1966–67 Philadelphia 76ers season
| Industry | Professional basketball |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Philadelphia , United States |
Key people | Alex Hannum (head coach), Wilt Chamberlain (leading player) |
| Products | Basketball team |
The 1966–67 campaign for the Philadelphia 76ers marked their 14th year competing in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and their fourth season since relocating from Syracuse. This season was also the franchise's last at the Philadelphia Civic Center before transitioning to the Spectrum in South Philadelphia the next year.
During this period, the team established a new record for winning percentage, eclipsing the benchmark set by the 1946–47 Washington Capitols in the NBA's inaugural campaign when it was still called the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The 76ers captured their second franchise title and their first while based in Philadelphia by triumphing in the NBA Finals. This squad was later honored as the greatest single team on the NBA 35th Anniversary Team in 1980.
In the offseason, Philadelphia appointed Alex Hannum as head coach, replacing former player and coach Dolph Schayes. Hannum, a former power forward from the 1950s known for coaching a team that defeated the Boston Celtics, was 43 years old and took an active role during practices to enhance team cohesion.
Leading the team was Wilt Chamberlain, who averaged 24 points per game, dominated rebounds with an NBA-leading average, and set a center position record by distributing 8 assists per game. He also achieved an unprecedented 68% field goal shooting percentage and attempted a league-high 875 free throws despite a relatively low conversion rate. Key contributors included Hal Greer, averaging 22 points per game, along with Chet Walker and Billy Cunningham, each scoring around 19 points. Together, they propelled the team to set a then-NBA record of 68 victories under Hannum’s guidance. Moreover, they topped the league by averaging a record-setting 125 points per contest with exceptional shooting efficiency.
The 76ers began their season with a remarkable 46–4 record—the best start over any initial 50 games in NBA history (a feat later matched only by the Warriors in 2015-16). They concluded the regular season with a 68–13 record, which stood as the best in league history at that time. In postseason play, Philadelphia swept the Cincinnati Royals in the first round, overcame the Boston Celtics—eight-time reigning champions—with a 4–1 series win in the Eastern Conference Finals, and secured the NBA championship by defeating the San Francisco Warriors 4–2 in the Finals.
In 1996, this roster was recognized among the Top 10 Teams in NBA History. They remain one of the highest-scoring teams ever recorded, maintaining an average exceeding 125 points per game. Despite their dominance, HoopsHype assessed their playoff journey as relatively straightforward due to weaker competition early on; however, their matchup against the Celtics presented significant challenges.
NBA draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Matt Guokas | (G/F) | Template:USA | St. Joseph's |
Game log
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 1 || October 15 || New York Knicks || 128–112 || 1–0 || Winning streak: 1
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 2 || October 21 || St. Louis Hawks || 119–110 || 2–0 || Winning streak: 2
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 3 || October 22 || @ Baltimore Bullets || 141–112 || 3–0 || Winning streak: 3
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 4 || October 25 || Baltimore Bullets || 130–110 || 4–0 || Winning streak: 4
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 5 || October 29 || Boston Celtics || 138–96 || 5–0 || Winning streak: 5
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 6 || November 3 || vs St. Louis Hawks || 120–108 || 6–0 || Winning streak: 6
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 7 || November 4 || San Francisco Warriors || 134–129 || 7–0 || Winning streak: 7
|- align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 8 || November 5 || @ Boston Celtics || 87–105 || 7–1 || Losing streak: 1
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| ... [Truncated for brevity] ...
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 22 || November 30 || @ Detroit Pistons || 128–119 || 20–2 || Winning streak: 5
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| ... [Truncated for brevity] ...
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
|38||December30||vs Detroit Pistons||137–113||35–3||Winning streak:9
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
|39||January3||@ New York Knicks||148–142 (OT)||36–3||Winning streak:10
|- align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
|41||January5||vs New York Knicks||104–112||37–4||Losing streak:1
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| ... [Truncated for brevity] ...
|- align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
|53||January29||@ St. Louis Hawks||108–114||47–6||Losing streak:1
|- align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
|54||February1||@ Los Angeles Lakers||133–143||47–7||Losing streak:2
|- align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
|55||February2||vs San Francisco Warriors||120–137||47–8||Losing streak:3
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| ... [Truncated for brevity] ...
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
|68||February28||vs Cincinnati Royals||127–107||58–10||Winning streak:6
|- align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
|69||March1||vs Chicago Bulls||122–129||58–11||Losing streak:1
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
|70||March2||San Francisco Warriors||136–128||59–11||Winning streak:1
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| ... [Truncated for brevity] ...
|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
|81||March19||@ Baltimore Bullets||132–129||68–13||Winning streak:2
Player stats
Note: GP= Games played; PTS= Points scored; REB= Rebounds collected; AST= Assists made; BLK= Blocks; STL= Steals recorded
| Player | GP | PTS | REB | AST | BLK | STL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Playoffs
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Leading Scorer | Leading Rebounder | Leading Assists | Venue & Attendance | Series Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 21 | Cincinnati | L 116–120 | Wilt Chamberlain (41) | Wilt Chamberlain (22) | Chamberlain, Greer (5) | Philadelphia Convention Hall 5,097 |
0–1 |
| 2 | March 22 | @ Cincinnati | W 123–102 | Wilt Chamberlain (37) | Wilt Chamberlain (27) | Wilt Chamberlain (11) | Cincinnati Gardens 5,276 |
1–1 |
| 3 | March 24 | Cincinnati | W 121–106 | Hal Greer (33) | Wilt Chamberlain (30) | Wilt Chamberlain (19) | Philadelphia Convention Hall 8,987 |
2–1 |
| 4 | March 25 | @ Cincinnati | W 112–94 | Hal Greer (30) | Wilt Chamberlain (27) | Wilt Chamberlain (9) | Cincinnati Gardens 2,624 |
3–1 |
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Leading Scorer | Leading Rebounder | Leading Assists | Venue & Attendance | Series Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 31 | Boston | W 127–113 | Hal Greer (39) | Wilt Chamberlain (32) | Wilt Chamberlain (13) | Palestra 9,239 |
1–0 |
| 2 | April 2 | @ Boston | W 107–102 | Chet Walker (23) | Wilt Chamberlain (29) | Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer (5) | Boston Garden 13,909 |
2–0 |
| 3 | April 5 | Boston | W 115–104 | Hal Greer (30) | Wilt Chamberlain (41) | Wilt Chamberlain (9) | Philadelphia Convention Hall 13,007 |
3–0 |
| 4 | April 9 | @ Boston | L 117–121 | Lucious Jackson#Career_stats_and_achievements Luke Jackson (29) | Wilt Chamberlain#Career_stats_and_achievements Chamberlain (22) | Wilt Chamberlain#Career_stats_and_achievements Chamberlain (10) | Boston Garden 13,909 |
3–1 |
| 5 | April 11 | Boston | W 140–116 | Hal Greer#Career_stats_and_achievements Greer (32) | Wilt Chamberlain#Career_stats_and_achievements Chamberlain (36) | Wilt Chamberlain#Career_stats_and_achievements Chamberlain (13) | Philadelphia Convention Hall 13,007 |
4–1 |
Awards and records
- Wilt Chamberlain, recipient of the NBA Most Valuable Player Award
- Wilt Chamberlain, selected for the All-NBA First Team
- Hal Greer, named to the All-NBA Second Team