Julius Erving made his case for his '83 Sixers as the best team ever: 'We should be in that conversation'

After losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1982 NBA Finals, the Philadelphia 76ers acquired Moses Malone in a sign-and-trade deal for Caldwell Jones.

Malone joined a team that had Julius Erving, Andrew Toney, Maurice Cheeks, Bobby Jones, and Marc Iavaroni. They proceeded to post the league's best record and then went on to dominate in the 1983 playoffs and win the NBA championship.

Looking back, Dr. J believes that the '83 Sixers team is the best playoff team in the history of the NBA.

"Moses Malone being the final piece to a team that was always in contention, we went to four Finals in seven years from '76 to '83," said Erving. "That's very much like Golden State's run in the modern era in the. They were calling that a dynasty."

The Golden State dynasty run

The Warriors made six NBA Finals appearances from 2015 to 2022, including five in a row from 2015 to 2019. But Golden State went 4-2 during that run, and that's why they are considered a dynasty. Meanwhile, the Sixers made the NBA Finals in 1977, 1980, and 1982, losing all three championship series before finally winning in 1983.

"But making it to the Finals is one thing; winning the Finals is another thing," added Erving. "So the three times we did not succeed probably cuts into the significance and the legacy of those teams. But I think the way in which we won and who we had might make that team the greatest playoff team ever, and we should be in that conversation."

With Philly adding Malone and not losing anyone to acquire him, the Sixers looked unstoppable during the 1982-83 season and won 65 games, the most in franchise history. They went 12-1 in the postseason, sweeping the then-defending champions Lakers in the 1983 NBA Finals.

'83 Sixers would beat the record-breaking Bulls

Aside from calling his '83 Sixers the best playoff team ever, Erving also said that team would defeat Michael Jordan's 70-win Chicago Bulls team of 1996. According to the Doctor, there was no one on that Bulls team that could match up with Big Mo. Malone went on to second Julius' declaration.

"We had a guy called Andrew Toney, Dr. J, Little Mo, Iavaroni, and Moses Malon. It would have been a good matchup, but the big difference would have been Andrew Toney because he likes great matchups. Dr. J and then me, and then we had a good defender, we had a good defensive team. Iavaroni, you know he did a lot of dirty work. So the edge would have favored the 76ers," Moses said.

The best playoff record for an NBA champion team is 16-1 by the 2017 Warriors. Shaq's 2001 Lakers are next at 15-1. The 1983 Sixers are third at 12-1. But remember that the only reason why they are third is because they played fewer games back then.