76ers in Trouble? + Hot Hornets and Westbrook Drama | Slam N Jam

Summary

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The Athletic NBA Daily: 76ers in Trouble? + Hot Hornets and Westbrook Drama | Slam N Jam (3/7/2026)

Hosts: Andrew Schlecht & Alex Spears

Special Guest: Trill Bro Dude (You Know Ball Podcast)

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Episode Overview

This episode of Saturday Slam N Jam dives into three main NBA narratives: the Charlotte Hornets' historic winning streak and their stunning dominance, the bleak outlook for the injury-plagued Philadelphia 76ers (featuring a deep fan discussion with guest Trill Bro Dude), and the mounting dysfunction in Sacramento highlighted by Russell Westbrook’s viral media confrontation. As ever, the show delivers lively analysis, trivia, and memorable banter with a focus on trends, stats, and strong fan perspective.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Charlotte Hornets' Winning Streak & Starting Lineup Dominance

[03:15–08:40], [14:07–20:27]

• Historic Six-Game Run:

  • The Hornets have won six straight games, all by at least 15 points—the first time since the 2017–18 Warriors.
  • Most wins were versus tanking teams, but big highlight: a 118–89 demolition of the Celtics in Boston.

• Statistical Rarity:

  • Their starting lineup (LaMelo Kahn, Brandon Miller, Bridges, Diabate, et al.) has a +31.2 net rating over 600+ possessions.
  • Highest five-man net rating in the last 22 NBA seasons, outpacing legendary units like the '17 Warriors and ‘07 Rockets.
  • Per Andrew:

    "After this recent run...the net rating of that five man lineup is +31.2. That's higher than any of those memorable five man units from all those great teams over the last two decades." (18:56)

• Why It's Unique:

  • Never seen such high three-point volume from three different players in one starting group.
  • The possibility of adding another shooter raises tantalizing questions about the team’s future ceiling.
  • Andrew:

    "Could they break the game when they eventually get to full strength a couple years from now?" (20:11)

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2. Around the League: Standout Performances & Returns

[03:15–08:40]

• Knicks:
  • Ended the Spurs’ 11-game streak with elite defense and help from recent acquisitions (Jose Alvarado: +21 net rating since trade).
• Spurs:
  • Bounced back, including a 40-point rout of the Sixers; Wemby posted a routine 38/16/5 line.
• Thunder:
  • Four straight wins, OT battle with the Nuggets (notable Lou Dort/Jokic confrontation—Lou ejected for flagrant 2 hip-check).
  • Also edged out Knicks behind Chet Holmgren’s season-high six threes and strong ‘SGA gets to the line’ performance.
• Timberwolves, Wizards, Nuggets, Celtics:
  • Minnesota: Five in a row, climbing to the #3 spot.
  • Trae Young makes Wizards debut; rookie Ace Bailey explodes for 32 points.
  • Aaron Gordon set for return to the struggling Nuggets.
  • Jason Tatum rumblings—expected to return soon ("I might not even be alive by that day. Go to bed. I wake up, probable." – Coach Joe Mazzulla, 07:10).

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3. Deep Dive: Houston Rockets Identity Crisis

[09:07–14:07]

• The Reed Sheppard Conundrum:
  • Reed Sheppard excels off the bench (30 pts, +11 in OT loss to Warriors) but is rarely played with the ‘good guys.’
  • Strange trends: Three-man combo (Sheppard/KD/Amen Thompson) +17.7 net; add Alperen Sengun, becomes –3.9.
• Team-Building Questions:
  • Rockets’ "identity issues" reflect mismatched pieces, clashing roles, possible need for a superstar shake-up (e.g., Giannis trade).
  • Likely playoff ceiling: first or second-round exit unless the roster is re-imagined.
  • Andrew:

    "You can't play their best players on the floor together...This loss made all those issues look a lot bigger." (11:00)

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4. Good/Bad/What: Highs, Lows & Outrageous Moments

[20:27–34:57]

Good:

• Hornets' Ascendancy: Covered previously.
• Reed Sheppard's Emergence: (see above).

Bad:

• The Sixers are Spiraling:
  • Embiid out at least another week with an oblique injury; team is 21st in defense, 19th in offense over last 15 games.
  • Only team in East’s top 10 with a negative point differential, clinging to the #6 spot.
  • Risk sliding to the play-in, possibly facing the surging Hornets.
  • Embarrassing loss: 40-point home defeat to Spurs.

    "The Sixers have more 40-point losses at home than any team in NBA history." (22:45)

• Stat Oddities:
  • Wizards: Most 30-point home losses.
  • Thunder (2020–21): Most 20-point home losses.

What:

• Westbrook-Sacramento PR Meltdown:
  • Viral six-minute awkward media confrontation postgame, with both Westbrook and media at fault.
  • Kings’ dysfunction highlighted: Ignoring evidence, negative on/off stats (Westbrook + DeRozan: –13 net for 1,200+ mins).

  • "No team needs a bigger reset, just spiritually, than the Kings." (32:07)
    "Players don’t tank, but Russ just isn’t a helpful player anymore—needs to be recognized." (31:07)

• Air Horn Malfunction in DET–CLE Game:
  • Comical in-game interruption; ESPN kept coverage live, focusing on hapless stats table operator.

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5. Wheel of Fandom: Sixers Week & In-Depth Interview

[37:25–62:43+]

Guest: Trill Bro Dude (You Know Ball Podcast)

• Sixers Injury and Roster Crisis

  • Embiid and Paul George out (suspension & injuries)—team’s lack of two-way wings and shooting fully exposed.
  • Lineups without their stars devolving into near G-League talent.

    "It’s 2026 and we had zero threes from our starting small forward and power forward for an entire game. ... It’s kind of insane." — Trill [41:24]

• The Maxey Question

  • Maxey has improved as a #1 in Embiid’s absence, averaging 40 minutes a night just to keep them competitive.
  • Not a "traditional" #1, but with the right system could anchor an elite transition offense.
  • Fan and subreddit debates over whether his ceiling is "true star" or high-level #2.

• VJ Edgecombe’s Emergence

  • Rookie average: 20 pts, 7 reb, 44% from 3 pre-injury, relentless motor and strong defense.
  • "I generally don’t want to put a ceiling on those players… Maxi was once just a nice All-Star hope, now he looks like an All-NBA guy." — Trill [46:39]

• Sixers Playoff Matchups

  • Least to most confident (if healthy):
    1. Least: Cavaliers ("Completely smoked us all year; perimeter + lob threats expose Embiid’s current limitations.")
    2. Celtics
    3. Knicks
    4. Pistons ("Great season but need a second scorer—Tobias Harris isn’t it in the playoffs; Pistons most likely to be upset.")

• Offseason Outlook

  • Top priority: a legitimate backup center; Morey refuses to invest, leaving team exposed when Embiid sits or is injured.
  • Also need: playable wings, backup guards—roster far from contention.

• Fan Protest, ‘Fire Morey’ Chant

  • Trill’s group organized a “Fire Morey” protest at Sixers-Pelicans game in NOLA, visible on broadcast—reflecting deep fan frustration with deadline moves and punting on youth for more draft capital.

    "They sold us on this being a younger, more athletic year—then...traded McCain for draft capital to the defending champs. That set off the fan base." [57:31]

  • Stresses disconnect between management’s process talk versus roster reality.

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6. Sixers Trivia Showdown: ‘Andrew vs. the Beat’

[62:16–74:43]

• Guest vs. host Sixers-themed trivia; Trill dominates with knowledge of tank-era rebounding leaders and franchise weirdness.
• Fun ‘Franklin the Dog’ mascot fact round and career Andre Drummond 3-point makes cap off the session.

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Notable Quotes

• On the Hornets’ Outlier Lineup:

  "Their starting five’s net rating is plus 31.2—higher than any five-man unit in this database of 22 seasons."
  — Andrew [18:56]

• On Sixers’ Home Blowouts:

  "The Sixers have more 40-point losses at home than any team in NBA history."
  — Andrew [22:45]

• On the Sacramento Kings’ Dysfunction:

  "No team needs, like, a bigger reset, just, like, spiritually, than the Kings."
  — Andrew [32:07]

• Trill on Sixers Injuries:

  "They built this team with the idea that Maxi, Embiid and Paul George would all be healthy...in two years now, I don’t know how many games all three played together—probably under 30 at this point." [39:29]

• Trill on Maxi’s Progression:

  "If he is going to be a number one option you have to build some sort of system around him..." [43:47]

• Trill on Sixers’ Center Backup Woes:

  "We’re going on seven years of never having a reliable center when Joel Embiid is out—ever." [55:01]

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Key Timestamps

• 03:15 – NBA Week Recap (Hornets, Knicks, Spurs, Thunder, Wolves, etc.)
• 14:07 – Hornets' Starting Lineup: All-Time Net Rating
• 20:32 – Sixers: Bad Stats, Injury Rundown
• 25:37 – Westbrook vs. Sacramento Media: Dysfunction Explored
• 34:57 – Air Horn Malfunction in Pistons/Cavs Game
• 37:25 – Sixers: Week Review & Setup for Interview
• 38:35 – Trill Bro Dude Interview Starts
• 39:29 – Paul George Context; Roster Disintegration
• 43:10 – Maxey’s Growth & Limitations
• 46:39 – VJ Edgecombe as Riser
• 49:50 – Sixers’ Playoff Threat Rankings
• 54:12 – Offseason Needs: Center, Wings, Depth
• 57:31 – ‘Fire Morey’ Protest Explained
• 62:16 – Sixers Trivia Game

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Episode Takeaways

• Charlotte Hornets are red-hot, wielding potentially generational lineup synergy and shooting volume, stirring speculation of long-term "game-breaking" evolution.
• The Sixers’ playoff outlook is bleak amid devastating injuries and fractured roster, with fan sentiment turning sharply against the front office.
• Dysfunction in Sacramento has hit comic-tragic heights, as Westbrook’s media meltdown mirrored systemic organizational woes.
• Fan involvement (protests, chants) and rare statistical benchmarks (home blowouts) added rich flavor to the week’s NBA storylines.

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[Note: Trivia, game recaps, and inside-joke segments omitted for brevity, but present throughout for fans.]

Transcript

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[Trill]

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[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

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[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

This episode is brought to you by Bill, the intelligent finance platform that helps leaders scale with proven results in basketball. Hype doesn't win championships. Execution does. The same is true for your finances. If you run a business or manage a financial back office, you don't have time for tools that promise the world but break under pressure. You need financial infrastructure that you can actually trust. That's why the big players use Bill. Bill isn't just moving money. They're simplifying financial operations for nearly half a million customers. From AI powered accounts payable to seamless syncing with your accounting software. When it comes to scale, the numbers speak for themselves. Bill has securely processed over a trillion dollars in real transactions and is trusted by over 90 of the top 100 US accounting firms. Stop the guesswork and start scaling with the proven choice. Ready to talk to an expert? Visit bill.comproven to get started and grab a $250 gift card as a thank you. That's bill.comproven terms and conditions apply. See Offer page for details. Welcome to the Saturday Slam and Jam here on the Athletic NBA Daily, brought to you by Amazon Prime. On today's show, we're going to bring you our and what of this week. We're talking about the Philadelphia 76ers, so we'll do that with our guy Trill bro dude. And then we will do some Sixers trivia. But before we get to any of that, Alex, tell me what happened in the NBA this week.

[Andrew]

Andrew the top story this week is the Charlotte Hornets, who are on an historic winning streak. Now, the number of games might not be historic. They've won six in a row, which is the longest winning streak in the league. But it's the way they've done it that is so unique. During this six game winning streak, the Hornets have won every game by at least 15 points. The last team to do that was the 1718 Golden State warriors, who you may remember for having every good player on their team. Well, now it's the Hornets. The this run of dominance, it was mostly against tanking teams to be fair, but Charlotte's most recent win was one of their best of the season, a 118 to 89 domination of the Celtics in Boston. The wind pushed Charlotte over.500 for the first time since they were two and one on October 27th. They have moved into the ninth spot in the east, only two and a half games back of the Sixers in sixth. Meanwhile, their point differential is fifth best in the East. Elsewhere in the east, the Knicks got one of their best wins of the season as well as they put an end to the Spurs 11 game winning streak, beating them at MSG. The Knicks held the spurs to only 89 points, which is San Antonio's lowest total of the season by the way. Go, go check out the Knicks defense over this recent stretch. It's really good. Yeah, it's for real. The Knicks newfound bench depth was especially helpful this week with Jose Alvarado, Landry Schmidt and Muhammad Diaara all contributing in big ways. Small sample I think I said Shamet, Landry, Shamit Small sample I just caught up with my brain. Small sample but since being traded to the Knicks, New York has had a plus 21 net rating in Jose Alvarado's minutes. For the spurs, the Knicks loss was just a temporary blip as they got back to their winning ways, beating the Sixers by 40 and then getting another big win over the Pistons in a game where Wemby posted a very normal 38 and 16 with 5 blocks line. Despite the wins, the spurs actually lost some ground in the race for the number one seed in the west this week because the Thunder won all four of their games, including a couple of high profile ones. First, in a Friday night clash against the Nuggets at home, the Thunder held on for a 127 to 121 overtime win despite not having SGA or iheart in overtime due to a minutes restriction. The story of the game however, was the chippiness which started early and continued to escalate during the game, peaking when Lou Dort hip checked and tripped Nikola Jokic who was coming up the court. The trip led to a particularly intense confrontation between Jokic and Jalen Williams of the Thunder, which featured a Jokic face that has haunted me every night since I saw it. After review, Lou Dort was assessed a flagrant 2 and ejected from the game. Now, Dort did eventually admit wrongdoing during an interview in Chicago, saying he shouldn't have done it and that it was over the limit. But David Adelman and Denver's players were not having it, setting up a rematch on Monday night that is now one of the most anticipated games of the year, especially especially if you're a farming engagement by posting clips of questionable foul calls on social media. This is, this is going to be your super bowl, okay? The other big win for OKC was against the Knicks at MSG. Chet Holmgren led all scorers with 28 in the game, including a season high six threes. The Knicks had two great looks from three to send the game into overtime, one from Jalen Brunson and one from OG Anunoby on a tip out, but both missed and the game ended 103 to 100 for the Thunder. After the game, the focus, as always, was on SGA and his ability to get to the line. Knicks head coach Mike Brown said. Quote He's a tough cover. He does a great job of convincing the referees, probably better than anyone in the league that he's getting hit. SGA got to the line seven times in the game, an NBA record, while OKC has won four in a row. The longest winning streak in the west belongs to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have won five in a row. After beating the Raptors on Thursday night, the Wolves got a big win against the Nuggets in Denver this week that featured former spurned Nugget bones Highland scoring 15 of his 18 points in the first half. The winning streak has brought the wolves up to 40 and 23 with a one game lead on the Rockets for the three seed. The Wolves start a four game road trip this upcoming week that will end with a matinee game against OKC next Sunday. Finally, we've got some returns of big names this week. First, Trae Young played his first game as a Wizard, a 122, 112 loss to the Utah Jazz. Trey only played 19 minutes. And the bigger story from this game was rookie Ace Bailey scoring a career high 32 points, including 7 of 11 from 3. Also, one of my favorite players, Aaron Gordon, is targeting a return on Friday night against the Knicks. Finally in he's missed the last 16 games. Will be a massive boost for this Nuggets team that's been struggling a bit. Finally. I think I've said that multiple times. Finally. We started hearing rumblings this week that Jason Tatum would be returning very soon. And when Celtics head coach Joe Mazool was asked about the theory of Tatum coming back on March 14, said, quote, I might not even be alive by that day. Go to bed. Questionable. I wake up. Probable. Thank you, Joe. Thank you for the information. We would later learn that Jason Tatum would be expected to return on Friday night, which has already happened by the time you listen to this. Lucky you. And those were the top stories this week, Andrew.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Oh man.

[Andrew]

Getting some guys back finally.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Hey, it's good to get guys back.

[Andrew]

Oh, it's so good to get guys back. Okay, Andrew, it's time to share something we liked this week, something we didn't like and something that left us confused in a segment we call Good Bad. What's your good this week?

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

My good this week is, you know what? I think Reed shepherd is good. I think he's good for the Rockets. I think he's a good player. This is going to be a good. That might sound bad, which is not something that I like to do, but something that I'm going to do. The Rockets had a really rough game against the warriors, losing by two in overtime to a team that had DE Anthony Melton taking 22 shots and a guy named LJ Cryer playing for 20 minutes. They lost to that team. They lost to that team. And while that sounds bad, Reed shepherd was a bright spot for the Rockets. He had 30 points, three rebounds, six assists and was a plus 11 off the bench. One of my issues with him playing off the bench is like they're not playing him enough with the good guys. And they played him for like 16 straight minutes. Almost like, I don't know if he's like trying to prove a Point that like he shouldn't be starting. I don't really know. It's very weird. Like just the treatment and the way that they use Reed shepherd is very weird. But according to Cleaning the Glass this season with Reed shepherd on the court, the Rockets are just a dead even. Just dead even. Not good, not bad, dead even. But you try to, you start to uncover that a little bit. I just wonder if the Rockets are running into a problem with the players that they have accumulated on their team. If you consider Reed as one of their building blocks. Now, the three man combo of Reed KD and Amin Thompson with Alperine Shangun off is a plus 17.7.

[Andrew]

Pretty good.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

That's really good. I would argue add Alpi back in. All you do is add Alper and Sengoon, All Star Alper and Shangun back into that group. That four man group together this season is a minus 3.9.

[Andrew]

Hmm, strange.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

That is over a 20 point swing. And it just makes me wonder with. They have had so many issues. I think they have like identity issues. When you get down to the end of games, like what's supposed to happen here? It's this like, your turn, my turn. Katie and Alpie, I feel like we always get to these moments with kd, it's always like, your turn, my turn with Katie and whoever else. But I don't know what they're supposed to do. I don't know how they're supposed to build this team moving forward. They have real issues. And so part of me wonders, do they like instantly become the Giannis team? Because if you just need to remake your team, that is a very easy way to do it. And sure, the Bucks could sell their fan base on, you know, All Star Alper and Shengun as like one of the building blocks of the trade. And then I think the Rockets like, I think Giannis fits more of the Rocket identity, all of that. Reed I think can play with Giannis because he shoots so well. I don't know. But I just wonder if they are running into a problem now with the construction of their roster because like I said, they have identity issues. You can't play their best players on the floor together. And there are things that are really working and then there are things that really aren't. And this loss really just, I think just made all those issues look a lot bigger. And so I think a lot of people would be surprised if the Rockets made like a really deep playoff run. I think this is the kind of team that is probably destined to lose in round One or two, depending on who the matchup is. And that's not exactly what they have been built for or what they're hoping for. So I'm really, really curious to see, like, how the team building goes and how, like, how much is Reed shepherd, like, emphasized in the team building? Because I think he's a very good player that, that should be starting on this team right now because they're so desperate for shooting. But I'm just really curious to see, like, how they move forward and what does it look like, because there's just some strange things going on in Houston

[Andrew]

and it's such a huge swing right now in the standings between playing Denver in the four or five, let's assume Aaron Gordon comes back healthy, Peyton Watson's eventually back healthy, versus if you can get up to the three, and potentially playing the Lakers. And of course, all this could change, you know, but the Nuggets did beat the Lakers, so there's a little bit of separation there now between five and six. But. But that. That could really swing things. I mean, they. They could win a series against the Lakers, whereas I would give them no chance against a healthy Nuggets team.

[Trill]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

And maybe, as you talked about, maybe

[Trill]

that would be for the better.

[Andrew]

You know, if they did maybe knocked out, it would. It would kind of spur them to make a more serious move this summer when they'll have a lot of options and they still have a ton of picks.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Yeah, it's not like they're in like, oh, my gosh. What? Like, they have ways to get around this. It's just that this current roster, especially since they dealt for kd, it's just like. It doesn't really make sense because these. You speed up your process, which is giving you more expectations, but there's no way to meet the expectations with the current roster. So it's just. It's complicated.

[Andrew]

Yeah, they will definitely look different next year. I mean, just. Just. Just getting Van Vliet back is big enough. Okay, Andrew, my good. This week is about the Charlotte Hornets. You got to mention them every week now. Yeah, things are going.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

What I love about this Hornet season is how unique it is because, yes, we've seen young teams put it together, make a run to the play in or playoffs, but it's never quite looked like this. There are things about this Hornets run that are genuinely bizarre and make me wonder whether I'm watching the start of something really special. And one of those things is the success of their starting lineup. So we're talking Lamelo Khan, Brandon, Miller, Bridges and Diabate. You probably know by now that this lineup has been absolutely dominant. Yeah, but do you realize how dominant they are? I went back through the cleaning the glass database which goes back to 03 04, found the best five man lineups over the last 22 seasons. Now I used a cutoff of 600 possessions because the Hornet starting five just passed that as a marker. I'm going to wait to reveal their net rating because I first want to tell you about some of the greatest five man units in the last 22 seasons. So as a second cutoff, I focused on lineups that had a net rating of 20 or higher and they had to have played at least 600 possessions together. There were 14 lineups that met that criteria over the last 22 seasons. I'm going to focus on the top five in detail in just a second, but just to give you an idea of who we're talking about, I'll give you the year and team name for the rest of the list. So These are the five man lineups. Plus 20 net rating, at least 600 possessions over the last 22 years. Starting from 15. 08 Boston, 15 Cleveland, 22 Philly 15 Golden State, 05 Dallas. 18 Philly 09 Cleveland 05 San Antonio. 23 Golden State and 07 Dallas. Now even without giving you the names of the players in those five man lineups, you probably instantly recognize some of those teams and the players who were involved. Obviously a lot of LeBron, a lot of Steph in general. These were great teams. In fact, among the top 14 five man units over the last 22 seasons, the average win total for their teams was 58 wins. That was the average. So now let's focus on the top five five man lineups over the last 22 seasons. At number five, 17 warriors featuring Steph Clay, Katie Draymond and Zaza. That lineup had a net rating of plus 23.5. That team won 67 games. In fourth we have the 22 Celtics featuring Marcus Smart, Brown and Tatum, Al Horford and Time Lord. Net rating of 24.3. They won 51 games. In third it was the 04 Pacers with Jamal Tinsley, Reggie Miller, Metta world peace, Jermaine O' Neill and Jeff Foster. A plus 26.2 net rating, 61 wins for that Pacers team in second. I mean this, this is a classic one. The 07 Rockets, the team that won 22 games in a row, Rafer Alston, T, Mac Battier, Chuck Hayes and Yao Ming. Plus 28.1 net rating, 55 wins. And that brings us to the best five man lineup in the last 22 seasons, which yes, is this current Hornet starting lineup. And after this recent run where they've won six games by 15 plus points, the net rating of that five man lineup is plus 31.2. Again, the team in second, the 07 Rockets plus 28.1. The Hornets starting lineup plus 31.2. That is higher than any of those memorable five man units from all those great teams over the last two decades. Higher than any of those teams who again on average won 58 games. Now there are a few caveats. One is that the season isn't over. The Hornets remaining schedule isn't a cakewalk. They've got to play some tough teams. So it's possible, it's actually probably likely that that net rating won't stay quite that high. You know, maybe it comes down a little bit. There's also the factor of this year's tanking landscape which is likely boosting the number a little bit, especially over this recent stretch. But it's also true that even if that net rating does come down a little, we'd still be talking about one of the best five man groups in recent NBA history. And that is fascinating to me considering this team's current over under is 43 and a half. If you look at the other 14 teams on this list, the only team that is like kind of a comp would be the 23 warriors. They were the only team on this list that didn't win 50 games. They're obviously a very different team from the Hornets. They were a veteran team coming off a championship, but similar to the Hornets, they struggled with injuries at various points. That five man lineup played just over 700 possessions together total because of those injuries. And they only ended up winning 44 games which was the lowest win total among all these teams. But the truth is none of these teams on this list are anything like the Charlotte team. Which is just another reason why this Hornet season is one of the more incredible runs we've seen. And so that is my good.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Is Concan Nipple just like one of the best players of all time. It's like, is that what we're like grappling with here?

[Andrew]

I mean one thing that I've been thinking about, you know we talk when like Steph 2015, you know he broke, he broke the game. Yeah, he really did break the game with his three point volume. And I'm wondering if the Hornets are kind of doing the same. But as A unit because you have three top 15 guys in three point volume in that lineup.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

With Lamelo Kahn and Brandon Miller, we've never seen that type of volume from like a starting unit before. We've obviously seen it with players like Stephen Clay. I mean, those are the most obvious ones. We've seen it with those Rockets teams during Harden's year. They got up a ton of threes, but this, this lineup is just so unique in terms of the volume coming from just three players. And just imagine because you, you could, you know, they could make a move this summer. Just imagine if they added another three point shooter to this starting lineup.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Yeah. They added like a big. That shot.

[Andrew]

Yeah. What could happen?

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

I have no idea. I want to see it, though. I know I'd love to see it.

[Andrew]

And that is why I'm just like kind of getting excited. As exciting as this season is for the Hornets, looking ahead, it's just like, could they, could they break the game when they eventually get to whatever full strength they're going to look like in a couple of years?

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

I hope so. The east needs an exciting team.

[Andrew]

Come on, Andrew, what is your bad this week?

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

You know, in the spirit of a week that is Sixers week, I just. Man, I'm worried about this Sixers team. We got news that Embiid will be out at least another week. He's got this oblique strain that's kept him out a bunch of games already. He'll be reevaluated. He hasn't returned the court yet at all. But Tony Jones says that he is, quote, unquote, progressing well, which is good. But, man, like, we're, we're getting late in the season. This has been a mostly fun season for Philly and we'll talk a lot more with Trill about, you know, just the overall vibe of everything that's going on. But you look at them over the last 15 games, they're 21st in defense, they're 19th in offense. They're literally the only team in the east right now in the, in the top 10 of the East, I'll say. With a negative point differential.

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

And they're only a half game up on Orlando and Miami, and they're probably going to be in the play in. And they might be playing this Charlotte team that we're talking about in a play in game.

[Andrew]

No.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

And if that happens, I mean, that is really, really rough. Really rough. Way to end a season that like, started out so fun and had you asking all sorts of crazy questions. And then on top of that, they traded Jared McCain. So it's just been a, a really Philly way to like ease into the end of this season. Like this feels so Sixers right now.

[Andrew]

Well, and the most Sixers thing about it is that like there's still little hope. I mean, what if Paul George comes back? What if he comes back? Like you talk yourself into it. Yeah, there's nothing more Philly than that.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

It's not Philly without the football being pulled from you right at the very last second that you are just, you are ready to kick that thing and it's going to get pulled again. I've been saying it for months, but it's happening. It is slowly being pulled away right now. So just brace yourselves, Philly, because you're going to end up on your butts again.

[Andrew]

Yeah, my bad was also about Philly and a specific stat because they lost a game to the spurs this week, 131 to 91 at home. Which the stat that came out of this game was that the Sixers have more 40 point losses at home than any team in NBA history. And I. It's one of those stats where it's like, okay, let me make sure this is true. Like I had to go to stat head to be like, okay, let's see. And it is true. This team is 34 and 28 currently succeed. You would never guess that a team with that profile could even be capable of a stat like this. And listen, there's obvious factors in these three losses. Both PG and Embiid missed all three, VJ missed two. And as we'll talk about later with Drill, like you take away a few key pieces from the Sixers team, you get some lineups that look like they're straight out of the G league which have led to some of these brutal home losses. And it's a shame that they lost by exactly 40 to the spurs because if you just dip down to 35 point losses, Philly gets a lot more company. But unfortunately they own this record for the time being. But this got me wondering about similar stats like this. So here's what I found. The team in NBA history with the most 30 point losses at home is none other than this year's Wizards team. They've accomplished that feat six time six times this season. And as some further evidence for any anti tankers out there who feel like it's the worst it's ever been, the top four teams on this list of most 30 point home losses and 10 of the top 15 all happened within the last five seasons, which is Wild. Now, if we go to most 20 point home losses, Andrew, it's the 20, 21 Oklahoma City Thunder, who had had 13 of those losses. But thankfully, very few people other than Andrew had to witness these losses.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

I was gonna say I was one of the few that got to witness these quote unquote home losses.

[Andrew]

Yeah, that was one of the most brilliant pieces of strategic tanking that ever happened. Where the way it lined up, where they just didn't allow fans the entire season, as some. As some teams were starting to allow fans in, they were just like, no one needs to see this except Andrew. Andrew can watch, but no one else.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

And I loved it. I loved it. It was very fun to be in that building.

[Andrew]

And then finally, the most 10 point home losses, which, you know, that's not even that bad, but I just wanted to do another search. A record held by last year's Wizards team who lost 26 of their 41 home games by at least 10 points. So, as you can see with these other teams I named the Sixers. Managing to set a record like this is pretty unique for a team that is, like, solidly in the playoff race, which makes this my bad. So that brings us, Andrew, to your what this week.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Oh, man. Most of you by now have probably seen this Russell Westbrook clip of him challenging the Sacramento Kings media. As if, like, things in Sacramento didn't need to get any worse, he challenges specifically Matt George, who just started his own podcast called Matt George Podcast Boy. This was a classic, awkward Westbrook situation. Not. Not the. Not the first. Obviously most of them were here in okc. Shout out to Barry Trammell. I've experienced some in person myself. This created a situation where literally everyone looked really bad, which is becoming just a Sacramento King special. Matt George completely folded when, like, given a chance to, like, say, like, the reasons why, you know, things were not good. And Russell was part of it. Russell also folded when asked what are the specific things that he'd like to complain about? And then he wouldn't say it either. This was really bad for Kings pr. They let this go on for six horrifically awkward minutes. Six minutes. I was showing it to Luke this morning whenever we're getting ready to do the Friday down to dunk show. And I like, accidentally tapped the video and he goes, this is six minutes. And it was like 30 seconds in. It's really bad. Like, how could you as a PR team allow this to go on for six minutes? Where he's like, questioning the media. But, like, the truth is this has been one of the worst seasons in the history of the Sacramento Kings. And a lot of it is their insistence on playing these veterans, which is a coaching problem. Not only do you have a PR problem, you have a GM problem, you have an owner problem, you have a coach problem. Problems that are throughout the entire organization that are like almost unfixable, that even if you did get the number one pick, are you confident you could even pick the right guy? I don't even know. You look at the most played two man combo on the Sacramento Kings this season and it happens to be Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan that's the most played two man combo and you look at what they are, they're a minus 13 as a two man combo. If you look there are 46 two man combos that have played at least 1200 minutes together. You have here are the worst ones. Miles Turner, Ryan Rollins is a minus 4.1, Sadiq Bay, Trey Murphy a minus 4.2, MPJ and Nick Claxon is a minus 9. Russell Westbrook and DeMarta Rosen are a minus 13. It's by far the worst two man combo. The reason why these other combos don't get that many minutes because it's not this, this two man combo isn't the worst in the league, but it is the worst that has played 1200 minutes or more is because when teams know that things don't work, they stop doing it.

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

And Russell is part of this. And for Russell to act like he did yesterday was pretty ridiculous. For somebody in the media not to step up and actually try to say something to him was also kind of rough. It was just a rough all around situation. And I know like, I'm not expecting everybody to like be ready for Russell. He's extremely intimidating. He's somebody that doesn't really form relationships with media members. It's pretty rare. It's not that he doesn't do it, but it's pretty rare that he does do that, which is fine. He doesn't have to. That's his prerogative. If he doesn't want to do that, that's fine. But like, usually conversations like this are to be held like in a post game locker room, one on one with somebody. If he had a problem with somebody, he could talk to him there. But doing it at the podium I think is just a bad look for everybody. I just think overall this, this just kind of really puts the Kings under the microscope once again for being like the dysfunctional organization that they are and allowing Westbrook to do this, allowing this to happen, putting your media members where they're at. It was very weird. It was. It was super weird. I've. I've had, personally, I've had some weird interactions with Westbrook as well, so I'm. Nobody is immune to these, but to me, it, like, more so just, like, shows, like. Like, they're in a deeper hole than maybe they've ever been. And just, like, winning the lottery, which they're right now, they have the best odds. Like, I don't think that's going to fix anything here, and I think, like, this is something that they need to, like, dig deep on to be able to fix, and that really starts with ownership and it. And it goes from there. But, like, to me, this just exemplifies, like, what a horrific place the Sacramento Kings are in.

[Andrew]

Yeah. It's hard to, like, break it down because, like you said, Rust didn't really offer a ton of specifics.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Yeah. Like, I wish he would have. Whenever somebody said, like, what did I say? Like, Russell, that was your time to say, I don't like that you said xyz. Like, that was your chance.

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

And I'm given the shot, too.

[Andrew]

You know, part of this is maybe an example of, you know, organizations tank. Players don't tank. Like, I don't think Russ is tanking. And.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

No, he's not. No, he's just. He's just not a helpful player anymore. And that's okay, but it needs to be. It's okay to also recognize that.

[Andrew]

Right. But I'm sure he's responding to this idea that, you know, he's. He's done. He's not helping. Like, he's part of this. One of. One of the worst Kings teams in recent memory or probably of all time.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Yeah. And, I mean, James Ham. James Ham, who has covered that team for a long, long time, said this is the worst team that he's ever covered.

[Andrew]

Yeah. So I'm sure Russ is not comfortable in this situation. He's never been in this situation in

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

his career where he's been on this.

[Andrew]

Bad.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

So I'm. I'm sure that's part of it. You know, I would guess that maybe there are some young players on the team. I know Devin Carter hasn't been getting as much playing time as probably some Kings fans would assume he'd get in this situation.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

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[Andrew]

But, yeah, it's just a bad situation all around. I mean, no team needs, like, a bigger reset, just, like, spiritually.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

Than the Kings. I hope for their sake, I mean, this happened with Halliburton where, you know, they got lucky in that draft by, by getting Haliburton. Halliburton was such a good player for that team and that city. I mean, he wanted to be there and that's why them trading him ended up being such a huge downer. But hopefully they can get in a situation in this year's draft where they can similarly get another top prospect and have things turn out much differently this time. But find a guy who wants to be in Sacramento, wants to take on that, that mantle of wanting to change the culture of the team because that's the point they're at where like a 19 year old coming in, like really could do a lot for this team.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Can't count me as somebody that is skeptical.

[Andrew]

Well, yeah, of course I'm skeptical. Just like what's, what's the other. How else is it going to happen? It's going to take some like, force of personality outside of the current roster to come in and change.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Yeah, yeah. They need a force of nature for sure.

[Andrew]

Yeah. Well, from something kind of serious, something not serious at all. My what this week was the air horn malfunction and last Friday night's Detroit Cleveland game. So first off, wildly entertaining game. Harden and Mitchell were out for Cleveland. They were still able to push the Pistons to overtime, during which Cade was out because he fouled out in regulation. It was just this beautiful mess of a game where bench players like Dennis Jenkins and Craig Porter Jr. Needed to play key roles in overtime. So the Pistons ended up winning 122 to 119. But another reason this game was memorable was because they had an air horn malfunction which I'd never seen before, at least for this long. The air horn, which sounds at various points during a basketball game, somehow got stuck in the on position and was blaring for minutes. And it was very entertaining because the ESPN crew was interviewing Donovan Mitchell when the horn started blaring and watching them slowly realize that it wasn't going to stop was really great. It was just Donovan Mitchell answering questions while the camera cuts away to people making faces while they cover their ears. It was very funny. And you, you know, you might think, oh, ESPN in this situation they'll probably cut away to like a studio show. But no, if you had your TV cranked up, you got to sit back and enjoy the same experience as the fans in the arena. The camera guys. And I thought this was a little unfair. They focused a lot on this poor guy at the scores table who was doing everything he could to fix it and was clearly like so stressed out did not want to be the center of attention. I can't imagine how miserable that must have been with everyone watching you. They did eventually fix it after longer than you would think if you did not watch this game a lot longer. But it just added some additional flavor to this very fun game. So it was deserving of my what?

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Speaking of miserable situations with everyone watching you, we're gonna talk about the Philadelphia 76ers right after this quick break.

[Andrew]

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[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

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[Andrew]

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[Trill]

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[Andrew]

All right, Andrew, it is time for the Wheel of Fandom, the weekly segment where we spin a wheel, it lands on a team and we become fans of that team for the next week. Last week the Wheel landed on the Philadelphia 76ers. The week started off with a somewhat competitive loss to the Celtics on the road, followed by a definitely not competitive 40 point loss to the spurs at home. It was the Sixers third 40 point loss at home this season, the first team in NBA history to accomplish that feat. Now to make matters worse, Sixers rookie Vijay Edgecombe left the game with a low back injury, joining Joel Embiid on the injury report, who remains out with an oblique strain. The Sixers ended the week with a four point win over the Jazz at home. All in all, a pretty normal week in the world of the Sixers. The Sixers are 34 and 28, six in the east one game up on the Magic and Heat per cleaning the glass, the Sixers have the 13th ranked offense and 17th ranked defense. Andrew, if the Sixers are a favorite team, who is our guest?

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

It is Trill, bro, dude from the UT no Ball podcast. Trill, welcome back to the show.

[Trill]

Thanks for having me back. I feel like I just got hit with a hundred poison darts, but as you said, that is about par for the course with the Sixers. Especially. Especially Anytime you guys have me on,

[Andrew]

I know I was thinking back, I was like, man, I feel like every time you come on it's like something bad has just happened.

[Trill]

It's always it. Before it was like oh, the Sixers made a trade and then it was like oh, all these horrible things happened to the Sixers and now it's both.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yep, yep. And you get to look at our faces as we get to enjoy Jared McCain on a nightly basis.

[Trill]

So I'm so jealous.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

So the absence of Embiid is obviously the biggest factor hurting the Sixers right now. But the loss of Paul George to the suspension is also a factor. Even though he may not have been the All Star player that we remember, how much better had PG been playing this season compared to last year?

[Trill]

I feel like if you probably just caught the Sixers occasionally or looked at the stats, you would probably think that he was around the same as last year. But I would say this year he, I mean he's been important to the team the last two years. Obviously whenever he doesn't play, we don't win games. But it felt like he was extremely important to the Sixers this year because they really just don't have anyone who can do the two way wing stuff that he has been able to do for this team. They really lack shooting on the wing, they really lack defense on the wing. And when he gets removed from the lineup, it just sinks. Pretty much every lineup that we have he makes the team just make a lot more sense. I mean they built this team with the idea that Maxi, Embiid and Paul George would all be healthy and in two years now, I don't know how many games all three of those guys have played together, but I would estimate it's probably under 30 at this point. Which is kind of surreal because we're in March of 2026. But I would say he's definitely been better than last year. He's been a little bit more locked in and then the team in general when he is healthy makes a little bit more sense than it did last year. So like I said, extremely, extremely important to this Sixers team. And, and fun fact, last night we, we were down a few players. Uber didn't play and be didn't play, Vijay didn't play and Paul George didn't play. Someone pointed out in the discord our starting three Trend and Watford and our starting four Don Barlow shot zero threes in the entire game last night. So that shows you how important Paul George is shooting is for this team on the way. It's kind of insane. It's 2026 and we had zero threes from our starting small forward and power forward for an entire game. So yeah, extremely important to this team.

[Andrew]

Honestly, just hearing starting three Trendon Watford like that. That's, that's enough. Oh, by the way, I looked it up for you in case you're interested. Paul George, Joel and B Tyrus Maxi over these last two seasons played a total of 659 minutes together. So that, that sounds like around 30 games. I don't know.

[Trill]

Yeah, I would say yeah, if you probably extrapolate that, that's probably about 30, 30 games. But last year I know that the thing was they, I don't even know if they had played a game altogether by the time that like December came around because of the, the, the multitude of injuries. And then this year it was basically the same thing. Paul George was out to start the year, then he came back and Embiid got hurt. So they're really just have never been able to get this thing rolling at all. So even if, even if Daryl Morey was right that this could work together if they had enough time to gel the availability is just so Dire that he will never get a chance to really see it unless Paul George comes back from this suspension and ends up, you know, playing real minutes together with Embiid and Maxi to finish the season. But like there's 10 games left of the year when he comes back. Like even then they just do. They don't have enough road. It's kind of just another lost season for this, this trio.

[Andrew]

So Maxi, he's having a great season. Career highs in several statistical categories. He looks poised to potentially make his first all NBA team. I saw a lively post on the Sixers subreddit about whether or not Maxi could be a number one option. Based around some of his numbers with and without Embiid. Do you feel like Maxi has been better in these non embiid games compared to last season and how are you feeling about that discussion around his long term ceiling?

[Trill]

He definitely has been better. Maxi was pretty terrible to start last year without envy. That was the thing that was probably the most disappointing out of last year because coming into the year we always knew that In Bead's Health could be kind of up in the air with the meniscus and we also knew that Paul George was very old and might not be available. And if those things don't really come together then the floor absolutely could fall out. But I would say Maxi has definitely been better without Joel this year. I mean, even if you just look at the, the raw stats, he's been better. But I mean he has to play 40 minutes a game just for us to have a chance.

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Trill]

In any given game. And I think the conversation about Maxey being a number one option, he might not be a number one in a traditional sense of like you just roll the ball out and he runs 30 pick and rolls a game, isolates a ton and you have one of the top offenses in the NBA. But I think what he has shown this year, he. He's. I would say he's a little bit streaky on defense. He has certain games where it's very obvious. The coaching staff and Nick N have encouraged him to really take risks and gamble and jump in passing lanes and leave his man a lot to try to create turnovers to get the offense out running in the other end and that has boosted some of his defensive stats. Some games he also does that and it leads to 100 open threes and we get blown out, as you've said, with three times by 40 or more at home. But I don't think that Maxi is ever going to be like a traditional number one you like I said like just like what you think of when you think of a number one offense in the NBA or just a number one option in the NBA. But I do think there's a chance that you can build a system kind of like what the Sixers have done this year where you're getting him involved in unique ways with dribble handoffs, running pick and roll. His pull up three has been much better this year, which was the thing that kind of left him last year, getting him going downhill off the ball. But the issue continues to be when Paul George and Joel and Beat are out. They are playing basically G league players still occasionally. And like the thing that probably drove me the most insane this year is they were burning a ton of roster spots before the deadline and I thought they were going to sure that up at the deadline and they didn't at all really. They, they kind of are just punting on multiple roster spots for a team that has two guys who are regularly not available. So the long and short of it is that Maxi has definitely been better without envy this year and then I think if he is going to be a number one option, you have to build some sort of system around him that kind of puts his unique talents and traits in the right spots for him in order to kind of drive. I don't know if half court offense will ever be no towards the top of the league, but transition catch and shoot dribble handoffs, cuts those things and then just kind of combine that with players that are not, you know, bench players and G league players, which is basically everyone else on the team except for Paul George, Joel Embiid and Vijay Edgecombe who's a rookie.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Yeah, yeah. Speaking of Vijay, he had really been on a tear before he got hurt averaging 20 and 7 in his previous six games while shooting 44% from 3. How high are you on BJ at this point? And are there any like multi time all stars you're bringing up as like a comp like every time you talk about him right now.

[Trill]

So it depends on when you talk to me because if I had come on here after the first week of the season I would be like we drafted Michael Jordan like he is. That's what we called him for the first. Then he was Vimy Jutler then you know, like we've gone through all of the nicknames that we can with his name throughout this year. I would say the thing about VJ is I kind of did this with Maxi when he was a rookie where I was like man, maybe this guy could make an All Star game one day. And they kind of are cut from the same cloth in that it seems like they are psychotic workers and they just love basketball. And I generally don't want to put a ceiling on those players because like Maxi, when we were talking about him when he was younger, it was like, man, it would be really nice if Tyrese Maxi ever made an All Star game. Well, he's probably going to make all NBA this season and for stretches of this year look like he could be a potential MVP candidate if not this year, someone down, somewhere down the line. Vijay has had a very up and down rookie season and there are certain things that I think that stand out as, as real strengths. Like I think he's already a, a high level role player in the NBA. Like, I mean between the catch and shoot stuff, attacking, getting downhill off of the catch, the connective passing, he leads the NBA in loose balls recovered this year. He is someone that is already a neutral to a slightly positive defender, I would say. And then the things that will really determine who he can become as a player are kind of all directly related to his handle, which is the thing that was seen as probably his greatest weakness coming out of college. He wasn't someone who was on the Balaton at Baylor. He, he wasn't someone that was asked to, you know, playmake a ton or create offense from scratch. And he kind of hasn't really had to do that with the Sixers outside of occasional stretches when you know, we were just really suffering with a ton of injuries. But the things that he has shown is that like, I think the handle's already better than it was in college. And he also is someone that can clearly get to his spots in the mid range at a minimum. It's just about becoming a more consistent ball handler, a more consistent pull up shooter and a more consistent playmaker off the bounce, which is something that he really still hasn't shown all that much in the NBA. Like he can. If you run a pick and roll or a two man action, he can make the right reads but he's not making a ton of skip passes, he's not throwing a ton of lobs. He's just kind of right now he doesn't really know how to balance the playmaking and the scoring. And I think the handle getting better is the thing that could potentially unlock what he can become as a player. He needs to get stronger, then the handle gets better, then the finishing could potentially get better and then the pull up shooting could get better as Well, I think so.

[Andrew]

So let's imagine a world where Paul George comes back and he's just playing at the same level he was earlier in the season. Okay. Nothing crazy. Joel Embiid comes back, and let's say he's looking like he did before the recent injury. Forget seeding. How would you rank the top four in the Eastern Conference? From least confident that the Sixers could put up a fight in a series to most confident.

[Trill]

So least confident. This might surprise some people. I actually think it's the Cleveland Cavaliers. So here's why. The Cavs have completely smoked us basically every time we've played them this year. Some. There is some context there. Obviously, whenever you look at Sixers games, there's always someone out that you can point to, but they seem to have given us a lot of trouble over the last two years in general, mainly due to the fact that I feel like one of the things that this newer version of Joel Embiid is going to struggle with, even though I know the Cavs aren't known for their rebounding necessarily, but I do think that that is probably his. His weakest point. And when we're playing a team like the Knicks, it really shows. Obviously, like Mitchell Robinson, Josh Hart showed in the playoffs two years ago, showed when they were healthy in the last matchup that we had played with. Joel and the Cavs seem to have this combination of these two bigs that I think would probably give us problems on the glass in a series. Combined with the fact that Donovan Mitchell has always just kind of cooked the Sixers. I mean, he cooks a lot of teams in the NBA, but we really don't have anyone at the point of attack on our team that can hang with him. Grimes has done the best job, but he comes off our bench and I don't think he's going to be playing 35 minutes in a playoff series. And basically what I think the reason why that matchup is such a problem for us is that Jared Allen's just going to be able to catch a ton of lobs. Joel's not quite as agile as he once was. He was. He always struggled with. With guys who could catch lobs in general in the pick and roll, but especially now, I can't see him contesting a ton of those lobs. And I feel like between James Harden, Donovan, Mitchell, Jaylon, Tyson, like they're going to give us problems on the perimeter. And then combined with the fact that they're starting these double bigs and they're going to be able to throw A ton of lobs. Like I I have a hard time seeing us win a playoff series against them. I would say the Celtics with Tatum now that we know the Tatum is coming back probably second. I would say the Sixers have kind of given the Knicks a little bit of problems this year. The Knicks did destroy them just before the break, but in every other game it's been. It's come down to the wire and we've kind of whenever were relatively healthy. Those games are somewhat close pretty much every single time. So I feel somewhat confident about that matchup. But they're. The Knicks are clearly just a better team and then the last team. I think that the Pistons are the team that I would like to see the most in in these. I I've been saying for a few weeks I had a. I had a tweet the other day that got a lot of reactions from both Pistons fans and non Pistons fans, which was basically, it's very funny to me that the Pistons never lose games and every single fan base in the Eastern Conference has talked into upsetting them in the first round of the playoffs. But I and I all credit to them. They've had an incredible season. But I am still like I was kind of pounding the table all season for them to go out and get a second scorer that you can pair with Cade Cunningham, whether that's Michael Porter Jr. Or maybe if you even want to go a little bit less than that. Even like an Andrew Wiggins type. Like we've seen Tobias Harris as the second scoring option in a playoff series time and time again. And it is just something that I don't think will work in the playoffs. And you combine that with the fact that they're shooting. They're literally playing two of the worst wing shooters in the NBA big minutes and Ron Holland and Nassar Thompson. And in a playoff series, I feel like the right team coach. I don't know if that's the Sixers or another team that's a lower seed will be able to at least hang with them and give themselves a shot in that series. And while Cade I think is incredible, that he's had an amazing year and I think that he's gonna give a ton of problems for us just like Harden Mitchell would. I feel like the lack of other threats on that roster make me feel like they are beatable in a playoff context. So I would say it's very weird to put them as the one seed that far down. But that's just kind of how I feel about. I think all the teams at the top of the east are pretty strong. And I think if there's one team that's likely to get upset, it probably would be the Pistons.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

I know that you were not a fan of the Sixers trade deadline. That might be putting it lightly. But looking ahead to the off season, what are the most important areas for the Sixers team to address?

[Trill]

Firing Daryl Morey? Firing Nick Nurse? No, I. I think that you just brought up. I didn't like their trade deadline. I mean, it was extremely obvious that this team, even when healthy, probably was going to be a rotation player or too short in the playoffs of. Of even winning a series. Like I just said, I ranked the teams. I'd be pretty surprised if we beat any of those teams in the playoffs, to be completely honest with you. Kind of just based on the fact that we haven't been able to get all of these guys on the same page. But I would say the most important thing for this team is acquiring. Like, we are going on seven straight years of this team just never having a reliable center when Joel Embiid is out. Ever.

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Trill]

And Daryl Morey has refused to even try to invest anything beyond, like, the taxpayer mle into it. And it's just kind of to the point where you need to get over yourself and you need to invest in this position that's extremely important to surviving the regular season because we never know whether Joel's going to be available or not. And you can make the argument, well, if Joel's out, then you're done. Sure, fine, whatever, if you want to make that argument fair. But you have to get to the playoffs. Like you. You can't do this thing where you're just slapping veterans, minimum guys and late second round picks and all of this stuff on top of this huge gash that you've created by giving Joel Embiid a supermax and saying, all right, Tyrese Maxey of Vijay Edgecombe going into a second season next year, go figure it out. Because I just feel like it continues to be a problem. We're playing Andre Drummond. Huge minutes right now, and for my money, the last two years, I would say 80 of the time, he's been the worst center in the NBA. And I love Andre Drummond. I loved him the first time he was on the Sixers. I was hoping that they would have a chance to bring him back at some point. And in classic Sixers fashion, they do when he's fully washed. So that would be the number one thing I would say this off season. Whether it's that pick they got from the Rockets to go draft someone like Mara from Michigan. Or it is something like going out and using a little bit more than the taxpayer mle just to get someone in free agency. I would love to see them cover that up because this roster is still so far away. Like they need wings, they need a backup guard. Like they. This roster is very clearly far away and they would have been patching these things together at the deadline anyway. But if you had a reliable backup backup center that could occasionally spot start, combined with just a. A playable wing that can play when Paul George is in and out of the lineup, I think that would do wonders for this team.

[Andrew]

Now, before we go to trivia, Trill, I. I have to ask you, or really confront you about something that happened last week. For those who don't know, Trill and his wild gang of hooligans, which is the only way I can describe them after their reprehensible behavior. They went to a Pelican Sixers game in New Orleans and started a very audible Fire Morey chant during the game. And folks, you're not going to believe this, but Daryl Morey was in attendance.

[Trill]

That's right.

[Andrew]

This poor guy, all he wants to do is save some money. He was very likely sad, I would guess probably more confused than anything, getting heckled in an away arena by a group of scoundrels. Now, Trill, was this a planned protest or was this an organic moment of anger?

[Trill]

Definitely a planned protest. We. We were doing this in advance. I mean, the week after the trade deadline. We were upset at the trade deadline because everyone in the fan base, even the people that were, like, frustrated with Jared's play this year, were just so upset that they would give up on a player who looks so good like he did last year before he had this injury. And combined with the fact that the thing that just, like, really frustrated us was that they sold us on this year kind of being like before the season. Mori himself literally said we need to kind of have a younger, more athletic young team that can get us through the regular season and then when we get to the playoffs, have these guys that can kind of get us over the top. And that was the mistake they made the previous year by signing, you know, all these washed vets basically to fill in the roster. And that was the thing that I talked about when I came on last year to talk about all of the faults with the team. But I know that, I know that VJ and Maxi are going to be the starting backcourt moving forward. But to trade Jared McCain for draft capital to the team that just won the NBA Finals, combined with the fact that you didn't get anyone realistically decent to replace him, really set off so many people in the fan base and got so many people upset with him because you. You sold us on this year kind of being like, I wouldn't say a gap year or transition year, but like, let's be patient and see what we have here. And then you turned around and you traded him for draft capital. By the way, you guys know the Thunder. How many draft picks do you have? Like, would this draft. Like, would this deal not have been there on draft night? Like, if Jared McCain proves to not be that good down the stretch of this season and maybe he gets bench and doesn't, like, he's still gonna have some value around the NBA. And I don't think the Thunder are gonna be like, can't give up the 27th pick in the draft for Jared McCain because we're just so broke when it comes to pick. So the idea that he did that and then spun it with the, you know, the. The. The selling high thing, which is just a really bad look from a GM to do that in the first place. And everyone loves Jared, not just as a player, but as a person. That was what got us all frustrated. So we in advance had planned to do the fire more chance. We waited until they were on our side with the Pelican shooting free throws so we could do the fire more chant. And we did get some attention from some players on the team. And we did see Daryl after the game, but he did duck us and he ran back into the tunnel, so.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Coward.

[Trill]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

Oh, man, that's one of those stories. I just feel like it's would only be this if someone told me that story and didn't tell me any of the names involved. I would say, oh, that's definitely a Sixers story, 100%.

[Trill]

And. And it was the second straight year that we got onto the broadcast, because last year, I don't know if you guys remember, but when I went down there for last year, I was rooting against the team when. Yeah, when Marcus Bagley was one of our best players out there. Not Marvin, but Marcus Bagley. We had a bunch of G League players on the team last year, and Jose Alvarado was the best player on the court for both teams, and I was rooting against them, and I ended up, you know, standing up and clapping after the game and got on the broadcast for that. So. So we got. We got back to back Years getting on the the Pelicans broadcast, which is really the goal when you start an NBA podcast. Podcast.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Wait, why? Why do you guys pick New Orleans?

[Trill]

It's my favorite city in the country. I love it. The people, the food, the music. And then this year, we specifically went down because Marty Gr was a few days before, and we got the opportunity to go down there and celebrate Marty. Marty Gro. And then after that, we did our. Our annual Sixers and Pelicans game. And then also our friend Shout out to Andrew has a great venue in New Orleans called Sports Drink, where he does comedy shows, podcasts, and does these packaged games where you can go to Pelicans games. So if you're ever in New Orleans, check it out. It's in, like, the Irish Channel, Garden District area. Fantastic, fantastic venue. And just New Orleans is amazing. If you've never been to New Orleans, just go to New Orleans. It's so good.

[Andrew]

I think we need to do it down to dunk night.

[Trill]

I guess we do Thunder Pelicans next year.

[Andrew]

All right, Trill. Now time to play Andrew versus the Beat, our weekly trivia show where Andrew goes head to head against Beatrider. In this case, Trail bro Dude. From the, you know, ball podcast drill, I've come up with eight questions all about the Sixers. You're gonna give me a number between one and eight. If you get it right, you'll get at least two points. If you get it wrong, Andrew have a chance to steal for one. It will go back and forth. So all the questions have been asked and answered. So to start us off, I just need a number between one and eight.

[Trill]

Go seven for Kyle Lowry.

[Andrew]

Kyle Lowry, number seven. VJ is one of five rookies taking at least five three pointers per game. Now, Khan is an obvious one. He's taken over eight. Can you name the other three? And you get one point per correct answer. So these are the other rookies taking at least five threes per game.

[Trill]

So one is Jaeger Doman.

[Andrew]

That is correct.

[Trill]

I'm gonna say. The second is,

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

I don't know if

[Trill]

he plays enough minutes, but I'm gonna say Trey Johnson.

[Andrew]

That is correct.

[Trill]

And the third is. All right, this rookie class, I'm not sure if this player takes enough threes, but I'm gonna guess Ace Bailey.

[Andrew]

Ace Bailey. That is incorrect. Andrew, you could steal a point.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Oh, man. This coward taking five.

[Andrew]

No, I don't know if you would have gotten this. He plays for the Portland Trailblazers. Caleb Love. Caleb Love. Caleb Love. Taking five per game. Okay. He's played in over 40 games, y'. All.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

Shout out.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Caleb Love. Is he on a two? Is he on a two way still?

[Andrew]

Is he still on a tour? I can't remember if they. If they put him on a full deal or not. Yeah, possibly.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Shout out.

[Andrew]

All right, so trail has two points, two to zero. Andrew, the board is yours.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Okay, number one, VJ Edge comb.

[Andrew]

Just talking about him past the 2,000 minute mark this week. Who were the last two Sixers rookies to play at least 2000 minutes in their rookie season? And you get one point for correct answer.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Oh, my. Okay.

[Andrew]

2000 minutes.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

2000 minutes for a rookie.

[Andrew]

2000.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Let's go with Okafor.

[Andrew]

Jaleel Okafor. That is incorrect. Trill, you could steal two points here.

[Trill]

I'm gonna guess Ben Simmons.

[Andrew]

That is correct.

[Trill]

I know Maxi didn't because we all got mad at Doc for always benching Maxi. Man, this is a tough one. Now he. We traded Landry Shamit through his rookie season so that it's not him. I know he actually played a decent amount for us before we did trade him. And not Paul Joe. Paul Reed. Not Isaiah Joe. Damn. I'm gonna say Dario Sarich.

[Andrew]

That is correct. Trill.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Let's go.

[Andrew]

Both points. Wow. Trill is up four zero and has control of the board.

[Trill]

Let's go three. Allen Iverson.

[Andrew]

Question number three. Which two players are tied for the most dunks on the Sixers this season? You get one point per correct answer. They're tied at 48 dunks a piece.

[Trill]

So I can guess both?

[Andrew]

Yeah, you can guess both.

[Trill]

All right. A Dembon has got to be number one, right? Like, well, they're tied, so that is correct.

[Andrew]

But I will tell you, he was only became tied after last night's game.

[Trill]

I'm going to guess the other one is Don Barlow.

[Andrew]

That is correct. Both points, 6 to 0. Andrew, it's looking dark

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

too.

[Andrew]

There's a lot of questions left to. Okay. Tyrese Maxey, currently averaging over 38 minutes per game. Who was the last Sixer to average 38 plus minutes per game over a full season?

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Oh, wow. Okay. It's a lot of minutes per game. Yeah. Would it be James Harden?

[Andrew]

Would it be James Harden? No, it would not be James Harden. Trill, it's a.

[Trill]

It's a good guess. I. I'm gonna say Allen Iverson.

[Andrew]

It was someone after Allen Iverson.

[Trill]

All right, well, I'm not going to get the point, but was it Andre Igadala?

[Andrew]

It was Iggy. I Accidentally just gave you a point. I gotta scratch that out. Hold on.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Please do.

[Andrew]

Okay, Trill, board is yours.

[Trill]

We'll go six.

[Andrew]

Question number six. Okay. This is the first. We've never done a question like this. Okay. Introverse. It would be very exciting. There have been 11 players to score 20 points for the Sixers this season. We're going to name them all. Now. We've done that before, but we're going to do it in order. Okay, so how this works is Trill will name the player who has the most 20 point games this season for the Sixers. Then Andrew will name the player who has the second most and we'll go third most, fourth most. But you have to go in order. If we get to a point where two players have the same number of 20 point games, I'll let you know and either answer will count as correct. So, Trill, you will tell me the player who has the most 20 point games for the Sixers this season.

[Trill]

Maxi.

[Andrew]

That is correct. Andrew, you will tell me who has the second most 20 point games for the Sixers.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Embiid.

[Andrew]

That is correct. Trill, third most 20 point games.

[Trill]

I think it's Kelly Oubre.

[Andrew]

That is incorrect. Andrew, who would you guess?

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Pg.

[Andrew]

No. Also wrong. It was Vijay.

[Trill]

Oh. I actually. Because Vijay had a stretch where he didn't crack 20 for a while, so I felt like it was probably ubere, but I. V.J. is the.

[Andrew]

Yeah, the order. So it was V.J. third, then Quentin Grimes fourth.

[Trill]

How is that possible? I feel like that man never scores 20 points. He drives me insane.

[Andrew]

Then it's Paul George, then Kelly Uber.

[Trill]

Wow. I was that far off.

[Andrew]

And then we're getting down to like Don Barlow, Jabari Walker, who did.

[Trill]

Back to back.

[Andrew]

Back to back. That's right.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Shout out. Dang.

[Andrew]

You were so. You sounded so surprised about Quentin Grimes. I wanted to. I wanted to make sure.

[Trill]

No, no, you're probably right. Because he had a straight. The first two months of the season. Quentin Grimes was absolutely on fire. And then he just came back down to earth and it feels like he hasn't done it much since, but.

[Andrew]

Okay, Andrew, board is yours. You did get a point. You have a point.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Yay.

[Andrew]

Six to one.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Four.

[Andrew]

And I forgot to mark out six. Okay. Four per cleaning the glass. The Sixers are a bottom five defensive rebounding team for the third consecutive season. The last time that happened was during the tanking years. During the tanking year. So from 201314 to the 201617 season, which Sixer grabbed the most defensive rebounds during that stretch. So most defensive rebounds from the 13, 14 to 16, 17 season.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Okay, this is such a gross question, please. Okay, let me think back to the disgusting Sixers.

[Andrew]

Disgusting. But so many beautiful names on all those teams. So many guys.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Of course. Of course.

[Andrew]

That we hold dear in our hearts.

[Trill]

NBA finalist T.J. mcConnell.

[Andrew]

Yeah. Honestly, scariest person on the floor.

[Trill]

That's right.

[Andrew]

Seven.

[Trill]

That's right.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

He truly was. Is it. Is it my guy, Nerlin Snowel.

[Andrew]

Oh, Andrew, So close. He. He was second.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Dang it.

[Andrew]

He's actually number one in overall rebounds. But I said defensive rebounds, so.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Dang it.

[Andrew]

You don't get the point, Trill. Any guesses?

[Trill]

Nerlands was going to be my guess, but you said it started in 2013, so I was going to go Nerlens. And then I was going to go. I was actually going to go okra4, but I. He didn't start playing until 2015, so I'm going to guess Robert Covington.

[Andrew]

It is Robert Covington. There we go. Wow, a dominant performance. All right, Trill, two questions left. Five or eight?

[Trill]

Let's go eight.

[Andrew]

All right, here we go. Which of the following facts about Sixers mascot Franklin the dog is not true? So these are facts about Franklin.

[Trill]

Two facts, Two facts and a lie.

[Andrew]

So I'm going to read off five facts. Four of them are true and can be found on the Internet, on official websites. One of them is made up. You're going to tell me which one is made up. Okay, here we go. He is a graduate of Dog Pound U. His favorite hobby is flying kites. He weighs exactly 176 pounds. He is known as a, quote, movement savant, and his tail length is five doggy treats long. Would you like me to reread those for you?

[Trill]

Yes. No, no, it's fine. I'll just take a shot in the dark here. I'm gonna say he's not 176 pounds.

[Andrew]

Oh, Trill. He is exactly 176 pounds. Andrew, you could get a point here. Much needed.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

How about the doggy treats one?

[Andrew]

Oh, his tail length being five doggy treats long. Nope. That's true, too.

[Trill]

How dare you.

[Andrew]

And if you followed him on Instagram, you would know that he's also a movement savant. He calls himself that. He is a graduate of Dog Pound U. His favorite hobby is flying kites. I made that up pretty good.

[Trill]

So I should. I should. I should have known because in the original competition for the Sixers mascot, one of the mascots, if I remember correctly, was a Benjamin Franklin. Type character. So that's true. Yeah, that. That's why I thought maybe they just stole from some of his bio. But that's a good. That's a good fake fact to come up with.

[Andrew]

Yeah. The other one was Phil Emoose.

[Trill]

That's right.

[Andrew]

He was cool.

[Trill]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

Cool. Trill, what do you think about Big Shot? Do you know. Do you know Big Shot?

[Trill]

Of course I know Big Shot. I mean, I don't remember Big Shot. I was too young for Big Shot. But I have seen photos of Big Shot. We have had the funniest outside of the Pelicans, which are just kind of disturbing mascots, I would say. Truly, we have had the funniest mascots. Big Shot, hip hop up through the Philly Moose versus Franklin the dog controversy. Just a great lineage of. Of. Of mascots here for the Sixers.

[Andrew]

Yeah. If people don't know Big Shot was the. The Sixers mascot during the 80s, he's the only mascot who was there for a championship. And I will point out I don't believe in rings culture for players, but I do believe in it for mascots.

[Trill]

Need to bring him back.

[Andrew]

I think they got to bring him back. He was clearly good. And what I do like about him is if you look at, like, the fanatic, gritty, like, he fits that. If you go and look at what he looks like, he is this, like, amorphous blob that you cannot tell what he is. And that's the way it should be.

[Trill]

Exactly.

[Andrew]

Okay, final question. Andrew, you get first dibs of this. Okay, you can get a point. Oh, you get two points. How many three pointers has Andre Drummond made in his career? Now you get to choose who answers first. You can make Trill answer first, and then you go higher, lower. Or you can answer first, and then Trill would go higher, lower. So career May three pointers by Andre Drummond.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

You've been doing. You've been doing these lately, Al. This has been a type of question that you ask.

[Andrew]

I almost did career dunks for Campaign, but it was too close to Tyus Jones. It was three.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

It wasn't. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's very much the same type of question. I feel like he's kind of taken some this year, which has been kind of weird because I don't recall him taking a ton of other threes. This is attempts not makes.

[Andrew]

No, this is makes.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Oh, this is makes. Oh, shoot.

[Andrew]

Yeah, Yeah. I got to see the Sixers in Portland and, like, clinging had, like, three threes. Time Lord had two threes. Andre Drummond hit a three. It was like a beautiful night of just seven.

[Trill]

Historic night, drainage.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Wild. That's wild. Okay, I'll say 35 made three.

[Andrew]

Okay, 35 made threes trail. You could go higher or lower.

[Trill]

I'm gonna say lower. I think it's in the. I think it's in the high 20s.

[Andrew]

So he's hit 22 this season.

[Trill]

How many did he have coming into

[Andrew]

this year, though, total for his career?

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

40.

[Andrew]

Wow. Andrew gets two points. Congrats, Andrew. You only lose seven to three

[Trill]

point differential. Got got to cut into that.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

I did. I had to. I had to redeem myself at least a little bit. Hey, go listen to the Uno Ball podcast. It's a very. It's a very fun podcast, honestly. If you're.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

If you're.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

If you're tired of listening to all these reporters talk about things that they really can't talk about, and you just want to hear guys that really riff

[Andrew]

that that will guarantee to give you

[Trill]

two hours every episode. That's. That's.

[Andrew]

That's their guarantee

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

of riff of riffing, and it's awesome. It's actually great.

[Trill]

Government mandated. We said that we get yelled at by the Patreon subscribers if we don't hit two hours, so we got to do it every episode. We're in this for life. So thank you so much for having me. I had a great time.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Time.

[Andrew]

Thanks, Drill. All right, Andrew. That was Sixers week, and what a week it was. But it's time once again to spin the wheel of fandom. We have 16 teams remaining, a little over half the league, but after this week, we will have spun half the league.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Wow.

[Andrew]

And wouldn't it be nice to get, I don't know, the Hornets? Wouldn't it be nice to get the horn?

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Yeah, it would.

[Andrew]

That'd be so nice.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

That be so nice.

[Andrew]

Let's see if the wheel feels like being nice this week. This week's Wheel of Phantom team will be. Oh, no. So if you're not watching live, we got the Heat, and we were one pixel away from getting the Hornets.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

The Heat are like the anti Hornets, right?

[Andrew]

Yeah, they are the anti Hornets.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

No fun. All right, all right.

[Andrew]

I mean, they're. They're in a play in race. We just talked about the Sixers.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

They're.

[Andrew]

They're right behind the Sixers.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

It's true.

[Andrew]

Let me. Let me look up. Let's see if they have any big playing games this week. Or maybe they play, like, Boston or something.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Playing implications for the Miami Heat.

[Andrew]

Yeah. Okay. When you say it like that doesn't sound as fun. Let's see. Okay, this week the Heat will be playing. Oh, Charlotte, we did get the Hornets.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Oh, it's a little tease there.

[Andrew]

Okay, so they play Charlotte on Friday night. That's great. Sunday, play the Pistons. Hey, that's a nice game.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

So far so good.

[Andrew]

Tuesday, the Wizards.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Okay. The Trey Young Wizards, though.

[Andrew]

Okay. Yeah, maybe. And then the Bucks on Thursday. Okay, that, that's like a. That's a play ins. That's a play in matchup.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Yeah, that is.

[Andrew]

There we go. Giannis back. Wow. After that though, they play Orlando playing matchup. Charlotte again. Oh, wow. Look at this stretch. They got Lakers, Houston, Spurs, Cleveland. Cleveland.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Are they missing the playoffs?

[Andrew]

Yeah, I know. This is a rough stretch.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

Wow.

[Andrew]

Okay.

[Andrew (co-host or guest)]

All right. Okay, well, that's cool. Heat week. Here we go. Hey, leave us a five star review on Apple podcast. We'll read it on the show. Just like this one from nick's fan number 37. I love Slammin Jam. Five stars. I love this pod, especially slam and jam. Also, Andrew, please tell the Wheel to land on the Knicks. I want a Knicks week to ace trivia be. Not this week, Knicks fan number 37. But maybe, maybe the following week. We'll have next week. So sorry to disappoint you, to be honest. Would love to have next week instead of Heat week, but here we are, thanks to the Wheel. Okay, thank you so much for listening to our show. Hope everybody's doing great and we will talk to you guys again next Saturday.

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