Tag / houston rockets

by Alex Fischbein

Jontay Porter Risks It All | TAF307

In episode 307 of The Atlantic Files, Jontay Porter is under investigation for gambling on NBA games that he was involved in, the Brooklyn Nets turn down one of the best trade offers they’ve ever received, we check in on the Atlantic Division after our three-week hiatus, and we take a look at the playoff picture in the East and West and predict how it will shake out!

Topics covered this week:

  1. Life Updates and Injury Setbacks:
    We start with a personal update, sharing the challenges we’ve faced in the past few weeks, including a broken pinky and the demands of everyday life that have temporarily kept us away from the podcast. Despite the setbacks, we’re back and ready to dive into the exciting world of basketball.
  2. NBA Investigation: Jontay Porter and Sports Betting:
    Delve into the recent controversy surrounding Jontay Porter as the NBA launches an investigation into allegations of sports betting. We discuss the implications of such accusations on Porter’s career and the NBA’s stance on integrity in sports.
  3. Brooklyn Nets Trade Rumors:
    Explore the trade talks between the Brooklyn Nets and the Houston Rockets, revealing the details of a trade offer involving promising young talents Jalen Green and Mikal Bridges. We analyze the Nets’ decision to turn down the offer and the potential impact on both teams.
  4. Atlantic Division Update:
    Get an in-depth look at the NBA’s Atlantic Division standings for the 2023-24 season. We review the performance of teams such as the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, and New York Knicks, highlighting standout players and key matchups.
  5. 2024 NBA Playoff Race:
    As the regular season heats up, we shift our focus to the thrilling race for the 2024 NBA Playoffs. From top contenders to underdogs fighting for a spot, we break down the current playoff picture, playoff seeding scenarios, and teams to watch as the postseason approaches.

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:43 Flomax and broken pinkies
00:19:05 Jontay Porter under investigation
00:29:48 Nets turn down Jalen Green for Mikal Bridges
00:42:35 Atlantic Division update
00:50:05 NBA Playoff picture
01:01:06 Outro

by Alex Fischbein

Team USA Fails, Kevin Porter Jr. In Trouble | TAF285

This week, on episode 285 of The Atlantic Files, Team USA fails to medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Kevin Porter Jr. gets in trouble with the law, Damian Lillard now says he’d join training camp for any team, and we preview the Southeast Division for the upcoming NBA season.

After the controversial comments from Noah Lyles about the NBA, Team USA couldn’t turn those words into fuel for the 2023 FIBA World Cup. The team lost to Germany in the semifinal and then suffered another loss to Canada in the third-place game. They failed to meet expectations and the race to build the best team for the Olympics is now on.

Kevin Porter Jr. has found himself in very hot water after being arrested on assault charges. Right now, everything is alleged before the court cases take place. The NBA, however, could bring down some pretty hard sanctions when it’s all said and done because of the issues off of the court for Miles Bridges. His NBA career is now in jeopardy let alone his future with the Houston Rockets.

Finally, we preview the Southeast Division for the upcoming NBA season. Damian Lillard to the Miami Heat is still a possibility, but the rest of the division has some rising rosters. Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks look to improve with a full season of Quin Snyder at the helm and the Orlando Magic are getting better every day as their young stars improved throughout the offseason.

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:03:31 Fantasy Football Corner: Week 1 recap
00:21:36 Team USA fails to medal at 2023 FIBA World Cup
00:36:32 Kevin Porter Jr. arrested
00:50:48 NBA Southeast Division Preview
01:10:38 Outro

by Alex Fischbein

James Harden vs Daryl Morey Cage Match! | TAF282

In episode 282 of The Atlantic Files, James Harden calls Daryl Morey a liar and won’t play for him, Daryl Morey isn’t surprised and stands his ground, the 2023 FIBA World Cup starts soon, we do our first divisional preview starting with the Southwest division, Dennis gives his fantasy basketball rankings for points leagues, and more!

