Tag / paul millsap

James Harden, Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, trade
by Alex Fischbein

James Harden for Ben Simmons happened | The Atlantic Files Ep214

On this week’s episode of the Atlantic Files, we talk about the trade deadline deals for all teams, but especially the huge trade that sent James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and picks. The NBA trade deadline was a whirlwind for sure! As a side note, we live streamed this episode to YouTube for anyone who prefers their podcasts in the video realm.

Everyone knows the big news that we had to address right off the bat. James Harden, as well as Paul Millsap, are on the way to Philadelphia to give Joel Embiid and company the help that they so desperately needed to become true title contenders. Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two first-round picks are on the way to Brooklyn in return. This deal seems to work out very well for both sides as it addresses weaknesses on both sides.

The big debate now is whether or not James Harden can return to true Harden form and help co-lead a team on a deep playoff run. He’s bounced around a lot lately and has shown some big signs of regression. Can he turn it back on?

On the other side, Ben Simmons now has to show how mentally tough he truly can be. If he can’t get over the mental hump, then Brooklyn might have done all of this for nothing. If he does return to his best form though, the Nets could be a very scary team for years to come.

Moving past the big trade, there were a lot of smaller trades that did change the face and future of a lot of teams. Domas Sabonis went to Sacramento in return for Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield. The Pacers rebuild is in full effect and they got themselves an amazing starting piece in Haliburton. Could this push the Kings to the playoffs though? A duo of De’Aaron Fox and Sabonis looks quite great on paper.

The Boston Celtics also made a series of little moves to eventually make the move that brings Derrick White to Boston. They cleared some money, they brought back Daniel Theis, but White is the big name for them this time around. Finally, a guy that can both score and plays defense as a third option and can also be a nice sixth man if need be.

We talk about these trades and much more on the latest episode!

Timecodes:
0:00 – Intro
0:49 – James Harden for Ben Simmons trade reactions
33:59 – Domantas Sabonis traded to Sacramento for Tyrese Haliburton
43:29 – Milwaukee Bucks land Serge Ibaka
48:59 – Boston Celtics trade for Derrick White
50:38 – Goran Dragic traded for Thad Young
51:39 – New Orleans Pelicans trade for CJ McCollum
56:34 – Montrezzl Harrell heads to Charlotte
57:24 – Dallas Mavericks trade Kristaps Porzingis for Spencer Dinwiddie

Seth Curry, Philadelphia 76ers
by Alex Fischbein

Last night in the Atlantic (12/8/21)

All five Atlantic teams played last night, and it turned out to be quite the bad night for all but one of them. Two Atlantic teams even lost to the two worst teams in the entire league… Yikes!

Standings:
Brooklyn Nets(1) 17-8
Philadelphia 76ers(6) 14-11
Boston Celtics(10) 13-13
New York Knicks 12-13
Toronto Raptors 11-14

Let’s talk about last night!

Seth Curry

If it seems like I’ve just hopped back and forth from Joel Embiid to Seth Curry in terms of highlighting Sixers players, you’re probably correct. These two have been the most consistent scorers for the Sixers so it only makes sense. Curry wasn’t only hitting threes and mid-range jumpers, he was also distributing in this game. To go with his 23 points he also chipped in 8 assists! The Sixers cap off a two-game Charlotte stand by going 2-0 and now they have some momentum heading back home to face some top Western teams.

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RJ Barrett

The Knicks got flat-out outplayed in every facet of their game against the Pacers. Especially when it came to the starting five. All five of Indiana’s scored 15 or more while two of the Knicks starters couldn’t even score more than seven. RJ Barrett, at least, has been stepping up his offensive play lately. He had 32 points against the Spurs two nights ago and put up 19 points on 5-12 shooting in this one. There isn’t much else to say about this game that’s very positive though especially when both Barrett and Julius Randle were an appalling -25 & -22 in plus/minus.

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Gary Trent Jr.

Ever since Gary Trent Jr has moved to Toronto, it seems like his true potential is showing more and more. He once was just thought of as a decent 3&D sort of option, but during a lot of games, he’s shown he can be more than just that. While he’s been a great shooter, his offensive bag is much deeper. His overall FG% is close to the best of his career, and his averages in points, assists, steals, and blocks are all at career-high levels too. In this game he finished with 24p, 4r, 3a, & 2s on 10-17 FG and 4-8 3P.

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Paul Millsap

So… We’ve got to the Brooklyn Nets portion of this who lost to Houston of all teams by double-digits! Look, I know they didn’t have Kevin Durant, but James Harden was still playing and this team should be much better than a rebuilding Rockets team. I’m highlighting Paul Millsap because he was almost the team’s savior in the fourth, but he also showed that he can contribute some impactful minutes if given the chance. All in all, there’s not much to say about this game though.

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Dennis Schroder

Dennis Schroder was one of the best starters for the Boston Celtics in this game against the Clippers. He seemed to always be in the game whenever the Celtics went on a run or when they were able to keep the game close. You would think that they wouldn’t have too much of an issue with the Clippers when both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are both not playing. Instead, six Clippers scored in the double digits while Brandon Boston Jr. scored 27 points on 69.2% shooting! Schroder still had himself a quality game 19p, 4r, & 8a on 8-16 FG.

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