DJackson10
Footballguy
I know I'm late but it's humidity. Palestra doesn't have air conditioning or heating with it being so old.
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***Official 2025 NBA Champion Philadelphia 76ers Thread*** - Still Processing (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Long Ball Larry
- Start date
Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
sixers need to do everything they can to make ben happy. if it ever came down to it for some reason where they had to choose between joel and ben, ben is the one that they would need to keep.modogg said:
modogg
Footballguy
completely agree. I think they know that too (hopefully). Elton talked about in the interview process they were really asking him about some real tough decisions with players and what to do. I love Joel a ton, but I would lean Ben a ton too. Luckily they can max both and figure out the rest.
some podcast I was listening too was talking about Ben going to LA or leaving. Think it was the Sixers Beat, and I think Bodner said that rookies really never leave after their rookie deal because the pay cut is different. He said the next contract after this rookie one is the one that people should be concerned about. good thing is that is like 5 years away, and we will have no doubt what Ben brings to the table by that time.
Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
i was actually thinking about that exact thing while watching the game. Elton talked about that on the Lowe Post and the RTRS brought up the idea of the question possibly having been Ben vs. Joel.
DJackson10
Footballguy
Trust me you don't want Butler. As a Bulls fan we put up with Jimmy's antics for awhile. He was the reason that Rondo and Noah and Wade had issues in the locker room. Butler felt disrespected that the FO brought in two other Alpha's. I thought Jimmy was good but he's a very big ball hog at times. There were times over the last few yrs he had Mirotic or someone else open and instead of an easy pass for a bucket he'd try to play hero ball. He also has zero problem not taking accountability for his issues and blaming everyone else. Considering what the T'Wolves gave up to get him I think they'd want something big in Return. Also Butler really stunted Wiggins Growth in Minny and he's having similar issues with KAT as he had with Rondo/Noah/Wade. I can see Embiid with his personality and Butler clashing. With a young team like the Sixers the last thing you want is a guy like Butler. Plus it's rumored if he gets traded anywhere other then the Knicks and one other team he's not resigning anyway.
I do like the idea of the Sixers getting Korver back. he was one of my favorites back on the team and I was ecstatic when the Bulls got him. He's an awesome team guy and knows his role.
wikkidpissah
Footballguy
Even tho i'm a Greenteamer all the way and there was almost nothing i liked about Hinkling, i was immediately excited about Simmons & Embiid the first time i saw them together and immediately started calling them the new Kobe/Shaq in the now-boycotted FFA thread. But i have yet to see a single thing i liked about the way Brett Brown coaches and am mystified how anyone can defend him (i mean, it's been like 5 yrs since he's been out from under Daddyvich).
And last night made it worse. Now the Dynamic Duo are doing their thang, not above & beyond the talents of the rest of the team, but in spite of them. The Sixers were doing almost as good a job defending them as the Celtics were and Ben & the Process seemed perfectly happy driving past their own guys no matter where they were. It's getting to the point now where the two stars have to be considered accountable for their part in not potentiating the play of the other players on their team, even though it's essentially the coaches job.
There was not a single point in the game where St. Stevens was concerned about the outcome, because he knew the stars would do their act and, if stopped, look for the most open guy, never creating a secondary option to make others look good, and he could deal with the odd runs and all of that, no problem. Not a bit of the kind of basketball that pays forward&forward&forward into wins. Embarrassing display, which is a tremendous disappointment as a b-ball fan.
And last night made it worse. Now the Dynamic Duo are doing their thang, not above & beyond the talents of the rest of the team, but in spite of them. The Sixers were doing almost as good a job defending them as the Celtics were and Ben & the Process seemed perfectly happy driving past their own guys no matter where they were. It's getting to the point now where the two stars have to be considered accountable for their part in not potentiating the play of the other players on their team, even though it's essentially the coaches job.
There was not a single point in the game where St. Stevens was concerned about the outcome, because he knew the stars would do their act and, if stopped, look for the most open guy, never creating a secondary option to make others look good, and he could deal with the odd runs and all of that, no problem. Not a bit of the kind of basketball that pays forward&forward&forward into wins. Embarrassing display, which is a tremendous disappointment as a b-ball fan.
