Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot
This week’s star goes to rookie Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, who quietly turned himself into an NBA player. After not playing a single minute in 13 of the 76ers first 41 games, it appeared as if the young man might never develop into a quality role player yet alone a starter. However, the forward’s diligent hard work paid off and it now appears he has a bright NBA future. Luwawu-Cabarrot started the final 17 games of the season, and scored a career high 24 points in the final home game of the year. The rookie also set a new career mark with eight made field goals, and tied his career high in made threes with four, in the 120 – 111 loss to the Indiana Pacers. In the 114 – 113 season finale loss to the New York Knicks, Timothe tallied 14 points. The guard finished the season strong reaching double-figures in eight of the season’s final nine games. Such an impressive finish after such a challenging beginning is commendable for the Frenchman. STAT OF THE WEEK:
April Fools….Part Deux!
The season is now mercifully over, and with it another losing campaign has ended as well. Philadelphia finished the month 0 – 6 and considering they opened the year 4 – 16 through its first 20 games, that should not be a surprise to anyone. Just to reiterate from last week’s post “This should be nothing new for NBA fans in this area. April has not been kind to the 76ers. Philly has experienced 10 straight losing Aprils to accompany five straight losing seasons.” With yet another off-season uninterrupted by a postseason it seems that fans have become accustomed to such results. THIS WEEK IN 1982–83 (THE CHAMPIONSHIP YEAR):
The Chip’
Philadelphia finished up the year 2 – 3, losing three of their last four, playing without league M.V.P Moses Malone (tendinitis). The 76ers ended the season with the franchise’s second best record (65 – 17), and Malone became only the third player in the club’s illustrious history (at the time) to win the league’s M.V.P award. Yet, none of the mattered as the 1982 – 1983 season was all about the winning a ‘chip. The playoffs began with Philly on a bye, and receiving a seven day break, before taking the court against the New York Knicks. Philly won the regular season series 5-to-1 and made quick work of the division foe, sweeping the series. The Knicks kept it close, losing by an average of 5.5, but Moses proved his worth. The center set the tone in game one with a 38 point, 17 rebound performance, for the series Malone would average 31.2 points and 15.5 rebounds. The next round would bring in the Milwaukee Bucks and their physical 6’11 center Bob Lanier. The Bucks would avoid being swept, winning game three 100 – 94, and Lanier would end his career in spirited fashion holding Malone to an average of 22 points and 14 rebounds per. Nevertheless, a scorching game five first quarter from guard Andrew Toney, who dropped 14 points in the quarter and had 20 by halftime, would thrust the Sixers to their third NBA Finals appearance in four years.
The Finals ended officially on May 31, 1983, but unofficially the series ended the moment Philly took the court on May 22, 1983. Dr. J and crew would not be denied this time. Malone outrebounded the entire Los Angeles frontcourt 18-to-15 and the trio of Erving, Toney and Malone combined for 72 of the clubs 113 in the game one victory. The opening game served as the closet L.A. came to beating the 76ers, losing 113 – 107. Philly won game two 103 – 93, game three 111 – 94 and game four 115 – 108 en route to their first NBA title since 1967.
Before the playoffs began Malone was in pain. Suffering from fluid in his knee, or tendinitis depending who was asked, the center would get 14 days of rest prior to taking the floor against the Knicks. During that time the highest paid player in professional sports (at the time) was asked how he thought Philadelphia would fair in the postseason. The Hall-of-Famer uttered one of the greatest quotes in sports history in response “fo’ fo’ an’ fo”. Now time has recounted the statement and relived the championship years, but just how marvelous Malone was during that championship run has become an afterthought. The Virginia native led the team in scoring 11 of the 13 contests that postseason, and never had less than 12 boards in a game. During the playoffs the Philadelphia forward registered 26 points and an astounding 16 boards per. In the Finals his rebounding went from 16 a night to 18 a night, to go along with those same 26 points per. When “Mozilla” arrived in the city expectations were high, and he responded. The big man played the most minutes on the team that year, and never scored less than 11 points all season. In total the “Chairman of the Boards” played in 91 games and managed to grab 10 or more rebounds in 87 of them. The 76ers went from perennial contender to champion in one year because of Moses. The big’s tenacity and workman like effort embodied a city like no other. Thank you Mr. Chairman, and may rest in paradise. TWEET OF THE WEEK:
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Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot
This week’s star goes to rookie Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, who registered two career highs during the seven day period. “T.L.C” has come a long way this season and is still going strong while other rookies have hit the wall. In a 113 – 105 loss at Toronto, against the Raptors, Luwawu-Cabarrot dropped a career high 23 points and tied a career high seven made field goals. The Frenchman did most of his damage in the first quarter where he scored 11 of his 23. The small forward’s strong play continued throughout the week scoring 19 points in a 141 – 118 loss to the Brooklyn Nets and 18 points in a 102 – 90 loss to the Chicago Bulls. The first round pick notched his second career high of the week, this time on the defensive end with four steals. The France native is receiving invaluable playing time as the season winds down, and should be much more comfortable next year. STAT OF THE WEEK:
April Fools!
