Tag / philadelphia 76ers

Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, 2023 NBA Playoffs, Atlantic Files, Podcast
by Alex Fischbein

The NBA Playoffs Are Coming! | TAF267

On this week’s episode of The Atlantic Files, we welcome BJ Boyer back to the show as we preview the 2022-23 NBA Playoffs, go over the scenarios some teams need to still make the playoffs or play-in tournament, talk about the crazy rollercoaster of a season that the Los Angeles Lakers have had, go over some things in the new CBA, talk about the downfall of the Dallas Mavericks, and more!

A friend of the show and local Los Angeles Lakers fan, BJ Boyer, joined this week’s episode to explain his feelings on the current iteration of the team and how much of a rollercoaster ride this season was. He even predicted how long this core will last until they finally have to blow it up again.

Then, we got into some of the specifics that have reportedly been included in the league’s new collective bargaining agreement. The CBA has included things from game limits to qualify for regular season awards to some very interesting salary cap rules that will force general managers to play some crazy cap gymnastics. We gave our thoughts on some of the changes and dove into a lot of details.

Finally, we talked about the downfall of the Dallas Mavericks and started to preview the 2023 NBA Playoffs. Which top teams in each conference are more likely to lose in an upset and which ones will actually make the Conference Finals? Should the Philadelphia 76ers want to play against the Milwaukee Bucks instead of the Boston Celtics, or should they just jump in against either one of them? We go in-depth into those questions and more!

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Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:49 Los Angeles Lakers season explained
00:34:34 The NBA’s new CBA, salary cap, and more
00:57:16 2023 NBA Playoffs predictions and preview
01:39:18 Remember this guy?
01:41:53 Outro

Boston Celtics, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Philadelphia 76ers, Joel Embiid, Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

Jayson Tatum Still Owns The Philadelphia 76ers | TAF264

On this week’s episode of The Atlantic Files, Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics put away the Philadelphia 76ers yet again, the Brooklyn Nets start to struggle, Russell Westbrook’s first game with the Los Angeles Clippers, historic games since the All-Star break, Jimmy Butler frustrated with Miami’s record, and much more!

In case anyone missed it, Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics had an instant classic type of game against Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers last weekend. The game was ultimately decided by a game-winning shot by Tatum and even though Embiid made a three-quarter-court shot, it didn’t count and the Celtics won. Why can’t the Sixers ever beat the Celtics and what will it take for them to actually have playoff success?

To nobody’s surprise, the Brooklyn Nets are starting to struggle after trading away Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. While they found a gem in Mikal Bridges, he hasn’t exactly been enough to stay afloat and keep this team in the top half of the Eastern Conference. So, where do they go from here?

Ever since the worst NBA All-Star Game of all time, we’ve now seen some of the greatest regular season games of all time. The double overtime contest between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Sacramento Kings was an instant all-timer while there have been even more close games, buzzer-beaters, and overtimes. Russell Westbrook contributed right away to the Clippers in their starting lineup and we’ve seen some more interesting performances from other additions around the league.

Load management is a hot topic yet again across the league and across all the national media outlets. There was a big debate on First Take and everyone else has followed suit across other podcasts and shows everywhere. Where do you stand on the load management debate and why is it on the side that players need to be available more often?

Finally, Jimmy Butler let his frustrations get out during a post-game interview and now it calls the Miami Heat to question as they continue to underperform down the stretch. They haven’t had a fully healthy team all season and while the addition of Kevin Love has been great, it doesn’t seem to be enough right now. Can they actually make any noise come playoff time?

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Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:54 Jayson Tatum’s game winner over the Philadelphia 76ers
00:15:28 Doc Rivers needs to make more adjustments
00:31:52 Brooklyn Nets are struggling now
00:40:20 Load Management in the NBA is a hot topic again
01:04:57 Double overtime games and excitement so far after the break
01:13:16 Jimmy Butler is fed up with losing
01:22:44 Remember this guy?
01:27:25 Outro

Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers, NBA All-Star, Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

Joel Embiid Snubbed From NBA All-Star Start | TAF260

On this week’s episode of The Atlantic Files, Joel Embiid was snubbed from becoming a starter in the 2023 NBA All-Star game, the Philadelphia 76ers are streaking as they took down the Brooklyn Nets and Nikola Jokic, a weird scorekeeper conspiracy surrounding Jaren Jackson Jr., Nets fans now asking for Ben Simmons to be traded, and more!

