Over the course of seven decades, our franchise has been to nine NBA Finals - 1950, 1954, 1955, 1967, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1983, and 2001.
Six of these championship bouts have come against the Lakers. That’s a lot of high-stakes action to recount, and we certainly don’t have the time today to go through it all.
However, 2020 does mark the 70th and 40th anniversaries of the 1950 and 1980 showdowns with the Lakers, so, with the Sixers visiting the Lakers on Tuesday, let's give those two series a little bit of shine.
Sit yourself down and enjoy this look back on the 1980 NBA Finals between the 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers, as well as the 1950 NBA Finals between the Syracuse Nationals and Minneapolis Lakers.
EIGHTIES SIXERS
The 1979-80 season set a familiar stage for the Sixers of the Eighties:
· Nip-and-tuck regular season battle with the Boston Celtics for the Atlantic Division crown.
· Conference Finals with the Celtics
· The victor faces the Lakers
The only factor missing from the formula was the pesky presence of the Milwaukee Bucks, which would join the Eastern Conference the next season.
The eight-man rotation for the 1979-80 Sixers still gives any fan goosebumps: Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks, Bobby Jones, Darryl Dawkins, Steve Mix, Caldwell Jones, and Henry Bibby capped off with Lionel Hollins. The southpaw L-Train was acquired midseason to replace the injured Doug Collins.
The club finished with 59 wins—the most since 1968—but still finished two games behind Boston for the Atlantic crown. No matter. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics were dusted off in five games as the Sixers made the Finals for the first time since 1977.
Although the 1980 Finals is now best remembered for rookie Magic Johnson’s superlative Game 6 performance, the real trouble man for the Sixers was regular season MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Tipping off Game 1 in the Great Western Forum, Kareem led the Lakers with 33 points, 14 rebounds, six blocks, and five assists. A 31-17 Laker scoring edge in the 3rd quarter gave L.A. a relatively comfortable 109-102 win.
For Game 2, Kareem was again a menace (38 points, 14 boards, and five swats), but the Sixers hit back with a trio of 20-point scorers. Chocolate Thunder rumbled to 25 points and four blocks; Maurice Cheeks had 23 of his own points to go with 10 assists and six steals; and Dr. J had a dazzling 23 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and five blocks.
The Lakers mounted a dangerous fourth quarter comeback bid that nearly erased an 18-point gap, but the Sixers held on for a 107-104 win.
With the series tied 1-1, the scene changed to the Spectrum and the two teams again made a split.
Game 3 saw Abdul-Jabbar continue his rampage (33 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocks), as Los Angeles made off with an easy 111-101 win.
Finally, in Game 4, the skyhook machine was slowed down to just 23 points on 11-for-27 shooting. But the rookie Magic Johnson swerved in for 28 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists to keep the contest tight all the way through.
The Doctor had another grand performance including his iconic swooping behind-the-backboard lay-up.
And to seal the deal, defensive mastermind Bobby Jones stole the Lakers’ inbound pass with six seconds left to stop any surprise conclusion. The game ended 105-102, in favor of the Sixers.
For Game 5, the series moved back to Southern California.
Erving and Abdul-Jabbar engaged in one of the greatest duels in Finals history. The Doctor flew across the court for a stat-stuffing 36 points, nine rebounds, six assists, four steals, and two blocks.
Meanwhile, Kareem suffered a severely sprained ankle during the game, but played through the pain to the tune of 40 points and 15 boards.
The Lakers wrung out a 108-103 win to take a 3-2 series lead. However, with the adrenaline worn off, Kareem was a no-go for Game 6 back in Philadelphia.
And this is when Magic Johnson went off for his 42-point, 15-rebound performance. The Sixers’ starters did a typically fine job and Steve Mix had his best game of the series off the bench with 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting.
So, what led to the Sixers' 123-107 loss? Rebounds, particularly on the Lakers’ offensive glass.
Even without their goggled captain, the Lakers outrebounded the Sixers overall 52-36, with a 17-7 edge on offensive boards. Jamaal Wilkes, often forgotten in the Game 6 outcome, posting 37 points and 10 rebounds, six of them offensive.
Erving finished with 27 points, but his NBA title would have to wait.
FIRST DANCE
30 years earlier, the inaugural title showdown between the Sixers and Lakers franchises occurred when the Syracuse Nationals squared off against the Minneapolis Lakers.
The 1949-50 season was the first of a consolidated NBA that incorporated teams from Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League (NBL). The Nationals hailed from the NBL. In this first NBA season, they shocked the league with a 51-13 overall record, highlighted by a scintillating 16-1 start.
Little in Syracuse's first three seasons—all in the NBL—pointed to a breakout year. In 1947, the team had a 21-23 record. In 1948, a 24-36 record. 1949 did give an inkling to the impending powerhouse when the Nats went 40-23.
But 1950 saw the maturation of second-year players Dolph Schayes and Billy Gabor along with player-coach Al Cervi’s final star-level campaign. All this gave Syracuse the unexpected nudge into a juggernaut.
Still, the playoffs were the proving ground, and Minneapolis had been battle-tested behind its awesome duo of George Mikan and Jim Pollard. In 1948, they won the NBL title. In 1949, they won the BAA title. Now, in 1950, they looked to win the NBA title after finishing the regular season with a 51-17 record.
(Yes, the Lakers played 68 games while the Nats played 64 games. Don’t ask me why, I wasn’t the schedule maker.)
Given their better win percentage, Syracuse held homecourt advantage over the Lakers and that was a basketball blessing. The Lakers had gone a ridiculous 33-1 in Minnesota during the regular season. Meanwhile, Syracuse had also gone 33-1 at home during the season.
The Lakers’ championship experience proved the razor-thin difference in the series. Despite being on the road, the Lakers stole Game 1 in Syracuse by a final score of 68-66.
Mikan pummeled the Nats for 37 points while his partner in crime Pollard chipped in 14 points. Schayes led the way with 19 points for Syracuse. But the decisive figure was Bob Harrison. The guard unfurled a 40-foot shot with three seconds left that swished through the net breaking the 66-66 tie and giving Minneapolis the win.
Although nothing is ever certain, it sure seems that if Harrison had missed that shot, the Nationals would have won the title.
For the rest of the series, the two teams easily defended their homecourt.
· Game 2—MPLS 85 @ SYR 91
· Game 3—SYR 77 @ MPLS 91
· Game 4—SYR 69 @ MPLS 77
· Game 5—MPLS 76 @ SYR 83
· Game 6—SYR 95 @ MPLS 110
But that’s part of the growing pains for a young team like those Nats. Schayes and his mates would make it back to the Finals in 1954. and win it all in 1955.
Same goes for the 80s Sixers. Erving and his band were back in the Finals in 1982 and finally won the title in 1983.
All's well that ends well.
And now, in the 21st century, here are the Sixers and Lakers, once again jockeying for positioning to come out of their respective conferences.