Over And Back: Stories About Nba History

Jason and Rich look at the best Conference Finals Game 7s of All-Time! Games covered include historic battles like the Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic and Mike Bibby’s 2002 Sacramento Kings vs. Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers also make an appearance later in the show as discuss one of the most recent Conference Final Game 7s and also one of the most memorable as Rasheed Wallace, Scottie Pippen and the Portland Trailblazers blow a late-game lead to the 2000 Lakers. The guys also cover the famous “Havlicek Stole the Ball!” game from 1965 featuring the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers, yet another chapter in the storied Wilt Chamberlain/Bill Russell rivalry. Another Celtics/76ers tilt — this time in 1981 as Larry Bird and Julius Erving dual for a chance at the NBA Finals is also covered.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We discuss more fantastic early round Game 7s: -Chet Walker and the 1974 Chicago Bulls taking on the Dave Bing, Bob Lanier and the Detroit Pistons. -Kevin Johnson puts up 46 points and Charles Barkley's plays his "last game" in the NBA (hint: it wasn't) as Mario Ellie hits a game-winner for Hakeem Olajuwon and the 1995 Houston Rockets. -Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry and the Dallas Mavericks finally getting the Spurs monkey off their back in 2006 as they battle with, who else, Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli. -Plus as an added bonus, we took a not-so-retro look at the 2015 Los Angeles Clippers/San Antonio Spurs Game 7 including a gutsy performance from Chris Paul, Blake Griffin's rapid maturation and the ageless wonder Tim Duncan.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

A look at the best Game 7s in NBA history begins with early rounds (first round and conference semifinals). Series recaps include: -The 1981 Western Conference Semifinals with the surprising Houston Rockets led by Calvin Murphy taking on George Gervin, Mark Olberding and San Antonio Spurs -The 1976 showdown between the "Miracle" Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Bullets -The famous Vince Carter graduation game against Allen Iverson, Dikembe Mutombo and the 2001 Philadelphia 76ers -The famed "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead" Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks 1995 series infamous for Patrick Ewing's missed layup in the final seconds -LeBron James leading a pack of scrubs to the limit with Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett's 2008 Boston Celtics -The dynasty that never was 1986 Milwaukee Bucks battle Julius Erving, Charles Barkley and the 1986 Philadelphia 76ers. -Last but not least, one of the most famous games in NBA playoff history - Larry Bird vs. Dominique Wilkins, Celtics vs. Ha

Today's episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA podcast is all about unexpected great playoffs performances. To make it a little more interesting, we didn't look at guys who simply had one or two good/unexpected playoff games but guys who had entire playoff series or seasons that were unexpected or well above their normal expectations. Some of these guys parlayed their success into mega contracts (Jerome James), others went on to become legends in other countries (Billy Ray Bates) and some were able to carve out consistent careers on the basis of their breakouts (Marcus Camby, Kawhi Leonard). Other performances including Antawn Jamison putting the Wizards on his back against the upstart Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James, Tim Thomas doing Tim Thomas things with the Phoenix Suns, Johnny Moore's insane assist numbers in the 1983 playoffs and an unexpected star of Portland's title run in 1977 from Bob Gross. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redc

The Over and Back Classic NBA podcast returns with a playoff-themed edition as Jason and Rich break down the worst NBA playoff teams in history. Whether the result of expansion or the NBA letting too many teams into the final dance, there have been numerous examples of terrible NBA playoff teams. Instead of breaking down each and everyone, this compact (~45 minute show) looks at the worst by each decade(ish). Who were the most prominent players on these bad playoff teams? How did they get so bad? How bad were they? These questions and much more are answered in addition to a brief discussion on the current NBA playoff landscape and if any team this year is in danger of being added to this listOriginal airdate: 4/7/15Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

An in-depth look at the NBA's most storied feud: Kobe Bryant vs. Shaquille O'Neal. Jason and Rich begin with an overview of the tandem, how long they played together, how they came to form a powerful dynasty, how the feud is covered today versus coverage at the time, why there are no books or longform essays on the subject, a look at the Lakers supporting cast around Kobe/Shaq and how the duo matches up with duos of year's past including Magic Johnson/Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan/Scottie Pippen and John Stockton/Karl Malone. In part one, we look at the pre-Phil Jackson Lakers, starting with a strong playoff team with a nucleus of Elden Campbell, Cedric Ceballos, Nick Van Excel, Vlade Divac and Eddie Jones. We discuss the trade that sent Divas to the Charlotte Hornets for the high schooler Bryant, the massive risk at the time and hindsight regarding the trade. Topics in this section include Del Harris and Kurt Rambis coaching tenures, jealously from both Shaq and Kobe, Shaq's unwillingne

