Are the 76ers a THREAT to the Celtics Repeating? w/ Keith Pompey | Big 3 NBA Podcast - video Dailymotion

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Welcome to the Big 3 NBA Podcast! A. Sherrod Blakely is joined by the Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey to discuss the offseason changes made by the Sixers, led by the addition of Paul George; the ever-increasing role/impact of Maxey, and Joel Embiid playing with Team USA despite dealing with health issues late in the regular season.   Get ready for an in-depth analysis of the Philadelphia 76ers' potential threat to the Boston Celtics' reign. The addition of Paul George to the Sixers' lineup brings a new level of versatility and strength, complementing stars like Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. With a focus on defensive prowess and scoring ability, George fills a crucial role left by Tobias Harris, elevating the team's performance.  Join Sherrod and Keith as they delve into Maxey's growth areas, the impact of Andre Drummond as a backup big man, and the evolving coaching strategies under Nick Nurse. Stay tuned to see how these roster changes position the Sixers against fierce Eastern Conference rivals like the Celtics and Knicks in the upcoming season.   0:00 - Intro 1:06 - Paul George's impact 3:18 - Paul George's two-way play 5:09 - Improving Tyrese Maxey 7:00 - Defensive improvements needed 10:53 - Joel Embiid's conditioning concerns 12:59 - Joel Embiid's Team USA play 16:53 - Addition of Andre Drummond 18:51 - Drummond's impact on defense 20:43 - Importance of rest for Joel 25:15 - Incorporating the new guy 28:21 - Olympics selection debate 30:03 - Choosing Derrick White 31:57 - Dislike choosing between brothers 35:36 - Jaylen's response to not being picked 38:51 - Pressure on the Sixers 41:01 - Philly needs healthy Embiid    CLNS Media is Powered by:   Prize Picks - PrizePicks.com/CLNS  Download the app today and use code CLNS for a first deposit match up to $100!   Gametime - https://gametime.co  Take the guesswork out of buying NBA tickets with Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase. Download Gametime today. Last minute tickets. Lowest Price. Guaranteed. Terms apply.  Elevate your style game on and off the course with the PXG Spring Summer 2024 collection. Head over to https://PXG.com/GARDENREPORT and save 10% on all apparel.  Nutrafol Men! Take the first step to visibly thicker, healthier hair. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners ten dollars off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you go to https://Nutrafol.com/MEN and enter the promo code GARDEN!   #celtics #NBA #BostonCeltics The CLNS Media Network is the leading provider for video/audio content. CLNS is a fully credentialed member of the media with access to all NFL/NBA/NHL/MLB teams & venues. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  CLNS' rebuilt their YouTube community in less than 12 months, during a pandemic that attacked sports. Wondering how? Find out here (and support our channel) - https://www.tubebuddy.com/clnsmedia

Transcript

00:00The Big 3 NBA Podcast is powered by Prizepix and the Game Time app.

00:25Welcome to another edition of the Big 3 NBA Podcast.

00:28I'm your host, Sharon Blakely, and coming to you live and direct is the man, the myth,

00:33the legend, Keith Pompey, the award-winning Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

00:37What's going on with you, brother?

00:38Hey, what's good, man?

00:39I'm chilling.

00:40I'm having a good time out here in the desert, but I'm waiting for you to come out and the

00:46fellas and we have a good time.

00:48The team with the team.

00:49We coming out there.

00:50Team, Team Big 3 NBA Podcast.

00:51We're going to be out there.

00:52Me and Gary Washburn are going to be out there at least.

00:53Quanie, nah, she's probably not going to make the road trip this time, but you know, she

00:58will be with us in heart and spirit.

01:02But the thing I wanted to just kind of jump right into with you and just talk about PG-13,

01:06Paul George is in the Philly roster.

01:11There was some rumblings, obviously, before the deal went down that Philly was in the

01:14mix for him.

01:15And you've been around the game long enough.

01:17You don't believe it until it's done done.

01:19But now that he is officially a Philadelphia 76er, what are the Sixers getting with his

01:25addition to the mix?

01:26You know, that's a great question.

01:28You know, I feel like they're getting a guy who's the perfect fit to go along with Joel

01:34Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

01:36Right.

01:37They're getting a wing who can defend, you know, a wing who who can also play off of

01:44other players.

01:45You know, I mean, he's used to being, you know, a part of a all star combo, so to speak.

01:51Right.

01:52So I think that when you get a guy like PG-13 coming into the mix, you're getting a guy

01:57who is going to make you better just because he can play both ends of the floor.

02:02He can make some shots.

02:03He can handle the ball a little bit.

02:06And I think that you're also going to get a hungry player as well, because his legacy

02:11is just like Joel Embiid's.

02:13Here are two guys who are great regular season players who are known for folding in the postseason.

02:19So I think that he wants to change the narrative a little bit.

02:23Yeah.

02:24And he's filling a void that obviously exists when Tobias Harris left, which I mean, you

02:29know, I hate to hate on a brother, but that that ain't going to be a huge void for PG-13

02:34to fill.

