1976–77 Philadelphia 76ers season

The 1976–77 NBA season was the 28th season for the Philadelphia 76ers franchise in the NBA. Just months earlier, the American Basketball Association had ended its ninth and final campaign and the two leagues combined. In a special $6 million deal, the Nets sold Julius Erving, the ABA's leading scorer, to the Philadelphia 76ers for $3 million.^[1] The other $3 million went to Erving, by way of a new contract.^[1] In Philadelphia, Erving joined another scoring machine, George McGinnis, who had come over earlier from the Indiana Pacers. This accumulation of talent brought talk of an immediate championship to Philadelphia.

1976–77 Philadelphia 76ers season
Conference champions
Division champions
Head coach	Gene Shue
General manager	Pat Williams
Arena	The Spectrum
Results
Record	50–32 (.610)
Place	Division: 1st (Atlantic) Conference: 1st (Eastern)
Playoff finish	NBA Finals (lost to Trail Blazers 2–4)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	WKBS-TV PRISM
Radio	WCAU
< 1975–76 1977–78 >

The talented 76ers had posted the best record in the Eastern Conference with a record of 50–32.^[1] Gene Shue was the coach & his key players were Erving (the esteemed Dr. J), McGinnis & 6-foot-6 shooting guard Doug Collins. Other key contributors included point guard Henry Bibby and World B. Free. Caldwell Jones started at center with 20-year-old Darryl Dawkins, also known as "Chocolate Thunder," in a backup role. The reserve forwards were Steve Mix, Harvey Catchings and Joe Bryant. The Sixers beat the Boston Celtics & the Houston Rockets in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, but lost to the Portland Trail Blazers 4–2, after winning the first 2 games.^[1]

Offseason

NBA draft

Main article: 1976 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	12	Terry Furlow	SG/SF	United States	Michigan State
3	47	Ron Norwood	G	United States	DePaul
4	64	Freeman Blade	G	United States	MSU Billings
5	81	Jeff Browne		United States	Missouri Western
6	99	Mike Dunleavy	G	United States	South Carolina
7	117	Phil Walker	SG	United States	Millersville
8	135	Lee Dixon		United States	Hardin-Simmons
9	152	Fly Williams	SG	United States	Austin Peay
10	168	Ed Stefanski		United States	Penn

Roster

Philadelphia 76ers roster

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Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From PG 14 Bibby, Henry 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1949-11-24 UCLA PF 23 Bryant, Joe 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1954-10-19 La Salle C 42 Catchings, Harvey 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 218 lb (99 kg) 1951-09-02 Hardin–Simmons SG 20 Collins, Doug 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1951-07-28 Illinois State C 53 Dawkins, Darryl 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 251 lb (114 kg) 1957-01-11 Maynard Evans HS (FL) PG 10 Dunleavy, Mike 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1954-03-21 South Carolina SF 6 Erving, Julius 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1950-02-22 UMass SG 21 Free, Lloyd 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1953-12-09 Guilford SG 25 Furlow, Terry 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1954-10-18 Michigan State C 11 Jones, Caldwell 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 217 lb (98 kg) 1950-08-04 Albany State PF 30 McGinnis, George 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1950-08-12 Indiana SF 50 Mix, Steve 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1947-12-30 Toledo

Head coach Gene Shue Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

Regular season

Season standings

Atlantic Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Philadelphia 76ers	50	32	.610	–	32–9	18–23	11–5
x-Boston Celtics	44	38	.537	6	28–13	16–25	9–7
New York Knicks	40	42	.488	10	26–15	14–27	8–8
Buffalo Braves	30	52	.366	20	23–18	7–34	6–10
New York Nets	22	60	.268	28	10–31	12–29	6–10

