48 Minutes: Celtics and 76ers Battle for #2, Nuggets fade while Kings gain, Clippers Up-Lakers Down, & Who's the MVP?

0:00 ... Hello and Welcome and here's the opening tip. 0:50 ... Opening Comments: Bruce praises Boston's Jaylen Brown for his great play and his contributions to the community. 2:20 ... "World B" bemoans the continuing conflict between players and officials. 4:17... Ross gives love to the Denver Nuggets for their great performance against the Bucks over the weekend. 5:40 ... The Dallas Mavericks have been a complete mess since acquiring Kyrie Irving in February, but is he really the only one who should be blamed for all of their problems? 16:04 ... The Minnesota Timberwolves are playing great ball down the stretch and while Karl-Anthony Towns has been one reason, there's another "big" getting it done for the Wolves. 24:30 ... In the Eastern Conference, the young Cleveland Cavaliers are making lots of noise but are they really ready to contend for the title? 28:13 ...The 76ers have been hot for three months, but they've stumbled on their current west coast swing. 32:03... The Celtics have been on fire since Robert Williams III returned last week but can they maintain it? 34:12 ... The Bucks have flipped the switch and become a lethal offensive team to go along with their always tough defense. 38:44 ... Bruce's "Show and Tell" item is an autographed piece of Boston Celtics history, 40:59 ...World B's item was inherited from his Dad and features a connection to a New York Knicks icon. 43:13 ... Ross' items are some very special basketball cards with a connection to a former colleague in Milwaukee. 46:46... Closing Thoughts: Bruce hopes Ben Simmons can regain his health and confidence, but he has a lot of work to do. 48:40 ... World B has some thoughts on the money that is riding on the All-NBA teams and the guys discuss whether members of the media should vote on them. 53:50... Ross has praise for a record set by Jordan Nwora of the Indiana Pacers, who scored 25 points in a quarter against the Hawks last Saturday. 55:09 ... Bye and see you next time!   TRT 55:27

28 Maalis 202355min

0:00 Intro 0:31 Bruce chimes in on Paul Silas being the honoree for tonight’s episode 1:00 World B pays tribute to passing of Knicks legend Willis Reed 3:09 Bruce touches on Willis Reed before discusses Timelord’s return to the Celtics lineup  4:54 Ross tells the listeners about an NBA Wordle that exists & has Bruce/World B play today’s challenge 6:47 The crew discusses the big return games for KAT and Ja 15:52 The LA Lakers are making a strong push at the end of the season 24:20 Midroll Ad 24:33 Miami is Heating Up! 31:36 Mayhem Out West - The Western Conference Plays Musical Chairs! 42:58 Bruce calls a clutch timeout to be sure to discuss the Dallas/Golden State fiasco  45:38 Ross shares his favorite Sacramento Kings Same Game Parlay  46:31 Bruce gives his final thoughts on the Philadelphia 76ers 48:03 World B touches on the current state of the New York Knicks  49:16 Ross gives a special birthday shoutout for his final thought

