WEBVTT - The Bucks, You Say?

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<v Speaker 1>A brand new, fresh podcast on the seventy six Ers

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<v Speaker 1>Podcast Network is coming your way in just a moment.

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<v Speaker 1>But first, I've got an important question for you. Have

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<v Speaker 1>you ever heard of something called Ninja versus Unicorn? What

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<v Speaker 1>about Death by Glitter? No? Well, if you have heard

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<v Speaker 1>of those things, you probably, like myself, are a pretty

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<v Speaker 1>big fan of craft beer. That happened to be a

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<v Speaker 1>couple of outstanding IPAs that are either currently on tap

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<v Speaker 1>or are waiting on deck at the Beer Garden in

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<v Speaker 1>Parks Casino. Not in the craft beer Well, that is

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<v Speaker 1>totally fine, because the Beer Garden also has the classics

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<v Speaker 1>bud Light, Yengling, It's got Victory, Goose Island, Stella, Local, Domestic.

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<v Speaker 1>Anywhere on the planet there is an outstanding beer selection

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<v Speaker 1>waiting for you at the Beer Garden in Parks Casino.

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<v Speaker 1>What could this possibly have to do with the seventy

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<v Speaker 1>six Ers podcast. Well, on March twenty fourth, it is

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<v Speaker 1>the next seventy Sixers Night at the Beer Garden in

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<v Speaker 1>Parks Casino. You get to cheer on the seventy Sixers,

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<v Speaker 1>hang out with seventy Sixers Entertainment team members, and what

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<v Speaker 1>is perhaps arguably the most important detail of all, you

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<v Speaker 1>get one complimentary drink and light appetizers on the house

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<v Speaker 1>from the great people at Parks Casino. If I weren't

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<v Speaker 1>working that night, I would most definitely be there, but

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<v Speaker 1>working is what I will be doing instead. You should

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<v Speaker 1>get there March twenty fourth, Parks Casino at the Beer

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<v Speaker 1>Garden for the next seventy Sixers night should be an

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<v Speaker 1>awesome time. Now it's time for the pod. The seventy

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<v Speaker 1>Sixers are back from the All Star break and they

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<v Speaker 1>returned in a big way. The final buzzer signals the

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<v Speaker 1>end of an overtime win for the Sixers, their first

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<v Speaker 1>overtime victory of the year. Up next another major test

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<v Speaker 1>Saturday Night in the primetime spot in Milwaukee Game. I

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<v Speaker 1>still feel like I am getting to know the seventies Sixers,

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<v Speaker 1>even at this point in the season. If the joell

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<v Speaker 1>embeat that showed up against the Nets as the Joel

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<v Speaker 1>embad that shows up, I have a lot of confidence

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<v Speaker 1>in what the Sixers can do. That's ESPN reporter Malika Andrews,

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<v Speaker 1>and she'll weigh in on all things Sixers and Bucks

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<v Speaker 1>on this episode of the broadcast. What's up, everybody, How

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<v Speaker 1>you doing I'm Brian Seltzer. I hope you had a

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<v Speaker 1>great All Star Game break. I personally was not like

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<v Speaker 1>many of the hard working people in my department at

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<v Speaker 1>the seventy sixers. I was not in Chicago. I enjoyed

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<v Speaker 1>watching what was an outstanding All Star game, featured great

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<v Speaker 1>performances from two seventy sixers, Ben Simmons and Joel Ebad

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<v Speaker 1>from the comforts of a remote, semi isolated location, but

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<v Speaker 1>it was great. Joe and Ben were awesome. If you

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<v Speaker 1>had a memorable tushy tap, two really good performances by

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<v Speaker 1>two really talented dudes. All and off from the seventy

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<v Speaker 1>six ers standpoints, they were well represented in the Windy City.

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<v Speaker 1>Coming up, we will speak with Melika Andrews from ESPN.

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<v Speaker 1>She will be in Milwaukee for ESPN's Big NBA Saturday

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<v Speaker 1>primetime game on ABC exclusively on ABC Saturday, eight thirty Eastern.

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<v Speaker 1>But first I want to remind you that to subscribe

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<v Speaker 1>to our pod feed, all you gotta do is go

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<v Speaker 1>to anywhere you get your podcasts, type in seventy six

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<v Speaker 1>Ers podcast or Sixers podcast Network and that'll take you

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<v Speaker 1>to our feed, and you can subscribe on Spotify Apple Podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>Google Podcasts, tune in, Stitcher, SoundCloud, wherever you get your pods,

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<v Speaker 1>there we shall be and we hope you subscribe right now.

