ESPN's Monica McNutt on the NBA In-Season Tournament, Quarterfinal Matchups, The Knicks, & Her Journey

0:00 Intro 01:54 Bruce gives his opening tip on Damian Lillard 03:53 World B shines some light on the Indiana Pacers offseason moves for his opening tip 05:30 Ross shares his scouting notes on GG Jackson during Summer League 07:32 Summer League Stars & Stand outs during Summer League 30:40 Bruce gets us started on the NBA's biggest offseason news by discussing James Harden’s latest trade demand saga 47:03 Bruce educates us all providing more details into the NBA’s plan to start up a In Season Tournament and the crew discusses the idea 50:57 Bruce shares his final thought on Russell Westbrook 52:37 World B discusses the NBA’s popularity & the uncertainty that’s soon to come 54:21 Ross provides his final thought on a 2nd round pick that all NBA fans should keep an eye on during Summer League & beyond

11 Heinä 202355min

0:00 ... Introduction 0:20 ... Dedication of show #55 to Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo, who proudly wore that number. 1:08 ... Mirin describes the past month in the NBA with one word: "Chaos." 3:07 ... Discussion of Denver's Michael Porter Jr who was recently profiled by Mirin.  His health issues have been far more serious that most people realize. 5:21 ... Porter has not been without his detractors but his maturity is clearly on an upward curve. 7:25 ... Some in the sports media disparaged the Nuggets' championship run because of who their opponents were and this did not sit well with Mirin or the 48 Minutes crew. 12:15 ... Derrick White of the Celtics is a unique player and Mirin shares her unique perspective on his career and his role with the Celtics in light of the Marcus Smart trade.  Mirin shared how White referred to himself as the "Gerber Baby" due to his unique appearance. 19:14 ... Mirin recently spent a week with Scoot Henderson, the #3 overall pick in the recent NBA Draft and her insight into what makes him tick is compelling. 20:48 ... Scoot's family ties are incredibly strong and Mirin shares a great example of the devotion of his parents and sisters. 22:28 ... Scoot's new coach in Portland is Chauncey Billups, and we discuss how that relationship is an ideal mentor/mentee relationship. 24:08 ... Scoot and the Thompson Twins (Amen and Ausar) are products of the Overtime Elite program and Mirin shares her perspective on why the program is becoming so successful. 27:36 ... The Thompson Twins have been inseperable their entire lives, but now they'll be on different NBA teams.  How will that work out? 29:30 ... The parents of the Thompsons and Henderson are very similar in many ways ... Mirin explains. 32:35 ... Mirin's next book is on Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon and Mirin tells us why he was such a compelling subject for her second book. 34:37 ... Mirin compares Olajuwon to Antetokounmpo and finds their mindsets to be eerily similar. 38:45 ... Bruce asks Mirin about how Hakeem approached playing basketball during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan when he was required to fast from dawn until dusk. 40:39 ... The crew plays "Word Association" with Mirin and here are the topics: Giannis, Ja Morant, Greg Oden, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Nikola Jokic, and Mirin's boss at the Ringer Bill Simmons. 49:31 ... Thanks to Mirin ... follow her on Twitter & Instagram @mirinfader and on her website mirinfader.com ... and bye until next time! ... TRT 50:50

3 Heinä 202350min

0:00 Intro 0:44 Bruce introduces our special guest in ESPN Senior Writer/Reporter Marc Spears who is soon headed to the Basketball Hall of Fame 2:00 Marc gives Bruce some love for all the hard work, support, & love he provided Marc throughout their time together at ESPN 2:55 Bruce asks Marc what it felt like to get “The Call” from the Basketball Hall of Fame 10:57 Ross asks Marc to discuss his initial takes on Victor Wembanyama 19:26 Ross asks Marc where he’d rank Nikola Jokic all time after earning a his first ring in Denver 21:41 Does Marc see the Denver Nuggets having a legitimate chance to repeat next season? 24:04 World B asks Marc for his thoughts on the criticism the Nuggets took after the Finals 27:51 Marc makes a great point on how the TV ratings didn’t suffer from a Nuggets/Heat Finals matchup 28:30 Bruce asks Marc for his insight into the situation in Portland with Damian Lillard  31:40 Marc provides his thoughts & feelings on the Draymond Green situation in Golden State 35:24 Bruce asks Marc to provide more details into Andscape  38:37 Marc talks at length about how special Scoot Henderson is on off & the court 42:40 World B asks Marc if he was surprised Charlotte didn't draft Scoot Henderson 43:55 The Marcus Smart trade, was Marc surprised Boston traded him? 48:43 Marc on Porzingis joining the Boston Celtics  49:09 The 48 Minutes crew challenges Marc to one of their favorite games: Word Association! 49:37 Kobe Bryant, an incredible reflection along with memories Marc has with The Mamba 57:16 Marc on LeBron James 57:58 Carmelo Anthony & Should the Nuggets retire both #15’s for Jokic & Carmelo?

