Category / Podcast Episode

Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors, The Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

Scottie Barnes’ Sophomore Slump | TAF254

On this week’s episode of The Atlantic Files Podcast, Scottie Barnes continues to have a rough sophomore season for the Toronto Raptors, James Harden struggles in his return from injury, Anthony Davis is dominating the league and staying healthy, Bradley Beal admits that no winning teams gave him an offer, Trae Young and Nate McMillan aren’t seeing eye-to-eye, and more!

Many basketball pundits and Twitter basketball “experts” have been commenting on Scottie Barnes’s lackluster season so far. He was expected to take a huge leap in his sophomore year but has struggled from time to time as he gets used to teams writing up game plans against him. He’s going to be just as fine as he has shown improvement in other areas of his game whether his scoring is down or not.

James Harden returned to the court with the Philadelphia 76ers after around a month of sitting out. Against his former team, the Houston Rockets, he certainly showed a lot of rust. He didn’t shoot well and turned the ball over in crucial moments during a double-overtime loss.

Anthony Davis caught a lot of flack from us on this podcast. His health was always in question and he was missing more games than he was playing. This season, however, he’s been playing through almost anything and he’s returned to a dominant force. Seeing him dominate again has been a great sight for the Los Angeles Lakers fans.

In a surprising quote, Bradley Beal admitted to not getting any offers from winning teams in the off-season. Usually, players of his status don’t admit something like that. There’s not much surprise to go with that statement though. Winning teams often don’t have the money to sign a star player to hundreds of millions of dollars.

Finally, there was some fighting between Trae Young and Nate McMillan. The two of them aren’t in agreement in terms of the ways that Young was treating the team and the coach. Some analysts have compared the situation to Zach Wilson with the New York Jets which is very alarming.

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Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:04:27 Scottie Barnes Sophomore Slump, concerned or not
00:16:16 James Harden returns and plays like crap, Philadelphia 76ers lose
00:37:54 Anthony Davis is out here dominating
00:47:29 Bradley Beal didn’t get any offers from winning teams
01:04:51 Trae Young and Nate McMillan have beef now
01:17:20 Mike calls into the show from the road
01:23:27 Outro

Ben Simmons, Brooklyn Nets, RJ Barrett, New York Knicks, The Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

Ben Simmons vs Paul Reed, RJ Barrett Struggling | TAF253

This week on the Atlantic Files podcast, Ben Simmons returned to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers, injuries are mounting for the Sixers with Tyrese Maxey also out, RJ Barrett has been struggling mightily this season, Giannis Antetokounmpo got in a fight with Montrezl Harrell and a ladder, Paul Reed has been balling, Kemba Walker is headed to the Dallas Mavericks, Karl Anthony Towns is hurt, and more!

We’re back after the Thanksgiving break so of course, we had to talk about the Philadelphia 76ers taking on the Brooklyn Nets and Ben Simmons‘ first regular season game back in Philly. The game should have been a blowout as the Sixers had their big three on the sidelines, but the sixers won easily. Simmons had a good game, but Paul Reed had an even better one.

Speaking of Paul Reed, he’s now on his victory tour again. Doc Rivers is finally listening to the hype as Reed gets more playing time and proves why he’s worthy of it. He’s had some great games with Joel Embiid out and even continued the defensive energy as a backup.

RJ Barrett has been struggling mightily lately. His issues are indicative of the whole team’s issues, however, a lot of this starts with one of their main three offensive options. Barrett hasn’t been able to shoot well at all and has new lows in a lot of categories across the board. Is this just a rut or will he continue to struggle in this system and lose more games for the Knicks?

Another older topic that we didn’t get a chance to comment on was laddergate with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Montrezl Harrell after the Milwaukee Bucks dropped a game in Philly. This has to be one of the dumbest and funniest bits of drama in the NBA. Everyone involved in this should have just gone home and called it a night, but instead, we had everyone talking bout who’s morally right or wrong.

Then, in around the league news, Karl Anthony Towns is out for 4-to-6 weeks with a lower leg injury. Also, Kemba Walker is coming back to the league as he’s joining the Dallas Mavericks. What are the impacts of both of these events?

Finally, we have our weekly fantasy basketball and whatchu got segments!