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<v Speaker 1>So I'm gonna be honest. This gig that I've got

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<v Speaker 1>it is not a particularly hard one. You know, as

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<v Speaker 1>passionate as we are about sports, covering a team is

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<v Speaker 1>not like a true, true matter of life or death.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not a surgeon anything as serious as that. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>not working the overnight shift on the Northeast Extension expanding

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<v Speaker 1>the highway. This is a relatively pleasant gig. But each year,

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<v Speaker 1>if I'm being totally honest, I am very much ready

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<v Speaker 1>for the All Star break to come. It's an opportunity

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<v Speaker 1>to recharge the batteries, reset for a couple of days,

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<v Speaker 1>get the mind and body right. Then you know, maybe

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<v Speaker 1>after four days I get the etch again. I want

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<v Speaker 1>to be in an arena, see some action. I'm ready

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<v Speaker 1>for more. And given what we saw from the seventy

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<v Speaker 1>six Ers in the last game before the break, I

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<v Speaker 1>was excited. I was eager to see if they could

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<v Speaker 1>carry that momentum over. On the eve of the sixers

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<v Speaker 1>first game back, the team practiced in Camden and there

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<v Speaker 1>was no mistaking what Brett I was saying. The head

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<v Speaker 1>coach sounded certain his seven foot all star was poised

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<v Speaker 1>for big things. I think like he is in a

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<v Speaker 1>space that is excellent as it relates to his excitement

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<v Speaker 1>seeing this final third home to grab the team by

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<v Speaker 1>the throat and lead us in a bunch of different areas.

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<v Speaker 1>I've been with him a long time, and when I

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<v Speaker 1>look at him and I talk to him, and I

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<v Speaker 1>hear his words, and you know, we're always sort of

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<v Speaker 1>like you would with your children, judging their body language

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<v Speaker 1>and all that, I just think he's in a really

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<v Speaker 1>good space. And sure enough, man did Joe ellenbiid ever

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<v Speaker 1>deliver Thursday night against the Brooklyn Nets and the Sixers

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<v Speaker 1>one twelve, one oh four overtime one. Here's duel downlow

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<v Speaker 1>against Alan, comes into the nearer corner, it beat baseline,

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<v Speaker 1>shoots it on Allan and that's good man. He's on

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<v Speaker 1>the fire. Here's with running shot, Noah, he reps the

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<v Speaker 1>rebound out Patty slams it in Joel and be with

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<v Speaker 1>a big time offensive rebound and a dove. Here's Joel, boy,

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<v Speaker 1>What a move by me right on the yard right

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<v Speaker 1>yuard a euro Step and it bead bimics his old

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<v Speaker 1>movies he changes in afterwards embed was understandably and bolded

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<v Speaker 1>I'm here, I belong him being the best player in

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<v Speaker 1>the ward. You know, I just intend to just um,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, keep coming out every single night and just

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<v Speaker 1>play hard and trying to get wins and you know,

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<v Speaker 1>just go out and trying to win a championship. Love

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<v Speaker 1>seeing Joel Embiid look good on the court, but really

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<v Speaker 1>love hearing him sound good, confident, with that swagger and

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<v Speaker 1>sense of self assuredness and self belief. It was a

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<v Speaker 1>vintage Joel embiad performance and Thursday's win thirty nine points,

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<v Speaker 1>a season high, sixteen rebounds, two block shots, the biggest one,

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<v Speaker 1>of course, sending the game to overtime on Wilson Chandler

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<v Speaker 1>and for my money, probably Joe's. I would put it

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<v Speaker 1>as his second best performance of the season. My favorite

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<v Speaker 1>still the December game at Boston when he totally took over.

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<v Speaker 1>But man, he was damn good in the victory on Thursday.

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<v Speaker 1>I'll have an opportunity to back it up along with

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<v Speaker 1>the seventy sixers when they faced the Milwaukee Bucks at

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<v Speaker 1>fiveser Form Saturday, Night eight thirty exclusively on ABC Saturday

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<v Speaker 1>Primetime ESPN. NBA reporter Malika Andrews is going to be

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<v Speaker 1>at the game, and we bring it on the podcast

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<v Speaker 1>now to preview it. Molika, how you doing. I'm doing

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<v Speaker 1>just fine, you know, running around like all of us

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<v Speaker 1>are all the time. But other than that, I can't complain.

