As lifelong fans of New York and New Jersey's sports teams, we despise everything from Philadelphia, from the wretched Eagles to the thuggish Flyers to the repulsive Union (some of us somehow got married into the Phillies, so we're gonna let that one slide). But there is one Philly team that we would have no problem rooting for.

They played the sport of basketball, and no, we don't mean the pathetic 76ers. We're talking about the Philadelphia Sphas, who played in the American Basketball League in the 30s and 40s.

The ABL is long defunct, but, for a long period of time, it was the top basketball league in America, and the Sphas ruled it to the tune of 10 titles between 1930 and 1945. Their owner and coach was Eddie Gottlieb, Jew, who would then go on to coach the Sphas' successor, the Philadelphia Warriors, to the BAA title in 1947. (The BAA would later become the NBA of today, the Warriors now in Golden State.)

So what was so special about the Sphas? Well, the team name stood for South Philadelphia Hebrew Association, the team's uniforms were adorned with the Jewish star, and yes, all of its members were Jews. That's right, the best basketball team in the country was all Jewish. The sport sure has changed over the years, hasn't it?

Just don't expect us to change our hate of Philadelphia.