WEBVTT - A Primetime Showdown 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:03.120 The seventy Sixers are back at home and on Saturday 0:00:03.320 --> 0:00:06.400 they'll be in the national spotlight against the Los Angeles Lakers. 0:00:06.519 --> 0:00:10.000 A big challenge playing really well. It's gonna take you, obviously, 0:00:10.280 --> 0:00:13.880 guy Lebron. I am amazed at how good he is 0:00:14.080 --> 0:00:16.680 for as long as he has been good as a team. 0:00:16.840 --> 0:00:19.000 The execute the game playing well, and the coaches dab 0:00:19.120 --> 0:00:21.160 looking all day. Be gonna see how the game goes 0:00:21.200 --> 0:00:23.480 well of coach they play against Lebron James, It's gonna 0:00:23.520 --> 0:00:25.079 be a lot of challenge and go in the court. 0:00:25.160 --> 0:00:28.560 I think we gotta we preview a big primetime pairing 0:00:28.560 --> 0:00:31.240 with the Purple and Gold with our digital reporter Lauren 0:00:31.360 --> 0:00:38.320 Rosen on this episode of the broadcast, how are you 0:00:38.320 --> 0:00:42.240 doing out there? Seventy Sixers pod people, Brian Selter bidding 0:00:42.240 --> 0:00:45.159 you hello once again, thanks as always for checking out 0:00:45.200 --> 0:00:48.159 another episode of the podcast, or if you are a 0:00:48.200 --> 0:00:52.479 first time listener, welcome aboard. Yes, the seventy Sixers. They 0:00:52.520 --> 0:00:55.480 have a major matchup coming on Saturday at the Center 0:00:55.840 --> 0:00:59.920 against the Los Angeles Lakers, annually one of the most 0:01:00.280 --> 0:01:04.320 anticipated dates on the home schedule, but certainly so this year. 0:01:04.720 --> 0:01:07.679 With the seventy Sixers and the Lakers, both playing at 0:01:07.680 --> 0:01:10.760 the level that they are to the top contending teams 0:01:10.760 --> 0:01:13.720 for this year's NBA title. You would think the Lakers 0:01:14.000 --> 0:01:17.560 staking their claim on the Western Conference past the halfway 0:01:17.600 --> 0:01:19.479 point of the season with a record of thirty six 0:01:19.480 --> 0:01:22.000 and nine four and a half games in the league 0:01:22.000 --> 0:01:26.040 for first place out West. We'll dive into the details 0:01:26.080 --> 0:01:28.600 of the game with our digital report to Lauren Rosen. 0:01:29.040 --> 0:01:31.760 Lauren will also give us a recap on some of 0:01:31.760 --> 0:01:34.720 the storylines that emerge from these sixers most recent road 0:01:34.720 --> 0:01:38.959 trip against the Knicks, Nets and Toronto Raptors. But before 0:01:38.959 --> 0:01:42.039 we get going, a reminder that to subscribe to the podcast, 0:01:42.440 --> 0:01:45.760 you can go to legit anywhere you get your pods, 0:01:46.160 --> 0:01:50.160 type in seventy Sixers podcast or Sixers Podcast Network and 0:01:50.200 --> 0:01:55.000 that will take you to our feeds Spotify, Apple Podcasts, 0:01:55.360 --> 0:02:00.600 Google Pods, Stitcher, SoundCloud, tune in whatever it is, Sixers 0:02:00.640 --> 0:02:04.520 Podcast Network, seventy six Ers Podcast. Use those as your 0:02:04.640 --> 0:02:08.959 key phrases for searches, and then our humble feed should 0:02:09.200 --> 0:02:15.280 surface in your search engine. Lauren good to not just 0:02:15.360 --> 0:02:19.880 have you back on in the podcast, but back on 0:02:20.080 --> 0:02:22.639 seventy six ers ground proper it's been a while, it 0:02:22.680 --> 0:02:25.239 has it's been a minute. I apologize to anyone listening 0:02:25.240 --> 0:02:28.280 to this for the scratchiness happening in my voice. I 0:02:28.320 --> 0:02:30.720 can promise it was much worse a few weeks ago, 0:02:31.280 --> 0:02:33.400 which is part of why you haven't heard from me. 0:02:33.960 --> 0:02:36.239 I wouldn't say scratchiness to me. It just sounds perhaps 0:02:36.360 --> 0:02:39.160 not quite as full or strong as it normally would. 0:02:39.160 --> 0:02:41.520 Tell the people, what have you been battling and enduring? 