There has been plenty of excitement in Philadelphia sports over the past few weeks, with three franchises eliciting differing levels of excitement, hope and optimism.
On Monday, the Phillies celebrated raucously after ending the longest playoff drought in the sport. And as Philadelphia enjoys its first October baseball in over a decade, the Phillies enter the wild-card round playing with a degree of house money. They can make a run if Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola pitch like aces and the bats heat up, but the primary goal of ending the playoff drought has been accomplished.
Then there are the Eagles, who need to win the NFC East to reasonably take the next step. Due to an influx of talent and quarterback Jalen Hurts’ rapid progression, they have been the best team in football through four weeks. Fans are rapidly recalibrating the Eagles’ realistic expectations in real time.
That brings us to the Sixers, whose success in 2022-23 will be viewed through a narrower lens. When the Phillies missed the postseason for a decade, the Sixers made the second round in four out of the last five seasons. While Hurts is 24 years old, Joel Embiid and James Harden are 28 and 33, respectively. The Sixers have been good for a long time, but not good enough to win a title. Making the playoffs is the expectation, not the goal. Harden summed up the general sentiment at media day when asked if falling short of the NBA Finals would be considered a disappointment.
“We’re not even going to answer (that question),” Harden said. “I think you all know what we’re trying to do and the goal for this year.
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