Tag / philadelphia 76ers

Doc Rivers, Philadelphia 76ers
by Alex Fischbein

Doc Rivers is an issue | The Atlantic Files Ep206

This week, on the Atlantic Files, we welcome Troy of the Planet 76 Podcast to talk about Doc Rivers and the Philadelphia 76ers. We debated whether or not the Sixers needed to trade Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, or both. Also, we took a look at all of the latest Damian Lillard rumors and even the New York Knicks since they’ve benched Kemba Walker.

One of the biggest conversations going around Philly sports circles right now is the coaching from Doc Rivers. His after-timeout play calls, rotations, and playoff resume have been very sketchy. Now, with the team getting back to full strength except for Ben Simmons, his coaching is going to be scrutinized. Every ‘x and o’ matters now when the team isn’t as talented as the ones they’re going to play.

Whenever Ben Simmons is brought up, Tobias Harris’ name now gets thrown into the conversation as well in terms of trade talk. Some Sixers fans want to trade Harris and keep Simmons while others want the opposite. What if the Sixers actually need to trade both of them to truly compete for a title? Can they get anything out of Tobias Harris’ huge contract?

Then, in comes the added Damian Lillard rumors. These days there are new rumors about Lillard wanting to play with Ben Simmons in Portland. On top of that, apparently, Lillard is unhappy with the team and the coaching since it wasn’t the exact coach that he wanted. Also, to add more fuel to the fire, Portland fired their General Manager so nobody knows what that might bring in terms of roster makeup.

Finally, the Knicks aren’t exactly improving ever since their plan to bench Kemba Walker. The offense hasn’t done much more than it already was doing, and the defense doesn’t look improved either. So where do they go from here then? Are we going to see Kemba Walker inserted back into the lineup or are do they have to make some sort of deal?

Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro
1:18 – Can Doc Rivers coach the Sixers to a championship?
7:18 – Should the Sixers trade both Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons?
15:38 – Damian Lillard apparently wants to play with Ben Simmons
26:51 – Realistic landing spots for Damian Lillard
37:20 – Benching Kemba Walker hasn’t done much for the New York Knicks
41:00 – Troy from Planet 76 Podcast gives his Sixers predictions and talks about the Process

James Johnson, Brooklyn Nets
by Alex Fischbein

Last night in the Atlantic (12/3/21)

It was a bit of a busy night for the Atlantic and they come out of it with a 2-1 record. Philly and Brooklyn both with solid wins and Boston gave it a valiant effort at least.

Standings:
Brooklyn Nets 16-6
Philadelphia 76ers 12-11
Boston Celtics 12-11
New York Knicks 11-11
Toronto Raptors 10-13

Let’s talk about last night!

James Johnson

Let’s highlight an unsung hero type of guy for Brooklyn. James Johnson has stepped up and played his role in a big way for this Nets team. He gets the nitty-gritty points off of rebounds, he cuts at the right times, he fills the lane at the correct areas, and he’s just playing some fundamentally sound basketball. When you need some tough defense, rebounds, and a timely bucket, Johnson has been that guy. Especially with all of the injuries and rest days that the others have needed, it’s nice to have someone like Johnson coming in to fill that spot. He ended the game against Minnesota with 11p & 6r.

Joel Embiid

You already know we had to highlight Joel Embiid again after last night’s game. Going down to Atlanta without their second-best scorer and Embiid on a bit of a cold streak, he stepped it up and pulled this team to a win. Clint Capela looked straight up hopeless going against Embiid all night. It was one of those old-fashioned BBQ chicken type of nights for Joel Embiid! Even all of the guys around Embiid except for Shake Milton had some great shooting nights as everyone had to be concerned with helping Capela on defense. Embiid finished with 28p, 12r, 4a & 2b on the way to a much-needed win.

Al Horford

This was one of the best offensive games that the Boston Celtics cashed in so far this season. It’s just a shame that the defensive effort wasn’t the same and Utah just had an even better offensive game than they did. They shot a blistering 51% from the field, but Utah one-upped them with 55%! Al Horford also was quite close to a triple-double in this contest. Big Al really had to step up with Robert Williams only playing 15 minutes. So what he did was drop 21p, 6r, & 9a. In the end, however, Utah just kept on outdoing any kind of firepower they brought.

Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
by Alex Fischbein

Last night in the Atlantic (12/1/21)

The first game of December brought both Boston and Philadelphia fans a lot of frustrating and terrible basketball. Boston is probably a little less depressed because they won, but after that game, it didn’t feel like a win either.

Standings:
Brooklyn Nets 15-6
Boston Celtics 12-10
New York Knicks 11-10
Philadelphia 76ers 11-11
Toronto Raptors 9-13

Let’s talk about last night!

