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I love movies, but I am always careful about when I see them in the theaters. I don’t like crowded theaters, so I try to go during off times. With that said, tonight, I am willingly seeing “Gladiator II” on opening night. That’s how excited I am for it.
What the Philly?
The 76ers are really in trouble, everyone
The story of the week has been the 76ers’ disastrous start to this season. Joel Embiid has played in four games, but they haven’t won any of them. Paul George has played in eight games, yet Philly is 1-7 in those – likewise for Tyrese Maxey. Overall, the Sixers are 2-12. That’s the worst record in the league. Entering the season, they had the league’s eighth-best championship odds. They also have the worst offense in the NBA, George just hyperextended his knee for the second time in about a month and there was a team meeting that immediately got leaked to the media.
The Sixers are a trainwreck right now. The information from the team meeting following a big loss to the Heat wasn’t all that damning, really. Maxey told his good friend Embiid he needs to be on time for everything. It sounds like there was good conversation about how players want to be coached and how coaches want the players to approach things.
However, the takeaway from the Sixers about this report was wondering how it got leaked. Embiid called whoever leaked it, “a real piece of s—” (perhaps he was quoting). Embiid then kind of played the victim a bit in his comments while sort of taking accountability for what’s going on. PG spoke on his own podcast with teammate Reggie Jackson about all things Sixers and the team meeting. Both of them couldn’t believe the meeting information got out.
You can excuse so much of the lack of success so far with the injuries, and it’s a real reason why they’re bad. But this bad? That can’t be real. They’ve been eviscerated when Embiid, George or Maxey are on the floor. And the trio has only played six minutes together. Rookie Jared McCain has been their best player on the season. On his podcast, PG said this:
“To be quite frank, he’s been our most consistent player on the floor so far… We definitely have to step our shit up because he can’t be our most consistent player.”
There are two things keeping people from completely burying the Sixers right now. First, I think people still believe that a healthy, in-shape version of this team can be dangerous in a playoff scenario. This team was supposed to contend … for the title, not Cooper Flagg (although their pick is top-six-protected in this lottery). Second, the East is so atrocious that they still have so much time to get into the top six in the conference. They have so much time in general, but the Sixers haven’t shown anything to believe in them yet. Maybe they haven’t had a true chance because of the injuries, but they still need to show us something.
The Last 24
Luka Dončić is out with a wrist injury
🏀 Mavs star is out at least a week. Dončić hurt his wrist in the blowout win over New Orleans. He’ll be reevaluated next week.
🏀 What is each team’s biggest concern so far? The Athletic’s NBA staff has the answers.
🫡 Hubie Brown will call one more game. The 91-year-old legend will be scheduled at some point on ESPN this season for one final celebration. Salute to one of the greatest.
🇺🇸🏆 The Celtics go to Washington! They celebrated their championship at the White House. And owner Wyc Grousbeck shed light on when he might be out.
🤕 Cade Cunningham got hurt. In Detroit’s overtime loss in Charlotte, Cunningham took a hard fall in the fourth quarter and appeared to hurt his tailbone. He didn’t play in overtime. We’ll keep an eye on it.
📺 Don’t miss this game tonight. Pacers (6-9) at Bucks (6-9), 8 p.m. ET on League Pass. Now would be a good time for both to play like they did in last year’s tournament.
The Panic Panel
On a scale of 1-10, how bad is it for Philly?
We’re not done with the 2-12 Sixers! Because this situation has become so dire, I decided to assemble The Panic Panel! Whenever a situation calls for it, TPP can give us a shot of reality. I decided to phone a friend (or five) to ask them a very simple, yet important question:
On a scale of 1-10, how f— are the 76ers and why?
Jason Concepcion | Writer, podcaster and Knicks fan: I have it at 7 and mounting. Why not higher? It’s early in the season, Embiid and PG certainly could start playing better, and McCain is a bright spot. That said, what we’re witnessing is a basketball coup. This is Maxey’s team now. The only way Joel gets it back, is by asserting his dominance by continuing to come in late until HE DECIDES when to come in on time.
Ian Karmel | Comedian, podcaster and writer, and Blazers fan: 7. That’s the highest I can give a Philly team while the Cowboys are this bad.
Pablo Torre | Podcaster and Process Truster: 8. I think it’s safe to say that the Sixers were significantly more fun when they were trying to lose games on purpose.
Mo Dakhil | Writer, podcaster and former NBA video coordinator: 7. It looks like a complete disaster in Philadelphia with all the injuries and the team meeting leaks. That said, if Philly can get healthy, it can go on a run. The Sixers are only four games out of the sixth seed; that’s a good week in the NBA. The challenge is that the turnaround has to begin now, and the margin for error is low. If the Sixers were in the West, this would be a 100 on a scale of 1 to 10.
Jay King | Celtics beat writer, podcaster and Gerry McNamara fan: Forty? Four hundred? Four billion? They are beyond f—. They are built to win now, with Joel Embiid at 30 and Paul George at 34, and have won two of their first 14 games. Even if Embiid and George work themselves back into top form, which doesn’t feel like a given after their hobbled starts, the supporting cast around them does not appear ready for the big time. The 76ers rank dead last in offense. That means they haven’t scored as much as the Trail Blazers or Wizards.
Sure, the injuries have sunk the 76ers, but does anybody trust Embiid and George to both stay healthy? Even Philadelphia’s most promising development, Jared McCain’s immediate readiness, comes with complications. Can a team really defend at a championship level with two 6-foot-3 players in the top four? I haven’t even discussed the locker room, which is already in flames, based on all of the reporting. Though lucky the rest of the Eastern Conference is also in shambles, the 76ers are headed nowhere good.
About Last Night
Magic end Lakers’ six-game win streak
The Lakers were up four points with 27 seconds left in the game after Anthony Davis split two free throws. Then, Franz Wagner hit a layup, and the Magic played the foul game again. They were just desperate to find a win on the second night of a back-to-back in L.A. after the Clippers ended their six-game win streak the night before. Davis then missed both free throws with 18 seconds left, setting the stage for Wagner to be the hero.
He put on his cape and knocked down a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left to put the Magic up 119-118. The Lakers inbounded to AD, who then missed a turnaround 18-footer by a lot. Wagner had 37 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and four steals and outdueled LeBron James in the fourth. He’s been playing out of his mind lately, as the Magic have won seven of eight. LeBron and AD combined for 70 points and 19 rebounds.
Hornets 123 (6-9), Pistons 121 (7-10) in OT: The Hornets and Pistons only play close, tense games apparently. Earlier this season, Brandon Miller got a tip-in at the buzzer to beat Detroit. Charlotte needed him to take over in this one, and he did. Miller scored eight of his 38 points in overtime, after LaMelo Ball fouled out literally one second into the extra period. Ball had 35 points and nine assists. The most impressive part of this game from Miller was definitely snatching the transition lob.
Raptors 110 (4-12), Wolves 105 (8-7): The biggest takeaway from this game on the internet will be the Julius Randle-Rudy Gobert-Anthony Edwards moment. And it was a pretty hilarious/dramatic moment. My takeaway is this Raptors team is starting to get healthy, and they are better than their record. Scottie Barnes had 17 points and six assists in his first game back after missing 11 games. RJ Barrett had 31 points and Chris Boucher had 22 off the bench. Everybody’s takeaway should be that this is the only court the Raptors should have:
Spurs 126 (8-8), Jazz 118 (3-12): If you were wondering why the Jazz are one of the worst defensive teams in the league, just go watch the fourth quarter of this game. They gave up 41 points to a Spurs team without Victor Wembanyama. Eight different players scored in double figures for San Antonio, led by Harrison Barnes’ 25 points. Spurs rookie Stephon Castle had another strong game … LeBron James is taking notice.
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(Top photo: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images )