02:35No disrespect to Tobias, but, you know, my lasting impression of him was that game where

02:40he, you know, near the very end where he literally looked like he was just out there just sucking

02:46on beer, wasn't taking shots, wasn't doing anything to impact the game.

02:49Paul George is not going to be that kind of guy.

02:51And you touched on one, I think one of the more underrated aspects of his game, and that

02:58is the two way capability that the Sixers are getting.

03:00He may be the best two way player.

03:02I can't think of another way.

03:03You might have one in mind, but I can't think of a better two way player Joel Embiid has

03:07played with.

03:08How do you think that part of Paul George's game, the ability to really play at a high

03:13level defensively as well as offensively?

03:16How do you think that is going to really, you know, impact the Sixers team this year?

03:20You know, I mean, I mean, I got tongue tied because I'm trying to like get it out.

03:28But, you know, like you said, I mean, you look at Tobias Harris, right?

03:32So when you have a guy like Tobias who struggled in his last game and then you upgrade that

03:38with a Paul George, because basically that's who's replacing him, right?

03:43So when you have that capability, it's going to help out a lot.

03:46I mean, there are times when, you know, not just Joel, though, we're talking about Joel.

03:51I think it's going to benefit Maxie more so than Joel, because you have a guy who has

03:57length.

03:58You know, do you have a small guard like Maxie?

03:59You may try to attack him.

04:01You may try to switch him, do some other things.

04:03But when you have a guy like PG, he's going to help out like he's going to he's just going

04:08to be there.

04:09But I also think that with Joel, you know, let's be real.

04:15This might be the best All-Star combo that Joel had or teammate, because when you look

04:21at James Harden, no offense to him, he couldn't guard and James needed the ball.

04:27You look at Ben Simmons, he couldn't shoot.

04:30He was scared to shoot the ball, right?

04:32So when you go down the list and even with Maxie, Maxie is great.

04:37But when you take Joel off the floor, it's easier for you to defend him.

04:42So that's why I also think the Paul George aspect is not just helping MB, it's going

04:48to help Maxie because now you can't blitz Maxie like you used to.

04:53And you have this guy that can knock down shots, who can handle, who can defend.

04:59So it's just not about Joel.

05:02It's about Maxie.

05:04Yeah, and I'm glad you transitioned into Maxie because that's someone I definitely want to

05:09talk to you about.

05:10You know, last year, being an All-Star, one of the most improved players in the NBA, I

05:14thought he was.

05:16But one of the things that when you start looking at guys who are young All-Stars, they

05:20get that first All-Star taste in their mouths.

05:23The thing that most of them do who are going to not just be a one hit wonder, you know,

05:29is that they grow, they improve upon other aspects of the game.

05:33When you look at Maxie and the things that he does really well, what are some areas you

05:37think he needs to kind of work on this offseason to get better so that he can position himself

05:41to be not just a one-time All-Star, but a guy that's in that conversation year after

05:46year after year?

05:47You know, I think the biggest thing is when teams do blitz you.

05:52Now again, you do have Paul George, that's going to help you out.

05:55But typically, you know, Maxie becomes a little bit easier to guard when Embiid's off

06:00the floor.

06:01You know, a lot of teams, the one thing that they try to do is they try to force him to

06:04go left.

06:05Well, you know, so what you need to do is if they're going to do that, I think you need

06:10to work hard on being able to score from that side, right?

06:14He's shown that.

06:15But it just seems like when Joel Embiid wasn't in the game, fourth quarter came, Maxie would

06:21have 30 points through three quarters.

06:23He would get four points in the fourth quarter because they were blitzing him.

06:27He was picking up his dribble, trying to pass it out, doing certain things.

06:31So he needs to work on A, his handball a little bit to get out of those situations, and then

06:37just be able to power through.

06:39I think that's the next step.

06:41Defensively, you know, he's improved on his defense, right, a little bit.

06:46But I think he still needs to work on that, and the reason being is because of not just

06:51Paul George, but the other additions that they have, people are going to try to switch

06:56on Maxie all the time, and they're going to try to take advantage of him.

07:00So to me, it's going left, the blitzing late in the game, and then the defensive thing.

07:09And he showed some progress, but you know how it is, you have to be a little bit more

07:13consistent with it.

07:15Yeah, and that's really, you know, when you talk about being an all-star and someone who's

07:18in that conversation year after year after year, that's what is going to keep you there.

07:23That ability to get better, to show growth, to show improvement, to show that you just

07:27didn't have a good 82-game stretch or 40-game stretch or however many games you played to

07:32be an all-star, but you actually are a legitimate all-star.

07:36And you touched a little bit on it, and I want to talk a bit more about it.

07:39It's just him and Joel really seem to play well, but it just seemed that typically when

07:46you have two really good players who play well together, the goal then becomes to play

07:51great together.

07:52And when you look at this, the way those two play, what does Maxie need to do to just really

07:57kind of strengthen that on-court play, that chemistry that him and Joel, I thought last

08:04season they were much better at it, but it still seems like there's still some room for

08:08them to get even better than they were in terms of working with each other.

08:11What do you think Maxie needs to do from his perspective to really make that relationship better?

08:18I think that sometimes I think that Maxie, he has a habit of deferring a little bit too

08:25much, and I think that he needs to have a better feel of Embiid and what's going on.

08:32And what I mean by that is there's times where Maxie is such a nice guy, he's a great

08:38teammate, that he needs to be a little bit more selfish.

08:42Now, I know that sounds crazy, but Joel wants him to be a little bit more selfish, so does

08:48Nick Nurse. And while he becomes that player, more selfish, it makes it harder to defend

08:55all of them. Because what happens is the big, the second, the power forward is going to

09:00slide away from Joel, and then they're going to have somebody else doing something.

09:04And what that does is it opens up the room, it opens up the area for everyone.

09:09You know what I mean? Like you look at it, a prime example, we're talking about, what

09:13was it, game five up against the Knicks in the first round.

09:20Tyrese Maxie became selfish and the Sixers won that game.

09:24You know what I mean? Well, the next game or the game before that, what happened is,

09:28it's late in the game, Tyrese Maxie has an open shot, but he's like, hey, I'm not the

09:33man. Joel is, he gives it to Joel, Joel attempts to fade away three and they lose.

09:39So to me, I know it sounds like it sounds like kind of crazy to say be selfish, but

09:46he has to, because that's only going to make the Sixers better.

09:50And then it's going to open up better opportunities for Joel.

09:54No, it's not crazy, because when you start looking at the teams that are kind of near

09:59the end of the line, as far as deep playoff runs and contending for titles, they have

10:04multiple guys who figure out that balance between when to be selfless and when to be

10:09selfish. You look at the Denver Nuggets.

10:11I mean, there's no doubt that Jokic is their best player, but there are stretches where

10:15Jamal Murray is like, Jokic, I know you that dude, but I'm taking these next five

10:19shots. So you need to get ready to rebound and kick it back to me because I'm going to

10:24be him. The Celtics, Tatum, I think most people agree is their best player.

10:31But Jalen Brown has figured out when he needs to be that alpha.

10:36And you start going down the line of the top two teams.

10:39They have a clear alpha, but they also have a guy who knows that, you know, I may not

10:43be the man 24-7, but right now it's my shift.

10:47I need to be that guy.

10:49And Maxey, you're right.

10:50I think he does need to kind of figure that out.

10:53And maybe it's just a maturity thing or not maturity, but just something that you

10:58figure out over time.

11:00Maybe that's what you hope for if you're the Sixers fan, because if it's more than

11:04that, he may just be this guy to go out and get you 20 some odd points a night.

11:08But it doesn't really give you those impactful points because we all know there's

11:12certain cats who can go like four for 16 in the game, have 11 points, but they score

11:16nine of those 11 points in the fourth quarter, right when you absolutely need them to

11:21come through. So, but, you know, along those same lines, keep everything at the end of

11:26the day always comes back to Joel Embiid.

11:29He's going to be the focal point of what they do.

11:32Whatever success this franchise has, he's going to have to be the one driving that

11:37train. And, you know, I was reading some comments that he made recently with Team USA

11:42and talked about how, you know, him and Steve Kerr are figuring out just a way to kind

11:46of ramp him back up to being, you know, playing the kind of way that he wants to play,

11:51playing the minutes that he wants to play.

11:53And it got me to thinking, like, wait a minute, this brother is basically saying he's

12:00not quite in great basketball shape before we even get to the regular season.

12:08So if you have a deep tournament run, which Team USA probably will, is there a concern

12:14that he may not be in the best of shape when camp starts?

12:16And if that's the case, how concerned should the Sixers be about his condition?

12:20Because there's always something they're concerned about, I know, to some extent.

12:23But with him having this extra layer of basketball, Team USA to play, is there a

12:29concern that he may not be in the shape that they would ideally want him to be in?

12:33And for that matter, he would ideally want to be in going into the regular season.

12:39You know, I think the fact that he's playing for Team USA is if everything goes

12:47according to plan, meaning if he doesn't get any injuries, if I'm the 76ers, I'm

12:52elated, because that means that this is going to be the first time in several years

13:00that Joel Embiid is showing up to training camp in some sort of basketball shape.

13:06You know, the last couple of years he had injuries, he got married, he did other

13:11things that really he wasn't able to play.

13:15I'm with you.

13:16It is kind of disappointing to see.

13:18And then last night you saw he didn't look like he was in shape at all when they

13:23played that game against Canada.

13:26But if I'm the 76ers, I'm saying to myself, like, you're sitting there, Nick

13:32Nurse, Darryl Morey, Elton Brand are praying before every game.

13:37And then after the game, they're saying, thank you, Jesus.

13:39Thank you, Allah, whomever.

13:41Right. Because you're elated that the guy didn't get hurt.

13:45Because I'm telling you, Sherrod, it's been years.

13:48Like what they do is like he's saying this stuff now is like they figure out ramp

13:53ups, like everybody else is playing in preseason games and he's not, you know, he's

14:00like not really practicing.

14:01He's using the first like 10 games of the regular season to get back in shape.

14:06So this might be the first time that, you know, it's going to work out.

14:11So if I'm the Sixers, I'm a little excited and happy to be honest with you.

14:17And that's sad, but it is what it is.

14:19It is.

14:20And that ramp up that you talk about, you know, it may not seem like that big a

14:24deal, but when you are trying to do what they are, which is make a deep playoff

14:29run, position yourself to win a championship.

14:30That means, frankly, winning as many games as you should win and maybe win some

14:35you're not supposed to.

14:36And when you're giving away games early on because your best player is not ready

14:39to be the best player for your team, you're going to catch an L or two that you

14:44probably shouldn't that if you've the season, you know, ends and you're like a

14:49game and a half out of having a higher seating and a better, more favorable

14:54matchup, you're going to be like, man, if we could have just won another game or

14:58you think like, damn, my best player, he wasn't ready to start the season.

15:01And this is when that comes back to bite us in the ass.

15:05I do worry about Joel's health because when he's healthy, there are very few

15:08players that are more dominant than him, particularly when you talk about his

15:12ability to defend his ability to score on a block and his ability to score from

15:16the perimeter.

15:17Few players with that kind of bulk, that kind of girth, that kind of physical play

15:23can dominate the way he can.

15:25And, you know, it's been to the benefit of his foes that he has not been a

15:29hundred percent when the games matter most.

15:32And again, as you pointed out, Keith, I mean, he was fighting through some things,

15:36you know, in the playoffs last year and wasn't in his best shape.

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16:54And with some of the additions they made specifically, he now has a legitimate

16:58backup big man who puts up big man type numbers, has done so, has a former all

17:04star in that regard.

17:06How much is that going to help Joel?

17:08And specifically, will the Sixers look to do a little bit more load management type

17:15schedule with him?

17:16Now that they've got a guy that, in theory, you could throw him in, you could throw

17:20Andre in there for like 10, 15, 20 games to start and he's not going to kill you.

17:24Yeah, I think this benefits the Sixers big time.

17:28I mean, Andre Drummond is a guy who they've been trying to get back since they

17:32traded him to Brooklyn.

17:35Do you remember what they got for him when they traded him?

17:38Wow. That was in the James Harden deal.

17:41So what they did is they traded him, Seth Curry.

17:46And Ben Simmons.

17:48And they got back, they got back and I think they gave up.

17:52So yeah, they gave up draft picks too, dude.

17:54Right. They ended up giving up last year's first round pick.

17:57Right. So and they got back.

18:01It was two guys, Paul Milsat, who they wanted him to be the backup center and that

18:07didn't work out. And they ended up having to sign in DJ who played for the, oh my

18:13gosh, what's his name, DJ who played for the Clippers.

18:18Not Doja, Mbama or something?

18:20Nah, nah, DJ, he played for the Clippers and then he was with the Lakers and that

18:25didn't work out. Oh man, you know what I'm talking about.

18:28He used to, the guy who was about, he was about to go to Dallas and Doc and them

18:35didn't let him meet with Dallas.

18:37Oh my God.

18:38Oh yeah.

18:39What's he played at Texas A&M?

18:42Yeah, yeah.

18:43I didn't talk about him.

18:44Yeah, yeah. So that's what they got.

18:46But yeah, that's what they, but no, they got him in the buyout market.

18:49But but anyway, so he's a guy that's going to help them from that.

18:54He's going to and also a guy that they have faith in who can start some games.

19:00I mean, the problem in the past was, you know, you saw it.

19:03You know, you had Paul Reed who played, had some solid games.

19:07But for the most part, whenever Joel Embiid wasn't on the floor, it became a

19:11layup line. And when you have a guy like Drummond, you know what I mean?

19:15He's he can, you know, protect the room.

19:18He has a big body.

19:19He's going to grab rebounds.

19:21He's going to do a lot of things and it's going to enable them to rest and be it's

19:27going to enable him to have the confidence and stuff to say, well, they have to say

19:32like, look, OK, maybe I don't have to play on this back to back just because, you

19:37know, we have Drummond and, you know, then they won't need me as much.

19:42The only thing is, I feel like personally, like, you know, you know how Joel is.

19:48It's going to be sometimes when Joel going to look at it and be like, look, y'all,

19:52I'm trying to win the scoring title.

19:54I'm trying to do this.

19:55I'm trying to do that.

19:56And it's going to be in the past.

19:58It always been this way.

19:59Shirai, there's been a day where Joel was supposed to miss a game.

20:04And then at the last minute, he's telling them now I'm playing.

20:07So, you know, it's going to be up to Nick Nurse and them to be like, nah, you're not

20:12playing today.

20:13You're not playing.

20:14But they do have the luxury now to rest them up.

20:19And I think, you know, for I think for Joel, if they can see some some success with

20:27that, like if he's sitting out a game here and there and Andre goes in there and does

20:31this thing and they win and it becomes clear that he's got a backup that can

20:37step in in a pinch and help them win games, I think it becomes easier for him to just

20:43kind of sit back and take a night off, knowing that this is going to be good for him

20:49long term, that this that means less wear and tear on his body.