On this edition of the Over and Back Classic NBA podcast, Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch remember the lives and careers of three NBA stars we lost in the past few weeks: Anthony Mason, Jerome Kersey and Earl Lloyd. We begin with a discussion on Earl Lloyd breaking the NBA's color barrier, the unique circumstances that led to him being the one to break it, his post-playing career and much more. We then move onto a discussion of Jerome Kersey's career, his college career at tiny Longwood College to his eventual pairing with NBA greats Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter. Discussions include Kersey's standout games, best playoff series, his charitable work and his penchant for picking up fouls. The show closes with a look at Anthony Mason's beginnings as a journeymen before finally latching on with Pat Riley's New York Knicks. Similar to Kersey, we look at Mason's best games, notable playoff series, how he represented New York and Knicks basketball in the '90s as well as his post-Knick days

Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch are back with a brand-new episode of Over and Back: The Classic NBA podcast! Today's topic is all about the NBA trade deadline and some of our favorite midseason deals of all-time. The guys are first joined by Rafael Canton (@nba_trades) of NBATrades.tumblr.com to talk trade deadline history, most underrated deadline deals, trades that helped both teams, what compelled him to create a blog focusing solely on NBA trades, Rasheed Wallace's one-game Atlanta tenure and much more along the way. After Rafael, both Jason and Rich present their three favorite NBA trade deadline deals including Gary Payton and Ray Allen swapping shades of green, the first-place Atlanta Hawks trading their leading scorer (Dominique Wilkins) for a few months of Danny Manning, Nick Van Exel going to the Mavericks among others. Discussions include the team's fate before and after the trade, impact the trade had on the history of their respective franchises and of course how the players performed wi

Almost as long as there's been a draft in the NBA, there's been teams tanking to get the most favorable picks and a chance at generationally great players. In a league where one player can alter a franchise both on and off the court, getting that one is so important, sometimes losing games is the best method and thus, tanking was born. Jason and Rich discuss their definitions of tanking, how it happens, who participates as well as some discussion on the origins of the NBA draft and the transition from the coin flip to the current draft lottery system. The guys then discuss a few of their favorite tanking teams, ones that were near and dear to their heart and some of the more prominent ones including the ‘83 and ‘84 Houston Rockets, 2002-03 Cavaliers, the post-Jordan Baby Bulls, 2005-06 Timberwolves and the famous Mark Madsen game and much more along the way. Alternate discussions include some of the worst teams in NBA history, worst stretches by a team and the best players on miserable teams.Advertisi

It's all about being cool on this episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA podcast. The official arbiters of cool (Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch) discuss what it means to be cool in the NBA, who our starting five of cool would be, what legends were or weren't cool as well as the coolest player from each team currently. We also say the word cool at least 130 times, it's a pretty cool show.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Since 1947, when the New York Knicks battled the Providence Steamrollers on Christmas Day, professional basketball played on Christmas Day became an annual tradition. For every year, with the lone exception of 1998, has seen an NBA game on Christmas Day. Unlike the NFL on Thanksgiving Day, the NBA doesn't feature one particular team but rather the best and brightest in the NBA on a given year, sometimes NBA Finals rematches, sometimes the biggest rivalries — either way it's a great tradition that's given us some of the best games of the season. As only we can do here at the Over and Back podcast, we break down five classic NBA Christmas Day games, discuss the background of the teams, highlights of the game and how each team's season fared. We begin the look back with the 1970 matchup between the Atlanta Hawks vs. Phoenix Suns featuring Pete Maravich battling Connie Hawkins, the Chicago Bulls taking on the Detroit Pistons in 1990 just as the Pistons are fading while the Bulls, Michael Jordan an

Lucky episode #13 takes us to New York City as Jason and Rich cover the life and career former Knicks and Nets star Micheal Ray Richardson! We begin the episode chatting Sugar Ray with Robert Silverman (@bobsaietta) of Knickblogger, VICE, The Cauldron, Deadspin, The Daily Beast and The Classical as we discuss his impact in New York City, whether his addictions were aided by the city, his life-long link to Bernard King and much more! The meat and potatoes of the show delves into Micheal's upbringing in Denver, college life at the University of Montana and his eventual arrival in New York as a member of a good but not great Knicks team. Of course, no breakdown of Micheal Ray is complete without discussing his issues with addictions, his wild party life as well as his brief run in Golden State. We finish up with a look at his redemption tour as a member of the New Jersey Nets including a stunning upset of the defending champion Philadelphia 76ers. Most importantly though, Micheal Ray becoming the first man b

Our most delicious episode yet — a complete breakdown of Jason "White Chocolate" Williams' career! We're first joined by Jared Dubin of Hardwood Paroxsym, Grantland, The Cauldron and Bleacher Report to discuss Williams' influence on him as a young NBA fan, what made Williams so special, whether he or the forever linked Mike Bibby are better and last but certainly not least, Jared's Official Chocolate Power Rankings. After Jared, it's business as usual as Jason Mann and myself talk White Chocolate's youth in Belle, West Virginia, his tenuous relationship with education, being kicked out of college and his eventual NBA landing spot with the Sacramento Kings. We breakdown the Kings rise to prominence in the early 2000s, what made the team so fun to watch and why Williams was the perfect PG for the emerging powerhouse. Williams' trade to Memphis is broken down, why it happened, who "won" the trade as well as a look at the rest of Williams' career with Memphis, the e

