1980–81 Philadelphia 76ers season

NBA professional basketball team season

NBA professional basketball team season

1980–81 Philadelphia 76ers season

Head coach| Billy Cunningham
General manager| Pat Williams
Arena| The Spectrum
Results
Record| 62–20 (.756)
Place| Division: 2nd (Atlantic)
Conference: 3rd (Eastern)
Playoff finish| Eastern Conference finals
(lost to Celtics 3–4)

* * *

Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television| WKBS-TV
PRISM
Radio| WIP
| < 1979–80  | 1981–82 >

|

The 1980–81 Philadelphia 76ers season was the team's 32nd season in the NBA and 18th season in Philadelphia The team finished the regular season with a 62–20 record, however they lost the tie breaker with the Boston Celtics who had the home court advantage with the same regular season record. In the playoffs, they lost a seven-game series to the Boston Celtics, in the Eastern Conference finals, after having a three games to one series lead. This was the second time this occurred between the two teams (other in 1968), and the final 3 games of the series were decided by 5 points total. Julius Erving would win the Most Valuable Player of the League.[1]

## Draft picks

[edit]

Main article: 1980 NBA draft

Round  | Pick  | Player  | Position  | Nationality  | College

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1 | 8 | Andrew Toney | SG |  United States | Louisiana-Lafayette
1 | 21 | Monti Davis | F |  United States | Tennessee State
2 | 44 | Clyde Austin |  |  United States | North Carolina State
3 | 67 | Reggie Gaines |  |  United States | Winston-Salem State
4 | 85 | Billy Bryant |  |  United States | Western Kentucky
4 | 90 | Harold Hubbard |  |  United States | Savannah State
5 | 113 | Jim Swaney |  |  United States | Toledo
6 | 136 | Donald Cooper |  |  United States | St. Augustine's
7 | 159 | Richard Smith |  |  United States | Weber State
8 | 177 | Martin Lemelle |  |  United States | Grambling State
9 | 198 | Luke Griffin |  |  United States | St. Joseph's
10 | 213 | Joe Hand |  |  United States | King's College

## Roster

[edit]

1980–81 Philadelphia 76ers roster Players  | Coaches

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| Pos. | No. | Player  | Height  | Weight  | DOB | From

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G | 10 | Maurice Cheeks | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)  | 180 lb (82 kg)  | 1956–09–08  | West Texas A&M
G | 20 | Doug Collins  | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)  | 180 lb (82 kg)  | 1951–07–28  | Illinois State
F | 25 | Earl Cureton | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)  | 210 lb (95 kg)  | 1957–09–03  | Detroit Mercy
C | 53 | Darryl Dawkins | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)  | 251 lb (114 kg)  | 1957–01–11  | Maynard Evans HS (FL)
F | 6 | Julius Erving | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)  | 210 lb (95 kg)  | 1950–02–22  | UMass
G | 9 | Lionel Hollins | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)  | 185 lb (84 kg)  | 1953–10–19  | Arizona State
F | 18 | Ollie Johnson | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)  | 200 lb (91 kg)  | 1949–05–11  | Temple
F | 24 | Bobby Jones | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)  | 210 lb (95 kg)  | 1951–12–18  | North Carolina
C | 11 | Caldwell Jones | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)  | 217 lb (98 kg)  | 1950–08–04  | Albany State
G | 4 | Clint Richardson | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)  | 195 lb (88 kg)  | 1956–08–07  | Seattle
F | 50 | Steve Mix | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)  | 215 lb (98 kg)  | 1947–12–30  | Toledo
G | 22 | Andrew Toney | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)  | 178 lb (81 kg)  | 1957–11–23  | Louisiana

Head coach

* Billy Cunningham

Assistant(s)

* Chuck Daly
* Jack McMahon

* * *

Legend

* (DP) Unsigned draft pick
* (FA) Free agent
* (S) Suspended
* Injured

## Regular season

[edit]

### Season standings

[edit]

Atlantic Division

* v
* t
* e

|  W  |  L  |  PCT  |  GB  |  Home  |  Road  |  Div

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y-Boston Celtics | 62 | 20 | .756 | – | 35–6 | 27–14 | 19–5
x-Philadelphia 76ers | 62 | 20 | .756 | – | 37–4 | 25–16 | 15–9
x-New York Knicks | 50 | 32 | .610 | 12.0 | 28–13 | 22–19 | 14–10
Washington Bullets | 39 | 43 | .476 | 23.0 | 26–15 | 13–28 | 8–16
New Jersey Nets | 24 | 58 | .293 | 38.0 | 16–25 | 8–33 | 8–16
#  |