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<v Speaker 1>It is the busy time of the regular season. In

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<v Speaker 1>the NBA trade deadline done, we still got to buy

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<v Speaker 1>out market stuff. But this is the true home stretch.

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<v Speaker 1>Big game on Saturday Night, Sixers Bucks. What type of

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<v Speaker 1>weight do you assign to regular season games once the

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<v Speaker 1>All Star break passes? You know, it's interesting because when

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<v Speaker 1>we're talking about the Bucks, it seems like for them

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<v Speaker 1>waiting and as you hear, I'm at an airport. When

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<v Speaker 1>it comes to the Bucks a regular season game, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>they pretty much at this point, even though they still

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<v Speaker 1>have twenty something games left, have the one seed locked up.

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<v Speaker 1>They have such a sizeable lead on the Raptors and

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<v Speaker 1>it's hard to see anybody catching them. That being said,

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<v Speaker 1>how I evaluate the rest of these regular season games

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<v Speaker 1>is looking at the matchups that we could potentially see

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<v Speaker 1>in the playoffs, and so sixers Bucks is absolutely one

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<v Speaker 1>of those matchups. They're both very strong teams in the East.

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<v Speaker 1>They both have superstars on their teams. They have excellent

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<v Speaker 1>pieces surrounding those superstars. And so that's sort of how

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<v Speaker 1>much I look into that. I look at, Okay, what

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<v Speaker 1>things here can transfer to the playoffs. That being said,

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<v Speaker 1>the Bucks dominated the Raptors in the regular season last year,

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<v Speaker 1>and then we saw them, you know, lose four games

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<v Speaker 1>in a row, which never happened in the regular season

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<v Speaker 1>to the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals. So

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<v Speaker 1>all your notes can just be up into a million pieces.

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<v Speaker 1>Even if you're taking them diligently and trying to find

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<v Speaker 1>hidden meetings and codes within a regular season game, it

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<v Speaker 1>can be such a tough call at trying to discern

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<v Speaker 1>what's real, what's not real, or what lies in between. Right,

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<v Speaker 1>I certainly want to ask you about the seventy six ers,

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<v Speaker 1>but I know that you have a history spending some

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<v Speaker 1>time around the Milwaukee Bucks before this breakout, fantastic season

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<v Speaker 1>they've been happening. Did you anticipate this type of year

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<v Speaker 1>from the Bucks coming to this extent? You know I did,

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<v Speaker 1>because let me let me tell you why, and not

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<v Speaker 1>to say, you know, I'm the smartest person in the room,

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<v Speaker 1>but we got a taste of it last year, and

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<v Speaker 1>I think that from being around Jannis, I know this.

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<v Speaker 1>I know that Yannis is like a superhero that absorbs

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<v Speaker 1>other people and takes on their superpowers and then comes

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<v Speaker 1>an even bigger cut type of superhero. Right, So when

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<v Speaker 1>he loses in the Eastern Conference finals, when he sees

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<v Speaker 1>what Kauai was able to do, he nods and he says,

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<v Speaker 1>all right, all right, I see that, and I am

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<v Speaker 1>going to rise to that occasion. Now, is it going

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<v Speaker 1>to be perfect? I'm not suggesting that is he an

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<v Speaker 1>amazing three point shooter or no, but we've seen him

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<v Speaker 1>make some significant improvements in those areas, and so that

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<v Speaker 1>should have been a foreshadowing to this season. Now, will

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<v Speaker 1>they win seventy games? I don't know. Are they focused

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<v Speaker 1>on the regular season? I don't think so, because their

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<v Speaker 1>shortcomings last year didn't come in the regular season. They

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<v Speaker 1>came in the playoffs, and so this regular season was

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<v Speaker 1>absolutely coming. Now the question becomes will they be able

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<v Speaker 1>to build on what they started in the playoffs last year.

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<v Speaker 1>Jannie isn't the first type of professional athlete to have,

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<v Speaker 1>at least from a superficial view. In my eyes, this

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<v Speaker 1>type of demeanor whereas this grounded, humble, modest guy away

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<v Speaker 1>from the court, and then when he steps in between

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<v Speaker 1>the lines he becomes this beast. But for his case

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<v Speaker 1>in particular, what makes him tick. Jannis has this combination

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<v Speaker 1>of an amazing physical gifts. His physical body nearly seven

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<v Speaker 1>feet tall, his wingspand is enormous, right, and then you

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<v Speaker 1>couple that with the fact that the man just never

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<v Speaker 1>stops working his work ethic is something that I think

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<v Speaker 1>we don't see as much with this generation of NBA stars.

