The Atlantic Files

The NBA Playoff race is heating up and some teams are already clinching playoff spots! In the East, we have the top record in the league and two teams with clinched spots while in the West, there's still a tight race going on from top to bottom. This week on the Atlantic Files, Alex and Mike take a look at the playoff race so far and compare it to their expectations from the beginning of the season. I'M STICKING WITH MY GUT, THERE WILL BE A CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE MILE HIGH CITY! - MIKE Mike's big prediction from the beginning of the season was that the Denver Nuggets would be the one to end the Golden State Dynasty. They are right on the heels of the Warriors and very well could give them a run for their money. In the East, Alex and Mike both believe that Milwaukee is the third favorite to represent the conference in the Finals. They both believe that Boston and Toronto should be ahead of them in everyone's minds.

Kyrie Irving is widely regarded as one of the best scorers in the NBA. There is still talk around the league that the Boston Celtics might be better without him though. Mike and Alex are back this week to talk about whether or not that's true, plus more! The Celtics had quite the lackluster month of February. They were under .500 for the month and, of course, that sparks the debate about the team being better without Kyrie Irving on the floor. Are some of their best lineups ones without him? Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors continue to show that they're a real championship contender in Mike and Alex's eyes. Marc Gasol has been a great fit for the team and Kawhi Leonard keeps proving that he's a true MVP candidate and superstar. "RIGHT NOW, THE TORONTO RAPTORS ARE THE FAVORITE IN THE EAST EVEN IF MILWAUKEE IS ON TOP." - MIKE Jimmy Butler has been the most disappointing of all of the star players that are in the Atlantic Division right now. Is he going to be able to turn it on come playoff time? In Brooklyn, will D'Angelo Russell continue to prove his All-Star talent and will Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert return to their level of play now they're back from injury?

The Philadelphia 76ers have officially gone all in! As everyone was asleep before the trade deadline, Elton Brand decided he would pull off a move that Sixers fans have been waiting for for quite a while now. Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic, Mike Scott, Jonathon Simmons, and James Ennis III all made their way to the City of Brotherly Love. Along the way, they did give up a promising rookie in Landry Shamet, a handful of picks, and the curious case of Markelle Fultz. They look primed to make a deep playoff run this season but do Mike and Alex think they're the automatic favorites out East? Another team in the Atlantic made a big-time trade to bring in big-time talent. The Toronto Raptors brought in the services of Marc Gasol to slot into a starting five that already has Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard! Does this keep them as a favorite in the East? All the while, the Milwaukee Bucks acquired Nikola Mirotic and the Boston Celtics stood pat. Top heavy would probably the best way to describe the Eastern Conference right now, but we're not complaining. We're looking forward to this conference battle! Listen to the full episode above to hear Mike and Alex's thoughts on all of the trades and deals.

Kristaps Porzingis, the man hated by New York Knicks fans on draft night, then beloved as he became a "unicorn" has now become part of a dynamic Euro duo in Dallas. Not sure if you'd call it a "blockbuster" of a trade, but Porzingis was dealt alongside Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee for Dennis Smith Jr., Wes Matthews, DeAndre Jordan, and two first-round picks. This trade was met with mixed emotions from both sides in Dallas and New York. Some may think that Porzingis is injury prone and not yet fully proven. Some think he and Luka Doncic will become a force in the West. Some also think the Knicks made the right decision so that they can reload with picks and join the free agent sweepstakes for big-name players. Heck, you could even think all of the above if we're being real. In any case, Mike and Alex welcomed Gregg Sussman of FNTSY Sports Network to talk about his Knicks and how he thinks this trade went for the team's future.

The 2019 NBA All-Star weekend is only a few weeks away! Captains and starters have now been announced so of course, that means it's time to talk about who should really be starting and who shouldn't. This week, Mike and Alex are joined by Dennis Clausen, writer at Rotoballer, another time to talk about the Brooklyn Nets and plenty of All-Star talk. LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo have been announced as the captains to the All-Star Game. No surprises there. Which players should have been starters though and are there certain players that do not deserve to be there? Paul George is one player that has gotten the most criticism, especially since it meant leaving Anthony Davis off of the starter list. "PAUL GEORGE IS HAVING PROBABLY THE BEST SEASON OF HIS CAREER. SAYING HE DOESN'T DESERVE TO BE A STARTER IS CRAZY." Adrian Wojnarowski announced that Spencer Dinwiddie tore some ligaments in his finger, and is now out for three to six weeks. How does this impact the Nets playoff chances and can they survive the stretch without Dinwiddie on top of missing Caris LeVert? Mike and Dennis both think they can make it through to the All-Star break and then get Dinwiddie back for another run. With LeVert scheduled to come back this season as well, the Nets may make their first playoff appearance in quite a while.