#	Eastern Conference v t e
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Philadelphia 76ers	50	32	.610	–
2	y-Houston Rockets	49	33	.598	1
3	x-Washington Bullets	48	34	.585	2
4	x-Boston Celtics	44	38	.537	6
5	x-San Antonio Spurs	44	38	.537	6
6	x-Cleveland Cavaliers	43	39	.524	7
7	New York Knicks	40	42	.488	10
8	New Orleans Jazz	35	47	.427	15
9	Atlanta Hawks	31	51	.378	19
10	Buffalo Braves	30	52	.366	20
11	New York Nets	22	60	.268	28

Record vs. opponents

1976–77 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	BUF	CHI	CLE	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	KCK	LAL	MIL	NOJ	NYK	NYN	PHI	PHO	POR	SAS	SEA	WAS
Atlanta	—	0–4	4–0	2–2	2–2	2–2	0–4	0–4	1–3	0–4	1–2	2–2	2–2	1–3	1–3	3–1	1–3	0–4	3–1	4–0	1–2	1–3
Boston	4–0	—	3–1	2–2	1–3	3–1	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–2	3–1	2–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	2–2	1–3	4–0	2–2	0–4
Buffalo	0–4	1–3	—	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	0–3	1–3	1–3	0–3	1–3	3–1	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	0–4	3–1	0–4
Chicago	2–2	2–2	3–1	—	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–1	4–0	2–2	2–1	2–2	2–2	0–4	3–1	2–2	1–2
Cleveland	2–2	3–1	2–2	1–3	—	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–3	2–1	3–1	2–2	4–0	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	2–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3
Denver	2–2	1–3	2–2	3–1	2–2	—	3–1	2–2	3–0	3–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	1–3	3–1	2–2	1–2	4–0	2–2
Detroit	4–0	2–2	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–3	—	3–1	2–2	2–2	4–0	1–3	3–1	3–1	1–2	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	1–2	1–3	1–3
Golden State	4–0	3–1	3–0	2–2	2–2	2–2	1–3	—	2–1	4–0	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	3–1	3–1	4–0	1–3	2–2	1–3	3–1
Houston	3–1	2–2	3–1	3–1	3–1	0–3	2–2	1–2	—	4–0	2–2	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	1–3	3–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	3–1
Indiana	4–0	2–1	3–1	2–2	1–2	1–3	2–2	0–4	0–4	—	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	2–2	4–0	2–2	2–2	0–4	2–2	2–2	0–4
Kansas City	2–1	1–3	3–0	2–2	1–3	1–3	0–4	3–1	2–2	2–2	—	1–3	2–2	2–2	4–0	4–0	1–3	3–1	2–2	1–3	1–3	2–2
Los Angeles	2–2	1–2	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–1	—	3–1	3–0	1–3	4–0	2–2	3–1	3–1	3–1	3–1	4–0
Milwaukee	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	0–4	1–3	1–3	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–3	—	1–2	1–3	3–1	1–2	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–3
New Orleans	3–1	2–2	1–3	0–4	2–2	1–3	1–3	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	0–3	2–1	—	3–1	2–2	0–4	3–1	2–2	1–3	1–3	2–2
N.Y. Knicks	3–1	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	2–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	0–4	3–1	3–1	1–3	—	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–2	2–2
N.Y. Nets	1–3	1–3	2–2	1–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–3	2–2	0–4	0–4	0–4	1–3	2–2	2–2	—	1–3	2–2	0–3	1–3	1–3	1–3
Philadelphia	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–1	2–2	1–3	3–1	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–1	4–0	3–1	3–1	—	1–2	2–2	1–3	2–2	3–1
Phoenix	4–0	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–2	1–3	2–2	0–4	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	2–1	—	1–3	1–3	3–1	1–3
Portland	1–3	3–1	3–1	4–0	2–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	4–0	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–0	2–2	3–1	—	2–2	3–1	1–2
San Antonio	0–4	0–4	4–0	1–3	2–2	2–1	2–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–3	3–1	3–1	3–1	3–1	3–1	2–2	—	3–1	2–2
Seattle	2–1	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–3	0–4	3–1	3–1	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–3	3–1	3–1	2–1	3–1	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	—	3–1
Washington	3–1	4–0	4–0	2–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–3	4–0	2–2	0–4	3–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	3–1	2–1	2–2	1–3	—

