WEBVTT - Harden at The Garden | Instant Reaction 0:00:00.240 --> 0:00:03.400 This podcast is part of the seventy Sixers podcast network 0:00:03.600 --> 0:00:16.920 search seventy Sixers Insiders wherever you get your podcasts. Day Everybody, Yeah, 0:00:16.960 --> 0:00:28.720 seventy six Yes Sixers Twitter Spaces. Welcome everyone. Matt Murphy 0:00:28.720 --> 0:00:31.440 and Lauren Rosen here with you. Switching it up a 0:00:31.440 --> 0:00:35.080 little bit scheduling wise for us, but a day game 0:00:35.560 --> 0:00:38.400 Eastern time for the Sixers against the New York Knicks 0:00:38.760 --> 0:00:43.280 at Madison Square Garden. Welcome into another Sixers Twitter spaces. 0:00:43.320 --> 0:00:45.800 We do these after wins. The Sixers are now thirty 0:00:45.800 --> 0:00:48.839 seven and twenty three after the one twenty five one 0:00:48.880 --> 0:00:51.440 o nine win on the road against the Knicks, who 0:00:51.440 --> 0:00:55.560 are twenty five and thirty six. If you are new here, 0:00:55.840 --> 0:00:58.760 we like to jump into the box score. You also 0:00:58.840 --> 0:01:01.520 probably heard Lauren say we like to answer your questions, 0:01:01.720 --> 0:01:05.600 read your comments, where you're listening from, etc. Etc. So 0:01:05.720 --> 0:01:08.720 do all of those things, send us dms, and send 0:01:08.800 --> 0:01:12.399 us questions in those dms or comments about the game. 0:01:12.400 --> 0:01:14.640 But we usually start with the box score and then 0:01:14.680 --> 0:01:17.399 we work our way through so we can get into that. 0:01:17.560 --> 0:01:21.520 Lauren James Harden triple double twenty nine, ten, sixteen and 0:01:21.600 --> 0:01:25.559 five and Joel Embiid had a game high thirty seven 0:01:25.600 --> 0:01:29.759 points with a career high twenty three free throws. Made 0:01:29.800 --> 0:01:35.000 worth repeating twenty three free throws. It was a good 0:01:35.000 --> 0:01:38.440 one at the Garden, a setting that of course leads 0:01:38.520 --> 0:01:42.280 to some of the game's greatest games, and today the 0:01:42.319 --> 0:01:44.520 Sixers kit got off to a hot start, struggled a 0:01:44.560 --> 0:01:46.400 little there in the third quarter, but pulled away in 0:01:46.440 --> 0:01:49.920 the fourth, had a really strong finish in just James 0:01:49.920 --> 0:01:53.760 Harden's second performance as a seventy sixer. So let's get 0:01:53.760 --> 0:01:56.520 through the nitty gritty. Hopefully going through this box score 0:01:56.560 --> 0:01:59.200 will inspire some questions, so please, please please send them 0:01:59.240 --> 0:02:02.640 as they pop into your head. Matt Murphy said it. 0:02:02.720 --> 0:02:05.960 Joel Embiid led the way with thirty seven points, nine rebounds, 0:02:06.040 --> 0:02:09.519 three assists, four blocks at a steal twenty three for 0:02:09.760 --> 0:02:14.040 twenty seven from the free throw line. James Harden twenty 0:02:14.120 --> 0:02:18.480 nine point, ten rebound, sixteen assist triple double, his first 0:02:18.480 --> 0:02:22.120 triple double as a seventy six er, plus five steals. 0:02:22.160 --> 0:02:24.560 He was a perfect ten for ten from the free 0:02:24.560 --> 0:02:26.600 throw line. Also perfect from the free throw line was 0:02:26.600 --> 0:02:29.040 Tobias Harris four for four from the free throw line. 0:02:29.040 --> 0:02:32.560 A slower start, but finished with twelve points, five rebounds, 0:02:32.680 --> 0:02:36.120 two assists, a block, and arguably one of the most important, 0:02:36.160 --> 0:02:38.640 if not the most important three pointers in this game 0:02:39.160 --> 0:02:43.880 to help the Sixers clear the Oh sorry, I heard 0:02:43.880 --> 0:02:48.880 a weird piece of feedback, Matt. Can you still hear me? Yes? Indeed? Okay, 0:02:48.880 --> 0:02:51.480 sorry yes. Tobias Harris with that big three in the 0:02:51.480 --> 0:02:53.840 fourth quarter to help the Sixers get past the New 0:02:53.919 --> 0:02:58.440 York Knicks. Tyrese Maxie finished with twenty one points, seven rebounds, 0:02:58.560 --> 0:03:01.840 three assists, and two deals. Matisse Thyble rounded out the 0:03:01.840 --> 0:03:06.720 starting five eight points, six rebounds, two assists, and three steals. 