NBA circles as Philadelphia 76ers legend Julius Erving. A basketball pioneer who helped change the style of professional basketball, Erving is as beloved a figure off the court as he is praised for what he did on it.
Erving recently reflected on the latter half of his legacy, with a bold claim that falls right in line with the way he played: Flashy, yet flush with substance.
Erving accomplished everything under the sun during his playing career, including the fact that he won three ABA MVP awards and one NBA MVP honor. After spending the first five seasons of his career in the ABA, he joined the 76ers in 1976-77, ultimately helping the franchise win its most recent championship in 1982-83.
In a recent interview with Dana Scott of The Arizona Republic, Erving expressed his belief that the 1983 76ers are the greatest team in NBA postseason history.
“Moses (Malone) being the final piece to a team that was always in contention, we went to four Finals in seven years from ’76 to ’83. That’s very much like Golden State’s run in the modern era in the (2010s). They were calling that a dynasty. But making it to the Finals is one thing, winning the Finals is another thing. So the three times we did not succeed probably cuts into the significance and the legacy of those teams. But I think the way in which we won and who we had might make that team the greatest playoff team ever, and we should be in that conversation.”
There is an endless list of options for that distinction, but Philadelphia's 1982-83 team may have the strongest case of any.
Julius Erving heralds 1982-83 76ers as the greatest playoff team ever
The 76ers were nothing short of dominant from the beginning of the 1982-83 season to the very end. They went 65-17 in the regular season, ranking No. 1 in the NBA in net rating and in the top five in both offensive and defensive rating.
With a legendary core that included Maurice Cheeks, Erving, Bobby Jones, Moses Malone, and Andrew Toney, the 76ers were unstoppable.
Malone won his third total and second consecutive NBA MVP award that season, which remains one of the most underrated feats in Association history. He was named to the All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team, as well, and registered one of his six seasons leading the league in rebounding.
Erving and Malone combined to average 45.9 points and 8.1 offensive rebounds per game in 1982-83, displaying remarkable chemistry despite it being their first season as teammates.
When the postseason rolled around, Malone offered a simple quote that lives on to this day: "Fo, Fo, Fo." Malone was bold enough to predict that the 76ers would go undefeated in the postseason, winning every series in four games.
Philadelphia nearly achieved that remarkable feat, going 12-1 across the three series it played before sweeping the Showtime Lakers, of all teams, in the NBA Finals.
Four different 76ers averaged at least 16.3 points per game that postseason, and five exceeded 12.0 points per contest during the NBA Finals. When shots weren't falling, the defense locked in, holding the Lakers below 100 points in two of the four games of the 4-0 sweep.
There are a number of iconic teams with a case for being the greatest in postseason history, but a 12-1 run that included sweeping Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson is a tough feat to top.