2002–03 Philadelphia 76ers season

The 2002–03 Philadelphia 76ers season was the 54th season for the Philadelphia 76ers in the National Basketball Association, and their 40th season in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[1] During the off-season, the 76ers acquired Keith Van Horn, and former 76ers center Todd MacCulloch from the New Jersey Nets; Van Horn was originally drafted by the team as the second overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft.^[2][3][4] The team also signed free agents Greg Buckner and Brian Skinner.

With the addition of Van Horn and MacCulloch, the 76ers got off to a fast start by winning 15 of their first 19 games of the regular season, which included an eight-game winning streak November and December. In December, the team acquired Kenny Thomas from the Houston Rockets in a three-team trade.^[5][6] However, the 76ers struggled losing 14 of their next 18 games, which included a six-game losing streak in January, as the team held a 25–24 record at the All-Star break.^[7] The 76ers posted a nine-game winning streak between February and March, and finished in second place in the Atlantic Division with a 48–34 record, earning the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, and qualifying for the NBA playoffs for the fifth consecutive year.^[8]

For the first time in his NBA career, Allen Iverson played a full 82-game season, averaging 27.6 points, 5.5 assists and 2.7 steals per game, as he was named to the All-NBA Second Team. In addition, Van Horn averaged 15.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, while Eric Snow provided the team with 12.9 points, 6.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, and Thomas contributed 10.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in 46 games after the trade. Meanwhile, Derrick Coleman provided with 9.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, Aaron McKie contributed 9.0 points, 3.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game, MacCulloch averaged 7.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, but only played just 42 games, Buckner contributed 6.0 points per game, and Skinner provided with 6.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.^[9]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, Iverson was selected for the 2003 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team.^[10][11][12] Iverson finished in sixth place in Most Valuable Player voting,^[13][14] and also finished in sixth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, while Snow finished in tenth place;^[14] Snow also finished tied in 21st place in Most Improved Player voting,^[14] and head coach Larry Brown finished in ninth place in Coach of the Year voting.^[14]

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 2003 NBA playoffs, the 76ers faced off against the 5th–seeded New Orleans Hornets, who were led by the trio of All-Star forward Jamal Mashburn, All-Star guard Baron Davis, and David Wesley. The 76ers took a 3–1 series lead over the Hornets, before losing Game 5 at home, 93–91 at the First Union Center. The 76ers won Game 6 over the Hornets on the road, 107–103 at the New Orleans Arena to win the series in six games.^[15][16][17]

In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the top–seeded, and Central Division champion Detroit Pistons, who were led by the trio of Richard Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, and All-Star center, and Defensive Player of the Year, Ben Wallace. The 76ers lost the first two games to the Pistons on the road at The Palace of Auburn Hills, but managed to win the next two games at home, which included a Game 4 win over the Pistons at the First Union Center, 95–82. However, the 76ers lost the next two games, including a Game 6 loss to the Pistons at the First Union Center in overtime, 93–89, thus losing the series in six games.^[18][19][20]

The 76ers finished fourth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 807,097 at the First Union Center during the regular season.^[9][21] Following the season, Van Horn was traded to the New York Knicks,^[22][23] and Brown resigned as head coach after six seasons with the 76ers, and would take a coaching job with the Detroit Pistons.^[24][25][26] The 76ers would not win another NBA playoff series until 2012, where they defeated the Chicago Bulls in six games in the Eastern Conference First Round of the 2012 NBA playoffs.