Tag / tyrese maxey

Doc Rivers, James Harden, Sixers, Philadelphia 76ers
by Alex Fischbein

James Harden Out, Doc Rivers On The Hot Seat | Sixers Saturday Ep2

To nobody’s surprise, the Philadelphia 76ers are still going through a bit of a rough patch and it looks like it’s getting a little more difficult. James Harden is now injured, the jury is still out on Doc Rivers’ coaching schemes, Joel Embiid is missing games, and the defense looks quite terrible. Did you hit Sixers bingo yet?

James Harden strained his foot during the team’s game against the Toronto Raptors. Despite the team losing their first three games, Harden was having a tremendous start to the season. He looked re-energized and fully healthy. Now, the Sixers will be without him for a month and the floor general duties will fall on Tyrese Maxey.

Speaking of Sixers losses this season, there are already six of them in 10 games. At least a few of them can be attributed to some questionable rotations, substitutions, and game plans. Doc Rivers is firmly on the hot seat during this rocky start and I’m not sure if he really even knows it. The defense looks atrocious and his reluctance to play both Matisse Thybulle and Paul Reed isn’t helping turn that around at all.

Joel Embiid has already been missing a big chunk of games and no one seems to know how many he’s actually going to miss with the non-COVID illness and plantar fasciitis that he’s dealing with. For a team that’s trying to right the ship and get back on track toward the playoff race, this is somewhat alarming. That’s not to mention that Embiid hasn’t played all that well to start the season.

Check out what we had to say on the latest episode of Sixers Saturday!

SUBSCRIBE HERE to see the live streams of Sixers Saturday, every week at 10 AM ET on Saturdays during the NBA season.

Ben Simmons, Brooklyn Nets, Jayson Tatum, Boston celtics, Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

Jayson Tatum for MVP, Ben Simmons keeps fouling | TAF249

This week on The Atlantic Files, we have regular season basketball to talk about! With that being said, we dove into each Atlantic division team to see how they’re doing three-to-four games into the season. Then, we gave our biggest takeaways from the rest of the league so far into this first week or so.

First, we have to bring up the Philadelphia 76ers due to how much hype they were receiving coming into the season. So far, they’ve delivered the exact opposite of the expectations that were bestowed upon them. Joel Embiid has looked pretty awful, James Harden has actually looked phenomenal, and the rest of the team can’t play defense.

The Boston Celtics, on the other hand, are looking like the team that made the NBA Finals last season. Jayson Tatum is looking like an MVP candidate while the rest of the team is seemingly coming together with some great chemistry. Once their schedule ramps up, we’ll find out a lot about this team.

Then, we get to Brooklyn where the Nets are also underachieving just like the Sixers. Ben Simmons has fouled out twice already, Kyrie has already yelled at him to shoot the ball, and they also have only won one game so far.

Let’s look up to the north at the Toronto Raptors next. Their defense is looking as good as ever and Nick Nurse has them playing well together yet again. This team is going to make some big noise when it comes to playoff time.

Finally, even the New York Knicks are looking more scrappy and energetic than the Sixers and Nets. What world are we living in right now?!

Timecodes:
00:00 Intro
02:54 Sixers look like butt, James Harden has done well though
17:05 Jayson Tatum is looking like an MVP
23:23 Brooklyn Nets still figuring things out with Ben Simmons
31:33 Toronto Raptors are looking good to start the season
35:12 New York Knicks are getting somewhere!
47:11 Observations around the NBA
55:37 Thanks for watching!

Joel Embiid, James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

Brooklyn Nets vs Philadelphia 76ers, who has the better roster?

By now, everyone knows that Kevin Durant has decided to stay with the Brooklyn Nets. The dramatic, reality show type of situation is finally over and nothing even happened. That leaves three teams fighting for the top of the Atlantic Division the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Toronto Raptors.

No offense to any Raptors fans, but Toronto is still one of the up-and-coming teams especially compared to the Sixers and Nets. So we’re going to revisit them another time.

This comes down to the Nets roster vs the Sixers roster. Which one is better from top to bottom?

In Philadelphia, the bench got better through their off-season additions this year. James Harden has been working twice as hard as he finally doesn’t have to rehab an injury and Tyrese Maxey is getting ready to show even more growth in his third season.

On the other side, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are both coming back to Brooklyn. Ben Simmons is looking like he’ll finally be ready to go and the supporting pieces are getting healthier as well. Joe Harris wasn’t a factor at all last season, and he’s been one of the most consistent three-point shooters in the league.

So, which team are you taking? Are you taking the duo of Joel Embiid and Harden or Durant and Irving? Then, are you going to take the Sixers supporting cast or the Nets? This conversation is closer than people think, and it’s also fun for non-Sixers and non-Nets fans.

Julius Randle, John Collins, Pro-Am, Drew League, New York Knicks, Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

Julius Randle needs to do more than lose pro-am games

Here we are again, talking about Julius Randle and the fact that New York Knicks fans are ready to part ways with him in any way possible. The rollercoaster ride continues as Julius Randle got booed and lost a Pro-Am game on the Knicks home turf.

Randle, Jalen Brunson, and Obi Toppin all played together in a New York City Pro-Am game a couple weeks back. They all put up around 20 points each, but gave up 40 points to two separate players of the other team. While Randle was putting up bricks from three, their team also took a big ol’ L in the process.

Once upon a time, Julius Randle was leading a Knicks team that was the talk of the league. They all of a sudden made the playoffs and even grabbed a win against a better Atlanta Hawks team. People in New York were rioting, calling Trae Young all sorts of names, and had hopes and dreams of a parade much sooner than previously expected.

Ever since then, it’s all been downhill and the Knicks regressed. Randle, himself, also regressed and has heard about it from every Knicks fan around the world.

Now with talks of a Donovan Mitchell trade, the cries to trade Randle have gotten louder and louder. We can’t say that we blame those fans because Mitchell is a much more dynamic star, but Randle needs to help himself at the same time.

Playing in Pro-Am games can be a lose-lose situation, but at least go out there and beat the lesser competition!

Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston celtics, nba playoffs 2022, atlantic files
by Alex Fischbein

Joel Embiid the foul merchant? | The Atlantic Files Ep224

On this week’s episode of the Atlantic Files Podcast, Joel Embiid continues to be called a foul merchant as the Philadelphia 76ers roll through the Toronto Raptors, Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics took game one over the Brooklyn Nets with a buzzer-beater, the NBA Playoffs are in full swing, and some of the regular season awards have been handed out and some questionable finalists have been announced!

On top of the big topics this week, we recorded our live reactions to the Celtics vs Nets and Sixers vs Raptors games as they went on during the time we were recording!

Toronto Raptors fans, players, and even coaches have all been complaining about foul calls against the Sixers. Joel Embiid and James Harden have gone to the line quite a bit through the first two games and of course that must mean there’s a conspiracy. Embiid ended up hitting a game-winning three and took more jumpers than the first two games as the Sixers still won. So what’s the excuse now?

In the other Atlantic matchup, the Boston Celtics are now up 2-0! Jayson Tatum hit his own game-winning shot in game one and then Kevin Durant absolutely disappeared in game two. Mike had to drop off the podcast to focus on the game as it was slipping through the Nets’ fingers before our eyes.

Devin Booker injured his hamstring in a game where the New Orleans Pelicans stole a game on the road. Now he’s out for two games in New Orleans and the Pelicans’ chances all of a sudden skyrocketed compared to what they were before. Could they pull off the upset?

Marcus Smart was named Defensive Player of the Year and was the first lead guard to get the award since Gary Payton. Is he the most deserving of the award, or should Mikal Bridges or Rudy Gobert have won?

Finally, Nikola Jokic got ejected and his Denver Nuggets were blown out in the first two games against the Golden State Warriors. It seems like he’s going to be named the MVP, but his MVP ways aren’t helping the team win any games in the playoffs so far.

Chapters:
0:00 – Intro
2:10 – Marcus Smart wins DPoY
7:06 – Live look and reaction of Boston Celtics vs Brooklyn Nets Game 2
11:51 – Devin Booker injured, can New Orleans win
20:15 – Live look and reaction to Philadelphia 76ers vs Toronto Raptors Game 3
25:47 – Tyrese Maxey and Jordan Poole snubbed for MIP
35:11 – Check in with Nets vs Celtics
38:14 – Nikola Jokic ejected and blown out by the Warriors
41:41 – Should the Utah Jazz blow it up and restart
45:52 – Another check-in with Nets vs Celtics
46:27 – Nick Nurse and Raptors complaining too much

brooklyn nets, kevin durant, kyrie irving, seth curry, ben simmons
by Alex Fischbein

Brooklyn Nets becoming the next what if | The Atlantic Files Ep217

On this week’s episode of the Atlantic Files, the Brooklyn Nets continue to lose some needed ground in the standings as they await Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and Ben Simmons to return, the James Harden experience is alive and well in Philadelphia, both the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics are making playoff pushes, and the New York Knicks are stuck trying to figure out what’s going on.

The latest news coming out of the Ben Simmons saga is that now he has back issues and is regarded as “week to week.” Rich Paul even told Brian Windhorst that Simmons most likely won’t even be ready to come back in the month of March. Kevin Durant is finally coming back on March 3 while we’re all still waiting for a decision from the New York City Mayor on whether or not Kyrie Irving is going to be able to play full time again.

Let’s also not forget that the Nets are currently in the play-in territory, so if everything doesn’t go their way, they could be the next biggest ‘what if’ story for the NBA.

James Harden’s honeymoon period with the Philadelphia 76ers is going as well as anyone could have imagined! They’re now 3-0 since he’s been playing and he’s almost put up triple-doubles in every one of them. Joel Embiid has talked about the fact that he’s never been this wide open in his career and Tyrese Maxey is putting up more than 20 points per game as well. Is this all sustainable?

Coming from the depths, the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics are both making playoff pushes. Which team can make it further come playoff time?

Finally, we have the New York Knicks, yet again, bringing up the rear. The team has been quite the dumpster fire this season. After such a successful season last year, it’s so disappointing to see it all just fall apart this year. What should they do for the rest of the year and into the off-season?

Timecodes:
0:00 – Intro
2:14 – Ben Simmons out until April, Kevin Durant coming back
15:47 – If the Brooklyn Nets don’t win a ring, are they a failure?
21:13 – James Harden in Philadelphia is off to a great start
32:17 – The better playoff team, Boston Celtics or Toronto Raptors
49:36 – What should the New York Knicks do now?

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?

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.

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!

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!