Jayson Tatum

Jayson Tatum always seems to turn it up a couple of notches when playing against the Philadelphia 76ers. Part of it could be playing against Joel Embiid since they worked out together for a couple of offseasons, and the other part could just be the rivalry itself. Either way, it was a great game for Tatum to lead the way especially as one of the only guys who was making shots. Looking through Tatum’s career splits, it looks like December is actually one of his better months especially in terms of efficiency and offensive rating. This December sure did start in the right direction! He finished this game with 26 points and a career-high 16 rebounds!

Shake Milton

Shake Milton was one of the very few highlights for the Sixers as the whole team looked like the slowest moving, worst shooting team in a long time. Even while Milton was the only guy keeping the Sixers in the game during the first half, he didn’t get to play much at all in the second half and only finished with 22 minutes played. At one point, Milton went on an 8-0 run by himself in the first quarter! From top to bottom, coaches to players, this game was quite bad. Doc Rivers’ rotations and out-of-bounds or end-of-game play-calling continue to be the worst in the league.

seth curry, philadelphia 76ers
by Alex Fischbein

Last night in the Atlantic (11/29/21)

It was a pretty uneventful Monday night as the Sixers were the lone team with a game and it was only against the lowly Orlando Magic.

Standings:
Brooklyn Nets 14-6
New York Knicks 11-9
Philadelphia 76ers 11-10
Boston Celtics 11-10
Toronto Raptors 9-12

Let’s talk about last night though!

Seth Curry

Seth Curry came to the rescue in the scoring department yet again! The theme of the Sixers having a great first quarter just to let it dwindle by the end also continued even against weak opponents. This time, however, they still get the win and get back on track after a bad stretch of 10 games with all of the injuries and Covid issues. Curry has been on the steadier presences on the team this year. He’s been great, especially during home games, as he’s been averaging around 17 ppg. There’s still much to be said about this team and whether or not they can have the success of previous years. Bonafide second and third scoring options are pretty much missing and it doesn’t seem like anything is going to change unless a couple of major trades happen. Ben Simmons coming back might help in the short term, but it doesn’t make this team an automatic contender like everyone thought they were last season.

Kemba Walker, New York Knicks
by Alex Fischbein

Kemba Walker gets benched | The Atlantic Files Ep205

On this week’s episode of the Atlantic Files, we welcome friend of the show, Tom Tran! Tom joined us to talk about Kemba Walker being benched, James Harden and the Brooklyn Nets’ offensive struggles, Joel Embiid back from Covid, and a debate about who the next number one pick should be!

The biggest news, by far, is that Kemba Walker is officially out of the rotation right now for the New York Knicks. This was nowhere close to the piece of news any of us thought we’d hear today. Coach Thibodeau must have been tired of giving up tons of leads when Kemba was in. Stat-wise, Kemba did have the worst +/- on the team!

James Harden and the Brooklyn Nets both struggled again on offense against a good opponent. This hasn’t been an uncommon theme so far this season. Harden has looked both out of shape and nothing close to what he was in Houston. When is it time to finally hit the panic button and send out the bat signal for Kyrie Irving?

Joel Embiid finally made his comeback debut from Covid. We’re all thankful that he got over the sickness as he talked about how rough of a battle it was for him. During his first game back, he posted a monster stat line but the Philadelphia 76ers took a tough loss in double overtime against Minnesota. Will the Sixers get back to their original hot streak ways?

Then, around the league, Michael Porter Jr was reportedly undergoing back surgery. He’s going to be out for the rest of the season and the Denver Nuggets are left to pick up the pieces without him and Jamal Murray. Also, are the Phoenix Suns contenders or pretenders?

Finally, we took a look at the upcoming NBA Draft and talked about who should be the next top pick. Who do you have between Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero?

Timecodes:
0:00 – Intro
2:13 – James Harden and the Brooklyn Nets struggles
18:05 – Phoenix Suns, contenders or pretenders?
25:45 – Michael Porter Jr. is out for the season
33:35 – Joel Embiid back from Covid but Sixers take a loss
51:20 – Kemba Walker is out of the New York Knicks rotation
54:45 – Chet Holmgren or Paolo Banchero, who should be the top pick?

Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers, Sixers
by Alex Fischbein

Last night in the Atlantic (11/27/21)

I’m back everyone! Finally done moving enough that I can sit down and watch some basketball and talk about it for any of those that care to read and listen!

Standings:
Brooklyn Nets 14-6
New York Knicks 11-9
Boston Celtics 10-10
Philadelphia 76ers 10-10
Toronto Raptors 9-11

So let’s talk about last night!

