Speaker 1: It has arrived our annual obligatory official season preview. It's
Speaker 1: a whole new year. This is a whole new team
Speaker 1: with new players and even the players that are back,
Speaker 1: it's a new dynamic because others aren't here. It's a
Speaker 1: new season. It's going to be exciting. That is the
Speaker 1: one and only Tom McGuinness and we've got a round
Speaker 1: table with him and Devon Gibbons to set the table
Speaker 1: for the upcoming campaign. The one thing that I do like,
Speaker 1: there's no more iterations of this team. This team is
Speaker 1: together from day one, and I think being together from
Speaker 1: the very beginning made help with that. From managing expectations
Speaker 1: to what signs could carry over from a promising preseason.
Speaker 1: We cover it all on this episode of the broadcast.
Speaker 1: We did it, We made it. We're here the start
Speaker 1: of the two nineteen twenty regular season, the seventy first
Speaker 1: season in Philadelphia seventy six ers franchise history, and there
Speaker 1: couldn't be a better way to tip it all off
Speaker 1: and hosting your our tribal, the Boston Celtics, continuing the
Speaker 1: arrivalry series that's been played more frequently than any other
Speaker 1: in the history of the NBA. On opening Nights. How
Speaker 1: you doing. I'm Brian Seltzer. I hope you are as
Speaker 1: pumped up and fired up and excited and as ready
Speaker 1: to go as I am. We're gonna sit down with
Speaker 1: Tom McGinnis and Von Gibbons in just a few moments,
Speaker 1: but we'll open by issuing reminders to you that if
Speaker 1: you have not yet become a subscriber or a follower
Speaker 1: to our podcast, you can get us just about anywhere
Speaker 1: you get podcasts these days, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Google Podcasts,
Speaker 1: tune in, Stitcher, SoundCloud. Just type in Sixers Podcast Network
Speaker 1: that will take you to our feed, and please do
Speaker 1: sign up. We'll have episodes coming to you regularly throughout
Speaker 1: the season, the day after every game with rewind and
Speaker 1: then one episode of the broadcast or perhaps more depending
Speaker 1: on the occasion each week. And before we get to
Speaker 1: t Mac and Divine, we bring you this week's edition
Speaker 1: of our opening tip. It's been building, and now it
Speaker 1: is finally here. The Philadelphia seventy six Ers on the
Speaker 1: cusp of starting a brand new season. Few seasons, however,
Speaker 1: at least in a recent memory that I could think of,
Speaker 1: have come with the anticipation and really more than that.
Speaker 1: The hype that this one has. Just listen to this
Speaker 1: sampling of soundbites al Horford went to Philadelphia changes the
Speaker 1: dynamic for me. I'm gonna say, it's Philadelphia coming out
Speaker 1: of the East. I'm taking Philly. We got to presume
Speaker 1: that everyone's healthy, right, But if that's what happens, but
Speaker 1: the talent on this team, they should at least be
Speaker 1: in the Eastern Conference flole, maybe the finals, and there's
Speaker 1: certainly have a shot to win it. All that, I'm
Speaker 1: moved that in the Eastern comp I'm going out right now.
Speaker 1: I'm not that. I love you, of course, know how
Speaker 1: the story goes. The seventy Sixers getting burned by not one,
Speaker 1: not two, not three, but four bounces in Game seven
Speaker 1: of the Eastern Conference semifinals in May. After that setback,
Speaker 1: the seventy Sixers went into the off season with a vengeance,
Speaker 1: revamping and reloading throughout the off season. We're doing everything
Speaker 1: weekend to bring another NBA championship to the city of Philadelphia.
Speaker 1: Believe that that was seventy six Ers general manager Elton Brand.
Speaker 1: This is ESPN's Brian Windhorst in an era of offense
Speaker 1: in the NBA where defense is second, third, fourth priority.
Speaker 1: We saw the Sixers prioritize defense this year, and they
Speaker 1: did to a big way. You look at what they've done.
Speaker 1: Their starting lineup has some of the most length that
Speaker 1: you could ever maybe seeing the history of the NBA,
Speaker 1: versatile defenders who can guard multiple positions. Al Horfords, one
Speaker 1: of the most versatile big men defenders the league is
Speaker 1: seen in the last twenty five years. And then you
Speaker 1: have a point guard who six foot ten, who's extremely
Speaker 1: long and like that. So they're putting out a lineup
Speaker 1: that is one of the tallest, most athletic, and most
Speaker 1: intense talented defensive lamps we've ever seen. To construct a
Speaker 1: roster shaped with that composition, the Sixers did several headline deals,
Speaker 1: Tobias Harris resigning right away, the dramatic edition of Richardson,
Speaker 1: an assigning trade with Miami Heat, and the crafty procurement
Speaker 1: of Horford from the Celtics. But for as much change
Speaker 1: as there was to the seventy sixers projected starting lineup
Speaker 1: going into this year, the bench underwent a considerable overhaul
Speaker 1: as well, with four new faces joined the mix. The
Speaker 1: end result is, as wind Horse described, a squad that
Speaker 1: is massive, athletic, explosive, versatile, smart, defensively inclined and deep.
Speaker 1: Expectations are understandably high, not just externally but internally as well. Yes,
Speaker 1: you know you're gonna be together for a long season.
Speaker 1: I'm looking for us, so we gotta do that. We
Speaker 1: got huge goals obviously the angle used to win it all.
Speaker 1: Uh and um, I gotta be the man cot liss
Speaker 1: uh to make it happen. Uh. So you know I
Speaker 1: gotta do my job as a leader. I gotta need
Speaker 1: those guys. I'm gonna need them. Uh, they're gonna need me.
Speaker 1: So we all gotta do whatever we supposed to do.
Speaker 1: Taking the temperature of the team the last few days,
Speaker 1: it's clear there's a sense of focus and readiness about
Speaker 1: the group. The head coach has been sticking to a
Speaker 1: measured outlook since his first down of the season with reporters.
Speaker 1: For his annual media luncheon back in September, Brown has
Speaker 1: been stressing potential and patience. Yes, the Sixers do have
Speaker 1: a wealth ability, he's acknowledged, but that doesn't mean the
Speaker 1: team will be a finished product to come game one.
Speaker 1: Talent and time. Talent and time Brown's refrain has been
Speaker 1: steady the past month. It's early days. And I said,
Speaker 1: and I'll say it probably many many times in front
Speaker 1: of you all talent does not trumpet time, and like
Speaker 1: what does that mean? I do? I feel like I know,
Speaker 1: I know what it means. You've got to like stay sane,
Speaker 1: you know, we got to stay sane and like try
Speaker 1: to grow this thing where we can really feel responsible,
Speaker 1: where we've delivered something as perfect as perfect as we
Speaker 1: can make perfect in April fifteenth, and that's the end.
