Tag / philadelphia 76ers

Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors
by Alex Fischbein

Last night in the Atlantic (11/11/21)

Only a one-game with two teams slate for the Atlantic last night. Always love the Atlantic matchups since the division is much closer than expected!

Standings:
Brooklyn Nets 8-4
Philadelphia 76ers 8-5
New York Knicks 7-5
Toronto Raptors 7-6
Boston Celtics 5-6

Anyway, let’s talk about last night!

Fred VanVleet

There’s something poetic about an undrafted Fred VanVleet leading and running this young team full of promising young players and even a new top pick rookie. The poise, the leadership, the scoring ability, and the passion that VanVleet brings to this team are unmatched. He can to nuclear on the court at any point as we saw last night. In the first quarter alone he already had 15p, 3r, 3a and set the Raptors up with an energy that wasn’t going away. So far, he definitely deserves an All-Star selection! In this game, he finished with 32p, 6r, & 7a.

Tyrese Maxey

It’s just necessary to highlight Tyrese Maxey for the second game in a row. In these last two games, his averages are as follows: 32p, 4.5r, 4.5a, 1s, 1.5b, 1to on 55.8% FG, and 41.7% 3P! Those are some big-time stats for a second-year player that was thrust into the spotlight due to the Ben Simmons circumstances! As a team though, the Sixers were obviously going to take a hit with all of the drama, injuries, and Covid going around. Last season they were one of the best teams at home in the NBA, they only lost seven games at home all year. So far this year, they’re 4-4 at home compared to 4-1 on the road. That’s going to be an interesting tidbit to keep an eye on.

Ben Simmons, Jaylen Brown, Sixers, Celtics, Trade, Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

The Atlantic Files ep202: Jaylen Brown for Ben Simmons?!

This week’s episode of the Atlantic Files is a spicy one as we talk about the rumored Ben Simmons for Jaylen Brown trade, Nikola Jokic and Markieff Morris fighting, Kyrie Irving still not getting a change for the vaccine mandate, plus some quick-hitter topics about the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors.

First of all, the thought of a Wrestlemania type of fight between the Jokic brothers and the Morris brothers sounds like some amazing television. If you haven’t seen the video of the little spat that Jokic and Markieff Morris had, then you should go check that out and come right back. Nikola Jokic’s even made their own Twitter account to reply to Morris’ tweet about noting that Jokic pushed him when he turned his back. We’re getting our popcorn ready for this one!

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that there were apparently trade talks between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics. Those talks were centered around Ben Simmons and Jaylen Brown and included Marcus Smart, Robert Williams, and picks. Everyone knows that a haul like that would be way too much for Simmons. Would a Brown for Simmons straight-up trade make any more sense? Brad Stevens might want to get a little crazy in the front office, who knows!

After a bunch of big man injuries, the New York Knicks are starting to slow down from their hot start in the first week or two of the season. Julius Randle is delivering every other game, and the rest of the team is very inconsistent. We know the team will be in playoff contention, but how far can they really go with this version of the team?

Finally, Pascal Siakam made his return from injury this week. For a return from a lengthy absence, it wasn’t a bad game by any means! Now that he’s making his way back to full force, it begs the question of whether or not this team is destined for the playoffs. They’ve played very well without him, now they add his talent, and this team could really surprise a lot of people,

Timecodes:
0:00 – Intro
1:35 – Nikola Jokic and Markieff Morris kerfuffle
20:38 – Ben Simmons for Jaylen Brown trade
38:00 – Kyrie Irving still waiting on a vaccine mandate change
51:08 – Are the New York Knicks good enough to truly compete?
57:38 – Pascal Siakam returns, playoffs for the Toronto Raptors?

Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers, Sixers
by Alex Fischbein

Last night in the Atlantic (11/9/21)

Yes, we know we’re a little with the LNITA today, today has been a rough one. The short-handed Sixers came very close to dispatching the reigning champs last night. Doc Rivers did say he was expanding to a 10-man rotation for this game but all of a sudden only played 7 plus barely Charles Bassey…

Standings:
Philadelphia 76ers 8-4
Brooklyn Nets 7-4
New York Knicks 7-4
Toronto Raptors 6-5
Boston Celtics 4-6

Let’s talk about last night!

