TNT crew discusses Embiid’s RETURN & Previews 76ers vs OKC Thunder

TNT crew discusses Embiid’s RETURN & Previews 76ers vs OKC Thunder

WRAPPED HER MIND AROUND THIS IN TWO WEEKS. THE PLAY IN TOURNAMENT STARTS. THINK ABOUT HOW MANY THINGS STILL NEED TO BE SETTLED. AND OUR FIRST GAME GOT REAL INTERESTING. CHET HOLMGREN AND THE OKC THUNDER ARE FIGHTING FOR FIRST IN THE WEST, AND THAT ROAD TRIP CONTINUES IN PHILLY. A

PHILLY SIXERS TEAM THAT HAS NOT HAD THIS MAN IN MONTHS. AND IT’S LOOKING LIKE HE COULD BE BACK TONIGHT. BABY JOEL EMBIID HASN’T PLAYED SINCE JANUARY 30TH. SIXERS DON’T LOOK NOW. JUST GOT A LOT MORE SCARY IN THE WEST. OUR LATE GAME TWO TEAMS THAT NO ONE WANTS TO FACE.

WARRIORS. THEY’VE WON FOUR STRAIGHT MAVERICKS. THEY’VE WON SEVEN STRAIGHT STEPH LUKA ALL THE BIG NAMES TNT TUESDAY NIGHT STARTS RIGHT NOW. BJARKMAN WELCOME INSIDE STUDIO J EVERYBODY A STANDING SHAQUILLE O’NEAL, CANDACE PARKER. HE’S GONE. JAMAL CRAWFORD IN THE HOUSE. YOU KNOW WHAT HE JUST FOUND OUT WHAT? HE FOUND OUT THAT

JOEL EMBIID IS PLAYING TONIGHT. COULD BE PLAYING THE NIGHT. AND HE GOT SO EXCITED HE HAD TO LEAVE THE SET. WHAT A WEEK IT’S BEEN FOR BASKETBALL WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT. UNBELIEVABLE MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT. AND NOW IT’S LOOKING LIKE JOEL EMBIID IS GOING TO PLAY. ONE THING WE

WANT TO SHOW YOU GUYS THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT IS THAT THE NBA FAMILY IS CELEBRATING SOMETHING. WE WANT TO SHOW YOU WHAT WE’RE WEARING. IT IS WORLD AUTISM ACCEPTANCE DAY AS PART OF ITS COMMITMENT TO PROMOTE EQUALITY AND INCLUSION FOR ALL FANS. IN SUPPORT OF THE INITIATIVES, YOU’RE GOING TO SEE COACHES, ANNOUNCERS

WEARING PINS FROM CULTURE CITY. THEY’RE WORKING TO PROVIDE SENSORY INCLUSIVE SPACES FOR OUR FANS AND ALL NBA ARENAS TO LEARN HOW THE NBA AND ITS TEAMS ARE MAKING VENUES AND ARENAS MORE INCLUSIVE, VISIT NBA CARES DOT COM. WE HAVE NOT SEEN JOEL EMBIID PLAYING BASKETBALL SINCE JANUARY 30TH, AND THERE IS A CHANCE

HE’S PLAYING TONIGHT AS OUR BIG MAN JOINS OUR SET SHAQUILLE O’NEAL. HELLO. HOW ARE YOU. WE ARE GOING TO HEAR FROM JARED GREENBERG IN A FEW MINUTES. HE IS DOWN THERE. HE HAS ALL THE INFORMATION. BUT AT FIRST THOUGHT MY MIND WAS MAN SIXERS WITH A HEALTHY EMBIID

AS AN EIGHT SEED COULD THROW A WRENCH INTO THE ENTIRE PLAYOFF SITUATION. WHAT WAS YOUR THOUGHT WHEN YOU HEARD HE COULD BE PLAYING TONIGHT I MEAN I THINK HE THE TEAM IS CLEARLY BUILT AROUND JOEL EMBIID RIGHT FROM THE WAY THAT THEY PLAY AND FROM THE WAY THAT THEY SPREAD THE FLOOR.

>> NICK NURSE’S OFFENSE PUTS HIM IN THE MIDDLE. HAS CUTTERS I MEAN THE WAY THAT THE SIXERS HAVE BEEN PLAYING THEY HAVEN’T STRUGGLED FROM BEYOND THE ARC. THEY STRUGGLED INSIDE THE ARC RIGHT. WHICH I MEAN YOU HAVE A SEVEN FOOT GUY THAT CAN DO IT ALL. WILL WILL SOLVE A

LOT OF THAT. SO YOU JUST LOOK AT THE NUMBERS ALL ALL ACROSS THE BOARD. I MEAN MAXI IS BETTER AS A TWO. YES. AS WE’VE SEEN. YES HE’S HE’S UNSTOPPABLE ON CATCH AND SHOOT. AND WHAT JOEL DOES IS HE DEMANDS TWO, WHICH IS WHAT YOU WANT TO DO

IN GENERAL. SO I JUST THINK IT’S WHAT TYPE OF SHAPE HE COMES BACK IN AND IS THERE ENOUGH TIME TO KIND OF GEL AND BE IN THAT PLAYOFF READY, TYPE OF PLAY? >> THAT WILL BE THE QUESTION . AND I HAVE QUESTIONS FOR OUR GUY. JARED GREENBERG NOW JOINS US IN PHILADELPHIA

GETTING READY FOR THIS GAME. THE LIGHTS ARE OFF. WE ARE CLOSE JARED. LET’S JUST START WITH THE MAIN ATTRACTION. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT JOEL EMBIID? >> JOEL EMBIID IS OFFICIALLY PLAYING AND STARTING TONIGHT. BUT GETTING TO THIS POINT LEFKOE HAS BEEN A WILD 30 HOURS. YOU MIGHT RECALL YESTERDAY EARLY IN THE

AFTERNOON, NEWS REPORTS BROKE THAT EMBIID COULD POSSIBLY RETURN TONIGHT. BUT THEN THAT WAS FOLLOWED JUST A FEW HOURS LATER WITH THE TEAM OFFICIALLY RULING HIM OUT FOR TONIGHT’S GAME AGAINST THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER. OF COURSE, HE’S COMING OFF OF MENISCUS SURGERY ON HIS LEFT KNEE. AS YOU MENTIONED, OUT SINCE THE

END OF JANUARY. BUT THE MOST UNUSUAL TWIST TO WHAT WENT ON TO GET TO THIS POINT OF EMBIID PLAYING TONIGHT. AND I’VE SPOKEN TO SEVERAL PEOPLE AROUND THE NBA CURRENT PLAYERS, FORMER PLAYERS. AND THEY ALL SAY THEY’VE NEVER HEARD OF SOMETHING LIKE THIS. JOEL EMBIID DID NOT SHOW UP TO

SHOOT AROUND TODAY. DID NOT PARTAKE IN THE TEAM’S WALKTHROUGH IN PREPARATION FOR TONIGHT. DIDN’T EVEN SHOW UP TO THE ARENA TO GET TREATMENT FROM THE TRAINING STAFF. SO THE TEAM STILL HAD HIM RULED OUT UP UNTIL AROUND 530 EASTERN. WHEN EMBIID ARRIVED TO THE ARENA AND THEN HE WAS UPGRADED TO

QUESTIONABLE. HE JUST WENT THROUGH A LENGTHY WORKOUT HERE BEHIND ME ON THE COURT, WORKED UP A THICK LATHER, LOOKED RELATIVELY GOOD, ALTHOUGH AT TIMES DID LOOK EXHAUSTED FOR A GUY WHO HAS NOT PLAYED IN ABOUT TWO MONTHS OF ACTION. THE WORKOUT WAS RELATIVELY GOOD. WE’LL SEE. SO I’VE SPOKEN TO

