The NBA Preseason has arrived! NBA Stars & Rookies Debut, Potential Breakout Players Emerge, & Which NBA teams will surprise us all

0:00 ... Hello and Welcome 0:40 ... Episode #108 honors Kristaps Porzingis 0:57 ... Live Bet Online Read from Ross 1:33 ... Initial reactions to game 2, including Bruce's reaction to being in the arena on Sunday night ... the crew all believes Boston will eventually win but they differ on what they expect when the series moves to Dallas for game 3. 4:06 ... Bruce feels that Luka Doncic will continue getting his numbers but Kyrie Irving needs to bring it in game 3 or the series won't last long.  World B also feels Kyrie needs to find his shot and if he doesn't, Dallas is in trouble. 6:40 ... Boston's starting guards (Jrue Holiday and Derrick White) have turned Irving into the invisible man.  World B has a great stat on Holiday's defensive prowess against Kyrie. 8:51 ... Bruce feels Luka has been heroic but has had to work VERY hard to get his numbers but until Dallas starts making some corner threes they're in big trouble.  World B backs that up with some good numbers. 11:54 ... Boston's perimeter defenders have been the key to their success all season and they've disrupted Dallas' offense in both games.  World B pointed out how the Mavs are not a team that passes the ball a lot but against the Celtics defense their numbers are down even further. 14:00 ... Ross points out that other than Luka and Kyrie everyone else is a "one trick pony" who are not able to create shots on their own.  Boston, on the other hand has shot creators everywhere.  Bruce wonders if Tim Hardaway Jr will ever get a chance to play and attempt some threes. 16:37 ... Ross asks Bruce if Jrue Holiday is the series MVP after two games and is it reminiscent of Andre Iguodala's MVP run in the 2015 NBA Finals.  The crew is super impressed with his big game performances. 19:19 ... Jason Kidd has tried mind games but theycame off as desperation moves and Joe Mazzulla has out-coached Kidd so far.  Bruce cited a couple of panic moves by Kidd, including blowing his challenge in the first five minutes of game two. 24:20 ... Kristaps Porzingis has been great in his limited minutes after missing 38 days with a calf injury.  The guys feel Dallas may have not been ready for him to be as good as he has been. 28:48 ... Jayson Tatum has not shot the ball well but is affecting the game in many other ways. 32:48 ... Bruce feels Tatum and Jaylen Brown are a "Fire and Ice" combo whose on court styles are different.  Brown's stature has risen considerably this season. 35:29 ... The guys discuss the Caitlin Clark Olympics snub from USA Basketball.  World B feels her presence could be a factor in growing the women's game.  Bruce feels she has conducted herself properly in the wake of the "controversy."  Ross feels her lack of presence on the team will be a good factor in building tram chemistry. 40:45 ... UConn head coach Dan Hurley rejected the offer from the Lakers and is staying in college.  The Lakers must be smarting from this snub. 47:32 ... Bruce's final thought is on the Hulu series "Clipped," which is about Donald Sterling and is quite entertaining 48:05 .... Ross says goodbye   TRT 48:23

11 Kesä 202448min

0:00 Intro 0:51 Bruce shares a quick fun fact on recycled Celtics uniform numbers 2:05 Opening thoughts on the 2024 NBA Finals matchup before diving deeper into things 5:18 Breaking down the backcourt battle in the series 11:00 Does Jaylen Brown open up the game guarding Luka? 14:40 A deeper look into the frontcourts of each team 19:17 Derrick Jones Jr’s potential impact on the series defensively 26:56 Bruce raises a question in regards to the Mavericks shot blocking big’s impact in this series 30:41 Reviewing the benches of both teams. Which team has the better bench? 35:25 Ross on Jaden Hardy’s impressive play & stock rising during the Mavs playoff run 36:31 A look into the upcoming coaching battle in the finals 41:24 Bruce points out the similarities between Joe Mazzula & Erik Spoelstra in their early coaching days 44:42 Ross shares his Best Bets heading into the NBA Finals 45:57 The crew shares their NBA Finals predictions, who will be crowned NBA Champs?

