This Day in Philly Sports History – May 7

Presented by the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame

Hard fought loss for the Sixers last night. Four of the five starters played for over forty minutes. No Jo certainly didn’t help but you have to wonder if they had Jared McCain if the outcome would have been different, but at least Josh Harris is under the luxury tax. The Phillies win a gain in dramatic fashion, and the Flyers look to get on the board against the Hurricanes tonight. May 7 saw some Flyers and Sixers postseason magic, the birth of the Linc and one of the greatest press conferences in all of sports history.

We Want Boston

Mo Cheeks scored twenty-six and had six assists, Andrew Toney added seventeen as the Sixers beat the Bucks  102-90 in Game 6 of their 1982 playoff series. The Sixers moved on to face the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, looking for revenge for the previous year when they blew a 3 games to 1 lead. They’d get it in the famous “Beat LA” series.

Delmore Scores a Hat Trick

Two nights after their 5-OT thriller in Game 4 tied the series, the Flyers returned to the First Union Center for a pivotal Game 5 against the Penguins in the 2000 playoffs. The Flyers jumped out to a 4-0 lead and coasted to a 6-3 win. Mark Recchi had a goal and four assists and rookie defenseman Andy Delmore had a hattrick. Delmore became the first rookie defenseman to have a playoff hattrick. Delmore had a heck of a series scoring five goals in six games. Amazingly he only had one goal in his fourteen other postseason games.

The Linc is Born

Construction on Lincoln Financial Field officially began in this day in 2001. Replacing the loveable dump known as the Vet, the new home of the Eagles coincided with the rise of the Eagles as we know them today. Since opening in 2003 the Eagles are 112-72-1 at the Linc with an 11-5 mark in the playoffs – that includes an impressive 4-1 record in NFC Championship Games.

Trivia – What stadiums have the Eagles called home since they came into the NFL in 1933? (Answer Below)

We’re Talking about Practice

One of the most bizarre, entertaining, and well known press conferences occurred on this day in 2002. After a disappointing first round loss to the Celtics trade questions about Allen Iverson’s future were swirling. Iverson was to come back the next season and was supposed to announce it at a press conference. Also swirling were questions about his work ethic in practice, made public by coach Larry Brown. When  asked to clear the air about his practice habits, Allen launched into his diatribe on practice. “We sittin’ in here—I’m supposed to be the franchise player, and we in here talkin’ about practice.”  Not only was Iverson dealing with the Boston loss, the criticism from Larry Brown and the trade rumors but he was also dealing with the death of his close friend. It made for a perfect storm. To Iverson’s credit he was able to move past the press conference and is still one of the most beloved Sixers of all time.

One Game at a Time

Facing elimination with their backs firmly against the wall the Flyers took on the Bruins at the Wachovia Center down 3-0 in the 2010 playoffs. They got down 1-0 early when Mark Recchi scored. The battled back and led late in the third period when Recchi struck again with thirty-two seconds left to force overtime. Simon Gagne scored the game winner as the Flyers lived to fight another day. Little did we know they were about to make an historic comeback.

Harden with Ice Water in his Veins.

The Sixers were playing the Celtics again in the 2023 playoffs. Down 2 games to 1 the Sixers needed a huge win to send the series back to Boston. They got great performances from both Joel Embiid (34 points & 13 rebounds) and James Harden who almost messed around and had a triple double. Harden had nine assists and eight rebounds to go along with his forty-two points – including the game winning 3-pointer with nineteen seconds left. It wasn’t without drama though as Marcus Smart appeared to hit a three as the buzzer sounded – fortunately, it left his hand after the horn sounded. The Sixers tied the series and shipped off to Boston for Game 5.

Trivia Answer – Baker Bowl (1933-35), Philadelphia Municipal Stadium (1936-1940, 1941), Shibe Park (1940, 1942-1957), Franklin Field (1958-1970), Veterans Stadium (1971-2002), Lincoln Financial Field (2003-Present)

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