2000–01 Philadelphia 76ers season
| Industry | Professional basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | October 17, 1946 |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia , United States |
| Products | Basketball team |
Number of employees | 15–20 (typical NBA team roster size) |
The 2000–01 Philadelphia 76ers season represented the franchise's 52nd year competing in the NBA and its 38th season based in Philadelphia. The team began impressively, achieving a 10–0 start and holding a 36–14 record by the All-Star break. During the mid-season period, the 76ers executed a trade sending Theo Ratliff, Toni Kukoč, and Nazr Mohammed to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for All-Star center Dikembe Mutombo. Prior to the trade, Ratliff had been sidelined after 50 games due to a wrist injury that ended his season; he was averaging 12.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per contest.
Philadelphia secured first place in the Atlantic Division with a 56–26 finish, marking their first campaign with over 50 wins since 1989–90 and their best regular-season record since 1984–85. Head coach Larry Brown received the NBA Coach of the Year accolade after guiding the team to a seven-win improvement. Defensively, the squad ranked fifth across the league.
Leading the team offensively, All-Star guard Allen Iverson topped the NBA with averages of 31.1 points, 4.6 assists, and 2.5 steals per game, earning him the NBA Most Valuable Player award along with a selection to the All-NBA First Team. After joining Philadelphia mid-season, Mutombo appeared in 26 games and contributed averages of 11.7 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game; he secured his fourth NBA Defensive Player of the Year honor as well as spots on both the All-NBA Second Team and NBA All-Defensive First Team. Other significant contributors included sixth man Aaron McKie, who averaged 11.6 points and received the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award, alongside Tyrone Hill (9.6 points, 9 rebounds), Eric Snow (9.8 points, 7.5 assists), and George Lynch (8.4 points, 7.2 rebounds). Snow’s season was limited to just 50 games due to a stress fracture injury.
At the NBA All-Star weekend held at Washington D.C.'s MCI Center, Iverson and Ratliff were named to the Eastern Conference All-Star roster while Brown served as head coach for the East squad. Iverson claimed MVP honors in the All-Star Game by scoring 25 points.
The mid-season acquisition sparked debate because trading away Kukoč—who brought valuable championship experience—and Ratliff left only Eric Snow on the roster with NBA Finals experience. After reaching a strong record of 42–14, Philadelphia’s performance declined somewhat as they went 14–12 in their remaining matchups.
In their final regular-season game versus the Chicago Bulls, Coach Brown chose to rest key starters during a loss that ultimately cost Philadelphia home-court advantage for the Finals despite finishing with a record identical to that of the Los Angeles Lakers; tiebreakers favored Los Angeles.
During the playoffs, Philadelphia rebounded from an initial loss to defeat the Indiana Pacers in five games. They then narrowly defeated Vince Carter’s Toronto Raptors in a seven-game Eastern Conference Semifinals series before overcoming a two-games-to-one deficit against the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games to advance to the NBA Finals.
Facing defending champions Los Angeles Lakers led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant in the Finals, Iverson delivered an outstanding performance with 48 points during an overtime victory in Game 1 at Staples Center. Nevertheless, Los Angeles responded by winning four consecutive games to secure their second straight NBA championship.
After concluding this season, Tyrone Hill was traded back to the Cleveland Cavaliers along with Jumaine Jones; George Lynch was sent to the Charlotte Hornets.
The roster featured in NBA 2K video games omits some players due to licensing restrictions.
Philadelphia made minor adjustments to their uniforms this season, adopting designs that remained until 2007. This campaign marked their final Atlantic Division title and top seed in the Eastern Conference until the COVID-19-shortened 2020–21 NBA season.
Offseason
During the offseason, the 76ers did not engage in any trades. In the 2000 NBA draft, they chose guard Speedy Claxton and versatile wing Mark Karcher. Claxton was sidelined for the entire season due to a knee injury, while Karcher was released on October 18 without playing any NBA contests.
The team’s initial acquisition was Jermaine Jackson, signed on August 17; however, he was waived just one day before the season began. On October 2, Philadelphia added Ademola Okulaja and Pepe Sánchez to the roster. Okulaja did not participate in any regular season matches and was waived on December 19. Sánchez appeared in 19 games before being traded on February 22 to the Atlanta Hawks along with Toni Kukoč, Nazr Mohammed, and Theo Ratliff in exchange for Roshown McLeod and Dikembe Mutombo. After playing five games with Atlanta, Sánchez was waived on March 12, only to rejoin the Sixers three days later.
On October 28, veteran guard Vernon Maxwell was signed by Philadelphia; he featured in 24 games before being waived on December 22.
NBA draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Craig "Speedy" Claxton | PG | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Hofstra |
| 2 | 48 | Mark Karcher | SG/SF | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | Temple |
Roster Notes
- Rookie point guard Speedy Claxton remained on the injured reserve list throughout the entire season due to a knee injury.
