1996–97 Philadelphia 76ers season
NBA professional basketball team season
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The 1996–97 Philadelphia 76ers season was the 48th season for the Philadelphia 76ers in the National Basketball Association, and their 34th season in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1]
| 1996–97 Philadelphia 76ers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Johnny Davis |
| General manager | Brad Greenberg |
| Owners | Comcast Spectacor |
| Arena | CoreStates Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 22–60 (.268) |
| Place | Division: 6th (Atlantic) Conference: 14th (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | |
| Radio | WIP |
Season summary
Off-season
Before the beginning of the season, the 76ers won the NBA draft lottery,[2][3] and selected point guard Allen Iverson out of Georgetown University with the first overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft.[4][5][6] After two seasons at Georgetown, Iverson quickly established himself as one of the premier point guards in the NBA. During the off-season, the 76ers signed free agents Don MacLean,[7] Mark Davis,[8] Lucious Harris,[9] and Michael Cage,[10][11] and hired Johnny Davis as their new head coach.[12][13] The team also moved into the new 20,000 plus seat CoreStates Center, after calling The Spectrum home from 1967 to 1996.
Regular season
Under Davis and with the addition of Iverson, the 76ers played around .500 in winning percentage with a 7–8 start to the regular season. However, the team struggled and lost 23 of their next 24 games, including 10 and 13-game losing streaks posted respectively, and held a 12–34 record at the All-Star break.[14] The 76ers lost ten of their final eleven games of the season, and finished in sixth place in the Atlantic Division with a 22–60 record;[15] the team missed the NBA playoffs for the sixth consecutive year.[1]
Iverson had a successful rookie season, scoring 30 points in his NBA debut in the 76ers' 111–103 home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, at the CoreStates Center on November 1, 1996,[16][17][18] and finishing the regular season averaging 23.5 points, 7.5 assists and 2.1 steals per game, and also leading the team with 155 three-point field goals; he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.[19][20][21] In addition, second-year star Jerry Stackhouse finished second on the team in scoring with 20.7 points per game, and 102 three-point field goals, while Derrick Coleman averaged 18.1 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, but only played 57 games due to a finger injury,[22][23][24] and Clarence Weatherspoon provided the team with 12.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Off the bench, MacLean contributed 10.9 points per game, but only played just 37 games due to a hip injury,[25] while Davis provided with 8.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, Rex Walters contributed 6.8 points per game, starting center Scott Williams averaged 5.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, Harris contributed 5.4 points per game, and Cage provided with 1.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.[26]