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Insein
Footballguy
So we're here. The 2nd tier of the NBA. Good enough to win 50+ games. Not going to win a title. This was not what the process was about.
I like Brett Brown. He's done some good things but I don't know how far he can take this team. The collapse in Detroit and the near collapse against Orlando followed by the drubbing by the Bucks, this is the most unprepared the team has looked for a season since he's been here which is saying a lot.
I like Brett Brown. He's done some good things but I don't know how far he can take this team. The collapse in Detroit and the near collapse against Orlando followed by the drubbing by the Bucks, this is the most unprepared the team has looked for a season since he's been here which is saying a lot.
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Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
Last night was one of the worst games I've seen Ben play. I don't know if the back/neck is still bothering him, but he was just totally out of rhythm.
Fultz is tanking the starting lineup. Last year, the starters were like a 102 defensive rating. This year, 136.4.
Fultz is tanking the starting lineup. Last year, the starters were like a 102 defensive rating. This year, 136.4.
Insein
Footballguy
Fultz might go down as Collangelo's greatest #### up. What is this kids deal? How in the hell do you have a smooth stroke in college and high school enough to warrant the #1 overall pick and then suddenly forget how to shoot the damn ball.
And Ben... Seriously Ben. SHOOT THE ####### BALL!! I've never seen a basketball player so afraid to shoot. Never in my life does a guy routinely have open 15 footers and chooses to try a contested pass that gets turned over. Teams have the book on him. Play him like he's gonna drive. If he picks up his dribble, just back off. He won't shoot it. It's amazing how athletic and talented he is. I know he can shoot it too. They show highlights if practice but in games he just has a stroke on that part of his brain.
And Ben... Seriously Ben. SHOOT THE ####### BALL!! I've never seen a basketball player so afraid to shoot. Never in my life does a guy routinely have open 15 footers and chooses to try a contested pass that gets turned over. Teams have the book on him. Play him like he's gonna drive. If he picks up his dribble, just back off. He won't shoot it. It's amazing how athletic and talented he is. I know he can shoot it too. They show highlights if practice but in games he just has a stroke on that part of his brain.
Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
yes. they want fultz in there in the lowest leverage situations and also to build his confidence.
Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
i really like the theory of the trade, but i fear that their ceiling is capped. they really need to grab korver or ariza or anderson via trade or buyout. i do think that it will help their defense in the playoffs, but i don't really see it making their offense any better in the playoffs.
Deamon
Footballguy
Would love to get Korver.
Does Jimmy being here help or hinder our chances of signing guys this/future years? I'm not sure if Jimmy's personality is a concern to other nba players or just is overblown.
Also this trade makes sure Miami won't get him, which will really help out our pick we get from them.
wikkidpissah
Footballguy
this. Fultz should benefit by not being necessary any longer. defend the point, Markelle - everything else is gravy. hard working as RoCo was, he killed soooo many possessions with his clunkers and Saric could never find the right spot on the floor with those guys. the Big Two now have another reliable to kick out to (tho i'd be amazed if the Andrew Wiggins of coaching actually finds a balance on how to have Butler/Reddick out there), you use your length and feet up top and stay out of the way. if the ball ends up with you its a mismatch, have some fun. and maybe Butler can harsh JoJo out of all that awful posting. Muscala always gets more minutes than he appears to deserve and now gets to be a fulltime basket vulture and when Chan gets his flow back - watch out.
modogg
Footballguy
will definitely test Brett Brown. You have some top end talent, so will be interesting to see what Brown can do with it. Agreed their defense is better, and offense can potentially be. But it will need to be groomed and worked through since it isn't an exact piece like a Klay Thomspon or something
modogg
Footballguy
was interesting a few weeks ago when Brown went public saying he needs both Fultz and Simmons to shoot more. Wonder if the trade is to try and push that a bit, and let Ben know he needs to adjust a bit.
