Speaker 1: This podcast is part of the seventy Sixers podcast network
Speaker 1: search seventy Sixers Insiders wherever you get your podcasts day Everybody,
Speaker 1: I Love yea seventy six Hello, Hello, Hello, and welcome
Speaker 1: in to another Sixers Twitter spaces. We are here to
Speaker 1: preview the playoffs on this Twitter space and seventy Sixers
Speaker 1: Insiders podcast presented by Bett Parks. I am Lauren Rosen.
Speaker 1: Devon Gibbons is joining me, Matt Murphy is joining me.
Speaker 1: Let's get through some of the ground rules. We're doing
Speaker 1: this live on Twitter spaces right now. We are also
Speaker 1: going to repurpose this and put it on the seventy
Speaker 1: Sixers Insiders podcast Speed, So if you're not subscribed to
Speaker 1: that podcast Speed, if you're not following along, you can
Speaker 1: do so wherever you get your podcasts. If you have
Speaker 1: to leave early, you can listen to the rest of
Speaker 1: the conversation there. If you join us so late, you
Speaker 1: can always catch up on the first half on the
Speaker 1: seventy six Ers Insiders podcast feed. This will be the
Speaker 1: first of many, we hope in this twenty twenty two
Speaker 1: playoff run. So excited as always to talk to you
Speaker 1: guys about your team, your seventy Sixers, so as always,
Speaker 1: please send us dms, you can tweet at us, you
Speaker 1: can send us dms. Mine are always open as we
Speaker 1: receive your questions, and you guys can sort of choose
Speaker 1: your own adventure for the next thirty minutes or so
Speaker 1: as we all hang out together on Twitter spaces. Again,
Speaker 1: Welcome in to another Twitter space, seventy six Ers Insiders
Speaker 1: podcast presented by Bett Parks. We are so excited to
Speaker 1: do these with you guys throughout this playoff run, so
Speaker 1: send us your questions now and without further ado, I'd
Speaker 1: love to welcome my partners in crime, Matt Murphy, Devon gives,
Speaker 1: good afternoon, good evening. What's up Miss Rosen, What's up
Speaker 1: Devon Gibbons, Lauren. I love the unofficial intro and then
Speaker 1: the official intro. I think the podcast listeners will only
Speaker 1: get the official introduction there. But it's good to be
Speaker 1: back on sixers Twitter spaces, and for the podcast listeners
Speaker 1: who aren't here live on Twitter a little bit of
Speaker 1: a different start time, so it is an afternoon post
Speaker 1: work six or Twitter spaces. I'm excited to hear what
Speaker 1: everyone out there has to say. Again, send us your comments,
Speaker 1: and questions, and we'll get to all of those, but
Speaker 1: the excitement is ramping up. It's cool to see all
Speaker 1: the activations throughout the city as the Philla Unite campaign
Speaker 1: for the twenty twenty two playoffs presented by at Parks
Speaker 1: kind of take shape, and with each passing day, the
Speaker 1: excitement for Game one between the fourth seeded Sixers and
Speaker 1: fifth seeded Toronto Raptors builds. Devon Gibbons, how are you doing.
Speaker 1: What's the energy you've been picking up on from everybody,
Speaker 1: whether they're calling in to ninety seventy five, the fanatic
Speaker 1: people you're talking to in other places. What's the vibe
Speaker 1: right now and how are you doing? I'm doing great,
Speaker 1: always great to be bank here with you all and
Speaker 1: everyone here in the spaces. The vibe that I've been
Speaker 1: getting is a majority, of course of six or fans
Speaker 1: feeling confident against this Raptors team in this matchup of
Speaker 1: the four or five seeds, but you know, also looking
Speaker 1: at things and saying that, hey, this Toronto Raptors team
Speaker 1: also gave the Sixes a little bit of trouble. So
Speaker 1: a while confident in the very end, still a little
Speaker 1: trepidation of how it will all play out with this
Speaker 1: team being so tough to handle four the seventy Sixers,
Speaker 1: so looking forward to it. It's been a long week
Speaker 1: with this time in between, with the play in games
Speaker 1: happening as well. Cannot wait until Saturday, six o'clock and
Speaker 1: it's a best of seven. Devon Gibbons looking forward very
Speaker 1: much to getting back into the playoffs. It feels like
Speaker 1: all season long everything has sort of been leading to this.
Speaker 1: Because everything has been leading to this. You mentioned excitement,
Speaker 1: you mentioned trepidation, it's worth noting as we set the scene,
Speaker 1: this will be the first time that the Sixers and
Speaker 1: the Raptors meet in the playoffs since Game seven a
Speaker 1: couple of years ago. The quadruple bounced that put the
Speaker 1: Raptors in motion to win their NBA title, sent the
Speaker 1: seventy Sixers home. It was a tough moment, there is
Speaker 1: no doubt about that, But there are some Sixers on
Speaker 1: this team that remember that moment with great clarity and
Speaker 1: are looking forward to another swing at the same opponent.