0:02:41.639 --> 0:02:43.720 We're getting there. I had the flu, despite getting the 0:02:43.760 --> 0:02:46.200 flu shot and making all of our co workers also 0:02:46.200 --> 0:02:49.200 get the flu shot, and then afterwards I got laryngitis, 0:02:49.400 --> 0:02:52.560 couldn't quite come back from it due to a lot 0:02:52.600 --> 0:02:57.000 of travel, lost my voice entirely for like two weeks, 0:02:57.120 --> 0:02:59.400 and have been on the mend ever since. In the 0:02:59.400 --> 0:03:01.480 grand scheme of things, it could be much worse, but 0:03:01.560 --> 0:03:04.160 it was certainly irritating. You want to be on the 0:03:04.200 --> 0:03:07.000 team plane for the grub, for the chocolate chip cookies. 0:03:07.639 --> 0:03:11.800 As far as the air quality, it's a different scenario. 0:03:11.800 --> 0:03:14.280 It's a different thing. I would imagine it's better air 0:03:14.360 --> 0:03:17.440 quality than a commercial flight, though, Or do you think 0:03:17.440 --> 0:03:19.760 it's all bad? I think if people are dealing with 0:03:20.120 --> 0:03:24.120 some sort of midwinter virus. It's a plane's a plane. 0:03:24.200 --> 0:03:28.200 A plane's a plane. Well, for what it's worth, not 0:03:28.280 --> 0:03:30.919 being on the plane has not spared people from being 0:03:30.960 --> 0:03:36.240 sick or ill. It's just that time of year. So 0:03:36.280 --> 0:03:38.040 the Sixers were on the road. They have it on 0:03:38.080 --> 0:03:39.160 the road a bit. They're going to be on the 0:03:39.240 --> 0:03:41.840 road a bit more before we look ahead to the 0:03:41.840 --> 0:03:45.400 big Saturday night primetime game against those Los Angeles Lakers. 0:03:45.440 --> 0:03:47.800 Why don't you give us, say, a recap, as it were, 0:03:47.920 --> 0:03:51.760 of your trip through the Atlantic Division, stopping at New 0:03:51.840 --> 0:03:54.920 York City against the Nicks, and then across the bridge 0:03:54.920 --> 0:03:57.080 of the Brooklyn Nets and then up north to Toronto. 0:03:57.880 --> 0:03:59.960 I mean, obviously you have to start with the fact 0:04:00.040 --> 0:04:02.240 that it was great to get a couple wins on 0:04:02.280 --> 0:04:07.560 the road under our belts short staffed. I think the 0:04:07.680 --> 0:04:10.240 fact then, beyond just getting those wins, it's great to 0:04:10.280 --> 0:04:13.560 see different players shine on different nights because, as we know, 0:04:13.680 --> 0:04:16.600 when playoff time comes around, that's going to be really important. 0:04:16.640 --> 0:04:21.600 So especially to see Ben in Brooklyn just have this 0:04:21.600 --> 0:04:24.800 this career outing Simmons with a one hand tap for two. 0:04:25.400 --> 0:04:29.479 Ben Simmons is dominating this late section here on the 0:04:29.520 --> 0:04:32.240 third quarter. Brett said after the game he just wasn't 0:04:32.279 --> 0:04:34.359 going to let the team lose, that he had something 0:04:34.360 --> 0:04:38.640 about him. His first thirty point triple double in his career. 0:04:39.320 --> 0:04:42.400 He and Mattise shared nine steals, nine of the teams 0:04:42.440 --> 0:04:44.560 twelve steals. It was just that was a cool game 0:04:44.640 --> 0:04:47.880 because the team was down, they fought back. We had 0:04:47.880 --> 0:04:51.159 a huge game from Ben, great contributions from others. That 0:04:51.200 --> 0:04:54.320 was probably the highlight of the trip. And then going 0:04:54.360 --> 0:04:58.800 to Toronto a challenge, even with Josh Richardson. Then losing 0:04:58.880 --> 0:05:01.840 Josh was to see some of the younger guys step up. 0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:03.680 We got some minutes out of Shake Milton, which we 0:05:03.680 --> 0:05:06.400 haven't seen in a while, so that was good to see. 0:05:06.480 --> 0:05:11.480 But in the end, the healthier home team was able 0:05:11.480 --> 0:05:13.680 to pull it out. But overall, a good trip, I think, 0:05:13.680 --> 0:05:16.040 a good trip for basketball and a good trip for Morrele. 