I tend to think this trade will help overall and bring clarity to what this team will do in the future. I still am on record that i think the guy they need to keep out of all of this is Ben, and hopefully these 3 guys can have multiple good years
wikkidpissah
Footballguy
They dont do ANYTHING as a team, which is a pretty big part of defending. I'm tired of harping on their coach because, since he was the coach when 2 of the 47 high draft picks Philly's had in the last decade turned out to be among the most singular talents the game has ever seen, sixerfans like to give Brown credit for that or remind me he worked for Pop in San Antone. I mean, how can the greatest eye since Magic and the most talented big since Hakeem NOT have developed a two-man game in THREE YEARS?! If one can devolve two such extraordinary talents and whose only strategies are, "find big white guy to set pick" and "find slowhite guy to shoot shot", asking for defensive schemes is a bit much.
modogg
Footballguy
TJ letting us know the process is over (from https://www.libertyballers.com/2018/12/19/18148794/grandma-helens-attic-edition-80)
Today's 76ers links 12/20/18 Addendum 2
The Process Is Over (TJ McConnell)
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/tj-mcconnell-nba-sixers-process
Note: Presented in full, with no edits.
’ll never forget rock bottom. It was December 2015.
We were 1-20, playing the Spurs at Wells Fargo.
I wish I could tell you those guys had Duncan, and Parker, and Manu, and Aldridge, and Kawhi — that they had their whole crew together that night….. it would make this easier. But I can’t even do that. Tim, Manu, Kawhi: all out. So it was our full squad against Aldridge, Parker and their bench.
They beat us by 51.
I remember this one play so vividly. They’d just gone up over 40…. and I was out there stewing. I’m thinking, like — Alright. 40?? No. ##### that. Let’s have some pride. And the winner in me kicks in, you know? That guy who’s won all his life, and grinded his way to the league, and isn’t just going to take a loss like that sitting down. So, yeah, I get the ball and I’m thinking — This is it. Here’s your turning point, Sixers fans. I’m going to take this one myself.
I bring it up past half-court, make a little move to get some space…… and I let it fly.
Airball.
Oh, man. It was just, like, NOPE. The whole arena started booing — our own fans. And it’s funny but I remember not even being fazed. I’m pretty sure I even gave the crowd one of those nods, you know? Just sort of saying, Yep. No….. that’s about right. Keep those boos coming. We really are pathetic.
We really were pathetic.
And I know that’s not much of a story…. or at least not a very exciting one, anyway. But I wanted to start with it because it helps me make this one, specific point — a point that’s really important to me. Which is: I think a lot of people misunderstand The Process.
I think a lot of people, they hear about The Process, or read about it, or see an opinion about it or whatever, and they get some idea in their head that we did this almost, like, special version of losing. That we had this supposed "master plan" of ours, you know? And that we became almost smug about our losing, in a weird way.
It’s there in the slogan, right? "Trust the Process" — we believed that to our core. But honestly, to us, it didn’t mean anything fancy at all. I think to us it just meant, like, stay the course, man. Or be resilient. But then at the same time……. it always felt like, to these people on the outside, "trust the process" meant this whole other thing. To them it meant — O.K., you know that meme, I think it’s the Roll Safe guy, where it’s dude pointing at his head, and he’s smiling?? And then there’s a caption, something ridiculous — but the joke is how he’s always thinking a step ahead? It’s like that. All these people….. I think they kind of decided we were the Roll Safe dude: tapping our heads after every loss, and smiling as if we knew something they didn’t.
"Can’t take an L, if taking an L is part of the plan……"
And look, I’m not trying to play dumb. I get that The Process was based on something very real. And I get that NBA front offices have to do a lot of long-term planning, and have to plan a little differently to stay ahead. I get those things.
But here’s what I don’t think everyone else gets: Losing sucks, man.
It just…….. sucks.
There’s no cool way to lose. There’s no fun way to lose. The team with the most points at the end — they’re the winners. And the other team? I mean………. they can give you all the slogans in the world. They can call it a plan, a process, whatever.
But if you didn’t win — then trust me: you’re just f*cking losers.
And that’s my biggest thing, you know, when it comes to talking about what we’ve built here in Philly. Yes, there was a plan. Yes, it worked. And yes, everyone involved with it deserves a lot of credit. But it was also no guarantee — and that’s because of the thing that everyone discussing The Process always forgets: the human element.
And I just wanted to write this, I guess, as one of the few Sixers who was here for "rock bottom," and who’s still here now…… and really say for the record that The Process — it was never about process, to me.
It was always about people.
It was about people like Coach Brown.