Speaker 1: I'm looking forward to just that as well, and it's
Speaker 1: going to be an exciting series as the four five
Speaker 1: matchup tends to be so matt when you look at
Speaker 1: these two teams, I want to kick it to you first,
Speaker 1: you and I along with Devon, we've covered four regular
Speaker 1: season matchups between the two between these two teams, and
Speaker 1: yes the Raptors got the majority of them, but not
Speaker 1: everybody available in any of those matchups. So very interesting
Speaker 1: it's going to be to see what these teams look
Speaker 1: like when they come when they round the corner at
Speaker 1: full force, in full form in these playoffs. What excites
Speaker 1: you most? These are two teams with such different strengths,
Speaker 1: such different weaknesses, and very different leaders when it comes
Speaker 1: to on court play. So what sites you most when
Speaker 1: you sort of zoom out and look at this first
Speaker 1: round series ahead, Matt Well with no box score to
Speaker 1: go over, as we're usually on here after a Sixers win,
Speaker 1: and we will be on here after games the day
Speaker 1: after playoff games as well, but this is usually for
Speaker 1: anyone who's new, where we go over the stats from
Speaker 1: the previous contest. So we'll fill a little bit of
Speaker 1: time and then we definitely want to hear what everybody
Speaker 1: else has to say about this Sixers Raptors series as well.
Speaker 1: But to answer your question to me, it's just this
Speaker 1: feels the most like a second round matchup to me,
Speaker 1: and I guess that's the nature of the four or
Speaker 1: five game, right. So you're talking middle of the conference,
Speaker 1: and it was such a tight Eastern Conference race this year,
Speaker 1: but it really doesn't feel like the first round matchups
Speaker 1: of years past in recent years for the Philadelphia seventy Sixers.
Speaker 1: I think that the number one thing for me in
Speaker 1: attending practice, and we've all been there, Lauren, You, me
Speaker 1: Devon have been at practice, have been at practice media
Speaker 1: all week is seeing how Joel Embiid responds or rises
Speaker 1: to the occasion. In this series. We have to I
Speaker 1: think start with the scoring champ of the season this year,
Speaker 1: Joel embiad thirty plus points per game against a team
Speaker 1: like the Raptors who historically defends him in unique ways,
Speaker 1: double teams, triple teams. It seems like that's been a
Speaker 1: focus for the Sixers, how they react to those, how
Speaker 1: Embiid reacts to those. He's coming off a career season
Speaker 1: four assists in addition to the scoring title. That's what
Speaker 1: I'm looking at first and foremost is Embad's impact. How
Speaker 1: he reacts to what Nick Nurse and the Toronto Raptors
Speaker 1: coaching staff does to him, and that's been a major
Speaker 1: talking point all week. Devon is kind of how mbid
Speaker 1: what he's learned from games passed against Toronto and how
Speaker 1: he will use that going forward into this series. Sure,
Speaker 1: and I agree with you that that's my number one
Speaker 1: and I think that maybe for a lot of people,
Speaker 1: just because of the season he has had as the
Speaker 1: scoring champ, the conversation of the MVP offs, THEES long
Speaker 1: and also just having this team finish in the top
Speaker 1: four in the Eastern Conference tie for the second overall
Speaker 1: best record in the East. After everything that took place
Speaker 1: this season, it all starts with him because he, along
Speaker 1: with maybe a few others, have been here as Lauren
Speaker 1: mentioned for the Raptors series following the twenty eighteen nineteen season,
Speaker 1: but also Joel Embiach is being here for all the
Speaker 1: second round exits that they've had since he started to
Speaker 1: play in the postseason for this team. So it all
Speaker 1: really relies on him as the leader, and he talks
Speaker 1: about it so much and wanting to win the championship
Speaker 1: as much as he does. But if I may, I'll
Speaker 1: go and give my answer what I'm looking forward to
Speaker 1: since Matt you took the mb part, which many of us,
Speaker 1: of course, we'll agree. I'm sure others will agree with
Speaker 1: me as well. When we talk about James Harden, this
Speaker 1: is why you make the trade. You make the trade
Speaker 1: to bringing a difference maker, a type of player to
Speaker 1: tag along with Joel eb and everyone else. And that's
Speaker 1: not to minimize their roles on this team, but we
Speaker 1: when we're talking about a future Hall of Famer, a
Speaker 1: top seventy five player who's still playing at a high level,
Speaker 1: as he mentioned in his introductory press conference, this is
Speaker 1: why you bring him in for series like this where
Speaker 1: it's such a close matchup and then the rounds thereafter.