Season standings
- z – clinched division title
- y – clinched division title
- x – secured playoff berth
Regular season
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
| 1
| October 31
| @ New York
| W 101–72
| Allen Iverson (25)
| George Lynch (11)
| Allen Iverson (9)
| Madison Square Garden
19,763
| 1–0
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
| 2
| November 1
| Toronto
| W 104–98
| Allen Iverson (24)
| Tyrone Hill (10)
| Eric Snow (8)
| First Union Center
19,817
| 2–0
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
| 3
| November 3
| @ Orlando
| W 87–80
| Allen Iverson (29)
| Theo Ratliff (17)
| Eric Snow (7)
| TD Waterhouse Centre
14,233
| 3–0
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
... [game log continues with similar compression of repetitive details] ...
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
| 81
| April 17
| @ Indiana
| W 111–105 (OT)
| Jumaine Jones (26)
| Jumaine Jones (13)
| Eric Snow (8)
| Conseco Fieldhouse
18,345
| 56–25
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
| 82
| April 18
| Chicago
| L 86–92
| Todd MacCulloch (21)
| Geiger, Lynch (9)
| Eric Snow (9)
| First Union Center
19,449
| 56–26
Playoff Series
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Leading Scorer | Leading Rebounder | Leading Assists | Venue & Attendance | Series Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 21 | Indiana | L 78–79 | Aaron McKie (18) | Dikembe Mutombo (22) | Allen Iverson, Aaron McKie (7) | First Union Center 20,613 |
0–1 |
| 2 | April 24 | Indiana | W 116–98 | Allen Iverson (45) | Dikembe Mutombo (11) | Allen Iverson (9) | First Union Center 20,739 |
1–1 |
| 3 | April 28 | @ Indiana | W 92–87 | Allen Iverson (32) | Dikembe Mutombo (15) | Allen Iverson (6) | Conseco Fieldhouse 18,345 |
2–1 |
| 4 | May 2 | @ Indiana | W 88–85 | Allen Iverson (33) | Dikembe Mutombo (11) | Aaron McKie (6) | Conseco Fieldhouse 18,345 |
3–1 |
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Top Scorer | Top Rebounder | Top Assists | Location & Attendance | Series Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 6 | Toronto | L 93–96 | Allen Iverson (36) | Dikembe Mutombo (12) | Eric Snow (7) | First Union Center 20,892 |
0–1 |
| 2 | May 9 | Toronto | W 97–92 | Allen Iverson (54) | Tyrone Hill (10) | Eric Snow (5) | First Union Center 20,870 |
1–1 |
| 3 | May 11 | @ Toronto | L 78–102 | Allen Iverson (23) | Dikembe Mutombo (9) | Allen Iverson (8) | Air Canada Centre 20,436 |
1–2 |
| 4 | May 13 | @ Toronto | W 84–79 | Allen Iverson (30) | Dikembe Mutombo (17) | Allen Iverson, Aaron McKie (5) | Air Canada Centre 20,351 |
2–2 |
| 5 | May16 | Toronto | W121-88 | Allen Iverson(52) | Dikembe Mutombo(9) | Aaron McKie(9) | First Union Center 20,939 |
3-2 |
| 6 | May18 | @Toronto | L89-101 | Allen Iverson(20) | Dikembe Mutombo(14) | Aaron McKie(6) | Air Canada Centre 20,499 |
3-3 |
| 7 | May20 | Toronto | W88-87 | Aaron McKie(22) | Dikembe Mutombo(17) | Allen Iverson(16) | First Union Center 20,848 |
4-3 |
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Top Point Scorer | Top Rebounder | Top Assist Provider | Location & Attendance | Series Count | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June6 | @ 2000–01 Los Angeles Lakers season#Playoffs Los Angeles Lakers | W107-101(OT) | (Allen Iverson)48 | (Dikembe Mutombo)16 | (Aaron McKie)9 | (Staples Center) 18,997 |
1-0 | ||
| 2 | June8 | @ 2000–01 Los Angeles Lakers season#Playoffs Los Angeles Lakers | L89-98 | (Allen Iverson)23 | (Dikembe Mutombo)13 | (Aaron McKie)6 | (Staples Center) 18,997 |
1-1 | ||
| 3 | June10 | (First Union Center) | L91-96 | (Allen Iverson)35 | (Iverson, Mutombo)12 | (Aaron McKie)8 | (First Union Center) 20,900 |
1-2 | ||
| 4 | June13 | (First Union Center) | L86-100 | (Allen Iverson)35 | (Dikembe Mutombo)9 | (Iverson, Eric Snow)4 | (First Union Center) 20,896 |
1-3 | ||
| 5 | June15 | (First Union Center) | L96-108 | (Allen Iverson)37 | (Tyrone Hill)13 | (Eric Snow)12 | (First Union Center) 20,890 |
1-4 |
NBA Finals
- Game 1 – June 6, Wednesday, 9:00pm ET at Los Angeles, Philadelphia 107, Los Angeles 101 (OT): Philadelphia takes a 1-0 lead in the series
- Game 2 – June 8, Friday, 9:00pm ET at Los Angeles, Los Angeles 98, Philadelphia 89: Series evened at 1-1
- Game 3 – June 10, Sunday, 8:30pm ET at Philadelphia, Los Angeles 96, Philadelphia 91: Los Angeles moves ahead 2-1 in the series
- Game 4 – June 13, Wednesday, 8:30pm ET at Philadelphia, Los Angeles 100, Philadelphia 86: Los Angeles extends lead to 3-1
- Game 5 – June 15, Friday, 8:30pm ET at Philadelphia, Los Angeles 108, Philadelphia 96: Los Angeles clinches the series 4-1
The Finals followed a 2-3-2 structure, with the initial two and final two contests hosted by the team holding home court advantage. This setup was reintroduced in 1985 and continued until the NBA switched back to a 2-2-1-1-1 format beginning with the 2013–2014 Finals.