Man, I don’t think a lot of people really even know Coach Brown that well…….. which I guess is how he’d rather have it. But I’ll tell you this one thing about Coach — one thing he did that was genius. He started this……. I don’t even know what you’d call it. A rotation or something? Where every now and then, one of us will get up in front of the team and give this presentation on some topic that we find interesting. It’s like one of those class projects you’d give in middle school……. but with NBA dudes. So for me, I’m a coffee addict — everyone on the team knows it. And I gave my presentation on coffee. Just, like, the history of it, and some interesting facts about it. Like, for example: Did you know that "decaf" doesn’t mean caffeine free?! O.K., fine — mine’s kind of boring. Bad example.
But then some of them are really good, I swear. Like, Ben, he did a great one on Australia, where he’s from, and just telling us about all of the wildlife they have down there, all of these poisonous snakes and insects they have — man, it’s crazy exotic. (I think we all decided to pass on Australia for our next vacation, though. Not trying to see a bunch of dingoes or wombats or killer snakes up close, you know what I mean?)
Oh yeah and then J.J. did one on how [SPOILER ALERT] we might be living in a simulation? WTF. It was unreal. And of course J.J. is the smartest dude any of us know — so by the end of it you’re just like, Holy #####, he might be right. Like how do you explain that we’ve never run into aliens We’re hanging around with all these millions of stars…. millions of solar systems…. and we’ve never crossed up with an alien even one time?? So this theory goes, maybe it’s because an alien is running our simulation. Also Jonah did a dope talk on how evil robots are going to take over the world. That one kind of freaked me out, too.
Bottom line: This is a group of guys who are extremely close. We genuinely like each other, and we ride for each other through thick and thin. And to me? That all starts with Coach.
It was about people like The Process himself.
With Joel, I think people see a certain side of him on TV or on Twitter or wherever. They see the trash talk, the swagger. They see the Phantom mask. They see this crazy-tall, crazy-agile big man lighting guys up for 35, then dragging them on IG postgame. And it’s just like……. O.K., come on. That can’t be for real. Is that for real??
I’ll tell you a quick story. It’s last season, and I’m out with a shoulder injury……. and I’m feeling pretty low about it. Just one of those things, you know? It sucks to not be helping the team. But on this particular night, Joel’s out too, with his eye. So I get a quick text from him, inviting me over to watch the game. It’s just classic Joel — he’s one of these guys who prides himself on being, like, a legit-legit friend. (Not as normal around the league as you might think.)
But then here’s what sets Joel apart even more. After that text? There’s a follow-up.
"Yo — bring your wife, too."
We ended up having the greatest night.
And by "we ended up having the greatest night," do I mean, "I had a nice, relaxing evening watching the game on Joel’s huge projector screen, while Joel and my lovely wife FOUGHT ALMOST TO THE DEATH over a board game??" Yeah, that’s what I mean.
I think the last words spoken before we left his apartment were Joel — with my wife standing there, just fuming — yelling out, "Nah, you lost. You lost fair and square. Fair AND square. Ask around. I’ve never lost. NEVAAAA."
So, yeah — Joel’s for real.
It was about people like A.I.
Actually I’m really glad that Allen wrote his article here, before I did, because he touched on something in there that I think isn’t exactly common knowledge, but should be — which is that, even to this day, that dude lives and breathes Sixers. You wouldn’t know it, really, because I think he tries to stay out of the spotlight as best he can, to let our current group shine. But it couldn’t be more true.
Here’s an A.I. story that I’ll never forget.
It’s my rookie year, our record is terrible, and we’re playing at home. And you have to understand…. I’m barely on the team at this point. Like, barely — or at least that’s what it feels like. It’s the worst team in the league, and I’m an undrafted free agent turned rookie backup. You get the idea. So anyway, yeah, it’s warm-ups that night, and as I’m stretching out, doing whatever — I make eye contact with A.I. The Answer is on the floor, and he’s talking with some of the guys. I’m a little starstruck, to be honest, so I don’t approach him or anything. But then when he gets done with his conversation, it’s so wild…. he actually comes my way. Literally asks me how I’m doing, like he knows me. Like he’s been watching me. Tells me to keep working hard, keep doing my thing. And then he puts his arm around me, I swear to God — like he’s talking to me one Sixers point guard to another, and no one else should hear us.
