48 Minutes: All Star Thoughts, Preseason predictions at the Break, Second half thoughts

0:00 Intro 1:25 Bruce gives special guest Antonio Davis a proper introduction 2:46 Antonio Davis shares his own memories of the Pacers/Knicks rivalry 6:12 How unique & equally matched the Pacers/Knicks rivalry was in the 90’s 8:39 Antonio gives his thoughts on the most recent Pacers/Knicks series in the Eastern Conference Finals 10:56 Haliburton’s heroic Game 1 buzzer beater & “choke” gesture brought back some memories 14:01 Antonio shares his love & respect for Rick Carlisle 16:54 How screens have changed throughout the years 19:40 Antonio shares a great story from his college days guarding Tim Hardaway in practice 22:36 What was it like finally playing as a Knick inside Madison Square Garden? 26:16 Antonio reflects on playing alongside Vince Carter in Toronto 28:31 Do the Indiana Pacers have a shot at pulling off a huge NBA Finals upset? 30:50 Antonio on one of the most notorious plays in the history of the Knicks/Pacers rivalry 35:03 What is the mission of the National Basketball Retired Players Association? 43:30 Antonio shares his vision for the future of the NBRPA 47:09 Antonio on how the NBAPA & NBRPA have worked hard together to provide heath insurance to retired players 51:49 What are some of Antonio’s immediate goals coming up this offseason 56:43 Antonio shares 1 quick final story on the Harlem Globetrotters

3 Kesä 58min

0:00 .... Ross hello and welcome, introduces the panel, and dedicates show #158 to Jack McVeigh of the Houston Rockets who is the only NBA player to wear uniform #58. 1:33 ... Instant reaction to Tuesday night's game #4 of the Knicks/Pacers Eastern Conference Finals playoff series. 2:45 ... Bruce highlights the performances of Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, and Pascal Siakam who were the biggest reasons Indiana took game #4 and grabbed a 3-1 series lead. 3:53 ... Ross pointed out how it was a game of runs but Indiana never allowed New York to really get close enough to threaten the Pacers. 4:55 ... World B was disgusted with the sloppy play of the Knicks and feels they need to reduce turnovers in game 5 if they hope to extend the series.  He is also concerned about the health of Karl-Anthony Towns who hurt his knee in the 4th quarter on Tuesday night. 7:23 ... The crew previews game 5 in New York and discusses if Tom Thibodeau will dial back his rotation as he did in the first two games. 10:17 ... Ross is concerned about how Towns will be perceived by the NY fans if he doesn't play in game 5 due to his knee.  Bruce needs Mikal Bridges to show up big in game #5, but World B points out how hard Bridges has to work on defense against Haliburton. 14:38 ... Ross tees up a brief discussion on how Thibodeau expanded his rotation and how Josh Hart nudged him into doing it by offering to come off the bench and allow Mitchell Robinson to start games 3 and 4. 16:00 ... Western Conference Finals discussion as Oklahoma City won Monday's game #4 to put a stranglehold on their series against Minnesota.  Bruce felt the tone was set in the first quarter.  World B says the series is over now that OKC has a 3-1 series lead and it was impressive how they bounced back from a 42 point loss on Saturday.  Ross agrees and praises Jalen Williams of the Thunder for his great performances.  Everyone feels the series is over except for the final result.  OKC's defense is the decisive factor. 23:25 ... Anthony Edwards needs a great performance in game 5 after scoring just 13 points in game 4.  World B feels he is not holding himself accountable. 24:18 ... Ross wants to praise Minnesota's Nickiell Alexander-Walker whose great postseason performances will help him find a team willing to pay him big bucks as a free agent this off-season. 24:50 .... Shai Gilgeous-Alexander beat Nikola Jokic for the MVP Award ... the guys discuss the large margin of victory in the voting and how both players were most deserving of the award. 28:13 ... All-NBA Team discussions ... On the first team the only quibble was Donovan Mitchell making it over Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, and Stephen Curry. 30:33 .... On the second team, the guys discussed LeBron James making it in spite of ESPN's Brian Windhorst not voting him on any of the three All-NBA teams. 33:36 ... On the third team, Bruce bemoaned the fact that Jaylen Brown fell two games short of the 65 game minimum to qualify for All-NBA.  Bruce felt he would have made the third team, but sacrificed an individual award in order to be healthier for the playoffs and Bruce is really annoyed at some Celtics fans who are blaming Brown for the team's earlier than expected postseason exit.  World B felt Tyler Herro should have made third team over James Harden.  Ross pointed out that if not for injury, Victor Wembanyama would also have probably made 2nd or 3rd team All-NBA and probably also won Defensive Player of the Year. 37:08 ... Smokin' Hot Take from World B ... Cade Cunningham will be first team All-NBA next season.  This bodes well for the Pistons ascending into the top 4 in the eastern conference next season. 40:10 ... Final Thoughts ... Bruce on how OKC's comeback from a 42 point loss to Minnesota last weekend reminds him of two former NBA Championship teams that had similar experiences 40 seasons ago: the 1984 Celtics and the 1985 Lakers. 41:30 .... World B on how the Knicks loss to Indiana in game one was not the biggest choke in the Knicks history.  It was 30 years ago when Reggie Miller made the Knicks the worst chokers in franchise history.  Tyrese Haliburton will clearly haunt World B's dreams for many years to come. 46:16  ... Ross on how all the off-season transactions will be very exciting this year.  And from that he says goodbye and "see you next week." TRT 46:57