20:51That means when you get to April, hopefully you can keep playing well enough so that you

20:55can see May and then maybe June.

20:58Hopefully he's at a point where he can see the big picture, because I know, you know,

21:03Al Horford, you know, when the Celtics first were really trying to convince him about

21:07load management, Al did not like that at all.

21:10Al's one of the I mean, Al's old school.

21:12He's you know, I mean, Al knows is from that era when if you miss the game, only if

21:18you were hurt to the point where you could not play, not whether you couldn't play

21:22well, you could not play.

21:23That's when you missed the game.

21:25And now the idea of missing games just because they want you to get some rest.

21:29It took Al a minute to adjust to that, but ultimately they kept selling Al in a concept

21:34that this is going to make sure that you are healthy when the games matter most, which

21:38is the playoffs. Hopefully Joel can kind of get that message.

21:42But the point that you made, which I think is interesting, Nick Nurse ultimately has

21:47to be that he needs to be that voice to tell NB, no, you ain't playing tonight and

21:52we're not going to. This is not a conversation.

21:54This is that's a that's a direct order.

21:57How has Nick Nurse, from your perspective, grown or evolved or changed or modified to

22:03where he's got a better command of the team?

22:06Because when you're even with a championship that he got in Toronto, it still felt that

22:10he was kind of learning how to deal with them and how to manage those Eagles.

22:14And they were still learning how to work with him as well.

22:16How is that process looking at this point?

22:19You know, it's a great question because it's weird because when Nick first came here,

22:24you know, he wanted to run more of like I want to say like a motion offense, like

22:30where everyone touched the ball.

22:33You know, it was more free flowing.

22:35Like if you had a shot, you would take it.

22:38Right. And then all of a sudden, you know, Joel, like pointed out certain things to

22:43him. But then he realized that the combo that he had of the two man game with Maxi

22:48and NB was gave them their best chance of winning right in the regular season.

22:53So it was more or less to me, he took suggestions from the guys and then it got to a

23:01point where, you know, everyone wasn't happy if you weren't the star player, but it

23:06worked. And then it got to a point where when they went out, he when NB got hurt, then

23:14guess what? He switched the offense up again.

23:17And it got to a point where there's certain guys like Kyle Lowry came and other people

23:22and they realized that if you listen to Nick Nurse and you do what he says, you're

23:29going to get some results.

23:31You know what I mean? So I feel like he did get the command of him.

23:35Now, initially, guys were, you know, some guys were a little upset.

23:39You know, they didn't like they didn't like to see their roles dwindle away.

23:44But I think that he the fact that he was able to go from one style of play to another

23:51one that benefited NB, then Maxie, then when NB goes out, you go to a different one,

23:56then you get, you know, new trade guys.

23:59I think they did five different things last year.

24:02And I think because of that and they had success along the way.

24:09I think that he does have command of it, right?

24:12He does. Now, again, the tricky part is, Sherrod, is, of course.

24:18You got you only got to do that, you're really going to use it.

24:23They only have three players from last year's team coming back or I take it back.

24:28You got now you got four because you got Kelly Oubre.

24:30Right. So the real test is going to be what is Caleb Martin going to feel like?

24:38What is Paul George going to feel like?

24:40What about Drummond?

24:41Because this team is completely different.

24:44We know that Maxie and NB are going to be happy because they're going to one guy is

24:49the number one option and the other guy has the ball in his hands.

24:52So that real test is going to come.

24:55How are these guys going to come in and feel like, you know, am I being utilized the

24:59right way? You know, am I going to be utilized the right way?

25:03So that's that's tough on him because he got to find like, let's be real.

25:07He has to find a way to incorporate Paul George to where Paul George is happy.

25:15You know what I mean?

25:16Because he's the new guy.

25:17You got to incorporate him.

25:19Yeah, and and that, you know, and we we've been in the league long enough to know that

25:24when you bring a new guy in, it usually takes some time for them to figure out where they

25:28fit in and what can they do and what can they not do?

25:30What does the team need and what does the team not need from them?

25:34That that's that's a that's a really, really big deal.

25:37And you mentioned Caleb Martin, the Celtics Celtics fans.

25:41Hey, Caleb Martin.

25:42They do Caleb Mark Caleb Martin's best basketball in his life has come against the

25:46Celtics, specifically matched up with Jason Tatum.

25:49The year that they jumped out to that three lead in the year before that were Miami beat

25:54the Celtics in a conference final.

25:55Caleb Martin played maybe the best five, six, seven stretch of basketball in his life.

26:00And Celtics fans, they look at him going to Philly, the thing like, OK, this is Philly's

26:04way of trolling the Celtics by signing a one dude who, you know, he he balls out against

26:11the Celtics. I mean, he is not afraid.

26:12And then it got a little testy last year because Caleb had a hard foul against Tatum and

26:18Jalen Brown got in his face basically saying, yeah, that's not happening here.

26:23And so it's it's to me, it's perfect that he's a Philly now.

26:27He's a Philly guy because he already asked it into the angst and in the nastiness that

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28:19But I wanted to, you know, I just wanted to talk a little bit about the Olympics.

28:24We touched on with Joel Embiid, but we all and we kind of alluded to, you know, Kawhi

28:28Leonard. You know, he's no longer with the team getting ready for the season in the

28:31Clippers, which, you know, this brother in load management, really, he's load managing

28:37for the race. Basically, he's been load managing for his all but maybe two, three

28:41years of his career, it feels like.

28:42But the selection committee after Kawhi left, they decided to add the Celtics, Derek

28:49White, who really, really good player, one that led the league in blocked shots by a

28:54guard, really all NBA defender, good player.

28:58But there was some chatter about another Celtic who probably should have made or

29:05certainly an argument could have been made for them as well.

29:07And that is the Eastern Conference Finals MVP, the NBA Finals MVP, Jalen Brown.

29:14And Jalen has some interesting social media posts, you know, kind of, you know,

29:19wondering what just happened.

29:21You've seen both of those guys play, you know what they can do.

29:25If you're the Olympic committee and you're picking you got to replace Kawhi Leonard,

29:29would you have gone with Derek White or would you have gone with Jalen Brown?

29:33You know, that's a, you know, I hate that they had to decide between the two.

29:39But when I look at it, I think I would have gone with Derek White.

29:44And this is my reason.

29:48Is Jalen Brown the best player?

29:50Yes.

29:51Is Jalen Brown deserve to be on that team?

29:55No doubt about it.

29:57But when I look at the things that Derek White can do, Jalen Brown is a guy that's,

30:05you know, you're going to want him.

30:06He's going to score.

30:07He's going to do all these other things.

30:09But then I look at you got Ant-Man, you got a couple other players who are similar.

30:14You got your teammate Tatum.

30:15You got your teammate Tatum.

30:18But when you look at Derek White and you'll say, look, bro, we need somebody to come in

30:23here and you ain't going to get no shots probably.

30:27But you're going to just guard, you're going to do all this selfless stuff.

30:32People aren't going to recognize you.

30:34You ain't going to get no interviews.

30:35You ain't going to get no interviews probably, right?

30:38But guess what you're going to do?

30:40You're going to ball out.

30:41Like it's the same reason why Drew Holiday is starting, because you need somebody out

30:47there that's going to do the dirty stuff, that do the unhurled stuff.

30:51And I feel like as great as the Boston Celtics team was this year, there was two dudes or

30:59three dudes who got a lot of the accolades.

31:02And I'm talking about Tatum, Brown, and Chris Pops.

31:06Got it, right?

31:07And then Al, everybody loves Al.

31:09But I'm telling you, they would not have won that championship, in my opinion, if it wasn't

31:16for the selfless stuff that Derek White and Drew did.

31:22So again, popularity, you got to go with Jalen.

31:28But if you already got LeBron, Ant-Man, Steph, Tatum, all these other guys on the team, you

31:39need a guy that's going to be there that's like, you know what?

31:43I'm just trying to win.

31:44And I'm going to do everything in the power to help y'all win.

31:48But the one thing's right, I'm going to say this, I don't like that they had to choose

31:53between the two.

31:54I don't like that at all.

31:56Because I feel like when I think of these two guys, these two brothers, I think of them

32:03going to Colorado in the preseason to see a football game.

32:07I think of two smart brothers who get along from what I see.

32:11And then all of a sudden, you pick them one over the other one, and then some feelings

32:17can happen.

32:18It's kind of like with Dallas.

32:20And remember when they said Brown was the best player?

32:23And what that was supposed to do, it was supposed to be divisive for the team.

32:28And then it didn't work.

32:31It backfired.

32:33So now you see it, and then you see Brown tweeting or saying something.

32:40I just don't like it, man.

32:42I'm going to be honest with you.

32:43Because all I see is two brothers who win.

32:46And guess what?

32:47Brown has ascended to the man.

32:50But what you need to do is just let this motivate him and realize that Derek, he's

32:58just going to do stuff that's above your pay grade.

33:03I mean, below your pay grade.

33:07But they want him to be a role player and do things.

33:10Are you going to be happy with not getting any shots and just DM people up?

33:15And then when you get the ball, pass the ball, and then just be as a space setter.

33:21You know what I mean?

33:22So yeah, you want to get that medal.

33:25But dude, it's below your pay grade.

33:29And no offense to Derek, but it is.

33:33You're a star now.

33:34They want him to be a role player.

33:36Right, right.

33:37And that's, you know, when you talk about teams that win championships, whether it's

33:40an NBA title, Olympic gold medal, you need to have a couple guys who are just out there

33:44to do whatever is asked of them, with no questions asked.

33:48And that's kind of been Derek White's MO since he's been with the Celtics.

33:51I mean, this brother, you know, we've seen this brother get teeth knocked out.

33:56We've seen him get cuts on, I mean, just head cracked open.

34:00And he's like, OK, just stitch me up and I'm going to just keep balling.