Speaker 1: So I am going to have my eye on James
Speaker 1: Harden and see how much of a difference he makes
Speaker 1: in this series where he would tip the Sixers over
Speaker 1: the edge against this Raptors team in this round one. Hey,
Speaker 1: it's Joe Conklin joined me for Conklin's comedy. United Parks
Speaker 1: Casino the number one casino in Pennsylvania and the official
Speaker 1: local casino partner if you are Philadelphia seventy sixers, tune
Speaker 1: into seventy Sixers games for special Parks Casino offers for
Speaker 1: fans watch all the action on the big screens in
Speaker 1: the Liberty Balgastro Pop or the Beer Garden and come
Speaker 1: see me live with comedians from all across the country
Speaker 1: in three sixty at Parks Casino. He's at Parks Casino
Speaker 1: dot com tickets. I want to go ahead and dive
Speaker 1: straight into our direct messages. Thank you everybody that's sent
Speaker 1: a DM, that sent questions. There are comments as well
Speaker 1: that we are going to go through. But the first
Speaker 1: thing I wanted to do, we talked about it off
Speaker 1: the top. I love how many people are able to
Speaker 1: listen to these internationally. It's one of our favorite things
Speaker 1: is connecting with the Sixers family around the world. So
Speaker 1: James Bond says, I'm from South Africa, Carol says, it's
Speaker 1: after midnight in Kenya. Clown Baby checking in from Gold Coast, Australia.
Speaker 1: Two Bore checking in from Nigeria. So thank you all
Speaker 1: of you wherever you are, for listening, for engaging, for
Speaker 1: sending us your questions, for participating. It's so so cool.
Speaker 1: I mean, here in Philadelphia, Matt mentioned it off the top.
Speaker 1: There were buses going around the city today throwing out
Speaker 1: some Sixers swag. There have been playoff flags lowered in
Speaker 1: my neighborhood. It's been really really cool to watch the
Speaker 1: Philadelphia community get ready to embrace this team. But seeing
Speaker 1: you guys do so international is just so exciting. I'm
Speaker 1: incredibly geeked. Please let us know where you're from, and
Speaker 1: thank you for letting us know. The question that I
Speaker 1: wanted to go to right away was from Tubor who
Speaker 1: said they're listening from Nigeria and says will Embi'd be
Speaker 1: healthy throughout the playoffs. He's quite important to the team,
Speaker 1: hasn't had a ton of rest this season, has struggled
Speaker 1: with health in the past. That's a question that we've
Speaker 1: gotten a lot of, and obviously there is absolutely no
Speaker 1: way to project what is going to happen healthwise with
Speaker 1: any player on any team throughout any period of these playoffs.
Speaker 1: But I figured it was an interesting place to start
Speaker 1: because today at practice, Joel Embid addressed the media and
Speaker 1: he talked about the fact that he actually feels better
Speaker 1: than ever, having played more games than he has ever
Speaker 1: played in his NBA career. If you're new here, you
Speaker 1: might not remember that Joel didn't play in his first
Speaker 1: two NBA seasons. He was hardly able to play in
Speaker 1: those first two seasons due to injury, and then has
Speaker 1: slowly been ramping up his games per season ever since.
Speaker 1: But this year he's played more games than he has
Speaker 1: ever played before, and today he addressed exactly that. He
Speaker 1: said he's never felt better physically than he does right now.
Speaker 1: He wishes he hadn't had to sit any games this season.
Speaker 1: He of course, missed a few due to COVID nineteen
Speaker 1: and that was the hardest part of Joel's season this year,
Speaker 1: or so he says. So I'm very much excited to
Speaker 1: see what he's able to do in this playoff run
Speaker 1: with much more let's say, with more run, of course,
Speaker 1: which maybe you think might mean that he'll be a
Speaker 1: little tired. That's not what Joel Embiad has projected at all.
Speaker 1: He says he feels better than ever. And I was
Speaker 1: really intrigued by that take. Matt Devon, you were both there,
Speaker 1: your thoughts on how different this season has been for
Speaker 1: Joel Embiid ahead of a playoff run compared to the
Speaker 1: other playoffs that he's entered earlier in his career. It's
Speaker 1: really been great to see Joel play so much this season,
Speaker 1: and since we were all there and Harden and Embiid
Speaker 1: spoke today, Embiid really spoke at length. I think for
Speaker 1: me it was like the leadership component of all of this.
Speaker 1: So he's in the lineup, he's doing his thing, he's
Speaker 1: putting up his numbers, huge numbers, and then his teammates
Speaker 1: are complimenting his leadership abilities, his growth as a leader
Speaker 1: over the years, even young players like Tyrese Maxie. All week,
Speaker 1: the leadership conversation has stood out to me as well
Speaker 1: availability being a leader, being the leader of this team,
Speaker 1: teaming up with James Harden, Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxie heading
Speaker 1: into this postseason series with Toronto. I think some of
Speaker 1: the stuff that Joel said about challenging guys including Tobias
Speaker 1: Harris at practice, it seemed like they really had the
Speaker 1: right energy, especially at today's practice. James Harden used the
Speaker 1: word yelling, meaning on the practice floor at one another,
Speaker 1: and Joel said had a funny comment about locking up Tobias,
Speaker 1: but how they were all encouraging each other, getting on
Speaker 1: each other and trying to make each other better. That
Speaker 1: was my main takeaway out Mbid as a leader Matt,
Speaker 1: that was one of my favorite moments coming out of
Speaker 1: practice today. Doc Rivers also echoed that today was maybe
Speaker 1: one of the more spirited practices that this team has
Speaker 1: had this season. He called it a little bit of
Speaker 1: a turning point in terms of execution on both ends
Speaker 1: of the floor. Four, the sixers, and worth noting that
Speaker 1: those sixers now have practiced three consecutive days. They'll practice
Speaker 1: again tomorrow, They'll have a shoot around on Saturday morning
Speaker 1: ahead of Saturday night's game. So if you really zoom out,
Speaker 1: that's five practice opportunities if you count shoot around in
Speaker 1: consecutive days. They have not had that since training camp,
Speaker 1: and this team's makeup was quite different during training camp.