Tyrese Maxey

Tyrese Maxey was outstanding last night! Pull-up threes, side-step threes, step-back jumpers, and of course his usual drives and floaters were all working! On top of that, it was against a VERY good defender in Jrue Holiday. When it’s all said and done, these minutes with half the team out could prove to be vital for Maxey’s growth. His confidence is pretty much forced to stay high because he’s had to be the main scorer and facilitator. When you think about it, he has a ton of pressure on his shoulders in only his second year in the NBA. He has to replace Ben Simmons before that situation is resolved, he’s now the biggest offensive contributor with everyone hurt, and the fans are expecting him to help carry this team further in the playoffs than last season. Hopefully, people don’t get too rowdy if he has some growing pains. He’s just incredibly fun to watch when he can get anywhere on the court in the blink of an eye.

Georges Niang

Who would have known that in a few short weeks of this season, we all would find out that Georges Niang is a better scorer and a quicker fan favorite than Ben Simmons has ever been. Niang was egging the crowd on as he scored near the end of the game and they LOVED it. He’s been hitting all sorts of shots and all of his teammates have nothing but praise for him. Watching him in Philly has been a lot of fun!

Julius Randle, New York Knicks
by Alex Fischbein

Last night in the Atlantic (11/8/21)

Something was very off last night as all three Atlantic teams either barely scored 100 or didn’t even reach 100. The New York Knicks did bounce back though as the Brooklyn Nets dropped hard to the Bulls.

Standings:
Philadelphia 76ers 8-3
Brooklyn Nets 7-4
New York Knicks 7-4
Toronto Raptors 6-5
Boston Celtics 4-6

Let’s talk about last night!

Julius Randle

Julius Randle is the sole reason for the Knicks’ win. If it wasn’t for his 31p, 12r performance, then they were destined to fall to the shorthanded Sixers. He stepped up each time that it mattered most though. There were a few times that the Sixers looked like they were ready to finally take the lead, but Randle either hit a three or a tough layup. Other than him, only three other Knicks scored in the double digits as they just squeaked by the Sixers with a seven-point win.

Andre Drummond

Andre Drummond is exactly what the Sixers have needed in a backup center for Joel Embiid ever since he entered the league. Admittedly, I’ve been very skeptical of Drummond after his past couple of stops in Los Angeles and Cleveland. The way he’s been playing, however, is perfect for the role he was given. On a night that the Sixers were without all of their other rebounders, Drummond cashed in a 14p, 25r night! His offensive rebounds gave them many more chances than they probably even deserved and he was a key component to limit the chances for the Knicks too.

Kevin Durant

We’re back again, talking about Kevin Durant. This man is just unreal, yet again. His teammates just did not help him, yet again! KD had 38p, 10r, 4a and the rest of the starters had only 25p combined… Throw that in with the fact that they played the Chicago Bulls and anyone can see why they lost in a blowout fashion. Especially with the fact that the Bulls had six players in double digits compared to the Nets three. Durant is really going to need some more consistent help if they really want to win a ring this year!

Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
by Alex Fischbein

Last night in the Atlantic (11/6/21)

Philadelphia kept it rolling with 6 wins in a row now as the Celtics just barely missed out on beating the Mavs!

Standings:
Philadelphia 76ers 8-2
Brooklyn Nets 6-3
New York Knicks 6-3
Toronto Raptors 6-4
Boston Celtics 4-6

Let’s talk about last night!

Joel Embiid

Joel Embiid was back to his normal self last night after a lot of speculation about his knee and whether he could return to his level from last season. Well, last night was definitely the EMVPIID. He’s a dominant force, especially whenever he faces the Bulls. Vucevic was never really able to guard Embiid during their matchups anyway, so that was a recipe for disaster whenever he’s in the game. He finished with 30p, 15r, 3a.

Furkan Korkmaz

Furkan Korkmaz was living up to his Turkish Delight nickname! This man is turning out to be an elite bench player that every single team would want especially when they’re making a playoff run. His shooting from three has been great, his limited point guard play has been great, and his defense is still improving. Especially when other shooters are on the floor and Embiid is occupying the middle, Korkmaz opens up a lot of the floor.

