1976–77 Philadelphia 76ers season

NBA professional basketball team season August 2023 March 2026 Philadelphia 76ers 1977 yes yes 50 32 Atlantic 1 1 Gene Shue Pat Williams The Spectrum WKBS-TVPRISM WCAU NBA Finals(lost to Trail Blazers 2–4) PHI The 1976–77 Philadelphia 76ers 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 traded Julius Erving, the ABA's leading scorer, to the Philadelphia 76ers for $3 million.http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19761977.html NBA.com: Walton, Lucas Ignite 'Blazermania' NBA.com 2008-04-22 https://web.archive.org/web/20120223215047/http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19761977.html 2012-02-23 dead The other $3 million went to Erving, by way of a new contract. 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. The talented 76ers had posted the best record in the Eastern Conference with a record of 50–32. 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. Offseason NBA draft 1976 NBA draft Round Pick Player Position Nationality College 1 12 Terry Furlow SG/SF Michigan State 3 47 Ron Norwood G DePaul 4 64 Freeman Blade G MSU Billings 5 81 Jeff Browne Missouri Western 6 99 Mike Dunleavy G South Carolina 7 117 Phil Walker SG Millersville 8 135 Lee Dixon Hardin-Simmons 9 152 Fly Williams SG Austin Peay 10 168 Ed Stefanski Penn Roster Philadelphia 76ers 14 Henry Bibby PG 6 1 185 1949-11-24 UCLA 23 Joe Bryant PF 6 9 185 1954-10-19 La Salle 42 Harvey Catchings C 6 10 218 1951-09-02 Hardin–Simmons 20 Doug Collins basketball SG 6 6 180 1951-07-28 Illinois State 53 Darryl Dawkins C 6 11 251 1957-01-11 Maynard Evans HS (FL) 10 Mike Dunleavy Mike Dunleavy Sr. PG 6 3 180 1954-03-21 South Carolina 6 Julius Erving SF 6 7 210 1950-02-22 UMass 21 Lloyd Free World B. Free SG 6 2 185 1953-12-09 Guilford 25 Terry Furlow SG 6 4 190 1954-10-18 Michigan State 11 Caldwell Jones C 6 11 217 1950-08-04 Albany State 30 George McGinnis PF 6 8 235 1950-08-12 Indiana 50 Steve Mix SF 6 7 215 1947-12-30 Toledo Gene Shue Regular season Season standings PHI PHI Season schedule October Date Opponent Score Result Record StreakFri, Oct 22, 1976San Antonio Spurs118–121Loss0–1Lost 1Sat, Oct 23, 1976@ Buffalo Braves105–108Loss0–2Lost 2Tue, Oct 26, 1976@ New Orleans Jazz111–101Win1–2Lost 11976–77 Philadelphia 76ers Games – Basketball-Reference.com Playoffs Philadelphia 76ers 1977 #0067B1 white yes Philadelphia 76ers Conference semifinals yes #ED174C white yes no 3 1 1 2 |- | 1 | April 17 | Boston | L 111–113 | Julius Erving (36) | Caldwell Jones (11) | Collins, Erving (5) | Spectrum13,821 | 0–1 |- | 2 | April 20 | Boston | W 113–101 | Julius Erving (30) | George McGinnis (13) | Doug Collins (7) | Spectrum18,276 | 1–1 |- | 3 | April 22 | @ Boston | W 109–100 | Julius Erving (27) | McGinnis, Jones (15) | George McGinnis (5) | Boston Garden15,040 | 2–1 |- | 4 | April 24 | @ Boston | L 119–124 | Doug Collins (36) | George McGinnis (9) | Doug Collins (5) | Boston Garden15,040 | 2–2 |- | 5 | April 27 | Boston | W 110–91 | Doug Collins (23) | McGinnis, Jones (11) | Doug Collins (6) | Spectrum18,276 | 3–2 |- | 6 | April 29 | @ Boston | L 108–113 | Doug Collins (32) | George McGinnis (14) | George McGinnis (5) | Boston Garden15,040 | 3–3 |- | 7 | May 1 | Boston | W 83–77 | World B. Free (27) | George McGinnis (12) | McGinnis, Mix (4) | Spectrum18,276 | 4–3 |- Philadelphia 76ers Conference finals #ED174C white yes no 2 1 2 1 |- | 1 | May 5 | Houston | W 128–117 | Julius Erving (24) | George McGinnis (13) | Doug Collins (8) | Spectrum17,507 | 1–0 |- | 2 | May 8 | Houston | W 106–97 | George McGinnis (21) | George McGinnis (8) | Julius Erving (10) | Spectrum14,855 | 2–0 |- | 3 | May 11 | @ Houston | L 94–118 | Julius Erving (28) | George McGinnis (9) | Doug Collins (7) | The Summit15,676 | 2–1 |- | 4 | May 13 | @ Houston | W 107–95 | Doug Collins (36) | Caldwell Jones (11) | George McGinnis (9) | The Summit15,676 | 3–1 |- | 5 | May 15 | Houston | L 115–118 | Julius Erving (37) | George McGinnis (14) | Henry Bibby (8) | Spectrum18,276 | 3–2 |- | 6 | May 17 | @ Houston | W 112–109 | Julius Erving (34) | Julius Erving (9) | Julius Erving (6) | The Summit15,676 | 4–2 |- Philadelphia 76ers NBA Finals #ED174C white yes no 2 1 0 3 |- | 1 | May 22 | Portland | W 107–101 | Julius Erving (33) | Caldwell Jones (11) | Doug Collins (6) | Spectrum18,276 | 1–0 |- | 2 | May 26 | Portland | W 107–89 | Doug Collins (27) | Caldwell Jones (14) | Henry Bibby (11) | Spectrum18,276 | 2–0 |- | 3 | May 29 | @ Portland | L 107–129 | Julius Erving (28) | George McGinnis (12) | Julius Erving (5) | Memorial Coliseum12,923 | 2–1 |- | 4 | May 31 | @ Portland | L 98–130 | Julius Erving (24) | Darryl Dawkins (11) | Steve Mix (4) | Memorial Coliseum12,913 | 2–2 |- | 5 | June 3 | Portland | L 104–110 | Julius Erving (37) | Caldwell Jones (13) | Julius Erving (7) | Spectrum18,276 | 2–3 |- | 6 | June 5 | @ Portland | L 107–109 | Julius Erving (40) | George McGinnis (16) | Julius Erving (8) | Memorial Coliseum12,951 | 2–4 |- PHI 1977 yes 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 76ers on Basketball Reference Philadelphia Category:Philadelphia 76ers seasons Category:Eastern Conference (NBA) championship seasons Philadel Philadel Category:1976 in Philadelphia Category:1977 in Philadelphia