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:46 Thanksgiving, favorite holidays, and more
00:10:17 Giannis Antetokounmpo, Montrezl Harrell, and Laddergate
00:24:38 RJ Barrett’s slump and the New York Knicks
00:37:00 Ben Simmons returns to Philadelphia to play the Sixers
00:58:43 Paul Reed shows Doc Rivers he should play more
01:03:22 Karl Anthony Towns injured for 6-8 weeks
01:07:13 Kemba Walker headed to the Dallas Mavericks
01:08:33 Big Sexy’s Fantasy Basketball segment
01:13:39 Top 5 favorite Thanksgiving foods
01:22:58 RJ Barrett’s interesting stat feats
01:27:20 Outro

Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets, Michael Jordan, Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

Joel Embiid and Kevin Durant Setting Historic Marks | TAF252

On this week’s episode of The Atlantic Files, Joel Embiid does something that no other NBA player has ever done, Kevin Durant is chasing Michael Jordan, both the Sixers and the Nets are starting to wake up, the Boston Celtics are on a 7-game winning streak, What should the Knicks do with Thibodeau and RJ Barrett, who’s the bigger disappointment so far between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors, and we gave some fantasy basketball advice along the way.

At the time of recording, Kevin Durant had started the season with 13 consecutive games of 25 or more points scored. That mark hasn’t been reached since Michael Jordan who did it in 16 games in a row at the start of the 1988-89 season. After recording, Durant collected another 25-point game to push his total to 14. He may just end up tying Jordan or even getting more than him.

Joel Embiid made some history himself as he put up a stat line that has never been done before in NBA history. He finished the game against the Utah Jazz with 59 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and 7 blocks. No player has ever had a game with 50 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 blocks. To add to that, he scored a total of 101 points in one weekend as this historic game was the second half of a back-to-back and he scored 42 points in the game prior.

Led by their superstar players, both the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers have been waking up in recent weeks. They’ve been winning more than losing and both teams are looking a lot more energetic than at the beginning of the season. Maybe we’ll finally start to see these two teams get back to the top of the East sooner rather than later.

Speaking about the top of the East, the Boston Celtics are in first place again. They’ve been firing on all cylinders and the early part of their schedule hasn’t exactly been too difficult. Can they keep this type of play up without their head coach or is this all just a tease before things come crashing down?

Then, there’s the opposite in the train wreck which is the New York Knicks. They aren’t as big of a train wreck as they once were, they’re now an average train wreck. So who should be to blame here, Tom Thibodeau, RJ Barrett, or someone else? Something has to give to actually push this team into real contention.

Finally, we debated which team has been a bigger disappointment thus far between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Golden State Warriors. The reigning champs have yet to win a single road game. On the other hand, the Timberwolves mortgaged their whole future for a defensive big that hasn’t exactly improved either side of the ball so far. So who do you think is more of a disappointment?

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:10:22 Boston Celtics 7-game win streak and in First Place
00:24:34 Minnesota Timberwolves vs Golden State Warriors, who’s more disappointing?
00:39:10 Should the New York Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau or trade RJ Barrett?
00:50:59 Kevin Durant’s historic start to the season
01:00:46 Joel Embiid’s historic game and weekend
01:12:40 Which top team are you most confident in right now
01:15:38 Big Sexy’s Fantasy Basketball Segment
01:20:36 Outro

Kyrie Irving, Jacque Vaughn, Brooklyn Nets, Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

Kyrie Irving suspended, Jacque Vaughn hired | TAF251

This week on the Atlantic Files podcast, Kyrie Irving was suspended after last week’s episode and then was given a list of initiatives to finish before he can even come back to the Brooklyn Nets, Jacque Vaughn gets upgraded from interim to head coach instead of Ime Udoka, James Harden and Pascal Siakam are both out for an extended time, and Kawhi Leonard has a cloudy path back to playing.

Some of the biggest non-basketball news has been unfolding before us and all of Brooklyn. After Kyrie Irving promoted a controversial video that had anti-semetic tropes, he was suspended from the Brooklyn Nets and now he has a laundry list of items to fulfill before he’s allowed back to the team. The NBPA is expected to appeal the suspension, but Irving has also been meeting with front-office members of the team as well as the NBA’s commissioner. This whole sideshow drags on as Nets fans have to watch their team try to finally live up to expectations.

In a smarter move from the Nets, they ended up not going with Ime Udoka as their next head coach. Former assistant coach, Jacque Vaughn, received the promotion to head coach for at least the rest of the season. Since he’s been there for the last five-to-six seasons, the players all know him and he can connect the pieces of the roster. His last tenure as a head coach in Orlando didn’t go too well though.

Kawhi Leonard continues to sit out more games than he plays since getting to Los Angeles. Now, he’s out indefinitely yet again while the recovery process doesn’t go as planned. What exactly is happening with all of this? Did something happen that caused a setback? Nobody seems to have any answers.

