2000–01 Philadelphia 76ers season

2000–01 Philadelphia 76ers season
Conference Champions
Division Champions
Head coach	Larry Brown
Arena	First Union Center
Results
Record	56–26 (.683)
Place	Division: 1st (Atlantic) Conference: 1st (Eastern)
Playoff finish	NBA Finals (eliminated 1–4)
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	CSN Philadelphia, WPSG
Radio	WIP

The 2000–01 NBA season was the 76ers 52nd season in the NBA and 38th season in Philadelphia.^[1] Allen Iverson had his best season in 2001—he led his team to win their first ten games, he started and won All-Star MVP honors at the All Star Game. The Sixers also posted a 56–26 record, which was best in the Eastern Conference that season. It was the 76ers' best regular season record since 1984–85. Iverson averaged a then-career high 31.1 points, winning his second NBA scoring title in the process. He also won the NBA steals title at 2.5 a game. Iverson was named NBA Most Valuable Player for his accomplishments, beating Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal by a wide margin.^[2] In addition, coach Larry Brown was named NBA Coach of the Year, Dikembe Mutombo (who was acquired from the Atlanta Hawks) won his fourth NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, and Aaron McKie won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award.

The season however, was not without controversy, with the Sixers having a big lead in the Eastern Conference, Theo Ratliff sustained an injury that sidelined him for the season, thus only having Matt Geiger and Todd MacCulloch at center. Ratliff was also selected to play in the 2001 NBA All-Star Game with Iverson, but because of injures did not play. The Sixers then traded him and Toni Kukoc to Atlanta for Dikembe Mutombo. By trading Kukoc (who was not included in the original proposed deal, and who won three championships with Phil Jackson as his coach) the Sixers had only one other player on the roster who had NBA Finals experience, Eric Snow, who played a total of 24 minutes in 10 games in the 1996 NBA Playoffs for the Seattle SuperSonics. At one point the team record was 41-14, but finished 15-12 the rest of the way.

Allen Iverson won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award for the season.

In the last game of the season (at home against the Chicago Bulls), Larry Brown rested his starters instead of trying to go for a win. Had the Sixers won this game, they would have the league's second best record (behind the San Antonio Spurs) and home court advantage over the Lakers in the Finals. Both had the same record, but the Lakers' record for non-conference opponents was better than Philadelphia's.

In the playoffs, Iverson and the Sixers defeated the Indiana Pacers in the first round, before meeting the Vince Carter-led Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Semifinals. The series went the full seven games. In the next round, the Sixers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, also in seven games, to advance to the NBA Finals against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. Iverson scored 48 in Game 1, which the Sixers won. However, the Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant led Lakers would win the next 4 games and the title.

The team's season roster has been featured in the video game series NBA 2K. Rodney Buford, Roshown McLeod, Kevin Ollie, and Pepe Sánchez have been excluded from past installations of the game.^[3]

Offseason

During the offseason, the 76ers were not involved in any trades. In the 2000 NBA draft, they drafted guard Speedy Claxton and swingman Mark Karcher. Claxton missed the entire season due to a knee injury, while Karcher would be waived on October 18. Karcher would not play any games in the NBA.

Their first transaction was made on August 17, when they signed Jermaine Jackson. Jackson almost made the team, but he was waived one day before the team's season opener.

On October 2, the 76ers signed Ademola Okulaja and Pepe Sánchez. Okulaja was on the team's roster, but did not play in any regular season games. He was waived on December 19. Sánchez played 19 games with the Sixers before being traded to the Atlanta Hawks with Toni Kukoč, Nazr Mohammed, and Theo Ratliff for Roshown McLeod and Dikembe Mutombo on February 22. Sánchez played 5 games with Atlanta before being waived on March 12. Three days later, Sánchez would once again sign with the Sixers.