34:03And you don't see anyone else, you know, literally throwing their body in harm's way

34:10as often as he does, because all he cares about is winning.

34:13And I know a lot of players say that.

34:15But when you look at their play, you look at their body of work, you look at the sacrifices

34:19that they make, like literally physical sacrifices every game.

34:24Derek White is in a different class.

34:25There's no doubt about that.

34:27And, you know, the Celtics is one of the things that made them such a good team.

34:34Look, I've been around really, really good teams.

34:36And from a talent standpoint, they're right up there.

34:39But from an egoless standpoint, from no egos, that to me was the biggest surprise about

34:44this team.

34:45I mean, at no point did you get a sense that somebody was in their feelings, not even when

34:50people were trying to pit Jason and Jalen against each other all season long, trying

34:55to, you know, kind of get Al into the conversation like, Al, you know, you're coming off the

35:00bench.

35:00Shouldn't you be starting over Brazilians?

35:02And Al's just like, look, I'm just trying to get a chip, y'all.

35:04I mean, I'm not tripping.

35:06Everyone knows what I do, and I'm going to do what I do when I get on the floor.

35:10And that to me is just, you're right, Keith.

35:14I mean, the way that Jalen responded when Derek got picked, that kind of bothered me

35:20a little bit because that was the first crash I had seen all season long of maybe a little

35:28bit of jealousy, maybe a little bit of like, why you and not me-ism going on.

35:33It's going to be very interesting to see what happens when they get into training camp

35:37and Tatum and Brown come back with them gold medals, and they, you know, they flashing

35:42the gold medals.

35:43How is Jalen going to take that?

35:45When talking to people, the thing that everyone keeps telling me about Jalen is this is a

35:51brother that finds a way to be motivated and take things personal and play with a chip

35:55on his shoulder.

35:56And this is just another one.

35:57This is just another way for him to go into the offseason with the mindset that somebody,

36:02somebody don't believe I can ball.

36:05I'm going to show you what I can do.

36:06Winning NBA Finals, I guess that wasn't enough.

36:09Eastern Conference Final, I guess I got to do more.

36:11What do I got to do more?

36:12I got to be even better than I was.

36:15And so it'll be interesting to see how he handles that.

36:18But no matter what, the Celtics are going to be the team everyone's gunning for, and

36:23the Sixers are no different in that regard.

36:26The moves that we've talked about, we talked about PG-13, we talked about drumming, you

36:30know, bringing in Caleb Martin, another guy that kind of fits in the mix.

36:35Are these moves, from your perspective, collectively bringing Philly closer to Boston?

36:39Yeah, it brought Philly closer to Boston, but I still don't think that they can beat

36:46Boston.

36:47And I don't, I don't, I think that if you right now, you know, right now, if we go by

36:53the pecking order, I have Boston, I have the Knicks, and then I have the Sixers in the

36:58East.

36:59And the thing about it is, and I, you gotta, you gotta, and all the, the Knicks and the

37:04Sixers are both making moves to, to defend Boston.

37:09Like, they want to get people who are, they feel like can shut down Tatum and Brown, right,

37:14either or this and that.

37:16So you have the Sixers right now, you have PG, a good defender, you have Caleb Martin,

37:22who, who does very well against the Celtics, right?

37:25Um, but my question is, who's gonna, like, you know, Jason Tatum plays the four, he's

37:34an extremely athletic wing, but Tatum's 6'10", right?

37:40He's just athletic, man.

37:42So my question is, who you gonna put on him?

37:46Like, like, you know what I mean?

37:47Like, you gonna put PG on him, right?

37:50So if you put PG on him, well, who gonna stop Brown, right?

37:55Right now, so as good as Caleb Martin is, and y'all saying the Sixers are saying right

38:01now, or people are assuming right now that he's gonna be the powerful, well, he's the

38:08second shortest dude in the starting lineup.

38:11So you know what I mean?

38:13Like, so we got concerns right now, in my opinion.

38:17I feel like that they still need to go out there and get somebody like Marcus Morris,

38:22Mook Morris was somebody who they were, you know, targeting other people.

38:27But the problem with Mook is, I don't know if he can guard Tatum or Brown, right?

38:33You know what I mean?

38:33You know, he can't do that.

38:35So to me, what the 76ers are doing, yes, they got closer to Boston.

38:42They got closer to the Knicks.

38:44But right about now, with the moves that they made, the pressure is gonna be on the Sixers,

38:51more so than it is the Knicks, and more so it is Boston.

38:55Of course, everybody's gonna say you gotta repeat.

38:57But the fact is, they're making these moves to compete with them.

39:01And now you got the best big three in the Eastern Conference, people are gonna say,

39:06right?

39:07So if that's the case, the pressure comes more so than ever for them to get out of the

39:13second round, something they haven't done, and for them to compete against the Celtics.

39:17But my question is, who's playing the four?

39:20And I know this is positionalist basketball, but let's keep it real.

39:24We're talking about a brother that's 6'10", with guard-like skills.

39:28So you can do that, but he's still 6'10".

