1971–72 Philadelphia 76ers season
| Industry | Professional basketball team |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1946 |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia , United States |
| Products | Basketball team |
The 1971–72 Philadelphia 76ers season represented the franchise's 23rd campaign in the NBA and its ninth year based in Philadelphia. The team concluded the season with a 30–52 record, failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time ever, thereby ending an unprecedented NBA record of 22 straight postseason appearances.
A significant transaction saw the acquisition of guards Fred Carter and Kevin Loughery from the Baltimore Bullets, traded in exchange for guard Archie Clark and future draft selections. The squad began the season impressively with a 9–4 start but experienced a steep decline thereafter.
At the season's end, key departures included Billy Cunningham moving to the ABA, Lucious Jackson retiring due to injuries, and head coach Jack Ramsay accepting a coaching role with the Buffalo Braves.
Draft picks
The following table lists selections through the second round.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Dana Lewis | PF/C | Template:USA | Template:College |
| 2 | 33 | Marvin Stewart | G | Template:USA | Template:College |
Season standings
- z – secured division title
- y – secured division title
- x – clinched playoff berth
Game log
| 1971–72 Game log | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Date | Opponent | Score | Top scorer | Record | |||||
| 1 | October 12 | @ Chicago | 114–100 | Archie Clark (29) | 1–0 | |||||
| 2 | October 14 | @ Houston | 105–94 | Billy Cunningham (41) | 2–0 | |||||
| 3 | October 16 | @ Atlanta | 104–102 | Billy Cunningham (27) | 3–0 | |||||
| 4 | October 20 | Seattle | 93–100 | Billy Cunningham (29) | 4–0 | |||||
| 5 | October 23 | Milwaukee | 110–88 | Fred Foster (17) | 4–1 | |||||
| 6 | October 24 | @ Cleveland | 111–93 | Hal Greer (28) | 5–1 | |||||
| 7 | October 27 | Cleveland | 106–120 | Billy Cunningham (31) | 6–1 | |||||
| 8 | October 29 | Phoenix | 137–135 (2OT) | Fred Foster (29) | 6–2 | |||||
| 9 | October 30 | @ New York | 108–101 | Kevin Loughery (25) | 7–2 | |||||
| 10 | November 3 | @ Cincinnati | 100–124 | Fred Foster (29) | 7–3 | |||||
| 11 | November6 | Atlanta | 96–101 | Hal Greer (31) | 8–3 | |||||
| 12 | November10 | Los Angeles | 143–103 | Greer, Wohl (16) | 8–4 | |||||
| 13 | November12 | Detroit | 101–115 | Billy Cunningham (24) | 9–4 | |||||
| 14 | November13 | @ Baltimore | 105–111 | Kevin Loughery (22) | 9–5 | |||||
| 15 | November14 | N Milwaukee | 114–125 | Billy Cunningham (32) | 9–6 | |||||
| 16 | November17 | Houston | 118–112 | Billy Cunningham (29) | 9–7 | |||||
| 17 | November19 | Chicago | 148–104 | Billy Cunningham (17) | 9–8 | |||||
| 18 | November21 | @ Seattle | 117–127 | Billy Cunningham (32) | 9–9 | |||||
| 19 | November23 | @ Phoenix | 107–128 | Billy Cunningham (17) | 9–10 | |||||
| 20 | November24 | @ Houston | 108–109 | Billy Cunningham (30) | 9–11 | |||||
| 21 | November25 | @ Golden State | 112–111 | Fred Foster (28) | 10–11 | |||||
| 22 | November27 | Portland | 93–116 | Billy Cunningham (23) | 11–11 | |||||
| 23 | November28 | @ Cleveland | 120–124 | Bill Bridges (25) | 11–12 | |||||
| 24 | December1 | Seattle | 98–102 | Billy Cunningham (32) | 12–12 | |||||
| 25 | December3 | Los Angeles | 131–116 | Hal Greer (23) | 12–13 | |||||
| 26 | December4 | @ Atlanta | 109–126 | Bob Rule (18) | 12–14 | |||||
| 27 | December8 | @ Cincinnati | 115-109 | Bob Rule (21) | 13-14 | |||||
| 28 | December10 | Cincinnati | (OT)113-106 | Kevin Loughery(27) | 13-15 | |||||
| 29 | December11@@ Detroit | 118-111 | Bill Bridges(26) | 14-15 | ||||||
| 30 | December14@@ Buffalo | 110-117 | Billy Cunningham(29) | 14-16 | ||||||
| 31 | December16@@ Golden State | 93-113 | Cunningham, Wohl(19) | 14-17 | ||||||
| 32 | December17@@ Portland | 126-127 | Billy Cunningham(47) | 14-18 | ||||||
| 33 | December19@@ Los Angeles | 132-154 | Bob Rule(33) | 14-19 | ||||||
| 34 | December21@@ Phoenix | 119-124 | Bob Rule(26) | 14-20 | ||||||
| 35 | December25Baltimore | 117-114 | Billy Cunningham(29) | 14-21 | ||||||
| 36 | December27@@ Buffalo | 121-112 | Billy Cunningham(26) | 15-21 | ||||||
| 37 | December28Boston | 120-116 | Billy Cunningham(24) | 15-22 | ||||||
| 38 | December29N Cleveland | 102-103 | Bob Rule(25) | 15-23 | ||||||
| 39 | December31@@ Boston | 119-131 | Bob Rule(36) | 15-24 | ||||||
| 40 | January2@@ Cleveland | 148-119 | Billy Cunningham(38) | 16-24 | ||||||
| 41 | January4@@ Detroit | 131-127 | Billy Cunningham(39) | 17-24 | ||||||
| 42 | January5Chicago | 139-107 | Billy Cunningham(22) | 17-25 | ||||||
| 43 | January7New York | 113-117 | Billy Cunningham(25) | 18-25 | ||||||
| 44 | January8Phoenix | 119-130 | Billy Cunningham(31) | 19-25 | ||||||
| 45 | January12Buffalo | 111-109 | Bob Rule(24) | 19-26 | ||||||
| 46 | January14Los Angeles | 135-121 | Bob Rule(25) | 19-27 | ||||||
| 47 | January15@@ Detroit | 131-121 | Bob Rule(25) | 20-27 | ||||||
| 48 | January16@@ Atlanta | 116-124 | Billy Cunningham(45) | 20-28 | ||||||
| 49 | January21N Portland | 122-136 | Fred Carter(29) | 21-28 | ||||||
| 50 | January22Golden State | 113-106 | Fred Carter(27) | 21-29 | ||||||
| 51 | January26Cincinnati | 102-113 | Fred Carter(31) | 22-29 | ||||||
| 52 | January28Milwaukee | 127-118 | Billy Cunningham(39) | 22-30 | ||||||
| 53 | January30@@ Boston | 114-130 | Billy Cunningham(41) | 22-31 | ||||||
Awards and records
- Billy Cunningham, named to the All-NBA Second Team