Eastern Conference

* v
* t
* e

|

Team  |  W  |  L  |  PCT  |  GB
1  | z-Boston Celtics | 62 | 20 | .756 |  –
2  | y-Milwaukee Bucks | 60 | 22 | .732 | 2
3  | x-Philadelphia 76ers | 62 | 20 | .756 | –
4  | x-New York Knicks | 50 | 32 | .610 | 12
5  | x-Chicago Bulls | 45 | 37 | .549 | 17
6  | x-Indiana Pacers | 44 | 38 | .537 | 18
7  | Washington Bullets | 39 | 43 | .476 | 23
8  | Atlanta Hawks | 31 | 51 | .378 | 31
9  | Cleveland Cavaliers | 28 | 54 | .341 | 34
10  | New Jersey Nets | 24 | 58 | .293 | 38
11  | Detroit Pistons | 21 | 61 | .256 | 41

z \- clinched division title
y \- clinched division title
x \- clinched playoff spot

### Record vs. opponents

[edit]

1980-81 NBA Records

Team  | ATL  | BOS  | CHI  | CLE  | DAL  | DEN  | DET  | GSW  | HOU  | IND  | KCK  | LAL  | MIL  | NYN  | NYK  | PHI  | PHO  | POR  | SAS  | SDC  | SEA  | UTA  | WAS
Atlanta | — | 2–4 | 2–4 | 1–5 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–5 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–5 | 3–2 | 2–4 | 1–5 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–4
Boston | 4–2 | — | 5–1 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 6–0 | 5–1 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 5–1
Chicago | 4–2 | 1–5 | — | 5–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 3–2 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 5–1
Cleveland | 5–1 | 1–4 | 1–5 | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–6 | 3–3 | 0–5 | 0–6 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 4–2
Dallas | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | — | 3–3 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 0–6 | 0–2 | 0–6 | 0–5 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–4 | 1–4 | 1–5 | 2–3 | 1–4 | 1–5 | 0–2
Denver | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–3 | — | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 2–3 | 2–4 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 2–4 | 0–2
Detroit | 2–4 | 1–4 | 1–5 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 0–2 | — | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–5 | 3–3 | 1–5 | 1–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–5
Golden State | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2–3 | 2–0 | — | 3–2 | 1–1 | 5–0 | 1–5 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 1–4 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 4–1 | 1–1
Houston | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 6–0 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 2–3 | — | 1–1 | 2–4 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–4 | 3–2 | 3–3 | 1–4 | 4–1 | 4–2 | 0–2
Indiana | 5–1 | 3–3 | 2–3 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–4 | 5–1 | 3–2 | 0–6 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 4–2
Kansas City | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 6–0 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 0–5 | 4–2 | 0–2 | — | 0–5 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 2–4 | 3–2 | 2–3 | 5–1 | 1–1
Los Angeles | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 5–0 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 5–1 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 5–0 | — | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 2–3 | 3–3 | 6–0 | 3–2 | 1–1
Milwaukee | 5–1 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 6–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | — | 5–1 | 3–3 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–1
New Jersey | 2–3 | 0–6 | 2–3 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–5 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–5 | — | 0–6 | 1–5 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–3
New York | 4–2 | 1–5 | 3–3 | 5–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 5–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 6–0 | — | 3–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–2
Philadelphia | 5–1 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 6–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 6–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 5–1 | 3–3 | — | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–2
Phoenix | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 3–3 | 3–2 | 6–0 | 5–1 | 5–0 | 1–1
Portland | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 3–3 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–3 | — | 2–3 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 2–3 | 2–0
San Antonio | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 5–1 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 3–3 | 0–2 | 4–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 3–2 | — | 4–1 | 3–2 | 5–1 | 1–1
San Diego | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 3–3 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–6 | 2–4 | 1–4 | — | 5–1 | 3–2 | 0–2
Seattle | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 1–4 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 0–6 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 2–3 | 1–5 | — | 4–1 | 1–1
Utah | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 5–1 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 1–4 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 1–5 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–5 | 3–2 | 1–5 | 2–3 | 1–4 | — | 0–2
Washington | 4–1 | 1–5 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | —

## Game log

[edit]

### Regular season

[edit]

1980–81 game log
Total: 62–20 (home: 37–4; road: 25–16)

October: 8–2 (home: 3–1; road: 5–1)

| Game | Date | Team | Score | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Location
Attendance | Record

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November: 15–1 (home: 8–1; road: 7–0)

| Game | Date | Team | Score | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Location
Attendance | Record