On October 28, the 76ers signed Vernon Maxwell. Maxwell would play in 24 games with the Sixers before being waived on December 22.^[4]

NBA Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	20	Craig "Speedy" Claxton	PG	United States	Hofstra
2	48	Mark Karcher	SG/SF	United States	Temple

Roster

Philadelphia 76ers roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From G 19 Bell, Raja 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 204 lb (93 kg) Florida International G/F 23 Buford, Rodney 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 189 lb (86 kg) Creighton G — Claxton, Speedy  5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 166 lb (75 kg) Hofstra C 52 Geiger, Matt 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 243 lb (110 kg) Georgia Tech F/C 40 Hill, Tyrone 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Xavier G 3 Iverson, Allen 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Georgetown F 33 Jones, Jumaine 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 218 lb (99 kg) Georgia F 9 Lynch, George 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 218 lb (99 kg) North Carolina C 50 MacCulloch, Todd 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 280 lb (127 kg) Washington G 8 McKie, Aaron 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 209 lb (95 kg) Temple F 7 McLeod, Roshown 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 221 lb (100 kg) Duke C 55 Mutombo, Dikembe 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Georgetown G 5 Ollie, Kevin 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Connecticut G 4 Sánchez, Pepe 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Temple G 20 Snow, Eric 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Michigan State	Head coach Larry Brown (North Carolina) Assistant coach(es) Randy Ayers (Miami (OH)) John Kuester (North Carolina) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster • Transactions

Roster Notes

• Guard Speedy Claxton missed the entire season due to an injury.

Depth Chart

Pos.	Starter	Bench	Reserve	Inactive
C	Dikembe Mutombo	Matt Geiger	Todd MacCulloch
PF	Tyrone Hill
SF	George Lynch	Jumaine Jones		Roshown McLeod
SG	Allen Iverson	Raja Bell	Rodney Buford Kevin Ollie
PG	Eric Snow	Aaron Mckie		Pepe Sánchez

Season Standings

Atlantic Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Philadelphia 76ers	56	26	.683	–	29–12	27–14	18–6
x-Miami Heat	50	32	.610	6	29–12	21–20	15–10
x-New York Knicks	48	34	.585	8	30–11	18–23	16–9
x-Orlando Magic	43	39	.524	13	26–15	17–24	14–10
Boston Celtics	36	46	.439	20	20–21	16–25	11–13
New Jersey Nets	26	56	.317	30	18–23	8–33	8–16
Washington Wizards	19	63	.232	37	12–29	7–34	3–21

Eastern Conference
#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	c-Philadelphia 76ers	56	26	.683	–
2	y-Milwaukee Bucks	52	30	.634	4
3	x-Miami Heat	50	32	.610	6
4	x-New York Knicks	48	34	.585	8
5	x-Toronto Raptors	47	35	.573	9
6	x-Charlotte Hornets	46	36	.561	10
7	x-Orlando Magic	43	39	.524	13
8	x-Indiana Pacers	41	41	.500	15
9	Boston Celtics	36	46	.439	20
10	Detroit Pistons	32	50	.390	24
11	Cleveland Cavaliers	30	52	.366	26
12	New Jersey Nets	26	56	.317	30
13	Atlanta Hawks	25	57	.305	31
14	Washington Wizards	19	63	.232	37
15	Chicago Bulls	15	67	.183	42

z - clinched division title

y - clinched division title

x - clinched playoff spot

Playoffs

East First Round

(1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (8) Indiana Pacers Last Playoff Meeting: 2000 Eastern Conference Semifinals (Indiana won 4-2)

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (PHI-IND)	Venue	TV Time	Recap	TV Commentators
1	April 21	Indiana	79	Philadelphia	78	0–1	First Union Center, Philadelphia	NBC 12:30et		Mike Breen, Bill Walton & Steve Jones
2	April 24	Indiana	98	Philadelphia	116	1–1	First Union Center, Philadelphia	TBS 8:00et		Marv Albert & Mike Fratello
3	April 28	Philadelphia	92	Indiana	87	2-1	Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis	NBC 12:30et		Mike Breen, Bill Walton & Steve Jones
4	May 2	Philadelphia	88	Indiana	85	3-1	Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis	TBS 7:00et		Marv Albert & Mike Fratello
Philadelphia wins series 3–1

Eastern Semifinals

(1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (5) Toronto Raptors Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the 76ers and Raptors.

