Joel Embiid and James Harden might just have to bear the pressure of keeping their city relevant to the sports world this season. Fans might be aware that the Philadelphia Eagles made it all the way to the NFL Super Bowl. However, they ended up losing to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
The feeling of having one’s team go all the way to the finals, just to end up losing would undoubtedly hurt and sadden its fan base. Thankfully for Philadelphia, they have both an NFL team and an NBA team.
Since the NFL super bowl is over and the NBA postseason is yet to begin, pressure is undoubtedly mounting on the 76ers to keep their franchise and city relevant to the sports world. However, the Philadelphia Curse might just prevail yet again. Let us take a deeper look at it and whether the 76ers can actually win the NBA title this year.
Can Joel Embiid and James Harden break the Philadelphia curse and win an NBA championship?
Many considered the Philadelphia Curse to simply be a myth and a tall tale to impress tourists with. However, we should seriously wonder if there is any other explanation for the city’s lack of success in team sports for several decades now.
To those who do not know, the Philadelphia Curse, better known as the Curse of Billy Penn is a common explanation for why the team has been unable to win titles in professional sports. All the way back in 1987, a statue of William Penn was kept atop Philadelphia City Hall, making it the highest point in the city.
However, as time went on, the One Liberty Place skyscraper was constructed and it exceeded the height of the Willaim Penn statue. This was soon considered a bad omen and a reason why the city has been unable to win since then.
The Philadelphia Phillies (baseball) lost the World Series. The Philadelphia Union (soccer) lost the MLS Finals. Additionally, the Eagles are fresh off a loss to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. That certainly turns all eyes toward Harden and Embiid with the 76ers.
Phillies: Lose World Series
Union: Lose MLS Final
Eagles: Lose Super BowlSixers:??? pic.twitter.com/urcXHTNrmo
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) February 13, 2023
The 76ers have been unable to even make the conference finals all these years. Before Embiid, Allen Iverson managed to carry the 76ers to the NBA Finals. However, as we know, they lost to Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Last year, the 76ers were eliminated by the Miami Heat in the second round. Be that as it may, Embiid was injured for much of the series.
This year might just be Philadelphia’s best shot to break the curse. The only teams with a better record than them are the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks. While it would be bold to presume that the 76ers could beat both of them, if luck favored Philly, it will face a weakened winner from both these teams with the hopes of making the NBA Finals.
Assuming Embiid and Harden can get past Giannis, Tatum, and the others in the East, they will only be a mere 4 wins away from breaking a long championship drought and a “curse.”
