Roller Coaster Ride In Playoffs: This Week In Philly Sports

PHILADELPHIA — Today, we're taking a breather.

It's a chance to step back and realize how lucky we are as fans that the Philadelphia Flyers and 76ers both made the second round of the playoffs.

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Both teams pulled off major upsets to knock out their arch rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Boston Celtics.

We don't often see this in our lifetimes as longtime Philly sports fans.

But the playoffs are like roller coasters: We go up, and we go down. We have emotional highs and lows, hopes and disappointments, and thrills and scares.

The Flyers came off a high of beating Sidney Crosby and the Penguins. But now they are down 2-0 to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Meanwhile, the Sixers got over the hump by beating the Celtics to win Game 7, the first time the Sixers knocked off Boston in over four decades.

The Sixers got blown away by the New York Knicks on Monday night.

That's really not surprising, though.

The team had a fast turnaround from Boston and New York and was basically emotionally and physically drained. Besides, Boston blew the Sixers away by over 30 points in two games.

The Flyers played their hearts out on Monday night, this time losing an overtime game. The playoff series returns to Philly, and things can certainly turn around.

But if the Flyers fall, we shouldn't be too upset. They are playing with house money and are young enough to build on something for the future. If anything, they achieved more this season than they have for decades.

We should all feel great about what the Philadelphia Flyers have accomplished.

Based on how the television schedule is working with both teams playing the same day, the focus is really more on the Sixers.

Of course, it's all about Joel Embiid.

The oft-injured former MVP is giving everything he has to get beyond losing in the second round.

This series matters most to Embiid. He needs to will the Sixers to a series win. He needs to have the Roar of a Lion and the Heart of a Hurts.

If anything, our two winter teams have sparked a renewed interest from fans who are used to both rolling over and playing dead.

Not this time. Not this year.

The playoffs are still on. Let the roller coaster ride continue.