Speaker 1: That's the excitement and the responsibility. I feel. That's no
Speaker 1: arbitrary date that Brown throughout there. April fifteenth is the
Speaker 1: final day of the regular season, and for all intents
Speaker 1: and purposes, if we're calling it like it is, that's
Speaker 1: when judgment day for the seventy Sixers will really begin.
Speaker 1: The Sixers of the last two seasons absolutely rightfully had
Speaker 1: their rise on the Larry O'Brian Trophy, but to a
Speaker 1: certain extent, they were also still trying to figure out
Speaker 1: what they were capable of doing. In twenty eighteen, we
Speaker 1: had a sense of what the Sixers could achieve. Then
Speaker 1: they showed us with an inspired run last spring The
Speaker 1: Sixers appeared to be even more formidable heading into the postseason,
Speaker 1: but they ran into an unstoppable force and his teammates
Speaker 1: of destiny. This year, the Sixers credit from everyone who's
Speaker 1: up in Camden to down in Wilmington, Delaware. The rallying
Speaker 1: cry is the same. It's a parade down Broad Street.
Speaker 1: The Sixers truly believe it might be in the cards,
Speaker 1: and you can't blame them. Expectations are being fully embraced.
Speaker 1: It's now time to see what row the seventy Sixers trap.
Speaker 1: This is really kind of the new focus on the
Speaker 1: Eastern Conference. The Sixers are a new team and a
Speaker 1: new contender, and they have star power, and they're doing
Speaker 1: something rather audacious with this roster. It's not that often
Speaker 1: that you say goodbye to an All Star and bringing
Speaker 1: an All Star in the same offseason, and an off
Speaker 1: season where they were maybe one shot away from wing
Speaker 1: the NBA titled and that's hard to hear. But at
Speaker 1: the same time, it's off of the truth, a truth
Speaker 1: that very much seems to be fueling the seventy Sixers
Speaker 1: as they start a new That's our opening tip for
Speaker 1: this week, and this is a general tip on how
Speaker 1: you might be able to get into the center to
Speaker 1: catch some seventy Sixers games in South Philadelphia this season.
Speaker 1: Partial plans are on sale now. A limited number of
Speaker 1: partial season ticket plans have been reserved for the general public,
Speaker 1: and now is your chance to get in on yours.
Speaker 1: Enjoy discount on ticket pricing and interest free monthly payment plan,
Speaker 1: playoff priority and more. For information, go to Sixers dot
Speaker 1: com slash parcels, or you can email tickets at seventy
Speaker 1: six ers dot com or pick up the phone call
Speaker 1: two on five three three nine seven six seven six
Speaker 1: for more details on seventy six Ers partial season ticket plans.
Speaker 1: In our opening tip segment, we heard a couple of
Speaker 1: soundbites from several prominent NBA of media personalities, people like
Speaker 1: Rachel Nichols, Stephen A. Smith, Charles Barkley, and Brian Winhorst,
Speaker 1: and as I bring in two additional reputable NBA media
Speaker 1: personalities talking about Tom McGinnis from the seventy six Ers
Speaker 1: Rader Network getting ready for another season behind the mic
Speaker 1: and Von Gibbs, who you can always hear on the
Speaker 1: mic after six Ers games on in the post on
Speaker 1: our flagship radio station ninety seven five the fanatic. I
Speaker 1: gotta ask you guys, going back to media day, there
Speaker 1: was such a strong national media presence at the seventy
Speaker 1: six or training Complex and Camden. They've been a talking
Speaker 1: point on nationally syndicated talk shows, on podcasts, TV shows.
Speaker 1: Is the hype justified? Is this degree of hype appropriate?
Speaker 1: I totally agree with what they're saying. The hype is
Speaker 1: out there and I think it's real with what the
Speaker 1: team has been put together. The way Elton Brand has
Speaker 1: again pivoted from moving on from two very important players
Speaker 1: and JJ Reddick and Jimmy Butler, to what you've comes
Speaker 1: to have now with Al Horford and Josh Richardson and
Speaker 1: your starting lineup and keeping Tobias Harris here as well.
Speaker 1: The way that we've looked at this league the last
Speaker 1: few years with the Golden State style and you're trying
Speaker 1: to keep up with them. Not many people can keep
Speaker 1: up with them. You have to go with your own style.
Speaker 1: Even the Houston Rockets went with their own style may
Speaker 1: not have work to get them to the finals and
Speaker 1: ultimately the championship. You have to go with your own style,
Speaker 1: and Elton Brand decided we're going with our own style,
Speaker 1: which is big, and we have these two franchise players,
Speaker 1: these all stars in Joel Embiad and Ben Simmons. Now
Speaker 1: let's go get these other pieces. Even though shooting is
Speaker 1: so huge in today's game. Let's go big, let's go large,
Speaker 1: and let's make them stop us. So we're not conforming
Speaker 1: to the rest of the league. Let's see what the
Speaker 1: league now does with all of the adjustments that we
Speaker 1: have made to our roster, plus the bench, the versatility overall,
Speaker 1: with what this team is, I think the hype is real,
Speaker 1: and I think the hype is warranted with what this
Speaker 1: new team looks like. I would agree good points all
Speaker 1: Devon and so because it is it's a roster that is,
Speaker 1: you know, doesn't have a lot of holes. You know
Speaker 1: that you have really good players at every spot, you
Speaker 1: have great bench. It's certainly, I think, the without question,
Speaker 1: the deepest roster the Sixers have had since even the
Speaker 1: eighty three, going back to the eighth three championship team,
Speaker 1: I mean even the two thousand and one team that
Speaker 1: won the Eastern Conference. You know, this roster, man for man,
Speaker 1: is better than those that team, and that team was
Speaker 1: built around a superstar. But it was built a certain way,
Speaker 1: whereas this you got a five time All Star now Horford,
Speaker 1: an up and coming young player, and josh as Davan said,
Speaker 1: Tobias Harris, and then two All Stars and two players
Speaker 1: that are going to continue to get better, and Joel
Speaker 1: and Ben. But without question, you can see why there's
Speaker 1: a lot of attention about the Sixers and right now deservedly.
Speaker 1: So I'm sure you guys get questions like this from
Speaker 1: people to you in your lives who are close to you,
Speaker 1: whether it's family members or friends. They may say stuff like, man,
Speaker 1: this has got to be such a fun gig for
Speaker 1: you right now because the team is so great and
Speaker 1: it's winning now and it's successful, and that's true, but
Speaker 1: I guess more from like a journalistic and broadcasting background,
Speaker 1: what excites me is when things change. Now obviously it's
Speaker 1: better when things change for the better or not the worst,
Speaker 1: but when there's fresh storylines and things are constantly changing.