Jayson Tatum

Jayson Tatum did everything he could to will the Celtics to a win. Jaylen Brown was out so the offense naturally had to run through only Tatum. They really need a major move to happen soon or else this season could be a big boost. Tatum did finish the game with 32p, 11r, 2a, 2s.

Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers, Sixers
by Alex Fischbein

Last night in the Atlantic (11/4/21)

The star players on both of the Celtics and Sixers didn’t exactly look star-ish in their respective games. Which does seem to be a common theme throughout the league. Some blame the new basketball, others blame the new foul rules, but people like Seth Curry just keep getting buckets anyway.

Standings:
Philadelphia 76ers 7-2
Toronto Raptors 6-3
Brooklyn Nets 5-3
New York Knicks 5-3
Boston Celtics 4-5

Let’s talk about last night.

Tyrese Maxey

Tyrese Maxey, on his 21st birthday, looked every bit of dynamic that has been advertised. His first step is already elite and he can hit a burst of speed at any time that not many other NBA players can do. In this game, however, he was flashing his three-point shooting ability along with his finishing skills at the rim. If he can keep these kinds of games going, all they need is a backup point guard in that department!

Shake Milton

Shake Milton had himself a very nice game in his spot start. Harris, Korkmaz, Simmons, Green, and Isaiah Joe were all out so it was his chance to really shine. Shine he did with a stat line of 16p, 8r, 5a, & 2s. His offense came at very timely possessions and he gave the team another creator on the floor. Sometimes he still just needs to take the open shot instead of always pump faking and driving into the defense.

Aaron Nesmith

Aaron Nesmith had the kind of game that tells his coach, “Hey, you should play me more!” In a game where neither team could hit the broad side of a barn, Nesmith provided some MUCH needed shot-making. He put up 13p, 3r on 5-8 FG & 3-5 3P. Honestly, I’m not really sure why he isn’t playing all that much because it can’t be much worse than what’s going on right now. Especially when you have Tatum and Brown going a combined 8-27… Shout out the Boston Celtics defense though that did have a second consecutive good outing!

Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors
by Alex Fischbein

Last night in the Atlantic (11/3/21)

All five Atlantic teams were in action, but the Knicks were the only ones to not grab a win. A lot of teams debuted their city edition jerseys and courts as well!

Standings:
Philadelphia 76ers 6-2
Toronto Raptors 6-3
Brooklyn Nets 5-3
New York Knicks 5-3
Boston Celtics 3-5

Let’s talk about last night!

Fred VanVleet

Fred VanVleet was nearly unstoppable last night! He shot 50% or better from the field overall and from three. His separation on any of his dribble moves was insane and he was consistently giving himself open shots all night long. On top of that, he worked the pick and roll to perfection and even attacked the lane with ease. He finished with 33 points & 6 assists.

Seth Curry

Here’s your reminder that the Dallas Mavericks really traded away Seth Curry for Josh Richardson. Yes, the same Richardson who isn’t even on the team anymore! Curry has proven to be one of the most underrated offensive talents in the league right now. Plus, he’s played a big part in showing that Ben Simmons is quite expendable as he keeps contributing to winning more and more games. This win against a very good Chicago team was huge as they didn’t even have their second-leading scorer in Tobias Harris either. Curry finished 22 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists on 9-14 FG & 2-4 3P.

Jaylen Brown

This game was Jaylen Brown’s turn to go crazy in the scoring department as he put up 28 points on 58.8% shooting compared to Jayson Tatum’s 14 points on 25%. It was reported that the team had ‘an emotional’ meeting after Smart’s comments. Not sure if we can say the meeting changed anything in terms of on-the-court production, but they did get a much-needed win!

RJ Barrett

The Knicks had a really tough night shooting the three as they went 5-24 as a team. RJ Barrett was the high-man, as he has been the last couple games, with 23 points on 40% shooting. His defense has improved and his offense is coming along too. As a team though, it looks like they’re hitting a little wall at the moment. To be fair, the Pacers couldn’t miss in this latest game as they shot 46.2% from the floor as a team.

