Tim Duncan vs Nikola Jokic, Fight! | TAF305

This week, on episode 305 of The Atlantic Files, Tom Deasey joins the show, the latest debate around the interwebs is Tim Duncan versus Nikola Jokic, JJ Redick makes some strong comments about Doc Rivers and it ruffles some feathers, is there any hope for the NBA All-Star game and weekend to return to glory, and we take a look at the MVP race and whether or not Jayson Tatum is unfairly criticized.

Around social media and blogs everywhere, the latest hot debate has been Tim Duncan versus Nikola Jokic. Everyone is trying to figure out which player they would take for the entirety of their career. New-generation fans have no idea the type of player that Duncan was, but Jokic has been a freak of nature so far in his career. Who do you take?

JJ Redick was on First Take and went nuclear when it came to Doc Rivers throwing all of the accountability at everyone but himself. He roasted Rivers for never taking accountability while Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe sat there and agreed with every word. Austin Rivers and Patrick Beverley took offense, but they’re in the minority when it comes to this opinion.

The NBA All-Star Game and the entire weekend as a whole were a disappointment yet again. Who would have guessed? Just about everyone who has watched the last handful of years would have. So, is there any hope at all for it to get better in the future?

Finally, we take a look at the MVP race after Draymond Green talked about Jayson Tatum being unfairly criticized. He thinks that Tatum is being held to a higher standard than the rest of the candidates, but we think the rest of them are just flat-out better.

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:03:00 AI, VR, and weird stuff
00:30:08 Is there any hope for NBA All-Star
00:44:52 MVP Race and where Jayson Tatum fits
01:03:29 JJ Redick’s Comments on Doc Rivers
01:27:47 Nikola Jokic vs Tim Duncan debate
01:38:12 NBA looking into helping defensive players
01:59:32 Outro and closing thoughts

Joel Embiid, NBA MVP, Philadelphia 76ers, NBA playoffs, Atlantic Files

Joel Embiid Wins MVP, Celtics and Knicks On The Brink | TAF271

On this week’s episode of The Atlantic Files, Joel Embiid finally wins his first MVP over Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Philadelphia 76ers have pushed the Boston Celtics to the brink of elimination, the New York Knicks are also trying to fend off elimination in their series, and more NBA Playoffs observations!

Joel Embiid has been a part of the highly debated MVP conversation over the last 2-to-3 seasons and it was finally his time to shine. With a substantial portion of the vote, he won his first MVP award over Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. This doesn’t exactly end the debate as people will likely talk about it for years to come, but no one can take away the MVP honors.

After a surprising Game 5 win, the Philadelphia 76ers pushed the Boston Celtics to the brink of elimination. Doc Rivers doesn’t have a great track record in series-clinching games and the Celtics are not a team that will go down without a fight. Can Joel Embiid and company actually push through the second round or will it be a Game 7 and maybe even a similar fate to the last few seasons?

The New York Knicks are in the same boat as the Celtics as they find themselves down 2-3 to the Miami Heat. A big Game 5 propelled them into at least one more game with Jalen Brunson leading the way as usual. The rest of the team just needs to step up so that Brunson doesn’t have to do everything the rest of the way.

Then, there are the two Western Conference semifinals, which have been entertaining in their own right. Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets have been pushing the Suns around for the most part and LeBron James is determined to make father time look like a joke. Who do you have coming out of the West?

Finally, a surprising name popped up in the Toronto Raptors head coaching search. JJ Redick apparently was interviewed for the opening despite never openly showing any interest in actually being a coach. This could be something to watch closely moving forward!

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Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:35 Joel Embiid wins 2023 NBA MVP
00:11:13 Sixers win Game 5, could eliminate Celtics
00:31:36 Knicks down 2-3 to Miami
00:36:39 Nuggets vs Suns and Lakers vs Warriors series
00:46:49 JJ Redick interviewed for head coach of Toronto
00:48:42 outro

Ben Simmons, JJ Redick, interview, reaction video, atlantic files

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!

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

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!

Jaylen Brown, Kevin Durant, trade, Atlantic Files

Jaylen Brown for Kevin Durant is dumb | The Atlantic Files Ep237

This week on the Atlantic Files podcast, we talk about the rumors surrounding a trade between the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets that would swap Jaylen Brown and Kevin Durant, whether or not Miles Bridges will play in the NBA ever again, Jerry West vs JJ Redick, Collin Sexton not getting any free agency attention, and John Collins fouling out of the Drew League!

The latest rumor around the NBA is that the Boston Celtics offered a package of Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and other assets to the Nets for Kevin Durant. Brown took to Twitter to voice his displeasure about the rumor. If Boston is really contemplating a deal like this, they are flat-out dumb. A team who just reached the NBA Finals and had a fighting chance to win the Finals does not need to be blown up just for one player. Don’t get too carried away Brad Stevens.

In other news, one of Mike’s previous favorite players fouled out and lost in the Drew League. That’s none other than John Collins. We’ve had debates about Collins against Julius Randle in the past, but Collins keeps proving he’s not worth the contract.

Speaking of worth the money, Collin Sexton seems to be a player that should be worth a medium-sized contract. The fact that he got pretty much zero buzz in free agency was quite mind-boggling. Whether it was either rumors of a sign-and-trade or just other teams offering a contract in general, we didn’t hear a single thing. Wonder how he’ll end up proving himself again in Cleveland next season.

Miles Bridges, which we’ve talked about in the past episode, has officially been brought up on charges. So, we took this time to ponder whether or not he’ll play another game in the NBA.

Finally, there has been some beef between JJ Redick and Jerry West. Redick hit a soft spot when he said basketball was just a bunch of “plumbers and firefighters” back in the day. West is firing back, saying Redick didn’t even have a great career and couldn’t hold a candle to players like himself. This one is fun!

Timecodes:
00:00 Intro
01:12 Boston Celtics should not trade Jaylen Brown
04:49 Talent gap between Jaylen Brown and Devin Booker
06:56 Why Boston would be dumb to get Kevin Durant
19:17 Is the East stronger than the West in 2022-23?
20:46 John Collins fouls out and loses in Drew League
26:51 Will Miles Bridges ever play in the NBA again?
28:26 Collin Sexton not getting any free-agency buzz
33:16 JJ Redick and Jerry West beef
38:34 Closing thoughts