Tag: Philadelphia 76ers

Monica McNutt’s rollercoaster of emotions while calling the Knicks’ comeback vs. 76ers was so amazing

Knicks analyst Monica McNutt is SO good at this.

Knicks analyst Monica McNutt had a difficult job during New York’s comeback victory against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday.

While on the radio call for ESPN NY 98.7, she had to stay composed while her play-by-play broadcasting partner summarized the chaos at the end of the game. This resulted in an all-timer of a call on the TV broadcast from Mike Breen.

As the Philadelphia announcers prematurely called it a win for the 76ers, those in the radio booth for New York waited patiently until the finish line. This wasn’t easy, but fans fortunately got a sneak behind the curtain about what it looked like for McNutt to watch the final stretch unfold.

McNutt silently surveyed and studied the game as the clock inched closer to its final buzzer.

While no one was able to hear her during these moments, all the while, her facial expressions indicated she was still experiencing the roller-coaster of a finish that all the fans did as well. She is feeling all the feelings.

After waiting a beat during New York’s marvelous comeback, McNutt was then somehow able to find herself perfectly composed as she provided some excellent color commentary describing what just happened.

“This is unreal. You talk about a team that refuses to quit and has been saying since the last dozen games of the regular season as loudly and proudly as anyone will listen: ‘We will find a way.’ Jalen Brunson has had a flat-out terrible basketball game but knocks down a three to make it a one possession ballgame. The scramble, the rebound, and Donte DiVincenzo — who set a new Knick high in 3-pointers made adds one more in this postseason. Oh my God.”

She did not hold back about how crazy the finish was for the Knicks but still managed to sound far more reasonable with her reaction than most could ever imagine.

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‘Job done’: 76ers announcers made a very premature call before the Knicks’ amazing Game 2 comeback

Oops.

Oooops.

This happens sometimes in sports — a game looks over or a moment happens and an announcer prematurely calls it, only to be wrong.

That happened badly on Monday night, with the Philadelphia 76ers up six points on the New York Knicks with under 47 seconds left. Alaa Abdelnaby said, “The goal is getting homecourt advantage by winning one of the two games on the road. Job done. Let’s head down to the turnpike.”

Kate Scott added that the postgame show would be “fun.” And then? Well, it all fell apart for the Sixers and the job was not, in fact, done as the Knicks scored two threes and won Game 2.

Brutal.

Did Nick Nurse really call timeout before the Knicks’ miraculous Game 2 sequence? The 76ers coach might have a case

Nick Nurse might actually be right here.

Look, I don’t foresee the Philadelphia 76ers winning the grievance over officiating that they’re planning on filing after the Game 2 loss to the New York Knicks. There’s no way the NBA changes anything to cause a firestorm.

But I do think Sixers coach Nick Nurse might have a case to complain about not being granted a timeout during that wild sequence in which the Knicks grabbed the ball back while down two and Donte DiVincenzo hit a stunning three.

While Tyrese Maxey was on the floor, it appeared he might have had possession of the ball for a second while Nurse signaled for a timeout. It was QUICK, but check it out:

Nurse had this to say after the game:

Again, I doubt anything will come of this, but it’s worth noting!

Jimmy Butler directed a stern comment at 76ers’ Kelly Oubre Jr. after sustaining injury during play-in game

Jimmy Butler doesn’t sound too thrilled about his injury.

After he got diagnosed with an MCL sprain on Thursday that will sideline him for the foreseeable future, Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler sent someone a pretty blunt message on Instagram.

Butler got tangled up with Philadelphia 76ers forward/guard Kelly Oubre Jr. during Wednesday night’s play-in game, as Oubre landed awkwardly on Butler’s knee while trying to block the latter’s shot attempt.

Well, Butler either wanted to troll or intimidate Oubre after the incident left him injured, tagging the 76ers standout on Instagram with the comment “we throwing hands” on a post about Butler’s ailment.

That’s certainly one way to respond.

We’re not sure if Butler is just messing with Oubre, or if he’s actually expressing a real grievance over his injury. Either way, this only adds to a building rivalry between the Heat and 76ers in the Eastern Conference.

It’s hard to tell for sure, but the comment in and of itself is fascinating.

