2001–02 Philadelphia 76ers season
| Company type | Professional basketball team |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports |
| Founded | 1946 |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia , United States |
| Products | Basketball team |
Number of employees | N/A |
| Website | www |
The 2001–02 Philadelphia 76ers season represented the franchise's 53rd year in the NBA and its 39th competing in Philadelphia. Following their NBA Finals defeat to the Lakers the previous year, the team bolstered its lineup by reacquiring forward Derrick Coleman from the Hornets. Additionally, through a three-team deal involving the Warriors, they brought in Corie Blount and Vonteego Cummings. The roster was further strengthened by obtaining Matt Harpring from the Cavaliers and signing seasoned free agent Derrick McKey midway through the season.
The campaign began with key players sidelined: reigning MVP Allen Iverson, Sixth Man awardee Aaron McKie, and starting point guard Eric Snow all missed early games due to injuries, contributing to an initial 0-5 record. After just four games, center Matt Geiger retired. Once the core players returned to health, the team embarked on a seven-game winning streak but then encountered a seven-game losing skid in December, culminating in an 8–14 start. The 76ers rallied to conclude the regular season at 43–39, securing fourth place in the Atlantic Division and clinching the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Iverson delivered an impressive performance, averaging 31.4 points, 5.5 assists, and 2.8 steals across 60 games, earning a spot on the All-NBA Second Team. Defensive stalwart Dikembe Mutombo contributed 11.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per contest, which led to his selection on both the All-NBA Third Team and NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Forward Coleman added 15.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, while McKie, Harpring, and Snow provided reliable scoring support with averages in double figures.
During the NBA All-Star festivities hosted at Philadelphia’s First Union Center, both Iverson and Mutombo represented the Eastern Conference; this event marked Mutombo’s final All-Star appearance. Iverson paid tribute to franchise icon Julius Erving by donning jersey number #6. He placed ninth in MVP voting that season, while Mutombo tied for third place in Defensive Player of the Year balloting.
In the postseason, Philadelphia was ousted in the first round by the Boston Celtics in a five-game series. Following the playoffs, significant roster changes occurred: Mutombo was traded to the New Jersey Nets; Harpring signed with the Utah Jazz; rookie guard Speedy Claxton was dealt to the San Antonio Spurs; and both Blount and Cummings entered free agency. Veteran Derrick McKey retired after completing the season.
Offseason
Throughout the offseason, Philadelphia undertook several trades aimed at reshaping their squad. On August 3, they sent Tyrone Hill to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Matt Harpring, Cedric Henderson, and Robert Traylor. That day also saw Philadelphia trade Roshown McLeod along with a first-round pick for 2003 to the Boston Celtics in return for Jérôme Moïso. Harpring assumed the role of starting small forward; however, Henderson, Traylor, and Moïso were subsequently traded prior to the start of the regular season.
On October 2, Philadelphia signed Ira Bowman, who participated in three games before being released on November 6.
A notable transaction occurred on October 25 when the 76ers finalized a three-team trade involving the Golden State Warriors and Charlotte Hornets. Philadelphia parted with Henderson and a first-round pick for 2005 to Golden State and traded away George Lynch, Moïso, and Traylor to Charlotte. In exchange, they acquired experienced power forward Derrick Coleman from Charlotte along with forwards Corie Blount and Vonteego Cummings from Golden State.
Draft selections
| Round | Pick | Athlete | Role | Country | University |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 | Samuel Dalembert | Center | Template:CAN | Seton Hall |
| 2 | 36 | Damone Brown | Small Forward | Template:USA | Syracuse |
| 2 | 56 | Alvin Jones | Center | Template:LUX | Georgia Tech |
Standings
- z - secured division championship
- y - secured division championship
- x - secured playoff berth