And he says, "Hey, man. Hey. We’re gonna be alright."
And then last but not least…… it was about people like our fans.
I don’t know what else can even be said at this point about Sixers fans. They’re patient, they’re loyal, they’re passionate, they’re absolutely 100% insane…. they’re everything, man. From the guys at Ricky Sanchez, to the 80-year-olds with lifetime season tickets, to everyone in between, I’m telling you — they’re just this awesome collection of people, and they love their city, and they love our team.
We love them back.
When we traded for Jimmy, a lot of experts went out of their way to say The Process was over. And that’s cool of them, I guess.
But they were six months late.
The Process ended last season, in the locker room, after our elimination game against Boston.
Not a lot of people realized it — because the perception after that game, and after that series, was that we’d done ourselves proud. We’d won a playoff series against a good Miami team, and then we’d given the Celtics, one of the best teams in the league, a competitive run for five games. Nice little result for a group that was losing by 51 to the Spurs only two years ago, right??
Wrong. No way, man. ##### that. We were DISGUSTED with ourselves after that Boston series ended. Disgusted. There was no locker room speech, no comforting words, no we can build on this vibes. The media wanted that from us, I think, but I’m telling you — that just wasn’t how we felt, on our end. For us it was pure disgust. We’d won 16 in a row to close out the regular season. We had the entire city behind us. #FreeMeek was happening — finally, for real. Everything we’d been working for, those last few seasons…….. it wasn’t "right around the corner" or whatever. It was right there. We had it.
And that’s how I knew The Process was over.
Because the purpose of The Process, all along, was to build a championship-caliber team. And I don’t care what anyone else thinks — or whose timeline anyone else is on. That team we had last year??? It was championship-caliber. Straight up. It was, when we walked into Boston…… and it was, when we walked out. The Cavs, the Rockets, the Warriors — I’m not going to say those guys didn’t want to see us….. but I’ll say this: We were a matchup nightmare for a lot of great teams last year. Trust me.
If we’d made it any further, we were going to be a problem.
So where does that leave us this year? Man, I don’t know. I don’t want to sound cocky……. but I like this team a lot.
We’ve got three of the 10-to-15 best players in the league, in Joel and Ben and Jimmy — I firmly believe that. And they’re only getting better, and better at playing with each other. We’ve got one of the most underrated players in the league in J.J. (I’m not sure why people talk about our Big 3, when it’s a Big 4.) We’ve got a bunch of young, hungry, talented role players. We’ve got a great head coach, with a great staff behind him.
And we have the best fans in the world.
But almost as important as all that, almost as important as who we are — it’s where we’ve been. We’ve been through it, man. All those bad years? We’ve been through them together. And you’re seeing that, now, I think, in what kind of group we’ve become on the other side.
So when I say this team is "championship or bust," you know, please don’t take it as arrogance. I know how many great teams there are in this league, and I know that no matter how talented we are, or how hard we play, or how strong our chemistry is — the odds are stacked against us.
But I also know this: "championship or bust" — it’s just a fancy way of saying "win or lose."
We’ve done plenty of one.
And we’re getting pretty damn good at the other.
Today's 76ers links 12/20/18 Addendum 2
The Process Is Over (TJ McConnell)
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/tj-mcconnell-nba-sixers-process
Note: Presented in full, with no edits.
’ll never forget rock bottom. It was December 2015.
We were 1-20, playing the Spurs at Wells Fargo.
I wish I could tell you those guys had Duncan, and Parker, and Manu, and Aldridge, and Kawhi — that they had their whole crew together that night….. it would make this easier. But I can’t even do that. Tim, Manu, Kawhi: all out. So it was our full squad against Aldridge, Parker and their bench.
They beat us by 51.
I remember this one play so vividly. They’d just gone up over 40…. and I was out there stewing. I’m thinking, like — Alright. 40?? No. ##### that. Let’s have some pride. And the winner in me kicks in, you know? That guy who’s won all his life, and grinded his way to the league, and isn’t just going to take a loss like that sitting down. So, yeah, I get the ball and I’m thinking — This is it. Here’s your turning point, Sixers fans. I’m going to take this one myself.