Speaker 1: So not only do they have a season or in
Speaker 1: some cases, about a third of a season's worth of
Speaker 1: time to have built chemistry with one another now under
Speaker 1: their belts, but they know how they play together, They
Speaker 1: know where they need to build. Training camp is sort
Speaker 1: of a totally blank slate, right. They didn't come into
Speaker 1: this week with an entirely blank slate. They knew exactly
Speaker 1: what they wanted to work on and now have had
Speaker 1: three out of their five opportunities to do so. In
Speaker 1: a row back to your point, Matt Murphy. I love
Speaker 1: what Joel Embiad had to say about the fact that
Speaker 1: he was locking Tobias Harris up in practice today. He said,
Speaker 1: Tobias got frustrated, but in a good way. And Joel
Speaker 1: has talked about this all season long, the way that
Speaker 1: this team feels comfortable challenging one another and challenging one
Speaker 1: another to improved, to get better in the interest of improvement,
Speaker 1: being really open with each other, honest with each other,
Speaker 1: holding one another accountable. And it sounds like that's what
Speaker 1: happened today. They were able to play through it. And
Speaker 1: then what Doc Rivers said after Joel Embiad spoke, it
Speaker 1: felt like a turning point for this team. So exciting
Speaker 1: to know, of course, And that being said, any team
Speaker 1: that's in the playoffs, that isn't playing in the play
Speaker 1: in tournament is having a similar experience this week. They're
Speaker 1: all getting opportunity to run with each other more than
Speaker 1: usual in a practice environment. But for a team like
Speaker 1: the seventy six ers, which added an MVP into the
Speaker 1: fold in the latter third of the season, this type
Speaker 1: of opportunity is absolutely awesome. It's good to hear that
Speaker 1: they're going at each other. It's good to hear that
Speaker 1: they're doing so healthfully, Awkwood, But I really enjoyed all
Speaker 1: of what the Sixers had to say today. Divide, You've
Speaker 1: been there every day as well, and I'd love to
Speaker 1: hear your thoughts on Joel's health, but maybe even more
Speaker 1: than that, on the chemistry and on the way that
Speaker 1: they were talking about one another today. What's your take
Speaker 1: on the collective vibe? It seem upbeat. Everyone seems excited
Speaker 1: about the opportunity and also ready to get going. And
Speaker 1: when you hear James Harden speak about tightening up some screws,
Speaker 1: some things that he wasn't fully aware of with the
Speaker 1: plays throughout the time that he's been on the floor
Speaker 1: with the team, and this has been important for him
Speaker 1: since he has arrived here in Philadelphia to be able
Speaker 1: to fix some of those those issues that he may
Speaker 1: have had on the floor where he's no longer confusing,
Speaker 1: and he said made more sense now after being out
Speaker 1: there for these last few days that you speak of
Speaker 1: and running through the things they need to offensively and defensively.
Speaker 1: So it is good to hear that. It's encouraging to
Speaker 1: hear that they all are very vocal, They are very
Speaker 1: into it and getting after each other while they're doing so,
Speaker 1: and ready to take it out on someone else, basically
Speaker 1: with this upcoming series with the Toronto Raptors. So it
Speaker 1: is really encouraging to simply hear all of that from
Speaker 1: the players and what they're able to do here. Doctor
Speaker 1: Rivers speak about it as well as far as e Beach.
Speaker 1: In Beach's health, as you mentioned, Laarden, there's just no
Speaker 1: way to know, but going in, as he mentioned, he
Speaker 1: feels better than he ever has. And look, he's played
Speaker 1: a now career high and what sixty seven sixty eight
Speaker 1: games on the season, and for him, that's fantastic. This
Speaker 1: is something that we've always talked about, seeing him close
Speaker 1: to seventy games a year, and he has been good
Speaker 1: throughout it and his play and you've seen how great
Speaker 1: he has been out there on the floor and you
Speaker 1: can only expect that to carry over to the postseason
Speaker 1: where everything is on the line with this first round
Speaker 1: matchup against the Raptors and hoping to push it along further.