Postseason
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
| 1
| April 21
| @ Boston
| L 82–92
| Allen Iverson (20 points)
| Dikembe Mutombo (11 rebounds)
| Eric Snow (5 assists)
| FleetCenter
18,624 attendees
| Series 0–1
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
| 2
| April 25
| @ Boston
| L 85–93
| Allen Iverson (29 points)
| Derrick Coleman (13 rebounds)
| Allen Iverson (7 assists)
| FleetCenter
18,624 attendees
| Series 0–2
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
| 3
| April 28
| Boston
| W 108–103
| Allen Iverson (42 points)
| Dikembe Mutombo (11 rebounds)
| Eric Snow (5 assists)
| First Union Center
20,689 attendees
| Series 1–2
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
| 4
| May 1
| Boston
| W 83–81
| Allen Iverson (28 points)
| Dikembe Mutombo (14 rebounds)
| Eric Snow (11 assists)
| First Union Center
20,904 attendees
| Series 2–2
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
| 5
| May 3
| @ Boston
| L 87–120
| Allen Iverson (31 points)
| Matt Harpring (8 rebounds)
| Allen Iverson, Aaron McKie (4 assists each)
| FleetCenter
18,624 attendees
| Series 2–3
|}
Regular season
| Player | Games Played | Games Started | Minutes Per Game | Field Goal % | Three-Point % | Free Throw % | Rebounds Per Game | Assists Per Game | Steals Per Game | Blocks Per Game | Points Per Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Sortname | 74 | 12 | 12.0 | .429 | .273 | .750 | 1.5 | 1.0 | .3 | .1 | 3.4 |
| Template:Sortname | 72 | 21 | 19.8 | .458 | .000 | .644 | 5.1 | .6 | .7 | .4 | 3.6 |
| Template:Sortname | 3 | 0 | 9.7 | .714 | .000 | — | .3 | .3 | .7 | .0 | 3.3 |
| Template:Sortname | 17 | 0 | 3.9 | .381 | .000 | .875 | .2 | .1 | .1 | .1 | 1.4 |
| Template:Sortname | 67 | 18 | 22.8 | .400 | .121 | .838 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 1.4 | .1 | 7.2 |
| Template:Sortname | 58 | 58 | 35.9 | .450 | .337 | .815 | 8.8 | 1.7 | .7 | .9 | 15.1 |
| Template:Sortname | 58 | 1 | 8.6 | .417 | .261 | .750 | .9 | 1.0 | .3 | .1 | 3.3 |
| "Samuel Dalembert" | "0"|"5."|"440"|"—"|"389"|"2."|"0"|"2"|"4"|"1."|"5" | ||||||||||
| "Matt Geiger" | "0"|"9."|"125"|"—"|"5."|"1."|"0"|"0"|"5"|"8." | ||||||||||
| "Matt Harpring" | "81"|"31."|"461"|"304"|"743"|"7."|"13"|"9"|"—"|"118" | ||||||||||
| "Allen Iverson" | "59"|"43."|"398"|"291"|"812"|"45"|"55"|"28"|"—"|"314" | ||||||||||
| "Tim James" | "0"|"46."|"385"|""|"333"|".8"|".1"|".0"|".1"| "13" | ||||||||||
| "Alvin Jones" | "2"| "55." "|400"| "" | ".5"| "16"| ".1"| ".1"| ".4"| "11" | ||||||||||
| " Derrick McKey " | "1"| "19." "|426 "|417 "|714 "|31 "|11 "|10 "|01 "|29 " | ||||||||||
| "Aaron McKie " | 16 "|30." "|449 "|398 "|787 "|40 "|37 "|12 "|03 "|122 " | ||||||||||
| " Dikembe Mutombo " | 80 "|36." "|501 "|" — "|"764 "|"10." "|"10 "|"04 "|"24 "|"115 " | ||||||||||
| "Michael Ruffin " | "0 "|"11." "|"269 "|" — "|"250 "|"34 "|"03 "|"03 "|"05 "|"11 " | ||||||||||
| "Jabari Smith"† | "0 "|"10." "|"476 "|"000 "|"750 "|"13 "|"05 "|"04 "|"02 "|"50 " | ||||||||||
| "Eric Snow " | 61 " |36." |442 " |111 " |806 " |35 " |66 " |16 " |01 " |121 " |
Playoffs
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Sortname | 3 | 0 | 2.7 | .333 | .000 | — | .3 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .7 |
| Template:Sortname | 5 | 0 | 17.6 | .250 | — | .750 | 2.8 | .4 | .4 | .4 | 1.4 |
| Template:Sortname | 5 | 0 | 9.8 | .333 | .000 | .667 | .2 | 2.8 | 1.0 | .0 | 2.4 |
| Template:Sortname | 5 | 5 | 38.2 | .524 | .308 | .800 | 9.2 | 2.0 | .2 | 1.4 | 12.8 |
| Template:Sortname | 1 | 0 | 1.0 | — | — | — | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Template:Sortname | 5 | 5 | 23.8 | .500 | — | .778 | 5.2 | 1.4 | 1.0 | .0 | 10.2 |
| Template:Sortname | 5 | 5 | 41.8 | .381 | .333 | .810 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 2.6 | .0 | 30.0 |
| Template:Sortname | 2 | 0 | 2.5 | — | — | — | .5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Template:Sortname | 4 | 0 | 10.0 | .500 | — | — | 1.5 | .3 | .3 | .5 | 2.0 |
| Template:Sortname | 5 | 0 | 29.2 | .435 | .375 | .700 | 3.6 | 2.4 | 2.0 | .0 | 10.6 |
| Template:Sortname | 5 | 5 | 34.6 | .452 | — | .615 | 10.6 | .6 | .4 | 1.8 | 8.8 |
| Template:Sortname | 5 | 5 | 34.2 | .321 | .167 | .773 | 4.4 | 5.4 | 1.2 | .0 | 10.8 |
Awards and records
- Allen Iverson, selected to the All-NBA Second Team
- Dikembe Mutombo, named to the All-NBA Third Team and NBA All-Defensive Second Team