The 1966-67 season of the Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...

was their 14th season in the National Basketball Association

National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

 (NBA) and their fourth since moving from Syracuse. The season would set a record in winning percentage and they won the NBA Finals for their second championship. The team was later chosen as the greatest individual team in 1980 for the NBA 35th Anniversary Team

NBA 35th Anniversary Team

The NBA 35th Anniversary Team was announced in 30 October 1980 to celebrated 35th Anniversary of NBA. Unlike its predecessor, the NBA 25th Anniversary Team, that followed the concept of All-NBA Team, this team was more like an NBA All-Star Team that contains the eleven best players in the NBA's 35...

.

During the off-season, the 76ers dismissed coach Dolph Schayes

Dolph Schayes

Adolph "Dolph" Schayes is a retired American professional basketball player and coach in the NBA. A top scorer and rebounder, he was a member of the 1955 NBA champion Syracuse Nationals and a 12-time All-Star....

 of Syracuse National fame. Alex Hannum

Alex Hannum

Alexander Murray Hannum was a professional basketball player and Hall-of-Fame coach.-Coaching career:Hannum is mostly known for coaching the Wilt Chamberlain-led Philadelphia 76ers of 1966-67 to the NBA championship, ending the eight-year title streak of the Boston Celtics. He had also coached the...

, the former 1950s power forward

Power forward (basketball)

Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...

, who was the last man to coach a winner past Boston, was the new coach. The 43-year-old Hannum looked like he could still play, and often ran with the club in practice.

Hannum's 76ers would share the ball, or play 'Celtic-ball' as some observed. Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt Chamberlain

Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain was an American professional NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; he also played for the Harlem Globetrotters prior to playing in the NBA...

 would not be expected to hold the team afloat like Atlas but would pass more and get the others involved. His eight assists per game set a record for centers and made him third in the NBA overall, while scoring 24 per game and again leading the NBA in rebound

Rebound (basketball)

A rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made...

s and blocked shots.

Shooting less, he made a league-record 68% of his shots; his 875 free throw

Free throw

In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court , and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team...

 attempts, another league record, offset his dismal percentage from the foul line.

The 76ers also had three other players around the 20 point-per-game mark this season in Hal Greer

Hal Greer

Harold Everett Greer is a retired American professional basketball player.He attended Douglass Junior and Senior High School in Huntington. He played college basketball at Marshall University and was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals of the NBA in 1958...

 with 22 points, Chet Walker

Chet Walker

Chester "Chet" Walker is a former pro basketball player.Walker played high school basketball for the Benton Harbor High School boys basketball team. He graduated from Bradley University in 1962 as the school's all-time leading scorer. The Bradley Braves won the NIT Championship in 1957 and 1960...

 and Billy Cunningham

Billy Cunningham

William John "Billy" Cunningham is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid.- Beginnings :...

, both with 19 points. All four players combined won a league-record 68 games together under Hannum's watch. The team averaged a record 125 points per game

Points per game

Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the average number of points scored by a player per game played in a sport, over the course of a series of games, a whole season, or a career. It is calculated by dividing the total number of points by number of games. The terminology is often used in...

, leading all teams in shooting accuracy.

The 76ers started the season at 46–4, still the best 50-game start in league history. They finished the season at 68–13, the best record in league history at the time.

NBA Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	9	Matt Guokas Matt Guokas Matthew George "Matt" Guokas, Jr. is a former American professional basketball player and coach.-Playing career:...	(G/F)		St. Joseph's Saint Joseph's University Saint Joseph's University is a private, coeducational Roman Catholic Jesuit university located partially in the Wynnefield section of Philadelphia and partially in Lower Merion Township and located in the Pennsylvania Main Line, Pennsylvania, United States.The school was founded in 1851 as Saint...

Depth chart

Pos.	Starter	Bench	Reserve	Inactive
C Center (basketball) The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...	Wilt Chamberlain Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain was an American professional NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; he also played for the Harlem Globetrotters prior to playing in the NBA...
PF Power forward (basketball) Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...	Luke Jackson Lucious Jackson Lucious Brown "Luke" Jackson is a retired American professional basketball player.-Collegiate career:Born in San Marcos, Texas, Jackson played college basketball at Pan American College and was a member the U.S. Olympic basketball team that won the gold at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo...	Billy Cunningham Billy Cunningham William John "Billy" Cunningham is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid.- Beginnings :...
SF Small forward The small forward, or colloquially known as three, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically somewhat shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers, but on occasion are just as tall...	Chet Walker Chet Walker Chester "Chet" Walker is a former pro basketball player.Walker played high school basketball for the Benton Harbor High School boys basketball team. He graduated from Bradley University in 1962 as the school's all-time leading scorer. The Bradley Braves won the NIT Championship in 1957 and 1960...	Dave Gambee Dave Gambee Dave Gambee is a former NBA player.He graduated from Corvallis High School in Corvallis, Oregon, and played college basketball at Oregon State University. Gambee was drafted by the St...
SG Shooting guard The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...	Hal Greer Hal Greer Harold Everett Greer is a retired American professional basketball player.He attended Douglass Junior and Senior High School in Huntington. He played college basketball at Marshall University and was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals of the NBA in 1958...	Matt Guokas Matt Guokas Matthew George "Matt" Guokas, Jr. is a former American professional basketball player and coach.-Playing career:...
PG Point guard Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...	Wali Jones Wali Jones Walter "Wali" Jones is a retired American professional basketball player. He was a 6'2" 180 lb guard....	Larry Costello Larry Costello Lawrence Ronald "Larry" Costello was an American professional basketball player and coach....	Bill Melchionni Bill Melchionni William P. "Bill" Melchionni is a former NBA and ABA player.Melchionni was a wispy guard from Bishop Eustace Prep who was a collegiate star in the mid-1960s at Villanova University and was the Most Valuable Player in the 1966 NIT... Bob Weiss Bob Weiss Robert William "Bob" Weiss is a retired American professional basketball player and head coach in the NBA. He is currently coaching Shanxi Zhongyu in the Chinese Basketball Association....

Player stats

Note: GP= Games played; PTS= Points; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; BLK= Blocks; STL= Steals;

Player	GP	PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL

NBA finals

Game	Date	Home Team	Result	Road Team
Game 1	April 14	Philadelphia	141-135	San Francisco
Game 2	April 16	Philadelphia	126-95	San Francisco
Game 3	April 18	San Francisco	130-124	Philadelphia
Game 4	April 20	San Francisco	108-122	Philadelphia
Game 5	April 23	Philadelphia	109-117	San Francisco
Game 6	April 24	San Francisco	122-125	Philadelphia

76ers win series 4-2