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In the playoffs the Nationals played their best basketball of the season as they stunned the first-place Warriors in two straight, taking Game 1 on the road in overtime 91–89. In their second NBA season, 1950–51, the Nationals played mediocre basketball all season, finishing in fourth place with a record of 32–34.
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The Nationals did not recover, as they fell behind 3–1 before falling in six games.ĭespite several teams leaving the NBA for the National Professional Basketball League before the 1950–51 season, the Nationals decided to stay put. In Game 1 of the Finals the Nationals lost just their second home game of the season 68–66. In the NBA Finals, the Nationals faced fellow NBL alums the Minneapolis Lakers. Moving on to the Eastern Finals, the Nationals battled the New York Knickerbockers, beating their big-city rivals in a three-game series. In the playoffs the Nationals continued to play solid basketball, beating the Philadelphia Warriors in two games.
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The Nationals were an instant success in the NBA, winning the Eastern Division in the 1949–50 season, with a league-best record of 51–13. In 1949, when the NBL and the BAA merged into the NBA, the Nationals were one of seven NBL teams that were brought into the NBA. In the semifinals, the Nationals lost to the Anderson Duffey Packers for the second straight season in four games.
#Sixers play by play series#
In the playoffs the Nationals defeated the Hammond Calumet Buccaneers, winning the series in two straight games. Staying in the NBL, Ferris signed Al Cervi to be player-coach and outbid the New York Knicks for the services of Dolph Schayes who made his professional debut, leading the Nationals to a winning record for the first time with a record of 40–23. The Nationals "recipe for success" began by recruiting Leo Ferris. Several teams began to leave the NBL for the BAA as the foundation for a merger was laid. Despite their record, they made the playoffs, and were swept by the Anderson Duffey Packers in three straight games. In their second season, 1947–48, the Nationals struggled, finishing in fifth place with a 24–36 record. In the playoffs, the Nationals were beaten by their New York state neighbor Rochester Royals in four games. While in the NBL with teams largely consisting of small Midwestern towns, the Nationals put together a 21–23 record, finishing in fourth place. The Syracuse Nationals began to play in the NBL in the same year professional basketball was finally gaining some legitimacy with the rival Basketball Association of America (BAA) that was based in large cities like New York and Philadelphia. In 1946, Italian immigrant Danny Biasone sent a $5,000 check to the National Basketball League offices in Chicago, and the Syracuse Nationals became the largely Midwest-based league's easternmost team, based in the city of Syracuse, New York.
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Chamberlain, Erving, Malone and Iverson have been named the NBA's Most Valuable Player while playing for the 76ers, for a total of six MVP awards. The 76ers have only been back to the NBA Finals once since then: in 2001, where they were led by Iverson and lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. The third title came in 1983, won by a team led by Erving and Malone.
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The second title came in 1967, a team which was led by Chamberlain. They have won three NBA championships, with their first coming under their previous name, the Syracuse Nationals, in 1955. The 76ers have had a prominent history, with many Hall of Fame players having played for the organization, including Dolph Schayes, Hal Greer, Wilt Chamberlain, Chet Walker, Billy Cunningham, Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks, Bobby Jones, Moses Malone, Charles Barkley, George McGinnis, and Allen Iverson. Founded in 1946 and originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA and one of only eight (out of 23) to survive the league's first decade. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division and play at the Wells Fargo Center. The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
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