4 Kesä 202449min

0:00 ... Hello and Welcome ... Bruce introduces the co-hosts 0:41 ... Bet OnLine live commercial read 1:45 ... Show #106 honors Celtics great Bill Russell and we segue into a tribute to Bill Walton 2:54 ... World B says Bill was probably the most gifted big man to ever play the game. 4:31 ... Bill was an unbelievably good passer and was one of the four best passing bigs of all time along woth Nikola Jokic, Arvydas Sabonis, and Domantas Sabonis. 6:12 ... Bruce reflects on his friendship with Bill and his memory of having lunch one day with Bill and running into the late Manute Bol in West Hartford, Connecticut. 8:21 ... The Celtics finished off the Pacers on Monday night to complete the four game sweep and advance to the NBA Finals. 9:46 ... Bruce was very happy to see Jaylen Brown win the Larry Bird Award as Eastern Conference Finals MVP.  Brown's all around game was on full display in the series. 11:55 .... World B had kind words for Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, but feels Mazzulla is unfairly criticized and has done a great job. 13:29 ... Bruce points out that the Celtics' combined record is 76-20 (64-18 regular season and 12-2 in the playoffs).  And Bruce points out how silly the critics can be when they bash the Celtics for their so called easy path to the Finals. 17:45 ... Bruce points out how our show had a major influence on the trade that Milwaukee made for Damian Lillard and how it freed up Jrue Holiday to join the Celtics. 21:45 ... The guys preview Tuesday's game #4 between Dallas and Minnesota to see who will meet Boston in the Finals.  World B is exasperated at Minnesota's poor defense in the series against the Mavs.  He also takes the Wolves to task saying "it's not so much what Dallas did to take a 3-0 series lead, it's what Minnesota didn't do." 24:36 ... Anthony Edwards has put up decent numbers against the Mavs, but Karl-Anthony  Towns has been abysmal.  Towns has shot just 3-22 from three point range against the Mavericks. 28:00 ... Bruce cites Towns' numbers in previous rounds as evidence of his decline against Dallas. 28:54 ... Bruce leads a discussion of the Dallas backcourt and has praise for Luka Doncic's improved defense.  World B said Luka in the 4th quarter has been cold blooded. 35:16 .... World B feels that Boston's perimeter defense will be a huge factor against Luka and Kyrie Irving 45:55 ... Game #4 Predictions for Minnesota/Dallas 47:24 .... The guys react to the Cavaliers firing head coach JB Bickerstaff who appeared to get a raw deal after winning 99 games over the past two seasons. 50:33 ... Bruce feels that Cavs management made the Bickerstaff move in order to impress Donovan Mitchell. 51:26 ... Bruce jokes that Since ESPN announcer Doc Rivers took the Bucks job and ESPN announcer JJ Redick looks like the favorite to get the Lakers job, maybe ESPN's Doris Burke will be offered the Cavaliers job. 53:53 ... Final Thoughts ... 54:12 ... Bruce wraps it up and says goodbye TRT 54:33

28 Touko 202454min

0:00 Intro 1:25 Initial reactions from the crew on Dallas winning Game 1 4:02 The Mavericks front line impressed tonight 8:28 Anthony Edwards’s performance 11:10 Unusual suspects stepping up for Minnesota 14:19 Does Chris Finch coaching behind the bench play a factor in this series? 16:46 Adjustments Minnesota must make moving forward 17:30 The ball in the cylinder violation, was it the right call? 19:55 Do the Wolves bigs need to stay home on Kyrie & Luka drives moving forward? 22:45 Did our series predictions change after tonight?

23 Touko 202424min

0:00 ... Ross hello, welcome, and introduces Bruce and "World B." 0:48 ... Bet OnLine live commercial read 1:26 ... Ross tees things up and asks Bruce for his reaction.  It was a dog fight and Bruce was super impressed with Indiana's defense. 3:10 ... World B feels that Indiana has a lot of solid guys off their bench and their adjustments got them back in the game after a slow start. 4:39 ... Ross pointed out that Obi Toppin and TJ McConnell made solid contributions off the bench and Bruce contrasted them with Boston's lack of bench production in game one other than Peyton Pritchard. 6:02 ... Indiana has young legs, a great coach, and had a great game plan in game one. 6:18 ... Ross and Bruce discussed Myles Turner's huge 18 point first half but were mystified that the Pacers stopped giving him the ball in the second half and he finished with just 23. 7:34 ... Ross and World B discuss the huge performance from Jrue Holiday and how he was one of Boston's saviors in game one. 9:07 ... Bruce pays tribute to Jrue Holiday and how he always does the little things that contribute to winning games. 10:39 ... Ross tees up a discussion of Jayson Tatum and how he made some questionable decisions but still came up big when it was needed. 12:31 ... Ross asks World B about the events leading up to Jaylen Brown's tying three pointer from the corner in the final seconds ... everyone felt it was a huge mistake that Pascal Siakam chose not to foul Brown before he got the shot off.  World B cited several other instances where the Pacers were sloppy and made mental mistakes. 15:23 ... Bruce asked the guys about the discrepancy in free throw opportunities (30-10 in Boston's favor) ... Ross had no issue with the whistle and didn't feel there any real issues with the calls. 16:41 ... Indiana had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation and Tyrese Haliburton chose not to take a long three but Bruce pointed out that Haliburton faced relentless defense all night long but still played really well in spite of that decision. 19:30 ... Bruce asks Coach Ross if he feels the Pacers will shake off this loss or will it linger into Thursday.  Ross feels the Pacers will be resilient and play well in game two. 21:08 ... World B feels Indiana has a good game plan and had Boston on its heels defensively and that could be a recipe for future success. 22:50 ... Former Celtic Aaron Nesmith played great for the Pacers and seemed to have a chip on his shoulder. 24:23 ... Game two predictions ... 26:34 ... Ross says goodbye and teases tomorrow night's show. TRT 27:00

22 Touko 202427min

0:00 ... Ross hello and welcome, introduces fellow co-hosts Bruce and "World B." 0:38 ... Episode #103 honors Jaden McDaniels of Minnesota, who wears uniform #3. 0:53 ... Live commercial read for Bet Online. 1:26 ... Ross tees up the discussion of the Pacers winning game 7 against the Knicks on Sunday. 3:56 ... Bruce felt that nobody could have anticipated the way the Pacers offense performed. 6:02 ... World B has a stat on Indiana's offense on Sunday that is remarkable. 6:50 ... Ross delivers flowers to TJ McConnell, whose play off the bench was a huge factor for Indiana. 7:31 ... Ross tees up a discussion previewing the Pacers/Celtics series and wonders if a Boston team missing Kristaps Porzingis can handle Indiana's Myles Turner, who has been a huge factor at both ends of the court. 10:05 ... Ross expects a fast paced series and World B feels like bettors should take "the overs." 12:30 ... Bruce feels that "The Wardens" (Jrue Holiday and Derrick White) will be Boston's secret weapons against the young Pacers guards (Andrew Nembhard and Tyrese Haliburton).  He is also excited to watch the individual matchup between Jayson Tatum and Pascal Siakam. 13:50 ... Ross wonders if Boston's ball movement will suffer if they try to hunt mismatches but Bruce feels Jaylen Brown will be unstoppable and will likely be Boston's leading scorer against the Pacers. 15:48 ... World B says there is more pressure on Boston than on any other team and if they are locked up in a tight battle, will they be able to respond successfully?  World B feels they will. 17:04 ... Bruce feels that Jrue Holiday's presence and calming influence will be a difference maker in "late game" situations for the Celtics.  World B feels Jayson Tatum will improve his shooting the rest of the way after shooting just 28% from downtown through the first two rounds. 18:56 ... Predictions ... everyone picks Boston 19:15 ... Ross tees up the game 7 discussion on Timberwolves/Nuggets from Sunday ... Bruce feels that Denver depended too much on Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray and Minnesota shut everyone else down. 21:20 ... World B takes a bow as he was very high on Minnesota all season long.  The way the Wolves shut down Denver's offense was unbelievable. 23:24 ... As great as Jokic is, he did not "come up big" late in the game and may have been worn down by Minnesota's bigs.  The Wolves dominated at the free throw line because their aggressive play caused them to get more whistles from the refs. 26:02 ... Ross points out how Mike Conley of the Wolves is a huge factor in organizing the team and making huge shots in clutch situations. 27:20 ... Ross initiates the discussion on the Mavs/Wolves series ... Bruce feels Luka Doncic will "do Luka things," but Kyrie Irving needs to be more like the guy who played against the Clippers in round one and less like the Kyrie who played against OKC in round two. 28:37 ... Ross asks World B if the Dallas frontcourt has the physical toughness to rebound effectively against the Wolves. 30:31 ... Bruce feels that the three Minnesota bigs will be too much for the young Dallas Bigs.  PJ Washington has also been a huge factor for the Mavs. 31:52 ... Predictions ... everyone chooses Minnesota 35:09 ... Bruce's one liner is on the extra 48 Minutes shows this week 36:10 ... World B's one liner is on ESPN's coverage of Pacers/Knicks game 7 and how is was tough to watch. 39:28 ... Ross's one liner congratulates Brandin Podziemski and GG Jackson for making the two All-Rookie teams. 40:18 ... Ross says goodbye TRT 40:32

21 Touko 202440min

0:00 Intro 1:14 Celtics/Cavs Game 4 Postgame Reactions 10:28 Pacers/Knicks Series Overview & Game 5 Predictions 21:25 Timberwolves/Nuggets Series Overview & Game 5 Predictions 27:08 Thunder/Mavericks Series Overview 32:57 Head Coaching Firings, Hirings, & Openings 33:07 Phoenix Suns firing Frank Vogel & hiring Mike Budenholzer 39:38 Charles Lee named the new head coach for the Charlotte Hornets 44:12 The latest on the LA Lakers coaching vacancy & potential candidates for the job 49:28 The Atlanta Hawks win the NBA Draft Lottery

14 Touko 202454min

0:00 ... Welcome to episode #101 and intro panelists 0:51 ... Episode #101 in honor of Tracy McGrady 1:16 ... Live Bet Online Read 1:44 ... Bruce introduces special guest Steve Bulpett of HEAVY.com ... Bruce designated Steve as the second greatest Massachusetts native of Greek heritage, trailing only the "Golden Greek" Harry Agannis. 3:42 ... Discussion of game one of Pacers/Knicks, won by the Knicks in a very close game 14:05 ... Cavaliers/Celtics game one preview which begins on Tuesday night 28:01 ... Mavericks/Thunder game one preview which begins on Tuesday night 36:19 ... Timberwolves/Nuggets game two reaction and series discussion 45:40 ... Discussion on the LA Lakers & Clippers and what their respective futures look like.  Included is a discussion on the firing of Lakers head coach Darvin Ham.  Some have blamed LeBron James for Ham's dismissal. 52:11 ... Bruce isn't buying Lakers stock and also feels like Jimmy Butler is done in Miami and could well sign with the Clippers as their latest aging injured veteran. 54:00 ... We end with a brief discussion of Greek cuisine as we say goodbye TRT 56:14

7 Touko 202456min