Speaker 1: So last year was really fascinating from that point because
Speaker 1: the Sixers had essentially three different teams, and now this
Speaker 1: year it's kind of like a fourth different team, and
Speaker 1: me personally, I'm really excited and app to get to
Speaker 1: know guys like Josh Richardson and Al Horror a little
Speaker 1: bit better. And that's not even mentioning what they're going
Speaker 1: to bring to the team on the court. But this
Speaker 1: does to me feel like a different team, not just
Speaker 1: in terms of personnel, but I think probably in the
Speaker 1: way we're going to see the team play right well
Speaker 1: without doubt. And as far as change, like you say,
Speaker 1: there probably won't be as much changed as there has been,
Speaker 1: even not just last year, but leading up to this.
Speaker 1: And Okay, so you're talking about outside forces and how
Speaker 1: they say the excitement, it's a different Now. Last year
Speaker 1: the Sixers had big expectations and internally everybody realizes this
Speaker 1: is the time. But it's certainly not anything we're used to.
Speaker 1: And I say that as a collective whole, like as
Speaker 1: an organization, because they were on the rise. And now
Speaker 1: that's the only thing when everybody comes up to you
Speaker 1: and says this is you know, it's it's a little
Speaker 1: bit different. And I'm bullish also, but it's a teeny
Speaker 1: bit of trepidation where it's expected, it's it's nothing is given,
Speaker 1: you know, even if again, even if you I go
Speaker 1: back to the Utah Jazz teams, and even if you
Speaker 1: make the finals, even if you win the championship, it's
Speaker 1: a whole new year. This is a whole new team
Speaker 1: with new players, and even the players that are back,
Speaker 1: it's a new dynamic because others aren't here. It's a
Speaker 1: new season. So it's going to be exciting and to
Speaker 1: watch it unfold though we really don't know. That's the
Speaker 1: whole thing. Like you know, people make projections in a
Speaker 1: given game about a season. It's sports. You don't know
Speaker 1: what's going to happen. That's why live events are so cool.
Speaker 1: And that from our position to be able to call
Speaker 1: the games and watch it unfold, that that is exciting.
Speaker 1: So there probably are going to be an innumerable number
Speaker 1: of exciting moments. And you've got great storylines with Matisse
Speaker 1: Thybel and you know, Tobias getting a bigger role. But
Speaker 1: it is a different vibe and that it's it's almost
Speaker 1: like I said, it's expected. And you know, no longer
Speaker 1: are the Sixers the hunters. Now in a way, they're
Speaker 1: at the top. They're the hunted because they are expected
Speaker 1: to get to the Eastern Conference finals and potentially to
Speaker 1: the NBA Finals. And you know, last year toward the end.
Speaker 1: I remember saying to Brett Brown, all right, it was
Speaker 1: to the postseason. Everybody expected you guys to win fifty games,
Speaker 1: and now it's all about the playoffs. And he kind
Speaker 1: of took a look at me. He's like, well, I'm
Speaker 1: glad you guys had his pencils in fifty games because
Speaker 1: as a coach, right, you know, that's not an easy thing.
Speaker 1: I mean, it's when they did it, you know, two
Speaker 1: years in a row. It hadn't been done for sixteen
Speaker 1: years prior. So that's all I'm saying is that it's
Speaker 1: not it's easier said than done. Now now is the
Speaker 1: time for the part of doing and executing and getting
Speaker 1: it done as you build for what you hope would
Speaker 1: be a seven eight month season. And that part, if
Speaker 1: you bar the phrase that new norm from across the
Speaker 1: street with the football team, the new the new norm,
Speaker 1: of course, is the fifty wins that's to be expected.
Speaker 1: Now it is time to your point taking that next
Speaker 1: step of being the hunted instead of being the hunter.
Speaker 1: Because we've seen the two playoffs series dropping in the
Speaker 1: second round in the last two seasons. It's about progressing
Speaker 1: from there now. And the one thing that I do
Speaker 1: like about everything that you just said, and Brian is
Speaker 1: talking about what this team is. There's no more iterations
Speaker 1: of this team. This team is together from day one
Speaker 1: and if they're able to do what they need to
Speaker 1: do by implementing everything that Brett Brown and coaching staff
Speaker 1: wants to do and how they want to play, they
Speaker 1: don't have to unless something changes. They don't have to
Speaker 1: get things together in November when a new player comes
Speaker 1: in and you're moving someone out, and the same thing
Speaker 1: at the trade deadline and possibly the buyout period. Right now,
Speaker 1: this looks like this is what's going to be, at
Speaker 1: least with the starting five of that rotation, and that's
Speaker 1: great to have going in with those expectations where these
Speaker 1: big things come from the national perspective from a lot
Speaker 1: of people, the family and friends that talk to all
Speaker 1: of us about these expectations for this basketball team. I
Speaker 1: think the continent nuity that they are able to put
Speaker 1: together from the very beginning from day one, even before
Speaker 1: they started camp, when they get together for the open runs,
Speaker 1: and now you hear about Tobias Harris getting the team together,
Speaker 1: that veteran leadership, just everybody bonding early. They're gonna need
Speaker 1: each other and that we know that. You know that, Brian,
Speaker 1: you know that as well, that this is going to
Speaker 1: be hopefully a special season and if it is to
Speaker 1: come the expectations that come with it, can they handle
Speaker 1: now being the hunted? Can they handle all of it
Speaker 1: that goes with it? And I think being together from
Speaker 1: the very beginning may help with that. Tell me if
Speaker 1: you're with me about this, and I don't think you
Speaker 1: necessarily need to be talk show host, radio broadcaster, reporter
Speaker 1: to get this type of sense of a team. I'm
Speaker 1: thinking of the Eagles in the early two thousands. I'm
Speaker 1: thinking of the Phillies in like the mid two thousands
Speaker 1: after the World Series run, where there's a point in
Speaker 1: the team's timeline where you're still may the ascent, but
Speaker 1: then you get to the ascent and you're still expected
Speaker 1: to maintain your perch at the top. And I always
Speaker 1: wonder with those teams, you know how much of that
Speaker 1: is a crippling or suffocating effect. Like I'm just amazed
Speaker 1: that the Golden State Warriors know how to pace themselves
Speaker 1: to get back the finals year after year after year,
Speaker 1: and Lebron James doing that the exact same thing with
Speaker 1: the sixers right now, they might be the hunted, but
Speaker 1: when I'm picking up on just being around the guys,
Speaker 1: they're this energy and freshness and excitement because they still
Speaker 1: feel like they've got to continue that climb, right Like
Speaker 1: they didn't peek out at losing Game seven in the
Speaker 1: second round to Toronto last year. I still feel like,
Speaker 1: especially for the guys like Joel and Ben and even
Speaker 1: Brett and Elton in particular, there's like work to be
Speaker 1: done still well. And that's why the bitter taste of
Speaker 1: losing in the second round last year and in the
Speaker 1: previous spring, you've got to let that linger a little bit.
