October 20, 2022 by Alex Fischbein

Bennedict Mathurin over Paolo Banchero for NBA Rookie of the Year?!

At the start of every new NBA season, predictions, previews, and outlandish statements are common. During our latest episode, a viewer picked Bennedict Mathurin as the future Rookie of the Year over the likes of Paolo Banchero, Keegan Murray, and Jaden Ivey. Is that statement as crazy as everyone thinks?

While Mathurin is a great player in his own right, this pick for Rookie of the Year was still a bold statement. Especially after getting to see the debuts of Banchero and Ivey on Wednesday night.

Mathurin had himself a good game against the Washington Wizards with 19 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two blocks on 7-for-15 shooting from the floor and 3-for-7 from deep. On the other side of the debate, Banchero had 27 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two blocks on 11-for-18 shooting. Plus, Ivey registered 19 points, three rebounds, four assists, and three steals while shooting 8-for-15 overall and 2-for-4 from three.

Those stat lines are all close and they’re all equally impressive for each player. The one standing out would be Banchero as he performed a statistical feat that hasn’t been done since LeBron James was a rookie. On top of that, he had the most points scored in a number-one pick debut since Allen Iverson in 1996!

With all of that being said, who do you have for Rookie of the Year this season?

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October 18, 2022October 17, 2022 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

October 12, 2022October 12, 2022 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

October 7, 2022 by Alex Fischbein

NBA General Managers predict that Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks will win the NBA Finals

It’s that time of year again when the NBA takes a poll from all of the General Managers across the league on a myriad of topics about this season, seasons in the future, and even more. One team, and player, that got a lot of love are the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

One question they always answer is who they think is going to win the NBA Finals this year. Then, they take the votes and show where all the teams land based on these votes. The top four in the East go pretty much as expected whereas the West seemed to be wide open according to the GMs.

Last season, the GMs selected the Brooklyn Nets as the eventual champions with a whopping 72% of the vote. They weren’t going to fall for the same show as last year. This time, the Milwaukee Bucks took home 43% of the vote with the Golden State Warriors behind them with 25%.

Honestly, you can’t go wrong with having the Warriors or the Bucks at the top of the list because both teams either retained all of their good players or their young players got even better. Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo are two of the best players in the world as well.

The bigger debates come after those two. A lot of pundits are throwing the Los Angeles Clippers in the mix since everyone is finally getting healthy again. Then, there’s the Boston Celtics who represented the East last season. What about the Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, and Phoenix Suns though?

Check out a clip from our latest episode to hear what we had to say.

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Atlanta Hawks, Dejounte Murray, Southeast Division, NBA, Atlantic Files

October 5, 2022 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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October 3, 2022 by Alex Fischbein

Atlantic Files reacts to the Ben Simmons interview with JJ Redick

The moment JJ Redick teased the Ben Simmons interview, it caught everyone’s attention, especially ours! Right off the bat, the first teaser was about Simmons’ time in Philadelphia. How is anyone supposed to watch that and not get curious?

In the Philadelphia area, Ben Simmons has turned into a dreaded conversation starter. Everyone has their own side to this argument, but it usually starts with either calling Simmons a quitter or the Philadelphia 76ers dumb. Every single Sixers fan has had the Simmons argument and it’s going to continue until either side wins a championship. Although, even after that, the debate will probably still go on.

Finally, we were all able to hear Ben Simmons give his side of the story in regard to what happened in Philadelphia and where it all went wrong. JJ Redick lobbed up some softball questions about the playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks and the contract hold-out during last season.

Simmons gave some insight into some of the situations with things that none of us have heard about before. After that, there was a lot of flip-flopping and mixed answers. That could be a bias coming out, or it could be reading between the lines. That’s for all of you to decide!

During our latest episode, we reacted to the interview and some of the quotes that stood out the most. Comment on the video to let us know what you thought about it!

September 30, 2022 by Alex Fischbein

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving’s media day quotes are laughable

The NBA held its annual media day for each team this week. Two of the biggest stars in the game, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, had a lot of drama unfold the past couple of seasons and this past off-season. That means, of course, the media is going to ask plenty of questions about it.

Well, let’s just say that none of us are buying what Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have to say, and it’s time they start proving it for the Brooklyn Nets fans. This team was essentially put together by Irving and Durant themselves in collaboration with Sean Marks and the Nets front office. They even gave the “okay” on Steve Nash’s hiring as head coach.

Now, they’re both back in Brooklyn after one requested a trade and the other was on the cusp of being traded for whatever they could get back.

Kevin Durant explained he’s fine with being back on the team because he knows that he’s such a good player that the Nets couldn’t possibly trade him for any old return. Now, he sets his sights on redemption from the last couple of seasons.

There’s a lot to unpack when it came to Kyrie Irving’s media day interview. He talked about all the money and the big contract that he gave up to not get vaccinated but doesn’t like that it led to a narrative about him not wanting to play basketball. Some felt the way he spoke made it sound like he thought of himself as a martyr as well.

Let us know how you feel about their media day quotes in the video comments below! You’ll find the rest of our thoughts on there as well!

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

September 29, 2022 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!

September 27, 2022 by Alex Fischbein

Atlantic Files reacts to new NBA Statement jerseys

Every season, each NBA team has been releasing at least one new jersey for the last few years. Some have been alternates, some have redesigned their main jerseys, and others have re-released classics. Either way, there’s normally a new jersey these days with “cool” names like “statement jerseys.”

So, with all of the crazy jerseys, awesome throwbacks that remind us of our childhood, and other jerseys coming out this year, we decided to react to all the ones we hate, love, and everything in between!

As of right now, we have to give the worst jersey of the year to the Utah Jazz. The basic black and highlighter yellow colors are both boring and hard to look at. Why are we making people stick out like highlighters as if they play for Baylor? Come on people, we can do better than that!

The Cleveland Cavaliers, on the other hand, had a great designer work on their jerseys. All three of them use their color combinations to perfection and the alternate jersey looks just as sick. For a team who just got a whole lot better after a blockbuster trade, the new jerseys really fit the direction of the squad.

Check out the clip from our podcast below to see what else we thought on the other jerseys!

Doc Rivers, Twitter, Sixers, Atlantic Files

September 24, 2022 by Alex Fischbein

Doc Rivers caught down bad while on Twitter

This week in the NBA has been one that not a lot of people would have predicted. First, there’s the news of Robert Sarver’s suspension and the announcement of the impending sale of the Phoenix Suns. Then, Doc Rivers likes a bunch of pornographic tweets and gets caught by the internet. Finally, Ime Udoka also gets suspended for a relationship with a female staffer on the Boston Celtics.

The one story that has to be the funniest is Doc Rivers’s Twitter fail. He ended up getting bailed out by the Philadelphia 76ers PR team as they put out a statement that said his account was “compromised.” They removed all of his likes and said he “regained access to his account.”

Could it have truly been a hacker? Well, sure, hackers do some weird things. Is it also fishy that this hacker only liked some tweets instead of doing anything else? Well, the answer is also, yes.

Look, Doc Rivers is 60 years old. If the man wants to look at some explicit tweets like that, more power to him. Next time, he probably shouldn’t hit the like button.

Let’s not act like this hacker just decided to only like some tweets though. Call it like it is, he just accidentally liked them and didn’t realize it would be open to the public. Don’t worry Doc, we got you!