Finally, James Harden and Pascal Siakam both suffered injuries that are going to keep them out for an extended period of time. Can both of their teams stay afloat until they come back? Will this missed time set them back into a hole? We discuss this as well.

Timecodes:
00:00 Introduction
01:12 Kyrie Irving suspended, given list of things to do to be allowed back
17:32 Jacque Vaughn officially head coach of the Brooklyn Nets
28:56 What’s up with Kawhi Leonard?
35:56 Pascal Siakam and James Harden to miss some time
43:12 Outro

Steve Nash, Fired, Brooklyn Nets, Ime Udoka, Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

Steve Nash Is Fired For Ime Udoka In Brooklyn | TAF250

This week on The Atlantic Files Podcast, Steve Nash was fired as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets and the reports said Ime Udoka was going to be hired in his place, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons continues the Nets clown show, Josh Primo gets waived by the San Antonio Spurs, the Philadelphia 76ers have two second rounders taken away, Adam Silver proposes a salary hard cap, Luka Doncic shows why he can win MVP, we talk about our favorite surprise starts, and more!

In case you haven’t heard about the big news, Steve Nash was actually fired from his head coaching position with the Brooklyn Nets. After the team started just 2-5, he’s now looking for another team to lead that doesn’t have a bunch of weird stars and sideshows. Ime Udoka, fresh off of a year-long suspension with the Boston Celtics is now the next in line. The Nets just really wanted to make things weirder than they already were.

Speaking of sideshows, the Philadelphia 76ers are now losing two of their second-round picks due to tampering. The issues stemmed from their recruitment of Danuel House and PJ Tucker. You can debate whether or not House might be worth it, but Tucker sure has been.

The other big news this week was when Joshua Primo all of a sudden was waived by the San Antonio Spurs. At first, everyone was confused. Then, Primo released a statement talking about working on his mental health. THEN, there was a statement about how Primo was caught exposing himself to multiple women. That’s a rollercoaster ride right there.

Finally, we talk about our favorite surprise starts to the season, Luka Doncic dominating like an MVP, the next coach that could possibly be fired, and we give some fantasy basketball advice!

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:47 Steve Nash Fired as Brooklyn Nets Coach
00:19:51 Ime Udoka next in line for Brooklyn Coaching job
00:24:38 Kyrie Irving’s anti-semitic movie and Ben Simmons’ issues
00:34:36 Philadelphia 76ers get tampering punishments for PJ Tucker
00:40:25 Josh Primo is waived for exposing himself to women
00:44:13 Luka Doncic is the early MVP favorite
00:50:58 Our favorite surprise starts in the NBA
00:58:54 We predict the next NBA head coach to be let go
01:05:56 Fantasy Basketball minute with Big Sexy
01:11:06 Closing

Ben Simmons, Brooklyn Nets, Jayson Tatum, Boston celtics, Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

Jayson Tatum for MVP, Ben Simmons keeps fouling | TAF249

This week on The Atlantic Files, we have regular season basketball to talk about! With that being said, we dove into each Atlantic division team to see how they’re doing three-to-four games into the season. Then, we gave our biggest takeaways from the rest of the league so far into this first week or so.

First, we have to bring up the Philadelphia 76ers due to how much hype they were receiving coming into the season. So far, they’ve delivered the exact opposite of the expectations that were bestowed upon them. Joel Embiid has looked pretty awful, James Harden has actually looked phenomenal, and the rest of the team can’t play defense.

The Boston Celtics, on the other hand, are looking like the team that made the NBA Finals last season. Jayson Tatum is looking like an MVP candidate while the rest of the team is seemingly coming together with some great chemistry. Once their schedule ramps up, we’ll find out a lot about this team.

Then, we get to Brooklyn where the Nets are also underachieving just like the Sixers. Ben Simmons has fouled out twice already, Kyrie has already yelled at him to shoot the ball, and they also have only won one game so far.

Let’s look up to the north at the Toronto Raptors next. Their defense is looking as good as ever and Nick Nurse has them playing well together yet again. This team is going to make some big noise when it comes to playoff time.

Finally, even the New York Knicks are looking more scrappy and energetic than the Sixers and Nets. What world are we living in right now?!

Timecodes:
00:00 Intro
02:54 Sixers look like butt, James Harden has done well though
17:05 Jayson Tatum is looking like an MVP
23:23 Brooklyn Nets still figuring things out with Ben Simmons
31:33 Toronto Raptors are looking good to start the season
35:12 New York Knicks are getting somewhere!
47:11 Observations around the NBA
55:37 Thanks for watching!