Speaker 1: It's like the baseball seasons winding down, teams are getting
Speaker 1: knocked out. When you see a team on the field
Speaker 1: celebrating and then they show that shot, you know it's
Speaker 1: the agony of defeat where the guys are still in
Speaker 1: the dugout and boom, their season just came to a
Speaker 1: crashing halt, and they're staring out there watching the other
Speaker 1: team celebrate, and obviously they're processing, Wow, it's over. That's
Speaker 1: not us. We had all those expectations the same thing
Speaker 1: in basketball, So to feel that bitter taste and never
Speaker 1: let it go away, to let that fuel you. That's
Speaker 1: what an athlete, you know, you got to you gotta
Speaker 1: find motivation. These guys, these pro players, they find it
Speaker 1: in many different forms. To your point about getting to
Speaker 1: the top. Look at the Patriots, you know, especially the
Speaker 1: way the NFL is today, like they get back there
Speaker 1: all the time. That's incredible. It may never happen again
Speaker 1: with the way that that thing is set up salary
Speaker 1: cap wise, and and the other part of that, the
Speaker 1: other side of the coin is that you have veteran players.
Speaker 1: You have even Joel and Ben, they've done it before.
Speaker 1: They've gone through the sea, and they've gone through the playoffs,
Speaker 1: and so they kind of they're going to be better
Speaker 1: at knowing how to handle it and getting up for
Speaker 1: you know, each and every game and meeting the challenge.
Speaker 1: And that's where guys like like Horford and even players
Speaker 1: like Kyle O'Quinn that have been around are going to
Speaker 1: be beneficial to the group in terms of helping to
Speaker 1: steer through, you know, the waters, even if it's dull water,
Speaker 1: you know what I mean, even if it's not rocky
Speaker 1: white Caps that you have to navigate through. Even if
Speaker 1: it's getting through December and January and pushing through like
Speaker 1: the quote unquote the games you're supposed to win. So
Speaker 1: it's a yeah, it's not easy to stay at the top.
Speaker 1: But oh, by the way, and I go back to
Speaker 1: the phrase, you know the Sixers are looking to achieve
Speaker 1: sustained success, you better get used to it, and you
Speaker 1: better get you know, you know, understand that this is
Speaker 1: how it's going to be. You look at Al Horford,
Speaker 1: He's been in the playoffs every year, and at some
Speaker 1: point you want to be able to say that for
Speaker 1: Joel and Ben, they've been in the playoffs ten straight years. Well,
Speaker 1: you can't project forward a decade, but you can certainly
Speaker 1: take care of the third straight year. And you've got
Speaker 1: to do that right now. So it's mindset, it's pacing,
Speaker 1: and yet when it comes time to play at the
Speaker 1: right moment, playing all out and making sure you play
Speaker 1: with that energy and drive that keeps you at the top,
Speaker 1: I'm not sure you guys thought all in all, I
Speaker 1: felt the preseason was a success for the teams, got
Speaker 1: through it healthy. Four wins and a loss seemed like
Speaker 1: things on one side of the floor especially, there's a
Speaker 1: lot of promise there and came together. I'm going to
Speaker 1: kind of put you on the spot, and I'll do
Speaker 1: the same with myself. Even though I've had a little
Speaker 1: bit of time to think about it, I'll admit it
Speaker 1: and ask you about things that might be able to
Speaker 1: translate and carry over from the preseason to the regular season.
Speaker 1: Why don't we start tom We'll go with you, d
Speaker 1: Why don't we go with the defense. The seventy sixers
Speaker 1: had the I think second best defense in the preseason.
Speaker 1: How much do you think of what we saw from
Speaker 1: the defense is going to carry over into the regular season.
Speaker 1: Where do you think the defense has room to grow?
Speaker 1: I'm glad that's where you went, because that's the first
Speaker 1: thing I was going to say, was the defense. I
Speaker 1: think that's easily the one thing that we can point
Speaker 1: out to, or I can point out to and say,
Speaker 1: I think this carries over into the regular season. It's
Speaker 1: what Elton Brand again built this team on. To know
Speaker 1: that this team defensively will be able to hold up
Speaker 1: against most teams around the league, and that's going to
Speaker 1: help if they have some issues on any given night
Speaker 1: with their offense. Is their defense going to be able
Speaker 1: to carry Sometimes we may see that ninety eight to
Speaker 1: ninety two win because down the stretch they had to
Speaker 1: win with their defense, making free throws, protecting the basketball,
Speaker 1: things of that nature. So yeah, I think the defense
Speaker 1: that we saw during the preseason is exactly what we're
Speaker 1: gonna get. And I think we're also going to see
Speaker 1: it ramped up with having the opportunity to see James
Speaker 1: and Is out there on the floor a little more
Speaker 1: the way that Matisse Thiable has performed with that, where
Speaker 1: now Brett Brown can go a little while sometimes with
Speaker 1: this lineups where it can be Ben Simmons, Matisse Thiable,
Speaker 1: Josh Richardson, James Ennis and Al Horford or Joe ellen
Speaker 1: b however he wants to do it, it's gonna be.
Speaker 1: I can't wait. That's the one. I cannot wait to
Speaker 1: see how creative Brett Brown and Emmy Udoka are putting
Speaker 1: together the defensive strategy here with so many different things. Yes,
Speaker 1: these teams are going to try to counter with oh yeah,
Speaker 1: you're big, let's go small. Okay, Well, we have that
Speaker 1: versatility that Town was talking about, where you can go
Speaker 1: with so many different layers of seventy sixers defense here.
Speaker 1: I think that carries over to the regular season and hopefully,
Speaker 1: as we know, later on in the postseason, and that's
Speaker 1: to build off that for a second time, defense is
Speaker 1: what everyone in the other building we're taping this podcast
Speaker 1: in the Charles Barkley conference room of the seventy sixers
Speaker 1: business office in Campden, and across the street fifteen second
Speaker 1: walk is the basketball operations building. I mean, that's what
Speaker 1: I think. If you ask everyone over there, to a person,
Speaker 1: what they think could get this team to where they
Speaker 1: ultimately want to go collectively, it's defense, right, I agree,
Speaker 1: And because I don't think your three point shooting is
Speaker 1: going to be as successful as it had been in
Speaker 1: years past and maybe even season's past. So to Devan's
Speaker 1: point about the scores potentially being lower, it's very It's
Speaker 1: funny because Brett Brown always says, if it's ninety two
Speaker 1: ninety two, I'm like, if it's nineteen ninety two, it's
Speaker 1: usually the third quarter, no question. I don't know if
Speaker 1: it's gonna be ninety eight ninety two either, because it's
Speaker 1: usually one hundred and fourteen and twelve on the rare night.
