1989–90 Philadelphia 76ers season

(lost to Bulls 1–4)

• WPHL-TV
• SportsChannel Philadelphia
• PRISM

The 1989–90 Philadelphia 76ers season was the 41st season for the Philadelphia 76ers in the National Basketball Association, and their 27th season in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During the off-season, the 76ers acquired Rick Mahorn from the Minnesota Timberwolves expansion team, who selected him in the 1989 NBA expansion draft; Mahorn, who won an NBA championship with the Detroit Pistons last year, joined Charles Barkley and Mike Gminski to form a formidable front court. The team also acquired Johnny Dawkins from the San Antonio Spurs, who teamed with second-year star Hersey Hawkins in the backcourt.

After a mediocre 18–16 start to the regular season, the 76ers won twelve consecutive games, then held a 30–18 record at the All-Star break, and posted an 8-game winning streak near the end of the season. The team won the Atlantic Division title by finishing with a 53–29 record, defeating the Boston Celtics by just one game, and earning the second seed in the Eastern Conference; it was their first Division title since their championship season in 1983, and their first in the post-Julius Erving era.

Barkley averaged 25.2 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game, shot .600 in field-goal percentage, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, while Hawkins averaged 18.5 points and 1.6 steals per game, and Dawkins provided the team with 14.3 points, 7.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game. In addition, Gminski provided with 13.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, while sixth man Ron Anderson contributed 11.9 points per game off the bench, and Mahorn averaged 10.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Off the bench, Derek Smith contributed 8.9 points per game, and Scott Brooks provided with 4.4 points and 2.9 assists per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Miami Arena in Miami, Florida, Barkley was selected for the 1990 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team. Barkley also finished in second place in Most Valuable Player voting, behind Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers; Barkley received more first-place votes (38 of the 92 cast) than Johnson (27), but totaled only 614 points compared to Johnson's 636. This was the only time in NBA history where the player with the most first-place votes for MVP did not get the award. Meanwhile, Hawkins finished in fifth place in Most Improved Player voting, with Smith finishing tied in sixth place, and head coach Jim Lynam finished in second place in Coach of the Year voting, behind Pat Riley of the Lakers.

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1990 NBA playoffs, the 76ers faced off against the 7th–seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, who were led by the All-Star trio of Brad Daugherty, Mark Price and Larry Nance. The 76ers won the first two games over the Cavaliers at home at The Spectrum, but then lost the next two games on the road, including a Game 4 loss to the Cavaliers, 108–96 at the Coliseum at Richfield, as the Cavaliers evened the series. The 76ers won Game 5 over the Cavaliers at The Spectrum, 113–97 to win in a hard-fought five-game series.

In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the 3rd–seeded Chicago Bulls, who were led by the trio of All-Star guard Michael Jordan, All-Star forward Scottie Pippen, and Horace Grant. The 76ers lost the first two games to the Bulls on the road at the Chicago Stadium, but managed to win Game 3 at home, 118–112 at The Spectrum. However, the 76ers lost the next two games, including a Game 5 road loss to the Bulls at the Chicago Stadium, 117–99, thus losing the series in five games.

Following the season, Smith signed as a free agent with the Boston Celtics, and Brooks was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.