29 Kesä 20231h 3min

0:00 ... Hello and Welcome to Show #53 in honor of Hall of Famer Artis Gilmore, who famously wore that number. 0:32 ... Ross introduces special guest Kevin Connors of ESPN 1:02 ... Kevin quick story about his Artis Gilmore autographed basketball 1:30 ... Bet OnLine introduction 2:09 ... Bradley Beal traded to Phoenix ... Kevin wonders if the Suns have enough money to surround Beal, Kevin Durant, and Devin Booker with enough talent to win it all. 4:33 ... Bruce agrees with Kevin on the salary issue but thinks Devin Booker won't be happy as a point guard if he is required to play that position with Chris Paul gone. 6:10 ... Ross feels DeAndre Ayton will be traded so that the Suns can acquire Draymond Green as a free agent. 7:07 ... World B thinks the Suns will totally be an Iso team and is concerned about Beal's durability. 10:00 ... The guys discuss the Ja Morant 25 game suspension and Kevin agreed with the NBA's decision to wait until the season was over before announcing Morant's suspension. 13:38 ... Will Zion Williamson be traded?  Kevin thinks he won't and Bruce agrees.  Bruce feels his lack of conditioning and style of play will continue to cause him problems as he moves forward in his career.   Ross disagrees and would trade him if he were running the Pelicans. 19:40 ... Lou Williams announces his retirement ... Kevin admired how he was comfortable in his role ... World B had a great number on Lou's career ... Bruce feels that Lou and Jamal Crawford are two 6th Men who belong in Springfield some day. 23:00 ... Our draft discussion begins with players who could be chosen in the top 5 on Thursday night.  Jarace Walker has really impressed Kevin. 24:41 ... Anthony Black of Arkansas is another player Kevin loves as a complete two way player.  Ross is concerned about his outside shooting but Kevin is really impressed with his intangibles. 27:44 ... Cam Whitmore of Villanova has an NBA body and while Bruce asked if his weight might be a problem, Kevin and Ross told him not to worry! 32:03 ... Victor Wenbanyama is the clear #1 overall pick but do the guys see him playing an center or forward for San Antonio? 35:27 ... More first round discussion ... Jordan Hawkins of Connecticut is a dynamic scorer and a bit older at age 21, but Kevin is cool with that and yes ... he's also a National Champion. 37:05 ... Gradey Dick reminds Kevin of a more athletic Kyle Korver and is the best shooter in the entire draft. 38:09 ... Keyonte George of Baylor has unlimited range and is very mature ... Jett Howard of Michigan is a great shooter but may be lacking in other areas. 38:43 ... GG Jackson is someone both Kevin and Ross are very high on but is a real wild card 39:17 ... World B is mostly concerned about the Charlotte and Houston picks at number 2 and 4.  Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller are both in play.  Houston is in need of shooting as is every other team picking near the top of the draft. 41:42 ... Brandon Miller was involved in an incident at Alabama that involved a shooting that mostly involved another player and it was a huge story.  Miller's next game was at S. Carolina and despite all the heat he was taking, he destroyed SC that night with 41 points. 44:45 ... Bruce is intrigued by the Thompson Twins and Wembanyama's teammate Bilal Coulibaly as storylines he'll be following in the Draft. 45:49 ... More discussion on GG Jackson ... he originally committed to N. Carolina but ended up going to S. Carolina.  Biggest wildcard in the draft ... only 18 years old ... so young and so talented.  Ross loves him and thinks he has a full offensive package.  Ross added that he'll require patience from his team but he's a top shelf talent. 49:53 ... Bruce's final thought is on the joy he witnessed among the draftees and their families during his 15 year run working on the NBA Draft for ESPN with David Stern and Adam Silver. 50:08 ... World B doesn't care about the NFL Draft but he loves the NBA Draft and is excited about what his Charlotte Hornets will do with the #2 overall pick. 51:37... Kevin thinks it's a good draft but not a great draft ... 52:27... Bruce wants to know what Kevin loves more: the Buffalo Bills or the Foo Fighters ... 52:50 ... Ross' final thought explains why there will only be 58 players drafted this year.  The Bulls and Sixers lost their second round picks due to tampering and Ross shares the details. 53:43 ... Kevin shares his Twitter handle if anyone wants to follow him 54:10 ... Ross says goodbye TRT 54:27