Speaker 1: But no, I think to your earlier point, Brian about
Speaker 1: Elton Brandon, the sixers, constructing the team and going with
Speaker 1: their strength in terms of the height and the du Yeah,
Speaker 1: I think that's going to have to be a their
Speaker 1: calling card, and that's how coach Brown wants the team
Speaker 1: to be defined, has been that way since he got here,
Speaker 1: in terms of defense ruling the night, and then there
Speaker 1: are times I think you're going to have to have
Speaker 1: that be the case. Now getting back to the whole
Speaker 1: preseason concept, the one thing I would say, like you
Speaker 1: mentioned to devand about the defense, offensively, each different different
Speaker 1: players had good subsets of play, but not everybody. I mean,
Speaker 1: they played well, they lost that last game. It's Washington
Speaker 1: to me. I think what's kind of exciting is because
Speaker 1: now you're going to see, now that the season starting
Speaker 1: normal rotations, guys are going to kind of know where
Speaker 1: their time. They're going to play together longer. Ben missed
Speaker 1: a couple of games, Joe set out the game in
Speaker 1: North Carolina, and so you know, like Tobias had his
Speaker 1: moments in the preseason, Joel ended up pretty strong in
Speaker 1: the last two games where and now you're going to
Speaker 1: see a little bit of a coming together for consistent
Speaker 1: minutes and as a group that that's what's exciting because
Speaker 1: again going back to the earlier point I made it,
Speaker 1: it's going to take time. It's a new group, it's
Speaker 1: a new season, and they have they want to come
Speaker 1: out swinging, but it's going to take time. They have
Speaker 1: a big road trip early in the season. They have
Speaker 1: those two road games coming up over the weekend in
Speaker 1: Detroit and Atlanta. But for them to kind of meld,
Speaker 1: and that's what a great team does. That's one of
Speaker 1: my most favorite things. Two things the competition and how
Speaker 1: guys rise to the challenge, both individually and as a team.
Speaker 1: That is, these guys are incredible athletes, and it seem
Speaker 1: to compete and to get after it with the drive
Speaker 1: is to me so enticing. It's what brings you back.
Speaker 1: And secondly, during games, they're forty eight minutes and the
Speaker 1: season is so long. At different points in games and
Speaker 1: in seasons, different guys have their moments and that's how
Speaker 1: it'll be early on, but collectively, it's all gonna mesh
Speaker 1: at some stage, and that's when you become really potent.
Speaker 1: And that's when you step back and go, wow, look
Speaker 1: at the potential here, Look what we just watched and
Speaker 1: what could this turn into? All right, So item number
Speaker 1: one for the potential carryover from the preseason of the
Speaker 1: regular season. The seventy sixers defense. Another area Tom that
Speaker 1: I thought the Sixers did really well and throughout the
Speaker 1: preseason on the glass overall, specifically the offensive rebounding. They
Speaker 1: crushed opponents in terms of their second chance opportunities. And
Speaker 1: I know that Brett Brown will say he hasn't placed
Speaker 1: much in preseason stats. I certainly am not nearly as
Speaker 1: knowledgeable in basketball comes to a Brown, But I think
Speaker 1: there's some merit though. Two trends and what you see,
Speaker 1: and we saw two weeks worth of trends, and there
Speaker 1: are four points better than the next closest team in
Speaker 1: the league in terms of second chance scoring for the preseason.
Speaker 1: I think that that's something that's telling. And clearly, given
Speaker 1: the size this team now has, you think they could
Speaker 1: probably back that up. You would hope, Yeah, no, no
Speaker 1: doubt about it. And a lot of this, again, like
Speaker 1: you say, has to do with size and then offensive
Speaker 1: reboundies of mentality, you know, just still getting after it,
Speaker 1: and you're right, that can help to make up if
Speaker 1: the three point shooting is not where it was last year.
Speaker 1: I don't know what the final number was, but where
Speaker 1: the average eight, nine, ten made threes a game. That
Speaker 1: type of getting more opportunities obviously is beneficial. And then
Speaker 1: coach probably has three other reasons why he doesn't put
Speaker 1: stock in preseason numbers, but one of them might be
Speaker 1: because he's trying combinations. It's not going to be kind
Speaker 1: of what I just talked about, but like you say,
Speaker 1: that's certainly something that did occur five times, so it
Speaker 1: does seem like that's going to be a part and pusher,
Speaker 1: you would hope. But that's effort like defense and offensive
Speaker 1: rebounding those types of things. That's gut check time and
Speaker 1: so and I think the Sixers are pretty strong in
Speaker 1: that area. And again I think the size and athleticism
Speaker 1: helps out. And where I think that's important in that area,
Speaker 1: Tom is if you are with where forecasting things and
Speaker 1: maybe the shooting is not as it was the past
Speaker 1: few years, there may be some more opportunities, so those
Speaker 1: second chance points, those rebound opportunities offensively could be there
Speaker 1: for you. And you have so much size, guys just
Speaker 1: crashing in glass knowing where the shot is going, the
Speaker 1: box out. If we're talking about the want to somebody
Speaker 1: like our Horford we know is going to box out
Speaker 1: and that may leave an opportunity for someone else to
Speaker 1: get there. And if Josh Richardson is sometimes at the
Speaker 1: top of the perimeter, he's handling some things a little
Speaker 1: bit to Bias Harris as well, that leaves Ben simm
Speaker 1: Is roaming around a little bit. With his size as well,
Speaker 1: those chances could be there for him to also clean
Speaker 1: up some mess. This might be a little bit of
Speaker 1: a wonky staff to look up or trying to force
Speaker 1: feed a narrative, but one thing that states me about
Speaker 1: the preseason games was just how frequently Joel Embiid got
Speaker 1: to the foul line. So I looked up, let's level
Speaker 1: it out on a per thirty six minute basis and
Speaker 1: see how many free throw attempts Joel was generating the preseason,
Speaker 1: and that number was fourteen point six. So then I
Speaker 1: was like, okay, perfect world, When was the last time
Speaker 1: someone average at least fourteen free throws per game on
Speaker 1: average in a season? And you'd have to go back
Speaker 1: to the year before this franchise's first title sixty one
Speaker 1: sixty two Wilt Chamberlain. Wow, the closest anyone's gotten to
Speaker 1: fourteen and a half was shock and that was in
Speaker 1: the Lakers title season two thousand, two thousand and one
Speaker 1: when they beat the Sixers. So he averaged just over
Speaker 1: thirteen free throws a game. If Joel Embiid can impose
Speaker 1: his will, and I know that there's a lot going
Speaker 1: on in preseason games that are funky and whatever. The Sixers,
Speaker 1: their competition was what it was, but that's going to
Speaker 1: do so much for this team too. I mean, you
Speaker 1: talk about, hey, well, if we remove some of these players,
Speaker 1: we don't have the perimeter offense work we make up
Speaker 1: points in certain areas. Joel continuing to get to the
Speaker 1: free throw line and oh, by the way, until that
Speaker 1: ten second crazy delay of game violation from the line,
Speaker 1: he'd only missed one foul shot. I think it was
Speaker 1: thirty attempts at that point. I think he was twenty
Speaker 1: nine for thirty. That's crazy. And the number one thing,
Speaker 1: of course, is he can make those. And what's great
Speaker 1: about it also is as much as we love how
Speaker 1: he can shoot from the perimeter because it's an option,
Speaker 1: it's a weapon for him and for the team where
Speaker 1: we know he can really get his work done is
Speaker 1: dominating in the post, and there are not a lot
Speaker 1: of people who can defend him on the low block.