2022-23 NBA Season, Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

2022-23 NBA Season Predictions, Previews, and More | TAF248

This week on the Atlantic Files Podcast, we give our 2022-23 NBA season and award predictions, finish off our divisional preview series with none other than the Atlantic Division, Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole get extensions, Russell Westbrook is coming off of the bench, Ben Simmons admits that he and Joel Embiid aren’t friends, plus we debut our new fantasy basketball segment!

As we record this episode we are on the cusp of a new NBA season! We finally made it to the 2022-23 season and we couldn’t more excited! So, you know that that means, predictions and previews galore.

We finished our divisional preview series with the Atlantic Division and then gave all of our predictions for the new season. Awards, playoffs, the eventual winners, we’re giving our thoughts on everything.

In case you haven’t heard yet, Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole both got big-time paid! They inked extensions with the Golden State Warriors despite all of the drama surrounding Poole and Draymond Green. That should set up some very interesting drama with what the Warriors will end up doing with Green.

Then, the Russell Westbrook and Los Angeles Lakers saga continues! Westbrook is shunning the team huddle these days. On top of that, coach Darvin Ham has been experimenting with bringing Westbrook off the bench for the first time in his career. There’s no possible way this could end badly, right?

In an interview, Ben Simmons talked about how he and Joel Embiid were never really friends. Finally, it confirms something that everyone suspected based on body language and on-court chemistry. They don’t have to fake since they’re not teammates anymore.

Finally, we have our weekly ‘Whatchu Got’ segment as well as a new fantasy basketball segment! Hopefully, we can help some of you out there with your fantasy basketball leagues!

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Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:13:17 2022-23 NBA Rookie of the Year predictions
00:26:09 2022-23 NBA Sixth Man of the Year predictions
00:34:34 2022-23 NBA Most Improved Player of the Year predictions
00:38:50 2022-23 NBA Coach of the Year predictions
00:43:55 2022-23 NBA MVP predictions
00:49:36 2022-23 NBA Champion predictions
00:58:06 2022-23 NBA Atlantic Division Preview
01:16:07 Ben Simmons admits he’s not friends with Joel Embiid
01:17:57 Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins sign extensions
01:22:25 Russell Westbrook not joining Lakers huddles
01:25:43 Who will rebuild better, Thunder vs Rockets vs Pacers
01:32:09 2022-23 fantasy basketball advice
01:40:32 Outro

Draymond Green, Jordan Poole, Fight, Victor Wembanyama, Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

Draymond Green implodes, Victor Wembanyama explodes | TAF247

This week on The Atlantic Files podcast, Draymond Green swings at Jordan Poole during practice, Victor Wembanyama faces Scoot Henderson in an exhibition, Jamal Murray thinks that the level of basketball in the bubble was much better, the NBA divisional preview series rolls on with the Central Division, and debate the Dream Team vs the Redeem Team.

Of course, we had to start off with the hottest bit of drama that the NBA has to offer lately. Draymond Green punched his teammate Jordan Poole in practice and the video was leaked by none other than TMZ. I’m sure no one is surprised that it came from TMZ. So, we gave our thoughts and reactions on the matter.

A week ago, Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson had the exhibition game for the ages. Both players are considered the top two prospects in the upcoming NBA Draft. They did not disappoint one bit. All of the hype and advertisements are crazy for a reason.

Jamal Murray claimed that the level of basketball inside of the bubble a couple of years ago was the best basketball the NBA has seen in a while. Everyone’s focus was only on the game and there weren’t any fans to get inside anyone’s head. Do you agree with him?

We continue our divisional preview series with the second to last division left. The Central Division, which is home to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, is one that seems pretty cut and dry. So much so that we even had the same exact predictions for the standings!

Finally, in the spirit of the new redeem team documentary that came out, we debated the Dream Team vs the Redeem Team. Which one of the two legendary Olympic teams are you taking?

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Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:07:44 Reactions to the Draymond Green and Jordan Poole fight
00:33:39 Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson are insanely talented
00:50:21 Jamal Murray says basketball in the bubble was at its best
01:00:11 2022-23 NBA Central Division Preview
01:34:54 Dream team vs Redeem team
01:38:17 Outro

Atlanta Hawks, Dejounte Murray, Southeast Division, NBA, Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

Will Dejounte Murray turn around the Atlanta Hawks | TAF246

This week on The Atlantic Files, we preview the Southeast Division where Dejounte Murray looks to help the Atlanta Hawks get back to deep playoff runs, Blake Griffin signs with the Boston Celtics, the NBA Preseason is underway, Oklahoma City and Houston traded a bunch of players, the Toronto Raptors are monitoring Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s situation, and we take a look at the annual GM survey from the NBA!