Joel Embiid

If you didn’t tune in to the Sixers vs Timberwolves game last night, I really feel bad for you. Being at the game was even better, but I digress. Joel Embiid, in his first game back from Covid, put on a show for the home fans! He looked almost unstoppable until the last play of the game. His final stat line was 42p, 14r, 3a, 2b on 52.2% shooting from the floor. The superstar level Embiid was back, but he did seem a little skinnier and even more out of breath than usual. Hopefully, Covid didn’t take too much out of him. The game itself started off terribly for Philly only for them to come roaring back and force overtime. Then the sequence from D’Angelo Russell and Andre Drummond to force double overtime was even crazier. When it’s all said and done though, the Sixers could not complete the comeback and ultimately fell as their other three scorers only shot 37% or worse.

Alec Burks

The Knicks grabbed the lone Atlantic win last night and it was due in large part to Alec Burks! Derrick Rose and Kemba Walker were out and Julius Randle put up another stinker of a game, but Alec Burks with some help from Evan Fournier and RJ Barrett willed the team to a win. Burks was especially hot from three and he started looking very comfortable on every type of shot imaginable. Having a guy that can heat up like a microwave coming off of your bench and able to make spot starts is always a great commodity.

DeAndre’ Bembry

Brooklyn dropped another one to a top team from the West. They really looked like they just lacked scoring and we all know someone that could help in that department. If James Harden is only contributing 12 points, then you know it’s a tough game. DeAndre’ Bembry chipped in with some great minutes though. He was the only positive player in the starting five! 18p, 9r, & 2s was the line he finished with.

Bruce Brown, Brooklyn Nets
by Alex Fischbein

Last night in the Atlantic (11/16/21)

Both Philly and Brooklyn went up against a couple of the top Western teams and fell pretty hard. The loss was a little uglier for the Nets since it was a battle of the MVP’s and by the time the game was over, the home crowd was chanting MVP at the opposing player…

Standings:
Brooklyn Nets 10-5
New York Knicks 8-6
Philadelphia 76ers 8-7
Boston Celtics 7-7
Toronto Raptors 7-8

So let’s talk about last night.

Bruce Brown

Bruce Brown gave Steph Curry some great bulletin board material when he was laughing about Curry being a good player. Whether he meant it in a disrespectful way or not, it seemed like Curry took it personally. Steph dropped 37, but Bruce Brown had one of the more efficient games for the Nets starting five. He ended up with 14p, 5r, 3a, 3s on 6-8 shooting. He has for sure earned the minutes that he’s getting right now and when you’re going up against the greatest shooter of all time, then you’ll take your lumps. For his role, he played it very well, but the stars just did not play star-like enough to win.

Shake Milton

Honestly, there’s not a whole lot to say about this game for the Sixers. Shake Milton was the lead scorer with 18 points, but that was on 7-19 shooting. Joel Embiid is desperately needed on this team if they want to get back into form. Not having Matisse Thybulle doesn’t help either on the defensive end. Covid really shoved a thorn in the side of this team recently, hopefully, they can bounce back.

Kevin Durant

Here is some quality Stephen A. Smith entertainment as he talked about Kevin Durant making the wrong decision by going to Brooklyn.

Al Horford, Boston Celtics
by Alex Fischbein

Last night in the Atlantic (11/15/21)

Boston and New York grab themselves a win while Toronto continues their slide. Which makes it weirder that Toronto was also the one with the best offense in their respective games.

Standings:
Brooklyn Nets 10-4
Philadelphia 76ers 8-6
New York Knicks 8-6
Boston Celtics 7-7
Toronto Raptors 7-8

So let’s talk about last night!

Al Horford

Al Horford is the one getting highlighted right now, instead of Jayson Tatum, because he made the same amount shots that Tatum did in 10 fewer attempts. He also hit one more three but didn’t get the free throws to bolster his point total. Horford has been playing some very meaningful minutes lately as the Celtics have needed him dearly in every win of theirs. He’s provided the inside presence when Robert Williams isn’t on the floor and he’s also given them some floor spacing and defensive leadership. While it was a great move to bring him back this season, they’re still going to need a bit more than just Horford. He ended up with 17p, 9r, 3a, & 2b.

OG Anunoby

OG Anunoby cashed in another great offensive night for the Toronto Raptors. 29 points on 9-19 from the floor and 6-10 from three is not too shabby of a performance. Everyone in the starting five actually shot 42% or higher, but the bench minutes were the biggest minus in this game. That’s where Portland started pulling away, any time each time had their bench players in. Anunoby, on the other hand, added 6r, 2a, 3s to his 29 and did a great job keeping the Raptors in this game.

