The Athletic NBA Daily

In this week's Point of Contention Ethan Strauss and Marcus Thompson debate! Hosted by Zach Harper. Take 1: Now looking at Round 2, the Nets and Bucks series has been all KD and Kyrie, with James Harden going down early in Game 1 with a hamstring injury. Giannis is getting destroyed and to boot, the NBA put the whammy on the Nets’ countdown clock mocking Giannis’ dragged-out free-throw routine! No Fun! Take 2: To Stotts or not to Stotts?Take 3: George was heckled by fans with chants of “Playoff P and Overrated.” Jade play the tape!Take 4: The Ben Simmons SyndromeTake 5: LeBron went to Instagram to post a video from the movie Gladiator! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Hoops Adjacent, David Aldridge and Marcus Thompson chat with Ethan Strauss about Kevin Durant. Is he the best ever? What is going on with Giannis? Then a lengthy discussion on small markets, tv ratings, big market dependence, winning as a priority and what the NBA and its partners has to do to change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam Amick, Fred Katz and Anthony Slater discuss if anyone can beat the Nets, the Suns big game 1 win against the Nuggets, if the Hawks can sustain the hot start against the Sixers, and if the Jazz can take down the Clippers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Basketball Buds, Tray Edwards, Jay King and James Edwards go through Game 1 between the Hawks and 76ers. Trae Young's emergence continues, 76ers rally falls short. Then the Clippers finally figure out the Mavs and Luka Doncic. Also the Harden-less Nets get ready for Game 2 vs the Bucks, can Milwaukee fix their offense? Damian Lillard endorses Jason Kidd, Blazers fans not having it, what to do? James offers a theory, and Tray adds perspective. Also what to do about Dame's defense? Finally WCF predictions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrew Schlecht and Alex Speers give out first round awards to players: Best Debut AwardFirst Round TopShot Moment AwardRole Player of the First Round AwardSay What Stat of the First Round AwardWho Invited You? Award U-Turn AwardI Can’t Do This Again AwardFirst Round MVP AwardThen Jared Weiss of the Athletic joins to discuss the seat changes with the Celtics and we play some first round trivia! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the second round of the playoffs looming, the Nerder crew, Dave, Seth, and Mo take some time to catch up. Seth and Mo discuss their experiences after playoff losses. What is the first task for new Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens? The guys also give their early thoughts on the second round matchups in the East. Happy Playoffs! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Point of Contention Ethan Strauss and Marcus Thompson debate. Hosted by Zach Harper.Take 1: Oh boy the drama that is unfolding out west between the Lakers and Suns, that is about to put a serious crimp in LeBron’s Space Jam 2 debut next month.Take 2: Danny Ainge has been at the helm for 18 years with his greatest achievement being the 2008 NBA title with Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. Since then Ainge accumulated a ton of young talent, draft picks and was notoriously always on the brink of making that big trade. But Ainge could not turn the corner, or even close for that matter.Take 3: The legend of Damian Lillard, yet again, grew on Tuesday night as he orchestrated a game for the ages, scoring 55 points and an NBA playoff-record 12 3-pointers as the Trail Blazers lost to the Nuggets. Lost?Take 4: The NBA issued an 11-point memo which states clearly, among other things, that alcoholic beverages will still be permitted but encourages fans to tell on guests for “inappropriate behavior” to the nearest usher, security guard, or guest services staff member.Take 5: Fellas, it’s been too long without some Awards talk, and even though there is not technically an award for Playoff MVP, we’re doing it anyway. Who you got? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Hoops Adjacent Marques Johnson, basketball analyst for the Milwaukee Bucks on Fox Sports Net, drops by to talk all thinks Bucks. Also reflecting back on his playing days in the NBA with Don Nelson and position-less basketball. Also his acting career, White Men Can't Jump and the success of his son Josiah. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrew Schlecht hosts in place of Sam Amick today with Fred Katz, Anthony Slater and special guest Mike Smeltz. They discuss these 8 topics around the NBA Playoffs:1. Have we learned anything about the Nets in their first round series? (With Mike Smeltz)2. Who has the brighter future, Hawks or Grizzlies?3.Will the Chris Paul injury or the Anthony Davis injury matter more in their 1st round series.4. The Clippers have flipped the momentum on the Mavs, do we trust them to keep it?5. What’s next for the Heat?6.Nuggets or Blazers?7. What more can the NBA do to stop the wild fan behavior? (Popcorn, spit, water bottle)8. The Bucks currently have the 3rd best odds to win the title (+550) according to BetMGM, behind the Net (+200), and the Lakers (+450)... do we think that’s the right place for them? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Basketball Buds. Zach Harper, Dave DuFour, Tray Edwards and Law Murray. Despite his absence from the show Jay King and the Milwaukee Bucks have the last laugh in a diss track for the ages. Then the Suns take Game 4 in their series against the Lakers. Is there any concern here? Then Knicks vs Hawks, Trae Young too much for NY. Also, 76ers/Wizards, Nuggets/Blazers and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.