Alright, so Bleacher Report dropped their list of the top 99 teams across *all* sports, and get this: the legendary 1983 Philadelphia 76ers, a squad etched into NBA history, landed all the way down at No. 50. Seriously? This isn’t just a number, it’s a statement, and for anyone who watched that team, it’s a head-scratcher.
That 1983 Dominance Was Real
Let’s rewind for a sec. The 1983 championship wasn’t just *any* title for the Sixers. This was a team that had come up short way too many times in the Julius Erving era. They needed something, someone, to get them over that hump, and in the 1982 offseason, they brought in the absolute force that was Moses Malone. Man, did he deliver! Malone and Erving together? Forget about it. They were one of the league’s best duos, no question. The Sixers went an insane 65-17 in the regular season, just crushing opponents, and Malone snagged his third MVP award. Oh, and Bobby Jones wasn’t just riding the bench, he was bringing serious heat, winning 6th Man of the Year for his clutch contributions. This wasn’t some fluke squad; this was a well-oiled machine built for a championship run.
The “Fo, Fo, Fo” Proclamation and Playoff Stomp
Before the playoffs even kicked off, Malone, with that swagger only he possessed, dropped the now-iconic “Fo’, fo’, fo’,” proclamation. He was basically saying they’d sweep every single opponent on their way to the title. Talk about confidence! And you know what? He wasn’t far off. They absolutely stomped the Boston Celtics in Round 1, sweeping them clean. They then took down the Milwaukee Bucks in five games in the conference finals. And for the grand finale? They swept the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, in the Finals! Sweeping the Lakers in the Finals? That’s legendary stuff right there. Malone was absolutely beastly, winning Finals MVP after averaging 25.8 points and 18.0 rebounds per game in that Finals sweep. Andrew Toney was dropping 22.0 points and 5.8 assists, while Erving chipped in 19.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists. This team lost only one playoff game, period.
So, when you look at that kind of dominance, the regular season record, the individual awards, and a near-perfect playoff run capped by sweeping the Lakers in the Finals, you gotta wonder: is being ranked No. 50 out of all sports teams fair? For a team that delivered on a prophecy and barely broke a sweat doing it, that number feels way too low.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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