Revision against selective mythmaking

The incredible rivalry between Magic and Larry will never die. In fact, you couldn't kill it with a stick. As they quietly supplement their incomes with another retrospective, I feel compelled to draw attention to the 76ers of that era, and in particular to Andrew "The Boston Strangler" Toney, whom neither of these legends (nor anyone else) could guard:



As an offensive force, Toney was as skilled as, say, George Gervin. He could score from anywhere, drive or pull up, and take a foul and score from the line if need be. He loved pressure, and his contributions seemed to get bigger as the game wore on. He could pass and play defense, too. He was a genuine team player, subordinating his ego to Moses and Dr. J. - many of his points (and he often led the team in scoring) came when he was the third option.

Why did they call him "The Boston Strangler"? Because his 34 points points against the Celtics in game 7 of the Conference Finals in 1982 sent the Celtics home, and the 76ers to the Finals against the Lakers. The Lakers won that championship, but the Sixers were back with reinforcements the next year and would not be denied.

Scoring on that legendary 1983 team: #1 - Malone, #2 - Toney, #3 - Erving... The 76ers, with two Hall-of-Famers on the court (Erving and Malone), swept the Lakers, who had four (Johnson, McAdoo, Adbul-Jabbar, and Worthy). Toney scored 88 points in those four games, the most of any non-center on either team. He had 23 assists, the most of any non-point guard on either team.

Injuries cut his career short - he was only an all-star in 1982 and 1983, and he was out of the League by 1989 - but if we are going to remember that era, let's remember who was playing and who was going home. In 1983 Andrew Toney was one of the best players on one of the best teams to ever set foot on a basketball court, and neither Larry Bird nor Magic Johnson - in their prime of their careers - wanted any part of him.