20 Kesä 202354min

0:18 ... Episode #52 is dedicated to Hall of Famer Jamaal Wilkes who wore #52 for the great LA Lakers teams of the 1980s. 1:05 ... Ross reads info on our title sponsor BetOnline. 2:02 ... Bruce's opening comment takes issue with the Miami Heat's stunt involving UFC fighter Conor McGregor and his knockout of Heat mascot "Burnie" last weekend. 3:18 ... Ross opens with his feelings about Kyrie Irving's attempt to recruit LeBron James to join him on the Dallas Mavericks. 4:45 ... Bruce and Ross begin their discussion of game five of the NBA Finals and the intense competition, particularly down the stretch in the 4th quarter. 8:12 ... Jimmy Butler was a non factor for most of the game before finally making his presence felt in the final quarter. 8:42 ...Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry carried the Heat for most of the game before Butler decided to assert himself in the final minutes. 10:47 ... Everyone was astonished that Butler was awarded three free throws on a play that was reviewed and should have been overturned (but wasn't). 12:15 ... The Nuggets executed beautifully down the stretch, led by Jokic who always controls the pace and plays at his own speed. 15:18 ... Most fans can't help but respect what Denver did as they are a likable team that plays physically but always plays clean. 18:05 ... Bruce and Ross discuss Jokic's place in history and Bruce believes he's the best "Big" since Tim Duncan retired 7 seasons ago. 21:00 ... Ross feels Jokic is flirting with being a top 15 player of all time. 24:45 ... The Raptors have filled their head coaching position and they chose a 44 year old native of Serbia. 29:04 ... Former Bucks assistant Charles Lee has joined the Boston Celtics coaching staff as the "lead assistant coach" along with former Celtics guard Sam Cassell.  But which guy is the "Top" assistant to Joe Mazzulla? 33:33 ... The Nuggets and Thunder made a rare trade that took place during the NBA Finals.  Why is it significant for both teams? 38:36 ... Ross challenges Bruce and himself in the latest episode of the Basketball Card Challenge which tests both of their knowledge on random NBA players. 49:28 ... Bruce's closing comment is on the Miami Heat's organizational culture and why it really is a "thing." 50:23 ... Ross' closing comment concerns a report from NBA reporter Shams Charania that the Pelicans and Hornets are considering a major trade before the June 22nd NBA Draft. 51:23 ... Bye and see you next time   TRT 51:37

13 Kesä 202351min

0:00 Intro 1:31 Ross welcomes TikTok superstar Joe Doerrer of StrictlyBBall onto the show & to describe what it was like waking up to see his Jamal Murray/Nikola Jokic video featured on ESPN on Thursday morning 3:53 NBA Finals Game 3 Recap & Reaction. Ross & Joe discuss the Nuggets latest victory.  12:22 Game 4 Preview & Adjustments that the Miami Heat need to make to even up the series 18:21 Will the Phoenix Suns possibly part ways with Chris Paul or DeAndre Ayton? Ross & Joe discuss the recent news as well as both chime in on their differences of opinion on DeAndre Ayton 28:06 Zion Williamson has some more off the court drama, Ross asks Joe his thoughts on Zion & whether or not he’s losing faith in his overall potential  33:00 Ross asks Joe to explain what StrictlyBBall is, how it started, & what his company covers 36:20 World B discusses his recent trip covering the Geico National Tournament that Joe was at himself 39:37 Joe discusses the work & coverage his company has done with Overtime Elite 41:07 NBA Draft Prospect talk with HS/AAU expert Joe Doerrer 54:28 Ross asks Joe about his outlook on the Minnesota Timberwolves being that Joe is a diehard Wolves fan 58:48 World B gives a special shoutout to a loyal listener of the podcast! 1:00:26 Joe gives us a hot take on Nikola Jokic as his final thought 1:01:58 Ross gives his final thought on new Wizards GM Michael Winger’s comments at his introductory press conference & also gives him some advice moving forward