0:03:06.720 --> 0:03:09.720 Matisse shot four for six from the field. Paul Millsave 0:03:09.760 --> 0:03:12.640 and George Niang each added six points off the bench. 0:03:12.720 --> 0:03:17.040 Matt Murphy, what stood out to you? I want to 0:03:17.080 --> 0:03:20.360 start by giving credit to Austin who replied to the 0:03:20.360 --> 0:03:23.200 tweet and said that at the end of the third 0:03:23.240 --> 0:03:25.600 quarter there was a lab passed by Fournier that hit 0:03:25.639 --> 0:03:28.320 the rim and Ebid got the ball. It was credited 0:03:28.400 --> 0:03:31.280 as a steal, but should be a rebound. Please look 0:03:31.320 --> 0:03:34.360 into and give our king a double double he deserves 0:03:34.520 --> 0:03:38.680 so right now, and Bade comes up one rebound short 0:03:38.760 --> 0:03:41.880 of a double double with the thirty seven points, but 0:03:42.600 --> 0:03:46.560 certainly worth looking back at that one. What stood out 0:03:46.640 --> 0:03:49.600 other than potential double double there? I think it has 0:03:49.640 --> 0:03:52.600 to be the free throw shooting. I mean the Harden 0:03:52.680 --> 0:03:54.920 triple double. Yeah, but Harden was ten for ten at 0:03:54.960 --> 0:03:57.240 the line, and then Joel with the twenty three for 0:03:57.560 --> 0:04:00.600 twenty seven, thirty nine for forty four as a team, 0:04:01.160 --> 0:04:03.840 that is, thirty nine is the most makes in a 0:04:03.880 --> 0:04:06.400 single game at the line by any NBA team this year. 0:04:06.480 --> 0:04:11.240 Forty four ties the most attempted, so eighty nine percent, 0:04:11.640 --> 0:04:15.040 with Mbid and Harden leading the way. Going thirty three 0:04:15.200 --> 0:04:20.440 for thirty seven has to be the primary surface level takeaway, 0:04:20.880 --> 0:04:23.080 and the two of them in their first two games 0:04:23.120 --> 0:04:26.760 together fifty two for fifty nine from the free throw line. 0:04:26.920 --> 0:04:28.760 And of course there's already been some chatter about what 0:04:28.760 --> 0:04:31.200 it's going to look like to watch teams shoot more 0:04:31.200 --> 0:04:34.720 than thirty free throws a game pretty regularly. But Matt, 0:04:34.760 --> 0:04:37.040 if you're a Sixers fan, I don't think you mind, 0:04:37.240 --> 0:04:39.520 especially when the guys are shooting as efficiently from the 0:04:39.520 --> 0:04:42.039 line as they have in these first two games. To me, 0:04:42.200 --> 0:04:44.200 something that's coming up into questions and we'll dive in 0:04:44.240 --> 0:04:47.000 there in just a second. Is early chemistry. That's something 0:04:47.000 --> 0:04:48.960 we talked a little bit about after the win over 0:04:49.000 --> 0:04:52.080 the Timberwolves, and we'll talk again about when we discuss 0:04:52.240 --> 0:04:55.279 this win over the New York Knicks. But early chemistry 0:04:55.320 --> 0:05:00.200 looking about as good as it could possibly look. Between two, 0:05:00.480 --> 0:05:03.080 I would like to say two MVPs in Joe el 0:05:03.080 --> 0:05:06.040 Embiid and James Harden. It's been really cool to watch 0:05:06.120 --> 0:05:08.600 them learn one another, to watch the rest of the 0:05:08.640 --> 0:05:11.560 team learn what James Harden is able to do and 0:05:11.600 --> 0:05:14.440 how he's able to set them up. That has maybe 0:05:14.440 --> 0:05:17.600 been the biggest thing that we should discuss over these 0:05:17.680 --> 0:05:20.119 last few days and these first couple performances from James 0:05:20.120 --> 0:05:24.560 Harden sixteen assists, shared and did it rather quietly, not 0:05:24.640 --> 0:05:29.239 necessarily something that people think of immediately when they think 0:05:29.279 --> 0:05:31.960 of James Harden, or at least over the last few years, 0:05:32.000 --> 0:05:34.680 and that should not be the case. He's one of 0:05:34.680 --> 0:05:38.560 the league's best distributors, second in the league in assists 0:05:38.560 --> 0:05:42.200 per game this year, and today he showed exactly why again. 