1981–82 Philadelphia 76ers season

The 1981–82 season for the Philadelphia 76ers represented the team's thirty-third year competing in the NBA and their nineteenth since relocating to Philadelphia, concluding the regular season with an impressive 58–24 record.

Background

During the postseason, the Sixers quickly dispatched the Atlanta Hawks in a two-game sweep in the First Round. They then overcame the Milwaukee Bucks in six games during the Semifinals. Their next challenge was against the reigning champions, the Boston Celtics, in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Philadelphia narrowly defeated Boston in a tightly contested seven-game series, securing their place in the NBA Finals—their third finals appearance within a six-year span.

In the championship series, the Sixers faced off against the Los Angeles Lakers, revisiting their 1980 Finals matchup. Although Celtics supporters at Boston Garden famously chanted "Beat LA," underscoring their rivalry with the Lakers, Philadelphia ultimately fell in six games as Los Angeles claimed their second NBA championship of the decade. The Lakers seized control early with a decisive 40-9 run in the second half of Game 1, after which each team won only on their home court.

Draft picks

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	22	Franklin Edwards	PG	Template:USA	Cleveland State
2	46	Vernon Smith		Template:USA	Texas A&M
3	68	Ernest Graham		Template:USA	Maryland
4	92	Rynn Wright		Template:USA	Texas A&M
5	114	Steve Craig		Template:USA	Brigham Young
6	138	Michael Thomas		Template:USA	North Park
7	160	John Crawford		Template:USA	Kansas
8	183	Frank Gilroy		Template:USA	St. John's
9	202	Ron Wister		Template:USA	Temple
10	223	Pete Mullenberg		Template:USA	Delaware

Regular season

|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 | October 31 | @ 1981–82 Atlanta Hawks season | W 108–106 | | | The Omni | 2–0

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{-align "left"|bgcolor=#ffffff|} {-align "left"|bgcolor=#ffffff|} {-align "left"|bgcolor=#ffffff|} {-align "left"|bgcolor=#ffffff|} {-align "left"|bgcolor=#ffffff|} {-align "left"|bgcolor=#ffffff|} {-align "left"|bgcolor=#ffffff|} {-align "left"|bgcolor=#ffffff|} {-align "left"|bgcolor=#ffffff|} {-align "left"|bgcolor=#ffffff|} {-align "left"|bgcolor=#ffffff|} {-align "left"|bgcolor=#ffffff|} {-align "left"|bgcolor=#ffffff|} {-align "left"|bgcolor=#ffffff|} {-align "left"|bgcolor=#ffffff|} {-align "left"|bgcolor=#ffffff|} {-align "left"|bgcolor=#ffffff|} 76 | April 7 | @ 1981–82 New Jersey Nets season | W 116–113 | Brendan Byrne Arena | 53–23 |- align=center bgColor=#FFCCCC | 77 | April 9 | @ 1981–82 Atlanta Hawks season | L 88–103 | The Omni | 54–23 |- align=center bgColor=#FFCCCC | 78 | April 11 | 1981–82 Boston Celtics season | L 109–110 (OT) | The Spectrum | 54–24 |- align=center bgColor=#CCFFCC | 79 | April 13 | @ 1981–82 Indiana Pacers season | W 93–89 | Market Square Arena | 55–24 |- align=center bgColor=#CCFFCC | 80 | April 14 | 1981–82 Detroit Pistons season | W 119–111 | The Spectrum | 56–24 |- align=center bgColor=#CCFFCC | 81 | April 16 | @ 1981–82 Washington Bullets season | W 100–96 | Capital Centre | 57–24 |- align=center bgColor=#CCFFCC | 82 | April 18 | 1981–82 Milwaukee Bucks season | W 110–86 | The Spectrum | 58–24

