Series Summary
| Game | Date | Home Team | Result | Road Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | Sunday, May 22 | Philadelphia 76ers | 113-107 (1-0) | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Game 2 | Thursday, May 26 | Philadelphia 76ers | 103-93 (2-0) | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Game 3 | Sunday, May 29 | Los Angeles Lakers | 94-111 (0-3) | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Game 4 | Tuesday, May 31 | Los Angeles Lakers | 108-115 (0-4) | Philadelphia 76ers |
The final piece of the Philadelphia 76ers' championship puzzle was completed before the 1982-83 season when they acquired center Moses Malone from the Houston Rockets. They went on to capture their historic second NBA championship as they won 65 games, and stormed through the playoffs, first sweeping the New York Knicks, and then beating the Milwaukee Bucks in five games. They finally finished it off with a four game sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers, who had defeated them the season before.
Said head coach Billy Cunningham, "The difference from last year was Moses." Malone was named MVP of the 1983 Finals, as well as league MVP for the third time in his career. The 76ers completed one of the most dominating playoff runs in league history with a 12-1 mark after league and NBA Finals MVP Moses promised "Fo', fo', fo" (as in "four, four, four" - four wins to sweep round 1, four wins to sweep round 2, etc.), but it actually wound up as "Fo', fi', fo." (four, five, four). The 76ers were also led by Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney, and Bobby Jones.
With 59 seconds to go in Game 4, it was Erving who made a three-point play to hold the lead for good, crushing the Lakers in a four game sweep and ending the last NBA Finals to end before June.
Read more about this topic: 1983 NBA Finals
Famous quotes containing the words series and/or summary:
“The theory of truth is a series of truisms.”
—J.L. (John Langshaw)
“I have simplified my politics into an utter detestation of all existing governments; and, as it is the shortest and most agreeable and summary feeling imaginable, the first moment of an universal republic would convert me into an advocate for single and uncontradicted despotism. The fact is, riches are power, and poverty is slavery all over the earth, and one sort of establishment is no better, nor worse, for a people than another.”
—George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)