Sixers surrender | Sports Daily Newsletter

No song. Not even close. The Sixers were snuffed out early on in Game 7, barely hanging in competitively in the first half, and even then mostly due to P.J. Tucker, of all people.

Joel Embiid never really got going. James Harden was tentative, intimidated and ineffective.

It all added up to a loss that seemed inevitable almost as soon as the second half started.

This is likely the end of an era for a Sixers team which will be remembered for postseason frustration.

Who will stay or go will be settled in the days to come, but for now, it’s time for Sixers supporters who had hoped for better to accept bitter disappointment instead.

— Andrea Canales, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

❓Who do you blame most for the meek performance by the Sixers in Game 7? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

As Jayson Tatum scorched the nets off the rim, scoring 51 points and setting a Game 7 record, Joel Embiid and James Harden could only look on. The game had ended long before the final buzzer sounded.

And why was that? Because Embiid and Harden choked with their season on the line.

After a Game 6 meltdown, they left their hearts back in Philly, Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes writes.

Episode 8: Remember Cary Williams? The former Eagles cornerback who one time said he missed a series of voluntary practices to go shopping for sconces? He was a fiery guy, a passionate player who could also be defiant, antagonistic, and defensive. By and large, during his stint with the Eagles, he was probably better known for his personality than his play on the field. But if all you heard and saw from Williams was anger, then you weren’t paying attention. Oh, he was angry alright. As Eagles beat reporter Jeff McLane reveals, he had lots of reasons to be. There is a deep, tangled web of circumstances and experiences at the root of Williams’ attitude, and he’s not ashamed to admit it. Listen here.

New episodes are released every Friday. Listen to all episodes here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Olamide Zaccheaus has defied the odds as a 5-foot-8, undrafted receiver to make the NFL.

But the St. Joe’s Prep grad and new Eagles receiver’s journey started in Nigeria with his mother, Yimbra Mozimo. Zaccheaus credits his strength to his mother, a domestic abuse survivor, who did everything for her two sons growing up in Camden County.

Rob Thomson is approaching one full year as Phillies manager and on Sunday, he experienced a first: He got ejected in the sixth inning for arguing a strike call. An inning later, Bryce Harper followed him out of the game when he was tossed for charging the field to confront Rockies pitcher Jake Bird, who Harper took issue with for slapping his glove and sticking his tongue out at the Phillies dugout as he walked off the mound.

It was an emotional end to the Phillies’ five-game winning streak in which they went 0-for-14 with runners in scoring position.

Here’s the backstory behind Jose Alvarado’s “home run chickens” and a Phillies tradition.

Next: The Phillies open a series in San Francisco at 9:45 p.m. Monday (NBCSP). Bailey Falter (0-6, 5.75) will start against Giants left-hander Alex Wood (0-0, 2.45).

The Flyers have undergone a series of major organizational changes over the past three months.

Friday, they completed their front-office overhaul, with the formal hirings of Danny Brière as general manager and Keith Jones as president of hockey operations. What does all this mean? Olivia Reiner looks at the organization’s new power dynamic and how Jones fits into the team’s rebuild.

Julián Carranza is tied for the lead in goals on the Union squad, but a crucial detail is that he doesn’t usually take penalty kicks.

As the Union climb up the ranks of the Eastern Conference, the team has benefitted from his ability to create from open play and contribute a goal and assist against the Colorado Rapids.

Summer break: A pool is a respite, a community center all on its own, a setting for social interaction that’s a cool break from the summer heat and now some neighborhoods don’t get to have their local one open.

In 1984, Flyers legend Bobby Clarke, then 34, became one of the few pro athletes to transition immediately to management. The longtime captain announced his retirement as a player. Then Clarke was introduced as the fourth general manager in franchise history.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Alison Beck, Jonathan Tannenwald, Olivia Reiner, Marcus Hayes, Keith Pompey, Alex Coffey, and EJ Smith.