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Now that it is the offseason for the Philadelphia 76ers, it is time to take a look at other things Sixers as we all patiently wait for the 2020-21 season to begin.
So, on Friday we decided to take a look back at one of the better teams in franchise history that came up just short of an NBA title.
The 1980-81 version of the Sixers was a strong bunch. Led by the great Julius “Dr. J” Erving, the Sixers had their sights set on a title while running into the rival Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. Both teams fought tooth and nail for the series, but it was Boston who came out on top with a close 91-90 in Game 7 despite 23 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and four blocks from Erving.
The Celtics went on to win the title as they knocked off the Houston Rockets in six games. That was a Sixers team that probably could have knocked off Houston as Bleacher Report wrote:
Though the 1980-81 squad only made it to Game 7 of the conference finals, and though the teams from the preceding and subsequent years advanced a round deeper, we’re going with that ’81 team.
Those Sixers won 62 games, the most in any non-title-winning Philly season, got an MVP year from Julius Erving and beat opponents by an average of 7.85 points per game. That’s the highest average margin of victory produced in any 76ers season in our sample.
Philadelphia fans can take solace in the fact that the team went on to win the championship in 1983 led by Erving and the late great Moses Malone. The Sixers swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals to earn the third title in franchise history. The Sixers have only made one Finals appearance since 1983. [lawrence-related id=37579,37576,37573]