Speaker 1: With his variety of moves, his touch, everything that goes
Speaker 1: with it, He's going to get to the free throw line.
Speaker 1: And then I will also help things when the double
Speaker 1: team comes. And if he's able to see those double
Speaker 1: teams coming and the other teammates are moving and cutting
Speaker 1: as they know they should, they're going to be other
Speaker 1: scoring opportunities, maybe some easy looks, some easy buckets for them.
Speaker 1: But if he can somewhere in that per thirty six,
Speaker 1: get that fourteen free thrills the game with him shooting
Speaker 1: let's say eighty plus a night, a clip for him
Speaker 1: from the free throw line, that's gonna be a big
Speaker 1: key for how this team moves and how the other
Speaker 1: team is getting those guys in foul trouble. I mean,
Speaker 1: that's that's important. You get them in foul trouble. When
Speaker 1: you get that starter out of there and the backup
Speaker 1: is now in there, then you've caused some trouble for
Speaker 1: the opposition. It's amazing just how he continually he kind
Speaker 1: of baits the opposition to foul with the rip through move.
Speaker 1: In other words, he holds the ball firmly around his
Speaker 1: waist to his chest area with two hands, and you
Speaker 1: know the guy reaches and then booming starting he goes
Speaker 1: on the upward motion. He gets to the line and
Speaker 1: to the bonds point. Oftentimes, Okay, now the starter's got
Speaker 1: two files in the first four or five minutes. Out
Speaker 1: here comes a second guy. He's not as good. He
Speaker 1: gets a follower too. Oh, now we're in the bonus.
Speaker 1: He's going to the line. So the veteran guys, like
Speaker 1: for instance, against Detroit, you would think, and he's gotten
Speaker 1: drumming and fouled difficulty, you would think they'd be will
Speaker 1: to sit down, you know, in their stance and keep
Speaker 1: their hands out of the cookie jars sort of speak
Speaker 1: and not foul. Canter with Boston, but some of the
Speaker 1: younger players continually foul and bead and then you know,
Speaker 1: he's a handful when he's going to the basket, and
Speaker 1: you know he does, he draws a lot of foul.
Speaker 1: It'd be an amazing thing if he were to get
Speaker 1: fourteen foul shots per game, and again late in the game.
Speaker 1: To have a guy be consistent and dependable at the
Speaker 1: line is a is a major bonus for a team
Speaker 1: when when your best players that capable a to stripe.
Speaker 1: I thought one of the uh the more I'm not
Speaker 1: gonna say funny, but I was entertained by one of
Speaker 1: the questions that Brett Brown's preseason media luncheon. It might
Speaker 1: have been like I think it was, and you guys
Speaker 1: were both fair correct me if I'm wrong. I thought
Speaker 1: it was maybe the second or third question, and someone
Speaker 1: said to Brett essentially, all right, let's get right down
Speaker 1: to it. What is your crunch time offense? Like there
Speaker 1: wasn't even people I hadn't finished their pasta dishes or
Speaker 1: fakasha Brett, and we're talking, you know, first media available
Speaker 1: in the season, crunched time offense. And Brett, as he understandably,
Speaker 1: would say, it's like Joel Embiad is the crown jewel.
Speaker 1: But I think there's options here. I mean, some nights
Speaker 1: it may not be able to be Joel simply by
Speaker 1: virtue of him not being available for regular season game.
Speaker 1: It might be one of his rest games that he's
Speaker 1: not out there. And I think this obviously circles back
Speaker 1: to Tobias Harris and while he's not a quote unquote
Speaker 1: new player, to this team. We saw him for a
Speaker 1: couple of months last year. It is going to be
Speaker 1: in a different role, and that could be just based
Speaker 1: on the fact that he's playing the three more than
Speaker 1: he will probably be playing the four. I'm really excited
Speaker 1: to see what Tobias Harris does with this new opportunity
Speaker 1: because after years of being in one place and then
Speaker 1: another and being dealt and traded, he's in a committed
Speaker 1: situation here and this could really be what he has
Speaker 1: been searching for his entire career. I agree. So back
Speaker 1: to the crunch time. Like in general, Coach Brown likes
Speaker 1: to put people in positions to score through concepts, but
Speaker 1: late in claude and late in the game, you gotta
Speaker 1: call a play and they do. And then even a
Speaker 1: play has an iteration or two where if not this,
Speaker 1: then this. But to your point, and this is what
Speaker 1: people talk about with this who's the go to guy?
Speaker 1: And that's what that question was Whomever asked that question,
Speaker 1: you know at that restaurant, as you say in that
Speaker 1: preseason sit down with coach, but it is sometimes difficult
Speaker 1: to get it to Joel and that he's on you
Speaker 1: want to get it to him as close to the
Speaker 1: basket as possible, and so obviously that's one thing, and
Speaker 1: he's capable. And then you know, like Tobias, when he ISOs,
Speaker 1: oftentimes it's with a smaller player. You gotta remember he
Speaker 1: six nine and he doesn't mess around, you know, Like now,
Speaker 1: we haven't seen it a lot late, okay, because last
Speaker 1: year Jimmy Butler finished most of the games. They put
Speaker 1: him in space and gave him the ball. But Harris,
Speaker 1: he just turns, shoots and scores. So it'll be a
Speaker 1: boy if he could do that with the game on
Speaker 1: the line, or just pull up and shoot over somebody
Speaker 1: off the dribble, that'll be you know. There you go,
Speaker 1: there's one thing right there. But when you have Horford
Speaker 1: and you know who's in picking pop scenarios is going
Speaker 1: to be involved, you definitely have some options. And as
Speaker 1: you say, it may not be the exact same thing
Speaker 1: every night. It may have different take on different forms
Speaker 1: as the season moves along. And I think there are
Speaker 1: different ways of course, as you're talking about Tom, because
Speaker 1: even with Al Horford being that player for so many
Speaker 1: years who has done it and done it in different ways,
Speaker 1: and I'm sure he's won some games for wherever he's
Speaker 1: been in the past, and even Josh Richardson one name
Speaker 1: that may not be brought up a lot about it.