0:05:16.800 --> 0:05:19.159 I think the tone that Brett Brown struck after the 0:05:19.160 --> 0:05:24.000 game in Toronto was totally appropriate given the circumstances. I 0:05:24.040 --> 0:05:29.359 thought that we competed. There was a physical difference I 0:05:29.440 --> 0:05:32.320 felt from them to us as the game started to 0:05:32.560 --> 0:05:35.320 you know, get going in the fourth period like they 0:05:35.440 --> 0:05:38.040 I give them credit. You know, when you play in June, 0:05:38.640 --> 0:05:41.920 there were lessons that you learn that spill over into 0:05:41.960 --> 0:05:45.560 the regular season, and there's there was a physicality to 0:05:45.640 --> 0:05:51.080 the game that you felt. And you know, we got 0:05:51.120 --> 0:05:55.320 Matisse and Firk and Shake and Norvelle and the young 0:05:55.400 --> 0:05:58.400 guys that have feeling what it's like to play against 0:05:58.400 --> 0:06:01.880 an NBA champion and we will, we will come out 0:06:01.920 --> 0:06:06.280 of this thing, I think, more realistic of what it 0:06:06.320 --> 0:06:10.320 really takes to play as deep into the calendar as 0:06:10.320 --> 0:06:12.120 we hope to. You know, you had guys who are 0:06:12.160 --> 0:06:15.360 thrust into action that as you alluded to, especially someone 0:06:15.400 --> 0:06:18.760 like a Shake. Milton probably wasn't expecting to play over 0:06:18.800 --> 0:06:20.920 twenty two minutes in a game, the second most he's 0:06:20.920 --> 0:06:23.960 ever played in a game as a seventy sixer. Hadn't 0:06:24.000 --> 0:06:25.760 been with the team in terms of an on court 0:06:25.839 --> 0:06:28.960 role consistently for a while. But you know, they I 0:06:29.040 --> 0:06:31.880 thought that they fought against the Raptors. It was a 0:06:31.880 --> 0:06:34.599 pretty competitive game. It certainly got off to a great start, 0:06:35.080 --> 0:06:38.640 and Toronto was a little bit healthier playing at home. 0:06:39.240 --> 0:06:42.560 Toronto wins that game. Okay, you know they'll meet up 0:06:42.560 --> 0:06:45.039 again at some point at the Center within the next 0:06:45.040 --> 0:06:47.280 couple of weeks and the home team has held serve 0:06:47.360 --> 0:06:49.560 every single time. But I agree, I thought it was 0:06:49.600 --> 0:06:52.039 great to see wins on the road, and especially the 0:06:52.080 --> 0:06:55.120 way the seventy sixers got them. We know that the 0:06:55.160 --> 0:06:59.880 team wants to be based around defense and built around defense. 0:07:00.320 --> 0:07:02.880 They really locked down in the fourth quarters of those 0:07:02.920 --> 0:07:06.520 games against the Knicks and the Nets. Absolutely, and I 0:07:06.560 --> 0:07:08.840 think that that's Brett's been saying it all year long. 0:07:09.040 --> 0:07:10.960 The defense has to start it. I think the players 0:07:10.960 --> 0:07:15.080 are really buying into that. That's something that coach Brown 0:07:15.120 --> 0:07:17.720 expressed at practice one of the days they all ran together, 0:07:17.840 --> 0:07:20.080 but he said that he feels like the team has 0:07:20.120 --> 0:07:23.200 sort of earned the right to start winning more and 0:07:23.240 --> 0:07:25.840 to just play better as a unit through all the 0:07:25.920 --> 0:07:27.920 good days. He's been talking a lot about good days 0:07:27.960 --> 0:07:29.920 adding up, and then you heard some of the players 0:07:30.040 --> 0:07:33.280 using that same messaging in their own media availabilities, which 0:07:33.320 --> 0:07:35.240 makes it seem like they really are all buying into 0:07:35.280 --> 0:07:38.480 these count up as many good days as possible. Let 0:07:38.520 --> 0:07:42.760 defense inform your offense. And I think they all are 0:07:42.800 --> 0:07:44.800 just proud of themselves for the work that they've put in, 0:07:44.880 --> 0:07:48.960 because overall they are starting to see some rewards coming 0:07:49.000 --> 0:07:51.840 from that hard work. I feel like I'm probably guilty 0:07:51.840 --> 0:07:53.800 as charge, but I feel like you're a great case 0:07:53.840 --> 0:07:55.880 in point. The more time you spend around Brett Brown, 0:07:55.920 --> 0:07:58.600 the more you begin speaking like him. I think that's 0:07:58.600 --> 0:08:02.800 probably true. As the board, Yes, well, we