The BroadCast: 12/7/2018 - Serena Winters Recaps Rd. 2 vs Raptors

Leonard did not disappoint. The Sixers came up short and Toronto again. We recapped the matchup and discuss other Sixers things with Serena Winners. It was an early barometer. That doesn't mean that that barometer is not going to be more even come April. It just means that there's a little bit of ways to go. NBC Sports Philadelphia Sixers reporter Serena Winners our guest on this week's edition of the broadcast. What going on out there are seventy Sixers

pod people. Hope everything is good and well in your world relatively speaking, of course, you know that Wednesday night's game in Toronto stings one thirteen, one h two loss to the Raptors. Thirteenth straight time the Sixers have dropped a regular season game in the North and they will have to wait until next year to try and end

that trend. But of course, who knows, wouldn't be entirely out of the question whatsoever if these two division and conference rivals would meet up once again in the postseason. But two more matchups between the Sixers and the Raptors on the calendar, with the next one coming up in just a few days right before the Christmas holiday at the Center. My name is Brian Seltzer. As always, we

very much appreciate you're checking out the podcast. You can subscribe through iTunes, google Play, Stitcher, pocketcasts, SoundCloud, tune in. Any one of your favorite podcasting platforms should have us. All you gotta do is type in Sixers podcast Network and that should take you to our feeds. So yeah, Wednesday night on the road against the Raptors was not a game that ended up the way the seventy Sixers

wanted it to go. Sixers went into the matchup with the second highest win total in the NBA, with seventeen. Toronto led the league with twenty dubs, and Toronto would end up getting number twenty one at the expense of the Sixers. I thought things got off to a pretty good start in that when the Sixers led and by six points after a quarter, and it felt like going into the final four to five minutes of the first half,

the team was in a pretty good spot. But then Kawhi Leonard, who had already been scoring at will in the game, seemed to flick a switch. His teammates responded. The urgency level of the Raptors understandably and perhaps not so surprisingly intensified as well. You gotta remember they were coming off just their fifth loss of the season on Monday at home against the Denver Nuggets, and Toronto took

things to another level. Of The Sixers hung around in the third quarter, they got that big dunk from Joe to open up the fourth quarter to give them a brief lead, but after that it was pretty much all Toronto and their reserves. For as big as Kawhi Leonard was and Serge Ibacca was in Wednesday's game, the bench, led by Ionas Valanciunas for the Raptors was really important to helping Toronto seize control that game on Wednesday night. So the final score once again was one thirteen, one

oh two. It was a big game and thought it was certainly worthy of a post mortem discussion with seventy six ers reporter from NBC Sports Philadelphia, Serena Winners, and before the seventy Sixers flew out of Toronto to Detroit for Friday's game against the Pistons, Serena and I sat down to talk after our respective independent launch ventures. If I really had my off day act together, I would probably take a page out of the Serena Winters playbook. I would invigorate myself, go to the gym and do

something worthwhile with my time. I need to get onto that plan. I don't have that part of my life down you. I did make it to the gym today. I did, and I went for a stroll in Toronto and even got through to some emails. Didn't have time to eat the lunch, got lunch. It's just sitting next to me here. So what I could be with you, Brian as becose you're being passionate about taping a podcast before we hopped on a plane to exactly I ran and stuff my face full of a poutine. That's why

I'm spending my frue time. I feel like I got to do it. I know that's like a cliche thing they have in Toronto or Canada, I guess from when I've read it Julian Montreal thing. But there are places psycho too, and I'm like, I just gotta I gotta sample more the local fair and when I come to Toronto, I just try to try to check a couple different poutine places off my list, so you enjoy the poutine.

There are parts of the poutine I enjoy. I don't know if I fully joy like if I saw it on the menu at a restaurant in Philadelphia, I don't know if i'd get it, but they're parts of it that I enjoy, Like I like gravy, I like French fries, I like cheese. It's just a lot. I have to go with a very small portion size very heavy. There's a lot happening in the poutine. So I did the exact opposite of like going to the gym or something

like that. That's okay, that's all right. I like to go to the gym and then also eat nachos there you go, you know, so you just balance each other around. Work hard, play hard exactly, or just work hard, eat hard. Yes, I had some time over lunch to think about what we saw Wednesday night in Toronto, and I kind of listen. There was so much build up to the game, and there was a lot of excitement and if you file the Sixers, if you're a fan of the team, of

course you're disappointed by the outcome. I think Brett Brown and the players were too. But it definitely was a different type of game in the first time around. It's a different team the first time around. So a day later, what are your thoughts on what we saw at Scotia Bank Arena. It was a different game the first time around.

I think that now having slept on it and thinking about that game and looking back at that game, one of the things I will remember is how poorly the Raptors shot, especially in that first half, and you've got to take advantage of that if you were the Sixers. And so I kind of looked back at that and I think to myself, man, there were so many opportunities, so many chances were the Sixers to beat what is now the best team in the NBA. It felt like it was there. It felt like the Raptors were off

their game. And when one of the best teams is off their game and you haven't won in their building, you just want to take advantage of it. So that's one of the things. And of course the turnovers, because it also happened the last time that we were here. I know that Ben had eleven the first time and seven the other night, and I think they had at least seventeen points. Gave up at least seventeen points off

their turnovers against the Raptors. But what I will say is that they definitely had a chance to beat the best team in the NBA. I saw some good things defensively, and they had their moments, they had their spurts. I just wish that in that second half they would have money. Williams used a term with me at the half. He just said, we gotta bring the juice. We got to bring the juice, and we come out and if we

bring the juice, we'll win this game. But there were some parts in the third and fourth They're a little juiceless, Brian, a little juiceless. I agree. When I saw Kyle Lowry missing some open looks, Danny Greene missing some open looks in the first half. You're like, some open looks. Kyle Lowry couldn't hit a shot, he was over five. You're being too kind, Brian. You gotta take advantage of that. I am, And you're absolutely right. I'm because you're watching

that unfold. And I thought there were times when the Sixers made the Raptors work for it, especially in the first half. I thought their transition defense was pretty good, disrupted some things with Toronto on the break. It was okay, it was a step in the right direction. They did score a lot of points of transition. I thought the second half that changed in a big way when Kauhi really started to take it to another level. He's good, isn't He should really sit back and you go, man,

is he good? And they say he's not even percent yet. I know. So that was one thing we're watching last night. You were like, even compared to that October thirtieth game, like Kawai seemed to have found a different gear. So you're watching the Sixers are up by nine and then Jimmy hits that three pointer to give him a six point lead late in the first half, and you're thinking, all right, scoreboard wise, this is looking good. But as you said, there were things in the underbelly of what

was going on that made you feel unsettled. But I thought the deficit felt larger at the end of the half than it was based on that teen nothing run where Kauhi really flicked the switch. I thought it was good to see them come back and take the one point lead after the Muscal threes late in the third. I kind of thought that the game was hanging the bounce.

There was a big scoring drought there, right happy six Ers not scored in like three minutes something like that, and then they kind of with Jimmy feeling it like he sparked them and got them back into it. Joe had that jam to begin the fourth, and you're like, Okay, there may be daylight here, there might be something, but there's just such a slim margin fair against. Like you were saying a team that that's good, that that's deep. I mean, that's the other thing. They are a deep,

deep team. When you watch that game, didn't you go, wow, this bench is good, like you you forget you forget that because they have so many good starters. You forget how deep the benches and Fred van Leet. He didn't play first game correct, Yes, the first game because he had that toe injury. Correct, So that was something to where we didn't get to see him the first time around. Seeing him this time. He's a big part of what they do too. He's great. Og n Anobi is great.

I know he's a starter, but I think Pascal Siak, I'm like, he may not do a bunch of stuff stat wise. The first game he had a great stack game, but just what he does for their rebounding and that was a huge story in the game on Wednesday, but especially the offensive rebounding. I know that's always been a focus for the Sixers is to limit the offensive rebounding

of the opposing team. And we saw a lot of offensive rebounds for Toronto the first app What I will say though, Brian, I was surprised that Toronto didn't get more points off their offensive rebounds. So the Sixers kind of got lucky there, didn't take advantage of that. And it sounds like such a simple thing, And for me, I know this is something that I probably overlooked. Just about every game day we have when I just like take account of the final boxsheet is who's had more shots?

And you know, if a team has three or four more shots, five or six more shots, who knows. But when there's like you start to get into the double digit disparity, just like you know, um, I think Toronto, I'm looking right now, Toronto made three more shots, took twelve more and you know, you're what's that? That's like twenty five percent? But they still made three more shots. And in a game like that, it's an eleven point deficit at the end, you know that that can make

a difference. And the reason why you've got a team that's taken more shots is because of turnovers and offensive rebounds, right, I mean, at the end of the day, the offensive rebounds are leading to an extra shot every time, and the turnovers are too, So if you could have cut back on those, we wouldn't have seen the shot discrepancy. The other thing that talking about the bench that I

thought stood out in both games. Jonas Valancunis, Yes, I mean that to be able to bring in a guy who's as accomplished as he is off the bench, I mean there's not a lot of guys and not a lot of teams. I should say that can you know, obviously throwing surge out there that that's a smaller look for, but obviously it's very very good. And then if you can bring joan Us off the bench, I mean, that's

that's a tough load to corral. He looked good. And Joel Embiide, who we haven't talked about yet, he had a tough night. He had a tough night against him. He Joannis was able to push Joel a couple feet farther then. I'm sure the Sixers would have liked him to be offensively and I think that really affected the team's offense. But yeah, he had a strong night. Man, he had a strong night, and he seemed locked in from the get go against arguably the best, if not

one of the best centers in the NBA. I was really impressed with Toronto's defense, especially on Joe, like the aggressive help they brought into the paint. They put a fancy offensive numbers, but they they're such a well rounded team and it was just for me though. It was great theater, Like you know, we can I'm not saying these are these are not obvious now, but you've got the Kawai Jimmy angle. You've got the top two teams in terms of win totals in the league, going at

conference rivals, division rivals. It was just it was great theater and I thought it was a healthy perspective that everyone seemed to take, led by Brett after the game. On top of that, just because you mentioned all the you know, the narratives, the healthy theater, I mean, not only we've talked about how the Sixers have not won in Toronto since Brett Brown has been head coach, but did you know that the Sixers have not beaten Kawhi Leonard.

That's a good one. They have not beaten Kawhi Leonard. They are now Kawai is now twelve and zero against the Sixers, Brian twelve and oh because now that I'm thinking of it, he didn't play the two games the Sixers beat the Sprayers last year. Yes, So there was just so many different There were so many layers to that game. Yeah, there really were, And I mean there

was definitely positive to take away. There was definitely growth, Jimmy having his most aggressive night offensively, little things like I remember even with a minute left in that game, when it seemed very much like the Sixers were done in the timeout, Jimmy being very assertive, telling you know, whether it's been or somebody else, we gotta do this defensively. We still got this, you know, very much in it with a minute remaining in it pretty clear at the

sixers we're going to lose that one. Those types of things are important to me because trying to push that fight all the way through to the end, I think that's a big positive, not trying to give it up as we're all learning moments, so there's definitely possible to take away. But then some of the same storylines from the first game, like the turnovers, cleaning that type of

stuff up. There was a lot of there was a lot of the B word being thrown around before the game on Wednesday, the barometer word out of the yeah, the good old yeah. Um. But I don't think, you know,

there's like is this a barometer? And then there's also the it's December fifth, And I don't think that those things need to be mutual exclusive, like it is a barometer for December fifth, and it's the outcome was a better barometer than what you got on October thirtieth, And now you're gonna have two more opportunities against a really good team in your building before the season has done. The next one coming up the Saturday before Christmas at

the Center. Um So, I don't think that those things the idea of it being a barometer, but then it also still being earlier in the season, they need to be mutual exclusive because I do think, um, as we look at what Jimmy Butler did, if other guys are on you know, if Joel is feeling comfortable in doing this thing, and obviously Ben, maybe you get a little bit more from there. I think those two guys will be the first to tell you they weren't on top

of their game Wednesday night. Then you're looking at a different deal. And I mean, I just you can't the weapon that Jimmy poses. I mean, it was fun to watch. You mentioned the early barometer, and I think you make a good point there because we have used that term a lot. But barometer doesn't mean that this is where we're going to see them in the postseason. Barometer means, okay, what if it that we still have to work on. What are our deficiencies? Still? Clearly, are we looking a

little bit better than we looked a month ago? And I think we had a little bit of answers there. Maybe maybe for fans it's not the answers that they want, but that's just because they're passionate fans and want to see them be Toronto. But it was an early barometer. You saw where the Sixers are, You saw him where they're headed, and there's still time. Brett will always tell you that he doesn't even want to look at where

they're at until after Christmas. That he divides the season up into thirds, right, So that doesn't mean that that barometer is not going to be more even come April. It just means that there's a little bit of ways to go, patients. It's not easy, but the good news is in the good old NBA. Another game run on the doorstep, and the Sixers have one another big one against the Detroit Pistons on Friday. But incredibly, we're almost at the thirty game mark of this season. How did

it go so fast? I don't know. I don't know, And all things considered, is there a staying from a loss like Wednesday? Shut But the Sixers they're in a great spot. All think that's easy to say. I mean, I know I'm on the team, digital the team you step back, and I think a lot of teams would envy the position that the Sixers are in right now.

You know, they do have more work to be done, some things to iron out, but it would have been your biggest takeaways from your first what are we have two months full months almost when we account for the regular season the end of this year. Biggest takeaways. I love that there's such a family vibe around the team

that starts with Brett. I know that he helps to create that, but that guys genuinely care, They care about each other, and you know, me being new around here, new with the team, that is something that has been very very easy to pick up on. That it's more than just basketball at the Sixers organization, and I think that's important. I think that's how you build the culture

that they are finally at basketball. Takeaways that Joel Embiide is so good, but they also rely so much on him and need him to step up in those big moments, and we've seen what happened, for example against Toronto when he doesn't have his best game, right I mean they were in that game with Joel not having a good game, with probably having one of his maybe one of his worst performances of the year and Sixers exactly. The Sixers

were still very much in that game. Imagine if he had, you know, one of his dominant performances, or not even dominant, but one of just a more productive night where they could have been in that game. Watching Ben, he has so much defensive potential. It's just about doing it from start to finish. And that's hard for someone to say

because you're not in their shoes and a starter. But we've seen games like for example, against Memphis where Ben's just locked in defensively and what that does for the team, and also that Jimmy's bringing something here. I think that there's some tangible that he can really bring to this team, whether that's leadership, whether that's accountability, whether that's speaking up.

He's bringing something, and I'm excited to see what happens when he feels like he fits in and when he does feel a little bit more comfortable and he can continue to provide that leadership. I think he's bringing some swag and moxie. He's got like a different I think Joel and Ben are certainly well on their way to stardom, if not an even higher level of just playing old stardom.

But Jimmy's got this thing where he's a little bit older, He's been through a couple more things, He's achieved a little bit more individually, and he has got this I feel like, easygoing inner confidence, like kind of I don't know if you feel this way, but I feel like he's got like a a man, someone at peace with the way things are right now. Obviously motivated and driven, but he's got some swag. I don't know if that comes from his humor. He works so hard, but he's

also got this, you know, just natural. I think unforced sense of humor about him. I think he knows too, And I think that in any profession, in any walk of life, I think that sometimes change is good. And Joel and Ben have been here for a while, are the leaders of this team, and sometimes it's good to shake things up a bit with a little bit of change and see how that helps motivate and help grow

these guys. Like you said, Jimmy is a bit older, a bit wiser in the basketball world, has some advice to give, some tips to give, and some wisdom to pass on. And he's fun to talk to. I don't know if you ever just like caught up with him outside of the locker room or the scrums or I mean, he's he's just human like, he's just an easy guy to chat with, and that type of stuff goes a long way, especially when you're the new guy coming into

an organization. You know, having teammates and people around feel comfortable just chatting with you about anything, or your two parts series on NBC Philly NBC Sports Philly dot com. It was great like that great, it was, I mean, I loved I learned that he must be a fan of the Christian Bale Batman series with some of the quotes who rolled out there. I thought his response to your question, I think was something like, um, do you understand what Duel is saying? Yeah? I thought it hilarious.

Just give me the inserts something ball yes, which is true, by the way, because if you're ever round a huddle, any fans that sit sitting nearby, I'm sure they heard Joe say that quite a bit in the timebouts. What's it like being around the huddle? That has to be and I've noticed these are the weird things that I observe. You sit behind the stanchion in the basket, Yes, behind

one of the end lines. Not always the most typical spot for a sideline reporter, but I would think that that's to get more frequent, easy access to being able to roam, but getting the insight of what's in a huddle has got to be I would think among the

top perks. It's it's fun. It brings it's funny. It brings me back to because I grew up playing basketball, and for a minute, you kind of forget that you're covering the team, and it's almost like you're you're listening in on the huddle like you were playing basketball back in the day. Um, But it just what I what I look for in huddles, Brian as I like to see what guys are communicating with each other. Is Jimmy talking to Ben, Is Jimmy talking to Landry? Is t

J pulling Landry aside? Is Monty Williams or Billy Lane talking to one of the players. I look for those types of cues. You look for nonverbal type stuff. And then when Brett comes over and and and draws something up,

you look, you look at who's who's paying attention. You know when you look at, um, what types of tips Jimmy just gave Landry defensively because he's a rookie and had to guard Kawhi Leonard and you know, Jimmyson Landry, you've got to get stops and telling him what to do and all that types of that type of stuff. That's what That's what build your culture. That's it builds

the camaraderie there um. But I will also say that it's kind of funny because depending on the arena and depending on where I am, and depending on how close Brett Brown is to me, I always feel a little bit awkward because you know, I kind of can stick out like a sore thumb, So I try to make

myself not too visible. But I will tell you it is really hard to hear, especially in Philly, because the fans are so loud, because the arena is so loud, So you really got to concentrate to pick up on anything. Is lip reading? Have you become more proficient with that? Like, is it a lip reading part of it? It? Absolutely? Yeah, you have to become proficient with lip reading. And honestly, a lot of the times when I'm over there, you're not reporting on this stuff that's that you're even seeing.

You know, you're You're selective with anything that you would say about the huddle that t used for the broadcast. Right, you came out and said, Hey, fans, Brett Brown is called ear tug post. Does that even mean really to the average fan? Sure? But what I think, like I said as fun is is Montie Williams pulling somebody aside or seeing a defensive mistake that keeps happening with one of the guys and TJ showing someone of something. I think that type of stuff is interesting to fans. And

then you also get the mood. You get the vibe of the team during the game at that point in time, right like during that Cleveland game, which I'm sure no fan wants to remember, but they're one loss at home, knowing what knowing what the vibe was, right, Those types of things are important because you it would be a problem if no one cared in the huddle, but people cared, and that would probably only inform stuff that you did more going forward, you know, picking up on things. You're

gonna wrap this up. Do you have a favorite walk off interview that you've done so far? Favorite walk off interview that I've done so far? Probably Jimmy Butler's second game winner his second game, the Brooklyn one. Mm hmm, just because the fact that he had a second game winner in the same exact fashion as the first game winner. It really is Chris. I mean, it's it's funny, like you look at Brooklyn, come of Brooklyn. You knew, you knew it was coming here. Yeah, you know what I mean?

Who said it? Someone didn't read this guy. I think it was JJ at one point said yeah, they just must have not scouting report. So I remember that one. That one was. Oh, one was fun. That was a good one. It has been a fun start of the season. We have the next stop on the tour up in Detroit and a plane to catch, so onward to the Motor City we go. Serena, thanks so much anytime, Brian,

good stuff. NBC Sports Philadelphia Sixers sideline reporter Serena winners and we'll take her up on that offer anytime, she says. We will make a point of doing that again at some point down the road before the season wraps up. A reminder that for another important seventy Sixers game on Friday, Serrena and the rest of the outstanding local NBC Sports Philadelphia squad Mark zumof Ala Abdlin Abbey will bring you

coverage all game long from a little Caesars Arena. Game time is at seven o'clock and that threesome will bring you all you need to know. Is surrounding another big game for the seventy six Ers. The Pistons and the Sixers even in the lost column at nine going into Friday's game, the Sixers have played four more times in the Pistons and our plus four in the win column, but each team has won once at home in the season series. Sixers in Detroit will also play again on

Monday at the Center. Just like that, that'll be it for the season series between the Sixers and the Pistons, two teams currently the top four the East. Want to thank Srina Winners for taking the time to talk. I want to thank you for taking the time to listen to that talk and we will speak to you next week right here on the broadcast. See him