You're listening to rewind, they'll listen back on press conferences, highlights and analysis from the seventy sixers previous game. The seventy Sixers opening a season with a victory for the first time since Brett Brown's first game on the sidelines in two thirteen. The final score one oh seven ninety three. The Sixers knock off the Boston Celtics as they opened
the air in good form. This was a game the seventy Sixers had to grind through to get to the finish line and get a win, but they managed to do that. Early on in the first half, Boston was able to seize control. They went up by as many as eight points. Sixers weren't getting some outside opportunities or jump shots to fall, but you know it. Down the stretch of the second quarter, Ben Simmons lit a fire on consecutive baskets. The Sixers win. In the locker room,
they regrouped. They were up by one ninety eight going into the third and they didn't lose any steam whatsoever. A thirteen nothing run bridging the second and third quarters got the Sixers into the driver's seat and they never let up. And again, as I said, what began as a grinded out type of game ended as a very solid, convincing finish one oh seven ninety three. There was some great balance by the starting unit, in particular in tonight's
game for the seventy Sixers. Twenty four points for Ben Simmons, his highest total ever in the first game of a season for him. He also had eight rebounds and nine assists. Josh Richardson with seventeen points, one of several Sixers who got to the free throw line frequently. He was a perfect nine for nine from the stripe. Sixteen for Al Horford, the bell ringer to open the game tonight against his old squad. Fifteen points, thirteen boards for Joel Embiid I
think maybe the biggest number for him. He only played twenty three minutes plus sixteen and winning fashion. He also had three blocks. Tobias Harris with fifteen and fifteen at that starting three spot to the Sixers and the bench. While there was no one player from the bench unit who was the most assertive of the bunch in terms of scoring, it was pretty much spread out yet for
con Korkmaz stepping up with a timely three pointer. Mike Scott with six points, Kyle Quinn with five points late, James Ennis the third with three points and six rebounds. Matisse Stible he was one of the first subs in the game. He was part of Brett Brown's first sub package along with James Ennis the third tonight. So first of all, there's just that his first regular season game ever,
he's one of the first two subs in. And then, oh, by the way, you're called into the game and you go up against an all star, one of the top scorers in the league, Kemba Walker, and along with Josh Richardson, Matis Stible did a great job of holding Walker to twelve points, four of eighteen from the field, one of six from outside the arc, and Matisse Stible becoming the third player ever in seventy six ers history in his first career game to have at least two steals in
two blocks and really looking forward to seeing the deflection numbers later tonight. For Matisse Stable, he was really active, looked competent and comfortable on the defensive end. Seven Sixers opened with a victory for the first time since twenty thirteen one h seven ninety three, the knock off the Boston Celtics to begin the regular season. Ben Simmons twenty four points, eight rebounds, nine assist in the seventy six ers season opening one oh seven ninety three win over
the Boston Celtics. And I believe Ben Simmons is at the podium right now. Yep. Josh coach really cave that contributed to you kempas struggles going back this game. He said, you didn't really praise you for your defensive work. How were you able to Josh? Trying to use my size advantage a few it's tard to him, so using my length on all the shots, trying to just get my hands around into his into his vision. You know, it's
never easy to shoot over that. And uh, he's one of the best players, you know in the league, and you just got try and make it tough on him if you guys as a unit, which just a little bit out of sync, especially in the first quarter, is debt just attributed to the starting lineup on he played two games together in the preseason. It's just a man. I think it's just the first game, jitters. Everybody's a little bit nervous, everybody's excited to play be out there.
Um it's a lot different when the lights lights come on, UM and everybody's watching. You know, it's louder. Communication is a lot harder, UM. But I'm happy with you know what the team did tonight. I think everybody defensively was solid. Everybody stayed together, UM, and everyone was playing physical ball down low and I know you guys would have like more shots going as a whole, but there's that physicality
at both ends. You guys are able to post on them kind of the blueprint for what you guys are trying to do. Definitely, I think that's that's who we want to be known as a physical team. UM. And it sucks some defense, and you know that's why we have guys like Jay Rich Joe Um who can get out there and play. And Tobias has really been stepping up easier to play on offensive, take more risks when you know you have that to build on the defensive end. Yeah, definitely.