0:05:42.240 --> 0:05:45.280 Twenty nine points, ten rebounds, sixteen assists for the New 0:05:45.320 --> 0:05:49.120 Sixer and five steals, a sneaky good defensive performance from 0:05:49.200 --> 0:05:52.240 James Harden today as well. Matt. With that, shall we 0:05:52.320 --> 0:05:56.840 dive into questions? Can I have the first question? Please? 0:05:58.160 --> 0:06:00.279 I want you to answer it or give your thoughts. 0:06:00.360 --> 0:06:03.040 I want everybody else to give their thoughts. You can 0:06:03.040 --> 0:06:06.000 click on our icons, send me or Lauren Rosen a 0:06:06.120 --> 0:06:10.000 DM with your answer or maybe another question. But whether 0:06:10.200 --> 0:06:14.200 or whether it's a play from the game a celebration, 0:06:14.520 --> 0:06:17.560 what was your favorite part of this six Ers win? 0:06:17.720 --> 0:06:21.159 Something I'm genuinely curious about. Everyone is so excited about 0:06:21.200 --> 0:06:24.440 this team. They're two and oh with James Harden playing, 0:06:24.520 --> 0:06:29.880 they win at the Garden Garden James Garden Garden party. Harden, 0:06:30.040 --> 0:06:33.400 all of the plays on words, I'm here for them all. 0:06:33.960 --> 0:06:37.120 I love it. But what was everyone's favorite part of 0:06:37.160 --> 0:06:40.479 the game. I Am going to start us off by 0:06:40.640 --> 0:06:45.360 saying it was the Tyrese Maxie step back three late 0:06:45.400 --> 0:06:49.400 in the game. I like the Tyrese Maxi pick. Matt Murphy, 0:06:49.440 --> 0:06:51.880 I will also go with the Tyrese Maxi moment. To me, 0:06:51.920 --> 0:06:54.599 it had to be him slapping the floor after receiving 0:06:54.839 --> 0:06:58.040 that Matisse Thybil assist that afterwards. As we saw Matisse 0:06:58.080 --> 0:07:01.560 thybal miked up today was unsure how Tyrese was able 0:07:01.600 --> 0:07:04.560 to get his hands on that pass from Atz on 0:07:04.600 --> 0:07:06.360 the break, but was able to do so, able to 0:07:06.360 --> 0:07:09.640 finish and then hit the floor pretty emphatically. It's been 0:07:09.640 --> 0:07:13.680 a pleasure to watch Tyrese Maxie, get excited, continue to 0:07:13.760 --> 0:07:16.680 grow and gel with his teammates. It's been a great 0:07:16.680 --> 0:07:19.240 week for him on top of a great season for 0:07:19.440 --> 0:07:21.320 the rising star. So both of us going with big 0:07:21.320 --> 0:07:24.000 Tyrese moments for our favorites of the game today. I 0:07:24.000 --> 0:07:27.840 think that was my runner up selection. I will sort 0:07:27.960 --> 0:07:31.200 through any messages that come in or tweets and share 0:07:31.240 --> 0:07:35.000 anyone else's thoughts about their favorite part of today's one 0:07:35.120 --> 0:07:38.160 twenty five one o nine win for the Sixers against 0:07:38.240 --> 0:07:40.800 the Knicks, So keep those coming if you'd like, keep 0:07:40.840 --> 0:07:44.520 other questions and comments coming as well. The Maxi celebration 0:07:45.400 --> 0:07:48.960 was my runner up selection. It was surpassed by the 0:07:49.000 --> 0:07:54.320 step back three, Joel's joy surrounding that, Tyrese's general joy 0:07:54.520 --> 0:08:00.280 just playing basketball. He is shooting around forty percent from three. 0:08:00.800 --> 0:08:03.480 That can't be stressed enough. I always say some things 0:08:03.520 --> 0:08:05.400 can't be talked about enough. That's one of them, in 0:08:05.440 --> 0:08:08.000 my opinion. His growth as a shooter. He looks so 0:08:08.080 --> 0:08:10.440 confident with it, and you have to be ready to 0:08:10.440 --> 0:08:14.200 shoot the ball when James Harden is dishing out twelve assists, 0:08:14.240 --> 0:08:18.160 sixteen assists and today Maxie with the twenty one points, 0:08:18.160 --> 0:08:21.000 Hardened with the twenty nine, ten and sixteen plus the 0:08:21.040 --> 0:08:24.640 five steals, and embed with the thirty seven points leading 0:08:24.640 --> 0:08:27.400 the way for the sixers, leading the way for all scorers. 0:08:27.400 --> 0:08:30.119 But let's dive in if you have a question pulled 0:08:30.200 --> 0:08:33.320 up on your end, Lauren, for sure, Sal, before we 0:08:33.360 --> 0:08:36.600 get too far ahead, Sal agrees with me. Tyrese slapping 0:08:36.600 --> 0:08:38.880 the floor was the best moment of the game tonight. 