Derrick Rose

This New York Knicks game was quite ugly. Which has been the case the last handful of games if we’re being honest. Derrick Rose put together a nice stat line off the bench with 14p, 5r, & 7a. The main reason I decided to highlight him over the leading scorer, Kemba Walker, is because he also took the team on their best scoring runs. Rose was +21 compared to Walker’s -15 because he was affecting the game in more ways than just straight scoring. There have been legitimate arguments for Derrick Rose being moved to starting point guard, but it looks like there are more issues than just that in the month of November.

Ben Simmons

Ben Simmons is receiving fines yet again. This time for missing the team’s west coast road trip. If you listen to the latest episode of our podcast, we talked a bit about this saga and the role Rich Paul is playing in the whole thing. I wish both sides would just set the record straight without having to talk through agents, media, and other talking heads. Once this is resolved, both parties can finally breathe a sigh of relief and just move on with life.

Jayson Tatum, Kemba Walker, Rich Paul, The Atlantic files
by Alex Fischbein

The Atlantic Files Ep203 – Jayson Tatum, Kemba Walker, Rich Paul, who’s worse?

On this week’s episode of the Atlantic Files, Jayson Tatum’s percentages and stats are slipping, Rich Paul might not actually be a good agent, and Kemba Walker isn’t helping too much win-wise.

The Boston Celtics have very well-documented shortcomings. Ime Udoka has been a bit of a disaster as head coach, the supporting cast is bad, and now Jayson Tatum is starting to suffer a bit due to the rest of the team being that bad. As we all know, the offense is run everything through Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Now that Brown is out, Tatum has to score enough to beat teams by himself since no one else is. Looks like only a trade is going to save them now.

Speaking of players who aren’t exactly playing up to expectations, Kemba Walker hasn’t exactly done what the fans hoped he would so far. His offense has been quite limited, his minutes need to be limited so that he doesn’t get hurt, and he’s never exactly been a defensive force. On top of that, the primary guys like Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, and Evan Fournier have all seen a dip in production in the month of November. This month is a stark difference compared to October.

Rich Paul is yet another guy that we were told is supposed to be very good at what he does. He’s the agent for a lot of NBA players these days and it makes you think that he should be good. Is he really that good of an agent or is he another guy that’s just riding LeBron James’ coattails? His handling of the whole Ben Simmons situation hasn’t exactly made anything easier or closer to a resolution.

After those main topics, we also dive into Tyrese Maxey vs Ben Simmons, Talen Horton-Tucker vs Alex Caruso, Scottie Barnes vs Evan Mobley, and who we all have for MVP!

Timecodes:
0:00 – Intro
1:25 – Fantasy Basketball debate
7:00 – Scottie Barnes or Evan Mobley for Rookie of the Year
13:10 – What’s happening to Jayson Tatum?
25:30 – Should Kemba Walker be moved to a sixth-man role?
37:10 – Rich Paul really is not a great agent
45:20 – Tyrese Maxey or Ben Simmons, who would you take?
56:10 – Talen Horton-Tucker vs Alex Caruso, did the Los Angeles Lakers make a mistake?
1:00:22 – Who is the real MVP this year, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, or Nikola Jokic?

Tobias Harris, Philadelphia 76ers
by Alex Fischbein

Last night in the Atlantic (11/13/21)

The Atlantic suffered a rough go of it last night. Out of the three teams that played, not one of them pulled out a win.

Standings:
Brooklyn Nets 9-4
Philadelphia 76ers 8-6
New York Knicks 7-6
Toronto Raptors 7-7
Boston Celtics 6-7

So let’s get to it and talk about last night.

Tobias Harris

Tobias Harris is getting himself right back into the flow now. He’s getting back to his three-level scoring, but just a little inefficient at the moment. The bout of Covid he dealt with sounded like it was going to keep him out for much longer. So, we’re glad he’s just back in general! The biggest issue is that the team is on a four-game skid now and they’re going to have to figure something out since Joel Embiid is still out. Harris finished up this one with 32p, 11r, & 3a.

Pascal Siakam

Pascal Siakam is back baby! I know this was his second game back, but he was reeeeally back in this game. The experiment of him at the five in the starting squad hasn’t been too shabby. His offensive versatility as a five is only matched by very few players, but the defense and rebounding against true fives is the real question. Either way, it was nice seeing him get into the thick of the action and get scrappy with his buckets. He ended the game with 25p, 12r, 7a.

Robert Williams III

Robert Williams continues to play some very good basketball for Boston. Sometimes I scratch my head wondering why they don’t run some more things through him. Yes, his offensive game is a little limited, but expanding the inside game would only help take some heat off of Jayson Tatum and company. His rebounding and defense have been a major key for this team. DJ Khaled would even agree! His stat line for the night was 13p, 16r, 3a, & 3b.