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Pacers’ Oscar Tshiebwe headlines 2023-24 G League All-Rookie Team

Tshiebwe was named the G League Rookie of the Year after averaging 15.9 points, 15.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists with the Indiana Mad Ants.

Indiana Pacers center Oscar Tshiebwe and Los Angeles Clippers guard Jordan Miller were among the players named to the 2023-24 G League All-Rookie Team, which was released on Thursday.

Tshiebwe was named the G League Rookie of the Year on April 2 after averaging 15.9 points, 15.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists on 57.3% shooting from the field in 34 games with the Indiana Mad Ants. He led the G League in rebounding and was second in double-doubles (28).

He was also named to the All-G League first team.

Miller was runner-up for G League Rookie of the Year, averaging 20.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, two assists and 1.2 steals with the Ontario Clippers. He ranked fourth in total points (814) among first-year players and 24th in total rebounds (245).

Tshiebwe and Miller are joined by Chicago Bulls center Adama Sanogo, Philadelphia 76ers guard Terquavion Smith and Santa Cruz Warriors guard Kendric Davis, the only player not signed to a two-way contract. Sanogo was also named to the All-G League third team.

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76ers’ Paul Reed just gave the Knicks unnecessary bulletin-board material

The last thing the tough Knicks need is more motivation.

Everyone knows that, on paper, the New York Knicks are a better matchup for Eastern Conference NBA playoff teams this year than the Boston Celtics. It shouldn’t be controversial to think wanting the 50-win opponent over the one that won 64 games is better for your team’s chances.

But if you’re actually one of the players going up against the Knicks very soon, you probably shouldn’t share these thoughts in public. Oh no.

During Thursday’s episode of Run It Back on FanDuel TV, Philadelphia 76ers backup big man Paul Reed came on the show to discuss his team’s recent play-in win and their upcoming first-round series against the Knicks.

RELATED: For The Win’s 2024 NBA playoffs predictions, from dark horses to the NBA Finals. 

When asked about the 76ers’ play-in thought process in potentially playing the Knicks or Celtics, Reed openly said that the Knicks were the “easier” matchup. Again, that’s probably a true statement. But if you’re someone actually playing against that team, that’s not something you should say on television!

The Knicks are one of the best defensive teams in NBA basketball. They make you work for every single inch for all 48 minutes, and they beat you up in the process while doing it. While yes, the Knicks are likely an easier matchup than the Celtics, you typically don’t want to feed tough-nosed teams like them any bulletin-board material.

Good job to Paul Reed. He may have just motivated the grinding Knicks even more.

Doris Burke gave JJ Redick hilarious advice about using Twitter after he ranted about a Joel Embiid criticism

Doris Burke listened to JJ Redick’s Joel Embiid rant and quickly realized the real problem.

Peruse NBA Twitter while Joel Embiid plays on any given night, and you might notice a common theme.

Some fans on the platform like to talk about how the Philadelphia 76ers superstar “baits” for free throw attempts rather than always relying on old-fashioned scoring. This criticism irked NBA analyst JJ Redick, who came to the defense of Embiid as he shot free throws during the 76ers’ play-in win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.

However, as Redick passionately ranted about the unfairness of the Embiid critique, his ESPN broadcast partner Doris Burke noticed a particular tick in his tangent. When pressing Redick about where he got this Embiid criticism from, he revealed he read it on NBA Twitter.

Burke quickly joked that that was Redick’s problem in the first place: He was reading too much Twitter.

We have fair points from both Redick and Burke here.

Drawing fouls against NBA-caliber defenders is a skill, something that is not legislated against by league rules as long there is an actual foul. It’s also just smart because you’re not always going to have a clean shot at the basket, and getting to the line can be integral for your team. Also, someone of Embiid’s listed 7-foot, 280-pound stature probably is getting fouled that much because he’s just so big and strong, and no one can reasonably defend him one-on-one. (Note: Embiid has averaged over 11 free throw attempts per game over each of the last three seasons, which comfortably leads the NBA.)

To Burke’s point, yes, Redick was probably just reading too much Twitter. That is another evergreen lesson for us. Don’t spend too much time, if any, reading other random people’s opinions on social media.

Nets’ Noah Clowney discusses playing in summer league, late-season play

After Sunday’s season-ending 107-86 loss at the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets rookie Noah Clowney discussed his play to end the season.

