January 4, 2023 by Alex Fischbein

Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics Now At The Top | TAF257

This week on The Atlantic Files Podcast, the Brooklyn Nets and the Boston Celtics are the top two seeds in the East while the Philadelphia 76ers are fifth, offensive explosions have happened everywhere including Luka Doncic, Donovan Mitchell, LeBron James, and more, the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic got into a fight, Grayson Allen is still dirty, and some surprising teams are rising in the West! That plus much more!

The Atlantic Division is rising once again as the Celtics and Nets occupy the two top seeds in the East while the Sixers are just a few games back in fifth and the Knicks are battling for the play-in. Lagging behind is the Toronto Raptors who still have plenty of time to right the ship and make it into the play-in games.

Across the league, there have been some fantastic offensive games and record-breaking nights. Joel Embiid had his historic night, Luka Doncic had a 60-point triple-double, Donovan Mitchell scored 71 points in a game, and LeBron James scored 40 on his 38th birthday, and that’s just naming a few. We’re in an offensive renaissance right now!

In case people haven’t heard, the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons got into a fight which resulted in a handful of suspensions. Some think it could have been a flop that started it all and others think Killian Hayes actually has some quality hands. Everyone has their opinion, of course. Except for Grayson Allen, everyone knows that guy is dirty.

Finally, Nate McMillan is rumored to be thinking about quitting his head coaching job. Nobody would blame him because the Atlanta Hawks seem like a dumpster fire when it should be a contender right now. Trae Young probably would love this idea though.

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Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:04:43 Nate McMillan might resign from the Atlanta Hawks
00:16:36 Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics are top 2, 76ers at fifth
00:32:36 Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic get into a fight
00:40:18 Grayson Allen is still dirty
00:45:29 Offensive explosions from Luka Doncic, Donovan Mitchell, etc
01:00:44 Surprising Western Conference playoff teams
01:16:47 Outro

November 16, 2022 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

November 6, 2022 by Alex Fischbein

James Harden Out, Doc Rivers On The Hot Seat | Sixers Saturday Ep2

To nobody’s surprise, the Philadelphia 76ers are still going through a bit of a rough patch and it looks like it’s getting a little more difficult. James Harden is now injured, the jury is still out on Doc Rivers’ coaching schemes, Joel Embiid is missing games, and the defense looks quite terrible. Did you hit Sixers bingo yet?

James Harden strained his foot during the team’s game against the Toronto Raptors. Despite the team losing their first three games, Harden was having a tremendous start to the season. He looked re-energized and fully healthy. Now, the Sixers will be without him for a month and the floor general duties will fall on Tyrese Maxey.

Speaking of Sixers losses this season, there are already six of them in 10 games. At least a few of them can be attributed to some questionable rotations, substitutions, and game plans. Doc Rivers is firmly on the hot seat during this rocky start and I’m not sure if he really even knows it. The defense looks atrocious and his reluctance to play both Matisse Thybulle and Paul Reed isn’t helping turn that around at all.

Joel Embiid has already been missing a big chunk of games and no one seems to know how many he’s actually going to miss with the non-COVID illness and plantar fasciitis that he’s dealing with. For a team that’s trying to right the ship and get back on track toward the playoff race, this is somewhat alarming. That’s not to mention that Embiid hasn’t played all that well to start the season.

Check out what we had to say on the latest episode of Sixers Saturday!

SUBSCRIBE HERE to see the live streams of Sixers Saturday, every week at 10 AM ET on Saturdays during the NBA season.

Ben Simmons, Brooklyn Nets, Jayson Tatum, Boston celtics, Atlantic Files

October 27, 2022 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!

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!

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

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

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!

August 29, 2022August 29, 2022 by Alex Fischbein

Brooklyn Nets vs Philadelphia 76ers, who has the better roster?

By now, everyone knows that Kevin Durant has decided to stay with the Brooklyn Nets. The dramatic, reality show type of situation is finally over and nothing even happened. That leaves three teams fighting for the top of the Atlantic Division the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Toronto Raptors.

No offense to any Raptors fans, but Toronto is still one of the up-and-coming teams especially compared to the Sixers and Nets. So we’re going to revisit them another time.

This comes down to the Nets roster vs the Sixers roster. Which one is better from top to bottom?

In Philadelphia, the bench got better through their off-season additions this year. James Harden has been working twice as hard as he finally doesn’t have to rehab an injury and Tyrese Maxey is getting ready to show even more growth in his third season.

On the other side, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are both coming back to Brooklyn. Ben Simmons is looking like he’ll finally be ready to go and the supporting pieces are getting healthier as well. Joe Harris wasn’t a factor at all last season, and he’s been one of the most consistent three-point shooters in the league.

So, which team are you taking? Are you taking the duo of Joel Embiid and Harden or Durant and Irving? Then, are you going to take the Sixers supporting cast or the Nets? This conversation is closer than people think, and it’s also fun for non-Sixers and non-Nets fans.

August 21, 2022August 20, 2022 by Alex Fischbein

The Philadelphia 76ers don’t need a Kevin Durant trade

Kevin Durant has been one of the hottest news topics of the NBA Off-season so far. After he requested a trade, rumors started popping up everywhere. Tons of teams want a top-five player on their team, that’s not rocket science. As of right now though, the two teams considered landing spots are the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.