0:08:39.240 --> 0:08:43.079 Aaron says that it was either the celebration between Maxie 0:08:43.080 --> 0:08:45.520 and Thiable or the one between Harden and Embiid. After 0:08:45.559 --> 0:08:48.760 embiads and one, we saw James Harden looking pretty excited 0:08:48.800 --> 0:08:50.959 out there, maybe for the first time as a seventy six, 0:08:51.040 --> 0:08:55.960 or at least with a demonstrative celebration, it says. My 0:08:56.000 --> 0:08:59.040 favorite was the Hardened bounced past to the Mbiad dunk. 0:09:00.240 --> 0:09:04.280 TGF says Joel's slam in the fourth quarter and his 0:09:04.400 --> 0:09:07.200 blocks in the fourth are probably tied for my favorite 0:09:07.240 --> 0:09:10.400 moments that didn't include Tyrese in this game. Love those 0:09:10.440 --> 0:09:13.280 as well. Some really strong play down the stretch for 0:09:13.440 --> 0:09:15.559 the seventy six Ers in the fourth quarter, and of course, 0:09:15.559 --> 0:09:17.000 again Matt, we already said this, but it got a 0:09:17.000 --> 0:09:20.040 little closer than they would have wanted it too towards 0:09:20.040 --> 0:09:22.160 the end. But good teams know how to finish, finish 0:09:22.200 --> 0:09:24.520 on the road, finish in hostile environments. And this is 0:09:24.559 --> 0:09:27.000 a team that is new to one another and still 0:09:27.040 --> 0:09:29.520 found a way to get it done, which I really 0:09:29.600 --> 0:09:32.440 enjoyed watching. And another one that I wanted to call out. 0:09:33.160 --> 0:09:35.280 This one comes from Emily who said, not a question, 0:09:35.320 --> 0:09:37.880 but I'm so proud of Sixers fans. I went to 0:09:37.920 --> 0:09:40.040 the game and I thought we were in South Philly. 0:09:40.240 --> 0:09:44.679 Energy is sky high. Lots of MVP chants for Joel 0:09:44.720 --> 0:09:49.000 embiid away from the center this season. Today was no exception. 0:09:49.360 --> 0:09:53.000 Great to hear that Emily enjoyed this one. I am 0:09:53.240 --> 0:09:55.280 diving into questions. Thank you, thank you, thank you to 0:09:55.360 --> 0:09:59.000 everyone who is sending lots of questions. Harden's deep three 0:09:59.040 --> 0:10:02.439 to hold off the Knicks run was Jack's favorite moment 0:10:02.600 --> 0:10:07.640 of the game. Hey, it's Joe Conklin joined me for 0:10:07.720 --> 0:10:11.120 Conklin's comedy United Parks Casino the number one casino in 0:10:11.240 --> 0:10:14.880 Pennsylvania and the official local casino partner. If you're Philadelphia, 0:10:14.880 --> 0:10:18.280 seventy Sixers tune into seventy six Ers games for special 0:10:18.320 --> 0:10:21.400 Parks Casino offers for fans. Watch all the action on 0:10:21.480 --> 0:10:23.719 the big screens in the Liberty Bell Gastro pub or 0:10:23.800 --> 0:10:26.640 the Beer Garden, and come see me live with comedians 0:10:26.640 --> 0:10:29.600 from all across the country in three to sixty Parks Casino. 0:10:29.760 --> 0:10:32.240 Who's at Parks Casino dot com for tickets must be 0:10:32.320 --> 0:10:35.920 twenty one or over. Game Gambler, I hope we don't 0:10:35.920 --> 0:10:38.120 get much overlap here because I want to shout people 0:10:38.120 --> 0:10:41.479 out as well, because there are a number of responses 0:10:41.520 --> 0:10:45.800 for favorite moment of the Sixers win against the Knicks, Lauren. 0:10:45.880 --> 0:10:49.360 But to add to the point about the atmosphere in 0:10:49.400 --> 0:10:52.280 a road game, Zach checks in and says, this was 0:10:52.320 --> 0:10:55.160 a Sixers home game. Went with a few friends and 0:10:55.240 --> 0:10:58.720 the cheers were louder for the Sixers than anyone. So 0:10:58.760 --> 0:11:02.520 a firsthand account for Zach. We love when people check 0:11:02.559 --> 0:11:05.680 in with stuff like that, but pretty amazing. And you 0:11:05.760 --> 0:11:08.679 said this last episode or last show, whatever you want 0:11:08.720 --> 0:11:12.280 to call it that this is February in the NBA, 0:11:12.360 --> 0:11:16.559 and the electricity around this team, it's pretty amazing. It's impressive. 