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<v Speaker 1>That's not to say they don't all take care of

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<v Speaker 1>their bodies, they're not all looking for ways to fine

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<v Speaker 1>tune their game. But Jannie takes it to the nth degree.

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<v Speaker 1>He takes it even farther than I think the average

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<v Speaker 1>player does, and that is something that's incredibly impressive. One

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<v Speaker 1>more question about the Bucks, then we will bring up

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<v Speaker 1>some seventy six or stuff. What sense do you have

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<v Speaker 1>of on their list of items about how they feel

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<v Speaker 1>about their team? What is perhaps the biggest thing on

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<v Speaker 1>their mind that they still despite how good and dominant

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<v Speaker 1>they've been, they need to iron out before the playoffs start.

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<v Speaker 1>I would say that the last big thing that the

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<v Speaker 1>Bucks are concerned about is just one. You know, Janie,

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<v Speaker 1>as hard as he works, he's also had to learn

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<v Speaker 1>to work hard at managing his body and his time.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, in the path, Jannis has gone one hundred

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<v Speaker 1>and ten percent all the time. And then there was

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<v Speaker 1>this question of Okay, is he going to be rested

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<v Speaker 1>and ready for the regular season. I think he's learned

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<v Speaker 1>to be able to take a little bit of a

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<v Speaker 1>step back there. So that's one, and then the second

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<v Speaker 1>thing for the Bucks is just whether or not they're

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<v Speaker 1>going to be able that They're big questions really can't

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<v Speaker 1>be answered in the regular season. Their big questions still

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<v Speaker 1>linger in the playoffs. Their big questions are, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>when it's coming down to the wire, who was going

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<v Speaker 1>to hit those big shots right? Because that's what happened

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<v Speaker 1>last year is defenders shut down Yannis. He wasn't able

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<v Speaker 1>to get to his sweet spots. Has his three game

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<v Speaker 1>evolved enough to be able to hit those clutch minute

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<v Speaker 1>three pointers or will he kicked it out to Eric

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<v Speaker 1>Bloodsoe and regular season Eric bloodso shows up? Or is

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<v Speaker 1>it going to be playoff Erry Bloodso that shows up

0:12:49.280 --> 0:12:52.199
<v Speaker 1>those are the questions that honestly, I don't see the

0:12:52.600 --> 0:12:55.400
<v Speaker 1>Bucks answering in the regular season. Those answers have to

0:12:55.480 --> 0:12:58.120
<v Speaker 1>come in the playoffs. And ironically enough, that's a very

0:12:58.200 --> 0:13:00.600
<v Speaker 1>similar theme for the seventy six ers, but a sense

0:13:00.679 --> 0:13:02.760
<v Speaker 1>of what they could be in the regular season. They

0:13:02.800 --> 0:13:04.880
<v Speaker 1>knew the playoffs would be coming at some point, but

0:13:04.960 --> 0:13:06.960
<v Speaker 1>it's ken they ultimately clear the hurdle from the past

0:13:07.040 --> 0:13:09.200
<v Speaker 1>two years when they've been stopped in the second round.

0:13:09.520 --> 0:13:11.160
<v Speaker 1>So what have you made of the Sixers this year?

0:13:12.440 --> 0:13:15.120
<v Speaker 1>You know, it's still it's hard that you know, we

0:13:15.240 --> 0:13:18.040
<v Speaker 1>say that All Star marks the halfway point, it really doesn't.