cannot let 0:08:02.840 --> 0:08:05.400 a look back of the road trip pass us by 0:08:05.440 --> 0:08:11.120 without highlighting the continued excellent play of our man from Turkey, 0:08:11.680 --> 0:08:14.960 Furky with a Turkish touch, furk On Korkmas riding a 0:08:15.000 --> 0:08:19.320 career high streak of five straight games in double figures 0:08:19.360 --> 0:08:22.520 and continuing to shoot the ball rather well. This has 0:08:22.560 --> 0:08:24.760 been a great two weeks for furk On, A really 0:08:24.800 --> 0:08:27.360 good a really really good thing to see from firk On, 0:08:27.480 --> 0:08:29.520 And I think not only is it great to see 0:08:29.560 --> 0:08:31.760 him succeed, but it's awesome to see his teammates rally 0:08:31.800 --> 0:08:36.280 around him, to see Brett express this pride. I asked 0:08:36.520 --> 0:08:40.079 Brett during one of his media availabilities in Brooklyn. He 0:08:40.240 --> 0:08:44.439 had mentioned that firk On has this fearlessness about him, unafraid. 0:08:44.559 --> 0:08:46.360 Did you always know that he had this sort of 0:08:46.360 --> 0:08:50.760 fearlessness in him? You could sense that, yes, you could, 0:08:50.960 --> 0:08:52.719 Like if you even just study for a second him 0:08:52.720 --> 0:08:55.600 playing with his national team, he was never afraid to 0:08:55.640 --> 0:08:58.079 make a play, and you know, we all sort of 0:08:58.360 --> 0:09:00.840 look at him make shots and I dig a deep 0:09:00.840 --> 0:09:02.520 and dive. Watch what he can do in a pick 0:09:02.559 --> 0:09:05.160 and roll, you know, Watch some of the clever passes 0:09:05.200 --> 0:09:07.319 he can make out of a pick and roll. Any's 0:09:07.360 --> 0:09:09.520 six foot six, you know, so it's not like he's 0:09:09.600 --> 0:09:12.439 he's small trying to look look over people. A lot 0:09:12.440 --> 0:09:15.880 of times he looks over them, and I feel like, 0:09:16.920 --> 0:09:19.320 you know, that side of his game doesn't get talked 0:09:19.320 --> 0:09:21.840 about a lot. We all see him make shots and defensively, 0:09:21.880 --> 0:09:24.319 you know what I think of his improvement, but he's 0:09:24.360 --> 0:09:28.160 always kind of had that in a confidence where he's 0:09:28.200 --> 0:09:30.320 not afraid of the moment. And now we're starting to 0:09:30.360 --> 0:09:33.840 see what Brett is talking about with this confidence that 0:09:33.840 --> 0:09:36.040 he has, whether it was that last shot in Portland 0:09:36.120 --> 0:09:38.440 or now these this string of great games that he's 0:09:38.480 --> 0:09:41.960 had at another game winner to his belt. When we 0:09:41.960 --> 0:09:44.360 were in New York, and it's awesome. I mean, it 0:09:44.400 --> 0:09:47.880 couldn't be happening to a better dude. Also, while you 0:09:47.920 --> 0:09:49.920 were in New York, you had the opportunity to accompany 0:09:49.920 --> 0:09:52.520 a couple of the players on a very exciting excursion 0:09:53.320 --> 0:09:58.200 of edification and broadening of horizons, and just sounded like 0:09:58.559 --> 0:10:01.520 a place where two great humans who having to play 0:10:01.520 --> 0:10:04.120 basketball professionally, could blend in with the crowd. So why 0:10:04.160 --> 0:10:06.440 don't you give us some insights as to what your 0:10:06.480 --> 0:10:09.559 trip to the Strand Bookstore was like. It was phenomenal. 0:10:09.640 --> 0:10:12.880 So we took Matisse Thybel and Tobias Harris to the 0:10:12.920 --> 0:10:15.080 Strand Bookstore, which is a bookstore in New York City 0:10:15.240 --> 0:10:17.760 that was open in nineteen twenty seven, so now almost 0:10:17.760 --> 0:10:22.640 one hundred years old. This is a book Yeah, like 0:10:22.720 --> 0:10:25.960 I said in that car, there's a big difference. I know. 0:10:25.960 --> 0:10:29.040 And I said this was a now you said it 0:10:29.080 --> 0:10:34.280 was a lot. It is the largest independent bookstore in 0:10:34.280 --> 0:10:37.600 New York and one of the oldest still running bookstores 0:10:37.840 --> 0:10:41.760 in the country. It was really phenomenal because