To Sixers fans of a certain vintage, the celebration of the 1982-83 championship — so very long ago now — is made all the more compelling by the way it began. As seen at 1:36:50 of this video, Philadelphia point guard Maurice Cheeks snags the long rebound of a three-point attempt by the Lakers’ Magic Johnson in the closing seconds of Game 4 of the ‘83 Finals. Then he maneuvers through traffic, high-steps downcourt and dunks.
Mo Cheeks, high-stepping? Mo Cheeks, dunking? At the time that seemed about as likely as him donning a Ben Franklin wig, climbing atop Independence Hall and reading the Declaration aloud.