Philadelphia 76ers 2021-22 NBA Schedule Info
The upcoming NBA season promises to be filled with action and excitement in the City of Brotherly Love. The Philadelphia 76ers are gearing up to play against their Atlantic Division rivals in the Eastern Conference. Here's a closer look at the Philadelphia 76ers' full 2021-22 schedule with intriguing storylines and matchups.
Who Are the Philadelphia 76ers?
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team in the NBA's Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded in 1946 as the Syracuse Nationals of the National Basketball League (NBL). The Nationals became part of the newly formed NBA in 1949 after the NBL merged with the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The franchise has won three championships, including two after it relocated to Philadelphia in 1963. Hall of Famers Dolph Schayes, Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, and Allen Iverson are just some of the greats who played for one of the most successful franchises in basketball history. The Nationals hit the ground running by reaching the first NBA Finals in 1950. Although the Nationals lost to the Minneapolis Lakers, they returned to the Finals two more times over the next five seasons. The Lakers beat the Nationals again in 1951 before Syracuse claimed its first championship by defeating the Fort Wayne Nationals in the first season with the 24-second shot clock in 1955. New ownership moved the team to Philadelphia one year after the Philadelphia Warriors relocated to San Francisco. The 76ers made a blockbuster trade to land Philly native and star center Wilt Chamberlain from the Warriors in 1964. Chamberlain led a star-studded team in 1966-67 that included Billy Cunningham, Chet Walker, Lucious Jackson, Wali Jones, and Hal Greer to the best record in NBA history to that point and the first championship since the franchise relocated to Philadelphia. It would take 10 more years before the 76ers returned to the NBA Finals, though. The Sixers acquired ABA superstar Julius Erving from the New York Nets in 1976 to take the team to another level. Erving, however, fell just short after Hall of Famer Bill Walton and the Portland Trail Blazers toppled Philly in the 1977 NBA Finals. The Sixers lost two more NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1980 and 1982 before making a blockbuster trade for two-time MVP Moses Malone. The superstar center turned out to be the missing piece for a talented squad that included Erving, Andrew Toney, Maurice Cheeks, and Bobby Jones. Malone won his third MVP to help Philly sweep the Lakers in the 1983 NBA Finals. The Sixers didn't maintain their lofty perch after winning their second title, though. All-Star forward Charles Barkley never found the same level of success for the remainder of the 1980s. The Sixers missed the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons (1992-98) before Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown and dynamic guard Allen Iverson gave the Philly faithful reason to believe again. Brown's defensive-minded strategy coupled with Iverson's electric offensive skills helped the scrappy Sixers reach the 2001 NBA Finals against the juggernaut Los Angeles Lakers. Iverson & Co. stunned Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant in Tinseltown in Game 1 before the Lakers won the next four games to claim the title. The Sixers failed to advance past the first round of the playoffs in 10 of the next 12 seasons. The brain trust led by Sam Hinkie made a calculated decision to rebuild by stripping the roster of quality players to better position the organization for high draft picks. The culture of tanking became known as “The Process,” which ultimately drew the ire of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and the rest of the powers that be. The Sixers hired San Antonio Spurs assistant Brett Brown in 2013 to coach a collection of subpar players during a nightmarish three-year span that resulted in a 47-199 record. They bottomed out in 2016 with a 10-72 record before drafting Kansas center Joel Embiid after the season. The Sixers also added lottery picks Jahlil Okafor, Ben Simmons, and Markelle Fultz to bolster the rebuilding process, but the strategy failed. The years of tanking didn't produce the desired results. Okafor and Fultz disappointed and were traded away. Embiid and Simmons failed to even advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Philadelphia 76ers Schedule for 2021/2022
The 76ers are at a crossroads after their early playoff exit last season. Philly's surprising loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals set in motion a series of questions for Doc Rivers' team. Ben Simmons' uncertain future is the darkest cloud hovering over last year's No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Simmons' mistrust of team decision-makers has seemingly reached a point of no return, with rumblings that the talented guard will sit out the entire season if he isn't traded. Simmons' underwhelming playoff performance that included poor free-throw shooting and a hesitancy to take shots in the fourth quarter deepened the divide. Star center Joel Embiid's and Rivers' criticisms after the shocking series loss to Atlanta exacerbated an already tense situation. General manager Daryl Morey has a franchise-altering decision on his hands entering the season. Morey hasn't found a trade to his liking so far and has maintained that Simmons, who has four years left on his contract, will remain on the team. In the meantime, Embiid, who finished second in NBA MVP voting last season, faces a tall order to get through an ultra-competitive Eastern Conference that includes the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks, the loaded Brooklyn Nets, upstart Atlanta Hawks, and the revamped Miami Heat. You can watch Joel Embiid lead the Philadelphia 76ers' pursuit of a championship live with tickets from TickPick. Check out TickPick for the best deals to watch one of the biggest stars in the NBA. With easy accessibility and cheaper prices than the competition, TickPick offers endless options to watch live sporting events.
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