The Philadelphia 76Ers' Top 5 Rivals of All Time, Ranked

The Philadelphia 76ers can trace their franchise's history back to the origins of the NBA and precursor BAA, then known as the Syracuse Nationals before relocating to the City of Brotherly Love. The Sixers, due to their long history and three championships, therefore also have several rival franchises from which to choose.

Here are the Sixers' top five rivals.

5. Golden State Warriors

The history between the Golden State Warriors and Sixers stretches back when the two franchises went by different names and even played in different cities. Before relocating to the Bay Area, the Warriors were the Sixers' professional basketball team from 1946-1962, eventually going to San Francisco and taking Wilt Chamberlain with them.

The Nationals moved to Philly in 1963 to fill the gap left by the Warriors. Prior to the two separate relocations, the Nationals (Sixers) and Warriors matched up nine times over a dozen years in the early NBA's postseason, with the Sixers owning a slight 5-4 advantage. Most prominently, the Sixers took down the San Francisco Warriors in 1967 Finals to take home the franchise's first title in Philly.

4. Indiana Pacers

Most of the rivalry between the Sixers and Indiana comes from three consecutive matchups in the postseason from 1999-2001 when the Pacers were a veteran team hell-bent on competing in the East following the New York Knicks' decline and Michael Jordan out of the picture. Meanwhile, the Sixers were led by then-young blossoming star point guard Allen Iverson.

Iverson and the Sixers lost in two-out-of-three matchups with the Pacers and the two franchises alternated in 2000-01 as Finals foes for the ongoing threepeat champion Lakers. Philly first lost to Indiana in the 1999 Eastern Conference semi-finals before meeting again the next year. Then, in 2001, the Sixers finally took down Reggie Miller and Co. in the first round.