Tag: 76ers

Ben Simmons finally explained why he passed up an easy dunk against the Hawks in the 2021 playoffs

Ben Simmons finally broke down the dunk that never was.

The last time we saw Ben Simmons playing basketball it didn’t look good for him. At all. He struggled offensively throughout the 76ers’ series against the Hawks.

The last significant play he made was passing up this *easy* dunk over Trae Young in Game 7. The 76ers were up 78-77 with about 3 minutes left. If he just dunks the ball, they’re up 3 in a game where no one can score. Maybe they actually win the game.

Instead, he passes it up. And the rest is really history. The 76ers go on to lose the game and lose the series as the no. 1 seed. He never plays for the team again.

Now, look. This isn’t necessarily the play that lost the Sixers the game. They played themselves into a hole as a team. But, at the same time, this is the play that sticks out. It’s the one everyone talks about. And it’s the last play of significance we saw from Ben Simmons.

JJ Reddick brought him on his podcast, The Old Man and the Three, to ask him about it. And Simmons explained it all. He basically explained that he thought Trae Young was coming over to him quicker and that Matisse Thybulle would be able to easily dunk it.

He didn’t realize how much space there was between Thybulle and the basket.

Here was his breakdown:

“In the moment I just spun and I’m assuming Trae’s going to come over quicker. So I’m thinking he’s going to come full blown and I see Matisse [Thybulle] going — you know, Matisse is athletic, can get up. So I’m thinking quick pass he’s going to flush it. Not knowing how much space there was.”

He continued to explain his mindset and what went wrong.

“It happened so quick, that you just make a read. And in the playoffs, you need to make the right decisions a majority of the time. It happened and I was like “Ok. F*** now we’ve got to go make another play. That’s what I’m thinking. Then I didn’t realize how, you know, everyone was posting…like, it was that big?” 

And there you have it, folks. That’s the explanation for the dunk that never was. Simmons also had one final point to make about all the blame being placed on his shoulders. “Also, I’m guarding the f******* best player on the other team the whole game.” Which, you know, that’s a totally fair point. He doesn’t deserve as much blame as he’s getting for that loss, even all this time later.

Still should’ve dunked it. But hey. The past is the past. Maybe everyone can finally put this to bed and move on.

James Harden might be taking his offseason diet a little too seriously after throwing a cake in the ocean

James Harden doesn’t want any cake y’all.

James Harden has been on the wrong end of so many weight jokes over the years.

Harden coming into training camp out of shape has been a much-discussed thing for years. Everybody knows he absolutely loves to party. Remember when people swore he wore a body suit after he was traded to the Nets?

He’s really been catching it from all angles for years when people talk about his weight and what sort of shape he’s in after the offseason. But now, clearly, he has had enough.

He’s so fed up with jokes at chatter that he’s tossing birthday cakes off of his birthday party yacht. Seriously. Look what y’all made this man do.

 

Harden is committed to coming into camp in shape and ready for the next NBA season.

That’s cool to see. But, man. Did that cake really deserve that? No idea if it was actually real cake or not, but what if someone else wanted a slice, James? Geez.

Fans thought this was absolutely hilarious. There are probably some fish in that water that don’t, though.

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Nets star Kevin Durant sniffed around Sixers amid trade demands

Reports indicate that Kevin Durant may have began to consider Philly as a possible landing destination amid trade demand from Nets.

Kevin Durant’s trade reiteration with the Brooklyn Nets has opened the door for teams to offer trades for the talented scorer, however, Durant has his own interests in mind as recently he checked out the home of the 76ers, Philadelphia.

Basketball journalist Bill Simmons discussed the trade rumors on his podcast, where he insinuated that Durant really looked into the city of Philadelphia.

“KD and (James) Harden, this is what I heard, they don’t talk after the trade. They basically go radio silent on each other. They run into each other. They hang out all weekend. And by the end of the weekend, KD is sniffing around on Philly. And there’s a whole Philly thing that happens for three days where it’s like basically (Tobias) Harris and Tyrese Maxey and whatever pick and it’s just it’s not even close.”

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This comes shortly after a report came out that the 76ers front office were discussing the possibility of pursuing Durant.

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Report: ‘High-ranking’ Sixers execs interested in Kevin Durant trade

Reports indicate that a rival Eastern Conference team is discussing a possible Kevin Durant trade.

Earlier this week Kevin Durant met with the Brooklyn Nets ownership to reiterate his trade request, obviously it got the attention of another Eastern Conference team, the Philadelphia 76ers – who are reportedly interested in the forward.

NBA insider Ian Begley reports that some members of Philadelphia’s front office are exploring creating a trade package for the sharpshooting forward. “As of earlier this week, there were high-ranking members of the Sixers who’ve felt strongly about engaging with Brooklyn on a Durant trade,” wrote Begley.

There appears to be mutual interest, as well, as Durant reportedly considers Philadelphia a desirable landing spot.