0:13:18.080 --> 0:13:22.480
<v Speaker 1>It marks the two thirds point. And what I still

0:13:22.600 --> 0:13:25.520
<v Speaker 1>feel like I am getting to know the seventy sixers

0:13:25.800 --> 0:13:27.760
<v Speaker 1>even at this point in the season. And I say

0:13:27.840 --> 0:13:31.559
<v Speaker 1>that because they are clearly so good. They are so

0:13:31.840 --> 0:13:35.000
<v Speaker 1>good at home, and they are still this waffling team

0:13:35.080 --> 0:13:37.680
<v Speaker 1>on the road and we don't know night tonight which

0:13:37.840 --> 0:13:40.800
<v Speaker 1>Joel Embiid is going to show up. So if the

0:13:40.880 --> 0:13:44.559
<v Speaker 1>Joel Embiid that showed up against the Nets and was

0:13:44.640 --> 0:13:47.160
<v Speaker 1>able to beat them in overtime, as the Joel Embiad

0:13:47.200 --> 0:13:48.800
<v Speaker 1>that shows up. I have a lot of confidence in

0:13:48.880 --> 0:13:51.760
<v Speaker 1>what the Sixers can do, but because they are so sporadic,

0:13:52.120 --> 0:13:55.000
<v Speaker 1>that's where the questions start to come from. Joel Embiid

0:13:55.080 --> 0:13:58.880
<v Speaker 1>obviously a dynamic talent. What impressed you the most about

0:13:58.960 --> 0:14:02.199
<v Speaker 1>that game he had again the nets? How long he

0:14:02.400 --> 0:14:05.040
<v Speaker 1>was able to play. I mean, usually this is a

0:14:05.120 --> 0:14:08.199
<v Speaker 1>guy you're trying to see stay under the you know,

0:14:08.360 --> 0:14:11.400
<v Speaker 1>thirty five minute mark, and he was able to really

0:14:11.920 --> 0:14:14.439
<v Speaker 1>lean in during the playoffs and I think that was

0:14:14.520 --> 0:14:17.439
<v Speaker 1>something that was really impressive from him. And then you know,

0:14:17.520 --> 0:14:19.280
<v Speaker 1>for him, it just so much of it comes down

0:14:19.320 --> 0:14:22.200
<v Speaker 1>to health. Can he stay healthy? He said earlier this

0:14:22.240 --> 0:14:24.400
<v Speaker 1>season that was his goal to go into the playoffs healthy,

0:14:24.640 --> 0:14:26.880
<v Speaker 1>and it's been dicey at times whether or not he's

0:14:26.880 --> 0:14:28.880
<v Speaker 1>been able. He's going to be able to do that.

0:14:29.880 --> 0:14:31.720
<v Speaker 1>Then one of the other pieces of the equation for

0:14:31.760 --> 0:14:35.920
<v Speaker 1>the seventy six ers is Ben Simmons, who defensively has

0:14:35.960 --> 0:14:39.240
<v Speaker 1>been fantastic this year. What growth have you seen from

0:14:39.280 --> 0:14:42.400
<v Speaker 1>him in year three? You know, Ben has been able

0:14:42.440 --> 0:14:45.840
<v Speaker 1>to take a next step. You know, the thing about Ben,

0:14:46.040 --> 0:14:47.720
<v Speaker 1>I don't even know if it's growth so much as

0:14:47.960 --> 0:14:52.840
<v Speaker 1>just as just maturation. He's really been able to evolve,

0:14:53.000 --> 0:14:56.120
<v Speaker 1>just in terms of the way he sees and reads

0:14:56.160 --> 0:14:58.640
<v Speaker 1>the court and his relationship with Joel Embiid. I think

0:14:58.680 --> 0:15:00.960
<v Speaker 1>he knows him a little bit better now. Are there

0:15:01.040 --> 0:15:04.080
<v Speaker 1>questions still lingering about whether or not Joel Embiid and

0:15:04.240 --> 0:15:06.440
<v Speaker 1>Ben Simmons can play together while they're both in their

0:15:06.520 --> 0:15:09.000
<v Speaker 1>prime and if one compliments the other, sure, but I

0:15:09.120 --> 0:15:13.480
<v Speaker 1>do think, you know, he has been able to make

0:15:13.640 --> 0:15:15.360
<v Speaker 1>up for the fact, if you will, that he is

0:15:15.440 --> 0:15:18.400
<v Speaker 1>not the most confident shooter in the way he reads

0:15:18.440 --> 0:15:21.440
<v Speaker 1>the court. But for him too, you know, Joel had

0:15:21.480 --> 0:15:24.720
<v Speaker 1>this monstrous game against the Nets, and where was Ben Simmons?

0:15:24.800 --> 0:15:26.840
<v Speaker 1>He wasn't on the court, and so that kind of

0:15:26.920 --> 0:15:29.240
<v Speaker 1>becomes the question. It's not so much a growth thing

0:15:29.320 --> 0:15:32.000
<v Speaker 1>from either one of those two players, it's a chemistry thing.

