Tag / stephen curry

by Alex Fischbein

Ben Simmons Returns Again! | TAF303

On episode 303 of The Atlantic Files, Ben Simmons finally returns to the court again after more issues with his back, Joel Embiid misses another game against Nikola Jokic in Denver, the Los Angeles Lakers are getting extreme favoritism from the refs, and the Golden State Warriors look at potential trade targets to get themselves back into title contention.

Ben Simmons has finally returned from his back issues and played his first game since November. He is on a minutes restriction but he still almost posted a triple-double against the Utah Jazz. How long will he remain on the court for the rest of the season and will his back issues keep him off of the court for most of his career?

Joel Embiid put on a masterclass in the first of two matchups against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. He was set to play in the rematch that took place in Denver but then was surprisingly downgraded to questionable and eventually was sidelined. He hasn’t played in Denver since 2019, so now fans think he’s scared and ducking Jokic. What happened to the regular season not meaning anything?

A stat has been found that proves the Los Angeles Lakers shoot the most free throws out of any team in the NBA. Not only that, but they have the biggest difference in total free throw attempts compared to their opponents. Something seems a bit fishy here, but the Lakers aren’t even turning it into wins. So, should we all be mad about it?

Finally, the Golden State Warriors are trying to salvage something out of this season after they found themselves in 12th place in the West after half of the season has gone by. The question is who they should be trading away and if it’s worth trading for what’s out there right now. We dive into some options they have and whether or not they should even mortgage their future before the trade deadline.

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:45 WWE Royal Rumble thoughts
00:15:09 Ben Simmons first game back against Utah Jazz
00:29:46 Golden State Warriors trade targets before the deadline
00:40:59 Is Joel Embiid ducking Nikola Jokic
00:46:25 Lakers getting way more Free Throws
00:54:21 Outro and final thoughts

Kevin Durant, Injury, Brooklyn Nets, 2023 NBA All-Star, Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

Kevin Durant Injured, NBA All-Star Voting Returns | TAF258

On this week’s episode of The Atlantic Files Podcast, Kevin Durant sprains his MCL and will be out for at least a couple weeks, he also does an interview and says NBA fans are entitled, the first round of NBA All-Star voting returns came out, Gregg Popovich talks about the terrible defense of today’s game, Joe Lacob hints at maybe trading one of the Golden State Warriors big three, and more!

Kevin Durant will have to spend some time on the sidelines as he sprained his MCL and has been reported out for at least a few weeks. He will be re-evaluated after that time just in case the healing process doesn’t go as planned. The scare comes from the fact that he missed six weeks with this same injury in seasons prior, but reports have said it’s not as serious as before. Can the Nets stay afloat without their top player?

Durant also gave an interview where he compared today’s game with eras before and how the fans perceive the game today. He said that fans today are entitled because they consume it way more than the generations before them and they have started to take the game for granted. Do you agree with what he had to say?

Then, the first round of NBA All-Star voting returns came out! There were a few surprises but the big names prevailed as usual when it came to the top vote-getters. The biggest issues came from the names that didn’t appear on the list at all!

Finally, there were quotes from Gregg Popovich and Joe Lacob. Coach Pop sarcastically talked about adding a four and five-point shot because nobody wants to play defense anyway. Then, Lacob hinted at trading away one of the original big three before it was too late. Who do you think will be the odd man out?

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

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:09:51 Kevin Durant sprained his MCL, out for a couple weeks
00:24:14 Kevin Durant says fans are more entitled these days
00:52:04 NBA All Star 2023 first round voting returns
01:10:42 Joe Lacob hints at trading one of the Golden State Warriors big three
01:15:08 Gregg Popovich jokes about 4 and 5-point shots
01:17:01 Outro

Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks, Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors, Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

New York Knicks & Toronto Raptors Heading Opposite Ways | TAF256

On this week’s episode of The Atlantic Files, the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors are headed in separate directions as the Knicks are on a hot streak and the Raptors are sinking fast, Anthony Davis and Stephen Curry both get hurt while Joe Ingles is set to return, James Harden reveals a lot in his interview about why he left Brooklyn, would Mexico City be a good expansion city for the NBA, and more!

The Toronto Raptors were on a big losing skid before a 52-point game by Pascal Siakam finally allowed them to break it. As of right now, they’re barely hanging on to a play-in spot at the 10th seed. Is it time for this team to finally hit the panic button and look toward the trade market, or do they still have what it takes to make a deep playoff run?

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the New York Knicks are on a big win streak right now. They’ve shot all the way up to the sixth seed in the East. Their core guys are all contributing in big ways and Tom Thibodeau’s job looks secure for now. There’s always plenty of time for the Knicks to pull a Knicks-ish move before the season ends.

James Harden sat down for an interview to give some insight on why he decided to ask for a trade to get out of Brooklyn. He brought to light a lot of things that people were speculating about and a couple of surprising facts about the rest of the team. He ended everything by asking if he was still a quitter if the main superstar on the team also asked to get out of there.

There have been a few major injuries and some returns that have taken place recently. Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry, and Brandon Ingram have all either been out or are out now for an extended period of time. Joe Ingles is making his return to his new team after his torn ACL and Markelle Fultz has returned too. What type of impact do all of these things have?

Finally, Adam Silver talked about how Mexico City was putting in a lot of work to get an NBA expansion team in their city. Should Mexico City even be near the top of the list to get a team, or are they a few more American cities that need a team before they start looking internationally?

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

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:09:46 Time for the Toronto Raptors to hit the panic button?
00:27:47 Are the New York Knicks a playoff team?
00:44:06 NBA creating a Mexico City expansion team
00:53:50 Why James Harden really wanted out of Brooklyn
01:09:29 Major injuries and returns: Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, and Joe Ingles
01:14:33 Outro

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA GM Survery, Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

NBA General Managers predict that Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks will win the NBA Finals

It’s that time of year again when the NBA takes a poll from all of the General Managers across the league on a myriad of topics about this season, seasons in the future, and even more. One team, and player, that got a lot of love are the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

One question they always answer is who they think is going to win the NBA Finals this year. Then, they take the votes and show where all the teams land based on these votes. The top four in the East go pretty much as expected whereas the West seemed to be wide open according to the GMs.

Last season, the GMs selected the Brooklyn Nets as the eventual champions with a whopping 72% of the vote. They weren’t going to fall for the same show as last year. This time, the Milwaukee Bucks took home 43% of the vote with the Golden State Warriors behind them with 25%.

Honestly, you can’t go wrong with having the Warriors or the Bucks at the top of the list because both teams either retained all of their good players or their young players got even better. Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo are two of the best players in the world as well.

The bigger debates come after those two. A lot of pundits are throwing the Los Angeles Clippers in the mix since everyone is finally getting healthy again. Then, there’s the Boston Celtics who represented the East last season. What about the Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, and Phoenix Suns though?

Check out a clip from our latest episode to hear what we had to say.

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

Golden State Warriors, Stephen Curry, Pacific Division, Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

Will the Golden State Warriors repeat? | TAF244

This week on The Atlantic Files, we continue our division previews with the defending champ Golden State Warriors and the Pacific Division, Doc Rivers gets horny on Twitter, a lot of new statement jerseys have been revealed, is the NBA’s punishment for the Phoenix Suns owner enough, additions and adjustments to the CBA, and Dennis Schroder heads back to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The divisional preview series continues as this week we take a look at the Golden State Warriors and the Pacific Division. While a lot of people seem to think the division goes through Los Angeles in either the Lakers or Clippers, we lean towards Golden State yet again. The top four teams in the Pacific all have some aging and health questions with all of their superstars, so it could just come down to a battle of who will be injured less.

Doc Rivers had a bit of a Twitter goof over the weekend. People found a handful of pornographic tweets in his likes and then the entire internet grabbed hold of it. The Sixers PR team said that his account was hacked, but come on now. Just say you accidentally liked some Tweets that you probably shouldn’t have and you’d probably get some more respect.

Statement jerseys, classic jerseys, and more have been released by most of the teams across the NBA. We took a look at most of them and said whether or not we actually liked them. Some of these jersey designs really need work because they’re going to have their team looking like garbage.

Then, there’s the terrible news of Robert Sarver, the Phoenix Suns owner. His punishment came down to a one-year suspension, but many big-name players didn’t agree with only one year. Many believe he should be kicked out of the NBA altogether.

Finally, the league and the player’s association are talking about some CBA adjustments. The eligible draft age is lowered back down to 18, there will be a more punitive luxury tax, and mental health will be an injury designation. The game keeps evolving!

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro & Fantasy Football
00:06:18 Doc Rivers likes some explicit tweets
00:15:35 CBA adjustments – Lowering draft age, Mental health designation, etc.
00:33:50 Phoenix Suns owner, Robert Sarver, is the punishment enough
00:43:06 Thoughts on the new NBA statement Jerseys
00:55:33 2022-23 Pacific Division Preview – Golden State Warriors repeat chances
01:20:17 Dennis’s F/M/K scenario
01:24:49 Would you rather, Steph Curry edition

Quin Snyder, Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz, Atlantic Files Podcast
by Alex Fischbein

Quin Snyder left, will Donovan Mitchell? | The Atlantic Files Ep231

On this week’s episode of the Atlantic Files Podcast, Quin Snyder resigned from the Utah Jazz, will Donovan Mitchell force his way out as well, the NBA Finals continue as the series is tied 1-1, Tyler Herro’s case to be a starter, Kyrie Irving’s future in Brooklyn, and more!

The biggest news story other than the NBA Finals happening is the fact that Quin Snyder has stepped down from being the head coach of the Utah Jazz. This is during a time when the Jazz are in a state of flux. Rumors of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell not being able to play together have been swirling for a while. Now, does this coaching change mean Mitchell could just force his way out?

Speaking of the NBA Finals, at the time of this recording the series was tied 1-1. We revisited some of our predictions about the Finals and checked if anything has changed since then. Also, we took a deep dive into the stats of the Finals so far and what’s happening for each team.

A little while ago, Tyler Herro said he wants to start for the Miami Heat now that he has accomplished Sixth Man of the Year. Pat Riley made a statement telling him to go into training camp and earn it. All in all, it was a fair statement from Riley, but he probably should be calling out some other players rather than only Herro.

Rumors and Kyrie Irving just seem to go hand-in-hand these days. There have been rumors now that he might sign with the Philadelphia 76ers and then also rumors that he’ll sign an extension with the Brooklyn Nets. Do the Nets really want to pay him all the money he’s going to ask for though?

Finally, the NBA talked about shortening the season and maybe even adding a mid-season tournament. This seems a little ridiculous that we’re talking about lessening the workload for professional athletes especially when the roughest sport of all, football, extended its season by another week. We understand money is the driving factor, but there have to be a lot of other options than just shortening the season.

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:52 NBA Finals thoughts, series tied 1-1
00:20:03 Tyler Herro wants to start, Pat Riley says earn it
00:34:50 Quin Snyder resigns, what will Donovan Mitchell do
00:52:53 Kyrie Irving’s future in Brooklyn
00:59:30 Kevin Durant calls out Stephen A Smith and Skip Bayless
01:07:51 Should the NBA shorten the season
01:17:34 Jalen Brunson a future Knick?

2022 NBA Finals, boston celtics, golden state warriors, atlantic files
by Alex Fischbein

2022 NBA Finals Preview | The Atlantic Files Ep230

The 2022 NBA Finals are here! To help us preview the Finals matchup between the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors is Alec Walt of the Alec Walt Show on Down the Block Sports! We talk all things 2022 NBA Finals, Boston Celtics, and 2022 NBA Playoffs. Maybe we’ll even sneak in some topics going around in the rumor mill or news desks.

Nobody has had quite the rollercoaster ride of a season like the Boston Celtics. They were on the outside of the play-in and playoffs and everything seemed hopeless for them. So much so that the last time we had Alec Walt on the show, we talked about having to trade either Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum for this team to truly achieve anything.

Now, here we are. The Celtics are set to face off against the Golden State Warriors for the 2022 NBA Finals. We brought Alec on to talk about what happened in the Miami Heat series. It was a very odd series that just traded blowout games until the very end when the Celtics were the last ones standing.

Then, we talked about the full journey of the team and what exactly turned the season around. There were a number of people who showed some tough love and called each other out, and then Brad Stevens also made some big-time moves to help the team.

On the other side, we talked about Stephen Curry and his legacy. There has been talk that he needs to win a Finals MVP just to cement his legacy even though he’s already the greatest shooter this league has ever seen. Is that just for clickbait or do people actually think this stuff?

SUBSCRIBE to Alec’s channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfkP-VMF1Uhioz23EfjDPtA

Timecodes:
0:00 – Intro
4:34 – Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat series, what went wrong and right
26:04 – The Boston Celtics journey to the NBA Finals
39:22 – Udonis Haslem hasn’t recovered from loss?!
44:48 – Thoughts on the new Conference Finals MVP awards
47:16 – Steph Curry’s legacy if he wins or loses this NBA Finals
1:00:11 – 2022 NBA Finals predictions

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors, NBA Record
by Alex Fischbein

Last night in the Atlantic (12/14/21)

History was made on Atlantic Division soil last night, so this week it’s not only Atlantic players that we’re highlighting!

Standings:
Brooklyn Nets(1) 20-8
Philadelphia 76ers(6) 15-13
Boston Celtics(9) 14-14
Toronto Raptors 13-15
New York Knicks 12-16

Let’s talk about last night!

Stephen Curry

We have to start this thing off with the historic moment from Stephen Curry. This man is the greatest shooter to ever hit the NBA. There is no debate. I don’t care about any kind of argument about players from the old days, I don’t care about any Ray Allen stans, Stephen Curry is the best shooter to ever grace the league. It was only fitting that the record was broken at Madison Square Garden. Sorry Knicks fans.

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Julius Randle

Now, let’s get back to the Atlantic! Julius Randle, at least, gave a valiant effort to win this game. I can’t help but notice that there are some confidence and effort changes from last season. Shots that he’d normally take and some hustle plays that he’d normally make aren’t really happening anymore. This game was still a good line for him with 31p & 7r, but the outcome has been a loss more often than not this season. When the only differences in this team compared to last year are some additions, you have to start looking at effort, mentality, and confidence.

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Scottie Barnes

We’re back again to highlight Scottie Barnes! This man is just out here competing against the best and not backing down to anyone! He was taking Kevin Durant head-on and he made some very gutsy shots that he might not normally take. While I’m aware the Brooklyn Nets were not at full strength, it was still impressive to see Barnes cash in a very nice all-around game. He ended up with 23p, 12r, & 5a.

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Kessler Edwards

Kevin Durant and Patty Mills had 34 and 30 points respectively. We’ve highlighted those two plenty, however, so let’s talk about a rookie. Kessler Edwards received his moment to shine with a very short-handed Nets team. He even doubled the minutes of Cam Thomas, which could be surprising given how much hype has been surrounding him. Edwards delivered a very nice game in support of the offense. He finished the game with 17p, 10r, 2a, & 2s. He showed a willingness to shoot with a quick trigger, filled lanes correctly, and hustled in the paint relentlessly. If he can play at or close to this level consistently, that just gives the Nets a ton more depth than they currently have.

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Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers, Sixers, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks
by Alex Fischbein

Oh boy, more Ben Simmons rumors | The Atlantic Files Ep207

This week, on the Atlantic Files, we talk about the teams that were rumored to be new additions in the Ben Simmons sweepstakes! On top of that, Kyrie Irving finally wore some basketball shoes, Alperen Sengun is looking very good, Ray Allen thinks there’s still a discussion for the best shooter, Chicago all caught Covid, and Memphis is all of a sudden the hottest team around without Ja Morant.

Look, we know that we’ve talked about Ben Simmons like crazy this season and even off-season. These rumors are non-stop and now more teams have been added to the so-called sweepstakes. Both the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks are now kicking around the idea of adding Simmons to their teams. Will either one of them have the assets needed to actually satisfy Daryl Morey? That’s still to be determined.

Then, the other player we’ve talked plenty about, Kyrie Irving. He took a picture of him in some basketball shoes and posted it on social media. Hallelujah, he’s finally in some basketball shoes! Will he ever actually use them in an NBA game this year, find out next week on Dragonball!

Covid has been running rampant yet again. This isn’t too much of a surprise since we’re entering flu and sickness season as the weather gets cold in North America. The Chicago Bulls, however, have been hit especially hard. Did everyone just pass it around the moment one guy tested positive? Nine members of the team are all in the health and safety protocols which made the NBA resort to postponing more games. Hopefully, we don’t have to go through much more of this.

Alperen Sengun is one of the top names on Mike Bash’s list. For good reason too, this man is showing flashes of a lot of different centers that have come through the league. His footwork, passing ability, and offensive ability, in general, are all things that Houston Rockets fans should be excited about!

Ray Allen was asked about Stephen Curry being the greatest three-point shooter ever and he said there was still a debate to be had about it. Come on now Ray, just give up the crown to the guy who beat your record in almost half the amount of games that it took you!

Finally, there are the Memphis Grizzlies who are the hottest team in the NBA and they don’t even have their best player on the floor! They’ve been absolutely destroying teams at the same time with their NBA record win-margin over the Oklahoma City Thunder. What’s the secret to their success??

Timecodes:
0:00 – Intro
1:40 – Ben Simmons now being looked at by Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks
16:15 – Kyrie Irving posted a picture wearing basketball shoes
18:25 – The Chicago Bulls all caught Covid
23:15 – Alperen Sengun is looking pretty great
26:25 – Ray Allen thinks there’s still a debate between him and Stephen Curry
31:25 – Memphis Grizzlies blow teams out without Ja Morant

LeBron James, Isaiah Stewart, Fight
by Alex Fischbein

LeBron James draws blood | The Atlantic File

On this week’s episode of the Atlantic Files, LeBron James draws blood from Isaiah Stewart, Luke Walton loses his job, Jayson Tatum is good again, plus Cade Cunningham is finally making his Rookie of the Year argument.

By now, everyone has probably seen the fight between LeBron James and Isaiah Stewart. Stewart had some serious blood coming from his eye and he was rightfully pissed off. All of these reports say that James didn’t mean any harm, but the video seems to say otherwise. Also, does anyone really buy that LeBron James, of all people, couldn’t “track down” Stewart’s phone number? 

Luke Walton, now former coach of the Sacramento Kings, is on the lookout for another job. If there’s anyone who knows chaos out of the NBA franchises, it’s definitely the Kings. Hopefully, they don’t think that this is going to fix their entire team and all of their problems. That would just somehow be very Kings-esque though.

A couple of episodes ago, we talked about how Jayson Tatum wasn’t pulling his own weight. Since then, both Tatum and the Boston Celtics have been much improved. Tatum’s percentages and all-around game have gone up and looked worlds better. Could a Jaylen Brown for Bradley Beal trade work out? 

On top of that, we discussed Cade Cunningham starting to show his true potential!

Timecodes:
0:00 – Intro
1:38 – Golden State Warriors are highly lethal
11:42 – LeBron James and Isaiah Stewart fight
22:10 – Cade Cunningham showing his true potential
29:28 – Jayson Tatum looking more like Jayson Tatum
39:10 – Luke Walton fired by the Sacramento Kings