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December: 10–4 (home: 6–0; road: 4–4)

| Game | Date | Team | Score | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Location
Attendance | Record

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January: 11–3 (home: 7–0; road: 4–3)

| Game | Date | Team | Score | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Location
Attendance | Record

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February: 10–3 (home: 7–1; road: 3–2)

| Game | Date | Team | Score | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Location
Attendance | Record

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March: 8–7 (home: 6–1; road: 2–6)

| Game | Date | Team | Score | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Location
Attendance | Record

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1980–81 schedule

### Playoffs

[edit]

1981 playoff game log

First Round: 2–0 (home: 1–0; road: 1–0)

| Game | Date | Team | Score | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Location
Attendance | Series

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1  | March 31  | Indiana | W 124–108 | Julius Erving (32)  | Caldwell Jones (12)  | Andrew Toney (11)  | Spectrum
7,288  | 1–0
2  | April 2  | @ Indiana | W 96–85 | Julius Erving (23)  | Caldwell Jones (11)  | Maurice Cheeks (6)  | Market Square Arena
8,921  | 2–0

Conference semifinals: 4–3 (home: 3–1; road: 1–2)

| Game | Date | Team | Score | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Location
Attendance | Series

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1  | April 5  | Milwaukee | W 125–122 | Julius Erving 38)  | Caldwell Jones 11)  | Caldwell Jones 7)  | Spectrum
9,727  | 1–0
2  | April 7  | Milwaukee | L 99–109 | Bobby Jones (22)  | Julius Erving (13)  | Maurice Cheeks (6)  | Spectrum
15,259  | 1–1
3  | April 10  | @ Milwaukee | W 108–103 | Erving, Dawkins (23)  | Caldwell Jones (13)  | Maurice Cheeks (9)  | MECCA Arena
11,052  | 2–1
4  | April 12  | @ Milwaukee | L 98–109 | Julius Erving (22)  | Caldwell Jones (8)  | Maurice Cheeks (8)  | MECCA Arena
11,052  | 2–2
5  | April 15  | Milwaukee | W 116–99 | Cheeks, Hollins (20)  | Julius Erving (9)  | Maurice Cheeks (10)  | Spectrum
15,384  | 3–2
6  | April 17  | @ Milwaukee | L 86–109 | Julius Erving (25)  | Julius Erving (7)  | Maurice Cheeks (7)  | MECCA Arena
11,052  | 3–3
7  | April 19  | Milwaukee | W 99–98 | Julius Erving (28)  | Caldwell Jones (12)  | Maurice Cheeks (11)  | Spectrum
6,704  | 4–3

Conference finals: 3–4 (home: 2–1; road: 1–3)

| Game | Date | Team | Score | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Location
Attendance | Series

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1  | April 21  | @ Boston | W 105–104 | Andrew Toney (26)  | Julius Erving (9)  | Maurice Cheeks (8)  | Boston Garden
15,320  | 1–0
2  | April 22  | @ Boston | L 118–99 | Andrew Toney (35)  | Dawkins, Toney (7)  | Andrew Toney (7)  | Boston Garden
15,320  | 1–1
3  | April 24  | Boston | W 110–100 | Julius Erving (22)  | Caldwell Jones (14)  | Maurice Cheeks (8)  | Spectrum
18,276  | 2–1
4  | April 26  | Boston | W 107–105 | Julius Erving (20)  | Caldwell Jones (10)  | Maurice Cheeks (10)  | Spectrum
18,276  | 3–1
5  | April 29  | @ Boston | L 109–111 | Lionel Hollins (23)  | Darryl Dawkins (8)  | Erving, Hollins (5)  | Boston Garden
15,320  | 3–2
6  | May 1  | Boston | L 98–100 | Darryl Dawkins (24)  | Caldwell Jones (8)  | Maurice Cheeks (8)  | Spectrum
18,276  | 3–3
7  | May 3  | @ Boston | L 90–91 | Julius Erving (23)  | Caldwell Jones (15)  | Maurice Cheeks (7)  | Boston Garden
15,320  | 3–4

1981 schedule

## Player statistics

[edit]

Legend    GP  | Games played  |   GS  | Games started  |  MPG  | Minutes per game

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FG%  | Field-goal percentage  |  3P%  | 3-point field-goal percentage  |  FT%  | Free-throw percentage
RPG  | Rebounds per game  |  APG  | Assists per game  |  SPG  | Steals per game
BPG  | Blocks per game  |  PPG  | Points per game  |  |

### Playoffs

[edit]

## Awards and records

[edit]