Regular season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0 | 6.0 | .286 | .333 | — | .2 | .0 | .2 | .0 | 1.0 | |
| 47 | 0 | 12.2 | .432 | .421 | .828 | 1.6 | .4 | .4 | .1 | 5.3 | |
| 35 | 4 | 15.5 | .393 | .000 | .685 | 4.0 | .4 | .3 | .2 | 6.1 | |
| 76 | 75 | 31.1 | .474 | .000 | .630 | 9.0 | .6 | .5 | .4 | 9.6 | |
| 71 | 71 | 42.0 | .420 | .320 | .814 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 2.5 | .3 | 31.1 | |
| 65 | 0 | 13.3 | .444 | .333 | .755 | 2.9 | .5 | .5 | .2 | 4.7 | |
| † | 48 | 5 | 20.4 | .458 | .410 | .591 | 3.4 | 1.9 | .7 | .1 | 8.0 |
| 82 | 80 | 32.3 | .445 | .263 | .719 | 7.2 | 1.7 | 1.2 | .4 | 8.4 | |
| 63 | 3 | 9.5 | .589 | — | .636 | 2.7 | .2 | .1 | .3 | 4.1 | |
| † | 24 | 6 | 15.6 | .336 | .328 | .682 | 1.5 | 1.2 | .5 | .0 | 5.0 |
| 76 | 33 | 31.5 | .473 | .312 | .768 | 4.1 | 5.0 | 1..4 | .1 | 11..6 | |
| † | 1 | 0 | 15..0 | .500 | .000 | — | 2..0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 2..0 |
| † | 0 |2 |— |— |— |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 | ||||||||||
| † | 3 |6..5 | .466 | — | .500 |1..8 | .1 | .2 | .2 |3..2 | ||||||||||
| † | 26 |33..7 | .495 | — | .759 |12..4 | .8 | .3 |2..5 |11..7 | ||||||||||
| † | 4 |15 | .430 | .333 | .729 |1..4 |2..4 | .5 | .0 |3..8 | ||||||||||
| 50 |36 | .499 | — | 760 │8 │1 │ 6 │ 37 │12 | |
Playoffs
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Sortname | 15 | 0 | 8.3 | .444 | .250 | .571 | .9 | .5 | 1.0 | .0 | 2.3 |
| Template:Sortname | 15 | 0 | 4.8 | .333 | .500 | 1.000 | .8 | .2 | .3 | .1 | 1.4 |
| Template:Sortname | 12 | 0 | 8.3 | .586 | — | 1.000 | 1.5 | .6 | .2 | .0 | 3.2 |
| Template:Sortname | 23 | 23 | 32.3 | .409 | .000 | .679 | 7.3 | .4 | .6 | .5 | 7.2 |
| Template:Sortname | 22 | 22 | 46.2 | .389 | .338 | .774 | 4.7 | 6.1 | 2.4 | .3 | 32.9 |
| Template:Sortname | 23 | 14 | 19.4 | .416 | .250 | .714 | 3.7 | .7 | .4 | .5 | 5.5 |
| Template:Sortname | 10 | 8 | 22.2 | .480 | .000 | .643 | 5.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | .2 | 5.7 |
| Template:Sortname | 18 | 0 | 6.1 | .632 | — | .800 | 1.6 | .2 | .0 | .2 | 3.1 |
| Template:Sortname | 23 | 16 | 38.8 | .415 | .422 | .787 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 1.5 | .1 | 14.6 |
| Template:Sortname | 23 | 23 | 42.7 | .490 | .000 | .777 | 13.7 | .7 | .7 | 3.1 | 13.9 |
| Template:Sortname | 23 | 0 | 5.3 | .370 | — | .929 | .4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.4 |
| Template:Sortname | 23 | 9 | 31.2 | .414 | 0.000 | .727 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 9.3 |
Awards and records
- Allen Iverson, recipient of the NBA Most Valuable Player Award
- Dikembe Mutombo, honored with the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award and selected for the All-NBA Second Team as well as the NBA All-Defensive First Team
- Aaron McKie, awarded the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award
- Larry Brown, earned the NBA Coach of the Year Award
- Allen Iverson, named to the All-NBA First Team