During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, Iverson was selected for the NBA Rookie Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference Rookie team.[27] Iverson scored 19 points along with 9 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks, and was named the Rookie Game's Most Valuable Player, as the Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference, 96–91.[28][29][30] In addition, Iverson was also selected to participate in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, but withdrew due to injury, and was replaced with Darvin Ham of the Denver Nuggets.[31][32] Iverson finished tied in 17th place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Davis finished tied in seventh place in Sixth Man of the Year voting.[33]
The 76ers finished 26th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 610,974 at the CoreStates Center during the regular season, which was the fourth-lowest in the league.[26][34]
Notable highlights
Iverson also set a rookie record of scoring 40 or more points in five consecutive games in April, plus scoring a season-high of 50 points in a road game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, at the Gund Arena on April 12, 1997, despite the 76ers losing all five of those games.[35][36][37]
Aftermath
Following the season, Davis and General Manager Brad Greenberg were both fired,[38][39] and MacLean, Harris and Cage were all traded to the New Jersey Nets.[40][41][42]
Offseason
NBA draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Allen Iverson | PG/SG |  United States |
Georgetown |
| 2 | 31 | Mark Hendrickson | SF | United States |
Washington State |
| 2 | 32 | Ryan Minor (from Toronto) | SG | United States |
Oklahoma |
| 2 | 48 | Jamie Feick (from Detroit) | PF | United States |
Michigan State |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
|
Regular season
Season standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Miami Heat | 61 | 21 | .744 | – | 29–12 | 32–9 | 16–8 |
| x-New York Knicks | 57 | 25 | .695 | 4 | 31–10 | 26–15 | 19–6 |
| x-Orlando Magic | 45 | 37 | .549 | 16 | 26–15 | 19–22 | 13–11 |
| x-Washington Bullets | 44 | 38 | .537 | 17 | 25–16 | 19–22 | 14–10 |
| New Jersey Nets | 26 | 56 | .317 | 35 | 16–25 | 10–31 | 11–13 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 22 | 60 | .268 | 39 | 11–30 | 11–30 | 11–14 |
| Boston Celtics | 15 | 67 | .183 | 46 | 11–30 | 4–37 | 1–23 |
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | z-Chicago Bulls | 69 | 13 | .841 | – |
| 2 | y-Miami Heat | 61 | 21 | .744 | 8 |
| 3 | x-New York Knicks | 57 | 25 | .695 | 12 |
| 4 | x-Atlanta Hawks | 56 | 26 | .683 | 13 |
| 5 | x-Detroit Pistons | 54 | 28 | .659 | 15 |
| 6 | x-Charlotte Hornets | 54 | 28 | .659 | 15 |
| 7 | x-Orlando Magic | 45 | 37 | .549 | 24 |
| 8 | x-Washington Bullets | 44 | 38 | .537 | 25 |
| 9 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 42 | 40 | .512 | 27 |
| 10 | Indiana Pacers | 39 | 43 | .476 | 30 |
| 11 | Milwaukee Bucks | 33 | 49 | .402 | 36 |
| 12 | Toronto Raptors | 30 | 52 | .366 | 39 |
| 13 | New Jersey Nets | 26 | 56 | .317 | 43 |
| 14 | Philadelphia 76ers | 22 | 60 | .268 | 47 |
| 15 | Boston Celtics | 15 | 67 | .183 | 54 |
Season schedule
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | 76ers points | Opponent points | Record | Streak | OT |
| 1 | November 1 | Milwaukee | Loss | 103 | 111 | 0-1 | Lost 1 | |
| 2 | November 2 | @ Chicago | Loss | 86 | 115 | 0-2 | Lost 2 | |