A lot of depressing rosters have made their home in the Southeast division over recent years. The only team that really was a championship threat was the Miami Heat. This time around, there are still a few depressing rosters, but both the Heat and the Atlanta Hawks look like they could make some noise! Dejounte Murray found himself move from a tanking situation to a contender, so can he help Atlanta get back to the Conference Finals?

Blake Griffin is officially staying in the Atlantic Division! After playing with the Brooklyn Nets last season and then not getting another offer, he found his home in Boston. The cleanup crew just got even better for the Celtics. Griffin is bringing his charge drawing abilities on top of his high effort in all of his bench minutes. Yet another sneaky good addition from Brad Stevens and company.

The NBA Preseason is officially underway! We’ve seen the Phoenix Suns lose to an NBL team, the Philadelphia 76ers blowout the Nets without most of their starters, and so much more. We gave our top observations and takeaways from the games that have been played so far.

In trade news, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets swapped a bunch of bench players so that the Thunder could get under the tax line. A couple pieces of the trade have already been waived, so this really has no effect on the day-to-day talent of each team.

Rumors are now swirling that the Toronto Raptors and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are starting to form a link. The Raptors are reportedly keeping tabs on the situation in Oklahoma City just in case Gilgeous-Alexander doesn’t want to wait for this tank job to finally end.

Finally, we take a look at the survey that’s done by all of the NBA’s General Managers. They answered a ton of questions about the current state of the league and even some predictions for how the season is going to turn out. We gave our thoughts to the best and worst answers.

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro & Dennis’s dungeon
00:07:09 2022-23 NBA Southeast Division Preview
00:39:03 Observations from the NBA Preseason
00:54:32 Blake Griffin signs with the Boston Celtics
00:56:08 Toronto Raptors are monitoring Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
01:03:23 Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets trade
01:04:58 Reactions and thoughts on annual NBA GM Survey
01:28:12 Outro

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Ben Simmons, Brooklyn Nets, JJ Redick, Ime Udoka, Boston Celtics, Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

Ben Simmons, Ime Udoka, and Southwest Division | TAF245

This week on the Atlantic Files, we give our thoughts on the Ben Simmons interview on JJ Redick’s podcast, Ime Udoka’s suspension from the Boston Celtics, the biggest quotes and takeaways from NBA Media Day, and we continue our division preview series with the Southwest Division.

Ben Simmons finally came forward and gave his thoughts and explanations on all of the topics that Philadelphia 76ers fans and NBA fans alike wanted to hear. The topics ranged from the passed-up dunk against Trae Young, to what went wrong in Philly, to working on his shooting in Brooklyn after the debacle in the last 5 seasons. We reacted to our favorite quotes and soundbites of the interview.

The other biggest news coming out of the Atlantic Division was the suspension of Ime Udoka. Boston’s head coach was caught in a relationship with a female staffer and allegedly made unwanted comments toward women in the organization. Everyone who reported on the matter before anything was official, made the situation even messier. Reports said the relationship was consensual but then as more information came out, it sounded like the opposite was true. Now, the Boston Celtics start their training camp in turmoil instead of a team fresh off of a great Finals run with their eyes set on another.

Speaking of training camp and the start of the new season, teams around the league held their annual media day! Fans got to hear their favorite players talk about the upcoming season and any storylines still lingering. Also, we got to see any new players on their new teams. Media day is always exciting as it marks the coming days of a new season with a lot in store! We reacted to our favorite interviews, quotes, and more from this year’s media day.

Then, we continued our annual divisional preview series. This week, the Southwest division is on the docket. Will Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks take the division throne, or will the Memphis Grizzlies stay on top?

Finally, we had our “Whatchu Got” segment that ranged from pumpkin spice to Marcus Jordan getting spotted with Larsa Pippen!

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:06:19 Reaction to Ben Simmons on JJ Redick’s podcast
00:33:52 Reactions and takeaways from NBA Media day
00:59:34 Ime Udoka suspended, situation got messy!
01:12:05 2022-23 NBA Southwest division preview
01:27:49 Marcus Jordan with Larsa Pippen now??
01:30:23 New Redeem team doc teaser with Kobe Bryant
01:36:41 Matisse Thybulle vs Ben Simmons in threes
01:37:38 Are you a pumpkin flavor fan?
01:39:33 Thank you for 200 subscribers!