1972–73 Philadelphia 76ers season

The 1972–73 Philadelphia 76ers season was their 24th season in the NBA and tenth in Philadelphia. Coming off a 30–52 record in the previous season, the 76ers lost their first 15 games of the season and a few months later, went on a then-record 20-game losing streak in a single season (now since broken by the 2023–24 Detroit Pistons in terms of single-season records).

1972–73 Philadelphia 76ers season
Head coach	Roy Rubin, Kevin Loughery
Owners	Irv Kosloff
Arena	The Spectrum
Results
Record	9–73 (.110)
Place	Division: 4th (Atlantic) Conference: 8th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	WTAF-TV
Radio	WCAU

Their record following the 20 game losing streak was 4–58, and the team at that point had just lost 34 of 35 games. The 76ers finished the season with a 9–73 record, earning the nickname from the skeptical Philadelphia media of the "Nine and 73-ers." The 76ers finished an NBA-record 59 games behind the Atlantic Division champion Boston Celtics. These 9 wins by this 1972–73 squad is tied for the 4th fewest in NBA history (behind only the 6 games won by the Providence Steamrollers in the 48-game 1947–48 BAA season back when the NBA was named the Basketball Association of America, the 7 games won by the Charlotte Bobcats in the lockout-shortened 66-game 2011–12 season and the 8 games won by the Vancouver Grizzlies in the lockout-shortened 50-game 1998–99 season, as well as tying the Los Angeles Clippers in the same lockout-shortened 50-game 1998–99 season).

The 73 losses, although threatened many times (including by the 2015–16 Sixers, who themselves lost 72 that season), remains the all-time low-water mark for any NBA franchise in an 82-game non-lockout season. The 76ers .110 winning percentage was the all-time worst mark in the NBA until the 2011–12 Charlotte Bobcats finished with a .106 winning percentage, whilst their −12.1 points per game point differential has been underdone only by the 2011–12 Bobcats (−13.9 points per game) and the 1992–93 Dallas Mavericks (−15.2 points per game). Only six seasons earlier, the 76ers had set the NBA record for most wins in a season and the highest winning percentage.

Offseason

The Sixers ownership offered the head coaching job to Marquette University head coach Al McGuire, and former University of Kentucky head coach Adolph Rupp, who was seventy years old at the time. Both refused the job. Only Hal Greer remained on the roster from the 1966–1967 NBA Championship Team. The 1972–73 season would be his last in the NBA.

1972 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club Team
1	5	Fred Boyd	(G)	United States	Oregon State
3		Charlie Tharpe		United States	Belhaven
4		Marshall Wingate		United States	Niagara
5		Joe Bynes		United States	Arkansas AM&N
6		John Glover		United States	Wiley
7		Curtis Pritchett		United States	St. Augustine
8		Jim Kopp		United States	Rockhurst
9		Rod Murray		United States	Cal State-Los Angeles
10		Gary Watson		United States	Wisconsin

Roster

Philadelphia 76ers roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From G 11 Boyd, Freddie 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1950–06–13 Oregon State G 3 Carter, Fred 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1945–02–14 Mount St. Mary's F 14 Ellis, LeRoy 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1940–03–10 St. John's F 25 Green, Luther 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1946–11–13 LIU Brooklyn G 15 Greer, Hal 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1936–06–26 Marshall G 42 Halliburton, Jeff 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 193 lb (88 kg) 1949–07–03 Drake C 26 Leaks, Manny 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1945–11–27 Niagara G 22 Loughery, Kevin 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1940–03–28 St. John's F 34 May, Don 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1946–01–03 Dayton G 36 Price, Mike 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1948–09–11 Illinois F 35 Sorenson, Dave 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1948–07–08 Ohio State F 31 Trapp, John Q. 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1945–10–02 UNLV F 5 Van Arsdale, Tom 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 202 lb (92 kg) 1943–02–22 Indiana	Head coach Kevin Loughery Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster Last transaction: {{{access-date}}}

Season

By the start of the 1972–73 season, most of the core of the 76ers 1966-67 championship team was gone. In the 1972 offseason, coach Jack Ramsay left to coach the Buffalo Braves, while a court order allowed All-Star forward Billy Cunningham to bolt to the ABA. Only Hal Greer, who was 36 years old, remained. Poor trades and draft selections over the years left the team with only a few quality players.

