Presented by the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame
It’s Flyers vs. Penguins, Game 3 tonight. April 22 provided one of the best moments in the rivalry. Today we look at Claude Giroux setting the tone, the first NBA championship in Philly and a groundbreaking moment for the Phillies franchise, albeit 10 years late.
Philly’s First NBA Championship
In 1947 the Philadelphia Warriors, playing their first season as a member of the Basketball Association of America (BAA), beat the Chicago Stags 4 games to 1 to win the championship. On this day they won 83-80 at the old Philadelphia Arena on 45th and Market. The Warriors were coached by legendary coach Eddie Gottlieb. The BAA history and statistics are counted by the NBA, making the Warriors the very first NBA champions. The BAA and National Basketball League (NBL) merged in 1949 to form the NBA. The Warriors would win another championship in Philly in 1956 before moving to San Francisco in 1962. The move paved the way for the Syracuse Nationals to move to Philly the following year and become the Sixers. As for the Stags? They folded after the 1950 season.
The Phillies Finally Integrate
Jackie Robinson broke MLB’s color barrier in 1947. To say that the Phillies had a complicated history with integration is an understatement. On this day in 1957 John Kennedy entered the game to pinch run for Solly Hemus in the 8th inning of a 5-1 loss to the Dodgers becoming the Phillies first black player to play in a game. The Phillies were the third to last MLB to integrate, just over 10 years after Jackie Robinson’s debut. For Kennedy it was short live as he only played in 5 games, mostly as a pinch runner. It wouldn’t be until Dick Allen in 1964 that the Phillies had a black star, but Kennedy paved the way.
The Shift
The Flyers were looking to close out the Penguins in Game 6 at their quarterfinal series at Wells Fargo Center. Claude Giroux was not going back to Pittsburgh for Game 7. On the opening shift he leveled Sydney Crosby 5 seconds into the game sending the crowd into a frenzy. On the same shift he blasted a shot past Marc-Andre Fleury to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead 32 seconds into the game. It set the tone as they rolled to a 5-1 win setting up a showdown with another rival, the Devils in the next round. G and Jakub Voracek added 2 assists in this game. Giroux had an amazing series, scoring 14 points (6 goals and 8 assists). Who’s going to have a “shift” tonight?
Coots with a Gutsy Display
In 2018 the Flyers were playing the Penguins in the quarterfinals once again. Sean Couturier missed Game 4 after tearing his MCL in practice. With the Flyers down 3 games to 1, Coots returned for Game 5 and scored the game winner. Fast forward to this day in 2018 and Game 6, and no one could have predicted what he had in store for an encore. Playing on a torn MCL, Couturier recorded a hat trick and 2 assists. Unfortunately it was enough as the Penguins Jake Geuntzel scored 4 goals to lead the Pens to an 8-5 win, eliminating the Flyers. Coots left it all out on the ice that day, however.
Break out the Brooms!
Playing without Joel Embiid, the Sixers beat the Nets in Game 4 96-88, sweeping them out of the playoffs. Tobias Harris scored 25 and had 12 boards, B-Ball Paul Reed scored 10 and 15, and James Harden had 17 and 11 assists. The win set up a matchup with the Celtics in the second round.
Trivia – How many sweeps do the Sixers have in 7 game series all-time and when were they? (Answer Below)
A Blown Opportunity
One year later the Sixers were up in Madison Square Garden looking to even their first round series at a game apiece. The Sixers appeared poised to send the series back to Philly tied leading by 5 with 30 seconds remaining. Unfortunately, the wheels fell off. Kyle Lowry had a chance at a steal but missed. A friendly bounce 3-pointer by Villanova’s Jalen Brunson brought the Knicks within 2. Tyrese Maxey turned the ball over (maybe a foul??), Dante DiVincenzo (another Nova guy) missed a 3 but Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed the offensive board and dished it DiVincenzo who didn’t miss the second attempt to put the Knicks up 1. A missed Maxey layup, a couple of Knicks free throws and a Joel Embiid missed 3 point shot and the Knicks headed to Philly up 2-0 after winning 104-101. Kudos to Jo for playing through Bells Palsy. If the Sixers won, the entire complexion of the series changes.
Trivia Answer – 1983 vs. Knicks, 1983 vs. Lakers, 1985 vs. Bucks, and 2023 vs. Nets
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