21
Sep
Ranking the best seasons in Philly sports history
THE PHILLIES ARE phenomenal. This 2011 bunch will set a franchise record for victories. Might finish 45 games over .500. Clinched a playoff spot shortly after Labor Day. And did it all with key players ill or injured for significant amounts of time. You think it’s the best regular season for any Philadelphia pro team in the last 50 years? Well, think again, cotton candy-breath. Charlie’s Angels (that’s payback for humiliating bullpen rookies with Hello Kitty backpacks and pink boas) rank second on one man’s list. 1. 1966-67 Sixers As sweet as this summer has been, it doesn’t outdazzle the 1966-67 76ers, the team that started 45-4 and finished 68-13, making NBA history. Alex Hannum was the coach. Maybe it was Hannum who convinced Wilt Chamberlain to concentrate on defense and assists. Or maybe Chamberlain got weary of those headlines, “Wilt Scores 50, Sixers Lose.” Chamberlain averaged only 24.1 that year, shooting 68 percent, mostly on finger-rolls, like a guy sprinkling a fistful of croutons into a soup kettle. He led the league in rebounding (24 a game) and ranked third in assists (7.8). He had Luke Jackson in one corner and the underappreciated Chet Walker in the other. He had Hall of Famer Hal Greer at one guard, and the ebullient Wali Jones at the other. Billy Cunningham was the sixth man and the bench included Larry Costello and Bill Melchionni. It was Jones who pinned the nickname “Cy” on Melchionni. Short for Cyclops because the pale Villanova grad had such a great eye. 2. 2011 Phillies This is the best season in Phillies’ history, which is praising with faint damns. Great pitching will cover a multitude of sins, even a multitude of jolting injuries. But it still ranks behind that Sixers’ team that was voted the best team in NBA history. 3. 1974-75 Flyers This team was determined to prove that first Stanley Cup was no fluke. That ‘75 bunch finished 51-18-11 in a revamped league, unbeaten in the final 14 games. Bernie Parent won his second straight Vezina Trophy, pitching 12 shutouts. The reticent Reggie Leach teamed with Bobby Clarke and Bill Barber, scoring 45 goals. 4. 1982-83 Sixers And not just because Moses Malone predicted fo-fo-fo when asked for a playoff fo’cast. Remember, this is all about the regular season. The Sixers went 65-17 during the season with Malone grunting inside, grabbing 15 rebounds a game and the MVP hardware when it was over. “Moses just goes to the rack,” he explained, which constituted a monologue for Malone.
