NBA on TNT crew discusses Embiid’s recovery and Previews 76ers vs Knicks

NBA on TNT crew discusses Embiid’s recovery and Previews 76ers vs Knicks

ATLANTA, GEORGIA I HAVE SHAQUILLE O’NEAL TO MY RIGHT. I HAVE CANDACE PARKER WHO IS DRIPPING WITH SWAG TODAY. DRIP DRIP AND JAMAL IN THE UNDERSTATED GREEN WHICH I REALLY LIKE. >> THIS UNDERSTATED, NO. BUT IT’S QUIET. BUT IT’S LOUD. IT’S POIGNANT. >> IT HAS TEXTURE. >> IT’S THE POCKET SQUARE FOR ME.

>> I AM LEFKOE SHAQ TAKES A SIP, WHICH MEANS WE NEED TO GO TO MADISON SQUARE GARDEN BECAUSE WE’VE REACHED THE POINT OF THE SEASON WHERE INJURIES CAN DEFINE EVERYTHING AND TEAMS ARE STARTING TO GET HEALTHY FOR THE PLAYOFFS. SO WE’RE JOINED NOW BY JARED GREENBERG. JARED, A LOT OF

INJURIES TO COMB THROUGH. WHAT NEWS DO YOU GOT FOR US? WELL, I’VE GOT GOOD NEWS AND I’VE GOT UNCERTAINTY. >> LET’S BEGIN WITH THE SIXERS AND TYRESE MAXEY TELLING ME JUST MOMENTS AGO THE FOG HAS CLEARED AND HE IS READY TO PLAY. 48 MINUTES TONIGHT IF NECESSARY. AS HE

MAKES HIS WAY BACK FROM A CONCUSSION WHERE HIS TEAM WENT ONE AND THREE IN HIS ABSENCE, HE SAID THE WORST PART OF THE CONCUSSION OVER THE LAST WEEK WAS THAT FOG. THE HEADACHES AND HIS EQUILIBRIUM WAS TRULY OFF. AT TIMES HE FELT WOOZY. YOU ALSO MENTIONED LEFKOE OFF THE TOP. OG ANUNOBY EXPECTED

BACK IN THE STARTING LINEUP TONIGHT AFTER HE HAD ELBOW SURGERY. YOU’LL SEE AT ADOBE TONIGHT ON THE COURT WEARING TAPE ON THAT RIGHT SHOOTING ELBOW. A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT COACHES TOLD ME THAT HE LOOKED GOOD IN PRACTICE THE LAST FEW DAYS, BUT THEY TRULY WON’T KNOW HOW THAT ELBOW INJURY WILL AFFECT HIS

SHOT UNTIL HE GETS INTO LIVE GAME ACTION. NOW TO THE UNKNOWNS. LET’S BEGIN WITH JULIUS RANDLE FOR THE KNICKS MAKING HIS WAY BACK FROM A DISLOCATED SHOULDER. HE IS CURRENTLY TAKING PART IN LIGHT CONTACT WITH PADS DURING KNICKS PRACTICE, BUT HE STILL NEEDS TO DO SOME SIGNIFICANT STRENGTHENING TO

THAT SHOULDER AND NEEDS TO GET THE CONFIDENCE THAT THE SHOULDER WILL NOT POP OUT AGAIN UNTIL HE RETURNS. HE WILL MAKE HIS WAY WITH THE KNICKS OUT TO THEIR WEST COAST TRIP. HOWEVER, IT’S UNCERTAIN THERE IS NO TIMELINE OF WHEN HE WILL BE PLAYING. VERY SIMILAR SITUATION FOR JOEL EMBIID, WHO’S RECOVERING FROM

MENISCUS SURGERY. THERE IS IMMENSE AMOUNT OF CONFIDENCE WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION THAT EMBIID WILL BE ABLE TO PLAY BEFORE THE POSTSEASON STARTS, BUT WHEN HE WILL PLAY, NO IDEA. AT THIS POINT , HE IS ON THE COURT DOING SOME WORK, BUT TRULY, EVERYBODY THAT I SPOKE TO MULTIPLE PEOPLE WITHIN THE SIXERS ORGANIZATION, THEY

JUST DON’T KNOW WHERE HE IS AT IN HIS TIMETABLE TO MAKE IT BACK WITH THAT KNEE, BECAUSE HE HAS TO FEEL CONFIDENT. HE HAS TO FEEL READY AND ULTIMATELY THE DOCTORS HAVE TO CLEAR HIM. LEFKOE JARED GREENBERG, THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAN. >> AS WE TRY TO FIGURE OUT

THE FUTURE OF THESE TWO FRANCHISES, LET’S START WITH THE SIXERS FIRST, BECAUSE THEY’VE BEEN ON A BIT OF A SLIDE 26 AND EIGHT WHEN THEY HAD EMBIID TEN AND 20 WITHOUT EMBIID TALKS MAYBE THEY’LL GET HIM BACK BEFORE THE PLAYOFFS I’M JUST CURIOUS JAMAL WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT TRYING TO GET

HIM BACK FOR THE PLAYOFFS. AND IS THAT A RISK WORTH WILLING TO TAKE IN YOUR MIND? >> I WOULD DEFINITELY PREPARE AS IF I’M GOING TO BE AVAILABLE FOR THE PLAYOFFS, BUT I WOULDN’T MAKE THAT DECISION BASED ON THAT. LIKE I’VE COME BACK BEFORE FROM LIKE THE END OF

A REGULAR SEASON TRYING TO COME BACK FOR THE PLAYOFFS. AND YOU THINK YOUR BODY’S LIKE, OH, I CAN DO IT, BUT YOUR MIND IS LIKE, I DON’T KNOW. I’M NOT SURE WHEN I GET OUT THERE AND YOU DON’T KNOW THE SPEED OF THE GAME. IT LOOKS TOTALLY DIFFERENT WHEN YOU’RE OUT THERE

WATCHING IT AND YOU’RE OUT THERE PLAYING AND THEN COME BACK AT THAT LEVEL, RIGHT? LIKE THE LEVEL YOU’RE USED TO OF DOMINANCE. CAN I STILL MAKE THIS MOVE? I STILL BE ALL RIGHT. I THINK HE SHOULD PREPARE FOR IT, BUT I’M NOT SURE HE SHOULD ACTUALLY DO IT. IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHERE

HIS BODY IS AT. >> HOW LONG DOES THAT ADJUSTMENT TAKE? >> WELL, THERE’S NO PREPARATION FOR PLAYOFF STYLE BASKETBALL, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU’RE INJURED. LIKE YOU CAN GO PLAY WITH JAMAL AND THE GUYS AT L.A. FITNESS 24 HOUR FITNESS. YOU CAN DO TREADMILL, DON’T DOWN TALK ME IN MY LA FITNESS GUYS

DOWN SAID YOU CAN GO PLAY POSITIVELY WITH YOU. I’LL GET IN BUCKETS. YOU CAN RUN ON A TREADMILL, BUT NOTHING, YOU KNOW SIMULATES THE BANGING. AND YOU KNOW THE SPEED OF THE GAME. WHEN HE COMES BACK, THEY’RE GOING TO TREAT HIM LIKE THE JOEL EMBIID THAT WAS PLAYING. SO

IF HE’S NOT 100% IT’S UP TO HIM. BUT THE SIXERS SHOULD BE FOCUSING ON RIGHT NOW. IF OUR GUYS ARE GOING TO COME BACK WE HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO GET HOME COURT ADVANTAGE FOR OUR GUY. RIGHT. HE’S NOT GOING TO BE AT FULL STRENGTH. BUT WHEN YOU’RE PLAYING AT HOME, ADRENALINE

GAMES, ADRENALINE GAME SHOW UP SOMETIMES LIKE, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WHEN YOU’RE NOT 100, BUT WHEN YOU LOOK IN AND YOU SEE YOUR PEOPLE AND YOU SEE YOUR FANS, YOU CAN DO EXTRAORDINARY THINGS. SO RIGHT NOW, PHILLY JUST NEEDS TO FOCUS ON MOVING UP. AND THE KNICKS NEED TO FOCUS ON

STAYING IN THE FORCE. YEAH. >> LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THE STANDINGS. JUST TO ECHO THE POINT YOU’RE MAKING. KNICKS RIGHT NOW ARE IN FOURTH. SIXERS ARE IN SIXTH. AND THEY’RE ONLY SEPARATED BY ONE GAME A LOT OF MOVEMENT CAN HAPPEN. THE PACERS ARE RIGHT THERE. THE HEAT ARE

RIGHT THERE. AND THEN A LITTLE BIT OF A GAP. BUT IT WE KIND OF LOOK AT BOTH TEAMS. SIXERS AND KNICKS INJURIES WERE THE REASON THAT THEY WERE FREE FALLING. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE KNICKS THOUGH MORE OPTIMISM AS OG MAKES HIS RETURN. >> THERE’S MORE OPTIMISM WITH GUYS COMING OFF INJURY

OR POTENTIALLY COMING OFF INJURIES. BUT YOU ALSO HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF MINUTES THAT THE MAIN GUYS HAVE HAD TO LOG. IF YOU LOOK AT JOSH HART, HE’S AVERAGING OVER 40 MINUTES. YEAH. JALEN BRUNSON 35 MINUTES. YOU TALK ABOUT DIVINCENZO. YOU GO DOWN THE LINE. AND SO I JUST

WONDER IF THERE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET TO THE FINISH LINE HEALTHY. BECAUSE THERE’S NO DOUBT WHAT NOISE THEY CAN MAKE. THE KNICKS CAN MAKE IN THE PLAYOFFS THE PLAYOFFS IF HEALTHY. BUT YOU GOT TO GET YOUR GUYS THERE AND WITH THEM LOGGING AS MANY MINUTES UP AND DOWN

PLAYOFFS ARE DIFFERENT. YEP. AND IT’S MORE STRENUOUS. MORE GAMES, MORE TRAVELING, THINGS LIKE THAT. IT’S JUST IT’S GOING TO BE TOUGH AND I THINK THAT’S THE THING IS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, EVERYBODY HARPS ON RESTING AND ALL THIS STUFF. BUT YOU’RE SEEING THE BENEFIT OF MAYBE NOT RESTING GAMES, BUT

PLAYING LIMITED MINUTES THAT CAN BENEFIT YOU IN THE POSTSEASON. >> JOSH HART HAS PLAYED NINE STRAIGHT GAMES OF 40 OR MORE MINUTES, BUT HE IS NOT THE FOCUS OF OUR CAR. MAX ONE ON ONE. IT IS OG ANUNOBY AND WHAT HE HAS MEANT TO THIS KNICKS TEAM THROUGHOUT, NOT JUST AFTER THE TRADE

DEADLINE, BUT WHAT HE COULD MEAN TO THE PLAYOFFS. 12 AND TWO WITH THEM, EIGHT AND TWO WITHOUT HIM. AND THE WIDTH ALSO I THINK WAS MISSING JULIUS RANDLE. BUT THE POINTS ARE CLEAR SIGN OF HIS IMPORTANCE AND THEN ALSO WHAT HE DOES DEFENSIVELY WHENEVER HE GUARDS SOMEONE THEY SHOOT 32% FROM THREE.

IT IS NOT JUST INSIDE THE LANE AND YOU REALLY CAN SPOTLIGHT THAT. AND OG IS ONE OF THE BEST ONE ON ONE DEFENDERS. >> AND IF YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT THE KNICKS STRUGGLED WITH LAST YEAR AND THE REASON WHY THEY MADE THE CHANGES AND THE TRADES THEY MADE WAS BECAUSE DEFENSIVELY

THEY STRUGGLED. THEY NEED A GUY THAT CAN COVER UP MISTAKES, RIGHT? HE GOES IN, CONTEST THE SHOT AND THEN IS ABLE TO GET BACK OUT AND BLOCK A SHOT IN THE CORNER. I THINK THERE ARE THINGS THAT HE DOES THAT DON’T SHOW UP IN THE STAT SHEET THAT

HE’S NOT GOING TO GET CREDIT FOR, BUT HE IMPACTS THE GAME. IF YOU TALK ABOUT THE KNICKS DEFENSIVELY IN THE MONTH OF JANUARY, THEY WERE THERE WERE NUMBER ONE IN THE LEAGUE ON THE DEFENSIVE END. AND A LOT OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE HEALTH OF AN OG

ANUNOBY. WE KNOW WHAT HE CAN DO ON THE OFFENSIVE END. BUT HIM SNIFFING OUT PLAYS JUST MAKING PLAYS. THAT’S WHAT YOU CALL JUST PLAYING BASKETBALL. JUST HAVING AN EYE AND A NOSE FOR THE BALL. AND I THINK THE KNICKS ARE ABLE TO PLAY THROUGH HIM ON THE DEFENSIVE END. THEY’RE

ABLE TO COVER UP ONE ON ONE MISMATCHES ON THE DEFENSIVE END, AND I MEAN HE’S HE’S OUTSTANDING ONE ON ONE. >> HE WILL DEFEND YOU TILL THE VERY LAST SECOND. WHICH BRINGS UP SOMEONE THAT YOU WANT TO SPOTLIGHT. ABSOLUTELY. >> THAT WAS AN UNBELIEVABLE BREAKDOWN. CAN YOU CAN YOU

CAN YOU BREAK DOWN THIS FOR ME PLEASE. >> PLEASE. OH MY GOSH. THAT’S WHAT WE’RE DOING. >> THIS IS WE’RE DOING THAT. >> YEAH I’M SORRY CANDACE. IT HAD TO GO DOWN. >> I MEAN I CANNOT BELIEVE BREAK THAT DOWN FOR US. WHAT HAPPENED? WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?

>> I WAS ON FACETIME WITH ISAIAH TALKING JUNK. I KNOW YOU WERE. AND THEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS OVER. I DID, I WAS LIKE, YOU’RE OUT. WHY DID SHE. YOUR OUTFIT IS. LOOK AT THIS. THIS IS SICKNESS. THIS IS MARCH. >> OH, HOLD ON, THERE’S ANOTHER ONE. 000 THAT’S.

>> OH, THAT’S WHAT WE’RE DOING. >> RIGHT ON FOR YOU. >> OH, IT’S DEFINITELY MARCH. >> LOOK SIMILAR. OH IT IS DEFINITELY MARCH. >> THAT’S OH MY GOODNESS ASIA. WHEN I TOLD HER SHE WAS GOING TO WEAR. >> THANK YOU ASIA. >> ARE WE. >> THERE WAS A BET.

>> OH YEAH. LIKE I CALLED HER BECAUSE WE WON. >> SO YOU THOUGHT YOU WON. SO NOW YOU THOUGHT YOU WOULDN’T. YOU DIDN’T WIN. WHO DOESN’T? GHANA ‘3. YOU DIDN’T WIN. >> YOU THOUGHT YOU NEEDED OG ANUNOBY. SO THEN WHAT DO YOU OWE HER, I HAVE TO WEAR A SOUTH CAROLINA STUFF.

>> OH WE. >> YEAH. WHEN TOUGH, TWO SOUTH CAROLINA WE PLAY A PRESEASON GAME THERE. >> SO. WOW >> ALL RIGHT. THAT’S WHAT WE’RE DOING. >> GET ALL THE CAMERAS READY , OKAY. YEAH. NO. >> THE MISERY OF MARCH. >> JAMAL. JUST HE WANTED TO COME FOR YOU. DONZELL WANTED

TO COME FOR YOU. YOU USED TO GET UPSET AT ME ALL THE TIME BECAUSE I WOULD OVERHYPE THE KNICKS OR THE SIXERS. RIGHT. AS YOU LOOKED AT THE STANDINGS, AND AS THERE’S A CLEAR LINE BETWEEN THE CELTICS, THE BUCKS AND KIND OF EVERYBODY ELSE, I’M NOT GOING TO PUT THE CAVS UP

THERE. WHAT IF THEY DO GET HEALTHY. COULD YOU. WE ACTUALLY SEE FROM THE KNICKS THIS POSTSEASON I SEE BETTER MOVEMENT FOR PHILLY BECAUSE OF EMBIID A 70. >> EMBIID IS STILL REALLY GOOD. THAT’S WHY I SAY PHILLY MAXI. AND THE GUYS NEED TO SAY I DON’T KNOW HOW

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