0:15:32.520 --> 0:15:34.800
<v Speaker 1>Is it that then has to be on the bench

0:15:34.840 --> 0:15:37.360
<v Speaker 1>for Joel to explode like that? Or can those two

0:15:37.480 --> 0:15:40.520
<v Speaker 1>things happen at the same time, And that's something we're

0:15:40.560 --> 0:15:42.520
<v Speaker 1>kind of still waiting to see. Where do you see

0:15:42.560 --> 0:15:45.240
<v Speaker 1>Al Horford figuring into all of this, because of course

0:15:45.280 --> 0:15:47.600
<v Speaker 1>the last two games the seventy six ers, well, they

0:15:47.680 --> 0:15:50.640
<v Speaker 1>may not be married to this entirely for the rest

0:15:50.680 --> 0:15:53.120
<v Speaker 1>of the season, they brought him off the bench. Yeah,

0:15:53.160 --> 0:15:55.040
<v Speaker 1>and we've also seen him and Joel on the floor

0:15:55.080 --> 0:15:58.680
<v Speaker 1>at the same time at times, which has been an

0:15:58.760 --> 0:16:02.400
<v Speaker 1>interesting combination. The thing about Al Horford is when I

0:16:02.440 --> 0:16:04.680
<v Speaker 1>saw that signing for the seventy sixers, in my mind

0:16:04.760 --> 0:16:07.880
<v Speaker 1>it was like, look, he is the honest stopper he

0:16:08.000 --> 0:16:11.680
<v Speaker 1>has had. Even though Boston lost to the Bucks in

0:16:11.760 --> 0:16:15.760
<v Speaker 1>five games last year, he has had a really excellent

0:16:15.840 --> 0:16:18.360
<v Speaker 1>track record defending Janie as excellent as it can be,

0:16:19.040 --> 0:16:23.760
<v Speaker 1>you know, guarding the reigning league MVP. But that's kind

0:16:23.760 --> 0:16:25.400
<v Speaker 1>of where I see him. I see him as the

0:16:25.560 --> 0:16:28.720
<v Speaker 1>experienced voice in mind in the playoffs, and so whether

0:16:28.840 --> 0:16:31.000
<v Speaker 1>or not they keep fiddling in the regular season with

0:16:31.080 --> 0:16:33.240
<v Speaker 1>that lineup will be something that you know, Brett Brown

0:16:33.320 --> 0:16:35.360
<v Speaker 1>has to yet to reveal. It's something that remains to

0:16:35.440 --> 0:16:38.040
<v Speaker 1>be seen. But in the playoffs, I wouldn't I wouldn't

0:16:38.040 --> 0:16:40.080
<v Speaker 1>be surprised to see that be tinkered with just a

0:16:40.120 --> 0:16:41.880
<v Speaker 1>little bit more. And by the way, it's not a

0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:44.920
<v Speaker 1>bad thing to have that be the firepower that's coming

0:16:44.960 --> 0:16:47.080
<v Speaker 1>off your bench. That's a luxury that a lot of

0:16:47.160 --> 0:16:49.800
<v Speaker 1>teams would love to have. As we begin to wrap

0:16:49.880 --> 0:16:52.480
<v Speaker 1>this up, while the seventy sixers is you alluded to,

0:16:52.560 --> 0:16:54.920
<v Speaker 1>have been a little bit mercurial this year, especially between

0:16:54.920 --> 0:16:57.520
<v Speaker 1>the performance at home and on the road, they can

0:16:57.640 --> 0:17:00.080
<v Speaker 1>say that they have at least one victory against to

0:17:00.160 --> 0:17:02.440
<v Speaker 1>the four teams ahead of them in the Eastern Conference.

0:17:02.760 --> 0:17:05.600
<v Speaker 1>When you size up the remainder of this race, what

0:17:05.760 --> 0:17:08.080
<v Speaker 1>do you see as the big obstacles for the seventy sixers.