The starters for the 2023 NBA All-Star game have been announced! Joel Embiid, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Tyrese Haliburton were some notable names left off of the list, but others have been debated as snubs as well. Who do you think the biggest starting snub is this year?

Once on a seven-game win streak, the Philadelphia 76ers were looking like serious championship contenders. They had everything clicking and their big three was firing on all cylinders despite Tyrese Maxey moving to a bench role. During rivals week, they took down the Brooklyn Nets and Nikola Jokic in convincing fashion, so is it time to dub them as legit contenders?

Jaren Jackson Jr. has been at the center of one of the weirdest conspiracies in the NBA. If you had scorekeeper conspiracy on your NBA bingo card, then you must have known something that no one else knew. Stemming from Reddit, people found that his stats at home are bolstered way over the ones on the road despite playing the same amount of games for each.

Finally, should Ben Simmons get traded again? Brooklyn Nets fans are fed up with his lack of scoring and aggressiveness. There are memes and tweets galore asking for him to be traded for someone that is actually going to help them come playoff time.

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Timecodes:
00:00 Intro
06:49 Sixers win streak, games against Brooklyn and Nikola Jokic
17:02 Should the Nets trade Ben Simmons?
29:18 LeBron James throws a tantrum after no foul call against Celtics
37:34 Jaren Jackson Jr. and the scorekeeper conspiracy
43:32 Joel Embiid, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and NBA All-Star snubs
53:03 Mike’s favorite sports teams, choose one
58:07 Outro

Rui Hachimura, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Shannon Sharpe, Memphis Grizzlies, Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

Rui Hachimura traded, Shannon Sharpe Beefs | TAF259

On this week’s episode of The Atlantic Files, Rui Hachimura has been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, Shannon Sharpe beefs with the whole Memphis Grizzlies team, Kyrie Irving tries to keep the Brooklyn Nets afloat, Dejounte Murray airs some grievances against the San Antonio Spurs, Stan Van Gundy makes some points about player health today, and the Atlantic is leading the East! That plus much more!

Rui Hachimura was shipped away from the Washington Wizards after he voiced his feelings about wanting to play more for a bag of peanuts. Kendrick Nunn and a few second-round picks were all it took to get the Lakers an upgrade at the forward spot. The big question will be whether or not he sees more playing time and actually improves from it.

In case you haven’t hear about it yet, Shannon Sharpe got into a yelling match with Dillon Brooks and the Memphis Grizzlies when he was sitting courtside at one of their games. He kept saying that Brooks didn’t want the smoke and by the way he acted, it sure seemed true. Sharpe is not the type of guy to mess around with.

Dejounte Murray went on the All The Smoke Podcast and talked about his time with the San Antonio Spurs and his relationships with Coach Popovich and Tony Parker. Some of it was a surprise, but the parts about Parker seemed to fit the narrative from players that have played with him before.

Then, Stan Van Gundy took to Twitter to ask about the current era’s health issue and why medicine hasn’t evolved enough to keep guys from getting hurt. He pointed out how there are many more small injuries holding guys out and how there are even some big ones that take people out for a whole season. Kevin Durant seemed to agree and we do too.

Finally, the Atlantic Division is leading in the Eastern Conference. Are they the true kings of the East? Kyrie Irving is trying to keep the Brooklyn Nets afloat with Durant sidelined and the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers just keep on rising to the top.

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Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:08:38 Shannon Sharpe fights with Dillon Brooks and the Grizzlies
00:22:33 Rui Hachimura traded to the Los Angeles Lakers
00:34:14 Dejounte Murray’s comments about the Spurs and Tony Parker
00:53:28 Stan Van Gundy’s comments about player health
01:05:07 Is the Atlantic Division King of the East?
01:24:32 Choose one: Fast food and desserts
01:28:24 outro

Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Jayson Tatum, Kyrie Irving, Atlantic Files, Podcast
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.

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

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

Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans, Atlantic Files, Podcast
by Alex Fischbein

Are Zion Williamson and The New Orleans Pelicans Contenders | TAF255

On this week’s episode of the Atlantic Files Podcast, are Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans for real, Cade Cunningham is likely out for the season, the NBA awards received some new names, Jakob Poeltl is potentially on the trade block, who is returning to form more the Brooklyn Nets or the Philadelphia 76ers, Kyle Kuzma wants out and wants a lot of money, and who should trade for Bojan Bogdanovic.

Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans have been the talk of the league as they take over the first seed in the Western Conference. Both parties have been great this season and have defied many expectations. The Pelicans have had tons of injuries yet have stayed afloat to be a half-game ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies. Williamson has slowly been returning to his dominant self as he continues to score with the best of them. The real question is whether or not they are true NBA Finals contenders.

In unfortunate news, Cade Cunnigham has been ruled out for the rest of the season due to receiving shin surgery. The Detroit Pistons weren’t competing for much other than a shot at Victor Wembanyama, but it’s still a big blow to the excitement surrounding the team. Hopefully, it’s only a one-season occurrence.

The NBA decided to change the names of all of their season awards to commemorate some of the best players to come through the league. On top of that, they changed the look of all of them. We went through and decided if each one was a good or bad idea.

A couple of names have appeared on the trade block, Jakob Poeltl and Bojan Bogdanovic. Naturally, that means it’s time to predict who will trade for each one and which team should be trading for each one.

It’s time for another Brooklyn Nets vs Philadelphia 76ers debate. Both teams are returning to the form that many expected so which team is MORE back? Sure, that might not make sense, but you knew what we meant.

Finally, Kyle Kuzma is apparently making contract demands and team requests. He wants a lot of money from either a big market team or a competing team. Two scenarios that do not favor his wishes whatsoever. This should be interesting.

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

Timecodes:
00:00 Intro
04:52 Cade Cunningham out for the year
10:20 Are Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans true contenders?
29:38 Brooklyn Nets or Philadelphia 76ers, who’s more back
38:04 New NBA Award names, good or bad idea
44:24 Jakob Poeltl and Bojan Bogdanovic, who should trade for them
51:48 Kyle Kuzma’s outrageous demands
55:00 Outro

Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors, The Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

Scottie Barnes’ Sophomore Slump | TAF254

On this week’s episode of The Atlantic Files Podcast, Scottie Barnes continues to have a rough sophomore season for the Toronto Raptors, James Harden struggles in his return from injury, Anthony Davis is dominating the league and staying healthy, Bradley Beal admits that no winning teams gave him an offer, Trae Young and Nate McMillan aren’t seeing eye-to-eye, and more!

Many basketball pundits and Twitter basketball “experts” have been commenting on Scottie Barnes’s lackluster season so far. He was expected to take a huge leap in his sophomore year but has struggled from time to time as he gets used to teams writing up game plans against him. He’s going to be just as fine as he has shown improvement in other areas of his game whether his scoring is down or not.

James Harden returned to the court with the Philadelphia 76ers after around a month of sitting out. Against his former team, the Houston Rockets, he certainly showed a lot of rust. He didn’t shoot well and turned the ball over in crucial moments during a double-overtime loss.

Anthony Davis caught a lot of flack from us on this podcast. His health was always in question and he was missing more games than he was playing. This season, however, he’s been playing through almost anything and he’s returned to a dominant force. Seeing him dominate again has been a great sight for the Los Angeles Lakers fans.

In a surprising quote, Bradley Beal admitted to not getting any offers from winning teams in the off-season. Usually, players of his status don’t admit something like that. There’s not much surprise to go with that statement though. Winning teams often don’t have the money to sign a star player to hundreds of millions of dollars.

Finally, there was some fighting between Trae Young and Nate McMillan. The two of them aren’t in agreement in terms of the ways that Young was treating the team and the coach. Some analysts have compared the situation to Zach Wilson with the New York Jets which is very alarming.

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

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:04:27 Scottie Barnes Sophomore Slump, concerned or not
00:16:16 James Harden returns and plays like crap, Philadelphia 76ers lose
00:37:54 Anthony Davis is out here dominating
00:47:29 Bradley Beal didn’t get any offers from winning teams
01:04:51 Trae Young and Nate McMillan have beef now
01:17:20 Mike calls into the show from the road
01:23:27 Outro

Ben Simmons, Brooklyn Nets, RJ Barrett, New York Knicks, The Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

Ben Simmons vs Paul Reed, RJ Barrett Struggling | TAF253

This week on the Atlantic Files podcast, Ben Simmons returned to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers, injuries are mounting for the Sixers with Tyrese Maxey also out, RJ Barrett has been struggling mightily this season, Giannis Antetokounmpo got in a fight with Montrezl Harrell and a ladder, Paul Reed has been balling, Kemba Walker is headed to the Dallas Mavericks, Karl Anthony Towns is hurt, and more!