| 3 | November 5 | Detroit | Loss | 81 | 83 | 0-3 | Lost 3 | |
| 4 | November 8 | @ Boston | Win | 115 | 105 | 1-3 | Won 1 | |
| 5 | November 9 | Phoenix | Win | 112 | 95 | 2-3 | Won 2 | |
| 6 | November 12 | @ New York | Win | 101 | 97 | 3-3 | Won 3 | |
| 7 | November 13 | @ Toronto | Loss | 98 | 110 | 3-4 | Lost 1 | |
| 8 | November 15 | Cleveland | Loss | 89 | 105 | 3-5 | Lost 2 | |
| 9 | November 16 | @ Miami | Win | 91 | 89 | 4-5 | Won 1 | |
| 10 | November 20 | Indiana | Loss | 92 | 103 | 4-6 | Lost 1 | |
| 11 | November 22 | @ Washington | Loss | 76 | 88 | 4-7 | Lost 2 | |
| 12 | November 23 | New York | Win | 109 | 92 | 5-7 | Won 1 | |
| 13 | November 26 | LA Lakers | Loss | 88 | 100 | 5-8 | Lost 1 | |
| 14 | November 29 | Orlando | Win | 100 | 91 | 6-8 | Won 1 | |
| 15 | November 30 | Vancouver | Win | 96 | 90 | 7-8 | Won 2 | |
| 16 | December 4 | @ San Antonio | Loss | 103 | 113 | 7-9 | Lost 1 | |
| 17 | December 5 | @ Dallas | Loss | 102 | 106 | 7-10 | Lost 2 | |
| 18 | December 7 | @ Houston | Loss | 108 | 123 | 7-11 | Lost 3 | |
| 19 | December 9 | Seattle | Loss | 94 | 118 | 7-12 | Lost 4 | |
| 20 | December 11 | Miami | Loss | 79 | 84 | 7-13 | Lost 5 | |
| 21 | December 13 | @ Charlotte | Loss | 75 | 84 | 7-14 | Lost 6 | |
| 22 | December 14 | @ Atlanta | Loss | 81 | 106 | 7-15 | Lost 7 | |
| 23 | December 17 | Charlotte | Loss | 84 | 93 | 7-16 | Lost 8 | |
| 24 | December 20 | New York | Loss | 103 | 110 | 7-17 | Lost 9 | |
| 25 | December 21 | Chicago | Loss | 105 | 111 | 7-18 | Lost 10 | |
| 26 | December 26 | @ Denver | Win | 118 | 89 | 8-18 | Won 1 | |
| 27 | December 28 | @ Utah | Loss | 84 | 110 | 8-19 | Lost 1 | |
| 28 | December 29 | @ LA Lakers | Loss | 102 | 115 | 8-20 | Lost 2 | |
| 29 | January 2 | @ Seattle | Loss | 82 | 96 | 8-21 | Lost 3 | |
| 30 | January 3 | @ Golden State | Loss | 114 | 122 | 8-22 | Lost 4 | OT |
| 31 | January 5 | @ Sacramento | Loss | 106 | 107 | 8-23 | Lost 5 | |
| 32 | January 7 | @ Orlando | Loss | 88 | 109 | 8-24 | Lost 6 | |
| 33 | January 8 | Dallas | Loss | 93 | 111 | 8-25 | Lost 7 | |
| 34 | January 10 | Houston | Loss | 99 | 120 | 8-26 | Lost 8 | |
| 35 | January 13 | Utah | Loss | 96 | 97 | 8-27 | Lost 9 | OT |
| 36 | January 15 | Golden State | Loss | 111 | 128 | 8-28 | Lost 10 | |
| 37 | January 17 | New Jersey | Loss | 103 | 105 | 8-29 | Lost 11 | OT |
| 38 | January 19 | @ Indiana | Loss | 107 | 111 | 8-30 | Lost 12 | |
| 39 | January 20 | Milwaukee | Loss | 104 | 114 | 8-31 | Lost 13 | |
| 40 | January 22 | @ Boston | Win | 127 | 125 | 9-31 | Won 1 | OT |
| 41 | January 24 | Sacramento | Loss | 92 | 107 | 9-32 | Lost 1 | |
| 42 | January 25 | @ Detroit | Loss | 95 | 104 | 9-33 | Lost 2 | |
| 43 | January 29 | Toronto | Win | 101 | 99 | 10-33 | Won 1 | |
| 44 | January 31 | Orlando | Loss | 99 | 109 | 10-34 | Lost 1 | |
| 45 | February 1 | @ Milwaukee | Win | 109 | 100 | 11-34 | Won 1 | |
| 46 | February 5 | San Antonio | Win | 113 | 97 | 12-34 | Won 2 | |
| 47 | February 11 | @ Cleveland | Loss | 94 | 105 | 12-35 | Lost 1 | |
| 48 | February 13 | @ New York | Loss | 92 | 107 | 12-36 | Lost 2 | |
| 49 | February 15 | @ Miami | Loss | 99 | 125 | 12-37 | Lost 3 | |
| 50 | February 16 | Denver | Loss | 97 | 112 | 12-38 | Lost 4 | |
| 51 | February 18 | Miami | Loss | 83 | 111 | 12-39 | Lost 5 | |