Playoffs

Game	Date	Opponent	Result	Leading Scorer	Leading Rebounder	Leading Assists	Venue & Attendance	Series Record
1	April 21	Atlanta	W 111–76	Darryl Dawkins (27)	Darryl Dawkins (9)	Maurice Cheeks (6)	Spectrum 11,250	1–0
2	April 23	@ Atlanta	W 98–95 (OT)	Julius Erving (28)	Darryl Dawkins, Caldwell Jones (8)	Julius Erving (6)	Omni Coliseum 8,703	2–0
1	April 25	Milwaukee	W 125–122	Julius Erving (34)	Caldwell Jones (16)	Maurice Cheeks (10)	Spectrum 10,086	1–0
2	April 28	Milwaukee	W 120–108	Andrew Toney (31)	Caldwell Jones (9)	Maurice Cheeks (8)	Spectrum 14,716	2–0
3	May 1	@ Milwaukee	L 91–92	Maurice Cheeks (19)	Caldwell Jones (6)	Maurice Cheeks (8)	MECCA Arena 11,052	2–1
4	May 2	@ Milwaukee	W 100–93	Julius Erving (21)	Julius Erving (11)	Julius Erving (9)	MECCA Arena 11,052	3–1
5	May 5	Milwaukee	L 98–110	Julius Erving (28)	Julius Erving (10)	Maurice Cheeks (9)	Spectrum 16,668	3–2
6	May 7	@ Milwaukee	W 102–90	Maurice Cheeks (26)	Caldwell Jones (12)	Julius Erving (7)	MECCA Arena 11,052	4–2
1	May 9	@Boston	L 81–121	Andrew Toney (15)	four players tied (7)	Andrew Toney (4)	Boston Garden 15,320	0–1
2	May12	@Boston	W121–113	Andrew Toney (30)	Caldwell Jones (11)	Maurice Cheeks (14)	Boston Garden 15,320	1–1
3	May15	Boston	W99–97	Julius Erving (19)	Caldwell Jones (12)	Maurice Cheeks (10)	Spectrum (arena) 18,364	2–1
4	May16	Boston	W119–94	Andrew Toney (39)	Caldwell Jones (11)	Maurice Cheeks (11)	Spectrum (arena) 18,364	3–1
5	May19	@Boston	L85–114	Andrew Toney (18)	Darryl Dawkins (10)	Lionel Hollins (7)	Boston Garden 15,320	3–2
6	May21	Boston	L75–88	Julius Erving (24)	Caldwell Jones (17)	Maurice Cheeks (7)	Spectrum (arena) 18,364	3–3
7	May23	@Boston	W120-106	Andrew Toney (34)	Caldwell Jones (10)	Maurice Cheeks (11)	Boston Garden (15,320)	4-3
May_27 \| Los_Angeles_Lakers \| L_117-124 \| Julius_Erving_(27) \| Caldwell_Jones_(11) \| Cheeks,_Toney_(9) \| Spectrum_(arena) 18,364 \| 0-1
May_30 \| Los_Angeles_Lakers \| W_110-94 \| Julius_Erving_(24) \| Julius_Erving_(14) \| Andrew_Toney_(11) \| Spectrum_(arena) 18,364 \| 1-1
June_01 \| @Los_Angeles_Lakers \| L_108-129 \| Andrew_Toney_(36) \| Darryl_Dawkins_(13) \| Maurice_Cheeks_(9) \| The_Forum_(Inglewood) 17,505 \| 1-2
June_03 \| @Los_Angeles_Lakers \| L_101-111 \| Andrew_Toney_(28) \| Bobby_Jones_(9) \| Andrew_Toney_(11) \| The_Forum_(Inglewood) 17,505 \| 1-3
June_06 \| Los_Angeles_Lakers \| W_135-102 \| Andrew_Toney_(31) \| Julius_Erving_(12) \| Toney,_Cheeks_(8) \| Spectrum_(arena) 18,364 \| 2-3
June_08 \| @Los_Angeles_Lakers \| L_104-114 \| Julius_Erving_(30) \| Caldwell_Jones_(9) \| Maurice_Cheeks_(9) \| The_Forum_(Inglewood) 17,505 \| 2-4

Awards and records

Julius Erving, selected for the All-NBA First Team
Bobby Jones, named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team
Caldwell Jones, honored on the NBA All-Defensive First Team