James Harden was on tour in China with Adidas and fielded questions after an event where he took the chance to throw some shots at Daryl Morey. He called Morey a liar and said that he will not play for a franchise that Morey is a part of and he repeated a second time to make sure everyone understood. He obviously knew his audience and that people in China aren’t big fans of Morey. This moves the process to a whole new level of confusion.

The 2023 FIBA World Cup starts in a couple of weeks so we look at some of the rosters of the countries that are participating. We give our thoughts on the top rosters and the teams that have the best chance of taking home the gold.

Then, we kick off our divisional preview series as we take a look at the upcoming season for the Southwest Division. The Memphis Grizzlies won’t have Ja Morant for a chunk of the season and the Houston Rockets improved greatly. Will the New Orleans Pelicans finally stay healthy and realize their potential, or will they tank?

Finally, our very own Dennis Clausen put out his rankings for the 2023-24 fantasy basketball season. The rankings are geared toward points leagues so we discuss the top 30 players and whether or not we agree or think others deserve the spot instead.

SUBSCRIBE to Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don’t miss a new episode!

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:06:54 James Harden calls Daryl Morey a liar
00:34:13 2023 FIBA World Cup thoughts
00:51:32 2023-24 Southwest division preview
01:16:34 Dennis’s 2023-24 fantasy basketball points rankings
01:43:15 Outro

by Alex Fischbein

2023 NBA Free Agency Roundup | TAF278

On episode 278 of The Atlantic Files: 2023 NBA Free Agency was shaping up to be crazy and so far it hasn’t really been that amazing. Players like Kyrie Irving, Draymond Green, Kyle Kuzma, and Khris Middleton all stayed put. Fred VanVleet got paid, Dillon Brooks headed to a different team, and Grant Williams and Max Strus went through a sign-and-trade. We give all of our thoughts and reactions on the signings and trades so far and the ones that are yet to come like Damian Lillard and James Harden.

The free agency period has been a little lackluster compared to all the hype and rumors thrown around before it officially opened. Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks both got a good bit of money to switch teams, but outside of them a lot of the more significant contracts went to guys that just stayed with their same squad. Draymond Green, Kyle Kuzma, and Jerami Grant are just a few names that didn’t switch teams. So, which teams had the best free agency?

We also take a closer look at the Atlantic Division teams and how they fared throughout the free agency period so far. The 76ers and Nets seem to be sitting back and waiting for bigger moves while the Raptors and Celtics decided to make a few moves and bring in some new faces. We’re still waiting to see if the Knicks have anything else up their sleeve as well.

Finally, there are the annoying situations of both Damian Lillard and James Harden. Lillard decided to wait until the last possible minute to request a trade and he’s acting like a child when he says he will only play for the Miami Heat and absolutely no one else. Harden, also acting like a child, received a huge ego check and will sit around waiting for Daryl Morey to trade him because he didn’t like the fact that he didn’t receive a ton of money this offseason.

SUBSCRIBE to Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don’t miss a new episode!

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:07:16 Atlantic Division free agency roundup
00:47:01 Can Damian Lillard replicate Stephen Curry and Isiah Thomas?
00:55:51 What’s going on with Dame and James Harden?
01:04:17 Houston lands Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks
01:07:13 We love meatloaf
01:10:11 Back to Houston’s free agency
01:15:46 Kyle Kuzma stays in Washington??
01:21:36 Phoenix Suns have a good free agency
01:25:03 Early NBA Summer League thoughts
01:31:52 Outro

Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, Josh Hart, New York Knicks, NBA Playoffs, Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat, Atlantic Files, Podcast
by Alex Fischbein

The New York Knicks And Playoff Jimmy Butler Are Real | TAF270

On this week’s episode of The Atlantic Files, the New York Knicks are shutting down the Cleveland Cavaliers with ease, Jimmy Butler flipped his playoff switch against Milwaukee, the Philadelphia 76ers swept the Brooklyn Nets so what do they need to do this off-season, Ime Udoka got the job with the Houston Rockets, and more!

