⌕Games, players, teams…↗

Philadelphia 76ers · Franchise era 3 of 8

From contender to nine wins: the Philadelphia 76ers story

Franchise era

1968–69—1975–76

From contender to nine wins

Philadelphia 76ers

The story in one sentence

Philadelphia slid from perennial relevance to the 9–73 low point, then began recovering around Collins.

01

A championship core disappears

02

Billy Cunningham, Fred Carter and Doug Collins gave the era its recognizable core.

03

Its ending created the conditions for dr. j, moses and fo-fo-fo.

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Before 1968–69

    What came before

    The 68-win 76ers blended Chamberlain's dominance with elite shooting and ended the Celtics' eight-title streak.

  2. 1969

    Eastern Conference First Round: Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics

    Eastern ConferenceFirst Round
    1969
    PHILADELPHIA76ERS
    BOSTONCELTICS
    COMPLETE SERIES

    Eastern Conference First Round · 5 games

    Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics

    Open the complete series →

    Series finale · Game 5 · Apr 4, 1969Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers →Closest game · Game 4 · Apr 1, 1969Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics →

  3. 1970

    Eastern Conference First Round: Philadelphia 76ers vs Milwaukee Bucks

    Eastern ConferenceFirst Round
    1970
    PHILADELPHIA76ERS
    MILWAUKEEBUCKS
    COMPLETE SERIES

    Eastern Conference First Round · 5 games

    Philadelphia 76ers vs Milwaukee Bucks

    Open the complete series →

    Series finale · Game 5 · Apr 3, 1970Philadelphia 76ers at Milwaukee Bucks →Closest game · Game 1 · Mar 25, 1970Philadelphia 76ers at Milwaukee Bucks →

  4. 1971

    Eastern Conference First Round: Philadelphia 76ers vs Washington Bullets

    Eastern ConferenceFirst Round
    1971
    PHILADELPHIA76ERS
    WASHINGTONBULLETS
    COMPLETE SERIES

    Eastern Conference First Round · 7 games

    Philadelphia 76ers vs Washington Bullets

    Open the complete series →

    Series finale · Game 7 · Apr 4, 1971Philadelphia 76ers at Washington Bullets →Closest game · Game 5 · Apr 1, 1971Philadelphia 76ers at Washington Bullets →

  5. After 1975–76

    What came next

    Erving restored spectacle and contention; Malone's arrival completed a dominant 1983 championship team.

The core

Faces of the chapter

01Billy Cunningham→02Fred Carter→03Doug Collins→
← Previous eraWilt and the 1967 masterpiece1963–64—1967–68Next era →Dr. J, Moses and fo-fo-fo1976–77—1986–87