1998–99 Philadelphia 76ers season
| Industry | Professional basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | February 1, 1946 |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia , United States |
| Products | Basketball team, NBA franchise |
| Website | www |
The 1998–99 Philadelphia 76ers season represented the franchise’s 50th campaign in the NBA and its 36th year based in Philadelphia. The regular season was limited to 50 games, commencing on February 5, 1999, as a result of the 1998–99 NBA lockout.
With the eighth overall selection in the 1998 NBA draft, Philadelphia chose shooting guard Larry Hughes from Saint Louis University. During the offseason, the organization acquired free agents Matt Geiger, George Lynch, and Harvey Grant, while also re-signing former forward Rick Mahorn. Midway through the season, they executed a trade sending second-year forward Tim Thomas and Scott Williams to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for experienced forward Tyrone Hill.
After a sluggish beginning, the 76ers went on a six-game winning streak and achieved their first winning month in five years by recording an 8–5 mark in February. They concluded the season third in the Atlantic Division with a 28–22 record, earning the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference and making their first playoff appearance since the 1990–91 season.
Allen Iverson transitioned from point guard to shooting guard, leading the league by averaging 26.8 points per game, along with 4.6 assists and 2.3 steals, which secured him All-NBA First Team recognition. Significant contributors included Geiger (13.5 points, 7.2 rebounds), Theo Ratliff (11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.0 blocks; named to NBA All-Defensive Second Team), Hughes (9.1 points off the bench), Eric Snow (starting point guard with averages of 8.6 points and 6.3 assists), and Lynch (8.3 points, 6.5 rebounds). Iverson finished fourth in MVP voting; Ratliff was tied for fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting; Snow was runner-up for Most Improved Player; and head coach Larry Brown placed second in Coach of the Year balloting.
In their initial playoff run with Iverson leading the way, Philadelphia defeated the third-seeded Orlando Magic in four games during the Eastern Conference First Round—highlighted by Iverson’s playoff career-high ten steals in Game 3. Their postseason ended when they were swept by the Indiana Pacers in four games during the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Following this season, Harvey Grant and second-year guard Anthony Parker were traded to Orlando; Grant was later released into free agency. Rick Mahorn retired after concluding his second tenure with Philadelphia.
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Larry Hughes | SG | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Saint Louis University |
| 2 | 37 | Casey Shaw | C | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | University of Toledo |
Roster
{{NBA roster footer head_coach=* Larry Brown asst_coach=* Maurice Cheeks * John Kuester }}
Season standings
- z: secured division championship
- y: secured division championship
- x: secured playoff berth
Playoffs
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Leading Scorer | Leading Rebounder | Leading Assists | Venue & Attendance | Series Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 9 | at Orlando | W 104–90 | Allen Iverson (30) | George Lynch (12) | Allen Iverson (7) | Orlando Arena 15,267 |
1–0 |
| 2 | May 11 | at Orlando | L 68–79 | Allen Iverson (13) | Theo Ratliff (8) | George Lynch (6) | Orlando Arena 16,345 |
1–1 |
| 3 | May 13 | Orlando | W 97–85 | Allen Iverson (33) | Tyrone Hill (9) | Eric Snow (8) | First Union Center 20,874 |
2–1 |
| 4 | May 15 | Orlando | W 101–91 | Allen Iverson (37) | George Lynch (10) | Allen Iverson (9) | First Union Center 20,550 |