0:11:16.600 --> 0:11:19.640 At this juncture of an NBA season, the city and 0:11:19.720 --> 0:11:23.960 the fan base worldwide is a buzz around this Sixers team, 0:11:24.000 --> 0:11:26.600 and there's so much regular season to go and then 0:11:26.640 --> 0:11:29.000 the playoffs and what is all of that going to 0:11:29.080 --> 0:11:32.040 look like and sound like in social media. It's exciting 0:11:32.240 --> 0:11:34.760 and it's already started, which is crazy to me. Yeah, 0:11:34.800 --> 0:11:37.120 we talked about it last time, Matt. But some teams, 0:11:37.120 --> 0:11:39.800 when you look at chatter surrounding some of the Sixers rivals, 0:11:40.080 --> 0:11:42.440 these are the dog days of the NBA season, and 0:11:42.480 --> 0:11:44.720 sometimes it's hard to get up for these games. Eighty 0:11:44.720 --> 0:11:47.440 two games is a lot. It's a lot of energy exerted. 0:11:47.480 --> 0:11:50.120 Teams coming back from the All Star breaks sometimes having 0:11:50.200 --> 0:11:52.920 a harder time getting their feet under them. Not the 0:11:53.000 --> 0:11:54.960 seventy Sixers. They have a challenge ahead of them that 0:11:55.000 --> 0:11:58.199 they want to accomplish, goals that they want to accomplish. 0:11:58.200 --> 0:11:59.959 When it comes to chemistry, not a lot of time 0:12:00.200 --> 0:12:02.280 to do it and a lot of motivation to do 0:12:02.320 --> 0:12:04.320 it at a high level. So a really cool way 0:12:04.320 --> 0:12:07.160 for the Sixers to channel their energy in this last 0:12:07.320 --> 0:12:09.800 third of the season. I like this question and this 0:12:10.040 --> 0:12:13.160 user name Matt from Push and P who says, can 0:12:13.200 --> 0:12:16.840 we really get better from here? How will we? What 0:12:16.920 --> 0:12:20.360 can we look for? Those are three very good questions. 0:12:20.400 --> 0:12:23.839 The first one, can we get better from here? Yes? Absolutely? 0:12:23.880 --> 0:12:27.280 This is just the first two games that these guys 0:12:27.280 --> 0:12:30.720 have shared with one another. James Harden, in his media 0:12:30.720 --> 0:12:33.640 availability post game already discussed the fact that he doesn't 0:12:33.640 --> 0:12:36.400 feel that he's fully physically healthy. Says that he's in 0:12:36.440 --> 0:12:39.600 a great place, but of course spent a couple weeks sidelined, 0:12:39.679 --> 0:12:42.160 So even from a health perspective, if this is what 0:12:42.280 --> 0:12:44.920 James Harden is able to do, not quite at full strength, 0:12:44.960 --> 0:12:46.640 he said he's looking forward to having a little bit 0:12:46.640 --> 0:12:49.959 more bounced. He looks pretty bouncy, pretty healthy out there 0:12:50.000 --> 0:12:54.679 already again, twenty nine points, ten rebounds, sixteen assists, not 0:12:54.760 --> 0:12:57.120 at full strength. So I would imagine that that might 0:12:57.160 --> 0:12:59.079 be an area that you can look for a little 0:12:59.080 --> 0:13:01.920 bit more, especially when you think about how comfortable he 0:13:01.960 --> 0:13:05.120 can get. If you can share sixteen assists with guys 0:13:05.120 --> 0:13:08.760 that you've never played with before, things are looking pretty good. 0:13:09.040 --> 0:13:12.360 As you continue to develop that type of chemistry and 0:13:12.440 --> 0:13:14.599 what can we look for Matt For that question, I 0:13:14.640 --> 0:13:17.480 would answer Tobias Harris, who found his stride in the 0:13:17.520 --> 0:13:19.880 fourth quarter of this one, but has had a quieter 0:13:20.000 --> 0:13:22.640 couple of games since James Harden joined the team. And 0:13:22.679 --> 0:13:25.280 of course James's addition takes a lot of pressure off 0:13:25.320 --> 0:13:29.280 of Tobias offensively. He's been good defensively, and he's found 0:13:29.320 --> 0:13:31.720 his spots. He's shot more from three than what we've 0:13:31.720 --> 0:13:35.040 seen earlier in the season. Took five this evening or today, 0:13:35.160 --> 0:13:38.280 rather took six a couple days ago, and Tobias a 0:13:38.320 --> 0:13:40.440 good three point shooter, So look for those numbers to 0:13:40.520 --> 0:13:43.600 stay high but continue getting higher. I really liked what 0:13:43.720 --> 0:13:45.760 James Harden said. I'm seeing a lot of questions about 0:13:45.760 --> 0:13:49.360 Tobias Harris, so glad we can address these altogether. I 0:13:49.440 --> 0:13:52.280 liked what James said during his introductory press conference. He 0:13:52.320 --> 0:13:54.920 said he believes that Tobias Harris is someone who can 0:13:54.960 --> 0:13:57.040 get you twenty points a night on a regular basis, 0:13:57.120 --> 0:14:00.439 as Sixers fans have seen over the last couple of years, 0:14:00.600 --> 0:14:02.719 and it's James's job to make sure he can do that. 0:14:02.800 --> 0:14:05.280 And more so, when you look at the existing chemistries 0:14:05.280 --> 0:14:09.600 that are developing between James Harden, Joel Embiid, Matisse Thible, 0:14:09.679 --> 0:14:12.840 even Tyrese Maxie and Tobias Harris. There's room for growth 0:14:12.880 --> 0:14:16.280 among them. All. The Embiid Hardened pairing, the Hardened Maxi 0:14:16.360 --> 0:14:18.520 pairing are jumping off the page right away. But even 0:14:18.559 --> 0:14:21.640 those are going to get better again only two games 0:14:21.720 --> 0:14:23.920 under their belt. So, Matt, when you think about these questions, 0:14:23.960 --> 0:14:26.640 this group of questions about improvement, what are you looking 0:14:26.680 --> 0:14:33.440 for most? There's a lot there, and let's not forget 0:14:33.520 --> 0:14:37.520 just because I mean Harden, Embiad and even Tyrese Maxie 0:14:37.520 --> 0:14:39.840 have kind of stormed out of the gates here with 0:14:39.920 --> 0:14:44.280 this new look Sixers team as a trio scoring wise 0:14:44.400 --> 0:14:48.320 and really all around performance wise. But look for the shooting, 0:14:48.360 --> 0:14:51.040 like you were touching on, to come from others. They're 0:14:51.480 --> 0:14:54.560 more shots will be had by this entire Sixers roster. 0:14:54.840 --> 0:14:56.960 There's also a lot of regular season games, so just 0:14:57.240 --> 0:14:58.720 a lot of the young guys, a lot of the 0:14:58.760 --> 0:15:01.840 guys that haven't played as many minutes in the previous 0:15:01.920 --> 0:15:04.800 two games, including this one against the Knicks. There's so 0:15:04.840 --> 0:15:08.680 many regular season games for young players or guys. A 0:15:08.680 --> 0:15:10.800 little further down the bench right now where I think 0:15:10.840 --> 0:15:14.960 their opportunities will come. No Paul read in this one, 0:15:15.000 --> 0:15:17.560 No Isaiah Joe, no Willie Collie Stein, who's on a 0:15:17.600 --> 0:15:21.160 ten day shake Milton played seven minutes, Paul millsat played twelve. 0:15:21.200 --> 0:15:23.720 So I think there's going to be opportunities for some 0:15:23.760 --> 0:15:27.800 of those guys as we move along with the regular season, 0:15:27.960 --> 0:15:31.720 as the Sixers play more games. Just right away, don't 0:15:31.760 --> 0:15:35.920 I wouldn't overreact to what we've seen through two games. 0:15:35.960 --> 0:15:38.640 I mean, it's great to see the success that those 0:15:38.680 --> 0:15:41.960 top guys are having, but look for development elsewhere, and 0:15:42.000 --> 0:15:44.000 you touched on a lot of these things as well. 0:15:44.160 --> 0:15:47.000 Defensive improvement as well is certainly an area that the 0:15:47.040 --> 0:15:49.520 Sixers are going to continue to focus on in defense. 0:15:49.920 --> 0:15:52.040 I hate using cliches mats. I'll try to limit it 0:15:52.040 --> 0:15:54.080 to just this one on this Twitter space. But defense 0:15:54.080 --> 0:15:56.720 wins championships. And this is a team that has two 0:15:56.720 --> 0:15:59.560 All League defenders in Joel Embiid and Matisse Thyble. Danny 0:15:59.560 --> 0:16:02.360 Green has been an All League defender, and James Harden 0:16:02.400 --> 0:16:05.000 improving he can defend at a high level. Let's not 0:16:05.040 --> 0:16:10.200 forget what Tyrese Maxie has been able to do stealing, deflecting, blocking, 0:16:10.320 --> 0:16:12.720 talking about how much he's learned from Matisse thible and 0:16:12.840 --> 0:16:15.600 showing it out on the floor. One of the questions 0:16:15.600 --> 0:16:19.920 that came through from Muhammad, who says, Hi, Lauren from Nigeria. 