We believe the Sixers don’t need Kevin Durant, and it would actually set them back if they made the trade. Time and time again we’ve seen a team mortgage their whole future just for one player, but it hasn’t turned out well for them in the end.

Take the Brooklyn Nets, for example, they put together one of the best trios we’ve ever seen on paper. James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving should have been a surefire championship team. Any supporting cast would be able to help those three win a ring.

Obviously, that was quite far from the truth. The furthest they got was a second-round exit against the Milwaukee Bucks. Injury reports were always filled, Kyrie Irving was barely playing due to every excuse under the sun, and now it has all imploded.

That’s exactly what brings us to this topic in the first place. Brooklyn’s front office made every move they could to bring the roster together, and that wasn’t enough.

So, Daryl Morey and the Philadelphia 76ers think that trading their future and depth away for Kevin Durant is going to bring rings? Injury history with their current stars on top of Durant’s iffy injury status these days does not mix well. Neither does a big three with a terrible supporting cast and bench.

May 26, 2022June 27, 2022 by Alex Fischbein

Kyrie Irving admits LeGM is true | The Atlantic Files Ep229

This week on the Atlantic Files Podcast, Kyrie Irving admits to the fact that LeBron James was acting as GM, our thoughts on the All-NBA teams for this season, the terrible Los Angeles Lakers coaching search, all the blowouts in the NBA Playoffs, and whether or not DeAndre Ayton deserves a max contract.

Kyrie Irving, on a podcast, talked about the fact that LeBron James was essentially acting as the General Manager when he put together their championship roster. Kyrie even said he wasn’t mad at him for doing so as it helped him get the only ring that he’s won so far. On top of that, he talked about how he had to mature when he played with LeBron, but now we’re wondering where all of that maturity has gone because it hasn’t shown itself in a long time.

Speaking of LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers are on the hunt for a new head coach. Another coach has been driven out of town with LeBron on the team and they have to find a replacement that will last more than one season. For some reason, they keep coming back to Doc Rivers as long as Philly would part ways with him. We’re just wondering why they think that Rivers would all of a sudden lead that team to a ring.

The NBA released all three of the All-NBA teams. The First Team left a lot to be desired with players like Jayson Tatum and Devin Booker making it over Joel Embiid, Ja Morant, and Stephen Curry. Tatum even said that the All-NBA teams should be positionless and we agree. Positions in the NBA have been as meaningless as ever before, so why not make it that way throughout the awards too.

Finally, Deandre Ayton is looking for a new contract from the Phoenix Suns. He and his agent were hoping for a max contract, but the Suns hoped he’d take a pay cut. His talent level definitely isn’t max contract worthy, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he did end up receiving one in his situation.

Timecodes:

0:00 – Intro
3:46 – Los Angeles Lakers head coach search is trash
26:15 – Kyrie Irving admits to LeBron James playing GM
42:19 – Does Deandre Ayton deserve a max contract
46:37 – Our thoughts on the 2022 All-NBA teams

May 10, 2022June 27, 2022 by Alex Fischbein

Nikola Jokic wins MVP, we guess | The Atlantic Files Ep227

This week on The Atlantic Files Podcast, Nikola Jokic was unofficially named NBA MVP for the second time in two seasons, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo have their legions of fans back them up, Almost all of the NBA Playoffs series are tied 2-2, dirty plays and technical foul discussions, Rudy Gobert vs Shaq, JJ Redick’s awesome rant on ESPN, and the Sacramento Kings hire Mike Brown as their newest head coach.

Based on a Woj report, Nikola Jokic will reportedly go back-to-back for league MVP. The big debate now is whether or not he deserved it over Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Jokic had himself a historic season, and the MVP race was one of the closest in recent memory!

The NBA Playoffs are rolling in full force. Most of the series are tied at 2-2 and each one has been very exciting. Lower seeds are grabbing themselves some big wins, and the newer generation of the NBA is really showing its face. Who will move on to the respective Conference Finals and who will flame out?

So far this postseason, there have been a lot of flagrant foul reviews and a lot of talk about dirty plays and scary fouls. Dillon Brooks received a flagrant two and he even got suspended for his foul on Gary Payton II. Ever since then, a lot has been brought up about “the code” of basketball.

Recently on social media, Rudy Gobert commented saying he would lock up Shaquille O’Neal in his prime. This is one of the most laughable statements to have ever been sent into the atmosphere. Are we sure that Gobert wasn’t drunk when he said this?

If you haven’t seen it by now, make sure you go watch JJ Redick’s awesome rant on ESPN when talking about Draymond Green and the undertones of the media. He called out a lot of talking heads that are holding on to very old ways of thinking and we agree with his sentiment!

Finally, the Sacramento Kings have found themselves a new head coach. Mike Brown, the current assistant for the Golden State Warriors will take over head coaching duties next season. They got a great one in Brown, now for the rest of the staff and roster!

Timecodes:
0:00 – Intro
2:02 – NBA Playoffs analysis from Conference Semifinals
35:17 – Did Nikola Jokic deserve the MVP this season
50:40 – Rudy Gobert thinks he could lock up Shaq
53:28 – Sacramento Kings hire Mike Brown
1:01:02 – JJ Redick makes great argument on ESPN

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Tag / Joel Embiid