1983 NBA Champion Philadelphia 76ers

Basketball

The Philadelphia 76ers had been bridesmaids long enough, decided 76ers owner Harold Katz in the wake of losing the 1982 Finals.

They had fallen to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and the L.A. Lakers in six games, making it the third time in six years that they had been stopped just short of the NBA's mountaintop.

So, something had to change, even if then general manager Pat Williams was thousands of miles away at the time. "I was on a two-week NBA scheduled trip to China with Julius Erving, Gene Banks and other players," Williams recently recalled, reconstructing the chain of events that finally brought the key piece who would help the Sixers claim that coveted championship. "While I was there, I found out Harold had peddled Darryl Dawkins, our center, to New Jersey.

"Coming back to New York after two weeks, I picked up the paper and read the Sixers were closing in on a deal for Moses Malone."

That deal indeed came together after plenty of haggling, providing the Sixers with the missing piece that would finally get them to the summit—or, in Moses' vernacular, the "Promised Land."

Tonight, nearly four decades later, the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame is proud to induct the 1983 NBA Champion Sixers into its ranks. Featuring Malone, Erving, Maurice Cheeks, and Bobby Jones—all enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame—with Andrew Toney and solid role players Clint Richardson, Marc Iavaroni, Earl Cureton, and Franklin Edwards, they dominated the league from the season's start.

"You could tell from the very first practice something special was going on with this team," Williams continued. "We'd been bridesmaids long enough and nobody was going to stop us.

"It was a perfect season, No losing streaks. No injuries. Moses had a career year. Julius was as good as he had ever been. Bobby Jones was flying off the bench. And our two guards, Cheeks and Toney, were great." The Sixers rolled through the regular season 65-17, then dispatched the Knicks in a first round four-game sweep before taking out the Bucks in five games in the Conference Finals.

That sent them back to the Finals for another crack at the Lakers. The difference this year was more than the home court advantage. They had Moses.

"Moses made the difference," explained Jones, who thrived in his role coming off the bench, providing instant offense and defense while Iavaroni started. "Playoffs are a real grind.

"Stamina is the problem, but Moses took all the pressure off. You could lean on him all you wanted, because you knew he was gonna impose his will, which is what he did in that series."

Especially when matched up against Abdul-Jabbar. "Kareem did not like playing against Moses," explained Williams, who remained with the Sixer until 1986 when he headed to Florida to help co-found the Orlando Magic. "Moses could contest and block him.

"Moses could dominate because of how physical and relentless he was. He just came at you. I don't think Kareem liked to play that way."

The coach knew it, too. "Before that, we didn't know what to do with Kareem," admitted Billy Cunningham, like many of his players, a Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame inductee, "We did analytics and 70% of the time he touched the ball they scored.

"But Moses was too much for them to handle. Kareem couldn't handle him, then they tried Kurt Rambis. But we were just such a wonderful defensive team. Plus, we could run forever with Bobby and Julius."

Malone averaged 25.8 points and 18.0 rebounds in that series, followed right behind by fellow Philly Hall inductees Toney (22.0), Erving (19.0), Cheeks (15.3 and 6.3 assists) and Jones (12.0). Still, the Sixers trailed at halftime of each game before taking command, outscoring the Lakers an astounding 124-79 in the fourth quarters combined.

Down 93-82 after three periods in Game Four, they came on strong in the fourth to take a late lead. When Erving knocked down a foul line jumper, and then Cheeks threw down a fastbreak dunk, the series sweep, and long-awaited championship was finally theirs.

Sadly, Malone and then rookie center Mark McNamara are no longer with us to share in the celebration.

The rest feel honored. "It's a great honor," said Jones, who lives in Charlotte, "I loved being in Philly, where the fans are so devoted. To be inducted with that group is special."

"I'm very pleased,' added Williams, himself a Philly Hall inductee and for years the Hall's Master of Ceremonies. "To win a title is a hard thing to do and when you win one, it should be treasured for life."

First the Promised Land. Now the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. For the 1983 NBA Champion Philadelphia 76ers, it can't get any better than this.

By Jon Marks