I bring it up past half-court, make a little move to get some space…… and I let it fly.
Airball.
Oh, man. It was just, like, NOPE. The whole arena started booing — our own fans. And it’s funny but I remember not even being fazed. I’m pretty sure I even gave the crowd one of those nods, you know? Just sort of saying, Yep. No….. that’s about right. Keep those boos coming. We really are pathetic.
We really were pathetic.
And I know that’s not much of a story…. or at least not a very exciting one, anyway. But I wanted to start with it because it helps me make this one, specific point — a point that’s really important to me. Which is: I think a lot of people misunderstand The Process.
I think a lot of people, they hear about The Process, or read about it, or see an opinion about it or whatever, and they get some idea in their head that we did this almost, like, special version of losing. That we had this supposed "master plan" of ours, you know? And that we became almost smug about our losing, in a weird way.
It’s there in the slogan, right? "Trust the Process" — we believed that to our core. But honestly, to us, it didn’t mean anything fancy at all. I think to us it just meant, like, stay the course, man. Or be resilient. But then at the same time……. it always felt like, to these people on the outside, "trust the process" meant this whole other thing. To them it meant — O.K., you know that meme, I think it’s the Roll Safe guy, where it’s dude pointing at his head, and he’s smiling?? And then there’s a caption, something ridiculous — but the joke is how he’s always thinking a step ahead? It’s like that. All these people….. I think they kind of decided we were the Roll Safe dude: tapping our heads after every loss, and smiling as if we knew something they didn’t.
"Can’t take an L, if taking an L is part of the plan……"
And look, I’m not trying to play dumb. I get that The Process was based on something very real. And I get that NBA front offices have to do a lot of long-term planning, and have to plan a little differently to stay ahead. I get those things.
But here’s what I don’t think everyone else gets: Losing sucks, man.
It just…….. sucks.
There’s no cool way to lose. There’s no fun way to lose. The team with the most points at the end — they’re the winners. And the other team? I mean………. they can give you all the slogans in the world. They can call it a plan, a process, whatever.
But if you didn’t win — then trust me: you’re just f*cking losers.
And that’s my biggest thing, you know, when it comes to talking about what we’ve built here in Philly. Yes, there was a plan. Yes, it worked. And yes, everyone involved with it deserves a lot of credit. But it was also no guarantee — and that’s because of the thing that everyone discussing The Process always forgets: the human element.
And I just wanted to write this, I guess, as one of the few Sixers who was here for "rock bottom," and who’s still here now…… and really say for the record that The Process — it was never about process, to me.
It was always about people.
It was about people like Coach Brown.
Man, I don’t think a lot of people really even know Coach Brown that well…….. which I guess is how he’d rather have it. But I’ll tell you this one thing about Coach — one thing he did that was genius. He started this……. I don’t even know what you’d call it. A rotation or something? Where every now and then, one of us will get up in front of the team and give this presentation on some topic that we find interesting. It’s like one of those class projects you’d give in middle school……. but with NBA dudes. So for me, I’m a coffee addict — everyone on the team knows it. And I gave my presentation on coffee. Just, like, the history of it, and some interesting facts about it. Like, for example: Did you know that "decaf" doesn’t mean caffeine free?! O.K., fine — mine’s kind of boring. Bad example.
But then some of them are really good, I swear. Like, Ben, he did a great one on Australia, where he’s from, and just telling us about all of the wildlife they have down there, all of these poisonous snakes and insects they have — man, it’s crazy exotic. (I think we all decided to pass on Australia for our next vacation, though. Not trying to see a bunch of dingoes or wombats or killer snakes up close, you know what I mean?)
Oh yeah and then J.J. did one on how [SPOILER ALERT] we might be living in a simulation? WTF. It was unreal. And of course J.J. is the smartest dude any of us know — so by the end of it you’re just like, Holy #####, he might be right. Like how do you explain that we’ve never run into aliens We’re hanging around with all these millions of stars…. millions of solar systems…. and we’ve never crossed up with an alien even one time?? So this theory goes, maybe it’s because an alien is running our simulation. Also Jonah did a dope talk on how evil robots are going to take over the world. That one kind of freaked me out, too.