24 Maalis 202350min

0:00 .... Hello and welcome 0:30 ... Bruce introduces tonight's special guest ... long time NBA journalist Steve Bulpett, the original Greek Freak of the NBA family who taught Bruce the correct pronunciation of his favorite Greek delicacy "Spanakopita." 1:38 ... Opening Thoughts: Bruce moans about his miserable NCAA Tournament experience so far. 3:19 ... World B recognizes the Bulls' improvement since the All Star Break ... 5:14 ... Steve takes issue with Bruce for his attitude about the last four teams (#65-68) in the NCAA Tournament and how Dayton, Ohio is an integral part of the story. 8:48 ... Ross is not happy about Memphis' excuse for Ja Morant not returning on Monday vs Dallas. 9:59 ... Steve discusses what the Boston Celtics need to do to resume their success from earlier in the season. 15:44 ... World B takes the Celtics to task for their recent mediocre play and poor offensive inefficiency. 17:28 ... The Golden State Warriors have been a big disappointment this season and Stebve wonders if their troubles began after an incident during a preseason practice. 21:58 ... World B feels that the Warriors lack of attention to defense during road games has been their biggest issue. 24:20 ... Ross agrees with Steve and World B that the absence of Gary Payton II is a huge reason for the team's poor defense.  Ross adds that the loss of reserve guard Damion Lee has really hurt their bench. 24:56... The crew discusses the big storyline for the stretch run and it concerns Kevin Durant and the Suns.  Steve is concerned about the depth of the team. 26:56 ... Is Deandre Ayton worth the max contract he signed before the season? 31:31... Steve worries about the cohesiveness of the Suns if Durant isn't ready until the start of the playoffs. 33:53 ... Ross plays Word Association with Steve and asks him about Knicks Coach Tom Thibodeau and Celtics legend Tommy Heinsohn. 34:34 ... Steve launches into some great Heinsohn stories including several of a personal nature .... wonderful stuff for any Celtics fan to hear! 40:18 ... Ross opens a random package of basketball cards and requires Bruce, World B, and Steve to comment "off the cuff" on the players he pulls from the pack.  Steve got totally hosed with two of the cards he was asked about but still delivered!  Some of the players Ross pulled were Walker Kessler, Tyrese Maxey, Donovan Mitchell, Chris Paul, Kristaps Porzingis, DeAaron Fox, CJ McCollum, and several other good names. 53:02 ... Steve has a cool story about McCollum and why he missed some free throws in Boston earlier this season. 57:45 ... Final Thoughts: World B with some perspective on the bad blood between Dillon "The Villain" Brooks of Memphis and the Splash Brothers in Golden State ... 59:42 ... Bruce explains why his favorite player to watch during the NCAA Tournament has actually been Steven Adams of the Grizzlies in his commercial for ATT Wireless. 1:01:12 ... Steve has a great story about Cinderella team Fairleigh Dickinson and how the team was "adopted" by the University of Dayton pep band.  The FDU players never heard their fight song until it was played by another school's band. 1:02:20 ... Steve slips in a really funny John Stockton/Karl Malone  story from years ago. 1:03:33 ... Ross gives us a preview of Tuesday's matchup between the Celtics and the Sacramento Kings and slips in some betting advice ... "Take the Under!" 1:04:43 ... Goodbye and thanks to Steve for joining us TRT: 1:05:08

21 Maalis 20231h 5min

0:00 Intro 0:56 Bruce starts the show off with his opening tip discussing Blake Griffin & his recent impact 2:29 World B tips things off by giving props to the NBA for introducing the play-in tournament 4:16 Our guest Ed Cohen shares his take on why right now is the best time of the NBA season with the playoff push 5:58 Ross gives props to the Beam Team as they continue to impressive play now tied for 2nd in the West 7:19 Ed shares what’s different about this year’s New York Knicks 11:50 Ed discusses the impressive play & impact of both Immanuel Quickley/Josh Hart 13:57 Bruce asks Ed to talk a little bit about the Derrick Rose situation  16:37 Ross asks Ed to discuss what he’s seen from Isaiah Hartenstein joining the Knicks this season 19:40 Ed shares just how special it is to be a current Knicks broadcaster following in the steps of legends 23:15 The crew picks Ed’s brain on the rest of the Eastern Conference & which teams would be a tough matchup for NY 25:47 Bruce asks Ed to share this thoughts on the other team in NY, the Brooklyn Nets 28:35 Ed shares just how excited the city is and the buzz in the Garden these days with this Knicks team playing well 31:10 The crew shift gears to the wild Western Conference to start the 3rd quarter (DEN/GSW/MEM/SAC) 40:06 Ross challenges World B & Bruce to share who they’ve got their eyes on in the play in tournament 44:29 Mailbag Time! Listener Submitted Questions 50:13 Breaking news is announced live on air or should we say heartbreaking news for Bruce 52:12 Ross shares his best bet with his favorite Suns Same Game Parlay 53:20 For his final thought Bruce discusses/explains why the NBA should start tracking “Hidden Assists” 54:42 World B filled out his own March Madness bracket NBA edition! 56:36 Ross talks about CJ McCollum’s recent revenge on Portland

14 Maalis 202358min

0:00 Intro 0:59 Bruce serves up his opening tip discussing Luka’s recent injury & the opportunity for Kyrie 2:28 World B gives his thoughts on Steven Adams & how that absence has hurt the Grizzlies 4:15 Ross touches on KD’s much anticipated Suns home debut or lack thereof 5:27 The crew dives deeper into Wednesday night’s news of Kevin Durant’s injury 15:37 The Memphis Blues: Grizzles continue to stumble 23:51 The crew discuss the latest conflicts between NBA players & NBA referees  34:01 We announce the 48 Minutes All-NBA Reserve Starting Lineup! 50:00 Best Bets! Ross shares his Top 5 players for First Basket Bets 52:10 Bruces shares his final thought on Jim Boeheim’s retirement 54:15 World B gives his final thought on the recent news on Lonzo Ball 56:24 Ross uses his final thought to vent about his fantasy team this year 58:46 Bruces shares the exciting news about our next guest on the show

