“Fo fo’ fo” said a confident Moses Malone when giving his prediction on how the 76ers would do in the playoffs after going a league-best 65-17 in the regular season.
As impossible as that sounds, he was almost right. And after he, Dr. J, Andrew Toney, Mo Cheeks, and the rest of the Philly crew swept the Knicks, beat the Bucks 4-1, and then swept Magic Johnson and the Worthy-less Lakers in the 83 Finals, the team received Championship rings engraved with an updated quote: Fo, Five, Fo.
“Everybody had a sense that this was our opportunity,” recalled Sixth Man of the Year Bobby Jones. “The motivation was there, and we were healthy, too. We got off to a good start, got some confidence, and didn’t get cocky. We kept that good work ethic. I think Moses really established a lot of that. Julius had always had it. But then a big guy comes in and does that, and it helps.”
The big guy outplayed Kareem, Rambis, and Landsberger throughout the series and saved his best for last when he put up 24 points and 23 rebounds in Game 4. But the final game of the amazing season for the 76ers was far from a one-man show as Toney, Cheeks, and the Doctor all put up 20+ points, and Bobby Jones came off the bench and made 6-of-7 shots. It was a total team effort by one of the greatest basketball teams of all time.
“There was nothing pretty about what we did in the NBA Finals,” Erving said. “But it was all so beautiful.”
THE GREAT MOSES MALONE
The Chairman of the Boards might be the most underrated basketball player ever. After back-to-back undefeated seasons and championships in high school, Malone became the first prep-to-pro basketball player. He was an All-Star in the ABA from day one and an MVP in the NBA in just his third NBA season with the Houston Rockets. The MVP award was his first of three over the following four years. The last of those MVP awards was during his Championship season with the Sixers.
You could also make the case that the 6x rebounding leader is the greatest offensive rebounder ever. Look at these numbers and watch the video I put together, which shows how skilled he was.
Moses was Chief Justice of the The Supreme Court
The other members: Sidney Moncrief, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Chuck Person, Ron Harper and Alvin Robertson pic.twitter.com/QeK9q9wbvV
— David Astramskas (@redapples) September 13, 2025