| 52 | February 20 | LA Clippers | Win | 101 | 84 | 13-39 | Won 1 | |
| 53 | February 22 | Portland | Win | 97 | 80 | 14-39 | Won 2 | |
| 54 | February 25 | @ LA Clippers | Loss | 93 | 98 | 14-40 | Lost 1 | |
| 55 | February 26 | @ Phoenix | Loss | 104 | 111 | 14-41 | Lost 2 | |
| 56 | February 28 | @ Vancouver | Win | 104 | 100 | 15-41 | Won 1 | |
| 57 | March 2 | @ Portland | Loss | 95 | 112 | 15-42 | Lost 1 | |
| 58 | March 4 | Washington | Loss | 106 | 107 | 15-43 | Lost 2 | |
| 59 | March 6 | Atlanta | Loss | 104 | 117 | 15-44 | Lost 3 | |
| 60 | March 9 | @ Washington | Win | 99 | 93 | 16-44 | Won 1 | |
| 61 | March 11 | @ Minnesota | Loss | 100 | 104 | 16-45 | Lost 1 | |
| 62 | March 12 | Chicago | Loss | 104 | 108 | 16-46 | Lost 2 | |
| 63 | March 14 | Minnesota | Win | 109 | 95 | 17-46 | Won 1 | |
| 64 | March 15 | Charlotte | Loss | 99 | 107 | 17-47 | Lost 1 | |
| 65 | March 18 | @ Toronto | Loss | 105 | 117 | 17-48 | Lost 2 | |
| 66 | March 19 | New York | Loss | 100 | 111 | 17-49 | Lost 3 | |
| 67 | March 21 | New Jersey | Win | 112 | 110 | 18-49 | Won 1 | |
| 68 | March 26 | @ New Jersey | Loss | 105 | 123 | 18-50 | Lost 1 | |
| 69 | March 28 | Boston | Win | 113 | 105 | 19-50 | Won 1 | |
| 70 | March 30 | @ Detroit | Win | 96 | 92 | 20-50 | Won 2 | |
| 71 | April 1 | @ Orlando | Win | 105 | 93 | 21-50 | Won 3 | |
| 72 | April 2 | Toronto | Loss | 90 | 112 | 21-51 | Lost 1 | |
| 73 | April 4 | Indiana | Loss | 103 | 114 | 21-52 | Lost 2 | |
| 74 | April 5 | @ Charlotte | Loss | 113 | 115 | 21-53 | Lost 3 | |
| 75 | April 7 | @ Chicago | Loss | 102 | 128 | 21-54 | Lost 4 | |
| 76 | April 9 | Atlanta | Loss | 101 | 116 | 21-55 | Lost 5 | |
| 77 | April 11 | @ Milwaukee | Loss | 118 | 126 | 21-56 | Lost 6 | |
| 78 | April 12 | @ Cleveland | Loss | 118 | 125 | 21-57 | Lost 7 | |
| 79 | April 14 | Washington | Loss | 110 | 131 | 21-58 | Lost 8 | |
| 80 | April 16 | @ New Jersey | Win | 113 | 105 | 22-58 | Won 1 | |
| 81 | April 18 | Boston | Loss | 113 | 119 | 22-59 | Lost 1 | |
| 82 | April 19 | @ Atlanta | Loss | 104 | 136 | 22-60 | Lost 2 |
Player stats
Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average
| Player | GP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen Iverson | 76 | 312 | 567 | 157 | 24 | 1787 | 23.5 |
| Jerry Stackhouse | 81 | 338 | 253 | 93 | 63 | 1679 | 20.7 |
| Derrick Coleman | 57 | 573 | 193 | 50 | 75 | 1032 | 18.1 |
| Clarence Weatherspoon | 82 | 679 | 140 | 74 | 86 | 1003 | 12.2 |
| Mark Davis | 75 | 323 | 135 | 85 | 31 | 639 | 8.5 |
| Don McLean | 37 | 140 | 37 | 12 | 10 | 402 | 10.9 |
| Rex Walters | 59 | 107 | 113 | 28 | 3 | 402 | 6.8 |
| Scott Williams | 62 | 397 | 41 | 44 | 41 | 362 | 5.8 |
| Lucious Harris | 54 | 71 | 50 | 41 | 3 | 293 | 5.4 |
| Doug Overton | 61 | 68 | 101 | 24 | 0 | 217 | 3.6 |
| Michael Cage | 82 | 320 | 43 | 48 | 42 | 151 | 1.8 |
| Mark Hendrickson | 29 | 92 | 3 | 10 | 4 | 85 | 2.9 |
| Adrian Caldwell | 27 | 111 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 72 | 2.7 |
| Mark Bradtke | 36 | 68 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 59 | 1.6 |
| Frankie King | 7 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 2.9 |
| Joe Courtney | 4 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3.0 |
Award winners
- Allen Iverson, NBA Rookie of the Year Award
- Allen Iverson, NBA All-Rookie Team First Team