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While teams such as the Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns have been involved in talks with the Nets over a possible trade, no deal’s worked out. Even though none of Durant’s preferred destinations can trade enough to get him, the Sixers may be able to sneak in and offer valuable assets to the Nets.

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Tobias Harris said he was marrying his best friend so, naturally, everyone thought he was marrying Boban Marjanovic

Tobias Harris is marrying his best friend today and, no, he’s not talking about Boban.

Tobias Harris and Boban Marjanovic are best buds. They go waaaaay back — even before the goldfish commercial days.

They were kicking it back during the NBA Bubble days. Even before that, they did a Soul Cycle class together. And they even did the Chicken Noodle Soup together back in the day — don’t forget the soda.

So, yeah, these dudes seem like pretty great friends. One might even say best friends. Their relationship seems pretty awesome.

That’s why when Tobias Harris jumped on Twitter to tell everyone he was marrying his best friend today, everyone seemed to think he was talking about Boban.

It was so bad that he actually had to clarify it.

Everyone was so disappointed. It was hilarious.

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The 76ers traded Ben Simmons months ago and Doc Rivers is still deflecting blame for chasing him out

Doc Rivers wants you to know the Ben Simmons stuff wasn’t his fault

The bridge between Ben Simmons and the 76ers is completely burned down and will (probably) never be rebuilt. We know that. It’s been that way ever since he showed up to practice with Philly last year.

But that hasn’t stopped anyone from continuously revisiting the ground it once stood on.

The latest person to go there is Doc Rivers, who talked about the Simmons situation at length with Vince Carter on his show. Rivers said he had a conversation with Simmons to peace things up between them. Not a “long, long” conversation, but a conversation nonetheless. And, apparently, the two are good after it.

But still, all these months later, Rivers is somehow deflecting blame in the situation. He claims his “one comment” about Simmons had “nothing to do” with why the former 76ers point guard wanted to leave.

There were problems that existed way before Rivers became the coach there, he said, and that was the bulk of it.

“That one comment thing had nothing to do with why Ben wanted to leave. Alright? Let me just say that. It was a lot of things as Ben told me and publicly now that happened long before I got there.”

He’s talking about his comment that he didn’t know if Simmons could be a championship-caliber point guard after the 76ers lost to the Hawks, of course. He then spent months backtracking and snapping at reporters for bringing it up.

Now, he’s saying it had nothing to do with the situation which seems pretty odd considering Simmons decided he wanted out in the direct aftermath of that statement and their loss.

Look, Rivers definitely wasn’t entirely to blame with the Simmons drama. He may not have even been high on the list of people to blame for it. But there’s absolutely no way that comment had nothing to do with it. Nothing? Come on. That’s a bit hard to believe.

One day, maybe we’ll hear all about how things transpired and know exactly what happened from Simmons himself. Until then, though, I’d take this with a grain of salt.

The NBA’s tampering investigation involving James Harden and the 76ers, explained

The 76ers’ new deal with James Harden might get them into some trouble.

Tampering, man. It’s the NBA’s worst-kept secret. In all honestly, everyone does it. Personally, I think it’s fine. But the NBA does not. It’s still against the rules.

That’s why we saw penalties handed down against the Milwaukee Bucks two seasons ago and investigations into the Bulls and Heat last season. Now, in this current offseason, we’ve got the Philadelphia 76ers who are now under the league’s microscope.

The NBA is investigating the 76ers signings from this offseason, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, including James Harden’s.

Despite the 76ers had already traded for Harden, the league is looking to see if the two sides already had an agreement on a contract in place heading into the offseason.

Harden’s pay cut gave the 76ers a ton of cap flexibility this offseason. It’s a big deal. But it might’ve come about by the team breaking the rules.

Let me explain.

Report: Mavericks, Sixers not interested in Nets’ Kyrie Irving

Reports indicate that the 76ers and Mavericks are not interested in a trade for Nets’ Kyrie Irving.

The list of teams willing to part with assets for Kyrie Irving is short, and despite reports that both the Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers are a potential landing spot for Irving, neither team is particularly interested in making a deal happen.

NBA writer Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report reports that sources confirm that Dallas and Philadelphia’s interest in Irving is not as high as expected. He confirms that both the 76ers and Mavs have discussed hypothetical trades but league sources “strongly discounted” their interests in the seven-time All-Star.

This comes just days after a report that the Los Angeles Lakers have not been aggressively pursuing Irving. Despite LeBron James hoping for a reunion with Irving, the team has made zero traction towards a move.

The Brooklyn Nets seem to be patient, waiting for the right trade for either of their disgruntled All-Stars. The team is steadfast in waiting for a trade package that brings another All-Star, a plethora of young talent, or even a slate of draft picks.

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76ers, Heat and Mavericks ‘poked around’ Kyrie Irving sign-and-trade

Reports indicate that the 76ers, Heat and Mavericks had poked around for trade scenarios to acquire Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets.