PHILADELPHIA — Brooklyn Nets rookie Noah Clowney made a big impression on Brooklyn’s fanbase with how he played towards the end of a disappointing season for the franchise. As the Nets sought to give some of the younger players like Clowney more playing time with the amount of injuries piling up, the organization saw some encouraging performances.

“We got potential,” Clowney said after Sunday’s 107-86 loss at the Philadelphia 76ers in the final game of Brooklyn’s 2023-24 season. Clowney put up 16 points, four rebounds, and two assists in the season finale to continue his strong ending to a promising rookie season in the NBA.

“We got a lot of potential and we have to unlock it,” Clowney explained of how much potential he believes that the Nets have. “Obviously no one comes and plans on having another season like this one. I think we learned from it, grew from it. But, the amount of losses we had was just too many. But, I think we learned from it, grew from it, and I think we have potential to be a much better team than I think we displayed.”

To Clowney’s point, the Nets experienced more losing this season than expected given that Brooklyn began this season with a 13-10 record that included some tough, close losses to some of the better teams in the league. However, since then, the Nets were unable to recover from a five-game losing streak that seemingly demoralized the players for the reminder of the campaign.

“It’s good for my confidence knowing I can compete at this level,” Clowney said of what he makes of his performance towards the end of the season. “Obviously I know I need to improve in various areas, but just knowing I can compete with these people.” In April, Clowney averaged 12.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 60.4% from the field and 47.1% from three-point land.

Going into his second season, Clowney, 19, said that he will play in the summer league for the Nets. He did not have the best performance in the summer league as he averaged just 4.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 22.6% from the field and 23.5% from deep.

“I’m just excited to hoop,” Clowney said of playing in the summer league. “I got the best job in the world, to be honest.” One of the interesting things about Clowney and Brooklyn is whether he will be playing power forward next season assuming that starting center Nic Claxton re-signs with the team in free-agency this offseason.

“I think we can be elite defensively,” Claxton explained. “I think we both have things we can work on, but specifically, defending quick guards is something we have to be better at. This summer we’re going to work toward it. And just being able to drive the ball through contact, closeouts, things like that when I’m playing on the perimeter more.”

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Mike Breen had the best call of 76ers fans celebrating free chicken after 2 missed Heat free throws

Hey, free chicken is enough to make anyone excited!

Miami Heat forward Caleb Martin missed two consecutive free throws during his team’s NBA Play-In Tournament game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, and it was a big deal.

Not just for the Heat who definitely wanted the two points, but for the 76ers fans who all won free chicken nuggets from Chick-fil-A out of the moment.

Indeed, the “Bricken For Chicken” promotion gives all Philly fans free chicken nuggets from the fast food restaurant if an opposing player misses two shots from the charity stripe in the second half.

Martin did his part of the job, and ESPN NBA broadcaster Mike Breen did his with a very funny call to commemorate the crowd going wild for the free nuggets.

This is such a fun moment for Breen, who clearly knew how to accentuate the crowd’s reaction with such an endearing call.

Hey, people love free food. Boban Marjanović earned plenty of new Los Angeles Clippers fans when he missed two free throws to give that home crowd free chicken, and Martin did his part to win over some new fans in Philadelphia.

Maybe Breen will, too, with this delightful moment.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN.

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Joel Embiid has a heartwarming reason why he chose to play for Team USA in the Olympics

The 2023 NBA MVP could have also played for France or Cameroon in the Olympics.

Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid will officially represent Team USA during the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Embiid had the unique option to represent the United States, France, or Cameroon (though they have not yet qualified). Even though France is the host nation and he is originally from Cameroon, the 2023 NBA MVP will headline a strong roster for Team USA.

The big man said that he had a simple reason why he chose to accept the offer from United States men’s basketball managing director Grant Hill and play for head coach Steve Kerr on Team USA.

According to Embiid, he made the decision for his son, Arthur.

Embiid said the following last year (via Associated Press):

“I’ve been here for such a long time,” Embiid said in Fort Collins, Colorado, where the 76ers are having training camp — and where Embiid met with Hill this week. “For the past few years, every decision I’ve made has been based on just family. My family, my son, and having the chance to represent a country like the U.S., with my son being born here … I love my home country, but I really wanted to play in the Olympics.”

That is a great reason for his decision! When he officially received his jersey, Arthur was there with him to celebrate.

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