9 Kesä 20231h 5min

0:00 ... Ross welcomes everyone to the show and explains that Episode #50 honors Arizona State great Eddie House who wore that number at ASU and in the NBA.  Bruce wonders why it wasn't "The Admiral" David Robinson. 2:47 ... Bruce's opening comment delivers flowers to Jeff Green of the Denver Nuggets, still going strong as he approaches his 37th birthday. 5:35 ... Ross opens with some praise for new Suns owner Mat Ishbia who is beefing up the basketball staff and putting his money to good use with his coaching hires. 7:05 ... World B is very disappointed with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra for his rude response to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne in his game 2 postgame press conference. 9:06 ... Bruce cites all of the reasons that Miami was able to win game 2 on Sunday night and praised the team for doing all of the "little" things. 13:01 ... World B had predicted a game 2 win for the Heat and cited their three point shooting as a primary reason. 15:34 ... The guys discussed how Miami's 4th quarter offensive efficiency was historically good. 17:10 ... When Nuggets coach Michael Malone ripped his team for its lackluster effort in game 2, the guys felt he was talking about Michael Porter Jr and Kentavious Caldwell Pope, even though he did not call them out by name. 18:25... Although Denver' Nikola Jokic scored 41 points in game 2, it wasn't good for him or the team. 22:56 ... The discussion of game 3 adjustments begins with Miami's need to keep shooting a high percentage from downtown. 24:18 ... Bruce believes Denver will have to play "desperate" for the first time this postseason in game three. 26:50 ... Ross believes Caleb Martin will have a "bounce back" effort in game 3 on Wednesday 28:16 ... If Denver is to retake the series lead in game 3, Michael Porter Jr will have to do much more than he did in game 2. 29:31 ... Hall of Fame coach Rick Adelman was honored with the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award and Bruce shares his thoughts. 33:00 ... Sam Cassell will return to the Celtics as an assistant coach to Joe Mazzulla and Bruce explains why it's a popular move in Boston. 34:30 ... Kevin Ollie joins the Brooklyn staff as an assistant coach and the guys are very impressed with his hiring. 37:18 ... Terry Stotts joins the Milwaukee Bucks as an assistant to new head coach Adrian Griffin and it's widely praised as an excellent addition to the staff. 39:33 ... James Borrego returns to New Orleans as an assistant coach, which is a homecoming of sorts. 41:38 ... Stephen Silas joins the Pistons staff as an assistant to new head coach Monty Williams. 44:06 ... Bruce busts out some basketball cards and quizzes Ross and World B in the "Classic Card Challenge" that tests their historical knowledge. 56:39 ... Closing Thoughts: Bruce on the Miami Heat culture and at 59:12 ... Ross on some draft prospects he has his eyes on. 1:01:19 ... Predictions for game 3 of the Nuggets/Heat series. 1:02:14 ... Bye until next time TRT 1:02:32

6 Kesä 20231h 2min

0:00 Intro 1:30 World B discusses Pat Riley’s impressive career resume for his opening tip 3:34 Bruce reflects on his Boston Celtics bowing out of the NBA playoffs  5:25 Ross provides his opening tip on Mike Dunleavy being the odds on favorite to become the Warriors General Manager 7:00 2023 NBA Finals Game 1 Recap & Reactions as the Nuggets were victorious  20:12 Game 2 Adjustments for the Miami Heat  28:20 Big news around the association 45:44 Jeff Van Gundy’s ideas on shortening NBA games 55:43 World B gives his final thought on the NBA improving their offseason attention 57:18 Bruce gives his final thought on Nick Nurse’s comments on James Harden earlier on Thursday 59:28 Ross thinks Dame Time should be up in Portland for his final thought

2 Kesä 20231h