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (PHI-TOR)	Venue	TV Time	Recap	TV Commentators
1	May 6	Toronto	96	Philadelphia	93	0-1	First Union Center, Philadelphia	NBC 5:30et		Marv Albert & Doug Collins
2	May 9	Toronto	92	Philadelphia	97	1-1	First Union Center, Philadelphia	TNT 7:00et		Dick Stockton & Hubie Brown
3	May 11	Philadelphia	78	Toronto	102	1-2	Air Canada Centre, Toronto	TNT 8:00et		Dick Stockton & Hubie Brown
4	May 13	Philadelphia	84	Toronto	79	2-2	Air Canada Centre, Toronto	NBC 3:00et		Mike Breen & Bill Walton
5	May 16	Toronto	88	Philadelphia	121	3-2	First Union Center, Philadelphia	TNT 8:00et		Dick Stockton & Hubie Brown
6	May 18	Philadelphia	89	Toronto	101	3-3	Air Canada Centre, Toronto	TNT 8:00et		Dick Stockton & Hubie Brown
7	May 20	Toronto	87	Philadelphia	88	4-3	First Union Center, Philadelphia	NBC 5:30et		Mike Breen, Doug Collins & Bill Walton
Philadelphia wins series 4–3

Eastern Conference Finals

(1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (2) Milwaukee Bucks Last Playoff Meeting: 1991 Eastern Conference First Round (Philadelphia won 3-0)

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (PHI-MIL)	Venue	TV Time	Recap	TV Commentators
1	May 22	Milwaukee	85	Philadelphia	93	1-0	First Union Center, Philadelphia	TNT 8:00et		Marv Albert & Mike Fratello
2	May 24	Milwaukee	92	Philadelphia	78	1–1	First Union Center, Philadelphia	TNT 8:00et		Dick Stockton & Hubie Brown
3	May 26	Philadelphia	74	Milwaukee	80	1–2	Bradley Center, Milwaukee	NBC 5:30et		Mike Breen, Bill Walton & Steve Jones
4	May 28	Philadelphia	89	Milwaukee	83	2–2	Bradley Center, Milwaukee	NBC 5:30et		Mike Breen, Bill Walton & Steve Jones
5	May 30	Milwaukee	88	Philadelphia	89	3–2	First Union Center, Philadelphia	NBC 9:00et		Mike Breen, Bill Walton & Steve Jones
6	June 1	Philadelphia	100	Milwaukee	110	3–3	Bradley Center, Milwaukee	NBC 9:00et		Mike Breen, Bill Walton & Steve Jones
7	June 3	Milwaukee	91	Philadelphia	108	4-3	First Union Center, Philadelphia	NBC 7:30et		Mike Breen, Bill Walton & Steve Jones
Philadelphia wins Eastern Conference Championship series 4–3

NBA Finals

• Game 1 - June 6, Wednesday, 9:00pm et @Los Angeles, Philadelphia 107, Los Angeles 101 (OT): Philadelphia leads series 1-0
• Game 2 - June 8, Friday, 9:00pm et @Los Angeles, Los Angeles 98, Philadelphia 89: Series tied 1-1
• Game 3 - June 10, Sunday, 8:30pm et @Philadelphia, Los Angeles 96, Philadelphia 91: Los Angeles leads series 2-1
• Game 4 - June 13, Wednesday, 8:30pm et @Philadelphia, Los Angeles 100, Philadelphia 86: Los Angeles leads series 3-1
• Game 5 - June 15, Friday, 8:30pm et @Philadelphia, Los Angeles 108, Philadelphia 96: Los Angeles wins series 4-1

The Finals were played using a 2-3-2 site format, where the first two and last two games are held at the team with home court advantage. The NBA, after experimenting in the early years, restored this original format for the Finals in 1985. As of the 2013-2014 NBA finals played by the San Antonio spurs and the Miami Heat, the finals have again been returned to a 2-2-1-1-1 format.

Awards and records

• Allen Iverson, NBA Most Valuable Player Award
• Dikembe Mutombo, NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award
• Aaron McKie, NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award
• Larry Brown, NBA Coach of the Year Award
• Allen Iverson, All-NBA First Team
• Dikembe Mutombo, All-NBA Second Team
• Dikembe Mutombo, NBA All-Defensive First Team

References

1. 2000-2001 Philadelphia 76ers
2. "76ers' Fans Called It: Iverson Is Most Valuable Player". New York Times. May 16, 2001.
3. http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/09/28/nba-2k13-review
4. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/PHI/2001_transactions.html

• Philadelphia 76ers on Basketball Reference