The 2023 NBA Play-In & Playoffs Weekend Preview!

0:00 ... Hello and welcome to the show ... Episode #93 is in honor of Metta World Peace ... then Ross introduces the panel 0:59 ... Bet online live commercial read 1:43... Bruce welcomes Jared Greenberg to the show ... who points out another player who wore #93 (PJ Brown) 2:36 ... Jared discusses his new show called "Crunch Time" on the NBA app and shares details on why the show is so valuable to NBA fans. 5:06 ... Can the Warriors hang onto their play-in spot and make the postseason now that Chris Paul is back? 6:43 ... Bruce asks Jared about Chris Paul "T-ing up" official Matt Myers after Myers "T-d" Paul up on Wednesday night.  Jared was impressed with Myers' demeanor in the moment. 8:25 ... World B asks Jared for his opinion on the Sacramento Kings and how high their ceiling is.  Jared points out that it's hard to go from "good to great," and that's where the Kings are right now.  It is harder to do that than to go from from "bad to good." 10:31 ... What about Domantas Sabonis and his spot on the MVP ladder.  Jared feels his numerous triple doubles have not led to enough wins so he isn't a top candidate. 12:14 ... The Phoenix Suns could win the west but their injuries have plagued them all season and there is danger of those woes continuing into the postseason. 13:58 ... The New Orleans Pelicans have quietly been excellent this season and Jared feels they have a huge upside heading into the playoffs and are possibly the most talented team "top to bottom" in the NBA. 16:50 ... Jonas Valenciunas of the Pelicans could be a matchup nightmare in the postseason. 17:56 ... The crew discusses the teams currently seeded 7-10 in the west and which ones could make real noise in the playoffs.  Dallas and the Lakers don't impress him but the Warriors and Suns do. 20:32 ... Jared feels the Lakers will stay in the play-in hunt despite being bad on the road and having 9 of their final 15 games away from home. 21:35 ... Ross initiates a discussion on the Milwaukee Bucks, but Jared feels that despite their talent, they will not be a threat to the Celtics. 24:16 ... Jared feels the Celtics will not need motivation and will be totally focused on the postseason despite their mostly unscathed cruise through the regular season. 25:36 ... Jared is not concerned that Boston doesn't cause opposing teams to foul them and get into foul trouble due to all the three point shots the Celtics jack up. 27:31 ... Jared agrees with Brian Scalabrine that star players should play MORE minutes and not FEWER minutes as they prepare for the playoffs. 31:15 ... The Knicks have a lot of players who play big minutes and Jared expects Mitchell Robinson to return this season before Julius Randle.  He also feels that the Knicks could be more dangerous in the postseason than Cleveland, Milwaukee, and every other eastern conference team not named Boston. 36:36 ... The Orlando Magic have been a nice surprise, but Jared feels that Oklahoma City has been THE top surprise team in the league this season. 37:35 ... Ross and Jared discuss the chances for the Timberwolves to do well in the playoffs with Karl-Anthony Towns injured.  While they're a great defensive team, they won't have enough offense without Towns. 38:59 ... Jared shares his thoughts on the race for MVP this season.  Had Joel Embiid not been injured, it very well might have been him.  There are up to 8 legit candidates but Nikola Jokic is Jared's pick at this point. 40:21 ... Jared and the crew discuss some of his favorite interview subjects and who stands out and we all agree that Michael Malone of the Nuggets is at or near the top of the heap. 42:57 ... Jared shares more details about his whiparound show on the NBA App called "Crunch Time" and why it's a "must watch" for serious NBA fans. 45:16 ... Ross wraps it up and thanks Jared for joining us ... bye bye   TRT 45:47

15 Maalis 202445min

0:00 Intro 1:57 Which team do we trust more: The Denver Nuggets or Boston Celtics? 9:12 Which team has been better since the All-Star break? The Nuggets or the Bucks? 18:05 NBA Championship Pick: The Boston Celtics or the field? 23:43 LeBron James reached 40K all-time points. Will we see another player reach 40K points again? 30:14 Caitlin Clark becomes the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader 34:02 Is it time to hit the panic button on Tyrese Haliburton & the Indiana Pacers? 38:00 Devin Booker’s injury news & the Suns upcoming schedule without him 44:51 Announcement Time! 48 Minutes Live is back on Playback.TV Wednesday night

5 Maalis 202445min

0:00 Intro 1:38 The Boston Celtics are on fire 5:07 The Milwaukee Bucks look like a different team heading out of the break 10:03 Health concerns remain in New York with the Knicks 15:16 A Heat/Pelicans brawl leads to some suspensions 19:38 Kevin, Devin, & the Suns are heating up in Phoenix 22:54 Are the LA Lakers really not getting foul calls? 24:50 The Beam Team in Sacramento looks to get laser focused down the stretch 30:58 Storylines out of the Bay with the Golden State Warriors 38:57 Can the Philadelphia 76ers survive without Joel Embiid? 39:59 Trae Young’s injury news out of Atlanta 44:12 Bruce’s TV moment of the week 45:23 Ross provides this week’s 48 Minutes Live announcement

27 Helmi 202445min

0:00 ... Ross introduction for episode #90, dedicated to Drew Gooden. 0:33 ... Ross live Bet Online commercial read 1:10 ... Bruce's opening comment is on his friend JA Adande, who was named the winner of the 2024 Curt Gowdy Media Award by the Basketball Hall of Fame over the weekend at the All Star Game.  He tells a story of JA's interview with Kobe Bryant on ESPN's NBA Coast to Coast during Kobe's final season that featured a very special moment. 3:01 ... World B's opening comment is on a touching moment involving LeBron James and NBA journalist Jeff Zilgitt at All Star Weekend. 4:27 ... Ross's opening comment is on Damian Lillard's successful weekend in Indianapolis which will hopefully jump start Milwaukee's season as we hit the stretch run starting on February 22nd. 6:14 ... The Brooklyn Nets have fired head coach Jacque Vaughn but Bruce feels that general manager Sean Marks is the one who should have been fired.  World B understands that the Nets have been in a tailspin but many of their losses came against top shelf teams, so management's expectations might have been really unfair.  Ross pointed out that the front office might have thought Ben Simmons was more capable than he appears to be and that Vaughn may have been unfairly blamed for his struggles. 11:12 ... Ross feels that Cam Thomas was an outspoken critic of Vaughn and World B feels like Thomas is a remorseless gunner who should not have as much influence as he may have. 12:25 ... Ross begins the discussion of All Star Weekend with a recap of the Rising Stars Game and the Skills Challenge. 13:23 ... The Dunk Contest was next and Mac McClung impressed everyone with his athleticism and creativity.  Bruce was underwhelmed by the rest of the Slam Dunk Contest and would like to see it become a smaller player's (6'5" and under) competition since seeing smaller guys dunk would be more fun.  However, everyone agrees that Victor Wembanyama should be allowed to compete as the lone exception if the 6'5" rule is ever implemented.  World B points out that the Dunk contest needs bigger names competing.  Jaylen Brown was the biggest name this year and everyone was impressed that he chose to compete. 18:54 ... As for the 3 Point Shootout, Damian Lillard won it but it was overshadowed by the "Steph Curry vs Sabrina Ionescu" 3 Point challenge.  The guys want Sabrina and Caitlin Clark to be in the Men's 3 point Shootout next year. 21:31 ... Sabrina vs Steph was the highlight of the weekend and the respect between the two was really impressive. 23:33 ... The All Star game itself was a total joke.  Since the NBA scrapped Elam Ending this year, they lost the chance for some real excitement as the game devolved into a glorified layup line.  Bruce then tells a story he heard from ESPN's Tim Legler about a former teammate who never played much, but kept track of his points in the pregame layup line.  Ross and World B agreed the Elam Ending should return.  World B was irate about the fact that the players didn't care about the game, so why should the fans? 26:52 ... Damian Lillard was named MVP of the game but everyone agreed that it should have been Tyrese Haliburton. 29:11 ... The guys liked the LED floor and hope to see it again, but not for regular season games.  maybe just for All Star weekend and possibly for the in-season tournament games. 29:56 ... Ross and World B discuss whether LeBron James will really want a farewell tour after James was asked about it over the weekend. 31:13 ... Ross and Bruce discuss Jayson Tatum meeting Larry Bird for the first time even though Tatum is in his 7th NBA season with the Celtics. 32:59 ... Ross begins the second half with a discussion of teams the guys expect to peak at the right time.  Bruce likes Phoenix.  World B wants to see if the Clippers and Timberwolves can do it.  Ross feels the Warriors are capable of peaking at the right time.  Bruce also feels like Sacramento could very well have a strong "closing kick." 36:33 ... Players to watch?  Bruce wants to see Khris Middleton get healthy because Milwaukee become a threat to win the east if he does.  World B hopes Julius Randle and OG Anunoby can regain their health so the Knicks can put their best team on the floor and see what happens.  World B wants to see Damian Lillard step up too. 39:07 ... Ross wants to see if LeBron James has a burst left as the Lakers struggle to make the postseason field. 41:30 ... Bruce's final thought is on Scot Pollard, the 6'11" former player who needed and received a heart transplant on Friday. 43:06 ... World B's final thought is on the Golden State Warriors and how they're much improved as we approach the stretch run. 45:25 ... Ross teed up a brief discussion on Draymond Green joining TNT's alternate broadcast over the weekend in the wake of his "issues" this season.  That discussion segued into some thoughts on how Adam Silver's postgame comments on the court certainly made it appear that he was not happy with how the All Star Game looked to the public. 48:29 ... Ross's final thought is on the "48 Minutes Live" Playback.TV game on Thursday night at 9:00pm ET between the Hornets and the Jazz. 51:00 ... Ross says goodbye ... TRT 51:16

20 Helmi 202451min

0:00 Intro 1:12 Bruce introduces special guest Amin Elhassan 2:14 Amin’s love for Star Wars explained! 5:00 The New York Knicks won the NBA Trade Deadline, are they now a top team out East? 9:03 Amin shares the 3 issues he’s noticed with the Milwaukee Bucks this season 12:50 The 2 benefits to the Phoenix Suns trade for Royce O’Neale 14:33 Amin shares his perspective on Gordon Hayward joining the Thunder 18:33 The significance of Xavier Tillman joining the Boston Celtics 22:44 Amin sounds off on the Chicago Bulls standing pat at the trade deadline 27:48 Spencer Dinwiddie joins the Lakers, will he make a big impact? 30:47 Which teams does Amin have his eye on for the stretch run of the season? 33:25 Reflections on Bill Russell with Amin 40:56 The crew discuss their favorite Super Bowl commercials with Amin 43:41 Has the term dynasty been devalued? 48:01 Ross ends the show getting Amin’s pulse on Scoot Henderson

13 Helmi 202452min

0:00 ... Hello and Welcome 0:30 .. Bet On Line Commercial Read 1:20 ... Bruce's opening comment is on Marcus Smart's return to Boston on Sunday and how much love he was shown by Celtics fans. 2:30 ... World B's open is on the Charlotte Hornets and what an embarrassment they are. 4:44 ... Ross's open is on the odd situation that involves new Bucks coach Doc Rivers and his assignment as the Eastern Conference All Star coach. 7:01 ... The first quarter this week deals with the All Star reserve snubs.  Bruce feels Joel Embiid should be replaced by Kristaps Porzingis.  World B doesn't feel that Embiid and Julius Randle necessarily should be replaced by other bigs. 8:44 ... Ross goes through the reserves and asks if Jalen Brunson should be a starter instead of Damian Lillard. 9:55 ... Bruce felt Trae Young might be considered a snub but he liked the guards who were named as reserves and feels all of them are more deserving that Young.  World B disagrees and makes a compelling case for Young and wonders if Trae should be there instead of Jaylen Brown. 13:27 ... Ross feels that Scottie Barnes of Toronto would be a worthy replacement for Randle up front. 14:45 ... Bruce feels that the worst snub out west was Karl-Anthony Towns making it while Domantas Sabonis did not.  Ross agrees with Bruce. 16:30 ... World B doesn't feel that "games played" should be a deciding factor in selecting All Stars and feels like De'Aaron Fox is a worse snub that his teammate Sabonis.  Bruce felt Fox was a "mini snub," but feels that Steph Curry, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker are all more deserving. 20:18 ... World B wants the NBA to make the All Star rosters include 15 players instead of 12. 21:50 ... The second quarter is all about the smoking hot Cleveland Cavaliers (14-1 in their last 15 games) and how they are racing up the standings and could be second in the east by All Star weekend. 23:03 ... Ross gives credit to Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen for keeping the team on a winning run despite injuries to Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. 23:41... World B is really impressed at how the Cavs have made up so much ground in a short time as they continue their rise in the east. 24:58 ... Bruce discusses how Allen and the Cavs defense are dominating and allowing them to grind out wins on the road. 25:58 ... The third quarter is all about the New York Knicks and their 15-3 hot streak since January 1st.  World B is impressed but not really surprised but feels the team needs some more offensive players to help out Jalen Brunson. 29:36 ... The addition of OG Anunoby really made a difference and in spite of his recent injury, the team continues to win games. 30:56 ... Ross shares his feelings about how Donte Di Vicenzo has been a real difference maker for the Knicks with his scoring and toughness. 32:40 ... Bruce is impressed with the Knicks rebounding and how they finish defensive possessions by controlling the boards.  As is the case with Cleveland, their defense allows them to win on nights where they don't score a lot of points. 34:28 ... The fourth quarter features trade talk and everyone agrees that the Chicago Bulls need to clean house and look to the future. 36:45 ... World B feels Andre Drummond will likely be traded and also feels that Buddy Hield of Indiana could be moving on at the trade deadline.  World B feels like the Charlotte Hornets need to also clean house. 38:35 ... Ross thinks Miles Bridges and Nick Richards ought to be moved.  He also wonders what is up with the Pistons and Alec Burks?  When Burks is on the court, the Pistons are competitive.  And while he has trade value, the Pistons young core needs to experience some winning basketball in order to grow and not develop bad habits. 41:52 ... NBA writer Marc Stein floated a Bobby Portis for Grant Williams deal between the Bucks and Mavs but Ross is dead set against the proposal. 43:27 ... Stein also reported that Malcolm Brogdon wants to stay in Portland and his presence could go a long way in helping rookie Scoot Henderson develop. 45:44... Ross's "Best Bets" are back this week with his player prop bets that you should consider. 47:06 ... Bruce's closing thought is on Joel Embiid who is having an MVP caliber season but will be disqualified from winning the award due to his injuries. 49:09 ... World B feels that the explosion of scoring should not cause panic and result in rule changes that will reduce scoring.  He feels the game is fine as it is. 51:11 ... Ross has an exciting announcement about the new Playback.TV platform where our 48 Minutes crew will interact with audience members as we watch a live game together on NBA League Pass.  It's a great way to share the viewing experience with smart hoop fans and your friends on this podcast.  Our first game will be Thursday February 8th at 10:00pm ET as we watch the Nuggets vs. Lakers together with you. 55:05 ... Bye and see you soon TRT 55:18

6 Helmi 202455min

0:00 Intro 0:57 Ross introduces special guest Alex Squadron author of “Life in the G” 2:01 What sparked Alex’s interest in writing this book & why he chose the Birmingham Squadron 4:46 Alex on how unique it was to cover a G-League team in their first season 7:02 How big of an impact did the G-League coming to Birmingham have on the surrounding community 9:29 Alex on how grateful he was to have the top players in Birmingham buy into sharing their time/lives 12:12 What was Alex’s big takeaway from his whole experience covering the G-League for a full season 15:22 The major differences between a call up in G-League compared to a call up from minor league baseball 18:19 Alex on how NBA teams reward G-League players with call ups for financial purposes 20:32 What was the biggest challenge Alex faced writing this book 22:13 Covering the G-League season during the Covid outbreak across the league 26:15 Alex’s impression on what it’s like to be a G-League coach 31:24 What adjustment in the G-League stood out to Alex the most 34:32 Alex on the relationship between the NBA Head Coach & G-League Head Coach 37:20 If Alex could make 1 change to the G-League what would that be? 39:51 Live NBA Card Break Challenge 40:24 Tyrese Hailburton 41:55 Jaylin Williams 42:56 Evan Mobley 43:51 Emoni Bates 46:00 Brandon Miller 47:23 RJ Barrett 49:44 Lonnie Walker 53:13 Alex shares where you can purchase his new book: Life in the G

1 Helmi 202454min

An EMERGENCY PODCAST was warranted as we got some big news out of Milwaukee today as the Milwaukee Bucks relieved Adrian Griffin of his head coaching duties & already announced the hiring of Doc Rivers!

24 Tammi 202425min