In 1983 the Sixers blasted their way through the playoffs, losing only one game. In the finals they played the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. The champions fell just as the others had in the first three games, but things got tighter in the fourth. The Lakers opened up a 16-point lead in the second quarter and were still ahead by 11 at the end of the third. Methodically, the Sixers fought back. They tied the score with 2:02 remaining in the contest when Erving stole a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar pass and scored on a slam. The Doctor then put his team in the lead to stay with a three-point play with 59 seconds remaining. And Moses Malone (above) scored 24 points and had 23 rebounds! The final score was 115-108. Erving had scored 21 points. It was the first 76er championship since 1967. The Sixers had become the first team to go through the playoffs and the championship series with only one defeat.
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