Today on the Over and Back Classic NBA podcast it's all about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar/Lew Alcindor but unlike our typical career retrospectives, we're going to focus on Kareem in the 1970s. Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch discuss his dominance in both the high school and college ranks, the famed ABA/NBA power struggle to acquire his rights and the mythical $1 million check he was to receive from then-ABA commissioner and NBA legend George Mikan. We then move to Kareem's early NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks including the Bucks' franchise's only championship, dominance in the NBA, Kareem's many talents and the Milwaukee Bucks' place amongst the best teams of all-time. Lastly, we look at Kareem's move to Los Angeles, why he was traded, religious and on-court reasons and his surprisingly lack of success with the late 1970s Lakers teams. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

With the news of Steve Nash's season-ending back injury, the career of the Canadian legend appears to be over so we needed to give him the proper Over and Back treatment. Join us as we say goodbye to a fallen hero! We begin this week's episode with a roundtable discussion alongside Podium Game contributor Bryan Gibberman and the Podium Game czar himself Jordan White. Discussions including Nash's legacy and impact on the game of basketball, how he changed the NBA, his rise to superstardom in Dallas, if he deserved to win the MVP award and why the Phoenix Suns never won an NBA championship. The second half of the show runs down the career of Steve Nash beginning with his college career in Santa Clara, making national headlines with an upset of #2 Arizona and leading Santa Clara to the top 25. We then touch briefly on Nash's early career with the Phoenix Suns (bleached blonde hair and all) before going into detail on his trade to the Dallas Mavericks, the rough beginnings as a Maverick and eventu

Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch are back with another episode of the Over and Back classic NBA podcast but this time instead of talking the past, we're talking the present as we preview the NBA season. Of course, we had to put a historical spin on it so we preview the season while referencing the past! Unfortunately the podcast begins with breaking news about Steve Nash missing the 2014-15 NBA season and the likely end of his historic career. Our regularly schedule podcast begins with discussions include comparable teams to this year's Cleveland Cavaliers, if the Cavaliers are the favorite to win the NBA title and LeBron James' career arc and place in history. We also preview playoff teams in both conferences and discuss the dominance of the NBA's Western Conference over the last 15-20 years. The podcast wraps up with a discussion of the best retirement classes as we predict this year's crop of retirees as well as what records are on the line this year from a multitude of players including Ke

We're talking all things Detlef Schrempf on the newest episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA podcast! A detailed look at former Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, Seattle SuperSonics and Portland Trail Blazers great Detlef Schrempf. One of the first Europeans to pave the way for today's players, Detlef displayed rare talents making him one of the most versatile, dependable and effective players of his generation. Jason and Rich discuss Detlef Schrempf's beginnings in Germany, coming to American to play for Washington, his role on the multiple-time playoff Dallas Mavericks and becoming a formidable Sixth Man with the Pacers. We delve into his shocking trade from Indiana to Seattle, disappointing first-round playoff exits with the Sonics, an NBA Finals berth and the tumultuous end to his storied career with the Trailblazers and so much more. Sidebars include a look at Schrempf's advanced statistics, conference finals one-and-done. Join Jason and Rich as they review Schrempf's career, analy

We're talking 1999 NBA jerseys! After hours of exhaustive scientific research (no, seriously), Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch have determined 1999 is the absolute worst year for NBA jerseys. The next natural step is to rank these from best to worst and that's what this episode is all about. Jason and Rich discuss our voting methods, who was the best jersey that year, the worst, when the trend of bad jerseys began, the deal with gold, pinstripes and teal. Discussions also include teams switching jerseys after a championship, Rich's distaste for the Los Angeles Lakers jerseys and much more.  Check out https://nbajerseydatabase.tumblr.com/teamarchive for images of most of the jerseys discussed.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Jason and Rich react to the retirement of Detroit Pistons great Chauncey Billups and the death of Marvin "Bad News" Barnes. We discuss Billups' rocky start with the Boston Celtics, bouncing around the NBA including stops in Toronto, Orlando, Denver and Minnesota before finally finding his NBA home in Detroit. Discussions include Billups' reputation, his HOF candidacy, his ranking among PGs both in the 2000s and all-time and much more. Then, we touch the life and career of Marvin "Bad News" Barnes, the troubled, but talented late ABA star.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch are back with a new episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA podcast, this time talking NBA expansion teams and expansion drafts. We're first joined by Curtis Harris of ProHoopsHistory.com to discuss his favorite expansion teams, memories of the Chicago Packers and expansion draft oddities. We then breakdown each and every expansion team, key players acquired in the expansion drafts, how they performed, various statistics, impact on the league and a bevy of other topics. Quickly we discuss the Vancouver Grizzlies' uniforms, how the city of Dallas was way more interested in Who Shot JR than their brand-new Mavericks, dispersal drafts and more! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy