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Longtime Rivals Share Brief Postseason History

For the first time in 35 years, the 76ers and Nets are meeting in the playoffs.  

The last matchup in 1984 witnessed an upstart Nets squad – based in New Jersey at the time – defeat the defending champion Sixers. The only other postseason series between the franchises was a quick Sixers sweep of the Nets in 1979.

Despite the dearth of postseason tangos, the two franchises share an inextricable bond that goes beyond an affinity for starry red, white and blue jerseys.

Yep, the one and only Julius Erving is a key link for both clubs. During his three seasons with the Nets when they were based in New York City (1974 – 76), Dr. J led them to two championships in the ABA. And he was named ABA MVP every one of those seasons.

Despite the title success in the ABA, the Nets lost Erving in the summer of 1976, as they could no longer afford him due to moving from the ABA to the NBA.  

The Sixers swooped in, sending $2.5 million to the Nets for Erving’s rights. Wasting no time, the Sixers promptly signed the forward to a new contract worth almost $600,000 a year.

After so many successful ABA years, the Nets naturally struggled following the loss of Erving. Meanwhile, the Sixers became perennial contenders thanks to their high-flying superstar.

By 1979, the Nets – now in New Jersey – put together a 37-win campaign, qualifying them for the playoffs. Fittingly, their first NBA postseason would be against Doctor J.  

WORKING QUICKLY

The best-of-three mini-series started with a chippy Game 1 that featured an astounding seven technical fouls, with the Sixers winning 122-114.

“Super” John Williamson – one of Erving’s old Nets teammates – tallied 38 points. Second-year forward Bernard King aided the effort with 25 of his own.

As for the Sixers, Erving certainly led the way with 28 points and 14 boards, but six other players posted double-digit scoring totals, while rookie point guard Maurice Cheeks was on the cusp with nine points.  

Game 2 was a sloppy affair for the Sixers with 26 turnovers, but the inside duo of Caldwell Jones and Darryl Dawkins carried the day. Caldwell delivered 24 points and 21 rebounds, while Chocolate Thunder had 19 points and 16 boards of his own. Key to the victory was locking down on Williamson, who shot just 9 for 34 en route to 21 points.  

Final score: Sixers 111 – Nets 101. Series over.

AN UPSTART DELIVERS AN UPSET

The next time the Sixers and Nets met in the playoffs was 1984.

The Sixers were of course defending champions, but their first-round opponent was quite dangerous. With a superb core led by the defensive brawn of Buck Williams and the lightning quick backcourt of Micheal Ray Richardson and Otis Birdsong, the Nets were not to be underestimated.

Despite having homecourt advantage, the Sixers opened the series with embarrassing losses. Game 1 was 116-101 and Game 2 was 116-102, both in New Jersey’s favor.

Key to Game 1 was Williams (25 points, 16 rebounds) exceeding the ferocity of Moses Malone on the boards (20 points, 11 rebounds). In Game 2, Richardson furiously offered up 32 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and four steals. Former Sixers center Darryl Dawkins also got rumbling with 22 points on 10 for 16 shooting that game.

Luckily for the Sixers, this was a best-of-five series. So as the scene shifted up the New Jersey Turnpike, the Sixers righted the ship. 

Sixth man Bobby Jones was inserted into the starting lineup, finishing with 14 points thanks to a perfect 10-10 performance from the foul line. Moses and Buck continued their wrestling match down low, as each big man logged 21 points and 17 rebounds. Finally pulling away in the fourth quarter, the Sixers evaded elimination with a 108-100 win.

Game 4 was another victory for the Sixers. Erving (22 pts, 8 ast) and Cheeks (20 pts, 8-12 fg) led the way in the 110-102 victory.

Befitting the series, the do-or-die Game 5 was a wild, harried affair at the Spectrum.

Ripping down the rebounds once more were Buck (17 pts, 16 reb) and Moses (19 pts, 14 reb). Andrew Toney had his best game of the series with 22 points on 8 for 15 shooting and 6 for 7 free throws.

Unfortunately, Otis Birdsong had his best game of the series as well, tuning up 24 points, six assists, and six steals.

Those individual performances illustrated the evenly matched power of these two teams, as they seesawed all game.

New Jersey got a 31-25 lead after the first quarter. Then the Sixers jumped ahead 53-50 by halftime. Then the Nets evened up the contest at 76-76 at the end of the third quarter.

The championship mettle of the Sixers then seemingly seized full control, as the team surged to a 90-83 lead with seven minutes left in the game. The pesky Nets quickly flipped the script and found themselves on top 94-92 just minutes later.

Erving connected on two mid-range jumpers to put his Sixers ahead 96-94. Unfazed, the Nets retook the lead 98-96 with a minute left.

In the final 60 seconds, New Jersey’s lightning quick backcourt of Richardson and Birdsong catastrophically struck the Sixers.

Birdsong picked off an Erving pass and bolted downcourt for a lay up. Although Birdsong’s attempt missed, his teammate Albert King – brother of Bernard – followed through and tipped in the ricochet. Then with 12 seconds left, Richardson stole a Toney pass destined for Erving.

Season over for the Sixers. Final score: 101-96, Nets.

A contemplative Erving was disappointed in not being able to defend the NBA title, but he put the loss in perspective:

It’s been a long 35 years, so let’s hope for another classic Nets-Sixers series to make up for lost time, but with an outcome of the 1979 variety.