10 Maalis 20231h

0:00 ... Hello and Welcome 1:08 ... Bruce's opening thoughts on Ja Morant's "off the court" issues, which leads to a discussion of what the future holds for the Memphis Grizzlies' star. 5:15 ... Ohm's opening thoughts on the crazy postseason we can expect starting in just five weeks. 7:02 ... World B's opening thoughts on why he feels the defending champion Golden State Warriors are in trouble. 10:35 ... Ross' opening thought revolves around his good friend Giannis Antetokounmpo's ill fated attempt to record a tainted triple double on Sunday. 12:02 ... Our Clippers discussion begins with Ohm explaining head coach Ty Lue's concerns about the team's lack of solid defense. 16:16 ... Russell Westbrook has played well in his first few games as a Clipper, but is still adjusting to a new team and new system. 21:04 ... It's hard to imagine that the Clippers could be a "Play In" team rather than a solid higher seed. 22:25 ... The Clippers traded three point specialist Luke Kennard and acquired veteran Eric Gordon and Ohm explains the move. 24:50... Kevin Durant has transformed the Phoenix Suns after just three games and his presence has unleashed Devin Booker for some offensive fireworks. 25:10... Booker and Luka Doncic of the Mavericks were talking trash on Sunday and smack talk is nothing new for Devin. 29:47 ... Ohm speculates how high the Suns can finish in the western conference and who they might play in the western conference finals. 33:35 ... The Lakers have struggled all season but with LeBron James idled by injury, the team is getting a big lift from Anthony Davis and recently acquired Jarred Vanderbilt. 39:33 ... The New York Knicks are on fire and are getting great play from Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson.  They'll be a tough playoff opponent for certain. 43:31 ... Bruce is concerned with the Boston Celtics' lack of toughness and Ohm thinks that they sometimes play too much like a younger team. 47:10... Back to the Knicks ... Julius Randle and "Sixth Man of the Year" candidate Immanuel Quickley highlight the depth of Tom Thibodeau's team. 50:35... Our Mailbag question for Ohm concerns the Clippers' Terance Mann and what his postseason role might be. 52:19 ... Closing Thoughts: Bruce explains why NBA Commissioner Adam Silver might be a perfect fit to replace Bob Iger as the head of the Walt Disney Company.  World B feels Orlando's Paolo Banchero will still be Rookie of the Year although the race is tightening up.  Ohm shares his memories of the late David Benner, who was the PR boss for nearly three decades with the Indiana Pacers.  Part of Ohm's tribute involves a classic Reggie Miller story from the 1990s.  And Ross discusses the current Pacers team and why we should not write them off just yet. TRT: 1:03:15

7 Maalis 20231h 3min

0:00 Intro 0:40 Bruce is back & gives his opening tip on the Kyrie/Luka pairing & how it’s off to a rocky start  1:50 World B addresses the injury to LaMelo Ball 3:31 Ross shares his thoughts on Kevin Durant’s Debut in a Phoenix Suns uniform 5:47 The crew get things started by discussing the Bucks extending their win streak to 16 16:34 Knicks are now 9-1 in their last 10 & can’t lose with Josh Hart the crew discuss NY’s success 26:40 Cavs/Celtics recap from Wednesday night’s battle in Boston 34:17 The crew plays a fun game of “In or Out” looking at the Western Conference playoff picture 34:50 Bruce selects the Lakers & provides his insight on why he thinks they’re in 37:15 World B picks the Thunder & shares why he thinks they’re out 43:44 Ross decides to take the Blazers & shares while they may be out, they just might be a close call 46:38 Mail Bag Time! Listener Submitted Questions! 52:53 Bruce provides his final thought on the passing of the Pacers long time PR Director David Benner 54:47 World B provides a friendly reminder that the “Wemby Bowl” takes place this weekend 57:54 Ross uses his final thought to ask Bruce to share the news on the show’s upcoming special guest

3 Maalis 20231h