Editing Philadelphia Sphas (section)

===Early championships, success against barnstorming teams, first ABL stint and name change===
For the 1924–25 season, the Philadelphia League reconstituted itself as the Philadelphia Basket Ball League, dropping the number of teams in the league to six.<ref name=":4" /> The Sphas continued a strong spate of play, finishing 1st in the first half of the season, and third in the second half. They would go on to be repeat champions that season, winning 2–1 again over Tri-Council.<ref name=":4" /> Due to the success of the Sphas against teams in the Philadelphia area, and frustration with playing in the "poorly managed" Eastern League in 1924–25, owner Eddie Gottlieb set up games against professional teams from the newly-formed [[American Basketball League (1925–55)|American Basketball League]].<ref name=":5">Stark, 19.</ref> The Sphas played a six-game stretch against the [[Brooklyn Arcadians]], [[Fort Wayne Caseys]], [[Cleveland Rosenblums]], [[Washington Palace Five]], and a team from New York's Metropolitan League, the Paterson Legionaires. The Sphas won five out of six games in this series, and Gottlieb subsequently scheduled games against two top [[Barnstorm (sports)|barnstorming]] teams of the day, the [[Original Celtics]] and [[New York Renaissance]].<ref name=":5" /> The Sphas defeated the Original Celtics 2–1 and swept the Rens, 2–0. The team's victories over these top barnstorming teams gave them increased notability in the burgeoning professional basketball community.<ref>Radel. Abe.“South Philadelphia Hebrew Association,” in The Reach Official Basket Ball Guide, 1926–27, ed. William Phillips (Philadelphia: A. J. Reach, 1926), 222.</ref> Riding the wave of victories his team achieved against the ABL and barnstorming teams, Gottlieb entered the Sphas in the ABL, rechristening them the Philadelphia Warriors. During their two years in the ABL as the Warriors, the team performed moderately well, finishing third (14–7) and then fourth (10–11) in the 1926–27 season.<ref name=":6">Stark, 20.</ref> For the 1927–28 season, the ABL split into two divisions (Eastern and Western). The Warriors played in the Eastern Division and finished third with a 30–21 record. This allowed them entry into the playoffs, where they lost to the New York Celtics<ref>This team was in reality the [[Original Celtics]], who replaced the Brooklyn Arcadians. They took the name Brooklyn Celtics, then changed to New York Celtics for the 1927 season.</ref> 2–0.<ref name=":6" /><ref>Stark, Appendix B, 275.</ref>