those are 0:10:41.800 --> 0:10:45.280 two players, Matisse and Tobias, who appreciate literature on a 0:10:45.400 --> 0:10:48.560 very high level and aren't shy about it. So to 0:10:48.640 --> 0:10:51.080 take them to this bookstore that has this rich history 0:10:51.440 --> 0:10:54.760 and such a variety of options, and then to see 0:10:54.800 --> 0:10:57.160 them light up and get really excited about being there 0:10:57.440 --> 0:11:00.559 was special because I think not that many people get 0:11:00.600 --> 0:11:03.640 to see what they're interested in off the court and 0:11:03.679 --> 0:11:06.640 just how normal they are, how they can walk into 0:11:06.640 --> 0:11:09.760 a situation that makes anyone that likes books excited and 0:11:09.960 --> 0:11:13.040 be really excited about it. So that was really special. 0:11:13.440 --> 0:11:15.480 They say they want to go back, so maybe the 0:11:15.520 --> 0:11:20.360 Strand has earned some new regulars. Maybe the coolest thing though, 0:11:20.559 --> 0:11:25.040 was the New Yorkers just they are unfhased by celebrity, 0:11:25.120 --> 0:11:26.640 which I thought was cool and I think that the 0:11:26.679 --> 0:11:29.880 guys enjoyed as well. I think we were there for 0:11:30.240 --> 0:11:33.640 almost two hours. They were approached once and it was packed, 0:11:34.200 --> 0:11:36.200 so it was pretty It was just cool to see 0:11:36.240 --> 0:11:39.320 them embrace a different side that we don't get to 0:11:39.360 --> 0:11:42.679 see as often. The setting, no question about it, seemed 0:11:42.920 --> 0:11:45.679 neat and different. But the bigger picture story is is 0:11:45.800 --> 0:11:49.439 it appears as if there is a genuine big little 0:11:49.440 --> 0:11:54.360 brother relationship at work. Correct Absolutely, Matisse doesn't have a 0:11:54.360 --> 0:11:57.160 big brother in real life, and so there's a lot 0:11:57.200 --> 0:11:59.120 of joking involved between the two of them, a lot 0:11:59.120 --> 0:12:01.880 of back and forth banter, as is the case with 0:12:02.000 --> 0:12:09.920 real life brothers. You know, Bobby, that's my guy, He's 0:12:09.920 --> 0:12:20.559 just a rookie. But beneath that joking sort of facade 0:12:21.040 --> 0:12:23.360 is a really strong bond. I think that they've started 0:12:23.360 --> 0:12:26.080 to grow, and I think Matis really trusts to Bias 0:12:26.120 --> 0:12:27.880 and can look to him as a role model as 0:12:27.880 --> 0:12:30.160 someone who's been through things that Matiss is going through 0:12:30.240 --> 0:12:32.640 now and has been really successful. And then I think 0:12:32.679 --> 0:12:37.720 Tobias really enjoys being that sort of mentor or positive 0:12:37.760 --> 0:12:40.480 influence on Matise because he sees a lot of himself 0:12:41.000 --> 0:12:44.040 in Matise. He said he hopes that when Matis has 0:12:44.040 --> 0:12:46.160 been in the NBA for nine years, that he's treating 0:12:46.160 --> 0:12:48.400 the rookies the way to Bias is doing now. And 0:12:48.440 --> 0:12:50.520 I just think that it was really cool to get 0:12:50.559 --> 0:12:54.360 to see that, and they were very gracious and we 0:12:54.360 --> 0:12:56.520 were really lucky to get to be a part of it, 0:12:56.559 --> 0:13:00.679 and so shout out to them. Awesome. No, we had 0:13:00.720 --> 0:13:03.760 some great content from that visit to the Strand Bookstore 0:13:03.800 --> 0:13:07.199 with Tobias and Matisse already pushed out on our channels, 0:13:07.240 --> 0:13:09.760 but some more good stuff on that still to come, 0:13:09.800 --> 0:13:14.959 So be on the lookout on all your sixer social feeds. Lauren, 0:13:15.440 --> 0:13:18.200 thank tight, We will get back to this very fine 0:13:18.280 --> 0:13:20.840 chat in just a minute. I know that you're aware 0:13:20.840 --> 0:13:23.160 of this, but in case some of the people out 0:13:23.200 --> 0:13:27.120 there in podcast land are not a date worth circling 0:13:27.160 --> 0:13:31.640 on your calendar is March ninth, two twenty and that 0:13:31.840 --> 0:13:34.760 is the date of the fifth Annual Sixers Youth Foundation 0:13:34.920 --> 0:13:39.160 Evening on the Court Gala presented by Vip Wireless. Seventy 0:13:39.160 --> 0:13:41.840 six Ers players, coaches and alums will be at the 0:13:41.920 --> 0:13:45.000 twenty three hundred Arena in South Philly right to fund 0:13:45.120 --> 0:13:48.680 as the entire organization works to create a brighter future 0:13:48.800 --> 0:13:51.960 for the leaders of tomorrow. You two can help our 0:13:52.000 --> 0:13:55.559 youth develop in the next generation of innovators by donating now. 0:13:55.760 --> 0:13:59.439 Visit Sixers Youth Foundation dot org slash gala to support 0:13:59.480 --> 0:14:02.680 today once again, the fifth Annual Sixers Youth Foundation Evening 0:14:02.760 --> 0:14:05.120 on the Court Galla is going to be March ninth, 0:14:05.280 --> 0:14:08.960 twenty twenty percent by Vip Wireless at the twenty three 0:14:09.040 --> 0:14:15.240 hundred Arena in South Philadelphia. All Right, So the seventy 0:14:15.240 --> 0:14:19.160 six Ers day were idle on Thursday, a well deserved 0:14:19.240 --> 0:14:22.400 day of rest after being on the road for five days. 0:14:22.920 --> 0:14:25.640 Set the scene for me Friday, when the team regrouped 0:14:25.640 --> 0:14:29.160 at the training complex in Camden in lieu and ahead 0:14:29.200 --> 0:14:33.040 of Saturday's big game against the LA Lakers on ABC. 0:14:33.320 --> 0:14:36.080 Part of the ESPN NBA primetime package. I saw a 0:14:36.120 --> 0:14:39.640 lot of cameras, a lot of people. It was a 0:14:39.760 --> 0:14:43.400 crush of media when the Lakers come to town. You notice, 0:14:44.320 --> 0:14:47.400 I think. I mean, obviously, the morale was high for 0:14:47.440 --> 0:14:49.360 the majority of this trip, and it was nice to 0:14:49.400 --> 0:14:52.840 see it seemed like that carried over to practice. Obviously 0:14:52.840 --> 0:14:54.400 they're relieved to be at home, but I think the 0:14:54.440 --> 0:14:57.440 team is very together right now, which is something you'll 0:14:57.480 --> 0:14:59.960 hear coach say, you'll hear the players say, and that's 0:15:00.040 --> 0:15:01.840 always nice to see. And then obviously the other big 0:15:01.880 --> 0:15:05.320 difference was Joel being a full participant in practice and 0:15:05.440 --> 0:15:09.680 expected to continue progressing and be back relatively soon. So 0:15:09.720 --> 0:15:11.800 I think there was the excitement of being home, There 0:15:11.840 --> 0:15:13.600 was the excitement of having him back in the gym, 0:15:13.600 --> 0:15:15.480 and then obviously the excitement of having one of the 0:15:15.560 --> 0:15:19.360 league's best coming into town. So it was pretty buzzy. 0:15:19.600 --> 0:15:21.840 I would say, it's buzzy a word buzzy, sure in 0:15:21.880 --> 0:15:24.440 this case. Absolutely, any words we want to use here 0:15:24.480 --> 0:15:27.520 on the podcast we can use. Well, why don't we 0:15:27.560 --> 0:15:29.960 stay on the guy who will not be playing in 0:15:30.120 --> 0:15:33.600 Saturday's game for a moment, Joel Embiid. He was named 0:15:33.640 --> 0:15:36.560 an NBA All Star Game starter for the third time 0:15:36.680 --> 0:15:39.360 in as many years on Thursday. He is just the 0:15:39.440 --> 0:15:42.960 eighth player in franchise history to start in a minimum 0:15:43.040 --> 0:15:46.200 of three consecutive All Star Games. What was his mood like, 0:15:46.240 --> 0:15:48.440 We haven't heard from him for a while. Well, I 0:15:48.480 --> 0:15:51.200 think again, he's a competitor. We know this about him. 0:15:51.400 --> 0:15:53.640 He's relieved to at least be back in the gym, 0:15:53.720 --> 0:15:56.760 getting in reps, being with his teammates. It's great, you know, 0:15:56.920 --> 0:16:03.600 just trying to get it. They can progress. Uh necessary. Um, 0:16:03.720 --> 0:16:06.120 but this quart I can only imagine how difficult it 0:16:06.160 --> 0:16:08.280 is to be such an important part of this team. 0:16:08.280 --> 0:16:09.920 But it also an important part of this league and 0:16:09.960 --> 0:16:13.080 have to watch from the sidelines. That can't be easy. Um. 0:16:13.120 --> 0:16:16.520 And he was in high spirits. He was pleased with 0:16:16.520 --> 0:16:18.920 with the All Star nod. I thought it was really nice, though, 0:16:18.920 --> 0:16:20.720 he said he was excited about the All Star nod, 0:16:20.760 --> 0:16:23.600 but he was even more excited to see Pascal Siakam 0:16:23.640 --> 0:16:26.280 also become a starter on this All Star team. A 0:16:26.320 --> 0:16:30.520 lot of us longer than opportunity, So I was happy. 