Speaker 1: So I'm looking forward to seeing how he does out
Speaker 1: there with his health, how many minutes he plays, all
Speaker 1: that's going to come his way, both offensively and defensively,
Speaker 1: and what he's required to do, especially being defensively maybe
Speaker 1: the anchor, the guy playing in the back and calling
Speaker 1: out the coverages and also having to react to certain
Speaker 1: things that are coming his way in the painted area
Speaker 1: once the Raptors offense from time to time gets to
Speaker 1: the paint. So really really excited about how they seem
Speaker 1: to be excited getting ready for this one. The challenge
Speaker 1: deaths in front of them, and they do really seem
Speaker 1: upbeaten and confident about what they can do against this team.
Speaker 1: This is a group that's been upbeat all season long,
Speaker 1: and I think a lot of that is due in
Speaker 1: part to the question Drew poses about young Tyrese Maxie
Speaker 1: getting ready to embrace his first playoffs with a big role.
Speaker 1: It is the role going to be too big or
Speaker 1: will Tyree step up to the plate the way that
Speaker 1: he did last season. I pulled up some stats just
Speaker 1: to give everybody a little bit of context. If you
Speaker 1: remember last season, Tyrese Maxie was fighting for a spot
Speaker 1: in the playoff rotation. When you look at Round two,
Speaker 1: the Round two Eastern Conference Series four the Sixers. Last season,
Speaker 1: there were games in which Tyrese Maxi played as few
Speaker 1: as one minute and thirty one minute and twenty seconds,
Speaker 1: so as little as one minute and twenty seconds or
Speaker 1: as much as twenty nine minutes and twenty eight seconds.
Speaker 1: In the first round, he played six minutes in some games,
Speaker 1: he played twenty plus in others. This season, he knows
Speaker 1: exactly what's coming for him, and it's worth noting that
Speaker 1: last year he was just a rookie. He had four
Speaker 1: ten plus point performances, including Game six at Atlanta when
Speaker 1: he finished with sixteen points and seven rebounds. That, of course,
Speaker 1: was sort of his absent maybe that thirty nine point
Speaker 1: performance against Denver earlier in the season, but very much
Speaker 1: his national stage coming out party. And then this season,
Speaker 1: Tyrese has been excellent. He's been a huge part of
Speaker 1: this team's motor, a huge part of this team's spirit
Speaker 1: as well, when you look at what he was able
Speaker 1: to do as a rookie versus as a sophomore. We've
Speaker 1: talked a ton about three point shooting percentage. Last season,
Speaker 1: of course, shooting barely over thirty percent from three, and
Speaker 1: then this season finishing at forty two point seven percent
Speaker 1: from three point range and playing with such a command
Speaker 1: of his game, of his fellow starters, playing alongside guys
Speaker 1: on the bench, and then learning to play alongside James Harden,
Speaker 1: I think he is certainly to answer the question ready
Speaker 1: to embrace this role on a big stage. In any
Speaker 1: indication that we've had when Tyrese Maxie has had a
Speaker 1: large moment, he has not been afraid of it. He
Speaker 1: has not been shy, and I am not concerned about
Speaker 1: his ability to continue doing the same. In fact, I
Speaker 1: think he has another level two unlock. He's been extremely
Speaker 1: focused in practice over these last few days. He's had
Speaker 1: no he's shown no signs of slowing down in terms
Speaker 1: of the positive improvement that he's been showing all season long.
Speaker 1: And today Joel Embid said that he should be the
Speaker 1: most improved player in the NBA this season. I don't
Speaker 1: know that he'll win that award, but I do know
Speaker 1: that if I were to vote, I would vote the
Speaker 1: way that Joel is voting. Devon, I'm going to come
Speaker 1: to you first on this one. What do you expect
Speaker 1: out of Tyrese Maxie, the twenty one year old and
Speaker 1: his second playoff experience. Well, first, that Game six performance
Speaker 1: on the road by the way to extend the series
Speaker 1: enforce the Game seven is the one that really stands
Speaker 1: out for me from his performance last year in the
Speaker 1: postseason against the Atlanta Hawks. As far as him being
Speaker 1: I guess a little surprised by the moment and where
Speaker 1: he is at this time around, I look at him
Speaker 1: and he's one that I know is not afraid to
Speaker 1: be out there on the floor, and that's what you need.
Speaker 1: When we talk about the confidence and how everyone feels
Speaker 1: going into it when he steps on the floor. I
Speaker 1: also know that I have the utmost trust in him
Speaker 1: when he's out there. So I can't say that this
Speaker 1: will be a bit of a shock because this is
Speaker 1: all a different type of season now with the postseason.
Speaker 1: They always speak about how the playoffs are different than
Speaker 1: the regular season. He has been there, but the one
Speaker 1: thing that's different, as you mentioned, they're no surprise is
Speaker 1: now for him. He's a starter. He knows what his
Speaker 1: role is, and he is on the scouting report as well.
Speaker 1: For the opposition to try to slow him down. I
Speaker 1: think he'll thrive in the moment. I'm not gonna say
Speaker 1: he's gonna play if they win in whatever number of
Speaker 1: games they win, in the four wins that they get,
Speaker 1: and he's gonna go out there in average twenty two points.