Kevin Durant

There’s not much more to be said about Kevin Durant that hasn’t already been said. He’s a walking video game. He’s a cheat code. He’s not human. If you don’t have him in your top 3 of greatest scorers ever, you’re just wrong.

OG Anunoby, Toronto Raptors
by Alex Fischbein

Last night in the Atlantic! (11/1/21)

Honestly, all three Atlantic games ended with quite surprising results! Didn’t really see the Raptors pulling out a tough win over the Knicks and swore the Sixers had no chance without Joel Embiid nor Tobias Harris. Let’s talk about last night!

Standings:
New York Knicks 5-2
Philadelphia 76ers 5-2
Toronto Raptors 5-3
Brooklyn Nets 4-3
Boston Celtics 2-5

OG Anunoby

OG Anunoby cashed in a big-time night! In a game where the Raptors especially weren’t supposed to win without Scottie Barnes over a good New York Knicks team, Anunoby took control. This is the exact kind of performance that the Raptors were hoping to see more of and what will move him up the MIP ladder. The fact he was able to score like he did, in all of the various ways that he did, against a defense like the Knicks bodes well for the Raptors future. His slow start is starting to turn into a scorching hot streak that could even last a whole season if he starts to turn into what we predicted him to be this season.

Georges Niang

Georges Niang was that guy last night! He was the one to step up outside of the normal starters for the Sixers. His offensive production and timely buckets were needed ten-fold as the team didn’t even have Joel Embiid nor Tobias Harris for a tough matchup against the Blazers. As the fans chanted for Lillard, who shot 7-20, Niang was going to work to the tune of 21p, 5r, 5a on 43.8% from the field. The funny thing is that he does look slow a lot of the time, but his anticipation and his shooting prowess allow him to counterbalance that a lot of the time.

Al Horford

Boston drops yet another game, but Al Horford definitely gave it his all to keep the lead they built up until the end of the third quarter. Once it hit the final quarter, all bets were off as Chicago outscored Boston 39-11. Horford, however, was trying to be the steadying force outside of Brown/Tatum as he put up 20p, 10, 3a. It got so bad with this game that even Marcus Smart called out Tatum and Brown for not involving the rest of the team on offense enough. Usually, that’s the kind of thing a team hopes that Horford would do since he’s supposed to be the veteran leader, but I guess that’s Marcus Smart’s thing instead.

by Alex Fischbein

The Atlantic Files Ep199: Let the 2021-22 NBA Season begin!

This week on The Atlantic Files:

The 2021-22 NBA season is finally upon us! Before we get to all the fun and predictions though, we have to talk about yet more drama. More reports and news came out about Ben Simmons, so of course, we have to address it.

Ben Simmons apparently was believed to almost fake a Covid-19 exposure so that he could miss game seven against the Atlanta Hawks last year. On top of that, he didn’t believe that he was allowed to fail as much as past number one picks. We’re not sure exactly why all of this is coming out nor how accurate it may be. If it is true, however, that’s some scary stuff to hear if any Sixers fans were hoping for some improvement.

After wrapping up the latest Ben Simmons drama, it’s time to get to the fun stuff! First, we predicted all of the NBA regular season awards and even the All-NBA First Team. There are a lot of good candidates for MVP this year such as Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid, and Stephen Curry. Plus, plenty of super interesting candidates for Most Improved Player of the year!

On top of that, we also had to deliver our Finals and 2022 NBA Champion predictions. We may have had one team that was all the same, but our Western Conference winners were different!

Then, we get to our one bold prediction of the year. Plus a little bonus compared to past years. For all of the fantasy basketball players out there, we added something for you all! We talked about who we thought would be the top NBA fantasy scorers and our favorite sleeper picks too!

Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro
2:10 – Ben Simmons faking covid exposures and not able to fail
21:00 – 2021-22 NBA award and All-NBA predictions
50:32 – 2021-22 NBA Finals and Champion predictions
52:10 – One bold prediction for the 2021-22 NBA Season
55:55 – Top NBA fantasy scorers this season and our favorite sleeper pick