As we wrap up another fun year in Philadelphia sports and look forward to 2019, it is a great time to rank the top professional teams in the city.
There were a lot of great team performances this year that not only brought excitement to the city but also shined a light on some tremendous individual player performances. Nevertheless, it was tough to rank the top pro teams in the city because each team had their own set of special moments in 2018.
1. 76ers
In a surprising turn of events, the Sixers claim the top spot as the best team in the city this year. It easily could have gone to the Philadelphia Eagles, who won the Super Bowl in February, but in the totality of the year, the Sixers have galvanized everybody.
They won 52 games to end last season and won a first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat. And not to mention, Joel Embiid made his first All-Star team and Ben Simmons won the Rookie of Year award over Donovan Mitchell.
Furthermore, they also traded for star two-way guard Jimmy Butler in November, which has helped establish themselves as one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
2. Eagles
Speaking of being one of the best teams, the Eagles had that claim to fame before this season began. Philadelphia completed one of the most improbable and historic postseason runs to win Super Bowl LII over the New England Patriots.
However, things have not completely gone the defending Super Bowl champs way this year as the injury bug has bitten them a lot.
The defense has lost numerous key members, while the offense has lost Wentz, Jay Ajayi, Corey Clement, Mike Wallace, and Mack Hollins. But to their credit, they did not quit, even though there were many times during the year where they could have.
3. Phillies
If there were an award for the most improved team in the city, it would go to the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Phils kept their fans excited throughout the summer and actually gave them something to root for down the stretch. First-year manager Gabe Kapler was not liked at first by the fans and media alike for his out-of-box style, but he stuck to his philosophies and things started to turn around.
With all that being said, the Phillies are in a great position for 2019 with budding stars in Aaron Nola and Rhys Hoskins to continue to build around.
4. Flyers
This year has not been the best for the Orange and Black. Back in the spring, the Pittsburgh Penguins embarrassed them in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Then to start this season, the Flyers were consistently getting embarrassed on a nightly basis, which ultimately led to the dismissals of GM Ron Hextall and head coach Dave Hakstol.
Now with a new regime starting to take shape, things could start to improve in 2019. Can Carter Hart be the No. 1 goaltender for the Flyers? And will fans have something else to be excited for other than Gritty?
We shall see when the calendar flips to 2019.