I mean know, if you miss a shot, you know you got guys who are coming out of the end of the court. You know, got to sit down and get a stop. And uh, it makes he makes the office a lot more free when you're not taking the ball out of the net every time down offensive, they might a lot of guys stepped in. He made something fast because the ball stuff football beastoot might as well
just abow. He offer kind of jelble to. They're able to jell us looking to did after that the first half, Yeah, I think I think the second half, you know, all the all the extra stuff for the game kind of left and it was just basketball at that point. Um And you know, guys were attacking the paint and that makes it tough on him, and it's easier to play inside out, and it opens up all other looks because you got guys who they got a double, who are gonna draw help every time down the court. So it's
just basketball. Second, the members of the new look seventy six ers backcourts look pretty darn good tonight, Ben Simmons and Josh Richardson combining for forty one points, fourteen rebounds, eleven assists in some terrific defense. Richardson a team best game high plus twenty two and thirty three minutes. I'm Brian Seltzer, joined now by Tom mc ginnis one oh
seven ninety three. The final score time we were talking earlier this week, you and I got some of the strengths that the Sixers showed in the preseason what might carry over, and after Boston got control, we saw some of those strengths highlighted. Before the Sixers pulled away late. They played great defense, They rebounded the heck out of the ball, and they got to the foul lie. Yeah, no, they were plus twenty on the glass, and they made
a better percentage. I mean, Boston for a stretch there, this couldn't make a free throw and that was during the throws of that Sixers run that allowed them at nineteen to two to pull away for good. And then another pivotal point was early in the fourth, nine thirty one to go and the Sixers I believe, had a nine to two run and that's when they hit those back to back threes. But you're right, the length and the ability of the Sixers to help and recover and everybody,
this swarm, they did a tremendous job on Walker. Brown was not a factor due to the foul difficulty. Tatum and Hayward ended up scoring for them, but not at a high rate percentage wise. I thought, you know, the first half off was to struggle. I mean the Sixers are down five, they come back to take the lead by a point. I thought spacing was an issue for the Sixers in the first half, and they just did
not have a lot of flow offensively. And then I thought what really sort of turned the game around a little bit. The Sixers, I think felt like they were on the short end of some calls. There were a lot of fouls called in the third quarter, and that kind of was a catalyst to motivate the Sixers or just in terms of observing the game, and that turned
things around. And beat started making those hustle plays, diving at center court and everybody just started swarming and it ratcheted things up, and that turned the tide, I think for the Sixers in this win tonight over Boston seventy Sixers defeat the Boston Celtics one oh seven ninety three. I mean, there were a lot of regulars who did good things, and I thought Ben Simmons was terrific. He was the catalyst that rev the engine and got the
Sixers some of their life back. But I'm still I'll be honest with you, like one of the first impressions in my mind is just that Brett went to fatistable early, and he held his own against Kemba Walker. And yeah, I mean there were some savvy plays and one where Matis Scott Kemba from behind in the first half. I mean he listen, that's expected. Keim is a great player. But I thought for most of the night Matisse was great. Other than that foul, I'm not sure he touched Walker.
He kept getting called for fouls, but unofficially at six deflection steals blocks. And how about that, Like, he gets into the game, does exactly what the Sixers had anticipated he would do in his you know, in his career and his pro debut. So I think he's only going
to get better. And then, just harkening back to some of the postgame commentary by six Ers head coach Brett Brown, like when you play defense like this, you know it puts you know, because the Sixers struggled mightily from three, I mean eighty four their points were either in the paint or from the foul line, and that dynamic it's got to shift a little bit where they get a little bit more successful in the outside shooting and the threes.
But the point is, as coach was stipulating, they're gonna get their offense is gonna find itself, and when you can rely on your defense and then have nights where your offense begins to find its flow and catch up a little bit, and move through this early part of the season as you continue to progress and get better day by day. That's what you're looking for. It's a long haul. Tobias Herrist addressed the crowd very eloquently just prior to the tip off, and that's what he said.