Bottom line: This is a group of guys who are extremely close. We genuinely like each other, and we ride for each other through thick and thin. And to me? That all starts with Coach.
It was about people like The Process himself.
With Joel, I think people see a certain side of him on TV or on Twitter or wherever. They see the trash talk, the swagger. They see the Phantom mask. They see this crazy-tall, crazy-agile big man lighting guys up for 35, then dragging them on IG postgame. And it’s just like……. O.K., come on. That can’t be for real. Is that for real??
I’ll tell you a quick story. It’s last season, and I’m out with a shoulder injury……. and I’m feeling pretty low about it. Just one of those things, you know? It sucks to not be helping the team. But on this particular night, Joel’s out too, with his eye. So I get a quick text from him, inviting me over to watch the game. It’s just classic Joel — he’s one of these guys who prides himself on being, like, a legit-legit friend. (Not as normal around the league as you might think.)
But then here’s what sets Joel apart even more. After that text? There’s a follow-up.
"Yo — bring your wife, too."
We ended up having the greatest night.
And by "we ended up having the greatest night," do I mean, "I had a nice, relaxing evening watching the game on Joel’s huge projector screen, while Joel and my lovely wife FOUGHT ALMOST TO THE DEATH over a board game??" Yeah, that’s what I mean.
I think the last words spoken before we left his apartment were Joel — with my wife standing there, just fuming — yelling out, "Nah, you lost. You lost fair and square. Fair AND square. Ask around. I’ve never lost. NEVAAAA."
So, yeah — Joel’s for real.
It was about people like A.I.
Actually I’m really glad that Allen wrote his article here, before I did, because he touched on something in there that I think isn’t exactly common knowledge, but should be — which is that, even to this day, that dude lives and breathes Sixers. You wouldn’t know it, really, because I think he tries to stay out of the spotlight as best he can, to let our current group shine. But it couldn’t be more true.
Here’s an A.I. story that I’ll never forget.
It’s my rookie year, our record is terrible, and we’re playing at home. And you have to understand…. I’m barely on the team at this point. Like, barely — or at least that’s what it feels like. It’s the worst team in the league, and I’m an undrafted free agent turned rookie backup. You get the idea. So anyway, yeah, it’s warm-ups that night, and as I’m stretching out, doing whatever — I make eye contact with A.I. The Answer is on the floor, and he’s talking with some of the guys. I’m a little starstruck, to be honest, so I don’t approach him or anything. But then when he gets done with his conversation, it’s so wild…. he actually comes my way. Literally asks me how I’m doing, like he knows me. Like he’s been watching me. Tells me to keep working hard, keep doing my thing. And then he puts his arm around me, I swear to God — like he’s talking to me one Sixers point guard to another, and no one else should hear us.
And he says, "Hey, man. Hey. We’re gonna be alright."
And then last but not least…… it was about people like our fans.
I don’t know what else can even be said at this point about Sixers fans. They’re patient, they’re loyal, they’re passionate, they’re absolutely 100% insane…. they’re everything, man. From the guys at Ricky Sanchez, to the 80-year-olds with lifetime season tickets, to everyone in between, I’m telling you — they’re just this awesome collection of people, and they love their city, and they love our team.
We love them back.
When we traded for Jimmy, a lot of experts went out of their way to say The Process was over. And that’s cool of them, I guess.
But they were six months late.
The Process ended last season, in the locker room, after our elimination game against Boston.
Not a lot of people realized it — because the perception after that game, and after that series, was that we’d done ourselves proud. We’d won a playoff series against a good Miami team, and then we’d given the Celtics, one of the best teams in the league, a competitive run for five games. Nice little result for a group that was losing by 51 to the Spurs only two years ago, right??
Wrong. No way, man. ##### that. We were DISGUSTED with ourselves after that Boston series ended. Disgusted. There was no locker room speech, no comforting words, no we can build on this vibes. The media wanted that from us, I think, but I’m telling you — that just wasn’t how we felt, on our end. For us it was pure disgust. We’d won 16 in a row to close out the regular season. We had the entire city behind us. #FreeMeek was happening — finally, for real. Everything we’d been working for, those last few seasons…….. it wasn’t "right around the corner" or whatever. It was right there. We had it.
And that’s how I knew The Process was over.