We’re back after the Thanksgiving break so of course, we had to talk about the Philadelphia 76ers taking on the Brooklyn Nets and Ben Simmons‘ first regular season game back in Philly. The game should have been a blowout as the Sixers had their big three on the sidelines, but the sixers won easily. Simmons had a good game, but Paul Reed had an even better one.

Speaking of Paul Reed, he’s now on his victory tour again. Doc Rivers is finally listening to the hype as Reed gets more playing time and proves why he’s worthy of it. He’s had some great games with Joel Embiid out and even continued the defensive energy as a backup.

RJ Barrett has been struggling mightily lately. His issues are indicative of the whole team’s issues, however, a lot of this starts with one of their main three offensive options. Barrett hasn’t been able to shoot well at all and has new lows in a lot of categories across the board. Is this just a rut or will he continue to struggle in this system and lose more games for the Knicks?

Another older topic that we didn’t get a chance to comment on was laddergate with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Montrezl Harrell after the Milwaukee Bucks dropped a game in Philly. This has to be one of the dumbest and funniest bits of drama in the NBA. Everyone involved in this should have just gone home and called it a night, but instead, we had everyone talking bout who’s morally right or wrong.

Then, in around the league news, Karl Anthony Towns is out for 4-to-6 weeks with a lower leg injury. Also, Kemba Walker is coming back to the league as he’s joining the Dallas Mavericks. What are the impacts of both of these events?

Finally, we have our weekly fantasy basketball and whatchu got segments!

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:46 Thanksgiving, favorite holidays, and more
00:10:17 Giannis Antetokounmpo, Montrezl Harrell, and Laddergate
00:24:38 RJ Barrett’s slump and the New York Knicks
00:37:00 Ben Simmons returns to Philadelphia to play the Sixers
00:58:43 Paul Reed shows Doc Rivers he should play more
01:03:22 Karl Anthony Towns injured for 6-8 weeks
01:07:13 Kemba Walker headed to the Dallas Mavericks
01:08:33 Big Sexy’s Fantasy Basketball segment
01:13:39 Top 5 favorite Thanksgiving foods
01:22:58 RJ Barrett’s interesting stat feats
01:27:20 Outro

Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets, Michael Jordan, Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlantic Files
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

Kyrie Irving, Jacque Vaughn, Brooklyn Nets, Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

Kyrie Irving suspended, Jacque Vaughn hired | TAF251

This week on the Atlantic Files podcast, Kyrie Irving was suspended after last week’s episode and then was given a list of initiatives to finish before he can even come back to the Brooklyn Nets, Jacque Vaughn gets upgraded from interim to head coach instead of Ime Udoka, James Harden and Pascal Siakam are both out for an extended time, and Kawhi Leonard has a cloudy path back to playing.

Some of the biggest non-basketball news has been unfolding before us and all of Brooklyn. After Kyrie Irving promoted a controversial video that had anti-semetic tropes, he was suspended from the Brooklyn Nets and now he has a laundry list of items to fulfill before he’s allowed back to the team. The NBPA is expected to appeal the suspension, but Irving has also been meeting with front-office members of the team as well as the NBA’s commissioner. This whole sideshow drags on as Nets fans have to watch their team try to finally live up to expectations.

In a smarter move from the Nets, they ended up not going with Ime Udoka as their next head coach. Former assistant coach, Jacque Vaughn, received the promotion to head coach for at least the rest of the season. Since he’s been there for the last five-to-six seasons, the players all know him and he can connect the pieces of the roster. His last tenure as a head coach in Orlando didn’t go too well though.

Kawhi Leonard continues to sit out more games than he plays since getting to Los Angeles. Now, he’s out indefinitely yet again while the recovery process doesn’t go as planned. What exactly is happening with all of this? Did something happen that caused a setback? Nobody seems to have any answers.

Finally, James Harden and Pascal Siakam both suffered injuries that are going to keep them out for an extended period of time. Can both of their teams stay afloat until they come back? Will this missed time set them back into a hole? We discuss this as well.

Timecodes:
00:00 Introduction
01:12 Kyrie Irving suspended, given list of things to do to be allowed back
17:32 Jacque Vaughn officially head coach of the Brooklyn Nets
28:56 What’s up with Kawhi Leonard?
35:56 Pascal Siakam and James Harden to miss some time
43:12 Outro