Pound The Rock

We sift through a barrage of NBA news, including Chris Paul's positive COVID test and Kawhi Leonard's knee injury, before marvelling at Kevin Durant's Game 5 masterpiece, trying to pinpoint the ongoing issues with the Bucks, and wondering where the Sixers-Hawks and Jazz-Clippers series go from here.

Was the way this season unfolded the beginning of the end for LeBron's reign over the NBA? Plus early series takeaways from Nets-Bucks, Suns-Nuggets, and Hawks-Sixers, and we preview the West semifinal between the Jazz and Clippers.

On a jam-packed episode, we take stock of a whiplash-inducing Clippers-Mavericks series in which Luka Doncic is evoking LeBron in '07 (:025), before assessing the state of LeBron in '21 and the odds that he and the Lakers can stave off elimination against the phenomenal Suns (17:30). Then we talk about why Nuggets/Blazers is the best show in basketball (32:18), reflect on the Danny Ainge era in Boston after the Celtics' unorthodox front-office shakeup(53:31), and marvel at Trae Young's stage presence and Clint Capela's defense (1:02:55), before looking ahead to the East's second-round series: Sixers-Hawks(1:12:20) and Nets-Bucks (1:20:25).

Luka Doncic has the Clippers on the ropes, plus we catch up on some takeaways from Games 1-2 between the Lakers and Suns, the Bucks and Heat, and the Nuggets and Blazers.

With the play-in tournament half over, we take stock of the NBA's hugely successful experiment, before breaking down what we saw in Lakers-Warriors (7:34) and looking ahead to Pacers-Wizards (19:23) and Warriors-Grizzlies (25:09). Then, we preview the six series that have already been set in stone: Suns-Lakers (34:00), Bucks-Heat (44:26), Knicks-Hawks (53:00), Nets-Celtics (1:08:32), Nuggets-Blazers (1:10:52), and Clippers-Mavericks (1:19:39)

Picking the NBA's best 2021 award candidates among players who won't actually end up on the ballots.

On this week's episode, we react to recent reports that Nate Bjorkgren, Terry Stotts, and Mike Budenholzer are on the hot seat. We try to parse what's gone wrong in Indiana, how much of Portland's stagnancy can be blamed on Stotts, and what a successful playoff run for Milwaukee would look like. Then, we take stock of the Bucks-Nets mini-series, and wonder how much it can tell us about a likely playoff matchup. And finally, with the Lakers reeling, we reassess the pecking order atop the wide-open Western Conference.

The Wizards, Bulls, and Raptors - plus the Hornets and Pacers - are fighting for the Eastern Conference's final play-in spots. Who makes it, who gets left behind, and where does each team go from here?

We're back from a brief hiatus to check in on an NBA season that feels like it's been in the dog days since opening night. On this week's episode, we wonder whether it's time to start worrying about the availability of the Nets' Big 3, whether the Heat can recapture their bubble magic, what the Lakers' rotation will look like when they're whole again, and whether Nikola Jokic can swing a playoff upset on his own.

On this week's episode, we close the book on Paul Pierce's tenure at ESPN, wonder whether Playoff Rondo is ready to ride again, discuss the state of the Bucks now that Jrue Holiday is locked in for another four years, and sort through our feelings about Aleksej Pokusevski and the egregiously transparent tank job going on in Oklahoma City.

Which of the Spurs, Grizzlies, Warriors, Kings, or Pelicans will snag the Western Conference's final playoff spot? And please stop crying about the buyout market being unfair.

With the smoke clearing from a busy deadline day, we break down the most notable non-trade, discussing why Kyle Lowry remains a Raptor and what it means for his current team and the three teams that pursued him. Then, a look at how the day's most notable deals changed the outlooks for the Nuggets, Bulls, Magic, and Rockets.

On this week's episode, we scratch our heads over a Pat Riley casting decision and a cost-conscious Thunder trade before turning our attention to some of the best teams in the West. Who among the Suns, Jazz, Nuggets, Mavericks, and Blazers has the best chance to knock off one or both of the L.A. teams in the playoffs? And what roadblocks stand in their way?

The NBA needs to make an example out of Meyers Leonard, who deserves harsh punishment for dropping an anti-Semitic slur. What can the Nets expect from Blake Griffin? And how will the Raptors, Spurs, Bulls, Hawks, Pacers, Kings, and Magic shape this year's trade deadline?

The Hawks' firing of Lloyd Pierce doesn't make much sense, Houston's Victor Oladipo problem underscores how terrible the James Harden trade was for the Rockets, and we dive into the market for a quartet of washed big men: Al Horford, Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond, and DeMarcus Cousins.

On this week's episode, we react to the coaches' All-Star reserve selections, sort through the Timberwolves' strange and sudden new coaching hire and general aimlessness, and break down the Nets' sunny prospects in an Eastern Conference full of non-contenders

With the starters announced for the NBA's ill-conceived 2021 All-Star Game, we join forces to select the 7 most worthy reserves for the Eastern and Western Conference squads.

The players we thought were going to break out are all hurt or disappointing us, so which players have actually taken giant leaps this season?

On this week's episode, we hit on a fun matchup between two title contenders in Nets-Clippers, discuss Bradley Beal's reported desire to stay in Washington and craft a Dirk-like legacy with the Wizards, and dive into some early-season trends that have been pleasantly surprising, including Atlanta's defense, Utah's offense, Houston's pot-Harden bump, and Charlotte's suddenly bright future.

What's going on in Milwaukee, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and New Orleans? In addition, we pay tribute to beloved NBA reporter Sekou Smith, and mark the one-year anniversary of Kobe Bryant's death.