The BroadCast: 12/25/2017 - Rewind vs. Knicks

the holiday. Brian Seltzer with you from Sixers dot com here at the garden, hoping you've had a great day and very nice that a Sixers triumph could be a part of it. Joel Embiid, Yes, he was in action Saturday in Toronto, but if you watch the game, if you listen to it, if you followed it, you could

tell he wasn't quite himself. Well today he got going down the stretch of the first quarter with the jam opened up the second period in really strong fashion, finished with the team high twenty five points in team best sixteen rebounds for his fifteenth double double of the season. Plus twenty five or the Sixers when he was on the core, The same could be said for it. JJ Reddick, Reddick looked sharp, even battling some right hamstring tightness, four

for eight from outside the arc. He also had six rebounds to finish with twenty four points on the evening. TJ McConnell with eight consecutive points to close out the third quarter, and Nat helped the Sixers wrestle control of this game, a game that for the early let's say two and a half periods, was really dictated by the inside play of Enis Cantor for the New York Knicks, who had a career day with thirty one points and twenty two rebounds. Sixers just could not slow him down,

but he and Chris dabs Porzingis both subbed out. With about four minutes to go in the third period. Datshel McConnell stepped up and one step back jumper end of shot clock and a corner three pointer to vault the Sixers into the fourth quarter with some momentum on their side. They led by four, and they just would not back down.

They rattled off a string of seven straight points in the latter stages of the worth Ben Simmons when the Knicks got a little bit closer with a runout jam to make it one h three ninety five, and at that point, with sixty six seconds to go, you kind of felt pretty decent in the Sixers would leave the Garden on a winning note. The final score one five ninety eight were standing by for the postgame press conference of head coach Brett Brown. Eighteen lead changes, eight ties

in a really competitive game. But big picture, you step back the Sixers, this has been a really bumpy month for them. The schedule difficult and challenging, injuries kept piling up, and probably just almost as much as a win today, I think Brett Brown wanted to see the Sixers come out and fight, not except recent results, not except losing, and we saw that today from the outset, extremely competitive, feisty and spirited, and in the end they were rewarded

with a winning outcome. Cancer was fantastic. He was a beast on the inside. Is thirty one points, a season high two rebounds his top total of the year as well. The Sixers had trouble even with him beat out there finding a solution, but to their credits, they were not phased.

They kept the ball under control with some decent ball protection up until ironically the final three minutes when they turned it over on three straight possessions that made things a little bit dicey, but in the end, the Sixers survived one oh five ninety eight. Let's go to Brett Brown right now. I mean just the reality of what you don't have when they're injured. And I love our guys. They fight, they fight, but you know, you bring in Joe and JJ and the fight goes to a high level.

It gives us more of a chance. And I think that although you know, you know, I'm the coach and fans see it and our teammates see it, when you actually live it in real time, it stands out that dramatically challenge that I think he was the MVP of the game, and he wears his heart on his sleeve. I have a sort of like, uh, a very um antagonistic relationship with him, Like I coach him harder than

I coach anybody. And I'm just so proud of like him coming out of left field, and you know, being in the NBA and I was staying in the NBA and now playing in the NBA. He played today and I thought that his spirit, you know, apart from the other stuff, his spirit was awesome, and uh, I thought he was the most valuable player today. Obvious is that a tangible I mean the checklist even with JJ tonight, you know, we we we learned JJ late as well.

There's always like a lead up that really doesn't get stamped off on until I meet the team at thirty five you know, loud Tunic games ago in Toronto, it was delivered at thirty five, you know, forty five seconds on the clock before I speak to the team at thirty five minutes. And so there is a checklist, but really the final decision is only kind of determined after he does his warm ups and he gives us you know, thumb up fam down. He cares, he doesn't want to

hurt the team. And that's the process of which we go through. It's all the normal stuff that you would expect. You know, there's physiotherapists involved. Joel has a significant saying all this. There are doctors, there are people that you know are looking at sort of preloading stuff that has gone on in patterns and trends. It's all the stuff that you know we would do and should do when responsibly you're trying to preserve you know, one of our

crown jewels. And it's extensive and thoughtful, and it needs to be because he's very much in his infant stages of growing into playing again. I've shared with everybody many times he doesn't seventy Sixers head coach Brett Brown following this Afternoons one oh five ninety eight Christmas Day victory, and especially at the outset of that postgame press conference, could you hear the satisfaction happiness in Brett Brown's voice.

You couldn't see it. We have a monitor in front of us here at the Garden, but the smile on Brett's face and he's not what he's always got upbeat emotions, but we don't always see a wide smile. But he was talking affectionately about TJ. McConnell and what he brought to the Sixers today. It was like the father son basketball dynamic right on display there. He seemed absolutely and

understandably thrilled with what McConnell gave the Sixers today. Fifteen points, especially in the latter stages of the third period, a stretch of the game that helped these Sixers wrestle control away from the Knicks. Twenty five point, sixteen rebounds and three blocks for Joel embad JJ Reddick with twenty four points, six boards, four three pointers fifteen for t J McConnell as the Sixers win on Christmas one five Tune eight. Tom McGinnis is going to be back with further thoughts

in a moment. It's the postgame show from New York City on the Sixers Radio Network Holiday trip to New York City. A good and successful one for the seventy Sixers on this Christmas Day one oh five ninety eight win over the Knicks, starting off the NBA's Quinn tuppleheader on a good note. Brian Seltzer from Sixers dot Com and and now vacated Garden with the exception of a handful of important people, one of which is Tom McGinnis. This was good today, Tom, real good to see Joel

back there. It seemed like he really started revet up in the second quarter. JJ Reddick was locked in early, but head coach given the game ball to one t J McConnell. Right. He talked about his spirit, that spurt that I mentioned of eight consecutive points at the end of the third deflections defense getting after it. How about when he was Garden poor singers and both he and Baylis got off in pick and roll situations, had to switch out onto him. They both got into his body.

He's so tall. But Jay just kind of got it, just the spirit with which he plays, and you know he ended up with some threes too, like getting the corner three right. He just he played so well. I mean, he just it's a great story. It really is when we've been through it quite a bit in terms of, you know, not being considered a draft pick, didn't get drafted,

and just having to prove himself and for himself. That's just how he ticks, like, you know, trying to establish the fact that he's an NBA player, and you know he is that and more. I was joking during the course of the call, or at least said it in

jest about he's a nick killer. And just when you think that that basket that he helped the Sixers in January with that turnaround over Camaldo at the center, and this game here, without question, as far as Reddick goes, it's like he hits the floor running, you know, like he he had those two late turnovers, but like that ability that he could almost do that in his sleep. In terms of at the three point arc, they upfaked the side dribble the two or the three and then

automatic at the line. But obviously, you know, twenty plus points by him, and Bead was great as well. And Joel, you know, like the more he plays and Lord willing he'll be able to practice at some point. I think he'll be able to clean up and tighten up some of those areas with the ball on the block when he picks up the dribble and they come to double him. But his influence, particularly defensively early was special. I didn't you think. I mean they had him for three blocks.

I think he might have had more than that. But it's not safe, you know. I mean for a guy to go in there and if they do shoot it, they're they're thinking about his their cognizant of his presence. So that that's a guy who can protect that. They call that that phrase in you know the front the basketball,

the rim protector. Well he is that and more. And then his foot quickness and the ability for a man of that size to get over and cut off a smaller player on a dribble drive, helping out defensively, and then to rotate back to the guy he's garden to protect the rim. That right there, in addition to the hand eye coordination, those are some of the elements that make him a real terrific defender. Six Ers beat the

X on Christmas one, five ninety eight. We're around this team fortunately enough time where you can tell when Brett Brown just housing Sirius with that message he was kind of talking about after the Toronto game that you know, no one's panicking. They believe that good days add up.

But certainly a win at this juncture doesn't hurt, because especially it sinks up with this whole the way Brett looks at the season in different thirds and today has traditionally started his second third of the season from Christmas to the All Star Game break, and this is an opportunity,

a way to reset in some sort, right. But let's go back to the initial statement there and the comment about you know, us being around the team as reporters, and you know, the next phrase that would come to mind is the Sixers needed to win and you need to win more to you know, not just to stop them obviously, to stop a five game winnings to a losing streak, but also for the mojo, for the vibe.

I mean it's you could put into good day's work, but if you're not getting rewarded with a victory in the win column and playing this hard, and it's disheartening to let things slip away. And again, this was not a perfect game by the Sixers. For much of the game. They shot in the low forties percentage wise. That's not where you'd like to be. They struggled from three at times at a rash of turnovers down the stretch when

they were trying to close it out. Let Canner have a number of putbacks, but they still want Those are all things you can work on and clean up. And once you get your group back together healthy, you can begin to progress and get better and feel that you know you're making strides. But more than anything like because losing wears on people. It wears on the whole group, the coaches, the players, I mean everybody. For the podcast, well everybody loves I was coaching from the press box

or two. But no, I'm joking. But you know, like you just it's a better vibe. Like I've always said, this is a little deep, but I've always feud somebody. I don't know what the degree would be in or the form of academia. But I feel like somebody should write a thesis paper on the effects of winning and losing. They just go out and interview two hundred people, you know, the wives of coaches, the players like and you know, it's it's no serious gees. People feel better when they win,

no doubt. But I mean, I think it goes. It's almost deeper than that. It's just it affects everything, and it all it's just sports and entertainment, but for these guys, it's their lives. It's their livelihoods, and jobs are won or loss, and contracts are wonder loss. There's just there's just so much to it. But obviously it feels good for the Sixers, and particularly here in New York on this stage on Christmas Day, it made it even that

much better. Real nice Division win for the Sixers. And now it's a bit of a reprieve for the next couple of days until Thursday, when the team will be out at Moda Center in Portland too, heading the guts of this five game road trip on the West Coast, and then it's off to Denver and Phoenix. And that gets to my point, just to keep Brian to keep talking, Yes, but you know you're flying, You're going across the country, You're going out west. You want to you want to

take on Phoenix. Denver is one of the people. Don't realize Denver is really good. You played Portland, you beat them, and that's what I mean. You feel a little better about yourselves going on that west coast trip and have a major chunk of your far out travel, the Western conference travel completed by the first of the year. I don't know that that's ever happened before, so you know, and then now you get the other than the back to back in Phoenix. You got the schedule spaced out

a little bit, so Joel should get to play. But all a nice day here in tense victory for the Sixers over there are tribals, as you say, the Knicks and joy the rest of the daytime. Thank you, Brian Gooday. Seventy Sixers over the Knicks on Christmas one O five to ninety eight times highlight calls coming up after this, it's the postgame showing the Sixers rating network. Seventy sixers in New York City to celebrate Christmas Day a great place to be. But for the Sixers this was business

trying to get back on track with a win. In the first quarter, you could tell this was going to be a closely contested Atlantic Division rivalry game. Joel and Bad, who played on Saturday in Toronto and didn't quite seem like himself, seemed to get his rhythm going on this key sequence late in the first twenty two sixties. So now they have changed the score. Here we go Beat down low and be with a jam stepped around Kyla Quinn deep post up position, and the field goal is

good by Joelle and Band. So it's twenty two to eighteen. That's the second asket for him. Beat. He's played eight minutes and he had great footwork on that play to get inside and slam at home. Twenty four to twenty one. Nicks were in front after one quarter of play. In the second, the Sixers starting to step it up. Dario Scharch with some important contributions to get the Sixers in the lead. JJ Reddick back in action, added to it. Twelve to shoot. Joel is fronted by Cantor and now

he comes up to get it back to Reddick. Eight on o'clock JJ for a three shot falling outside is good. JJ Reddick has made his second three and beat with the dish, and the Sixers have gone in front by a point forty seven forty six, and they would lead

by two fifty to forty eight going into intermission. For the Sixers in quarter at number three, they continued to have issues with Enis Cantor, but Joel Embiid he helped set a positive tone for the Sixers at the outset of the period, and that would be the case as well in the home stretch of quarter number three as well. McDermott with a shot flock by Comington and Baylis gets

the ball. J's in there, Joel's out there and a Bead is gonna try to run to the block, but first he screens TJ with a leaning shot rimming up no tap bying Bead is good, Joella being inside position on Cantor and a rebound follow up the miss bike TJ nineteen make that twenty one and eleven four him bead for him Bead. That was his second straight basket

the Sixers line at seventy one to sixty eight. Moments later, after two free throws, Cantor was taken out of the game, and that's when t J McConnell really upped his attitude. Five on four sixers with them ball t J at Covington up top aatas Oh, he passed up an open three. Now TJ with an open three in the quarter, and that's good McConnell. He's leading the Sixers. It's seventy nine, seventy three, eight straight points for the Pittsburgh native TJ. McConnell.

A case of good to great for the Sixers and McConnell with that passing seventy nine seventy five sixers in front going into the fourth, the Knicks would not go away. Despite the fact the Sixers had taken eight point lead on a Jared Baylis three eighty nine eighty one. They got another pivotal contribution from outside the arc from yet another veteran member of the roster and be with a rebound Sixers with numbers TJ with a bull and now to the right side, JJ Reddick for three out of transition,

got it. JJ Reddick knocks it down. Mccono dishes. Reddick scores Sixers by seven with three and a half to go. Reddick, now with twenty two in the game, is four to three, ninety six to eighty nine. The Sixers were not yet done from beyond the arc well a difficult place to inbound from, and with three seconds on the shot clock. Here here's a bet catching shooting shot here for three. That's good, that could be the game winner Christmas Day.

Joe Ellen be knocking down to three Sixers up by a one on one ninety three and just for good measure to leave little to no doubt in this one this afternoon, the Sixers produce a very important turnover. Here's port sing Us into a trap at us by Simmons, a breakout Ben Simmons is all win the game. Ben Simmons dunks it. Jeff Horn sec Takes time a double on poor Singers by McConnell and charge. Ben with that anticipation, breaks down, steals it, drives left the right and dunks it.

And the Sixers up eight with sixty six seconds to go, and that would help see these Sixers to the finish line in this seven point win this afternoon. Final notes from the final stat sheet. Six or shot forty two percent from the field, the knicks forty and a half percent. Six Ers ten of twenty nine outside the arc. New York was four of fifteen. The sixers got to the free throw line and hit their shots twenty five or thirty from the stripe. The next eighteen of twenty eight

sixers were plus three on the glass. That helped, as did keeping the turnovers down relatively speaking to just fifteen. That a big improvement from recent games. Game high scoring and rebounding total belonged to Ennis Cancer thirty one points, twenty two boards sixers, led by Joel Embiide with twenty five and sixteen is fifteenth double double. JJ Reddick with twenty four, a career high for him Christmas Day. This

was his eighth Christmas Day game. Cannot overlook t J McConnell with fifteen off the bench and that guy Ben Sevens with that punctuation point with the jam added eight points, eight rebounds and also three assists, eighteen lead changes, eight ties in a two hour, twenty seven minute Christmas Day game in front of a salad crowd of nineteen thousand, eight hundred twelve six ers. With the winner now fifteen and eight, the Knicks fall to seventeen and sixteen on the year.