By Bill Woten
ProBasketballNews.com
From 1980-82, the Philadelphia 76ers averaged nearly 60 wins per season. However, three lengthy postseason runs -- six-game losses to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980 and 1982 NBA Finals and a crushing setback to the Boston Celtics in the 1981 Eastern finals -- ended short of a coveted championship.
“For about a decade there, we had the best regular season record in the league,” recalled 76ers GM Pat Williams. “We’d gotten close, but had another disappointing loss in the Finals (’82). We couldn’t get over the hump. And our new owner, Harold Katz (who purchased the team the previous summer), well, let’s just say patience was not one of his virtues.”
Moses Malone, the NBA’s reigning MVP, was a
free agent. What better way to rebound from those
agonizing defeats than to acquire Malone, the
league’s top rebounder?
The 76ers signed Malone to an offer on Sept. 2,
1982. The Rockets matched the offer, but then
traded Malone to Philadelphia on Sept. 15. In
exchange, Houston received big man Caldwell
Jones and a 1983 first-round draft pick, which
came originally from the Cleveland Cavaliers
and wound up being the No. 3 overall selection
(Rodney McCray).
In the 1980 Finals, the 76ers were outrebounded
by a staggering 14.2 per game. In the 1982 Finals,
their average deficit on the boards was 7.7. In 1981,
meanwhile, their 3-1 series lead over the Celtics in the Eastern finals evaporated during the defining moment -- fourth quarter of Game 7 in the Boston Garden -- when they were outworked in the paint.
So, Philadelphia acquired Malone, whose trademark was never getting outworked. He joined a talented lineup that already included Julius Erving and Andrew Toney. The deal was the foundation for what turned into one of the best single-season teams in history.
Malone diffused any potential problems regarding team roles at his initial Philadelphia press conference when he reiterated, “This is Doc’s (Erving’s) team. I’m just here to help Doc.”
As a focused, unified group, the 76ers were determined to not let any opponent derail their championship quest.
My first thought was, “Well, there are no more excuses,” recalled forward Bobby Jones. “There was definitely a sense of urgency.”
Williams agreed.
“There was no question in the world we were going to win,” Williams recalled. “From the get-go there was a sense that the only thing on this team’s mind was to win a title. It was just one of those years, a dominating season, great harmony, literally a Cinderella season.”
The 76ers won their first six games, ripped off a 30-wins-in-32-games string in the middle of the season, and finished with a 65-17 mark. They outscored opponents by nearly eight points per game. And against the NBA’s top-five other teams Philadelphia went 13-5.
Malone was even better than expected, winning his third MVP award. He led the league in rebounding (15.3) and player efficiency (25.1), was fifth in scoring (24.5), and was also named first-team all-NBA and first-team all-defense.
“He was probably the hardest worker, at practices and at games, that I have ever been around. It was invigorating,” Jones said.
Added Williams, “He was relentless, absolutely relentless. He went after every rebound. That was his philosophy.”
The playoffs were a formality. Philadelphia ripped off a stunning 12-1 run that included a four-game sweep of the Lakers in the NBA Finals, during which Malone averaged 25.8 points and 18 rebounds. More important, Malone’s work inside gave the 76ers the edge on the boards by five per game; 1980 and 1982 were long forgotten.
The 76ers, however, found defending their title to be quite difficult. A subpar 52-30 season in 1984 got worse when Philadelphia was upset in first round of the playoffs by the New Jersey Nets.
“That was one of the most disappointing moments of my career,” recalled Jones. “It just felt like we didn’t have everyone on the same page. Some guys’ contracts were up and they had their own agendas. It was a lot of little things. We didn’t have that same focus.”
By 1985, the 76ers rebounded to win 58 games, but they were easily brushed aside by the Celtics in five games in the Eastern finals. At that point, defending champion Boston -- with Larry Bird, who somehow found a way to raise his game to another level, the emergence of Kevin McHale, and blending in of Dennis Johnson -- had surpassed Philadelphia for good.
“I think everyone thought we were in for a long run,” Williams recalled. “It simply proved that there is nothing for sure in this business. When we were knocked out the next year, we were never the same. ’83 proved to be Doc’s last vintage year. And Andrew Toney was at this peak. Little did we know at age 27 he’d basically be through.”
The 1983 season, however, turned out to be a glorious one for all of the 76ers. And it all started with a trade for an unselfish MVP.
“We hit it just right,” Williams said. “It was a flawless season.”
Bill Woten is the author of the book, "Game 7: Inside the NBA's Ultimate Showdown." View his Web site at nbagame7.com.