Both the Knicks and Jimmy Butler have flipped the playoff switch lately. New York is on a high right now as they took a 3-1 lead over the Cavaliers as the series goes back to Cleveland for Game 5. Many analysts, including us on this podcast, didn’t believe in the Knicks winning a series against a Donovan Mitchell-led Cavs team. Yet, here they are on the cusp of advancing to the second round! Then, there’s the tale as old as time in playoff Jimmy. Butler has taken the Heat to the edge of a huge upset over the first-seed Milwaukee Bucks after he put up a historic performance in Game 4.

Now that the Brooklyn Nets have been swept for the second time in two years, what do they need to avoid the same fate for a third consecutive season? How do they build after moving on from the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving experiment? Well, a good start is having players like Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, that’s for sure! It’s time to talk about the pieces they need around those two.

Ime Udoka’s name has been thrown around rumor mills for every single team that needed a head coach. Finally, two teams fired their coaches and then it became a contest of which one could hire him quicker. Reportedly, he didn’t want the Toronto job, so he ended up taking the Houston opening. Does he immediately make them a playoff contender, or is there still a long way to go for this squad?

Finally, we go over the other playoff series around the league and talk about the hottest topics. Dillon Brooks is regretting poking the bear, the Minnesota Timberwolves finally won a game, the Los Angeles Clippers are injured again, and more!

SUBSCRIBE to Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don’t miss a new episode!

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:56 2023 NBA Playoffs observations
00:46:32 New York Knicks making the ECF
01:03:31 Joel Embiid sprains his LCL
01:16:58 Brooklyn Nets changes they need to make in the off-season
01:30:08 Ime Udoka heading to Houston
01:34:15 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

SUBSCRIBE to Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don’t miss a new episode!

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!

Tracy mcgrady, top ten, atlantic files
by Alex Fischbein

Is Tracy McGrady in the NBA top ten all-time?

Two basketball debates are ongoing amongst every generation of players, coaches, and fans alike. The GOAT debate and the top ten debate. We’re not that bold to say Tracy McGrady is the GOAT, but we did talk about whether he is a top ten talent of all time.

Stemming from a ‘would you rather’ starring Tracy McGrady, we pondered whether or not McGrady belongs in the top ten. His talent and skill are undeniable. He’s easily one of the best offensive players that the game has ever seen.

What happens when you bring up players from every era though?

In his own era, McGrady had to go up against the likes of players such as Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Ray Allen, Vince Carter, and many others. Offensive abilities were abundant, but that doesn’t even include a couple of players in the GOAT debate like Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

All of a sudden, the top ten seems to get very crowded. Centers that were completely unstoppable enter the conversation like Shaquille O’Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon. Power Forwards like Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett show up to give their case. Current era players like Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Stephen Curry all make sure that you can’t forget about them.

None of these players’ resumes diminish what McGrady did during his tenure in the NBA. They just prove how hard it is to truly be on that top ten list at the end of the day.

Where would you rank Tracy McGrady on your all-time list?

2022 NBA draft, chet holmgren, paolo banchero, jabari smith jr, atlantic files
by Alex Fischbein

2022 NBA Draft Reactions and Analysis | The Atlantic Files Ep233

This week on the Atlantic Files podcast, we’re talking all things 2022 NBA Draft. We give all of our opinions and analysis on trades such as the ones involving Jerami Grant to the Portland Trail Blazers and Christian Wood to the Dallas Mavericks! The NBA Draft itself will be taking place as we’re recording so all reactions and takes will be live as they happen. We’ll also be talking about the weird Kyrie Irving rumors about not reaching contract agreements on top of sign-and-trade options.