Speaker 1: He had a lot of work to do in Miami
Speaker 1: before coming here to Philadelphia and a lot of times
Speaker 1: that offense ran through him. So in those key situations
Speaker 1: like that, Ken Brett Brown call on him when maybe
Speaker 1: he's the least expected of these starting five, if that
Speaker 1: is in fact the lineup that will be out there
Speaker 1: in crunch time for him to go get it. He
Speaker 1: does have the experience of in fact doing that. So
Speaker 1: it's we know it's going to come down at some
Speaker 1: point to Brett Brown having to call that type of
Speaker 1: play all games. They're not going to be as wide
Speaker 1: a margin as some may want, and that he has
Speaker 1: many options I think that he can go to in
Speaker 1: that regard. But it's gonna be interesting too because a
Speaker 1: lot of times you don't see the big man as
Speaker 1: that close out, but he is the crown jewel and
Speaker 1: Brett Brown will call that number. And I'm sure Joel
Speaker 1: en Bie will step up to that challenge and it
Speaker 1: might be in making a play. Absolutely. Look at the
Speaker 1: Brooklyn game, got a bit of a busted play. You know,
Speaker 1: but he's moving the talking about him finding Mike Scott
Speaker 1: in the corner, he's moving the ball to somebody else
Speaker 1: because he did command attention. And you know, like Coach Brown,
Speaker 1: like I guarantee he's been working on this the whole time,
Speaker 1: you know, like you just don't like, oh my gosh,
Speaker 1: it's we're high with thirty seconds, you know, like this,
Speaker 1: he is constantly going over this type of thing exactly
Speaker 1: those scenarios even way before they happen. That's the preparation.
Speaker 1: And he talks about concepts and not being married to
Speaker 1: a certain specific play. And I think that with the
Speaker 1: different options the Sixers have that could play to their
Speaker 1: strength as well. This might segue nicely into another topic
Speaker 1: I wanted to hit with you guys before we wrap up.
Speaker 1: Speaking of having different options, and you mentioned Josh Richardson's name.
Speaker 1: That brings us into discussion of what's happening when Ben
Speaker 1: Simmons is either not on the court or if they
Speaker 1: potentially slide him to another spot on the court like
Speaker 1: we saw in the postseason. So it seems like Richardson
Speaker 1: maybe even more that I'm not trying to put read
Speaker 1: Brett Browns or over interpret his thoughts, but it sounded
Speaker 1: like in the beginning of the preseason, the tone Brett
Speaker 1: had talking about Josh Richardson as the backup one was like, Yeah,
Speaker 1: he's done it, and I kind of want to see
Speaker 1: where it is. But then it seemed like he was
Speaker 1: more and more intrigued by it as the preseason went along,
Speaker 1: where we saw him get the start talking about Richardson
Speaker 1: a point when Ben missed the final two preseason games.
Speaker 1: But then you also have Huel Nato and Trey Burke,
Speaker 1: two veterans that have been through it. They've been around,
Speaker 1: and I don't know, I almost kind of feel like
Speaker 1: this won't BA. Who is the backup at all times?
Speaker 1: It might be situational based on the opponent or what
Speaker 1: the game needs. You need shooting, well, maybe there's one
Speaker 1: guy who can give you a little bit more than that.
Speaker 1: Do you need someone to break down a defense, there's
Speaker 1: another guy who give you a touch more than that.
Speaker 1: I don't know, what do you guys think of how
Speaker 1: the backup point guard role might be filled. That's what
Speaker 1: makes this so fun, because today's NBA, you don't always
Speaker 1: necessarily need quote unquote a backup point guard. You can
Speaker 1: just have someone who can initiate the offense with what
Speaker 1: they do, and Josh Richardson, as Brett Brown alluded to,
Speaker 1: has done it in the past. We just talked about
Speaker 1: him being the guy from Miami for the most part
Speaker 1: if some of those players were down, and even Trey
Speaker 1: Burke and how Nato coming in. What about Tobias Harris
Speaker 1: from time to time initiating things from the top of
Speaker 1: the key if he feels like, let me throw the
Speaker 1: defense off a little bit with Matistibel just handling the
Speaker 1: basketball to make things go with the motion offense that
Speaker 1: Brett Brown likes to run, and it doesn't necessarily have
Speaker 1: to do that. Ben Sims is gonna play a lot
Speaker 1: of minutes. We know that he's an All Star level player,
Speaker 1: He's a franchise player. He's going to play a lot
Speaker 1: as the lead ball handler. But I think at first
Speaker 1: it will be Josh Richardson and then he will mix
Speaker 1: in situationally, Brian, as you pointed out Trey Burke, how
Speaker 1: Nato to see where it goes depending on who the
Speaker 1: team is. Who are the people also coming in with
Speaker 1: how Nato, who's coming in, So if there's a smaller
Speaker 1: player coming in from Team X and he wants to
Speaker 1: counter with another smaller player, you know, no disrespect to
Speaker 1: Trey Burk and how natso versus six six Josh Richardson,
Speaker 1: that's where he's gonna go. He's gonna go with that one.
Speaker 1: Maybe match it up better and get a little creative
Speaker 1: that way. That's what again, what makes this team so fun.
Speaker 1: So many different areas that Brett Brown can go with.
Speaker 1: With how Elton Brand put this roster together, it's gonna
Speaker 1: be great. Yeah. I was just gonna say Coach alluded
Speaker 1: to Friday prior to the game when Netto didn't play
Speaker 1: that he kind of already had an idea where he
Speaker 1: was gonna go and will like last year with Jonathan
Speaker 1: Simmons and James Ennis the third he set up like
Speaker 1: a little tournament internally to see how those guys performed. Um. So,
Speaker 1: I think he made a good point, Brian. There are
Speaker 1: there's there's certainly a multiple options in those three things.
Speaker 1: Um with Richardson and Netto and Trey Burke and definitely
Speaker 1: and Shake Shake saw some time. Shake's gonna play too.
Speaker 1: And I just think that Burke we all know he
Speaker 1: can score. There. There's gonna be a game a series
Speaker 1: of games, whether it's week or month or whatever, where
Speaker 1: he comes in and just racks up points because there's
Speaker 1: gonna be times you need that, and he has that
Speaker 1: capability as a proven score who's explosive, who all of
Speaker 1: a sudden he gets you ten points in a pivotal
Speaker 1: quarter versus so and so, And you look back and
Speaker 1: remember that Trey Burke game, and so he's got that.