The season is mercifully coming to an end, but not without fully establishing just how bad this team is. Philadelphia is 0 – 4 in the month of April, 2 – 8 in their last 10 games and a whopping 7 – 18 in their last 25 contests. To think some actually said they would be a playoff team when this tanking-ish started four years ago. This should be nothing new for NBA fans in this area. April has not been kind to the 76ers. Philly has experienced 10 straight losing Aprils to accompany five straight losing seasons. It is difficult to conceive better days may be ahead, or to even consider anyone on this roster is worthy of being retained. However, different circumstances may just yield better results. THIS WEEK IN 1982 – 83 (THE CHAMPIONSHIP YEAR):
Iced
The playoffs could not come soon enough for the Sixers, who finished up the seven day period 3 – 1. The week began with a 96 – 84 win in Cleveland followed by a 116 – 108 win in Milwaukee. Moses Malone served as the catalyst in both wins tallying 26 and 11 in Cleveland to go with 34 points and 17 rebounds in Milwaukee. The Sixers returned to the Spectrum and got all they could handle against two former ABA giants in the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers. A last second three pointer from George “the Iceman” Gervin would give the visiting Spurs a 112 – 109 victory. Oddly enough, that three was the Iceman’s only attempt of the night as the small forward netted a game high 32 points. The loss ruined any chances the 76ers had of securing the best record in league history. Two nights later a 19-win Pacers team would take Philly to overtime, but eventually lose 126 – 118. Malone again was the star of the show grabbing 24 rebounds, 13 offensive, and showed the home crowd why he was worth every bit of the hype that surrounded his acquisition. TWEET OF THE WEEK:
Richaun Holmes
This week’s star goes to Richaun Holmes. The forward did not have an overwhelmingly statistically strong week, but his effort and energy were present in all four contests. Injuries and fatigue have opened the door for Holmes and he has responded well. Richaun’s numbers averaged 17 points and eight rebounds for the week in roughly 31 minutes a night. The second round pick’s exuberance and activity have given Philly fans something worth watching. The 76er forward tallied a game high 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a 99 – 92 loss to the visiting Atlanta Hawks. That performance highlighted the week for Holmes as the Sixers finished 1 – 3. STAT OF THE WEEK:
Beware the Ides of March!
The current group of 76er players are trying………….that is about the best one can utter when referencing what has transpired of late. The Sixers went 6 – 11 in the month of March, which is not as awful as it seemed when watching the games. In fact, Philadelphia managed a 3 – 3 record at home with wins against the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks. For the month Dario Saric was the team’s leading scorer (18.4) and Robert Covington was the squad’s leading rebounder (7.1), but it was the play of Holmes who benefited most from the rash of injuries that plagued the month. The combination of forward Shawn Long and Holmes would shoot 64 percent and 60 percent from the field respectively. THIS WEEK IN 1982 – 83 (THE CHAMPIONSHIP YEAR):
Those Damn Nets!
For the second week in a row the Sixers finished 2 – 2, with one of those two losses coming from the New Jersey Nets yet again. The week began with a routine 94 – 80 win against the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers. Then the unconquerable Rod Higgins (a rookie mind you) would drop a game high 25 points in leading the woebegone 26 – 46 Chicago Bulls to a 97 – 95 victory. Philly responded the following night with a 120 – 113 win at home against the Atlanta Hawks, only to lose again to Jersey’s finest. The Nets apparently had some sort of mind control over the eventual champs, and would win the season series 3 – 1 against Philly. In this contest it was the deadly combination of Buck Williams (20 points and 18 boards) and Mike O’Koren (20 points) that did our boys in. Making things even stranger the 76ers would outrebound the Larry Brown coached group 55 – 46 and tally 104 points only to still lose. Good thing the madness never reached the playoffs that season, or things may have gone a little different for Philly. The same thing could not be said the following year, which is a story for another day. TWEET OF THE WEEK:
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