↗

Philadelphia 76ers · Franchise era 3 of 8

From contender to nine wins: the Philadelphia 76ers story

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