Speaker 1: And then Netto has been very impressive in all areas.
Speaker 1: I mean, he's he's really I thought he looked pretty
Speaker 1: good so far, pretty steady, right, yeah, good good, not
Speaker 1: just hold to hold it down, but good. Yes, you
Speaker 1: won't have to stay assigned to the date range I'm
Speaker 1: about to give you. You can jump in when and wherever.
Speaker 1: But we'll start with Tom go to divon and then
Speaker 1: I'll wrap it up. And this will bring to a
Speaker 1: close our season preview edition of the podcast. We'll play
Speaker 1: a game that I like to call in two months,
Speaker 1: in about five months, and then in about seven months.
Speaker 1: What are we gonna be talking about? So tam Mac
Speaker 1: two months from now, which would put us right around Christmas,
Speaker 1: Milwaukee Bucks coming into South Philadelphia. First Christmas Day game
Speaker 1: in South Philly and who knows, hell, you have to
Speaker 1: go back to the eighties. What do you think we'll
Speaker 1: be talking about in terms of the seventy six or
Speaker 1: two months into the regular season, Well, hopefully everything we've
Speaker 1: touched on. Do you know what I'm saying? Where the
Speaker 1: defense is ruled the day they're they've made up for
Speaker 1: this or that, you know, with you know all the
Speaker 1: different areas, and you know, you'd like to be sitting
Speaker 1: on top of the division, and you'd like to be
Speaker 1: whatever it is, eight or ten games over five hundred
Speaker 1: at that stage, and you know they've again they it's
Speaker 1: it's a road heavy schedule early for that first month
Speaker 1: or so when you consider, you know that, as I said,
Speaker 1: the two games in Detroit and Atlanta, then you go
Speaker 1: out and you face Portland, Phoenix, Utah, Denver, come home
Speaker 1: for just a couple days and go back out and
Speaker 1: you face Oklahoma and I believe Cleveland is in that room,
Speaker 1: maybe Orlando and a back to back. So you know,
Speaker 1: I don't know that the Sixers are going to be
Speaker 1: you know, twenty five and two and so getting better.
Speaker 1: I mean that that's what a coach looks at, that
Speaker 1: we are progressing that you know, Knockwood, everybody has stayed healthy,
Speaker 1: that the roles are beginning to identify themselves, that all
Speaker 1: these things, the depth and the versatility have proven in
Speaker 1: game situations to be true. And that you know, the
Speaker 1: six this group, this nineteen twenty sixers team is beginning
Speaker 1: to create an identity like who we are conceptually is
Speaker 1: going to be a defensive team, all those everything that
Speaker 1: we've discussed, and that is that has you know, been
Speaker 1: said about the Sixers, that it starts to show it
Speaker 1: in fruition through the first couple months of the season.
Speaker 1: That's after two months and six months, mister vin, What
Speaker 1: are we gonna be saying about the seventy sixers when
Speaker 1: they get ready to wrap up just about the twenty
Speaker 1: nineteen twenty regular season in the middle of April seeding.
Speaker 1: Where are you in the Eastern Conference? And not only
Speaker 1: in the Eastern Conference, because of course you want whole
Speaker 1: fill advantage if you get to the Eastern Conference finals,
Speaker 1: But you also look at the Western Conference and the
Speaker 1: way things are so stacked out West as they have
Speaker 1: been for the last few years. Is there a possibility
Speaker 1: like last year where Toronto face Golden State and you
Speaker 1: are maybe second in the conference, but you're still ahead
Speaker 1: of the Western Conference team that's representing the West Coast
Speaker 1: Western Conference team in the NBA Finals, where we're talking
Speaker 1: about the Sixers hosting game number one of the NBA
Speaker 1: Finals here in Philadelphia at the Center, So I think
Speaker 1: that seeding is is definitely going to be there. And
Speaker 1: number two, the health of Joel Embiid. Brett Brown talks
Speaker 1: a lot about how, yes, we want to see the
Speaker 1: regular season Joel Embiid and him being his dominant self,
Speaker 1: and of course he wants to be defensive Player of
Speaker 1: the Year and you need games and minutes and statistics
Speaker 1: to do those things. But when it all comes down
Speaker 1: to it, since we did not see the best of
Speaker 1: him against the Brooklyn Nets and in Toronto Raptors for
Speaker 1: the eighteen nineteen playoffs, how healthy is Joel embi going
Speaker 1: to be as we get ready to walk into as
Speaker 1: the number one seed with the health of Joel Embiid,
Speaker 1: your best player getting ready for those series. My math
Speaker 1: was off in the beginning. The name of this game
Speaker 1: for anyone out there who really wants to play with
Speaker 1: your family and friends, huddle around the fireplace and give
Speaker 1: it a try. Two months, six months, eight months, so
Speaker 1: team act two months. Divin died six months, I'll do
Speaker 1: eight months. Sure. I know I might be the ultimate
Speaker 1: hype man and a real taky guy at all times,
Speaker 1: but I don't know. I feel like I wouldn't say
Speaker 1: this unless there was a reason to say it. I
Speaker 1: feel like there's a very good chance that the seventy
Speaker 1: sixers will still be playing basketball. Maybe they'll be done
Speaker 1: freshly done by June fifteenth. I think a lot of
Speaker 1: that at is a driven by the roster that the
Speaker 1: team has put together, but also the way the Eastern
Speaker 1: Conference is now looking as well. I think that those
Speaker 1: two factors could align nicely to help the seventy Sixers
Speaker 1: get back in the finals for the first time since
Speaker 1: two thousand one. Don't know what's going to happen after that?
Speaker 1: Who knows? Who knows all of this? I know with
Speaker 1: you guys too, is said with a caveat and full
Speaker 1: display disclaimer of the team being healthy. That's that's a must.
Speaker 1: But I think rap time this back to the beginning,
Speaker 1: there's there's every reason for the talk to be as
Speaker 1: it has been about this team. I've been looking pretty
Speaker 1: dawn good. A lot of excitement looking forward to it
Speaker 1: already fellas always a pleasure. Thank you so much, Cheers,
Speaker 1: Thank you man, Tom McGuinness your soundtrack to seventy Sixers
Speaker 1: Basketball on the Radio and Devon Gibbons the best hosting weeknights,
Speaker 1: posting on weekends, especially hosting all the time on ninety
Speaker 1: seven five to the Fanatic, where you can listen to
Speaker 1: each and every seventy six Ers basketball game this season.
Speaker 1: I hope you enjoyed this annual official obligatory season preview
Speaker 1: edition of the podcast. We'll talk to you next week
Speaker 1: and at that point the season will be well underway
Speaker 1: and we'll discuss see it