Top 10 Philly Sports Games of the Decade
Since everyone’s doing decade retrospective with the end of the 2010s coming soon, it’s only appropriate we do a decade retrospective list for Philadelphia sports.
Overall, the 2010s was not that glorious for the four major sports teams. From 2012 to January of 2018 none of those teams won a round in the playoffs. It was the decade of change and old guards dying a long bitter death.
While the first half the decade felt long and tedious, key athletes (and mascots) arriving to Philly in the second half planted the seeds for what hopefully will be a Roaring 20s.
And of course, one team, one season that seemingly came out of nowhere, made an epic run which managed to mask the otherwise blah-decade into a practically great one.
With all that said, here’s my picks for the Top 10 Philly sports games of the 2010s:
10. Sixers vs. Bulls, 2012 1st Round Game 6
Okay, so the Pre-Iverson/Pre-Process/Pre Finals MVP Iguodala era Sixers were some of the most mediocre and forgettable teams in Philadelphia sports history. They were eternally irrelevant going through a sling of head coaches and average players and doomed to the purgatory that is quick first round exits.
But the highlight of that era? Their dramatic and unlikely playoff series victory against the top seeded Chicago Bulls in 2012. Now obviously that series win isn’t as impressive as others because it’s the series where Derrick Rose suffered his infamous injury, but it was still a nice little run from a Sixer team that gave almost nothing otherwise.
Let’s not pretend like we didn’t care about the team when Iggy hit the go ahead free throws in Game 6 and won the series. The raucous crowd at Wells Fargo says otherwise.
9. Flyers win, get in with shootout in 2010
While statistics may say otherwise, many Flyers fans believe this to be the only shootout the team has ever won.
On the final day of the 2010 regular season, the Flyers and New York Rangers dueled in a shoot-out where the winner would advance to the playoffs. Claude Giroux and company’s performance against future Hall of Fame goalie Henrik Lundqvist secured the postseason berth and made them Flyer legends in the process.
What helped this game make the list was the incredible run to the Stanley Cup Finals they Flyers made after this win. It’s all the more remarkable that none of that would have happened had it not been for this shootout victory.
8. Sixers advance in 1st round vs Heat 2018
2017-18 was the year when The Process finally started to pay off. It was Joel Embiid’s first season as an (almost) full time starter and Ben Simmons broke out after sitting out the previous year in an (undisputed) rookie of the year performance. Players like Dario, TJ and Covington became fan favorites and the Sixers rode a 16 game winning streak into the playoffs. Even Markelle Fultz had a moment with a triple-double in the last regular season game.
Their first playoff series win since the start of The Process was the high point of the series, taking care of business against the Dwayne Wade-led Miami Heat which featured plenty of memorable moments. Arguably the highlight of the series was actually Meek Mill making his dramatic return to the free world and ringing the pre-game liberty bell mere hours after exiting his jail cell.
Even though the Sixers season turned sour immediately with a series against the Celtics I never wanna talk about, this series win against Miami showed the future was bright for Philly basketball.
7. Halladay’s Perfect Game
On the same night the Flyers played Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals in Chicago, Roy Halladay became a Phillies legend just a couple months into his tenure with the team.
Halladay joined Hall of Famer Jim Bunning with the second perfect game in franchise history on May 29, 2010 by shutting down the then-Florida Marlins with 27 up and 27 down.
Some reports claim that this was the last time the Phillies beat the Marlins in a meaningful game.
6. Miracle at the Meadowlands II (Or III or IV)
Let’s be honest for a moment, the Miracle at the Meadowlands is an overrated moment in Eagles history. Everything that happened after this game was total disaster such as the playoff loss to the Packers, Dream Team, 2012, and CHIP.
Forgetting all that, this is one of the most magical games in Eagles history and was arguably their most iconic win until…
Anyway, the breathtaking plays and performances by the likes of Mike Vick, Jeremy Maclin and Brent Celek in the last eight minutes turned what originally looked like a blowout Giant into a comeback almost as dramatic as the Frank Reich Bills comeback against the Oilers 1992 or the 28-3 game.
