Over And Back: Stories About Nba History

The Over and Back Classic NBA podcast continues its offseason series looking at the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players in history, with a look at the career and Top 50 candidacy of Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls great Paul Gasol.Rich Kraetsch, Jason Mann and guest Adam Johnson (@Slappin5) of Basketball Pantheon discuss Gasol's surprisingly strong resume compared to his reputation, if his international work should be considered, and his remarkable consistency.Original airdate: 9/2/15Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Over and Back Classic NBA podcast remembers the life and career of the recently passed "Chocolate Thunder" Darryl Dawkins. Yago Colas (@YagoColas) author of the upcoming book Ball Don't Lie. Yago, joins Jason and Rich to discuss the cultural impact of "Chocolate Thunder", his contribution to dunk culture as well as discussion of potential and disappointment in players with perceived natural talent.Jason and Rich then discuss Dawkins' career, the expectations of prep-to-pro players, his successful career with the Philadelphia 76ers, his career-best scoring years in New Jersey and his post-playing career.Original airdate: 8/29/15Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Our latest episode discusses David Halberstam’s seminal book “The Breaks of The Game” documenting the world of the NBA and specifically Bill Walton, Dr. Jack Ramsay, Maurice Lucas and the rest of the 1970s Portland Trail Blazers.Taking a break from their Top 50 project, Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch are joined by basketball historian Curtis Harris (@ProHoopsHistory) and James (@NBAInjuryR3port) of the NBA Injury Report podcast. They talk about the changing power dynamics between players and management, how NBA quickly shifted from majority white to majority black league, the changing economics of the league and the struggles at the time, and how the changes within the league reflected a changing American society.They discuss the key personalities in the book, including Walton’s rise to stardom and downfall because of injuries, the intensity and stubbornness of Ramsay, the boundary-pushing and legendary toughness of Maurice Lucas, Kermit Washington’s incredible work ethic and how he was unfairly tarnished by “T

The Over and Back Classic NBA podcast continues its offseason series looking at the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players in history, with a look at the career and Top 50 candidacy of Dallas Mavericks icon Dirk Nowitzki.Rich Kraetsch, Jason Mann and guest Kirk Henderson (@KirkSeriousFace) of Mavs Moneyball discuss Nowitzki breaking barriers as a perimeter-oriented big man, his influence as an international pioneer, his role as a franchise standard bearer and if any of his limitations could keep him for being a shoo-in.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Over and Back Classic NBA podcast continues its offseason series looking at the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players in history, with a look at the career and Top 50 candidacy of San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker.Rich Kraetsch, Jason Mann and guest Adam Johnson (@Slappin5) of Basketball Pantheon talk about the Top 50 case for Parker. They discuss where he fits among elite point guards, how he's contributed to the Spurs dynasty of the 2000s, and how his career might've been different if he'd had a greater role on a lesser team.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Over and Back Classic NBA podcast continues its offseason series looking at the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players in history, with a look at the career and Top 50 candidacy of former Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers point guard Steve Nash. To help us out, we've brought along Brian Schroeder (@cosmis) of Hardwood Paroxysm.Rich Kraetsch, Jason Mann and Brian discuss his strengths: directing one of the best offenses in NBA history, his supremely efficient scorer and his all-time great assist numbers. The guys also discuss some of Nash's biggest flaws: his distinct lack of defense, his lack of a superstar trait and why he didn't shoot as much as other superstar point guards.Other topics include where Nash belongs in the tiers of point guards, who we'd rank in front or behind him and much more.Over the offseason, Over and Back will examine the careers of every possible Top 50 candidate, past and present, with historians, writers and basketball experts. At the end, we’ll make our pi