We have a goal and we're going to try to progress every day toward that goal. And in this individual game, the Sixers progressed and got better as the night went on to win, going away by fourteen. Sixers do pull away one oh seven ninety three. The final scoring will end it, perhaps tom on this The seventy Sixers played a very identifiable type of way, especially on the offensive
end of the court the last two seasons. Personnel changed in the offseason, and maybe if you were watching or listening to the first half time, you're like, well, this it's kind of a little different. It's a little bit you use the word rogged, thought that was a great way to describe it. It's the first game of this season. No doubt, But going back to Brett Brown's first pres session of the fall, he was like smash mouth offense and bullyball defense, and I think we saw a little
bit more toughness tonight. You know, they grinded it out until they firmly got the game in their control, No doubt so in the past, certainly in Brett Brown's first six years, including over the last two years when Reddick was part of the offense, you saw where the Sixers led the league in passes and around the perimeter, the just constant movement, and they had that theorem of point five, and that is in a half a second, you gotta make a play, you gotta dribble, you gotta pass, you
gotta shoot it. And I don't know that that's going to be the case. They still want to play fast and not allow teams to hunker down, but they're trying to go into a beat, and that's what I was referring to. In the first half, I thought spacing was a bit of an issue. There wasn't really a flow, and they keyed a lot of their offense and they got going in transition. So yeah, it's a it's a
different style. It's going to take a while, but they've got length and they have toughness and that was on display. You Gotosh Richardson and Ben plays with that, and I think everybody saw it tonight. What we've been talking about and watching Ben Simmons and training camp and in the preseason and when he came back, and that is a whole new level of confidence and ability, and he led this team tonight. He was, without question the player of the game. Alredy tim Aginnis will speak to you from
Motown on Saturday. So Detroit wins its opening game and Indiana they don't have Blake Griffin. The Sixers had gone out there, they lost it over time in their first game. They've had success against Detroit, but early on. This is a good test because Atlanta is the second game on that trip Monday in Atlanta, and they had of course two wins against the Sixers down there last year, so it should be good a test Saturday in Motown already time, very nice opening night win for the seventy Sixers one
oh seven ninety three defeating the Boston Celtics. I'm Brian Seltzer. Here is how it happened. Is called by the one and only Tom McGinnis. Seventy Sixers got off to a solid start. Then Boston assumed the lead. Joel and Beat helping the Sixers keep pacing the first here's him, been with it it, beat against cancer, twelve to shoot, spins up and under loses his balance, travel got away with it and laid it in. Sixers trailed by five twenty five to twenty after the first quarter of play. In
the second, Tobias Harris doing his thing. Harris for three and it's good and the crowd celebrates a made triple by the Sixers. Understandably so. That was the seventy sixers first three pointer on the night, on their tenth attempt. Sixers hanging tough, you know, even though it felt like Boston was in total control for most of the second quarter. In particular, Sixers got a spark going into a half from their twenty three year old all star Harris stop starts,
almost throws it away. Great peck by seven head Ben Simmons rocks the room. Oh Man a flowing left hand jail, a couple free throws from Josh Richardson in the seventy Sixers were in front at the half forty nine to forty eight, big Ben Simmons keeping momentum going in the Sixers favor in the third Simmons into a trap, corporate out top three ball front ribbon off note Williams keeping alive, Simmons has the ball, Simmons underhand, Scoop got it rebound
put back basket by Simmons. Simmons was great all night long. That kept the Sixers in front by six points, sixty six to sixty Joel and Bead capping off the third quarter four point in Philadelphia, LA, here's Richardson for threey No good. Scott taps it out and beat an open trade. Yeah, it's good. Trip wall by Joel and me and the Sixers go up by seven and they would lead it seventy seven to sixty eight heading into the fourth quarter.
We will leave you with this Tobias Harris basket that gave you the sense the Sixers were well on their way to win Number one. US it back with numbers trail three. Harris puts it up in back to back brains Tobias Harris brains in a triple and Brad Steven storms out of the court head takes time out. Yeah, that was a huge moment right after time out, the Sixers called Corkmas knockdown a three for the seventy six ers.
Sixers got a stop and then Tobias Harris went back down the floor and hit that three in the seventy sixers one oh seven ninety three double with the Boston Celtics. Sixers end up shooting forty three and a half percent despite seven of twenty nine from three point territory. They held Boston to under thirty seven percent shooting and seven of twenty six from outside the arc. The Sixers they won the game in part, obviously with their defense. Also,
they're rebounding. They were plus twenty one on the glass, sixty two to forty one. They outdid the Celtics from the free throw line twenty six of thirty six Boston was twenty of thirty four. And the Sixers that might be the team strength this year, you know, grinding it out using their muscle. They outscored Boston fifty eight forty
four in the paint as well, Sixers one to oh. Obviously, with the opening night win, they move on to take on another Eastern Conference playoff team from last season, the Detroit Pistons. That's going to be a Little Caesar's Arena Saturday in Motown. Blake Griffin is out for the first couple weeks of the season. He will not play, but Detroit did defeat Indiana tonight to win it's opener. Than
the Sixers will be in Atlanta on Monday. Now for the radio voice the seventy six Ers, Tom McGinnis, I'm Brian Selzer, saying so long for now one final time. The final score seventy six Ers one oh seven Boston Celtics ninety three on opening night. You've been listening to Rewind. Look out for fresh episodes the day after every seventy six Ers game this season.