0:16:31.360 --> 0:16:34.840 I was excited. I was more excited about you know Pascal, 0:16:35.640 --> 0:16:39.720 you know, two guys from Cameroon. You know, we barely 0:16:39.800 --> 0:16:46.160 started playing basketball about nine eight nine years, nine years ago. 0:16:47.000 --> 0:16:50.760 So to see us, you know, especially I started us 0:16:51.280 --> 0:16:55.080 means a lot. Think he means a lot. Uh. I'm 0:16:55.080 --> 0:16:58.360 proud of me, you know, from Camero and from Africa. 0:16:58.400 --> 0:17:01.480 I'm representing. Thought that was a really cool thing to 0:17:01.520 --> 0:17:03.960 hear him say, was that, Yes he was excited for himself, 0:17:03.960 --> 0:17:06.359 but he's even more excited for his buddy. And you 0:17:06.440 --> 0:17:10.280 just you'll love to see it. Seventy six Ers will 0:17:10.280 --> 0:17:13.800 be going forward without Joel Embiid and without Josh Richardson 0:17:14.400 --> 0:17:17.560 in Saturday's game against the Lakers. Lakers are thirty six 0:17:17.640 --> 0:17:20.720 and nine. This will be the final stop on a 0:17:20.920 --> 0:17:23.840 five game road trip, most of which has been played 0:17:24.160 --> 0:17:26.720 in the Northeast. They are three and one are the 0:17:26.800 --> 0:17:30.440 Lakers on this road trip, and perhaps to the surprise 0:17:30.480 --> 0:17:32.639 of no. One, with the likes of Lebron James and 0:17:32.680 --> 0:17:36.960 Anthony Davis and Danny Green, they have been outstanding. James 0:17:36.960 --> 0:17:40.000 averaging just over twenty five points, seven and a half rebounds, 0:17:40.200 --> 0:17:44.520 and nearly eleven assists per game, shooting just under fifty 0:17:44.560 --> 0:17:47.320 percent from the field. Here's where Prep Round had to 0:17:47.359 --> 0:17:50.920 say following Friday's practice about the King. I have been 0:17:50.960 --> 0:17:53.960 in the league to see Lebron, you know, come in 0:17:53.960 --> 0:17:57.320 the league and we beat Cleveland a long time ago, 0:17:57.400 --> 0:18:00.360 when an NBA championship, and I've seen the evolution of him. 0:18:01.440 --> 0:18:05.600 I stand back and I am amazed at how good 0:18:05.640 --> 0:18:09.240 he is for as long as he has been good 0:18:09.359 --> 0:18:12.160 for the duration of his time in the NBA. How 0:18:12.200 --> 0:18:16.119 he handles himself, you know, with kids in the media. 0:18:16.200 --> 0:18:19.080 He doesn't ever seem to like Featcha had stuff going 0:18:19.119 --> 0:18:20.960 on at two in the morning and on the next 0:18:21.000 --> 0:18:24.920 you know, the next day's front page. I think he's class, 0:18:25.359 --> 0:18:28.959 and he's a champion, and he's incredibly important to all 0:18:29.040 --> 0:18:32.359 the league. And obviously anytime Lebron James comes to town, 0:18:32.720 --> 0:18:34.840 it's going to be difficult. It's going to be a challenge. 0:18:34.880 --> 0:18:37.639 But something that felt like a three line from Brett 0:18:37.720 --> 0:18:40.639 to al to Joel the people who spoke today, is 0:18:40.640 --> 0:18:42.960 that they really embrace these sort of challenges. And we've 0:18:42.960 --> 0:18:46.280 seen them play really well at home against really good opponents, 0:18:46.320 --> 0:18:49.000 and so I think that the spirit is high, they're 0:18:49.000 --> 0:18:51.520 ready for the challenge, they're going to welcome it. I 0:18:51.560 --> 0:18:54.480 thought it was interesting that Brett Brown said specifically that 0:18:54.560 --> 0:18:58.400 Matisse would be bearing a lot of a defensive load tomorrow, 0:18:58.400 --> 0:19:00.600 which we of course