Phillies bring the nostalgia with iconic response to Sixers tweet

Like everyone else during this interminable MLB lockout, the Philadelphia Phillies have resorted to passing the time in two ways:

Nostalgia and Twitter.

They combined the two on Monday when the Philadelphia 76ers posted this photo of their newest and highly-publicized trade acquisition, James Harden, inviting followers to submit captions.

The Harden trade has garnered enormous attention, as the Brooklyn Nets received Ben Simmons in return.

But if you’re a Phillies fan, the team’s response is absolutely iconic, as is the photo itself: Tug McGraw leaping into the air after cementing the first World Series in Phillies franchise history in 1980, after 97 long years without a championship.

Will the Sixers be a playoff team in 2022?

Posting a photo from 1980 brings back fond memories for the Phillies, but less so for the Sixers, who lost in the NBA Finals that year.

However, the tables turned three years later, when the Sixers won the 1983 championship, and the Phillies won the pennant but lost the World Series.

The tables have turned once again in the new millennium, as the Sixers have only been back to the Finals once in 2001, while the Phillies won five consecutive division titles, back-to-back pennants in 2008-09, and the 2008 World Series.

On the whole, the Sixers are the more successful Philadelphia franchise, with 12 division titles, five conference titles, and three championships. The Phillies have 11 division titles, seven pennants, and two World Series titles.

While the Phillies are mired in a never-ending rebuild and haven’t reached the postseason since 2011, the Sixers are currently 34-22, fourth in the Eastern Conference, and 2.5 games out of the top spot.

Which team will bring championship back to Philadelphia first?