It was already a great game when the Eagles tied it at 31 apiece, but when Matt Dodge inexplicably punted the ball to Desean Jackson in the closing seconds and D-Jax took it all the way for a walk-off score, the game became an epic classic in NFL history.
Part of me wishes Andy Reid immediately resigned as head coach after this game, because this was the last great moment of his coaching tenure and he could’ve at least gone out on a high note.
5. 2017 NFC Championship Game
Of the 6 playoff games Nick Foles has started for the Eagles, the only one that wasn’t a nail-biter that went down to the wire was the 2017 NFC Championship game against the Minnesota Vikings.
While this spot certainly could’ve been taken by other nail biters such as the win against the Rams where Carson Wentz tore his ACL, the playoff win against the Falcons or the Double Doink game, the Vikings NFC title game was epic in a different way.
Even though we don’t care for the Vikings or their petty fanbase, I’m personally thankful that they pulled off the inexplicable Minneapolis Miracle the previous week against the New Orleans Saints. While revisionist history says the 2017 Eagles would’ve beaten anybody including the ’72 Dolphins or the ’85 Bears, Drew Brees and Sean Payton are 3-0 against the Eagles in the playoffs after all.
Minnesota took the momentum they had from their miracle on the first possession of the game and executed a flawless drive to score on a touchdown to Kyle Rudolph. The Linc quickly turned quiet with haunting memories of Tampa Bay and Carolina flashing before them.
That was until. . . Patrick Robinson took it to the house in the loudest pop the Linc ever made.
From then on Nick Foles delivered an offensive performance Donovan McNabb could only have in his dreams. He was a spectacle throwing deep bombs and flea-flickers to Torrey Smith and Alshon Jeffrey.
From a nail-biter against the Falcons to a party against the Vikings. The Eagles were going to the Super Bowl and all Vikings fans who dreamed they were destined to go to the Super Bowl on their own turf turned eternally salty.
4. Kris Jenkin’s Buzzer Beater in 2016 NCAA Championship Game
Yes folks, I included a college game. And if there’s one Philly college game to feature on a best of decade list, this is the one.
After a few disappointing tournaments under Jay Wright, the Villanova Wildcats finally broke through to the NCAA title game in 2016. The Cats made it to Reliant Stadium in Houston against Roy Williams North Carolina Tar Heels.
What ensued was a back-and-forth instant classic, the ending of the game however was what made it legendary.
Marcus Paige of the Tar Heel’s hit an insane game tying three pointer with just under 5 seconds to go. In what looked like the start of another fatal Philly loss, Ryan Arcidiacono quickly drove the ball through the court and tossed it to Kris Jenkins who hit one of the great buzzer beaters in college basketball history.
Villanova was back on top as National Champions after a 31 year wait and Jay Wright officially became one of the great Philadelphia coaches of all-time.
3. Doc’s Postseason No-Hitter in 2010 NLDS
Roy Halladay was already a Phillies legend following the 2010 season throwing a Perfect game and the unanimous pick for the Cy Young award, but the Game 1 of the 2010 National League Division Series was the game that made him a baseball immortal and officially sealed his ticket to Cooperstown.
In his postseason debut, Doc needed only 104 pitches to put away the NL Central division winner Reds striking out 8 and giving up only 1 walk.
The most memorable out has to be the last one where Brandon Phillips hit short ground a few feet from home plate. Carlos Ruiz had to scramble to pick up the ball and fire a bullet to Ryan Howard before Phillips could beat the tag in maybe the best play of Chooch’s career. And with, that Roy Halladay went from never pitching in the playoffs after 12 years in Toronto to becoming a Postseason legend.
Doc, might not have gotten a chance to pitch in a World Series for the Phils, but becoming only the 2nd man ever to throw a No-Hitter in the playoffs is a pretty good consolation prize.
2. Flyers vs. Bruins 2010 ECSF Game 7: 3-0, 3-0
Didn’t expect a Flyers game to be Number 2 huh?