39:32Yeah, yeah.

39:33And the thing about Tatum that, you know, I don't think gets nearly enough credit or

39:37attention is the improvement in his postgame.

39:40I mean, Tatum is a beast on that elbow.

39:43When he turns his back to you, I mean, because he can shoot the fadeaway, he's got a good

39:47enough handle where if he gets you on that elbow in an iso situation, he can beat you

39:51off the dribble.

39:52He's shown the ability to move without the ball.

39:56And the Celtics, Drew Holiday and even Jalen Brown, they're finding him on cuts to the

40:00basket.

40:00He's become a lethal scorer.

40:02He's not just a guy that catches and shoots threes anymore, or looks to kind of, you know,

40:07dance with the ball and try to go to the rim.

40:09He's finding different ways to score and impact the game.

40:12But to your point, I mean, Philly, when you look at the moves they've made, there's no

40:18doubt that they're targeting, what can we do to close the gap between us and Boston?

40:23And, you know, one of the things I want to play a quick game with you, I like to call

40:27fill the lane, and I'm going to read a sentence to you.

40:31I'm going to leave a blank in that sentence, and you need to fill that blank.

40:34So here's a question, or here's a sentence.

40:37Philly needs to blank in order to move past the Celtics and emerge as a team to beat in

40:43the East.

40:45Wow.

40:46Philly needs to, oh, that's a good one.

40:53Philly needs to have an extremely healthy Joel Embiid.

40:58That's the first thing.

41:00Yeah.

41:01Yeah.

41:02Yeah.

41:03Because, I mean, we've seen what that looks like.

41:05And one of the things, if there is an area of weakness with the Celtics, it's their big

41:11man depth, because right now you've got Porzingis, who's going to be out for the first few weeks,

41:16maybe a couple of months of the season, recovering from surgery.

41:19So now you've got Al Horford as your starting center, which, you know, if this were 2014,

41:24that wouldn't be so bad.

41:26But it's 2024, and there's a lot of miles on those tires.

41:30So he doesn't impact the game quite how he used to.

41:33And then you look behind him.

41:35You've got Luke Cornett.

41:37Then you've got, you know, Nemus Keita, the first, you know, young guy who shows a lot

41:44of potential.

41:45But Joel, you ain't potentially going to cut it against Joel.

41:50I mean, that's, you know, Joel sees that dude coming to the game, and he's just like, OK,

41:55chicken, time to get some chicken.

41:58It's time to eat.

41:59And that's the problem, I think, that the Celtics will have against a team like Philly

42:03if, you know, with Porzingis out, because Porzingis at least can help you stretch the

42:06floor because he can shoot threes, even if he can't bang like he would with Joel.

42:11But you're right, though.

42:11I mean, a healthy Joel, we've seen what that looks like.

42:14And if he can stay healthy, Maxie can play with a little bit more swag, you know, when

42:20Joel is out of the game, as well as when he's in there.

42:22And Paul, you know, George makes a relatively seamless transition to this team and understands

42:28his role and plays it at a relatively high level.

42:31Yeah, Philly could be a problem.

42:33It can absolutely be a problem.

42:36And I personally would love to see the Celtics and Philly meet in the playoffs because that

42:39means I'm going to Philly.

42:41And that's a good thing.

42:42I'm a big fan of Philly.

42:44Go Eagles, my team.

42:46So slip that in there.

42:48But like I said, this is a great conversation because this is something we will absolutely

42:55be paying attention to because, you know, the Celtics, they may be in a driver's seat,

42:58but they are definitely keeping an eye on who's in that rearview mirror.

43:02And Philly is right there with New York.

43:04I agree with you.

43:05I don't know if there's a whole lot of distinction between those two.

43:09I think, you know, it may very well come down to which of those two is the healthier team

43:13to be the bigger challenge to the Celtics this year.

43:16But all I know is we got an exciting season coming up.

43:20Good teams, good players, good drama.

43:23Not a Caleb Martin is with this Philly.

43:24So that Philly rivalry is going to be even more feistier than ever.

43:28So, well, look, that is it for this episode of the NBA.

43:34Excuse me, the Big Three NBA podcast.

43:36Want to give a quick shout out to our good friend PrizePix, the exclusive daily fantasy

43:40partner of CLNS Media Network, and also our friends at Game Time, which takes the guesswork

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44:00Terms apply.

44:02That's it for this episode.

44:03I want to thank our guest, Keith Pompea of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

44:07You can check out his award winning work online.

44:10And if you're in the Philly area, pick up the newspaper.

44:12They actually still print newspapers, y'all.

44:15So if you're in the Philly area, definitely check out my man's work.

44:18He's doing great work and he's out in Vegas doing his thing.

44:21And I will be joining him in Vegas in a few short days to bring you some of the Celtics

44:25summer league action as well.

44:27So again, for Keith Pompea, this is Sharon Blakely.

44:30This is the Big Three NBA podcast.

Are the 76ers a THREAT to the Celtics Repeating? w/ Keith Pompey | Big 3 NBA Podcast

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