1986–87 Philadelphia 76ers season
NBA professional basketball team season
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The 1986–87 Philadelphia 76ers season was the 76ers 38th season in the NBA and 24th season in Philadelphia. At the 1986 Draft, the Sixers made two trades that would cloud the franchise for over a decade. The Sixers traded the Number 1 overall pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers (who used this to draft Brad Daugherty), for Roy Hinson and cash. They also traded Moses Malone, Terry Catledge, and two first round draft picks to the Washington Bullets for Jeff Ruland and Cliff Robinson.
| 1986–87 Philadelphia 76ers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Matt Guokas |
| Arena | The Spectrum |
| Results | |
| Record | 45–37 (.549) |
| Place | Division: 2nd (Atlantic) Conference: 5th (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | First round (lost to Bucks 2–3) |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | WPHL-TV PRISM |
| Radio | WIP |
Brad Daugherty would have multiple All-Star selections with the Cavs, while Hinson was dealt away after having a short, unremarkable career (less than 1 and 1/2 years) in Philadelphia. Malone would go to the 1987 NBA All Star game, and Jeff Ruland played in a total of 5 games that season, before sustaining an injury that would keep him out of the NBA until a short stint with the Sixers in the 1992 season.
These two trades were so devastating in that, with the exception of the 2001 season in which they won the Eastern Conference Championship, they have not been considered an elite franchise since, after being one for a period from 1977 to that point. As of 2026, they have won just three division titles after this trade (1990, 2001, 2021), and have only appeared in one Eastern Conference Final series (2001).
The Sixers would finish nine games worse than the previous season at 45–37, and lose in the first round of the playoffs to the Milwaukee Bucks. This would be the 16th and final season for Julius Erving, who in his last regular season home game, became just the third player in ABA-NBA history to score over 30,000 points for a career. Each road city had a farewell ceremony to honor him.
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 44 | David Wingate | SG/SF |  United States | Georgetown |
| 3 | 56 | Keith Colbert | United States | Virginia Polytech | |
| 3 | 67 | Ron Rowan | SF | United States | St. John's |
| 4 | 90 | Wes Stallings | United States | East Tennessee State | |
| 5 | 113 | Kevin Holmes | United States | DePaul | |
| 6 | 136 | Andre McCloud | United States | Seton Hall | |
| 7 | 159 | Dan Palombizio | United States | Ball State |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Head coach
Legend
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Regular season
Season standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Boston Celtics | 59 | 23 | .720 | – | 39–2 | 20–21 | 15–9 |
| x-Philadelphia 76ers | 45 | 37 | .549 | 14 | 28–13 | 17–24 | 12–12 |
| x-Washington Bullets | 42 | 40 | .512 | 17 | 27–14 | 15–26 | 13–11 |
| New Jersey Nets | 24 | 58 | .293 | 35 | 19–22 | 5–36 | 12–12 |
| New York Knicks | 24 | 58 | .293 | 35 | 18–23 | 6–35 | 8–16 |
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | c-Boston Celtics | 59 | 23 | .720 | – |
| 2 | y-Atlanta Hawks | 57 | 25 | .695 | 2 |
| 3 | x-Detroit Pistons | 52 | 30 | .634 | 7 |
| 4 | x-Milwaukee Bucks | 50 | 32 | .610 | 9 |
| 5 | x-Philadelphia 76ers | 45 | 37 | .549 | 14 |
| 6 | x-Washington Bullets | 42 | 40 | .512 | 17 |
| 7 | x-Indiana Pacers | 41 | 41 | .500 | 18 |
| 8 | x-Chicago Bulls | 40 | 42 | .488 | 19 |
| 9 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 31 | 51 | .378 | 28 |
| 10 | New Jersey Nets | 24 | 58 | .293 | 35 |
| 11 | New York Knicks | 24 | 58 | .293 | 35 |
- z - clinched division title
- y - clinched division title
- x - clinched playoff spot
Game log
Regular season
| 1986–87 game log Total: 45–37 (Home: 28–13; Road: 17–24) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 1–0 (home: 1–0; road: 0–0)
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November: 9–7 (home: 6–2; road: 3–5)
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December: 6–9 (home: 4–4; road: 2–5)
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January: 10–5 (home: 6–1; road: 4–4)
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February: 5–7 (home: 2–2; road: 3–5)
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March: 9–6 (home: 5–3; road: 4–3)
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April: 5–5 (home: 4–1; road: 1–4)
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| 1986–87 schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playoffs
| 1987 playoff game log | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First Round: 2–3 (home: 1–1; road: 1–2)
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| 1987 schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Player statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |