Julius Erving made a splash in Hempstead, UMass, and Rucker Park, but he was still relatively unknown when he signed with the Virginia Squires in 1971 after his junior year in college. His talent and ambition were otherworldly, and he took the ABA by storm. A few years later, a young Petersburg prodigy, Moses Malone, was considering skipping college and heading straight to the ABA. He shocked America by signing a million-dollar contract with the Utah Stars in 1974 right out of high school.
Julius Erving desired to be more than an outstanding athlete; he wanted to be a role model in the mold of Jackie Robinson and Bill Russell. On the court he was “bold and fearless,” and off it he became “a dignified and accessible ambassador” for the ABA. In contrast to the league’s charming and articulate face, the new 19-year-old rookie Moses Malone barely spoke to the press.
In the ABA’s final season, Dr. J stole the show at the Dunk Contest, won the MVP award, and led his team past Denver in the finals. When the new NBA season began, Julius was in Philadelphia and Moses in Houston. Both men had excellent years and faced each other in the Eastern Conference Finals, which Philly won in six games. Most observers viewed the NBA Finals against Portland as a clash between the undisciplined and erratic 76ers and a brilliantly structured and focused Blazers. The better-coached Blazers won in six.
In Houston, Moses’ relentless work ethic earned him the 1979 MVP award. He pulled down 587 offensive rebounds — a number no one has come within fifty of in nearly half a century.
After Philly flailed for a few years, an unhappy Julius Erving embraced religion and pared down his Afro. Approaching thirty, with creaky knees, he had decided he needed a reboot. The 76ers entered the 1979–80 season with team-oriented players like Bobby Jones and Mo Cheeks, now coached by Billy Cunningham. Julius had his best season since the ABA days. They beat the Celtics in the conference finals and met the Lakers for the title. Magic Johnson made history in Game 6 when he started at center and demolished Philadelphia.
The 1980–81 season saw Julius win the MVP award. In the conference finals he wore himself out guarding the younger Larry Bird, and the Sixers blew a 3–1 series lead, allowing Boston to reach the Finals, where they whipped Houston.
The following year Moses won another MVP, but the Rockets’ owner had died and Malone knew he would soon become a free agent. Philadelphia beat Boston but lost to the Lakers in the Finals. For the first time since his brother’s death years earlier, Julius Erving sat in the locker room and cried.
The Sixers knew they needed rebounding help, and were fed up with Daryl Dawkins. That summer, owner Harold Katz traded Daryl, and offered Malone a six-year, $13.2 million contract and changed the balance of power in the NBA.
Moses deferred completely to Doc, pounded the boards, and suddenly the Sixers were beating everyone, including Boston and Los Angeles. Malone’s lack of artistry and relentless effort endeared him to Philly’s blue-collar fan base. His “metronomic reliability steadied a team prone to losing its bearings under duress.” The Sixers started 50–7 before stumbling home at 15–10. Moses was battling serious knee pain and missing games.
A few days before the playoffs began, Moses had fluid drained from his knee and then overpowered the Knicks in the opener. It was a sweep, during which Moses scored 79 more points and grabbed 29 more rebounds than Bill Cartwright. Philadelphia then beat the Bucks in five before facing the Lakers in the Finals.
Philly won the first two games at home, with Moses leaning on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar both nights, and took Game 3 when Malone held Kareem scoreless in the second and third quarters. Doc scored the final three baskets in Game 4 to complete the sweep. The Sixers were on top of the world.
They flopped the following year. The nation’s attention shifted to three straight Lakers-Celtics Finals, and Philadelphia simply fell apart. The owner turned mean-spirited and traded Moses away, while Andrew Toney’s career was shortened because the team ignored his foot problems. Billy Cunningham retired with the highest winning percentage of any coach in NBA history. Doc retired in 1987. Moses played until 1995 and became the last ABA player in the league. He was one of only seven men to win three MVP awards, and Dr. J remains one of only nine men to score 30,000 professional points.
Gotta just love Julius Erving - incredible skills and a total class act. Philly - not at all.
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