Because the purpose of The Process, all along, was to build a championship-caliber team. And I don’t care what anyone else thinks — or whose timeline anyone else is on. That team we had last year??? It was championship-caliber. Straight up. It was, when we walked into Boston…… and it was, when we walked out. The Cavs, the Rockets, the Warriors — I’m not going to say those guys didn’t want to see us….. but I’ll say this: We were a matchup nightmare for a lot of great teams last year. Trust me.
If we’d made it any further, we were going to be a problem.
So where does that leave us this year? Man, I don’t know. I don’t want to sound cocky……. but I like this team a lot.
We’ve got three of the 10-to-15 best players in the league, in Joel and Ben and Jimmy — I firmly believe that. And they’re only getting better, and better at playing with each other. We’ve got one of the most underrated players in the league in J.J. (I’m not sure why people talk about our Big 3, when it’s a Big 4.) We’ve got a bunch of young, hungry, talented role players. We’ve got a great head coach, with a great staff behind him.
And we have the best fans in the world.
But almost as important as all that, almost as important as who we are — it’s where we’ve been. We’ve been through it, man. All those bad years? We’ve been through them together. And you’re seeing that, now, I think, in what kind of group we’ve become on the other side.
So when I say this team is "championship or bust," you know, please don’t take it as arrogance. I know how many great teams there are in this league, and I know that no matter how talented we are, or how hard we play, or how strong our chemistry is — the odds are stacked against us.
But I also know this: "championship or bust" — it’s just a fancy way of saying "win or lose."
We’ve done plenty of one.
And we’re getting pretty damn good at the other.
Deamon
Footballguy
Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
Insein
Footballguy
CentralPA
Footballguy
Beating the Pacers, Rockets, and Warriors on the road doesn't happen all that often.
...now they just need to treat Embiid with kid gloves a little bit. The back thing has me worried he'll hurt it worse or hurt something else of significance.
Simmons may be rounding in to the superstar we thought he could be. If he can develop even a decent jumper oooooooooh baby.
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need2know
Footballguy
simmons is starting to take more shots which i like. its the only way hes going to become a better shooter.
Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
rockets game was at home, FWIW, and the Rockets were really shorthanded. but the other 2 were impressive.
fred_1_15301
Footballguy
Do you guys think the Sixers have a legitimate shot to make the finals? I know nothing at all about NBA but I'm looking to make a fun bet on my hometown team. 
Currently they have the 4th best odds to make it out of the east.
Currently they have the 4th best odds to make it out of the east.
Insein
Footballguy
Depends how well this group gels. They have the pieces it looks like. Can they gel and put it altogether in the playoffs. On paper, they're more talented than all the other Eastern teams. But Boston has more experience, Raptors and Bucks have a single player that's playing better than any one on the Sixers. If Sixers can make up for that with good team defense and consistent scoring from the studs, there's no reason they can't be playing GS in June.Do you guys think the Sixers have a legitimate shot to make the finals? I know nothing at all about NBA but I'm looking to make a fun bet on my hometown team.
Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
what % would you consider a legitimate shot?Do you guys think the Sixers have a legitimate shot to make the finals? I know nothing at all about NBA but I'm looking to make a fun bet on my hometown team.
Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
I'm seeing 4/1 odds. I would probably not consider that a good bet.
But sure, they have better than a non-zero chance.
I would say something like:
Raptors: 35%
Bucks: 31%
Celtics: 22%
Sixers: 12%
But sure, they have better than a non-zero chance.
I would say something like:
Raptors: 35%
Bucks: 31%
Celtics: 22%
Sixers: 12%
Insein
Footballguy
modogg
Footballguy
yup, definitely have a legit chance. not sure I would say I would put them as favorites though, lot of question marks. I guess better way to explain is that currently they may not be the best, but I would say their ceiling is higher than anybody in the East. all depends on how much they can grow together in the next few monthsDo you guys think the Sixers have a legitimate shot to make the finals? I know nothing at all about NBA but I'm looking to make a fun bet on my hometown team.
modogg
Footballguy
I think my bias for Philly and against Boston is too strong, but I would switch those 2. Boston sucks. I also may slot them above Milwaukee, or at least have them closer. Toronto is the one that I would have above the other 3 (for now)
