Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers is a professional American basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers are participating as a member of the National Basketball Association's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division league, and playing at the Wells Fargo Arena. Established in 1946, and originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest teams in the NBA and one of the 8 to survive the league's first decade. Having played for the team many of the greatest players in NBA history including Wilt Chamberlain, Dolph Schayes, Hal Greer, Billy Cunningham, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Charles Barkley, and Allen Iverson, the 76ers have had a prominent experience. They won three NBA championships, with a first stint as the Syracuse Nationals in 1955. The 2nd title came in 1967, a team led by Chamberlain. The third title came in 1983 and was won by a team led by Erving and Malone. Since then the 76ers have returned only once to the NBA Finals: in 2001, where they were led by Iverson and lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in five rounds. In 1946, a $5,000 check was sent by Italian immigrant Daniel Biasone to the National Basketball League headquarters in Chicago, and the Syracuse Nationals became the easternmost team of the primarily Midwest-based league, headquartered of Upstate New York City, Syracuse. In the same year, the Syracuse Nationals started playing in the NBL whose professional basketball slowly acquired some popularity from America's rival Basketball League, based in major cities like New York and Philadelphia. While the Nationals posted a record of 21–23 in the NBL with teams composed mainly of small Midwestern cities, finishing in fourth place. The fellow upstate neighbor Rochester Royals will beat the Nationals in four rounds of the playoffs. With the NBA struggling financially and down to only 8 Nationals teams owner during the 1954–55 season, Biasone recommended that the league minimize the amount of time taken for a shot thereby speeding up a game that ended often with lengthy periods of teams having just the ball and playing keep away. Ferris, the Biasone and Nationals general manager, projected a 24-second shot clock allowing at least 30 shots per quarter to intensify the game and increase scoring. The Shot Clock was an instant success as high scoring was 14 points per game competition. The Nationals will take first place in the East in the shot clock's first season, with a 43–29 record. Following a first round bye, the Nationals must top the Celtics in four games to get to the NBA Finals for the second straight season. The Nationals will take home the first two games against the Fort Wayne Pistons to a fast start in the series, led by forward Schayes. However, when the series changed to Fort Wayne winning all three games to take a 3–2 series lead, the Pistons would burst back into life again. Still on the Nationals in Syracuse for Game 6, hopes of the championship were kept alive by smashing the 109–104 Pistons to force a seventh home game. Game 7 is going to be as close as the series as George King in the final seconds sunk off a free throw to send the Nationals a 92–91 lead. King would then block an inbound pass to secure the NBA Championship for the nationals. Charles Barkley arrived in Philadelphia for the 1984–85 season after a losing 1983–84 season that began in the first round of the playoffs with a five-game defeat to the upstart New Jersey Nets. Barkley has brought the Philadelphia fans happiness for the next eight seasons, due to his amusing and sometimes controversial ways. The Sixers qualified to the Eastern Conference Finals in Barkley's rookie season but lost to the Boston Celtics in 5 rounds. As it turns out they would never travel as much again during Barkley's time in Philadelphia. After the 1984–85 season, Matt Guokas had replaced Billy Cunningham as head trainer. Guokas led the 76ers to a record of 54–28, and the second round of playoffs in 1986 where they were defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks in seven rounds.