Season schedule

October

Date	Opponent	Score	Result	Record	Streak
Fri, Oct 22, 1976	San Antonio Spurs	118–121	Loss	0–1	Lost 1
Sat, Oct 23, 1976	@ Buffalo Braves	105–108	Loss	0–2	Lost 2
Tue, Oct 26, 1976	@ New Orleans Jazz	111–101	Win	1–2	Lost 1

^[2]

Playoffs

1977 playoff game log
Conference semifinals: 4–3 (home: 3–1; road: 1–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 17 Boston L 111–113 Julius Erving (36) Caldwell Jones (11) Collins, Erving (5) Spectrum 13,821 0–1 2 April 20 Boston W 113–101 Julius Erving (30) George McGinnis (13) Doug Collins (7) Spectrum 18,276 1–1 3 April 22 @ Boston W 109–100 Julius Erving (27) McGinnis, Jones (15) George McGinnis (5) Boston Garden 15,040 2–1 4 April 24 @ Boston L 119–124 Doug Collins (36) George McGinnis (9) Doug Collins (5) Boston Garden 15,040 2–2 5 April 27 Boston W 110–91 Doug Collins (23) McGinnis, Jones (11) Doug Collins (6) Spectrum 18,276 3–2 6 April 29 @ Boston L 108–113 Doug Collins (32) George McGinnis (14) George McGinnis (5) Boston Garden 15,040 3–3 7 May 1 Boston W 83–77 World B. Free (27) George McGinnis (12) McGinnis, Mix (4) Spectrum 18,276 4–3
Conference finals: 4–2 (home: 2–1; road: 2–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 5 Houston W 128–117 Julius Erving (24) George McGinnis (13) Doug Collins (8) Spectrum 17,507 1–0 2 May 8 Houston W 106–97 George McGinnis (21) George McGinnis (8) Julius Erving (10) Spectrum 14,855 2–0 3 May 11 @ Houston L 94–118 Julius Erving (28) George McGinnis (9) Doug Collins (7) The Summit 15,676 2–1 4 May 13 @ Houston W 107–95 Doug Collins (36) Caldwell Jones (11) George McGinnis (9) The Summit 15,676 3–1 5 May 15 Houston L 115–118 Julius Erving (37) George McGinnis (14) Henry Bibby (8) Spectrum 18,276 3–2 6 May 17 @ Houston W 112–109 Julius Erving (34) Julius Erving (9) Julius Erving (6) The Summit 15,676 4–2
NBA Finals: 2–4 (home: 2–1; road: 0–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 22 Portland W 107–101 Julius Erving (33) Caldwell Jones (11) Doug Collins (6) Spectrum 18,276 1–0 2 May 26 Portland W 107–89 Doug Collins (27) Caldwell Jones (14) Henry Bibby (11) Spectrum 18,276 2–0 3 May 29 @ Portland L 107–129 Julius Erving (28) George McGinnis (12) Julius Erving (5) Memorial Coliseum 12,923 2–1 4 May 31 @ Portland L 98–130 Julius Erving (24) Darryl Dawkins (11) Steve Mix (4) Memorial Coliseum 12,913 2–2 5 June 3 Portland L 104–110 Julius Erving (37) Caldwell Jones (13) Julius Erving (7) Spectrum 18,276 2–3 6 June 5 @ Portland L 107–109 Julius Erving (40) George McGinnis (16) Julius Erving (8) Memorial Coliseum 12,951 2–4
1977 schedule

Awards and honors

• Julius Erving, NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award
• George McGinnis, All-NBA Second Team
• Julius Erving, All-NBA Second Team

Milestones

References

1. "NBA.com: Walton, Lucas Ignite 'Blazermania'". Archived from the original on February 23, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2008.
2. 1976–77 Philadelphia 76ers Games – Basketball-Reference.com

• 76ers on Basketball Reference