Sixers, Sixers | Sports Daily Newsletter

The Sixers have had a dominant player in Joel Embiid for some time now. But as any fans of that dance documentary will tell you, it’s about getting all the pieces to fit together, and then getting that team’s star to trust them instead of trying to power through on every play and be all he can be.

Marcus Hayes sees that now in Embiid’s relatively quiet Game 1. The big guy looked for his teammates instead of playing hero ball and the result was a comfortable win. It’s a formula that looks solid enough to take on even teams that are far more daunting than the Brooklyn Nets.

After years of Trust The Process, the real threat the Sixers might make on the NBA title could be when The Process trusts back.

— Andrea Canales, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

❓Which Sixers player has impressed you most since the playoffs started and why? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

unCovering the Birds with Jeff McLaneEp 4: Chip Kelly - Part II: The Fall

In the second installment of this two-part retrospective, listen as Philadelphia Inquirer Eagles beat reporter Jeff McLane delves into the wild and unpredictable Chip Kelly era. McLane explains the series of events that played in Kelly’s demise. Plus, how a recent phone call between McLane and Kelly helped bring closure to an at-times rocky relationship.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts or go to Inquirer.com/podcasts

Mikal Bridges’ NBA trajectory has been on a steep incline for much of his six-year career. He came into the league when the 76ers selected him No. 10 before shipping him to Phoenix. There, he started as a serviceable defender with a hitch in his jumpshot. Soon, he developed into one of the NBA’s premiere two-way talents. And since being shipped to the Brooklyn Nets, he’s entered yet another phase as a prolific scorer.

That was on display in Game 1 against the Sixers and figures to continue during their first-round series. The Inquirer’s Gina Mizell explained how he made that final jump and became Brooklyn’s No. 1 option.

Next: The Sixers meet the Brooklyn Nets in Game 2 of their first-round series at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Wells Fargo Center.

Nick Castellanos had a three-month offseason to finally stop his world from spinning off its axis and root his feet in the ground after a whirlwind first season with the Phillies in 2022. He’s closer to feeling what one longtime coach describes as “that inner calmness and peace.” But if Castellanos has, in fact, reached the other side, he can credit his time in Cincinnati for providing the road map. Because the second half of his two-year tenure with the Reds represented nothing short of the best season of his career. And some of the credit goes to a former Reds star.

The Phillies avenged some of the humiliation from their 13-0 loss to the Reds on Saturday with a 14-3 rout on Sunday to split their series in Cincinnati.

Zack Wheeler, Monday’s starter, has been relying on an effective new “sweeper” pitch through his first three starts.

Next: The Phillies open a series in Chicago against the White Sox at 7:10 p.m. Monday (NBCSP+). Wheeler (0-1, 4.21) will start against White Sox right-hander Lance Lynn (0-1, 7.31).

Departures in free agency have seemingly cleared the way for second-year linebacker Nakobe Dean to enter the starting lineup, and Josh Tolentino has Dean as one of the players primed to have a breakout season.

The Eagles haven’t traditionally drafted linebackers early in the draft, with Dean being selected in the third round. While it doesn’t seem as if the Eagles will go with that position again in this year’s draft in the first few rounds, there is talent there in this class worth keeping an eye on.

Almost doesn’t change the final scoreline. No, even after setting up the tying goal to help pull the Union back from what seemed sure defeat against the Chicago Fire, after being down 2-0, Quinn Sullivan couldn’t quite seal the victorious deal on a late attempt.

Still, Sullivan’s performance helped spark the team and might encourage Union manager Jim Curtin to continue to rotate his roster.

So long, farewell: La Salle and Fran Dunphy have lost another player to the transfer portal, this time Josh Nickelberry to Florida State.

Dragon gets a look: Drexel’s dynamo, Keishana Washington, signed a training camp contract with the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx.

Call of the caddie: A scholarship to Penn State was one Haverford student’s reward for diligence.

In 1976, Phillies slugger Mike Schmidt hit four home runs at Wrigley Field, tying the Major League Record for home runs in a single game. His homers came in consecutive at-bats, starting in the fifth inning with the Phillies trailing the Cubs 13-2. Once Schmidt was done, the Phillies won 18-15.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Aaron Carter, Jonathan Tannenwald, Matt Ryan, Lochlahn March, Josh Tolentino, Devin Jackson, Scott Lauber, Keith Pompey, Marcus Hayes, Gina Mizell and El Barkowitz.