0:16:20.000 --> 0:16:22.680 As always shout out to our international listeners. We love 0:16:22.720 --> 0:16:24.480 you guys, and we love hearing where you're from, so 0:16:24.640 --> 0:16:27.600 keep telling us. But the question was, what's your take 0:16:27.680 --> 0:16:30.760 on james defensive efforts thus far? I feel like it's 0:16:30.760 --> 0:16:34.280 being overlooked. That's a fair question, and this, of course 0:16:34.680 --> 0:16:38.520 is not necessarily James Harden's primary skill talking about defense, 0:16:38.640 --> 0:16:43.360 but a game high five steals today for James Harden, 0:16:43.440 --> 0:16:47.600 who has looked just tremendously dialed in throughout each of 0:16:47.640 --> 0:16:50.480 his thirty nine minutes tonight, throughout each of his minutes 0:16:50.520 --> 0:16:53.720 against the Timberwolves, it's been a pleasure to see what 0:16:53.760 --> 0:16:55.840 he's been able to do. You talk about improvement, That's 0:16:55.840 --> 0:16:58.520 an area he talks about striving to improve. So I 0:16:58.520 --> 0:17:00.480 would be willing to say that, yeah, that is an 0:17:00.480 --> 0:17:02.480 area that's been a little bit overlooked and somewhere that 0:17:02.480 --> 0:17:04.919 he's going to continue to focus on along with the 0:17:04.960 --> 0:17:07.639 rest of the team as they head down the stretch 0:17:07.640 --> 0:17:13.000 and into the playoffs, Matt for sure. Clutch Chris checks 0:17:13.040 --> 0:17:19.879 in with some more Tobias Harris talk, referencing plus minus 0:17:19.920 --> 0:17:23.720 and how Game one as a new look team, Harris 0:17:23.760 --> 0:17:29.520 was plus twenty four plus twenty five. Next, talking about 0:17:29.560 --> 0:17:33.440 impact outside of scoring, Clutch Chris says, his presence alone 0:17:33.480 --> 0:17:36.760 seems to be helping. So we kind of we've touched 0:17:36.800 --> 0:17:38.840 on that. We touched on that in the last space 0:17:39.320 --> 0:17:43.000 as well. I can list out a couple more favorite 0:17:43.040 --> 0:17:47.400 moments from listeners from the game before we get too 0:17:47.400 --> 0:17:51.200 far A point a game high plus twenty five from 0:17:51.240 --> 0:17:55.040 Tobias Harris today. So again, when you have scorers that 0:17:55.080 --> 0:17:57.280 can score at the level of a James Harden or 0:17:57.280 --> 0:17:59.399 a Joel Embi, two of the best in the league, 0:17:59.400 --> 0:18:01.720 if not the best, two of the best ever, someone 0:18:01.760 --> 0:18:04.720 like Tyrese Maxie who's growing as a scorer, Tobias Harris 0:18:04.720 --> 0:18:06.919 has never been one who has needed the offense to 0:18:07.000 --> 0:18:09.720 revolve around him. So the challenge now, of course, is 0:18:09.760 --> 0:18:12.080 to get him more touches and find him more buckets 0:18:12.080 --> 0:18:15.639 where he's comfortable. But his presence, like you said, you 0:18:15.760 --> 0:18:18.880 have to give him attention. Right as a defense and 0:18:19.160 --> 0:18:22.359 the seventy sixers really look to him as a leader 0:18:22.359 --> 0:18:24.520 on the floor, off the floor, as a communicator in 0:18:24.520 --> 0:18:27.360 the locker room. So his impact being felt, even though 0:18:27.400 --> 0:18:29.880 they've been two quieter games for Tobias Harris and Worth 0:18:29.920 --> 0:18:32.040 noting he was playing the best basketball of the season 0:18:32.080 --> 0:18:35.960 thus far headed into the All Star break, his spirit 0:18:36.040 --> 0:18:38.240 has been high, his vibes have been high, and we 0:18:38.240 --> 0:18:41.200 can expect that to continue as folks that follow this team. 0:18:41.359 --> 0:18:43.960 So looking forward to seeing what James Harden is able 0:18:44.000 --> 0:18:46.400 to unlock in Tobias Harris. But like you said, plus 0:18:46.480 --> 0:18:51.640 twenty four in the first matchup against the Timberwolves, plus 0:18:51.680 --> 0:18:54.800 twenty five today for Tobias Harris. So the final lines 0:18:54.880 --> 0:18:57.600 don't always tell the entire story. Go ahead, Matt, tell 0:18:57.640 --> 0:19:00.720 me about some more favorite moments from the game. You 0:19:00.800 --> 0:19:05.280 and I Lauren Rosen had maxi moments as our favorites. 