James Harden, Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, press conference

Ben Simmons vs James Harden press conferences | The Atlantic Files Ep215

On this week’s episode of the Atlantic Files, both Ben Simmons and James Harden had their introductory press conferences, Derrick White is a great fit in Boston, Victor Oladipo is on his way back to the Miami Heat, and Zion Williamson might need another surgery on his foot.

As everyone has probably seen by now, both James Harden and Ben Simmons had their respective introductory press conferences. Simmons was the first one to go and kept everything very professional. There were no digs at the Philadelphia 76ers and there seemed to be no hard feelings. The surprising part was when he said that the fans, coaches, players, and front office had nothing to do with his mental well-being nor had nothing to do with asking for the trade. Not sure why they were always brought up every step of the way until then.

James Harden, on the other hand, seemed to take some subtle shots at Kyrie Irving and genuinely seemed very excited to finally land with the Sixers. He revealed things like how the Sixers were his number one choice when he was leaving Houston in the first place. He had nothing but great things to say about Philly’s fans and the young players on the team as well as Joel Embiid. So which one of these guys is a liar and who is really telling the truth?

Derrick White has fit seamlessly into the Boston Celtics lineup. He’s been a great addition to the bench squad and now he’s already starting with Marcus Smart suffering an ankle injury. The team was red-hot until running into the Detroit Pistons, but either way, they’re back into the bulk of the playoff race and the rest of their schedule is in their favor.

In good injury news, Victor Oladipo is working his way back to playing again. He was assigned to the Miami Heat’s G-League affiliate team. Could he be the final piece to really push this team over the top and back to the NBA Finals?

Finally, there’s the bad injury news in Zion Williamson. He reportedly may need another surgery on his foot. This rehab process has been lengthy and difficult and now it doesn’t look like the end is in sight. Hopefully, he can get himself healthy and back on the floor!

Timecodes:
0:00 – Intro
3:25 – James Harden vs Ben Simmons intro press conferences
30:15 – Seth Curry and Andre Drummond looking good for Brooklyn
40:10 – How much does Victor Oladipo help the Miami Heat
43:15 – Derrick White and Boston Celtics are on a hot-streak
59:09 – Zion Williamson might need another surgery

James Harden, Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, trade

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

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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seth curry, philadelphia 76ers

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.

Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors

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.