After a busy sports week, Sixers fans were eager for another chance at playoff joy

Following a dizzying week that encapsulated the emotional rollercoaster that is Philly sports fandom — giddy highs, stomach-turning lows, plenty of angst — thousands of Sixers fans poured into Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sunday night, hoping fate would smile upon their team.

The Sixers entered the evening trailing the Boston Celtics, two games to one, in the first round of the NBA playoffs, and the path to a deeper playoff run looked uncertain.

But shortly after 6:30 p.m., a surge of optimism spread through the busy concourses.

“Jo-Jo’s playing! Let’s go!” James Brunson shouted, after reading on his phone that center Joel Embiid would take the court for the first time since undergoing an appendectomy in early April.

“I have no worries now,” said Brunson, 46, of Swarthmore.

His wife, Nicole, recounted the first Sixers playoff game that she attended — May 11, 1999, Sixers vs. the Orlando Magic — and explained that the white, black, and red Allen Iverson baseball jersey that she wore Sunday had been in her possession for more than 20 years.

“Tomorrow’s my birthday,” she said, “and I’m hoping the Sixers will give me the best birthday present in the world.”

Earlier in the week, a young and scrappy Flyers team seized the city’s attention with fiery victories over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second and third games of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series on Monday and Wednesday, respectively, adding a new chapter — and plenty of punches — to an old rivalry.

The Sixers provided more thrills Tuesday, when guard Tyrese Maxey and rookie VJ Edgecombe led the team to a 111-97 Game 2 victory over the Celtics in Boston.

On Thursday, the Eagles added more intrigue to a busy offseason, selecting wide receiver Makai Lemon in the first round of the NFL draft, a move that might increase the likelihood that disgruntled star receiver A.J. Brown will be traded later this year.

General manager Howie Roseman also traded future draft picks to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard, and then signed him to a contract extension that is reportedly worth $100 million.

(After traveling to Philadelphia on Friday, Greenard visited Xfinity Mobile Arena, and watched the Celtics edge past the Sixers, 108-100. Greenard focused on the positive, praising Sixers fans’ passion.)

“I wouldn’t give this up for the world,” said Joshua Reyes, 48, of Vineland, N.J.

“The Sixers are in the playoffs. The Flyers are in the playoffs. And the Eagles — I think Jalen Hurts is going to be on a mission this year. We could be back in the Super Bowl again.”

The Phillies, meanwhile, entered the 2026 season expecting to again contend for a World Series championship, but instead quickly tumbled to the bottom of the National League East standings.

Their early struggles snowballed into a losing streak that reached 10 games on Friday, the longest stretch of extended ineptitude that the franchise had experienced since 1999.

But a silver lining emerged Saturday night in Atlanta.

Longtime ace Zack Wheeler, sidelined since last August, when he was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, returned to the mound for the first time, and struck out six Braves batters in five innings.

Wheeler’s presence arguably provided an immediate psychological boost, as the Phillies went on to beat the Braves, 8-5, in 10 innings.

The good vibes did not extend that night back to Philadelphia, where the Flyers had hoped to notch a series-clinching fourth victory over the Penguins at Xfinity Mobile.

Instead, the Penguins recorded a 4-2 victory. The two teams will square off again Monday night in Pittsburgh for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quaterfinals.

As Sunday’s Sixers game got underway, Tina Osborne, 55, and her sister, Cynthia Osborne, 62, grabbed a bite to eat and reflected on the ever-changing fortunes of the city’s professional sports teams.

“The adrenaline is up, yeah,” Tina said. “But we’re here for all of our teams. Always.”