Originally the Syracuse Nationals, champions in 1955, they relocated to Philadelphia in the early ’60s and produced two of the greatest teams of all time in ’66-’67 and ’82-’83; legends include Julius Erving, Allen Iverson, Billy Cunningham, Moses Malone, and Wilt Chamberlain.
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Foregone conclusion: 10 playoff series that were considered “virtual” NBA Finals
It’s the NBA Finals that technically decides the league’s champion from year to year but here are 10 times that series seemed like a foregone conclusion and the “true” Finals took place earlier in the postseason.
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- Billy King tenure as general manager
- Conference Finals upset loss to Bullets (1978)
- Conference Finals upset over Celtics (1980)
- Conference Finals upset over Celtics (1982)
- Dolph Schayes tenure as coach
- Don DeJardin tenure as general manager
- In the 1967 Eastern Conference Finals (“Virtual NBA Finals”)
- In the 1981 Eastern Conference Finals (“Virtual NBA Finals”)
- Maurice Cheeks tenure as coach
- Name change from Nationals to 76ers
- Players feuding with coach Maurice Cheeks
- Playing games in Philadelphia Civic Center and The Spectrum
- Postponing a game due to MLK assassination
- Re-location from Syracuse to Philadelphia
- Rivalry with Bucks
- Rivalry with Rochester Royals (as Syracuse Nationals)
- Roy Rubin tenure as coach
- Struggling to defend their title in ’83-’84
- Trading Allen Iverson to the Nuggets
- Upset by the Nets in the 1984 playoffs first round
- Upsetting the Bulls in the 2012 playoffs first round
- Upsetting the Pistons in 1955 NBA Finals (as Syracuse Nationals)
- Winning 1986 NBA Draft Lottery
- Winning 1955 NBA Finals under suspect circumstances (as Syracuse Nationals)