The hottest topic in the NBA this week was obviously the NBA Draft. So, we decided to do a rare Thursday recording and we live streamed our reactions to each pick and trade in the lottery. The top three picks were known from the start, we just didn’t know which order, and things really started to shake up once it hit the New York Knicks pick. Right now, it seems like the Detroit Pistons stole the show. However, with free agency looming in the not-so-distant future, a lot of things can change.

Before the draft even happened, there were a couple of trades that we had to note. Christian Wood was sent to the Dallas Mavericks for a ton of filler and not much else. This bolsters the Mavs offense and especially defense down low. Then, Jerami Grant was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for more filler type of returns. While Damian Lillard got himself a nice stretch-four, the Pistons cleared up some space for their prospects of Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren.

Finally, there is even more drama on the Kyrie Irving and Brooklyn Nets front. All sorts of smoke and rumors coming out of the Irving camp are saying that they haven’t reached a deal on a new contract and now he’s coming up with lists of teams he’d like a sign and trade to. If Kyrie then moves, everyone is worried about Kevin Durant moving right after him. That’s a lot of drama for a team who didn’t even have a pick in the draft.

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:20 2022 NBA Draft live reactions
00:11:39 Christian Wood traded to the Dallas Mavericks
00:16:07 More NBA Draft reactions
00:27:44 Dennis makes a quick appearance!
00:46:50 Kyrie Irving drama with the Brooklyn Nets
00:54:20 Back to NBA Draft analysis

Tobias Harris, Philadelphia 76ers
by Alex Fischbein

Tobias Harris vs Sixers Fans | The Atlantic Files ep209

On this week’s episode of the Atlantic Files, Tobias Harris fires back at Philadelphia 76ers fans, Kyrie Irving finally plays, Russell Westbrook says some interesting things, LeBron James is dipping down to new lows, and New York Knicks fans are turning on RJ Barrett too.

In case you haven’t seen the clip yet, Tobias Harris had some things to say to Sixers fans during their home game against the Houston Rockets. Fans were starting to boo Harris after he blew an open layup and only had six points through three quarters. After making his patented turnaround jumper in the post and fans started to clap, he barked back with “don’t f***ing clap!” Not sure if it was wise to say something like that unless you’re on the level of a Joel Embiid or Allen Iverson in the minds of Philly fans.

If that wasn’t enough, Philly fans have also turned their ire towards new play-by-play announcer, Kate Scott. She tweeted about how she’s been getting nasty messages from all sorts of fans. Not just the ones that everyone would expect, but even younger crowds and fellow women have been sending her all sorts of hate in her DMs. Be better Sixers fans.

Kyrie Irving is finally back on the court as of the night this new episode was recorded. The Brooklyn Nets are in dire need of more scorers as they continue to struggle against the better teams throughout the league. Also, they could always use another person with everyone dropping like flies due to the health and safety protocols.

Kevin Porter Jr. and Christian Wood were both suspended for a game by the Rockets. They both had some serious attitude and either went home or refused to go into the game. This rebuild could be taking a toll on the team that wasn’t expected and it could force them to ship off two of their best young core.

Then, we get to the Los Angeles Lakers. My, how the mighty have fallen. This team had lofty expectations coming into the season and has not really met any of them at all. Anthony Davis is hurt again, and now Russell Westbrook is saying that it doesn’t matter if he turns the ball over a lot or not. On top of that, LeBron James feels the need to celebrate and talk trash to the worst teams in the league as they barely scrape by with a win.

That plus some more bonus conversation about RJ Barrett and the New York Knicks on the latest episode!

Timecodes:
0:00 – Intro
2:38 – Kyrie Irving returns for his first game of the season
8:33 – Tobias Harris gets booed then barks back at Philadelphia 76ers fans
20:43 – Kate Scott talks about getting nasty messages from Sixers fans
28:15 – Houston Rockets suspend Kevin Porter Jr. and Christian Wood
38:53 – Russell Westbrook says he can turn the ball over whenever he wants
48:52 – LeBron James hits some new lows
56:21 – New York Knicks fans turning on RJ Barrett