3–1 |
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Leading Scorer | Leading Rebounder | Leading Assists | Venue & Attendance | Series Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 17 | at Indiana | L 90–94 | Allen Iverson (35) | Matt Geiger (11) | Eric Snow (10) | Market Square Arena 16,723 |
0–1 |
| 2 | May 19 | at Indiana | L 82–85 | Allen Iverson (23) | Theo Ratliff (12) | Eric Snow (6) | Market Square Arena 16,795 |
0–2 |
| 3 | May 21 | Indiana | L 86–97 | Allen Iverson (32) | Tyrone Hill (12) | Eric Snow (9) | First Union Center 20,930 |
0–3 |
| 4 | May 23 | Indiana | L 86–89 | Allen Iverson (25) | Matt Geiger (13) | Eric Snow (7) | First Union Center 20,844 |
0–4 |
Regular season
style='text-align:left;' | Template:Sortname† style='text-align:left;' | Template:Sortname†| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Sortname | 6 | 0 | 5.5 | .286 | — | — | 1.3 | .2 | .0 | .0 | .7 | ||||||||||
| Template:Sortname | 50 | 40 | 30.8 | .479 | .200 | .797 | 7.2 | 1.2 | .8 | .8 | 13.5 | ||||||||||
| Template:Sortname | 47 | 10 | 17.0 | .369 | .167 | .724 | 2.3 | .5 | .4 | .3 | 3.1 | ||||||||||
| Template:Sortname† | 21 | 6 | 28.0 | .480 | — | .507 | 7.3 | .9 | .8 | .4 | 8.5 | ||||||||||
| Template:Sortname† | 13 | 0 | 6.9 | .259 | .357 | .750 | .8 | .2 | .3 | .2 | 1.9 | ||||||||||
| Template:Sortname | 50 | 1 | 19.8 | .411 | .154 | .709 | 3.8 | 1.5 | .9 | .3 | 9.1 | ||||||||||
| Template:Sortname | 48 | 48 | 41.5 | .412 | .291 | .751 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 2.3 | .1 | 26.8 | ||||||||||
| Template:Sortname | 43 | 43 | 30.6 | .421 | .391 | .631 | 6.5 | 1.8 | 2.0 | .5 | 8.3 | ||||||||||
| Template:Sortname | 16 | 0 | 7.9 | .278 | — | .375 | 1.4 | .1 | .3 | .1 | .8 | ||||||||||
| Template:Sortname | 50 | 4 | 19.2 | .401 | .194 | .710 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 1.3 | .1 | 4.8 | ||||||||||
| Template:Sortname | 26 | 0 | 4.7 | .357 | — | .571 | 1.4 | .1 | .2 | .2 | 1.6 | ||||||||||
| Template:Sortname† | 10 | 0 | 3.7 | .333 | .000 | — | .2 | .4 | .1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||
| Template:Sortname | 2 | 0 | 1.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Template:Sortname | '50' | '50' | '32'.5' | '.470' | — | '8'.1' | '.6' | '.9' | '3' | 11'.2' | |||||||||||
| Template:Sortname | 48 | 48 | 35'.8' | '.428' | '.238' | '.733' | '3'.4' | '6'.3' | '2'.1' | '.0' | '8'.6' | ||||||||||
|
17| 0| 11'.1' |
'.403' |
'.263' |
'.792' |
'1'.9' |
'.9' |
'.2' |
'.2' |
'4'.6' |
|||||||||||||
|
2| 0| 8'.5' |
'.000' |
— |
— |
'1'.0' |
'.5' |
'1'.0' |
'.5' |
'.0' |
Playoffs
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Sortname | 8 | 8 | 29.9 | .438 | .000 | .828 | 7.6 | .8 | 1.1 | .8 | 13.5 |
| Template:Sortname | 4 | 0 | 7.3 | 1.000 | — | — | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .3 | .5 |
| Template:Sortname | 8 | 1 | 24.5 | .487 | — | .368 | 7.4 | .0 | .4 | .3 | 5.6 |
| Template:Sortname | 6 | 0 | 2.0 | .200 | .000 | — | .2 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .3 |
| Template:Sortname | 8 | 2 | 24.8 | .403 | .000 | .833 | 4.6 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 10.3 |
| Template:Sortname | 8 | 8 | 44.8 | .411 | .283 | .712 | 4.1 | 4.9 | 2.5 | .3 | 28.5 |
| Template:Sortname | 8 | 6 | 31.1 | .446 | .333 | .706 | 6.6 | 2.0 | 2.3 | .3 | 9.0 |
| Template:Sortname | 5 | 0 | 5.8 | .333 | — | .500 | 1.6 | .2 | .2 | .0 | 1.0 |
| Template:Sortname | 6 | 0 | 16.2 | .304 | .000 | .857 | 2.5 | 1.8 | .7 | .0 | 3.3 |
| Template:Sortname | 3 | 0 | 1.0 | — | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Template:Sortname | 7 | 7 | 29.1 | .465 | .579 | 7.3 | .9 | .7 | 2.6 | 7.3 | |
| Template:Sortname | 8 | 8 | 38.3 | .420 | .231 | .815 | 4.1 | 7.1 | 1.0 | .1 | 12.4 |
Awards and records
- Allen Iverson, selected to the All-NBA First Team
- Theo Ratliff, named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team