| 1933–34 Philadelphia Sphas season | |
|---|---|
League champions | |
| Head coach | Eddie Gottlieb |
| Owner(s) | Eddie Gottlieb |
| Arena | Broadwood Hotel |
| Results | |
| Record | 29–12 (.707) |
| Place | Conference: 3rd (1st half) 1st (2nd half) |
| Playoff finish | Champions (4-2 over Trenton Moose) |
The Philadelphia Sphas was an early American professional basketball team. The 1933-34 season was the first played in the American Basketball League by the Sphas, although they did play in the ABL from 1926-1928 as the Philadelphia Warriors, which had no relation to the later BAA franchise.
Background
The Sphas played in leagues around Philadelphia since 1917, but game-by-game records before the Sphas rejoined the ABL in 1933 are not available.[1]
After finishing a perfect 14-0 in the second part of the season, the Sphas later won the league championship with a 4-2 series victory over the Trenton Moose. The Sphas were also referred to as the Philadelphia Hebrews in league records during this time.[1]
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/18 | Hoboken Thourots[a] | 34-20 | 1-0 |
| 11/25 | Union City Reds | 38-41 | 1-1 |
| 11/26 | @ Bronx Americans | 34-23 | 2-1 |
| 12/2 | Brooklyn Jewels | 26-36 | 2-2 |
| 12/3 | @ Brooklyn Visitations | 30-15 | 3-2 |
| 12/9 | Trenton Moose | 22-28 | 3-3 |
| 12/10 | @ Union City Reds | 36-33 | 4-3 |
| 12/10 | @ Brooklyn Jewels | 25-27 | 4-4 |
| 12/16 | Brooklyn Visitations | 31-26 | 5-4 |
| 12/19 | @ Newark Bears | 29-34 | 5-5 |
| 12/23 | Newark Bears | 38-29 | 6-5 |
| 12/25 | @ Trenton Moose | 32-38 | 6-6 |
| 12/30 | Bronx Americans | 42-21 | 7-6 |
| 12/31 | @ Camden Brewers | 42-32 | 8-6 |
| 1/6 | Camden Brewers | 26-22 | 9-6 |
| 1/7 | @ Brooklyn Jewels | 34-20 | 10-6 |
| 1/13 | Union City Reds | 50-43 | 11-6 |
| 1/14 | @ Brooklyn Visitations | 21-26 | 11-7 |
| 1/20 | Newark Bears | 40-28 | 12-7 |
| 1/21 | @ Union City Reds | 30-33 | 12-8 |
| 1/27 | Trenton Moose | 36-25 | 13-8 |
| 1/28 | @ Bronx Americans | 30-31 | 13-9 |
| 2/3 | Brooklyn Visitations | 30-28 | 14-9 |
| 2/10 | Brooklyn Jewels | 23-29 | 14-10 |
| 2/17 | Bronx Americans | 45-41 | 15-10 |
| 2/18 | @ Newark Bears | 31-49 | 15-11 |
| 2/19 | @ Trenton Moose | 26-36 | 15-12 |
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/24 | Newark Bears | 49-42 | 1-0 |
| 3/3 | Bronx Americans | 69-35 | 2-0 |
| 3/4 | @ Brooklyn Jewels | 30-24 | 3-0 |
| 3/10 | Brooklyn Visitations | 41-36 | 4-0 |
| 3/11 | @ Newark Bears | 38-26 | 5-0 |
| 3/17 | Trenton Moose | 39-33 | 6-0 |
| 3/18 | @ Brooklyn Visitations | 21-17 | 7-0 |
| 3/20 | New Britain Palaces | 39-25 | 8-0 |
| 3/23 | @ Trenton Moose | 38-35 | 9-0 |
| 3/24 | Union City Reds | 47-38 | 10-0 |
| 3/25 | @ Bronx Americans | 40-24 | 11-0 |
| 3/31 | Brooklyn Jewels | 42-19 | 12-0 |
| 4/1 | @ Union City Reds | 48-41 | 13-0 |
| 4/4 | @ New Britain Palaces | 27-25 | 14-0 |
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4/6 | @ Trenton Moose | 28-21 | 1-0 |
| 4/7 | Trenton Moose | 21-35 | 1-1 |
| 4/13 | @ Trenton Moose | 32-20 | 2-1 |
| 4/14 | Trenton Moose | 29-32 | 2-2 |
| 4/15 | Trenton Moose[b] | 32-22 | 3-2 |
| 4/21 | Trenton Moose | 40-34 | 4-2 |
Notes
a Became the Camden Brewers after losing first 4 games
b Game played in Brooklyn