0:19:06.320 --> 0:19:10.159 Sam says the hardened pass for the embiid slam at 0:19:10.160 --> 0:19:13.960 the end of the game and Bead looks happy, bawling. 0:19:14.000 --> 0:19:17.640 Avery says, m Bead and Harden pick and roll. There's 0:19:17.680 --> 0:19:22.840 a few others will sprinkle those in. Now everyone's eyes 0:19:22.840 --> 0:19:28.560 are on James Harden's home debut as a Philadelphia seventy 0:19:28.640 --> 0:19:32.480 six Ers, which everyone can't wait for. That. It was 0:19:32.560 --> 0:19:36.120 exciting to hear what James said about Sixers fans when 0:19:36.160 --> 0:19:38.920 he was introduced to the Philadelphia media for the first time. 0:19:38.960 --> 0:19:41.680 He said, Sixers fans are crazy. He said, he's excited 0:19:41.720 --> 0:19:44.200 to have them on his side, and this is an 0:19:44.200 --> 0:19:49.240 opportunity for Sixers fans to get crazy on his side. 0:19:49.240 --> 0:19:51.760 That'll be Wednesday at the Center in South Philadelphia. If 0:19:51.760 --> 0:19:54.480 you're listening and you're a local, would love, love love 0:19:54.680 --> 0:19:58.680 to see you there. It's gonna be It's gonna be loud. Matt. 0:19:58.720 --> 0:20:02.320 I am very very much looking forward to hearing the 0:20:02.400 --> 0:20:06.159 building on Wednesday night. James calls the fans crazy, I 0:20:06.200 --> 0:20:08.320 call them passionate, I call them loud, and I think 0:20:08.320 --> 0:20:10.080 this is going to be the loudest we've heard the 0:20:10.119 --> 0:20:12.960 Center in quite some time. Very much looking forward to 0:20:13.000 --> 0:20:18.080 that one. Not that the Knicks are really firmly in 0:20:18.119 --> 0:20:22.880 the Eastern Conference playoff picture, because they're down after this 0:20:23.160 --> 0:20:25.879 currently at twelve at twenty five and thirty six. The 0:20:25.960 --> 0:20:28.840 Sixers are thirty seven and twenty three after the win, 0:20:29.480 --> 0:20:33.000 currently third in the East. But the idea of the 0:20:33.040 --> 0:20:36.280 Sixers and the Knicks meeting in back to back games 0:20:36.640 --> 0:20:39.600 when you are more familiar with the recent play of 0:20:39.680 --> 0:20:43.120 certain players on both teams. I think that even adds 0:20:43.240 --> 0:20:48.720 to the hype around Wednesday's game, so everyone's really looking 0:20:48.760 --> 0:20:50.440 forward to that. What else do we have in the 0:20:50.840 --> 0:20:55.000 questions department? A lot of my feedback is favorite moments, 0:20:55.040 --> 0:20:58.560 which will get to more of those. Like I said, 0:20:58.600 --> 0:21:01.359 as we go, but keep the questions coming if you 0:21:01.440 --> 0:21:04.520 have them, click on our avatars and send us a 0:21:04.600 --> 0:21:07.640 DM with any questions about the game or the Sixers 0:21:07.840 --> 0:21:11.520 or like we like to say, Sixers adjacent topics. I 0:21:11.680 --> 0:21:18.280 have a couple more. Let me see where I want 0:21:18.320 --> 0:21:21.640 to go next. This one comes from number one Thible fan. 0:21:21.680 --> 0:21:24.359 What do you think about Matisse's open looks since having 0:21:24.520 --> 0:21:26.960 James Harden on the floor. It was cool to hear 0:21:27.080 --> 0:21:29.200 Doris Burke sort of talk about what she was seeing 0:21:29.200 --> 0:21:33.800 from Matise Thible today on the ABC broadcast. Very interesting 0:21:33.840 --> 0:21:36.280 to think about who's out on the floor with Matisse 0:21:36.359 --> 0:21:38.959 when he starts right. When you think of offensive threats 0:21:39.000 --> 0:21:40.840 like a James Harden, like a Joel Embiide, like a 0:21:40.880 --> 0:21:43.880 Tyrese Maxie and a Tobias Harris Matisse Thible has never 0:21:43.960 --> 0:21:47.760 been relied upon for heavy offensive contributions, or at least 0:21:47.840 --> 0:21:51.639 heavy volume in his offensive contributions. But because of the 0:21:51.680 --> 0:21:54.959 way defenses have to account for a Joel A James 0:21:54.960 --> 0:21:58.760 A Tobias A Tyrese, Matisse ends up uncovered quite a bit. 0:21:59.040 --> 0:22:01.359