0:17:08.160 --> 0:17:09.879
<v Speaker 1>There's certain teams you feel they match up better with

0:17:10.000 --> 0:17:12.199
<v Speaker 1>than others. How do you view it? Yeah, I mean,

0:17:13.080 --> 0:17:15.960
<v Speaker 1>they it's great that they have teams, they have wins

0:17:16.000 --> 0:17:17.760
<v Speaker 1>over those four teams, but you know, as the Bucks

0:17:17.800 --> 0:17:19.880
<v Speaker 1>will tell you, they had three wins I believe over

0:17:19.880 --> 0:17:22.040
<v Speaker 1>the Raptors last year and it didn't make a difference, right,

0:17:22.359 --> 0:17:23.920
<v Speaker 1>So it's sort of like you can only put so

0:17:24.080 --> 0:17:26.760
<v Speaker 1>much stock into that. It's more about how those wins

0:17:26.840 --> 0:17:29.280
<v Speaker 1>came to be. And then my my my thing for

0:17:29.359 --> 0:17:31.520
<v Speaker 1>the seventy sixers and I'm looking for for the rest

0:17:31.520 --> 0:17:37.320
<v Speaker 1>of the season. Again, it's not so much the one

0:17:37.400 --> 0:17:40.880
<v Speaker 1>specific team or one specific matchup for the Sixers. It's

0:17:40.960 --> 0:17:44.280
<v Speaker 1>much more about discovering themselves, I think than any other team. Right,

0:17:44.600 --> 0:17:46.440
<v Speaker 1>it's about whether or not they can win on the road,

0:17:46.440 --> 0:17:48.280
<v Speaker 1>because guess what, in the playoffs, you're going to have

0:17:48.440 --> 0:17:50.440
<v Speaker 1>to win on the road. It's you can't, you can't

0:17:50.520 --> 0:17:52.920
<v Speaker 1>just you can't just win at home and make that work.

0:17:53.720 --> 0:17:57.200
<v Speaker 1>Will we see the same kind of really violent swings

0:17:57.320 --> 0:17:59.560
<v Speaker 1>from them that we've seen earlier in the season, or

0:17:59.600 --> 0:18:01.720
<v Speaker 1>will they ron that out? And then also, you know

0:18:01.920 --> 0:18:05.200
<v Speaker 1>how many different looks can Brett Brown throw at a

0:18:05.280 --> 0:18:07.520
<v Speaker 1>team in the playoffs, because that's the real test of

0:18:07.560 --> 0:18:10.160
<v Speaker 1>the playoffs is that you have at least four games

0:18:10.240 --> 0:18:13.240
<v Speaker 1>against someone to make adjustments. And the Sixers have so

0:18:13.359 --> 0:18:15.680
<v Speaker 1>much diversity in their talent that they really could be

0:18:15.800 --> 0:18:18.639
<v Speaker 1>throwing lots of different looks at teams and really surprising them.

0:18:18.720 --> 0:18:21.200
<v Speaker 1>And that's an advantage that they have. But for me,

0:18:21.840 --> 0:18:23.280
<v Speaker 1>what I need to see from the Sixers for the

0:18:23.320 --> 0:18:25.320
<v Speaker 1>rex of the season, and they know this, They've talked

0:18:25.359 --> 0:18:26.879
<v Speaker 1>about this. It's not so much about what they can

0:18:26.920 --> 0:18:29.400
<v Speaker 1>bring against other teams. It's who they are, just them

0:18:29.600 --> 0:18:31.199
<v Speaker 1>when they're in the locker room, when they're going out

0:18:31.240 --> 0:18:33.040
<v Speaker 1>in the court. What's the Sixers' identity? And I think

0:18:33.040 --> 0:18:36.280
<v Speaker 1>that that's yet to be determined, and that's the edge

0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:38.520
<v Speaker 1>that the Bucks have. It's the edge that they had

0:18:38.600 --> 0:18:40.359
<v Speaker 1>last year, it's the edge that they have this year.

0:18:40.640 --> 0:18:43.280
<v Speaker 1>They have established who they are, what they're about, and

0:18:43.520 --> 0:18:45.760
<v Speaker 1>nothing penetrates that. And I think that that's sort of

0:18:46.359 --> 0:18:49.760
<v Speaker 1>an underrated X factor that comes into play when every little,

0:18:49.800 --> 0:18:53.119
<v Speaker 1>slight advantage counts in the playoffs. Last thing I'll ask you,

0:18:53.240 --> 0:18:55.080
<v Speaker 1>because I feel like he's sometimes get lost in the

0:18:55.200 --> 0:18:58.520
<v Speaker 1>national conversation about the Sixers, which understandably is very focused

0:18:58.560 --> 0:19:02.160
<v Speaker 1>on Joellenbet and Ben's what's the national view on Tobias

0:19:02.240 --> 0:19:04.560
<v Speaker 1>Harris in the year that he's been having. You know,

0:19:04.800 --> 0:19:11.160
<v Speaker 1>I think Tobias is a quietly exceptional player. I think

0:19:11.200 --> 0:19:13.760
<v Speaker 1>that for a lot of people, there was this overshadowing

0:19:13.880 --> 0:19:17.679
<v Speaker 1>of was was Tobias Harris the chosen one over Jimmy Butler?

0:19:17.760 --> 0:19:21.800
<v Speaker 1>And what was the front office brass thinking. But if

0:19:21.840 --> 0:19:24.600
<v Speaker 1>you can remove that cloud, if you can remove thinking

0:19:24.680 --> 0:19:27.720
<v Speaker 1>of it as Tobias Harris versus Jimmy Butler, this was

0:19:27.760 --> 0:19:32.000
<v Speaker 1>the signing they did instead of um, it's really it's

0:19:32.040 --> 0:19:34.560
<v Speaker 1>pretty impressive what he's been able to do, you know,

0:19:34.960 --> 0:19:36.960
<v Speaker 1>is the questions, the linger of whether or not he

0:19:37.040 --> 0:19:39.200
<v Speaker 1>can hit the big shots down the stratch ship. He's

0:19:39.200 --> 0:19:41.920
<v Speaker 1>the clutchman like like Jimmy was, because in that way

0:19:41.960 --> 0:19:43.879
<v Speaker 1>he does have to fill that role. They don't have

0:19:44.080 --> 0:19:48.600
<v Speaker 1>someone necessarily on this team. Um that is as proven

0:19:48.680 --> 0:19:51.640
<v Speaker 1>as Jimmy was in terms of hitting those clutch shots late.

0:19:52.600 --> 0:19:55.400
<v Speaker 1>But Tobias is an excellent shooter. He needs to grow

0:19:55.480 --> 0:19:57.800
<v Speaker 1>into that a little bit. But he's also, um, you

0:19:57.880 --> 0:20:00.240
<v Speaker 1>know from from being around Tobias a little bit. Won't

0:20:00.240 --> 0:20:02.160
<v Speaker 1>purport to say that I've been around him all the time.

0:20:02.480 --> 0:20:05.119
<v Speaker 1>He's also an excellent force to have in the locker

0:20:05.200 --> 0:20:08.680
<v Speaker 1>room for a team that's been up and down and wishywashi.

0:20:09.040 --> 0:20:12.120
<v Speaker 1>He's someone that you want in your locker room to say, hey, guys,

0:20:12.240 --> 0:20:14.520
<v Speaker 1>let's get in on this, let's focus, let's look at

0:20:14.560 --> 0:20:16.560
<v Speaker 1>these things that we're doing wrong. And people will actually

0:20:16.680 --> 0:20:19.159
<v Speaker 1>listen to him. And so in that way too, I

0:20:19.240 --> 0:20:23.280
<v Speaker 1>think he's an important piece for this team. I appreciate

0:20:23.480 --> 0:20:28.280
<v Speaker 1>amidst some jet setting Malika Andrews joining the podcast. Her

0:20:28.320 --> 0:20:33.159
<v Speaker 1>handle on Twitter is at Malika Underscore Andrews Catchers a

0:20:33.240 --> 0:20:37.840
<v Speaker 1>part of ESPN's coverage for Saturday's game exclusively on ABC

0:20:38.040 --> 0:20:41.600
<v Speaker 1>eight thirty Eastern seventy sixers and the Milwaukee Bucks the

0:20:41.680 --> 0:20:44.879
<v Speaker 1>seventy sixers. As of the recording of this podcast, they

0:20:44.920 --> 0:20:48.040
<v Speaker 1>were just a half game out of fourth place in

0:20:48.080 --> 0:20:51.520
<v Speaker 1>a home court spot for the first round of the playoffs.

0:20:52.440 --> 0:20:54.520
<v Speaker 1>Thanks to you, as always for listening to the pod,

0:20:55.040 --> 0:20:58.560
<v Speaker 1>and be on the lookout for rewind episodes between now

0:20:58.760 --> 0:21:02.920
<v Speaker 1>and next week when the broadcast returns. Brian Seltzer talked

0:21:02.920 --> 0:21:03.440
<v Speaker 1>to Estime