* Julius Erving, NBA Most Valuable Player Award
* Julius Erving, All-NBA First Team
* Bobby Jones, NBA All-Defensive First Team
* Caldwell Jones, NBA All-Defensive First Team

## See also

[edit]

* 1980-81 NBA season

## References

[edit]

1. ^ 1980-81 Philadelphia 76ers

* v
* t
* e

1980–81 NBA season

* Expansion draft
* Draft
* All-Star Game
* Playoffs
* Finals
* Transactions
* NBA 35th Anniversary Team

Eastern|

| Atlantic|

* Boston
* New Jersey
* New York
* Philadelphia
* Washington

|

Central|

* Atlanta
* Chicago
* Cleveland
* Detroit
* Indiana
* Milwaukee

Western|

| Midwest|

* Dallas
* Denver
* Houston
* Kansas City
* San Antonio
* Utah

|

Pacific|

* Golden State
* Los Angeles
* Phoenix
* Portland
* San Diego
* Seattle

* v
* t
* e

Philadelphia 76ers

* Founded in 1946
* Formerly the Syracuse Nationals (1946–1963)
* Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Franchise|

* History
* All-time roster
* Draft history
* Head coaches
* Seasons
* Current season

Arenas|

* West Jefferson Street Armory
* State Fair Coliseum
* Onondaga County War Memorial
* Convention Hall
* Philadelphia Arena
* Spectrum
* Wells Fargo Center
* New South Philadelphia Arena (planned)

Personnel|

Owner(s)
Josh Harris and David Blitzer (Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment)
President
Daryl Morey
General manager
Elton Brand
Head coach
Nick Nurse

G League affiliate|

* Delaware Blue Coats

Retired numbers|

* 2
* 3
* 4
* 6
* 10
* 13
* 15
* 24
* 32
* 34
* MIC

NBA championships|

* 1955
* 1967
* 1983

Rivalries|

* Boston Celtics

Culture and lore|

* Allen Iverson
* "Fo', fo', fo'"
* Wilt the Stilt
* Dr. J
* The Boston Strangler
* Dave Zinkoff
* "Havlicek stole the ball"
* Curse of Billy Penn
* Hip Hop
* Rights to Ricky Sanchez
* Pat Croce
* Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame
* Sir Charles
* The Kangaroo Kid
* Harvey Pollack
* Bill Campbell
* Marc Zumoff
* Kate Scott
* Nine and 73-ers
* Comcast Spectacor
* Sixers Post Game Live
* Alan Horwitz
* South Philadelphia Sports Complex
* Hustle
* 76 Place at Market East

* Category
* Commons

* v
* t
* e

Philadelphia 76ers seasons

* Franchise
* Seasons

1940s|

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  1946–47 |  1947–48 |  1948–49

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1950s|

|  1949–50 |  1950–51 |  1951–52 |  1952–53 |  1953–54 |  1954–55 |  1955–56 |  1956–57 |  1957–58 |  1958–59

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1960s|

|  1959–60 |  1960–61 |  1961–62 |  1962–63 |  1963–64 |  1964–65 |  1965–66 |  1966–67 |  1967–68 |  1968–69

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1970s|

|  1969–70 |  1970–71 |  1971–72 |  1972–73 |  1973–74 |  1974–75 |  1975–76 |  1976–77 |  1977–78 |  1978–79

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1980s|

|  1979–80 |  1980–81 |  1981–82 |  1982–83 |  1983–84 |  1984–85 |  1985–86 |  1986–87 |  1987–88 |  1988–89

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1990s|

|  1989–90 |  1990–91 |  1991–92 |  1992–93 |  1993–94 |  1994–95 |  1995–96 |  1996–97 |  1997–98 |  1998–99

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2000s|

|  1999–00 |  2000–01 |  2001–02 |  2002–03 |  2003–04 |  2004–05 |  2005–06 |  2006–07 |  2007–08 |  2008–09

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2010s|

|  2009–10 |  2010–11 |  2011–12 |  2012–13 |  2013–14 |  2014–15 |  2015–16 |  2016–17 |  2017–18 |  2018–19

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2020s|

|  2019–20 |  2020–21 |  2021–22 |  2022–23 |  2023–24 |  2024–25 |  2025–26 |  |  |

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Bold indicates NBA Finals victory
*[Pos.]: Position
*[No.]: Jersey number
*[DOB]: Date of birth
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[ W ]: Games won
*[ L ]: Games lost
*[ PCT ]: Winning percentage
*[ GB ]: Games behind
*[ Home ]: Home record
*[ Road ]: Road record
*[ Div ]: Division record