Looking at the rest of the 10s, the Flyers have had a terrible decade, especially in the seasons following their last playoff series win in 2012, but their 2010 run to the Stanley Cup Finals was still unbelievable to watch.
The highlight of this run is without question their 2nd round series against the Boston Bruins where they became just the 4th team in the history of the 4 major sports to overcome a 3-0 deficit in a Best of Seven playoff series.
Winning Game 7 after overcoming a 3-0 series deficit is impressive enough. Winning Game 7 on the road after overcoming a 3-0 deficit is unbelievable. Winning Game 7 on the road overcoming a 3-0 game deficit to win 4-3 is simply stupid.
This is epic comeback is arguably the Flyers most remarkable wins since the Stanley Cups won in the mid-70s, and it propelled them to their only Stanley Cup finals berth of the last two decades.
Even with hockey being the 4th sport in this town and this team not going all the way, the 2010 Flyers will always have a special place in Philly fans hearts.
And now…the most obvious number 1 on any list ever, the Number 1 Philly sports game of the decade is…
Game 7 of the 2019 ECSF between the Sixers and Rap-JUST KIDDING
1. Super Bowl LII
If I made a list of the Top 10 Philadelphia sports games of all-time, this is Number 1 and it’s not even a debate.
An Eagles fans experience of witnessing Super Bowl LII can be described with millions of words or none at all.
If this game was what many fans thought was going to be like as a low-scoring affair with the Eagles winning, this would be still be Number 1. Instead, it was the highest scoring Super Bowl of all-time, with the most combined yards in any game ever, in what was arguably the wildest Super Bowl ever played.
Nick Foles followed up his unreal game against the Vikings with an even better one against the mighty Patriots. Connecting on big plays to the likes of Ertz, Jeffrey, Agholor(!) and Clement, BDN made the Belichick defense look like a college team.
The backup quarterback who flamed out of the league early and was on the verge of retirement a couple of years ago dueled against the greatest performer in the history of the Super Bowl in Tom Brady. The same Tom Brady who might as well have the Super Bowl MVP trophy named after him. The same Brady who 13 years earlier defeated the legendary 2004 Eagles on that dark night in Jacksonville. And it turns out a big difference maker in the game would the quarterback being able to catch the football.
Every historic team gets their epic Super Bowl moment. For the Redskins it was John Riggin’s big-diesel run against the Dolphins in 1982. For the Giants it was the ball sticking to their receivers helmet. For the Cowboys it was…ummm… Leon Lett?
Who would’ve thought that the Eagles big Super Bowl moment would be a one yard touchdown pass? Well that was exactly the case on 4th and Goal from the 1 at the end of the half, potentially with the game on the line. Foles motioned to his right, yelled out LANE, saw Corey Clement take the snap, pitch it to Trey Burton who sailed it to a wide open Foles for a stunning jaw dropper play that instantly became a part of NFL lore.
While The Philly Special immediately became the most iconic moment in franchise history, the biggest play of Super Bowl occurred with over two minutes left. Tom Brady, in the same situation he’d been in every Super Bowl he’s played in, had the ball down by a score. The usual Brady heroic formula seemed inevitable, until the hand of Brandon Graham intervened and knocked the ball out of his hands. Milliseconds later Derek Barnett scooped up the ball took an immediate chance. Thus skyrocketing the Birds chances of their 57 year nightmare coming to end from 60% to 95%.
It was an out of body experience for Eagles fans of all ages, but everyone knows their most precious and desired object in the world was not theirs until the clock hit triple zeros. So of course the final play of the game is a deep Hail Mary into the end zone. Eagles defenders surrounded Rob Gronkowski and batted the ball a couple times before finally touching the ground.
“And the game is over! The Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl Champions! Eagles fans everywhere, this is for you! Let the celebration begin!”
Less than two years after this game and the NFL Network ranked the Philly Special as a Top 10 play of all-time and Super Bowl LII as the 14th greatest game of all-time, even the rest of country knows this game was epic.