The Philadelphia 76ers haven't been making a ton of noise the past couple of years. While the recent rise of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid have been much appreciated, we have yet to witness the true potential of the 76ers. Nevertheless, the franchise still boasts a place in history as they have etched a unique branding to their name. Here are the five greatest moments in Philadelphia 76ers history, ranked.
5. 76ers upset the 2012 Bulls
The 76ers were the clear underdogs entering the 2012 NBA Playoffs as they faced the top-seeded Chicago Bulls led by Derrick Rose. While the majority were counting on a sweep, it became one of the most memorable postseason runs in Philadelphia instead.
Taking into consideration that Rose and Noah went down in Games 1 and 3 respectively, the 76ers were in a good position to win with a 2-1 series lead. They went on an impressive run with Andre Iguodala sinking the game winning free throws in Game 6 to close out the series.
4. ‘The Process’ no more
Facing a ton of criticism early on during the rebuild, the organization was able to turn things around with the emergence of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons in the 2017-2018 season. They went on to get 52 wins, won 16 games in a row to close the regular season, and bagged the 3rd seed to face off against the Miami Heat in the playoffs. While the 76ers were relatively favored to win, it was expected that their inexperience would be their possible downfall. However, they proved everyone wrong by finishing off the Heat in 5 games.
This marked the first series win in “The Process” era. The team looked destined for success in the years to come as not only was it the first taste of playoff success for Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, but it was also Brett Brown's first postseason as the head coach. After a long time, Philadelphia was finally on the basketball map again.
3. Allen Iverson > Tyronn Lue
It's guaranteed that no one will ever forget this moment. All things considered, while the 76ers didn't win the championship that year, the series against the Lakers produced one of the most iconic moments in NBA history. As the clear underdogs against an undefeated Lakers squad, Iverson still put on a show in Game 1 to shock the world with a win.
Iverson scored 48 points in total, but in the second half, the Lakers tried clamping Iverson with Tyronn Lue. In overtime, Iverson swished a game-sealing fadeaway in the final minute where Lue tumbled to the ground and Iverson simply stepped over him. The rest is history.
2. The 1967 title
This team may go down as one of the most dominant teams in NBA history. Not only did Wilt Chamberlain average a whopping 24.1 points, 24.2 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game, but he had the help of Chet Walker and Billy Cunningham too.
This team won 45 of the first 49 games in the regular season which propelled them all the way to the finals against the San Francisco Warriors. The 76ers closed out the series in 6 games to claim the coveted championship with Philadelphia’s first taste of basketball glory.
1. The 1983 championship run
This was the peak of 76ers basketball with Moses Malone’s famous prediction, Maurice Cheeks’ late-game dunk and Julius Erving’s dagger. Before the season, the team was already in good shape with Erving as the unquestioned superstar. However, Philadelphia meant business when they brought in Malone.
Add it all together and the 76ers easily swept the Lakers in the Finals. However, Malone’s iconic ‘fo, fo, fo’ prediction was still one game off, meaning they needed 13 games to claim the title. They wanted it to be 12 for good reason.
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