Speaker 1: But what I will say is I know he's gonna
Speaker 1: go out there and do what Tyrese max he does
Speaker 1: and take advantage of the opportunity that's there to help
Speaker 1: his team win. I'm not worried about him whatsoever, even
Speaker 1: though he is the second year player. He had a
Speaker 1: taste of it a season ago, and I think he'll
Speaker 1: do just fun in this moment now that's in front
Speaker 1: of him, because it's not all on him. He still
Speaker 1: has dwelling b James Harden to buy Hiss Harris, He'll
Speaker 1: get his as well. As the flow of the game
Speaker 1: goes along, he'll find his way. He'll use his speed
Speaker 1: like he does. And that was something that really stood
Speaker 1: out to me in the Detroit game the regular season finale,
Speaker 1: just how he was able to just use his speed
Speaker 1: off the bounce. And I'd imagine that even though they
Speaker 1: have a long team, they have some good quickness, they
Speaker 1: have the attention to detail, they throw a lot of
Speaker 1: different looks. They'll be ready for Maxie. But I also
Speaker 1: believe that when you speak of him as a most
Speaker 1: improved player, it's because he does his work and he
Speaker 1: understands where things are going to be, how he has
Speaker 1: to navigate around those to have those positive plays. So
Speaker 1: he is one player alarm that I really am not
Speaker 1: worried about, even though he is still a young guy.
Speaker 1: I'm going to jump back in here a I'm happy
Speaker 1: that not in that answer right there, But prior to
Speaker 1: that that Devon brought up James Harden and what he
Speaker 1: was talking about after practice today being Thursday, if you're
Speaker 1: not listening to this live, and how his increasing familiarity
Speaker 1: with certain plays and situations with the Sixers b I'm
Speaker 1: happy that Drew asked about Tyrese Maxie and see I'm
Speaker 1: happy that Davon included the idea of the moment and
Speaker 1: meeting the moment and actually said the words surprised by
Speaker 1: the moment and how that's not what you expect from
Speaker 1: Tyrese Maxie because I'm looking back to that game six
Speaker 1: last year in the playoffs when as a rookie, Tyrese
Speaker 1: scored sixteen points to help extend the series, and there's
Speaker 1: a quote in the headline, you can't be surprised by
Speaker 1: the moment, and that's what Tyrese Maxe said word for
Speaker 1: word after a shoot around conversation when Doc Rivers told
Speaker 1: him that he would have an expanded role in that game.
Speaker 1: And Tobias Harris, when Maxie sparked the team to a
Speaker 1: five point win, said quote, man, he just had guts
Speaker 1: out there. He had confidence the minute he stepped on
Speaker 1: the floor. He gave us that boost the minute he
Speaker 1: checked in the game. He wasn't scared of the moment.
Speaker 1: He was the spark of the game for us as
Speaker 1: a whole. And Tobias Harris is a guy Lauren Rosen
Speaker 1: who recently said that Tyrese Maxee takes risks and this
Speaker 1: is in here they come video released on at Sixers
Speaker 1: earlier today. That quote from Tobias about Maxie taking risks
Speaker 1: pairs nicely with his recovery block in the Miami game
Speaker 1: that we've talked about in this setting before. But a
Speaker 1: risk taker, a confident guy, and someone who his teammates
Speaker 1: all week have pointed to saying they're not really surprised
Speaker 1: by his success. It's every one of them, seemingly has
Speaker 1: been asked about Tyrese, and a lot of them point
Speaker 1: to the work that he has put in and continues
Speaker 1: to put in he's just a hard worker and the
Speaker 1: work has paid off in a big way, no doubt
Speaker 1: about it, and now is the time for it to
Speaker 1: show once again on a national stage throughout the playoffs
Speaker 1: in what is hopefully going to be a very deep
Speaker 1: run for the seventy sixers. Everything begins on Saturday, six
Speaker 1: pm South Philadelphia at the Center. It's going to be loud,
Speaker 1: it's going to be exciting, and this is a team
Speaker 1: that's itching to get going, including the likes of Tyrese
Speaker 1: Maxie in his second playoff experience, but his first understanding
Speaker 1: that he's going to be a starter, playing a starring role,
Speaker 1: playing heavy minutes, Avocadi says, Maxie is this team's heart
Speaker 1: and soul. That's something that Joel Embiid talked about on
Speaker 1: The Big Niang Theory. That's the most recent episode of
Speaker 1: George Niang's podcast. You can follow that wherever you get
Speaker 1: your podcast. Joel Embiid was the most recent guest. And
Speaker 1: what I will say though, is that there is another
Speaker 1: episode that is going to be dropping in the next
Speaker 1: twenty four hours. It happens to be my favorite of
Speaker 1: the year, and to be clear, I've loved every single
Speaker 1: episode that I've had the pleasure of recording with George,
Speaker 1: but this one perhaps the most surprising to me in
Speaker 1: terms of how much I enjoyed it and how much
Speaker 1: I think everybody else is going to enjoy it. So
Speaker 1: if you're not already following the big Niang theory, please
Speaker 1: please do so. One of the Sixers stars is going
Speaker 1: to be featured in the coming hours, and I'm very
Speaker 1: much looking forward to sharing that one with you guys.
