Philadelphia 76ers: nba FUTURES & BETTING ODDS

The city of Philadelphia had basketball as early as 1946… except not the franchise people know today as the Philadelphia 76ers. The Philadelphia Warriors played in the city from 1946 until 1962, when they moved to San Francisco and became what is now known as the Golden State Warriors.

The 76ers’ history actually begins in Syracuse, where they were nicknamed the Nationals. The Nationals began play in 1947 in the NBL, who joined with the BAA in 1949 to form the NBA. Coached by HOF Al Cervi and HOF PF Dolph Schayes, the Nationals had great success in their early years. They lost the ’49-’50 & the ’53-’54 Finals to the Minneapolis Lakers, but broke through to win their first championship in 1954-’55, when they knocked off the Fort Wayne Pistons in seven games. Then, for eight straight seasons, the Nationals lost in the Eastern Conference Finals.

In 1963, the Nationals were bought by Irv Koslov and Ike Richman, and the team was relocated to Philadelphia, bringing basketball back to the City of Brotherly Love after the Warriors had fled a year earlier. Schayes took over as coach when the team changed ownership, but didn’t change the Philadelphia 76ers odds – the team lost in the Eastern Conference Finals for three more years running, making that eleven years in a row that the team lost in the ECF. However, in the middle of Schayes’ tenure, the 76ers made a move that would change the Philadelphia 76ers odds for the next few years. The team acquired HOF C Wilt Chamberlain, who actually had played in Philadelphia for three years with the Warriors. Chamberlain made an instant impact, and a bet on the Philadelphia 76ers to win a championship would pay for the first time in 1966-67. 

The franchise would trade their HOF center to Los Angeles in 1968, and immediately the Philadelphia 76ers odds tumbled. Philly made the playoffs the next three years, but lost in the Eastern Conference semis in each, then didn’t make the playoffs for the next four seasons. 

However, when the ABA & NBA merged in 1976, the Philadelphia 76ers odds jumped through the roof. The franchise purchased the rights to Julius Erving from the ABA’s New Jersey Nets. Erving got the 76ers to the NBA Finals in his first year, but a bet on the Philadelphia 76ers to win the franchise’s third title would not pay, as the team would lose to Portland in six games. Philadelphia made the Finals again in ’79-’80 and ’81-’82, losing both times to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Then, in 1982-’83, a bet on the Philadelphia 76ers finally paid, as the team would exact revenge on the Lakers, sweeping them in four games to win the franchise’s third title. By then, Erving had help in the form of HOF C Moses Malone and HOF PG Maurice Cheeks. Malone, in fact, was the league MVP in that season. However, that would be the last time that trio would get to the NBA Finals.

In 1984, the Sixers picked up Charles Barkley 5th overall in the NBA draft, immediately improving the Philadelphia 76ers odds. Barkley quickly went to work trying to bring Philadelphia back to the NBA Finals. However, he never got past the Eastern Conference Semis, and in 1992 the 76ers traded Barkley to Phoenix. The next few years would be difficult, as the franchise would miss the playoffs for the next five years. 

1996-‘97, however, would change the direction of the franchise. That year, the team hired HOF coach Larry Brown to lead the team. Philly also drafted HOF G Allen Iverson first overall in 1996. In their fourth season together, a bet on the Philadelphia 76ers to make the NBA Finals once again would pay, as the team would win two seven-game series to win the East once again. However, the Philadelphia 76ers odds to win their fourth championship were not high, as they would line up against Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and the Los Angeles Lakers. Iverson scored 48 points in the opening game, and a bet on the Philadelphia 76ers would pay as Philly won the first game, but the Lakers won the next four to earn the NBA title.

 That would be the only Finals appearance for Iverson, and the last appearance for Philly to date. Recently, a young core of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid has infused new hope in Philadelphia, and a futures bet on the Philadelphia 76ers has been popular. However, the Sixers have been stymied by the other top teams in the East. In 2017-’18, they were beaten by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semis. In 2018-’19, they lost a heartbreaking series to the Toronto Raptors in seven games, when Kawhi Leonard’s fadeaway buzzer-beater bounced around the rim and finally fell through. In the COVID-shortened 2019-’20 season, the Sixers again fell short of expectations, getting swept by Boston in four games in the first round. They reached the second round in 2020-21 but lost a Game 7 at home to Atlanta. 

The Sixers have the talent and the coaching in Doc Rivers, as one would think that it's only a matter of time before Philadelphia makes a deep playoff run. 

Championships: 3 (1955, 1967, 1983)

Retired Numbers: 

2: Moses Malone

3: Allen Iverson

4: Dolph Schayes

6: Julius Erving

10: Maurice Cheeks

13: Wilt Chamberlain

15: Hal Greer

24: Bobby Jones

32: Billy Cunningham

34: Charles Barkley