The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the NBA's most historic franchises, and here at Rewritten Rings, our mission is to rewrite basketball history. Few franchises have seen their story change as dramatically as the Sixers.
Before diving into their journey through our alternate universe, it's worth looking back at the rich history that laid the foundation for one of the league's most recognizable organizations.
The franchise began in 1946 as the Syracuse Nationals before joining the NBA in 1949. During their 14 seasons in Syracuse, the franchise captured the 1955 NBA Championship and won three division titles before relocating to Philadelphia in 1963.
Just four years after the move, the franchise won its first championship in Philadelphia behind the legendary Wilt Chamberlain, ending the Boston Celtics' remarkable run of eight consecutive championships.
Fast forward to the season before our timeline begins, and the Sixers were once again champions, this time led by another dominant big man, Moses Malone, alongside Julius "Dr. J" Erving.
The 1983–84 season marked the beginning of the Rewritten Rings universe, and it got off to a disappointing start for the defending champions.
Bernard King and the New York Knicks pulled off a first-round upset in the 3-versus-6 matchup. Ironically, history mirrored reality, as the real-life Sixers were also the No. 3 seed and suffered a first-round upset to the No. 6 New Jersey Nets.
The similarities continued the following season. In both reality and our universe, Philadelphia once again finished as the No. 3 seed and advanced all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, only to be eliminated by the Boston Celtics. The difference was that while the real series ended in five games, the Rewritten Rings version went the distance.
The 1985–86 season also began as a near carbon copy. Once again, the Sixers finished as the No. 3 seed, but that is where the similarities ended. In reality, Philadelphia was eliminated by the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
In our universe, Terry Cummings never joined Milwaukee, and Sidney Moncrief struggled to find postseason success, never making it out of the first round. Instead, the Sixers and Celtics met once again for the Eastern Conference Championship, and once again Boston advanced to the NBA Finals.
Then came 1987, the season where everything changed.
Unlike reality, where the Sixers entered the playoffs as the No. 5 seed, had traded away Moses Malone, and were beginning a rebuild while Dr. J played through his farewell season, the Rewritten Rings universe took a completely different path.
Malone remained in Philadelphia, the Sixers finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference, and they once again met the Celtics in the Conference Finals.
This time there would be no heartbreaking Game 7. Philadelphia defeated Boston in five games, clinching the Eastern Conference title in front of their home crowd.
The NBA Finals appeared to be slipping away as the Sixers fell behind the Dallas Mavericks three games to one, but Philadelphia authored the greatest comeback in Finals history, rallying to win the series and capture the 1987 NBA Championship.
In just his third NBA season, Charles Barkley became an NBA champion while earning Finals MVP honors. At the conclusion of the season, Dr. J retired, but unlike reality, he walked away from the game exactly as John Elway did—a champion.
With the exception of Dr. J's retirement, the core of the roster remained intact. The Sixers returned to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1988, but this time the opponent was no longer Boston.
Instead, they faced the young duo of John Stockton and Clyde Drexler, who had transformed the Washington Bullets into a powerhouse. Washington stunned Philadelphia by winning Game 7 on the road, ending the Sixers' title defense.
The following season, Philadelphia once again earned the No. 1 seed, but history repeated itself as the No. 5 New York Knicks upset the Sixers on their home floor in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The next two seasons brought more disappointment as Philadelphia failed to advance beyond the first round in both years. Everything changed in 1992 when veteran Alex English joined Charles Barkley.
Entering the playoffs as the No. 8 seed, the Sixers made NBA history by becoming the first No. 8 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed, knocking off the Boston Celtics. Their remarkable run ended in the next round, where they were swept by the Reggie Miller-led New Jersey Nets.
Since that historic upset, Philadelphia has made just one additional playoff appearance, returning as the No. 8 seed two years later before falling to the No. 1 Washington Bullets.
Through the end of the 1999–2000 season, Charles Barkley remained with the franchise, but Philadelphia had not enjoyed a deep playoff run in six years.
There had been no second wave of success, as Allen Iverson was drafted by the Toronto Raptors, leaving the Sixers searching for the next superstar to lead them back to contention.
Check back for future updates as we continue to rewrite the history of the Sixers and discover what comes next in this alternate basketball universe.
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