Remembering the 2001 Sixers After the New NBA TV Special

Last night, NBA TV debuted a new special on one of my favorite teams of all-time — the 2001 Sixers.

The special was titled, “Everything But the Chip.”

The name comes from the fact that the 76ers won every single award that year besides the NBA Finals.

Allen Iverson won the MVP and All-Star MVP, Larry Brown won Coach of the Year, Aaron McKie won Sixth Man of the Year, and Dikembe Mutombo won Defensive Player of the Year.

The special was a complete story of that 2001 team from start to finish.

From Iverson’s and Brown’s early season power struggles, the Theo Ratliff trade, and the dramatic run to the NBA Finals, the special covered it all.

It featured interviews from Allen Iverson, Larry Brown, Billy King, Pat Croce, Eric Snow, and Aaron McKie.

I even made a couple of cameos in a couple of throwback shots from the Finals that year as it was my fourth year as public address announcer for the team!

The special made me remember a ton of great memories from that year and how incredible of a season it truly was, but I just wish they showed more of the fans and the hype the city experienced during that time!

Think about it, the Sixers were on the cover of the Daily News for 38 straight days!

That will probably never happen again!

The fans were in a frenzy that year!

You could not go anywhere without seeing one of those Sixers flags hanging out of a car!

I actually have a funny story about how crazy the fans were that year!

I was doing my show for Y-100 at Manayunk Brewpub during The Finals and Pat Croce showed up with a pair of tickets to giveaway, but there was a special way to win these tickets!

The first person to jump into the Manayunk Canal and swim across and back to the bar won!

And multiple people were willing to do so!

That’s just one story about how crazy the fans were that year!

Who can forget when the crowd booed Destiny’s Child for wearing Lakers gear during their halftime performance at the First Union Center!

I’m sure Chris Tucker got the same treatment when he was sitting behind me during one of the games in Lakers' gear.

Man, I miss those days!

Hopefully, next year is the year the team gets back!

More From Matt Cord...

I love when the spring finally hits and the weather starts to warm up!

Of course, it means summer is getting closer and closer.

The Phillies season has just started.

And the NBA Playoffs are underway, with hopefully a deep run in store for the Philadelphia 76ers!

But one of the main reasons I love this time of year is because I can finally ride my bike to and from work again a few times a week!

I love riding my bike as much as I can to work at the WMGK studios at 1 Bala Plaza from my house all the way in South Philly.

It is honestly such a scenic route that I never get tired of riding through.

I pass through the gorgeous Kelly Drive, including the iconic Boathouse Row section of the city!

Also along my trip, I pass the Rocky statue, so whenever I get tired that gives me the extra motivation to last the extra rounds like our favorite fictional boxer would do!

I can’t forget Delancey Street, either!

The homes on that street are beautiful!

I also pass some great establishments in the city during my ride!

One of these is a restaurant called Rouge, which easily has some of the best burgers in the whole city!

Another place I pass is the Mitchell & Ness headquarters!

For all my sports lovers out there, you have to stop by one of their flagship stores because they have some of the best sports gear and memorabilia in the game!

My favorite part of the route is along the Schuylkill Trail!

Then, finally, the homestretch down legendary South Street.

Altogether, it is 10.8 miles total and I do it typically in just under an hour!

I know that information thanks to my Strava map!

I put some photos and videos together from my ride so you guys can see what I see and enjoy!