The Over and Back Classic NBA podcast continues its offseason series looking at the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players in history, with a recap of our previous five parts including who's definitely in on our new Top 50 list, who's still on the fence and who's definitely out.Rich Kraetsch and Jason Mann also discuss five no-brainers from post-1996 that have to be on the list and get you prepared for our upcoming shows where we continue to discuss post-1996 players with a number of guests from around the basketball world.Original airdate: 8/12/15Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Over and Back Classic NBA podcast continues its offseason series looking at the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players in history, with an examination of how to best approach evaluating historical players through the lens of statistics.With Rich Kraetsch on assignment (probably scouring the sports libraries of America to research the NBA's elite), Jason Mann talks to Hardwood Paroxysm editor-in-chief Ian Levy about what the numbers can and cannot tell us, where statistics can fill in the blanks if footage isn't available, how we handle disparity in eras and styles of play, how much should we value being very good for a long time vs. being great for a shorter time, any players whose numbers are surprising, and much more.Original airdate: 8/6/15Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Over and Back Classic NBA podcast continues its offseason series looking at the NBA's 50 Greatest Players in history, this time looking at the centers from the original list as well as snubs who were perhaps unfairly left off.Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch are joined once again ProHoopsHistory.com‘s Curtis Harris (@ProHoopsHistory) who joins the guys to discuss centers from the original 1996 list — the cases of Patrick Ewing, Robert Parish, Willis Reed, David Robinson, Wes Unseld, Bill Walton and more are discussed in great detail!Other topics include snubs left off the original list and whether they would retroactively make the new list as well as a issues with how the NBA conducted the top 50 vote and the year when they decided to celebrate their anniversary as a league. It's a fun show as always so make sure you check it out and follow the progress of our NBA's 50 Greatest Players project.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Over and Back Classic NBA podcast continues its offseason series looking at the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players in history, as officially decreed by the NBA in 1996. Today, your hosts Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch are joined once again by a legend in the basketball history field, ProHoopsHistory.com‘s Curtis Harris (@ProHoopsHistory). Topics include discussing what we value the most when trying to determine who should be in the Top 50: statistics, reputation, team accomplishments, innovation, influence and more. They then go through the slashers and forwards named in the original list and where they’d stand if a list was made today — who’s in, who’s out and who’s on the bubble? They discuss the cases of Clyde Drexler, George Gervin, James Worthy, Paul Arizin, Scottie Pippen, Billy Cunningham, Dave DeBusschere, Kevin McHale, Elvin Hayes, and Jerry Lucas.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Over and Back Classic NBA podcast continues its offseason series looking at the NBA's 50 Greatest Players in history, as officially decreed by the NBA in 1996. Today, your hosts Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch are joined by a legend in the basketball history field, ProHoopsHistory.com's Curtis Harris (@ProHoopsHistory). Topics include the process behind the original list in 1996, how good of a job they did with that list, whether current players should have been included. The last topic focuses on guards named in the original list and where they'd stand if a list was made today — who's in, who's out and who's on the bubble? Over the offseason, Over and Back will examine the careers of every possible Top 50 candidate, past and present, with historians, writers and basketball experts. At the end, we'll make our picks for a new Top 50 list.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Over and Back Classic NBA podcast begins its offseason series looking at the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, as officially decreed by the NBA in 1996. Today, Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch explain the series in detail and look in depth at the most highly rated of those Top 50 players and whether they'd still be shoo-ins looking at their qualifications through 2015 eyes. Over the offseason, Over and Back will examine the careers of every possible Top 50 candidate, past and present, with historians, writers and basketball experts. At the end, we'll make our picks for a new Top 50 list.Original airdate: 7/7/15Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Jason and Rich continue their NBA Finals Game 7s series with part eight, looking at the top two NBA Finals Game 7s of all time: Boston Celtics vs. St. Louis Hawks from 1957 and the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit Pistons from 1988. Topics discussed include the beginning of the Boston Celtics dynasty, Bill Russell's rookie year (though he wasn't the Rookie of the Year, another Celtic took that spot!), a sub-standard Hawks regular season followed by a strong playoff showing, the thrilling double overtime game and the improbable final play attempt that would've gone down in history had it worked. Lastly, we discuss one of the most famous games in modern NBA history: Lakers vs. Pistons from the 1988 NBA Finals. Topics on this game include the Lakers looking for their first back-to-back titles since 1969, ""Big Game"" James Worthy's triple-double, Magic Johnson's reliability and Joe Dumars rising to the occasion as a result of Isiah Thomas' sprained ankle.Advertising Inquirie

Jason and Rich continues their Finals Game 7s series with part seven, looking at the Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs from 2013 and Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers from 1962. Topics discussed include the 2013 NBA Finals historic Game 6 comeback led by Ray Allen, why Game 7 was overshadowed by Game 6 despite being itself a great game, LeBron James' insane efficiency throughout the season, Manu Ginobili's gaffs, Kawhi Leonard's emergence and a rare display of emotion from Tim Duncan. On the 1962 front, Jason and Rich discuss Elgin Baylor and Jerry West's great games, Bill Russell having, you guessed it, a great Game 7 performance, Sam Jones and Frank Ramsey's good showing, the famous Frank Selvy missed shot and Bob Cousy infamously dribbling out the clock.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Jason and Rich continue looking back at classic NBA playoff Game 7s with a series on every NBA Finals Game 7 in history. For part six, they talk about the Syracuse Nationals vs. Fort Wayne Pistons in 1955 and the Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers in 1984. Topics discussed include how the shot clock made a difference in its first season, George King coming through in the clutch, a referee becoming an NBA coach, allegations of gambling and possible game-fixing, whether the first Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird Finals was the most important series in NBA history, Cedric Maxwell’s major role in two Celtics championships, Magic being Tragic Johnson, and much more.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Jason and Rich continue looking back at classic NBA playoff Game 7s with a series on every NBA Finals Game 7 in history. For part five, they talk about the Houston Rockets vs. New York Knicks in 1994 and the Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers in 1969. Topics discussed include John Starks’ famously awful 2-for-18 game, the rareness of a superstar vs. superstar (Hakeem Olajuwon vs. Patrick Ewing) matchup at the same position in the Finals, how insanely close the 1994 Finals really were by point differential, Bill Russell and Sam Jones’ final game, Jerry West winning Finals MVP in a series his team lost, the Lakers coach refusing to allow Wilt Chamberlain back into the game after an injury, Don Nelson’s lucky shot, and much more. Those subjects and much more are covered in this brand-new episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA Podcast.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Jason and Rich continue looking back at classic NBA playoff Game 7s with a series on every NBA Finals Game 7 in history. For part four, they talk about the San Antonio Spurs vs. Detroit Pistons in 2005 and the Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers in 1966. Topics discussed include which of the 2000s Pistons are likely Hall of Famers, the wonders of young Manu Ginobili, how close the Pistons came to going back-to-back, the friendship of Larry Brown and Gregg Popovich, Tim Duncan being awesome, the Celtics winning their 8th title in a row, the final game of Red Auerbach's coaching career. Bill Russell with another gaudy stat line, and a dramatic Lakers’ comeback falling just short.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Jason and Rich continue discussing every NBA Finals Game 7 in history. For part three, they talk about the Washington Bullets vs. Seattle Supersonics in 1978 and the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics in 2010. Topics discussed include Dennis Johnson’s 0-for-14 shooting performance, the origins of “the opera ain’t over till the fat lady sings,” the odd paths for both the Sonics and Bullets in 1978, Pau Gasol proving he’s not soft, how much Kobe Bryant cared about passing Shaquille O’Neal, the importance of Kendrick Perkins, and much more. Those subjects and much more are covered in this brand-new episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA Podcast.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Jason and Rich continue looking at every NBA Finals Game 7 in history. In Part Two, they discuss the New York Knicks vs. Los Angeles Lakers in 1970, Minneapolis Lakers vs. Syracuse Nationals in 1954, and Rochester Royals vs. New York Knicks in 1951. Topics discussed include the shocking revelation that the “Willis Reed game” was only 15th on our list, Walt Frazier’s fantastic performance in said game, the Lakers and George Mikan’s early NBA dominance, the NBA’s odd Round Robin playoff format, the surprisingly dominant Rochester Royals mini-dynasty, Arnie Risen’s stardom and how the 1951 series was important in growing the NBA’s national significance. Those subjects and much more are covered in this brand-new episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA Podcast.Original airdate: 6/4/15Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

For part one of our series looking at Game 7s of the NBA Finals, Jason and Rich discuss the Boston Celtics vs. St. Louis Hawks in 1960, Minneapolis Lakers vs. New York Knicks in 1952, and Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks in 1974.Topics discussed include Bob Cousy’s stardom and when Bill Russell became the face of the Boston Celtics dynasty, the fierce Hawks vs. Celtics Finals rivalry in four of five Finals, George Mikan and the Minneapolis Lakers’ dynasty in the early 1950s, the scrappy New York Knicks who fell in the three NBA Finals in a row, the last gasp of the Milwaukee Bucks’ 1970s run with Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the bulldog 1970s Celtics led by Dave Cowens, John Havlicek and Jo Jo White.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy