Two servings of Beantown | Sports Daily Newsletter

Let’s shake off that 34-point loss to the Celtics on Wednesday and take solace in the fact that Boston will be playing the 76ers at the earsplitting Wells Fargo Center on Friday night.

Philly fans can (loudly) celebrate Joel Embiid’s newly minted MVP award and give the hated Celtics the (even louder) greeting they deserve in the crucial Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Across Pattison Avenue, another conquering hero will return when Bryce Harper makes his home debut this season for the Phillies. And another Boston team awaits in the Red Sox.

Now, we’re not the type to pick fights, but the Beantowners might be a little full of themselves, given all the winning they have been doing lately across the major sports. So trash-talking Marcus Hayes let those Bostonians have it:

After all this winning and all this history, Bostonians’ breath no longer smells of beans and chow-dah; rather, it reeks of self-satisfaction. If “smug” had a perfume, it would be called “Boston Hah-buh.”

It’s the right attitude to have on a night when a lot is on the line in South Philly.

For good measure, here are Matt Breen’s top 10 Philly-Boston sports moments.

— Jim Swan, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

unCovering the Birds with Jeff McLane Ep 7: The “Assassin” | Jason Babin

Jason Babin was a hell-raiser. On and off the field. It’s a quality that made him a crippling force on the Eagles’ defensive line, and, at times, a combative presence inside the team’s locker room. If Babin was so good, what made his exit from Philadelphia so ugly? In the latest episode of unCovering the Birds, Eagles beat reporter Jeff McLane revisits one of the most tumultuous periods in recent team history. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or go to Inquirer.com/podcasts.

Joel Embiid’s return from a sprained ligament in his right knee came at TD Garden in front of a hostile Game 2 crowd. A newly minted MVP, he watched his team take a beating in Boston. He has a chance to rewrite that MVP story in Philly, where the Wells Fargo Center crowd could be pivotal. The Inquirer’s Mike Sielski looked back to 2001, when fans helped Allen Iverson land a victory after hoisting his MVP. Fans might need to do the same for Embiid.

Coach Doc Rivers wants the Sixers to match Boston’s intensity in Game 3.

Rivers was impressed by Embiid’s return and recovery, noting that there was “very little swelling” in the knee on Thursday.

Next: The Sixers host the Boston Celtics at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Wells Fargo Center with a chance to go up 2-1 (TNT).

The pitch clock doesn’t wait for anyone, not even a two-time National League MVP who this week capped the fastest recorded return from Tommy John surgery. Bryce Harper stood on first base in the ninth inning Wednesday at Dodger Stadium trying to put on an elbow brace to protect himself on the basepaths. But he couldn’t put it on in time as the pitch clock ticked down. It’s an issue the Phillies have addressed with MLB, but Harper isn’t holding his breath. Here are a few other off-day observations as the 15-17 Phillies return home for a weekend series against the Red Sox.

The Phillies selected right-hander Jeff Hoffman’s contract and promoted him from Lehigh Valley to join a bullpen that got roughed up this week at Dodger Stadium.

Next: The Phillies open a three-game home series against the Red Sox at 7:05 p.m. Friday (NBCSP). Zack Wheeler (3-1, 3.86 ERA) will start against Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale (2-2, 6.75).

Jalen Carter is set to join the Eagles’ rookie minicamp today as he has signed with the team on a rookie contract that guarantees him $21.8 million.

For now, it’s Carter, Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee, and Texas defensive tackle Moro Ojomo who have signed.

For Carter’s Georgia teammate and fellow first-round pick Nolan Smith, it could end up being hard for the Eagles to keep him off the field, given his skill set shown on film.

The Eagles also agreed to terms with veteran tight end Dan Arnold, adding a free agent who last season played for Doug Pederson.

It’s back to league action for the Union, and while they face their local rivals, the New York Red Bulls, they’ll have to do so without one of their toughest players, José Andrés Martínez, who is still out with a hamstring injury.

Fans hoping to watch the game will have to pony up, if they haven’t already, for the MLS package on Apple TV+. It’s becoming clear that fewer games than originally expected will be available for free.

Next: The Union visit the New York Red Bulls on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (MLS Season Pass, Apple TV+).

While Connor Bedard and Adam Fantilli are the prizes in the 2023 NHL draft, as of right now, they are pipe dreams for the Flyers, who have just over a 13% chance of landing one of the two.

They are more likely to pick No. 7 (44.4%) or No. 8 (36.5%), and, in a worst-case scenario, could pick at No. 9 (5.6%). Which players could the Flyers target if they don’t get a favorable bounce of the pingpong balls? Olivia Reiner runs through some prospects who could be in play for the Flyers at the bottom end of the top 10.

Next: The Flyers will learn their 2023 draft fate at the NHL draft lottery on Monday (8 p.m., ESPN).

We asked you: Did the lopsided Game 2 loss affect your prediction for the series? Among your responses:

No, I did not believe this was going to be a win. Boston was embarrassed on national TV at home.

My only problems with the game was how quickly the Sixers reverted to previous versions of themselves. Tobias Harris was again a no show, the team takes away his greatest strengths by keeping him out of the paint. Melton was not aggressive, and Georges Niang if not hitting is a liability.

The team needs to say to Joel, gets yours, we will attack & attack as well as, run them down defensively.

I expect a better response from the team tomorrow. — Robert W.

And an interesting take on Joel Embiid:

Embiid deserves the MVP award but now is the time to trade him when his value is at its highest. — Dan M.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Scott Lauber, Gina Mizell, Keith Pompey, Marcus Hayes, Mike Sielski, Josh Tolentino, Devin Jackson, Matt Breen, Jonathan Tannenwald, Olivia Reiner, Kerith Gabriel, and Javon Edmonds.