You're listening to the Sixers Beat with your host Derek Bodner right here on Libertyballers.com and LibertyBroadcast.com.

Welcome everybody. This is Derek Bodner.

I'm joined by Rich Hoffman in what is our second Sixers beat in four days, five days.

I don't know. I can't do math. That's why I'm a writer.

Welcome, Rich. How are you doing?

I'm good, man. I mean, there were some That's why I'm a writer. Welcome, Rich. How are you doing? I'm good, man.

I mean, there were some breaking news last night.

We did not expect such a lively night down at the arena. No, it was funny. I was writing my column on Fultz's return. I'm like, you know, we just went into the pregame press conference thinking this is a normal game for a team and a playoff hunt chasing 50 wins.

And I kind of stopped myself right there.

And it's like

there's absolutely nothing normal about what I just said not for this team for the city

and for this fan base but when you throw in the mix that Markhill Fultz making his

not his season debut because he played four games in what seems like an attorney go back in

October but making his return to the lineup when nobody had any real inkling that this was on the table. I mean, you had a sense talking to Brett Brown that, you know, they were, they were really ready to play him. He's been saying that, you know, for a week or two now, and after he says it so many times, you get the sense that he actually means it. Like if Fultz came up to him and he said he's ready to play, that they would actually play him. But there was no indication that this was actually around the corner that this was happening Monday night. You know, I guess looking back on it, given how much of this was driven by Fultz's confidence and his own evaluation of his own readiness.

There was always this chance that it was going to be his last minute.

Oh, by the way, Markell's playing tonight situation.

But I didn't expect for it to come.

I mean, geez, Brown didn't, he didn't bring it up until like seven minutes into his pregame press conference.

Yeah.

You almost don't even think to ask anymore about it because you almost expect that if

it was going to happen, you would get a press release about it or a printout, which for some

reason they'd love to do of the injury report and he wouldn't be on it.

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