Beantown, home of the Boston Celtics, is also home to a whole lot of basketball drama these days! Mike and Alex are joined by John Strevens, a friend of the pod and a part of the Boston faithful. Kyrie Irving has been struggling a little as a leader as of late. He has had to phone a friend and he's been getting frustrated in interviews and noticeably on the court as well. Marcus Morris and Jaylen Brown got into a little scuffle during a timeout. Are they getting fed up with each other because they don't want to share the ball? "THE FACT THAT MARCUS MORRIS IS DOING SO MUCH BETTER THAN EXPECTED COULD BE THE REASON THAT THE CELTICS HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT HOW TO BALANCE THEIR STARS." Mike, of course, had a nice little hot take for all of us when talking about the Brooklyn Nets. Spencer Dinwiddie and D'Angelo Russell have been great for the Nets, but how good are they compared to the rest of the East? Finally, the Philadelphia 76ers have their own drama with Jimmy Butler and the rest of the team not entirely gelling just yet. Will the Sixers retain Butler at the end of the season or will they go for someone else and let him walk? "I THINK RIGHT NOW I'D RATHER HAVE BRADLEY BEAL OVER JIMMY BUTLER ON THE SIXERS." Let us know on Twitter who you'd take on the Sixers right now, Jimmy Butler or Bradley Beal!

The 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend is only a little over a month away! Mike Bash and Alex Fischbein are back this week to give their thoughts on the first returns of the All-Star ballots. Also, they touch on the college season and the top prospects heading into the 2019 NBA Draft. Throughout the East and West, there are a handful of snubs and surprises on the list. Guys like Jeremy Lin, Vince Carter, and Lonzo Ball were all surprises according to Mike and Alex. One guy they both saw that should be on the list is Tobias Harris. They go over his case for an All-Star appearance as well as others. The college season is in full swing as we've already seen some upsets and some players rise and fall in stock. Mike and Alex go over some of Basketball Society's scouting reports and some very early mock drafts and big boards. Listen to the episode above to hear their full thoughts!

Mike and Alex are back from the holiday stretch to talk some Brooklyn Nets basketball! The Nets hit a nice little winning streak and now they're legitimately threatening to sneak into the playoff picture. Also, Kawhi Leonard seems to be liking Toronto more and more with the Drake pictures and Nick Nurse coming to his defense. Then, there's the word "tampering" getting thrown around in regards to LeBron James and Anthony Davis. D'Angelo Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie are the two main engines of this Nets emergence. There may be some underrated players that are helping push the train though. However, should the Nets try to get the eighth seed or should they just show some promise and still miss the playoffs to get the better pick? Kawhi Leonard was seen with Drake and the proof was posted on Instagram. What does this mean for Toronto's chances in retaining the superstar? He was also rumored to have dinner with someone in the Nets' camp, so maybe he's still thinking of joining Jay-Z instead? Finally, some small market general managers have complained about LeBron James' comments about Anthony Davis. They believe he should be fined for tampering, but almost nobody agrees with that. Mike and Alex laughed it off just like someone saying that TJ McConnell and Spencer Dinwiddie aren't the greatest of all time.

This week on The Atlantic Files, Mike Bash and Alex Fischbein dive into the story of Joel Embiid's frustration with his role on the team, the Brooklyn Nets grabbing a big win against Toronto, and the Chicago Bulls hitting an all-time low. Embiid went on record saying that he was frustrated with how he was being used on the Philadelphia 76ers. He hit a little bit of a rough stretch before he was rested for a game, and he wasn't shy about telling the media his reasoning. He did, however, clarify his statements later, which led Alex and Mike to believe that his frustration was never really with the role, just his own play at the time. The Nets had themselves a game and took down the top team in the East! Ed Davis, who also plays better defense against Embiid over any other big in the Atlantic, put up some crazy Reggie Evans type numbers. When will they start beating the bad teams as well though? Also, the Chicago Bulls had a historic beat down. No, they were not on the winning side. Chicago fans, you probably have already tried to forget about it. We had to comment on it though because the players even complained about their practices. Hear Mike and Alex's thoughts on those topics and more in the full episode!

On this week's episode of The Atlantic Files, Mike and Alex give their thoughts on the final verdict of what's wrong with Markelle Fultz, the rumors of Frank Ntilikina on the trading block, whether Jaylen Brown is the odd man out, and more! Fultz was finally officially diagnosed with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome which gives a lot of people, especially Fultz himself, closure at last. The cause is now known, so the question is what happens next. Did Fultz actually suffer this injury from a motorcycle injury and will he continue to play for Philadelphia? Rumors around the Twitter streets are that Frank Ntilikina is on the trade block. The New York Knicks are looking to move on from the experiment with Ntilikina apparently, but the teams who are supposedly interested don't make too much sense. Speaking of trades, is it time for the Boston Celtics to field some calls about Jaylen Brown? With Gordon Hayward slowly getting back to his ways, maybe it would help to not have so many players that need the ball. However, there's still time to allow everyone to gel. Listen to Mike and Alex's thoughts about that and more!

Mike and Alex return again to talk about a couple of the Atlantic teams that they've neglected a little bit throughout this season so far. The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks get a little check-up, plus the guys give their thoughts on some news stories and video games. "The Celtics are settling for too many jumpshots so far this year." - Mike Bash The boys in Beantown aren't enjoying the same start to the season that they, and the fans, had hoped for. A team full of players who can all hold their own in the playoffs is taking some time to gel. How much time do they have until it's ok to panic? Mike and Alex both think that patience is the key. Madison Square Garden isn't buzzing due to a playoff team, but it is because some young players are showing some promise. Kristaps Porzingis isn't back yet, but by the time he does get back this team could look completely different than how he left it. Finally, Dwight Howard got himself into one very strange situation. Mike and Alex give their thoughts on the situation and the injury but get distracted by some video game talk. Listen to the episode above to hear all of this week's topics!

Mike and Alex are back on the mic this week with a little hoops talk. Markelle Fultz is back in the news with some more bizarre happenings, and the guys take a look around the league at some of the most surprising storylines going on. Markelle Fultz, after having what seemed like a good offseason, now will not report to or play in any Philadelphia 76ers games until he sees and is cleared by a shoulder specialist in New York. This news came from his agent and lawyer which comes not too long after the beef Fultz had with his trainer over a deleted tweet that said he was not healthy. Add this to the laundry list of topics that could be included in a 30 for 30 and we're on the couch waiting for it. The Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies, of all teams, are near the top of the Western Conference. Can they sustain that level of play or will other teams overtake them as the year goes on? Also, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Boston Celtics are both looking much worse than expected. What can they do to turn it around this year? Hear the guys speak on these topics and more in the full episode below!

Alex is back in the country which means Alex and Mike are both back with another episode of The Atlantic Files! While away, Jimmy Butler came to Philadelphia, Caris LeVert suffered an ugly injury, and the Atlantic Division continued to look like the best division in the East. Jimmy Butler was shipped out of Minnesota for Dario Saric and Robert Covington among some other pieces. Alex was sad to see those two go but is more than excited to see the big three of Butler, Joel Embiid, and Ben Simmons. Mike and Alex both agree that this finally gives Philly someone to perform in the clutch. Caris LeVert suffered a very ugly injury that, unfortunately, put a halt to such a great season that he was putting together. The good news is that the damage to his ankle wasn't as serious as everyone thought. We may see him later this season, and finally, Mike can breathe. Finally, the guys do a quick run through of the rest of the division and touch on other news around the league such as the Kevin Durant and Draymond Green beef.

Mike and Alex welcome back another former guest of the podcast this week in Dennis Clausen from Rotoballer. The Atlantic Division is chugging along with the fresh new NBA season, and there's plenty to talk about. Kawhi Leonard had the chance to feast upon Ben Simmons, Kyrie Irving cut his hair, and the guys had the opportunity for some "live broadcasting." "Giving Kawhi Leonard someone to guard that can't shoot outside of the paint is like giving Barry Bonds, on steroids, an aluminum bat." - Alex The Toronto Raptors took on the Philadelphia 76ers and it went about as everyone expected. The Raptors took care of business quite easily, and the Sixers are still looking for answers to their shooting and defensive woes. Leonard and Kyle Lowry, on the other hand, are having a historic start to the season in terms of franchise history. Could this be the year that Toronto actually gets over the hump? Two of the Atlantic teams seem to be regressing back to where everyone expected as well in the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets. Mike was loving what he saw from Brooklyn in the first few games, but recently, not so much. Dennis and Mike talk about how important DeMarre Carroll was to the team last season, and if Jared Dudley should even still be on the roster. Finally, the guys take a quick look around the league at some of the other surprising starts and disappointments.

Mike and Alex are joined again this week by Wahaj of the Back to the Basket Podcast! This week, the guys talk about the biggest surprises, biggest disappointments, small sample sizes, and old school teams that would thrive in this era of basketball. The New Orleans Pelicans happened to be a hot topic in biggest surprises, and it's not really a surprise as to why. They have been dominating teams, and guys such as Nikola Mirotic, Elfrid Payton, and Julius Randle have all been playing higher than the expectations. They seem to have continued from where they left off in that Portland series last year, and we're excited to see if they can continue! "Pelicans look like a real threat out West...I think the Pelicans might even finish top-three or top-four when it's all said and done." - Wahaj When talking about disappointments, however, Mike brought up the Boston Celtics. They haven't exactly looked like the dominant team that everyone expected when you take away the game against the Philadelphia 76ers. The offense has struggled mightily at times, and the defense is not at the level that it was in the playoffs last year. Jaylen Brown hasn't quite found his spot yet, and Gordon Hayward still needs some time to return to the level he's used to playing. Finally, the guys talk a little about the Harris-McConnell Cup, which is the official Atlantic Files fantasy league. Wahaj is set to face off against the Atlantic Files team next week which should be an interesting matchup. Also, after Mike played NBA 2k19 with one of the old New Jersey Nets teams, he raised the question, "Which older teams would be suited to play in today's era?" Let us know what you think on Twitter!