The 76ers finished the 1971–72 season with a 30–52 record and could not find a coach for the upcoming season. In desperation, management placed an ad in The Philadelphia Inquirer for a head coach. A friend of Irv Kosloff recommended Roy Rubin, the head coach at LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds. While Rubin had 11 years coaching in college basketball, he had no professional or major college experience to draw on.

The Sixers, whose roster included the likes of Manny Leaks, Jeff Halliburton, Mike Price, John Q. Trapp and Dave Sorenson, started the season 0–15 and later lost 20 consecutive games. Players criticized Rubin for his sloppy practices and the lack of meaningful comments during time-outs and breaks. Dave Wohl, who was traded to Portland, called Rubin a ‘con man’. With the club record at 4–47, Rubin was fired and replaced by Sixers player Kevin Loughery. The team's performance improved slightly, going 5–26 with a .161 winning percentage, compared with Rubin's .078 mark.

In their 1st win of the season (a 114–112 victory over Houston), coach Rubin actually injured himself by pulling a leg muscle. The top statistical leaders were Fred Carter (who led the team with 20 points per game), Tom Van Arsdale (with 17.7 points per game), and Leroy Ellis (with 13.7 points and 10.8 rebounds per game).

As bad as their season was, it would have been far worse if not for a 5–2 run the team put together in the last two weeks of February 1973. By Valentine's Day 1973 the 76ers' record stood at 4–58 or a .065 winning percentage which actually put on a pace to finish with an unimaginable 5–77 record. However, the team surprisingly won 5 of their next 7 games against some of the best competition in the league. 3 of those 5 wins came against teams that would eventually win fifty or more games that year – Baltimore, the 60-win Milwaukee Bucks and the 57–25 eventual NBA Champion New York Knicks. They improved to 9–60 and actually doubled their winning percentage (up from .065 to .130 during that run.) However, the 76ers lost their remaining 13 games to finish 9–73. Before the 1972–73 season the previous mark for fewest wins in an 82-game schedule was 15, and no subsequent NBA team won fewer than 22 until the 1980 Detroit Pistons who finished 16–66.

Season standings

Atlantic Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Neutral	Div
y-Boston Celtics	68	14	.829	–	33–6	32–8	3–0	18–4
x-New York Knicks	57	25	.695	11	35–6	21–18	1–1	16–6
Buffalo Braves	21	61	.256	47	14–27	6–31	1–3	8–14
Philadelphia 76ers	9	73	.110	59	5–26	2–36	2–11	2–20

#	Eastern Conference
	Team	W	L	PCT
1	z-Boston Celtics	68	14	.829
2	x-New York Knicks	57	25	.695
3	y-Baltimore Bullets	52	30	.634
4	x-Atlanta Hawks	46	36	.561
5	Houston Rockets	33	49	.402
6	Cleveland Cavaliers	32	50	.390
7	Buffalo Braves	21	61	.256
8	Philadelphia 76ers	9	73	.110

Record vs. opponents

1972–73 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BAL	BOS	BUF	CHI	CLE	DET	GSW	HOU	KCO	LAL	MIL	NYK	PHI	PHO	POR	SEA
Atlanta	—	3–4	1–5	5–1	2–2	3–4	2–2	1–3	4–4	2–2	3–1	1–3	3–3	6–0	3–1	4–0	3–1
Baltimore	4–3	—	1–5	5–1	0–4	8–0	2–2	3–1	5–2	3–1	1–3	2–2	3–3	5–1	2–2	4–0	4–0
Boston	5–1	5–1	—	7–0	3–1	5–1	3–1	3–1	5–1	3–1	4–0	2–2	4–4	7–0	4–0	4–0	4–0
Buffalo	1–5	1–5	0–7	—	2–2	1–5	1–3	0–4	1–5	1–3	0–4	0–4	1–6	7–1	1–3	2–2	2–2
Chicago	2–2	4–0	1–3	2–2	—	3–1	3–4	3–3	4–0	5–2	1–5	2–4	3–1	4–0	4–2	5–1	5–1
Cleveland	4–3	0–8	1–5	5–1	1–3	—	1–3	1–3	4–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	0–6	6–0	1–3	1–3	3–1
Detroit	2–2	2–2	1–3	3–1	4–3	3–1	—	2–4	1–3	3–3	1–5	2–5	1–3	3–1	4–2	6–0	2–4
Golden State	3–1	1–3	1–3	4–0	3–3	3–1	4–2	—	3–1	4–2	3–4	1–5	2–2	4–0	2–4	5–1	4–3
Houston	4–4	2–5	1–5	5–1	0–4	3–4	3–1	1–3	—	0–4	1–3	1–3	1–5	5–1	2–2	2–2	2–2
Kansas City-Omaha	2–2	1–3	1–3	3–1	2–5	2–2	3–3	2–4	4–0	—	1–5	1–6	0–4	3–1	3–3	4–2	4–2
Los Angeles	1–3	3–1	0–4	4–0	5–1	3–1	5–1	4–3	3–1	5–1	—	3–3	2–2	4–0	6–1	6–0	6–0
Milwaukee	3–1	2–2	2–2	4–0	4–2	3–1	5–2	5–1	3–1	6–1	3–3	—	2–2	3–1	5–1	5–1	5–1
New York	3–3	3–3	4–4	6–1	1–3	6–0	3–1	2–2	5–1	4–0	2–2	2–2	—	6–1	3–1	3–1	4–0
Philadelphia	0–6	1–5	0–7	1–7	0–4	0–6	1–3	0–4	1–5	1–3	0–4	1–3	1–6	—	0–4	1–3	1–3
Phoenix	1–3	2–2	0–4	3–1	2–4	3–1	2–4	4–2	2–2	3–3	1–6	1–5	1–3	4–0	—	5–2	4–2
Portland	0–4	0–4	0–4	2–2	1–5	3–1	0–6	1–5	2–2	2–4	0–6	1–5	1–3	3–1	2–5	—	3–4
Seattle	1–3	0–4	0–4	2–2	1–5	1–3	4–2	3–4	2–2	2–4	0–6	1–5	0–4	3–1	2–4	4–3	—

Anatomy of a demise

Two and a half months after Philadelphia's collapse against the Boston Celtics in the 1968 NBA Playoffs, Wilt Chamberlain was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. In return, the Sixers received Darrall Imhoff, Archie Clark and Jerry Chambers.

The background of the deal can be traced back to Sixers owners Ike Richman and Irv Kosloff. Chamberlain indicated that Richman promised him part ownership of the club, but Richman died before the deal was completed. When Kosloff became sole owner, he refused to honor the agreement Chamberlain had reached with Richman. This infuriated Chamberlain, and he contemplated retirement or bolting to the ABA. Chamberlain then expressed a desire to play in Los Angeles and suggested a trade. On paper, the deal made some sense from the Sixers' perspective, since general manager Jack Ramsay was not willing to risk letting Chamberlain get away for nothing. In the long run, however, the Sixers didn't get nearly enough in return.

After the 1967–68 season, head coach Alex Hannum bolted to the ABA, and Ramsay named himself head coach. He decided that Clark, Imhoff and Chambers would be part of a smaller, quicker, fast-breaking team. This plan had never truly materialized. Imhoff spent only 2 seasons with the 76ers, Clark spent three, while Chambers never played for Philadelphia after spending two years in the military before being traded. Luke Jackson, Chamberlain's intended successor, suffered a major injury in the 1968-69 season and was never the same player after that. Chet Walker was dealt to the Chicago Bulls for Jim Washington, a role player.

Another contributing factor to the poor season was Philadelphia's first-round draft choices from 1967 through 1972. Selections such as Craig Raymond, Shaler Halimon, Bud Ogden, Harris Ahmad, Al Henry, Dana Lewis and Fred Boyd made no impact with the club, while Philadelphia passed on drafting future stars such as Nate Archibald and Calvin Murphy.

Ramsay did coax 55 victories out of the 1st 76ers team he coached in 1968–69. That number dipped into the 40s for the next 2 seasons, and sunk even further to 30 in 1971–72—the 1st time they had missed the playoffs in franchise history (dating back to their tenure as the Syracuse Nationals).

Game log

1972–73 Game Log Total: 9–73 (Home: 5–26 ; Road: 2–36 ; Neutral: 2–11)
October: 0–9 (Home: 0–4 ; Road: 0–5 ; Neutral: 0–0) Game Date Opponent Score Location Record 1 October 10 @ Chicago Bulls 89–95 Chicago Stadium 0–1 2 October 11 Seattle SuperSonics 100–105 Philadelphia Spectrum 0–2 3 October 13 Buffalo Braves 101–104 Philadelphia Spectrum 0–3 4 October 17 @ Buffalo Braves 114–122 Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 0–4 5 October 21 @ New York Knicks 88–111 Madison Square Garden 0–5 6 October 23 @ Boston Celtics 85–105 Boston Garden 0–6 7 October 25 Cleveland Cavaliers 108–113 Philadelphia Spectrum 0–7 8 October 28 Milwaukee Bucks 92–96 Philadelphia Spectrum 0–8 9 October 31 @ Cleveland Cavaliers 116–126 Cleveland Arena 0–9
November: 2–13 (Home: 0–5 ; Road: 1–7 ; Neutral: 1–1) Game Date Opponent Score Location Record 10 November 1 Houston Rockets 104–108 Philadelphia Spectrum 0–10 11 November 3 Kansas City–Omaha Kings 101–114 Philadelphia Spectrum 0–11 12 November 4 @ Atlanta Hawks 120–128 Omni Coliseum 0–12 13 November 5 @ Milwaukee Bucks 113–131 Milwaukee Arena 0–13 14 November 8 @ Kansas City–Omaha Kings 107–125 Omaha Civic Auditorium 0–14 15 November 10 New York Knicks 106–125 Philadelphia Spectrum 0–15 16 November 11 N Houston Rockets 114–112 (San Antonio, Texas) 1–15 17 November 12 @ Phoenix Suns 108–119 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 1–16 18 November 16 @ Golden State Warriors 106–128 Oakland Arena 1–17 19 November 17 @ Seattle SuperSonics 92–105 Seattle Center Coliseum 1–18 20 November 19 @ Los Angeles Lakers 95–135 The Forum 1–19 21 November 24 N Buffalo Braves 96–105 (Hershey, Pennsylvania) 1–20 22 November 25 Portland Trail Blazers 106–117 Philadelphia Spectrum 1–21 23 November 28 @ Buffalo Braves 101–94 Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 2–21 24 November 29 New York Knicks 91–139 Philadelphia Spectrum 2–22
December: 1–13 (Home: 1–4 ; Road: 0–6 ; Neutral: 0–3) Game Date Opponent Score Location Record 25 December 1 Boston Celtics 99–105 Philadelphia Spectrum 2–23 26 December 2 @ Boston Celtics 120–131 Philadelphia Spectrum 2–24 27 December 6 Kansas City–Omaha Kings 122–117 Philadelphia Spectrum 3–24 28 December 7 N Phoenix Suns 102–117 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) 3–25 29 December 8 Chicago Bulls 102–118 Philadelphia Spectrum 3–26 30 December 9 @ New York Knicks 109–120 Madison Square Garden 3–27 31 December 12 @ Baltimore Bullets 102–123 Baltimore Civic Center 3–28 32 December 13 Los Angeles Lakers 90–128 Philadelphia Spectrum 3–29 33 December 16 Buffalo Braves 103–126 Philadelphia Spectrum 3–30 34 December 20 @ Detroit Pistons 113–141 Cobo Hall 3–31 35 December 22 @ Houston Rockets 103–116 Hofheinz Pavilion 3–32 36 December 23 @ Atlanta Hawks 112–124 Omni Coliseum 3–33 37 December 27 N Atlanta Hawks 120–121 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) 3–34 38 December 30 N Boston Celtics 107–117 (Providence, Rhode Island) 3–35
January: 1–16 (Home: 0–5 ; Road: 1–9 ; Neutral: 0–2) Game Date Opponent Score Location Record 39 January 2 @ Buffalo Braves 110–114 Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 3–36 40 January 5 @ Portland Trail Blazers 102–135 Memorial Coliseum 3–37 41 January 6 @ Golden State Warriors 79–111 Oakland Arena 3–38 42 January 7 @ Seattle SuperSonics 85–82 Seattle Center Coliseum 4–38 43 January 9 @ Chicago Bulls 110–126 Chicago Stadium 4–39 44 January 10 Los Angeles Lakers 96–120 Philadelphia Spectrum 4–40 45 January 12 N Cleveland Cavaliers 109–113 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) 4–41 46 January 13 Boston Celtics 95–111 Philadelphia Spectrum 4–42 47 January 15 @ Kansas City–Omaha Kings 108–135 Municipal Auditorium 4–43 48 January 16 @ Milwaukee Bucks 92–108 Milwaukee Arena 4–44 49 January 17 Atlanta Hawks 105–122 Philadelphia Spectrum 4–45 50 January 19 N Baltimore Bullets 94–110 (Hershey, Pennsylvania) 4–46 51 January 21 @ Baltimore Bullets 97–108 Baltimore Civic Center 4–47 52 January 26 @ Cleveland Cavaliers 100–105 Cleveland Arena 4–48 53 January 28 Buffalo Braves 96–101 Philadelphia Spectrum 4–49 54 January 30 @ Buffalo Braves 104–105 Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 4–50 55 January 31 Golden State Warriors 115–131 Philadelphia Spectrum 4–51
February: 5–9 (Home: 4–1 ; Road: 0–6 ; Neutral: 1–2) Game Date Opponent Score Location Record 56 February 2 @ Detroit Pistons 104–114 Cobo Hall 4–52 57 February 3 Boston Celtics 100–104 Philadelphia Spectrum 4–53 58 February 4 @ Boston Celtics 115–123 Boston Garden 4–54 59 February 6 N Houston Rockets 117–123 (San Antonio, Texas) 4–55 60 February 9 @ Portland Trail Blazers 105–116 Memorial Coliseum 4–56 61 February 10 @ Phoenix Suns 121–126 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 4–57 62 February 11 @ Los Angeles Lakers 90–108 The Forum 4–58 63 February 14 Milwaukee Bucks 106–104 Philadelphia Spectrum 5–58 64 February 16 Detroit Pistons 119–106 Philadelphia Spectrum 6–58 65 February 17 @ New York Knicks 89–107 Madison Square Garden 6–59 66 February 18 New York Knicks 114–98 Philadelphia Spectrum 7–59 67 February 23 N Houston Rockets 116–138 (Hershey, Pennsylvania) 7–60 68 February 25 N Portland Trail Blazers 115–111 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) 8–60 69 February 28 Baltimore Bullets 102–96 Philadelphia Spectrum 9–60
March: 0–13 (Home: 0–7 ; Road: 0–3 ; Neutral: 0–3) Game Date Opponent Score Location Record 70 March 2 Atlanta Hawks 107–130 Philadelphia Spectrum 9–61 71 March 4 @ Atlanta Hawks 130–138 Omni Coliseum 9–62 72 March 7 New York Knicks 94–120 Philadelphia Spectrum 9–63 73 March 9 N Chicago Bulls 84–104 (Hershey, Pennsylvania) 9–64 74 March 10 Seattle SuperSonics 96–106 Philadelphia Spectrum 9–65 75 March 11 N Golden State Warriors 93–97 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) 9–66 76 March 14 Phoenix Suns 114–120 Philadelphia Spectrum 9–67 77 March 17 Baltimore Bullets 115–120 Philadelphia Spectrum 9–68 78 March 18 @ Baltimore Bullets 118–129 Baltimore Civic Center 9–69 79 March 20 @ Cleveland Cavaliers 105–131 Cleveland Arena 9–70 80 March 21 Cleveland Cavaliers 109–112 Philadelphia Spectrum 9–71 81 March 23 Houston Rockets 112–132 Philadelphia Spectrum 9–72 82 March 25 N Detroit Pistons 96–115 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) 9–73
1972–73 Schedule

Awards and records

• Fred Boyd, NBA All-Rookie Team First Team

External links

• 1972–73 Philadelphia 76ers on Basketball Reference