@FlameRaptorRaven

Larry O’Brien Legends, Part 9: FO FO FO

I’m gonna be honest, the 76ers didn’t have many good options (sorry Zach). I didn’t want to talk about 2001 because we had a Throwback Thursday on that run so I shifted to the 76ers upsetting the 2012 Bulls, but that mainly happened because Derrick Rose got hurt. I didn’t want to go too far back (sorry Wilt) so I went with the obvious one. The 1980 and 1982 76ers witnessed their seasons end in heartbreaking fashion: a loss in the Finals to the LA Lakers in 6 games. Of course in 1980 they got their doors blown off by Kareem before witnessing Magic’s ascension in game 6. Nevertheless, 1982 may have been even worse as the 76ers once again lost to the Kareem-Magic Lakers. Dr. J was still great, but not getting any younger and the 1982 Lakers had just won the first overall pick and selected James Worthy. The 76ers knew they had to make a move if they were gonna beat the Lakers and so they did. On September 15th, 1982, the 76ers swung a trade for 2-time MVP and reigning rebound-leader, Moses Malone. The hope was that, along with giving the 76ers another superstar, it would give Philly someone to throw at Kareem. The move worked like a charm as Moses went on to win the 3rd MVP of his career while leading the league in rebounds, finishing top 5 in scoring and helping the 76ers finish with 65 wins. Not only the best record by a wide margin, but also the 2nd best record in their franchise’s history (only trailing the 68 wins in 1967). With the best record in the NBA and their division, Philadelphia earned a bye from the first round, leading to reporters asking Moses Malone what he expected Philadelphia to do in the playoffs. His answer: “FO FO FO” Translation: four wins, four wins and four wins. It was up to Moses to prove it. In Philadelphia’s first series, they faced the New York Knicks. New York didn’t make it too easy as the 76ers didn’t win a game by more than 10, but Philadelphia still swept them as Moses averaged 31 and 16 in the 4-game series. In the conference finals, Philadelphia met the Milwaukee Bucks who had just swept the Boston Celtics. They were led by the eternally underrated duo of Sidney Moncrief and Marques Johnson. The 76ers didn’t take them lightly. They won the first 3 games only for the Bucks to steal game 4. Although, it didn’t matter. Philly won game 5 and the series. Moses had his weakest part of the run, but still grabbed a ton of boards and Andrew Toney made up the scoring. In the Finals, the 76ers once again met the Lakers. This was the exact scenario Moses was brought in for, matching up with Kareem. Yes, Kareem was 35, but he’s still Kareem with MVP votes and 2nd team all-NBA (behind Moses of course). This series would ultimately dictate Moses’s legacy in Philadelphia. The 76ers proceeded to not just win, but dominate the defending champs. Kareem held his own, putting up 23 points and 8 rebounds per game, basically the same as his regular season averages. Meanwhile, Moses Malone averaged 26 and 18(!). Moses had nearly as many offensive rebounds as Kareem had total rebounds. It was clear who owned the paint in this series and the 76ers swept the Lakers. Moses Malone was named Finals MVP. While it wasn’t exactly as Moses predicted, it was still “FO FI FO” which was later inscribed on their championship rings. Moses, of course, led the playoffs in rebounds and was 2nd in points behind Kareem. Because the 76ers were so dominant and their run was so short, Moses’s totals don’t rank super high on all-time lists, but his average of 15.8 rebounds per game is the 2nd most of any run (since the merger) that lasted as long as his (13 games). It only trails Ben Wallace in 2003. His 5.4 offensive rebounds per game rank 3rd all-time, only behind Shaq in 2001 and Moses himself in 1981. Dr. J and the 76ers were so close to glory for 6 straight years, but it took a large man named Moses to part the Red Sea and finally take Philly over the hump. Although this team never made it back to the Finals thanks to Larry Bird, Sidney Moncrief and age, they had 1983, the year Dr. J and Moses Malone finally became Larry O’Brien Legends.

76ers

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The Sixers Finish 9-73: Today in Spots History

On March 25th, 1973, the 76ers mercifully finished their season with their 73rd loss, earning the worst full-season record in NBA history. The 76ers started 0-15 and also lost 20 consecutive games during the season. This team still holds the second worst winning percentage in NBA history at .110. The 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats finished with a .106 winning percentage, going 7-59 in a lockout shortened season.

@FlameRaptorRaven

Larry O’Brien Legends, Part 8: Mr. VanVleet is his Dad’s Name

As I’m sure you can imagine, I had a lot of options in mind for the Raptors. Could’ve gone the easy route with Kawhi, the eternally underrated 2020 Raptors or even gone back to the Vince Carter Raptors (sorry Bosh). I do want to stay in 2019, but focus on a storyline that I think people have forgotten. The 2019 Raptors have seemingly become the gold standard of ‘THAT GUY played on that team?!’ conversations. It seems like every non-veteran from that team is doing great things with a new team. OG just became a Knicks legend, Siakam was the 2nd best player on the 2025 Pacers, Norman Powell became an all-star and finally, our main character, Fred VanVleet became a $100M player with the Rockets. VanVleet was an undrafted prospect out of Wichita State, but quickly established himself as a valuable contributor for the Raptors. On the Raptors’ iconic Bench Mob of 2018, VanVleet may have been the most important member. He was a finalist for 6th man of the year award, ultimately finishing 3rd despite averaging just 9 points per game. His combination of shooting, playmaking and defence made him a vital cog in the Raptors’ machine. When the Kawhi trade happened, everyone said the Raptors would only have him for 1 year, if he played at all. This put a ton of pressure on the entire Raptors squad, especially the younger players. They better be ready or risk being responsible for blowing the all-in push. Fortunately, everyone stepped up to the challenge, including VanVleet. With 7 extra minutes, he stepped up his scoring to 11 points per game while retaining his great playmaking and defense with only a slight drop in efficiency. VanVleet was never gonna start with Kyle Lowry healthy, but his role in ensuring the bench guys didn’t miss a step was vital. Come playoff time though and he felt off a cliff. Through the first 2 rounds, Fred VanVleet was averaging 4.2 points per game on horrific 28% shooting, including 20% from 3. He didn’t score more than 5 points in any game of Toronto’s 2nd round series against Philly. He was looking like a massive disappointment, until something happened. On May 20th, 2019, Fred VanVleet’s first son (2nd child) Fred VanVleet Jr. was born. Prior to attending the birth, Fred had played 3 games in the conference finals against Milwaukee and continued struggling. He averaged 3.3 points per game on 20% shooting and 18% from 3. He returned to the Raptors for game 4 and something clicked. Whether the birth of his son inspired him to step up his game or stepping away from the game cleared his mind, Fred VanVleet became a new man. From game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals to Game 6 of the NBA finals, he averaged 15 points per game on 51% shooting from the field and 53% from 3. In game 5 against Milwaukee, VanVleet set a career high (at the time) in 3s with 7 as he helped the Raptors take down Milwaukee and later Golden State to win the Finals. As if that wasn’t good enough, he hit THE 3-pointer to give Toronto the lead late in game 6 against the Warriors that ultimately won the championship. He went from someone potentially holding back the Raptors, to being one of the key performers down the stretch after his son was born. I’m sure there are other reasons why VanVleet turned it around, but the numbers sync up too perfectly to ignore his son’s birth as a reason why. VanVleet even said as much after game 4 against Milwaukee. Regardless of its actual impact, Fred VanVleet Sr. and Jr. became Larry O’Brien Legends forever in the summer of 2019.

@zach

Zion Goes 1st Overall: Today in Sports History

On June 20th, 2019, the New Orleans Pelicans drafted Zion Williamson out of Duke University with the 1st pick of the 2019 NBA Draft. The one-and-done sensation was hyped as one of the most exciting young players to join the NBA, but injuries have limited his potential. Zion has yet to play more than 70 games in a season, and has played in 30 or fewer games in four seasons since being drafted. This includes the 2021-22 season he missed entirely due to a Jones fracture in his right foot. Despite the injuries, his game has translated to the NBA well, as he’s one of three players from the 2019 Draft to appear in two All-Star games. However, he lost the Rookie of the Year award to the 2nd pick in the draft, Ja Morant.