NICK NURSE. HE TOLD ME HE WILL INDEED START JOEL EMBIID TONIGHT AND THE PLAN WILL BE THAT EMBIID WILL PLAY 5 TO 6 MINUTES OF THE FIRST QUARTER AND THEN THEY WILL GATHER AS A MEDICAL STAFF AS A COACHING STAFF WITH EMBIID AND SEE HOW HE FEELS, SEE HOW HE REACTS AND

MOVE ON FROM THERE. OBVIOUSLY THERE WILL BE A MINUTES RESTRICTION ON BID. KEEP IN MIND THERE’S JUST SEVEN GAMES TO GO BEFORE THE POSTSEASON STARTS AND THERE IS A BACK TO BACK IN THERE. SO IT’S UNLIKELY WE WOULD SEE HIM IN THAT SCENARIO. THE BIGGEST CONCERN FOR EMBIID RIGHT NOW IS HIS

PLAYING SHAPE AND HIM GATHERING A RHYTHM. HE’S HAD A HANDFUL OF SCRIMMAGES. TWO OF THOSE CAME WITH THE REGULAR ROTATION PLAYERS ONE BEFORE THE TEAM WENT TO THE WEST COAST A COUPLE WEEKS AGO AND ONE IN TORONTO THE OTHER DAY. I SPOKE TO PLAYERS WHO WERE PART OF THAT SCRIMMAGE AND SAID

EMBIID LOOKED PRETTY GOOD, AND THEY SAID, LISTEN, EVEN 50% OF JOEL EMBIID IS GOOD FOR US WITH WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH RIGHT NOW. BUT IT WAS NOTED AGAIN, THE CONDITIONING IS GOING TO BE THE BIGGEST FACTOR. I WILL PUT ONE MORE BUTTON ON THIS. LOOK FOR THIS STORY TO

BE ADVANCED IN THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. AND COMING DAYS. I’VE SPOKEN TO MULTIPLE PEOPLE INSIDE THE NBA LEAGUE OFFICE, AND WE SHOULD EXPECT SOME SORT OF INVESTIGATION INTO HOW THE SIXERS HANDLED THE INJURY REPORT GOING FROM OUT, OUT, OUT TO QUESTIONABLE TO PLAYING IN THIS SHORT SPAN OF TIME. THE LEAGUE OFFICE

CERTAINLY WILL TAKE NOTE OF THAT. BUT THAT’S NOT THE ONLY GUY JOEL EMBIID THAT’S ON THE INJURY REPORT. TYRESE MAXEY WILL MISS A SECOND STRAIGHT GAME. HE’S DEALING WITH A HIP ISSUE SO HE WON’T PLAY. BUT EMBIID WILL. AS FAR AS THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER GUYS GO THIS TEAM HAS BEEN RELATIVELY HEALTHY

ALL SEASON LONG. NO SHADE GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER. THE MVP CANDIDATE HAS BEEN DEALING FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS WITH A QUAD BRUISE. IT CLEARLY BOTHERED HIM UP UNTIL THAT FINAL CLUTCH SHOT AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN THE OTHER NIGHT. HE WILL SIT OUT AND JALEN WILLIAMS, ONE OF THE TOP MOST IMPROVED PLAYERS IN

THE NBA, WILL BE OUT AS WELL. HE STEPPED ON A REFEREE’S FOOT AT THAT GAME SUNDAY AT MSG AND THE WIN AGAINST THE KNICKS. SO THE THUNDER CERTAINLY VERY, VERY SHORT HANDED GUYS. THAT IS A LENGTHY INJURY REPORT ON WHAT HAS BEEN A FASCINATING DAY HERE. LEFKOE IN THE CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE.

>> JARED GREENBERG. THANK YOU MAN FOR THE IN-DEPTH REPORTING. AS ALWAYS REALLY APPRECIATE IT. LET US TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT IT’S BEEN LIKE FOR THE SIXERS WITH AND WITHOUT EMBIID. CARMAX ONE ON ONE EVER SINCE THAT ELECTED SURGERY AND THE INJURY 11 AND 19 WITHOUT EMBIID THEY WERE FIFTH.

EXCUSE ME THIRD THIRD IN THE EAST. DROPPED DOWN TO EIGHTH RIGHT NOW INTO THAT PLAY IN. AND ALL THE STATISTICS THAT GO WITHOUT HAVING EMBIID MAKE A LOT OF SENSE. JUST I’LL BE HONEST I HAD NO IDEA THAT HE WAS GOING TO PLAY TONIGHT. EVERY TIME I CHECKED THE MEDICAL REPORT

IT WAS OUT OUT OUT. SO THERE WILL BE AN INVESTIGATION IN TERMS OF JUST COMING AND SUITING UP AND PLAYING. HAVE YOU IN YOUR 20 PLUS YEARS OF PLAYING, EVER SEEN THAT BEFORE IN SUMMER LEAGUE? >> I’VE NEVER SEEN IT IN THE NBA. LIKE I’M NOT SURE THEY KNEW CANDACE. WE KNOW A

SUMMER LEAGUE. THAT’S A SUMMER LEAGUE MOVE. I’M NOT SURE THEY KNEW HE WAS GOING TO PLAY. AND IT’S WEIRD BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY HE’S BEEN WORKING OUT. OBVIOUSLY HE FEELS GOOD ENOUGH AND OBVIOUSLY THEY TRUST HE LOOKS GOOD ENOUGH WHEN HE IS WORKING OUT THAT HE’S SAFE. YOU KNOW? AND I THINK THAT’S

THE MAIN THING. I’M EXCITED HE’S PLAYING YOU KNOW BECAUSE THEM BEING THIRD WHEN HE’S PLAYING TO EIGHTH HE CAN BE THE BEST PLAYER IN ANY SERIES. AND WHEN YOU HAVE THAT YOU BRING A CERTAIN CONFIDENCE, A CERTAIN SWAG TO YOUR TEAM. HE’S A MISMATCH AND WHO KNOWS. YOU KNOW THE RHYTHM

WILL BE, YOU KNOW, NOT NONEXISTENT, BUT THE CONFIDENCE HE’LL GIVE HIS TEAM CAN ABSOLUTELY GIVE THEM A PUSH. >> WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT TWO WEEKS TO GET INTO CONDITIONING TO JOIN THE TEAM. BUT ALSO YOU DON’T WANT TO RUSH IT BACK BECAUSE IF POSSIBLE INJURY. >> YOU KNOW THERE’S NOTHING

YOU CAN DO TO EMULATE PLAYOFF STYLE BASKETBALL. YOU KNOW JARED MENTIONED HE HAD A COUPLE PRACTICES. IT’S ONLY TWO. I GUARANTEE YOU THEY WERE TAKING IT EASY ON THEM IN PRACTICE. GO UP AGAINST BOSTON AND GIANNIS. THEY’RE NOT GOING TO TAKE TAKE IT EASY. THEY’RE GOING TO BE BOXING THEM OUT.

THEY’RE GOING TO BE TESTING THAT KNEE OUT. SO YOU KNOW JAMAL MAKES A GREAT POINT. AND EVERYONE MAKES A GREAT POINT. WHAT TYPE OF SHAPE WILL HE BE IN. YES HE’S JOEL EMBIID. HE CAN DO A LOT OF THINGS. BUT BEFORE HE GOT INJURED HE WAS THE CLEAR CUT

MVP. HE WAS YES CLEAR CUT MVP BY FAR. SO I DON’T KNOW IF HE CAN GET BACK TO THAT LEVEL. BUT YES HIM BEING ON ON ON THE FLOOR WILL GIVE HIS TEAMMATES CONFIDENCE. BUT THAT’S NOT THE JOEL EMBIID PHILADELPHIA WANTS TO SEE. THAT’S NOT THE JOEL EMBIID WE WANT TO SEE. SO

HOPEFULLY HE’S NOT RUSHING IT. >> HE LOOKS SVELTE. >> IT LOOKS GOOD. >> LIKE HE LOOKS SKINNY. >> YEAH. HE LOOKS LIKE HE HE’S IN SHAPE I THINK GAME SHAPE IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT. AND I’M A LITTLE SURPRISED THAT THEY WOULD BRING HIM BACK WITH MAXI OUT. AND I

KNOW YOU ONLY HAVE A LIMITED AMOUNT OF TIME, BUT IF IT WAS TOUCH AND GO TO BRING HIM BACK WITHOUT YOUR NUMBER TWO OUT THERE, LIKE, ARE YOU REALLY SIMULATING THE STYLE OF PLAY THAT YOU’RE AIMING TO PLAY? BUT I GUESS YOU LIKE PLAYING 5 OR 6 MINUTES.

>> THAT’S NOT GOING TO GET YOU READY FOR THE PLAYOFFS. LIKE IF YOU WANT TO GET THEM READY FOR PLAYOFFS, YOU GOT TO, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY THESE NEXT SEVERAL GAMES LIKE, YOU KNOW, SEE SEE HOW LONG HE CAN GO BEFORE HE GETS TIRED. YOU CAN’T SAY FIVE MINUTES FIVE MINUTES.

THAT’S HE IS HE’S ALSO GOING TO GET HIM READY. >> HE’S COMING BACK TO A TEAM THAT HAS BEEN RECONFIGURED. THEY ADD BUDDY HILL. THEY ADD CAMPAIGN. THEY ADDED SOME MORE SHOOTERS AROUND HIM. SO THAT’S THE SIXERS SIDE. WE WILL SEE VERY EARLY ON HOW EMBIID LOOKS OKC SIDE

WITHOUT SGA WITHOUT J-DUB I DON’T KNOW IF YOU GUYS SAW THAT GAME AGAINST THE KNICKS OVER THE WEEKEND. CRAZY. THEY LOOK READY AND THEY ARE THE FIRST PLACE TEAM RIGHT NOW IN THE WEST. THEY’RE GETTING READY FOR THEIR PLAYOFF PUSH AS WELL. >> THEIR YOUTH COULD BE AN ADVANTAGE BECAUSE SOMETIMES

YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW. AND WE’VE SEEN GUYS VETERAN GUYS ALL THE TIME IN THE PLAYOFFS START PLAYING DIFFERENT. THEY START LOOKING DIFFERENT. THEY START OVERTHINKING THE SITUATION. THEY DON’T KNOW THE SITUATION. THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH IT WITH THIS GROUP FOR THE FIRST TIME. AND SO THAT COULD BE AN

ADDED PLUS. NOW THEY’RE LIKE, WE’RE NOT SURPRISING ANYBODY. WE’RE THE BEST TEAM OR ONE OF THE BEST TEAMS IN THE LEAGUE. WE PROVED IT ALL SEASON LONG AND WE’RE GOING TO PROVE IT AGAIN IN APRIL AND MAY. SO FOR THEM, IT’S ABOUT THEM BEING HEALTHY AND KEEPING THAT SAME CONFIDENCE, THAT SAME

SWAGGER WHEN THINGS DON’T GO WELL, SGA HAS NOT SCORED OVER 30 OR MORE POINTS IN FOUR STRAIGHT GAMES. J-DUB CARRIED THEM AGAINST THE KNICKS. AND KENNETH, AS YOU LOOK AT THE WEST RIGHT NOW, THEY’VE PUT THEMSELVES IN A GREAT POSITION REGARDLESS OF WHO GETS IN THE PLAY IN.

>> I’LL BE HONEST, I DID NOT SEE THE THUNDER AFTER ALL STAR BREAK PLAYING THE SAME WAY THAT THEY’VE BEEN PLAYING. I ASSUME THAT DENVER WAS GOING TO MAKE A RUN AND BE KIND OF HEAD AND SHOULDERS, NOT HEAD AND SHOULDERS, BUT 2 OR 3 GAME CUSHION ABOVE. THEY DID INITIALLY. AND TIMBERWOLVES.

YEAH. AND TO BE HONEST WITH YOU I THINK I’M I’M BIG ON STATS DOWN THE STRETCH RIGHT. AS YOU GET INTO THE PLAYOFFS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. AND THE BIGGEST SURPRISE FOR ME FOR THE THUNDER HAS BEEN CLUTCH MINUTES. THE THUNDER ARE NUMBER ONE IN OFFENSIVE FICIENCY IN CLUTCH MINUTES

WHICH TELLS ME A YOUNG TEAM GOING IN THE PLAYOFFS. WHAT DO YOU DOUBT? YOU DOUBT. CLUTCH MINUTES. YOU DOUBT. CLOSING CLOSING CLOSE GAMES. HALF COURT OFFENSE NO DOUBT. HALF COURT OFFENSE WHEN THE GAME SLOWS DOWN AND THEY HAVE SHOWN RIDING THE COATTAILS OF WILLIAMS AND SGA THAT THEY’RE CAPABLE OF CLOSING GAMES.

>> THAT’S WHAT I WAS ABOUT TO SAY. THEY KNOW WHERE THEY’RE GOING. THEY KNOW WHERE THEY’RE GOING. A TEAM LIKE PHOENIX, THEY HAVE ALL THE TALENT, BUT THEY DON’T KNOW EXACTLY WHERE THEY’RE GOING FROM GAME TO GAME. THE THUNDER KNOW EXACTLY WHERE THEY’RE GOING AND EVERYBODY ELSE CAN PLAY OFF OF THAT.

>> THEY MOVE THE BALL. THEY ENJOY PLAYING WITH EACH OTHER. EVERYONE ON THE TEAM KNOWS AND UNDERSTAND THEIR ROLES AND THEY’RE HAPPY FOR EACH OTHER. YOU KNOW, YOU JUST SAID THAT J-DUB CARRIED THE TEAM. HE REALLY DID. THEY’RE FINE WITH THAT. THEY KNOW THAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN SOMETIMES. THAT’S WHY IT’S

CALLED A12 PUNCH. SOMETIMES YOU LEAVE WITH THE JAZZ, SOMETIMES YOU LEAVE WITH THE KNOCKOUT PUNCH. BUT VERY DANGEROUS TEAM. HOWEVER HOWEVER, I THINK I THINK A VETERAN TEAM CAN GET HIM. >> WHO WHAT TEAM JUMPS OUT AT YOU? >> YOU THINK 9 OR 10? SO THAT WOULD BE LAKERS.

>> OF COURSE IT’S THE LAKERS I KNOW TEN. >> JACK GOT PURPLE EYES. >> I’M JUST SAYING IT IS INTERESTING. >> ESPECIALLY WITH THE EXTRA REST IN BETWEEN GAMES. >> IF IT IS, DON’T GIVE HIM NO MORE. WE’VE TALKED ABOUT IT SO MUCH WE DON’T NEED IT. WE DON’T NEED HE DON’T NEED

IT. >> IF WE HAVE NINE GAMES IN THE ASSOCIATION TONIGHT, WE ARE GETTING YOU READY FOR SIXERS. THUNDER WE ARE JUST OVER 22 MINUTES AWAY FROM TIP. WE’RE EMBIID WILL BE PLAYING. SO YOU GOT TO DO GAME DAY RIGHT WITH DASHPASS FROM DOORD

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