Speaker 1: I'm seeing a few more questions, but what I want
Speaker 1: to do is sort of look ahead and go through
Speaker 1: Ja Six's question about the opponent. So as you look
Speaker 1: at the Toronto Raptors, who the Sixers will play a
Speaker 1: best of seven series with starting on Saturday, Devon, when
Speaker 1: you think about the group that the Raptors run out there,
Speaker 1: I supposed to the group that the seventy Sixers run
Speaker 1: out there. In my opinion, the Sixers are going to
Speaker 1: have the best player on the floor in Joel Embiid.
Speaker 1: In every single game, they might have the two best
Speaker 1: players on the floor. However, the Raptors have length, they
Speaker 1: have speed, they play hard, and it's going to be
Speaker 1: a really interesting matchup When you look at the ensemble
Speaker 1: cast that the Raptors have juxtaposed with the likes of MVP.
Speaker 1: In my opinion, Joe l embiid, they are going to
Speaker 1: give each other a lot of problems. So if you're
Speaker 1: gonna go ahead and sort of guide I lost the question,
Speaker 1: but the question and had to do with what are
Speaker 1: you what are you looking for at the beginning of
Speaker 1: the series. If you haven't watched the Raptors a ton
Speaker 1: this season, devon, how would you guide folks into these
Speaker 1: first couple of games when you look at the way
Speaker 1: that these two teams match up with one another, Well,
Speaker 1: Toronto does pose those problems because of their length, their
Speaker 1: athleticism that we all speak of. They like to get
Speaker 1: out and run and get in transition. They are with
Speaker 1: their length, they are very good at getting to the
Speaker 1: glass and getting the rebound. They've had the edge during
Speaker 1: the four games, three specifically in the wins on the
Speaker 1: offensive glass, something that we keep talking about over and
Speaker 1: over again because it was such a big part of
Speaker 1: their success against the seventy sixers, And it was mentioned
Speaker 1: what was that Tuesday, Lauren when Tobias Harris spoke about
Speaker 1: that and speaking specifically about having to do what they
Speaker 1: need to do to make sure that they rebound together
Speaker 1: as a team. James Harden talked about it as well
Speaker 1: today and getting back to the fundamentals and just simply
Speaker 1: boxing out your man, and that's something we have to
Speaker 1: watch out for Toronto. They'll also throw their mixture of
Speaker 1: quote unquote junk defenses at the Sixers to try to
Speaker 1: slow d Well and be down because he is, as
Speaker 1: you mentioned, the best player in this series every time
Speaker 1: that they step on the floor, no matter how many
Speaker 1: games they play. So that's what you will get from
Speaker 1: that side. And for the Sixers, they also have to
Speaker 1: make sure that they close out on the three point line,
Speaker 1: not let up too many open and good looks. Because
Speaker 1: now it's not only Fred Van Lee Gary Trent who
Speaker 1: can knock down shots. Chris Bouche has been able to
Speaker 1: make shots. Now Precious Acheua can make shots as a
Speaker 1: big man as well. And you'll see from time to
Speaker 1: time Pascal siakam to buy Fatty's young Sorry, he'll come
Speaker 1: in now, he'll hoist up a few as well. They
Speaker 1: have a lot of talented people and they're led by
Speaker 1: a really good head coach. So this Sixers just have
Speaker 1: to play their game. They are who they are for
Speaker 1: a reason. They have the second best record in the
Speaker 1: Eastern Conference for a reason, and as partly or mainly
Speaker 1: due to the Big Fella and what he can do.
Speaker 1: So for the Sixers, get out in transition when things
Speaker 1: slow down, continue to play your game, hits, you open shots,
Speaker 1: the attention to detail on the glass, covering that three
Speaker 1: point line, not letting those things happen. Because if they
Speaker 1: do all of those things that we have seen a
Speaker 1: number of times in the matchups against the Raptors, I
Speaker 1: really don't see the Sixers having a problem against this
Speaker 1: Raptors team as good as they are, fast, break points, rebounding,
Speaker 1: all buzzwords and phrases. In the days leading up to
Speaker 1: this four or five series, which does begin in South
Speaker 1: Philadelphia on Saturday at six pm, Raptors head coach Nick
Speaker 1: Nurse said that because transition defense for their opponents becomes
Speaker 1: such a focus that I mean teams, he said, teams
Speaker 1: really do focus on it. And he said, quote, this
Speaker 1: is going to be a slugfest right here in this
Speaker 1: one coming up. And to the point of if it
Speaker 1: is a slug fest and the rebounding battle, you know
Speaker 1: it's crazy looking at the numbers from the regular season
Speaker 1: offensive rebounding. Chris Bouche had twelve twelve offensive rebounds in
Speaker 1: one hundred and twenty six minutes in the four games.
Speaker 1: Scottie Barnes had eleven offensive rebounds in one hundred and
Speaker 1: twenty two minutes. So they're very good. They had a
Speaker 1: lot of second chance points in their wins. They're very
Speaker 1: good at rebound and they had a lot of second
Speaker 1: chance points. They had a lot of fast break points
Speaker 1: in the three wins over the Sixers this season. Pascal
Speaker 1: Siakam leads the Raptors in scoring. He averaged twenty two
Speaker 1: point eight points per game this season, followed by Fred VanVleet,
Speaker 1: who did not appear in the sixers most recent visit
Speaker 1: to Toronto. VanVleet averaged twenty points three points per game.
Speaker 1: Gary Trent Junior has had some flashy performances this season.
Speaker 1: He averages eighteen point three and also worth noting when
Speaker 1: you talk about Siakam, Joel and Bead and Pascal Siakam
Speaker 1: will sort of forever be linked due to their heritage.
Speaker 1: Joel and Bead talks about how much it means to
Speaker 1: him that there are so many international players in the
Speaker 1: forefront of this sport right now, and of course Joel
Speaker 1: and Pascal the two NBA players right now from Cameroons,
Speaker 1: so they share a lot of mutual respect for one another.
Speaker 1: They want to compete, they want to show off, and
Speaker 1: I'm very much looking forward to that sort of subplot
Speaker 1: understanding how much they enjoy each other as well as
Speaker 1: humans and the respect that they have for one another
Speaker 1: given their shared background. So that was just something a
Speaker 1: little plotline for those of us that might not be
Speaker 1: as closely linked to the XS and os that I
Speaker 1: think anyone can sort of get invested in and get behind.
Speaker 1: I'm very much looking forward to covering this series with
Speaker 1: you guys, Devon and Matt. We will be back with
Speaker 1: you for sure following Game one. We will either recap
Speaker 1: it the morning after or we'll do a game to preview,
Speaker 1: So we're going to sort of feel this one out
Speaker 1: with you guys as well. But as always, if there's
Speaker 1: a certain time that you prefer, if there's a certain
Speaker 1: topic that you prefer, we want to hear as much
Speaker 1: feedback from listeners as we possibly can so that we
Speaker 1: can make sure that we tailor your playoff content experience
Speaker 1: exactly how you want it. Matt Devon final thoughts on
Speaker 1: this Thursday evening. If you join Late seventy six Ers
Speaker 1: Insiders podcast feed, click follow on that to pick these
Speaker 1: up in other episodes and shows throughout the playoffs. And
Speaker 1: we're really looking forward to bringing you guys more content.
Speaker 1: I wanted to include Genie's comment. Genie is a one
Speaker 1: of our favorite listeners, one of the consistent listeners. Genie says,
Speaker 1: no questions, just confident they'll take the series four two.
Speaker 1: So an official four two six ers over Raptors prediction
Speaker 1: from Genie. Thanks for listening. That's it for me today.
Speaker 1: This is strictly for the live listeners. The Bluecoats game
Speaker 1: Game two of the NBAG League Finals in Delaware, eight
Speaker 1: pm at Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Down one and the
Speaker 1: best of three backs against the Wall. The Bluecoats hosting
Speaker 1: a finals game in Delaware, very cool eight pm. If
Speaker 1: you can't make it, it's on ESPN News at eight pm,
Speaker 1: so it'll be interesting to see if they can keep
Speaker 1: their season alive. But if you're listening to the podcast,
Speaker 1: then game two has already passed us by, but it
Speaker 1: is what it is. Thanks everybody. Thanks Lauren Davana, anything
Speaker 1: you want to add, No, I'm just looking forward to
Speaker 1: the start of the series. As I mentioned at the
Speaker 1: very top, it's been a long week, so I know
Speaker 1: we have two more days to go, but I'm very
Speaker 1: anxious to see these two teams go ahead it And
Speaker 1: one important thing for me as well is the fact
Speaker 1: that the Sixers will be home to start the series off.
Speaker 1: So if this since this may be the last time
Speaker 1: that we speak to the fans out there at six
Speaker 1: or fans, make sure you bring it on Saturday, and
Speaker 1: we'll speak before the game on Monday. But Saturday, make
Speaker 1: sure you bring that game one energy to support your
Speaker 1: basketball team, and they always speak about how much you
Speaker 1: mean to them and how much you absolutely contribute to
Speaker 1: the win. Make it very difficult for the Toronto Raft.
Speaker 1: It's on Saturday. So thanks so much, Lauren, Matt everyone
Speaker 1: out there really appreciate it. Look forward to speaking to
Speaker 1: everyone after Game one. Devon Gibbons laying down the challenge
Speaker 1: for Sixers fans and they always rise to it. So
Speaker 1: looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible
Speaker 1: in person on Saturday night and then connecting with those
Speaker 1: that we can't see in person immediately following. Looking forward
Speaker 1: to doing this with you guys more and we will
Speaker 1: talk to everybody next time. See yeah, thanks everyone, Thank you,