expect, but it's got to be 0:19:00.920 --> 0:19:03.280 a huge moment for a rookie to go up against 0:19:03.640 --> 0:19:06.160 not only the King, but also a team that has 0:19:06.200 --> 0:19:09.360 Anthony Davis that's been so successful. It should be an 0:19:09.359 --> 0:19:12.400 exciting matchup. Then there's also the factor for the Lakers 0:19:12.400 --> 0:19:14.840 that they have some size on the front line. I mean, 0:19:14.840 --> 0:19:16.960 there's Lebron James and he is at the top of 0:19:17.000 --> 0:19:19.760 the scatter report, no question, or is he actually when 0:19:19.800 --> 0:19:21.919 you think about it more, because then there's Anthony Davis, 0:19:22.119 --> 0:19:24.760 who's putting up around twenty six points, nine rebounds, two 0:19:24.760 --> 0:19:26.919 and a half blocks per game, shooting over fifty percent 0:19:26.920 --> 0:19:29.840 of the field, clearly taking the Lakers to another level. 0:19:30.119 --> 0:19:32.520 And not only do the Lakers roll out Anthony Davis, 0:19:32.520 --> 0:19:34.439 but they could also roll out Dwight Howard. So if 0:19:34.440 --> 0:19:36.000 you have the two of those guys starting in the 0:19:36.040 --> 0:19:39.960 seventy sixers or shorthanded something like dwell Ebid, then how 0:19:40.000 --> 0:19:42.720 will the Sixers go about the front court matchup that 0:19:42.800 --> 0:19:45.119 the Lakers present. Well, this has to be one of 0:19:45.119 --> 0:19:47.840 the things that Elton Brand was thinking about over the 0:19:47.880 --> 0:19:50.800 summer when we went after Al Horford, who's been playing 0:19:50.800 --> 0:19:53.800 really well recently in is heading into tomorrow's game the 0:19:53.880 --> 0:19:56.960 ultimate professional as he always is, sort of welcoming the 0:19:57.040 --> 0:19:59.639 challenge but also acknowledging the fact that it will be 0:19:59.640 --> 0:20:03.480 a knowledge it is they're playing really well. It really 0:20:04.359 --> 0:20:07.200 it's gonna take, you know, every single guy to come 0:20:07.200 --> 0:20:11.639 in there and do their thing and to give us 0:20:11.800 --> 0:20:13.320 a chance to win. I think this will be a 0:20:13.359 --> 0:20:17.639 really exciting opportunity for Horford and also a moment to 0:20:17.680 --> 0:20:20.000 really step back and be grateful that we have Horford. 0:20:20.280 --> 0:20:23.160 Another big man that the Lakers can roll out there 0:20:23.280 --> 0:20:25.600 is JaVale McGee. Now he didn't play in the game 0:20:25.680 --> 0:20:28.639 that the Lakers had on Thursday in Brooklyn because he 0:20:28.680 --> 0:20:31.080 was dealing with the flu, so he could be back 0:20:31.080 --> 0:20:33.920 out there. They typically do bring Dwight Howard off the bench, 0:20:34.400 --> 0:20:37.320 but there is that possibility. It's gonna be Anthony Davis 0:20:37.320 --> 0:20:41.520 out there and another player with considerable size and strength 0:20:41.480 --> 0:20:44.359 of the front court. So we'll be standing by to 0:20:44.400 --> 0:20:46.760 hear what Brett Brown does with the starting lineup. There's 0:20:46.800 --> 0:20:49.280 a veteran like Mike Scott who could assume the spot 0:20:49.280 --> 0:20:52.200 at the four, maybe Dubias plays a little bit farther 0:20:52.560 --> 0:20:56.840 download defensively, give Al Horford the minutes at the five. 0:20:57.480 --> 0:21:00.959 Possibilities it will be it will be interesting. But we 0:21:01.000 --> 0:21:02.959 also saw them have a lot of success on this 0:21:03.040 --> 0:21:07.240 road playing small, so maybe when they zig will zag. 0:21:07.280 --> 0:21:10.120 I really I'm not a basketball coach, and this is why. 0:21:10.920 --> 0:21:13.320 But you have to imagine Kyle O'Quinn could see some 0:21:13.359 --> 0:21:16.960 time this weekend, maybe even Jonah Bolton in the absence 0:21:17.280 --> 0:21:20.680 likely of Norville Peal. So I think it'll be an 0:21:20.680 --> 0:21:24.120 interesting opportunity, especially for those youngsters to sort of get 0:21:24.160 --> 0:21:26.520 more minutes, get their feet wet, and take on a 0:21:26.600 --> 0:21:29.119