Philadelphia 76ers podcast: The Jared Dudley fiasco and average Ben Simmons

By Jack Duffy | Apr 23, 2019

Joel Embiid | Philadelphia 76ers (Photo by Matteo Marchi/Getty Images) /

The Philadelphia 76ers-Brooklyn Nets series has been very entertaining, to say the least. On this episode of The Sixer Sense Podcast, the Jared Dudley antics, Jimmy Butler’s ejection, and all of the drama from the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals are just a few of the topics discussed.

So far, the 2019 NBA Playoffs have been far from competitive in most cases. The Denver Nuggets and the San Antonio Spurs are tied at 2-2, but besides that, every other series has been fairly one-sided.

The Philadelphia 76ers-Brooklyn Nets series is not close, with the Sixers being up 3-1 but it is a must-watch for every NBA fan for other reasons: the Jared Dudley-Ben Simmons beef (you could throw Jimmy in there now), Joel Embiid with his flagrant fouls on Jarrett Allen, and Embiid’s knee concerns. Another highlight from this series is the constant complaining and whining from the entire Nets organization from top to bottom.

Game 4 started with a back-and-forth between Simmons and Dudley with Dudley making a three and reenacting the safe motion Simmons did towards him in the previous game along with Dudley pushing Simmons after the Sixers guard converted a layup over him. The game was intense and trended up from there.

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Everyone has seen the ejection from Game 4 with Jared Dudley pushing Embiid from behind and Jimmy Butler responding by shoving Dudley back. Both players were ejected. The Embiid foul call was arguably a block and the ejections were questionable, but the refs wanted to control the game so they enforced harsh punishments. Joel was charged with a flagrant one on that play, which is his second of the playoffs. If Embiid gets to four he will be suspended.

From top to bottom, the Nets have publicly complained all series about the Sixers’ style of play, from Joel Embiid’s aggressive defense to a number of other things. Nets General Manager, Sean Marks, is suspended for Game 5 due to him attempting to get into the referees’ locker room after Game 4. Nets minority owner, Joeseph Tsai, was also fined $35,000 for his remarks regarding the officiating. D’Angelo Russell is one of other Nets players to criticize the Sixers’ play.

On this episode of The Sixer Sense Podcast, Jack Duffy, Joe DiProsperos, AJ Iezzi and Matt Burnham all discuss these captivating topics in a laid back, humorous manner.

Along with these big topics, the guys also discussed more “

Average”

Ben Simmons. Simmons has been dominant this series, averaging 18.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 8.0 APG,1.5 STL, and 1.5 BLK. He recorded a triple-double and has been a consistent force since Game 1.

The Mike Scott Hive was assembled, to give him much needed praise after his game-winning three in Game 4. Sixers Twitter loved it and so did TSS.

Later, the play of the Sixers’ bench thus far in the playoffs was debated with T.J. McConnell being out of the rotation and the guys talked about how they have loved the play of Boban Marjanovic and James Ennis so far.

Lastly, the guys talked about fully embracing the Sixers as becoming one of the most hated teams in the NBA. For some reason, the NBA and sports world loves to hate on Philadelphia any chance they get and through the events that have taken place in Game 4, there seems to be a public disdain for the Sixers. Ben Simmons has been made into a villain, as Jared Dudley has received much love from NBA fans who forgot he was even in the league.

Next. Sixers' 15 greatest playoff moments. dark

Stay tuned for more episodes in the near future, including more game recaps, Sixers analysis, and free agency/NBA Draft speculation.