With Kyrie Irving finally opting-in to his Brooklyn Nets contract, rumors indicate that three teams were “poking around” with sign-and-trade scenarios were the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks.

NBA insider Shams Charania reports that the three teams looking into their rosters for a viable trade package were the 76ers, the Heat and the Mavs.

“Reports indicate that the 76ers, Heat and Mavericks had poked around for trade scenarios to acquire Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets,” said Charania. “But at the end of the day, he made a move where he said, ‘I’m gonna commit. I’m gonna go back to Brooklyn, I’m gonna opt-in.”

Charania made the report on the Pat McAfee Show, just a day following the news that Irving would opt-in for his final year with the Nets.

While rumors circulate that the Lakers haven’t stopped pursuing the seven-time All Star, Irving is still a topic of discussion for some teams around the league. The 76ers, Heat and Mavericks were reportedly the teams who looked into their rosters. The teams considered their trade packages for the former NBA champion.

Who knows if trade rumors for Kyrie Irving will ever be over, but for now it seems like the guard will stay in Brooklyn.

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LAYUP LINES: Kyrie Irving may have lost himself a lot of money last season

Kyrie Irving’s absences are piling up.

Welcome to Layup Lines, our daily NBA newsletter where we’ll prep you for a tip-off of tonight’s action, from what to watch to bets to make. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every afternoon.

What’s good, family. It’s your boy Sykes here to usher you into tonight’s playoff action once again. But before we get into that, a word on Kyrie Irving.

The Brooklyn Nets point guard may have lost himself a lot of money with his elongated absence this season.

fObviously, we didn’t see Irving for most of the season behind his vaccination stance. Irving refused to follow New York City’s vaccine mandate which made him ineligible to play at home games for, pretty much, the entire year.

Initially, the Nets chose to keep him inactive. Then, eventually, he became a part-time player after COVID-19’s Omicron variant ravaged Brooklyn’s roster. It wasn’t until the end of the year that he was able to finally play in home games for the Nets. In total, he played in 29 games this season out of 82. And, clearly, that had an impact on the Nets’ chemistry coming into the playoffs.

That’s a big part of the reason why the Nets are so afraid to commit to Irving long-term. Sean Marks, the Nets GM, told the media that the team isn’t yet ready to sign their point guard to a long-term extension.

Irving has a $37 million player option for next season in Brooklyn. He’ll probably be back with them next year. But after that? It’s a toss-up. Marks said the team needs “people here that want to be here,” and that seems to be a question with Irving.

That’s also part of the reason why Nike is reportedly thinking about cutting Irving’s signature shoe line as well. They still want him around, but just not as one of their stars who stand front and center.

Mostly because, well, he’s just never available.

It’s not even just last season. In total throughout the last 3 years, Irving has played 103 total games out of 226 through 3 years with the Nets. In his first season, he was hurt. And that’s not something anyone can control.

During the 2020-21 season in Brooklyn he took a mid-season break while violating the league’s health and safety protocols. He missed most of his third season because of a personal choice to be unvaccinated.

He’s making personal choices for himself and that’s totally fine. He should absolutely do that. But, clearly, those choices are coming at a cost.

And, right now, that cost appears to potentially be significant.

The Tip-Off

Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.

Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

James Harden gave us a Ben Simmons-esque offensive performance during a win-or-go-home Game 6 against the Miami Heat on Thursday. He only shot the ball twice in the second half. The only difference is he was awful defensively, too. So bad that he should probably burn the game tape.

I just don’t know how Philly can give him a max deal at this point. Our Bryan Kalbrosky has more:

“Harden finished the game with just 11 points (including none in the second half) and 4 turnovers. ESPN’s Tim Legler offered a breakdown of the poor possessions, and — oh boy — it’s nightmarish for Harden. The guard will have a contract negotiation coming up, and it’d be best if no one saw this.” 

Yikes, man. These are trying times in Philadelphia.

One to Watch

(All odds via Tipico.)

Bucks (-1.5, -120) vs. Celtics +100, O/U 211.5, 7:30 PM ET

(AP Photo/Steven Senne)

This series honestly feels like the NBA Finals. It’s an absolute slugfest. We’ve had incredibly close comebacks night after night after night and, honestly, I have no idea who to pick in this one.

But one thing has been clear: Giannis Antetokounmpo is the best player on the floor. And when he wants something done? He gets it done. So I’m not picking against Milwaukee at home tonight. Bucks -1.5 is the way to go.

Who’s in and out?

Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

—Robert Williams (knee) is questionable for Friday night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

—Otto Porter Jr. (foot) is questionable for Friday night’s game against the Grizzlies.

Shootaround

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

— Jimmy Butler is still mad that the 76ers didn’t bring him back and he called them out for it after eliminating them from the playoffs.

— Magic Johnson might really be a master Twitter troll because this is too coincidental.

— Everyone thinks the Lakers should trade LeBron James these days. That includes Phil Jackson.

— Joel Embiid is just as confused as the rest of us on how the 76ers let Jimmy Butler slip away. 

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