28 Touko 46min

0:00 Intro 1:39 The crew share their thoughts on Sunday’s OKC/DEN Game 7 matchup 4:42 Bruce on why the Thunder have a short turnaround time between Game 7 & WCF Game 1 5:31 How do the Timberwolves stack up against the Thunder in the series 12:26 The crew give their Western Conference Finals series predictions 14:13 Eastern Conference Finals Preview 26:03 The crew give their Eastern Conference Finals series predictions 28:21 What’s next for the Denver Nuggets? 35:15 What’s next for the Boston Celtics? 41:41 What’s next for the Cleveland Cavaliers? 45:03 The WNBA season is underway! Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese recap 47:13 1st overall pick Paige Bueckers made her debut with the Dallas Wings 48:57 Bruce makes a Game 5 confession! 50:42 World B responds to Trae Young’s recent comments 52:57 Ross shares the latest NBA term recently noted by GG Jackson

20 Touko 54min

0:00 ... Ross hello & welcome ... introduces panel and dedicates episode #156 to Stephen Curry for his 56 point game against Orlando in February. 1:23 ... Ross tees up discussion of the Knicks big win over Boston on Monday night, giving NY a 3-1 lead in their playoff series.  World B feels it was one of the most impressive Knicks games in more than two decades. 3:32 ... Bruce felt that even with an 11 point lead at halftime, the Celtics were not in great shape because the Knicks stayed attached the entire game. 5:04 ... Jayson Tatum played great until he injured himself in the final minutes but it appears to be a serious injury and it sure looks bad for his return on Wednesday. for game 5. 8:00 ... Bruce appreciated Tatum's scoring heroics in game 4, but took issue with some of his shot decisions and how they helped stifle the Celtics ball movement, thus playing into New York's hands.  World B points out how Boston plays a lot of isolation ball and when they don't penetrate into the paint, they can be successfully defended. 10:46 ... With Tatum likely unavailable in game five, the guys discuss who might step up for Boston.  Jrue Holiday might be ready to have a big night. 13:08 ... Ross and World B discuss the pressure NY may feel if Boston can somehow take game 5 on Wednesday.  World B has lots of praise for Tatum and how much he respects him. 15:08 ... Ross is concerned that Kristaps Porzingis may be physically unable to step up in to help fill the void that Tatum leaves in game five. 15:39 .... The Cavaliers are being curb stomped by Indiana as they also trail their series 3 games to one.  They may not be dead, but they're close to dead.  The Cavs are lucky that Sunday's blowout only counted for one loss. 22:30 ... Bruce puts Bennedict Mathurin on notice that moves like his bush league punch in game 4 will get him extra scrutiny from the refs if the Pacers move on.  World B feels like Indiana has exhibited some punk-like behavior in the series. 23:59 ... The Thunder and Nuggets are tied at 2 games each out west and OKC's defense has carried the team with their offense not looking especially sharp. 25:15 .... Bruce predicts that Shai Gilgeous Alexander will received his MVP Award on Tuesday night before game 5.  Bruce feels that OKC's defense wore down the Nuggets in game four and in the final quarter caused the Nuggets to "drop their hands" like a boxer who absorbs too many punches to the ribs.  Ross predicts a Nuggets win in game five and a seven game series ... World B agrees and has high praise for Aaron Gordon of the Nuggets for his performance.  Ross feels Gordon is their 3rd most important player. 32:33 ... Game four of Timberwolves/Warriors was underway as the show was being recorded on Monday night and none of the guys felt that Golden State would come back to take the series.  Julius Randle was having another big game and has found his playoff groove in Minnesota.  With Steph Curry injured, they just need more scoring than they can muster right now. 36:14 ... The Draft Lottery took place on Monday night and the guys respond to the Dallas Mavericks beating the odds and earning the right to draft Cooper Flagg in June's NBA Draft.  Bruce was thinking that when the Spurs made it into the top four, they might once again get the 1st overall pick as they did with Victor Wembanyama, Tim Duncan, and David Robinson in previous NBA Drafts. 37:50 ... The saddest teams in the league have to be Charlotte, Washington, and Utah, all of whom were hosed in the lottery and missed out on the #1 overall pick. 41:08 ... The guys take issue with ESPN's star NBA journalist Shams Charania claiming that Giannis Antetokounmpo discussed leaving Milwaukee for the very first time this weekend when he actually did it on our podcast back in September of 2023.  We playfully demanded an apology but offered to kiss and make up if he joins us on a future show to talk hoop!  Giannis' comments on 48 Minutes were instrumental in helping the Bucks to acquire Damian Lillard, which required them to trade Jrue Holiday to Portland and led to the trade to the Celtics. 44:10 ... Ross was on Milwaukee radio today and told the host "Sparky" Fifer that Bucks fans shouldn't panic because Giannis is loyal to the Bucks and the city. 45:38 ... Milwaukee can't expect to get equal value in return for Giannis in any trade because players of his caliber are hardly ever are traded.  Oklahoma City has the assets needed to entice the Bucks into a possible trade, so we'll see if those teams do business in the off-season. 50:10 ... Ross wraps things up and says goodbye. TRT 50:33

13 Touko 50min

0:00 Intro 0:56 Ross provides Bruce & World B with an update on how their 1st Round predictions fared 1:15 What we’ve learned from the 2025 NBA Playoffs thus far 1:26 Bruce on the Northwest Division & James Harden 2:08 World B on the Minnesota Timberwolves 2:43 Ross on JJ Redick, LeBron James, & the LA Lakers 3:47 The New York Knicks steal a Game 1 OT Win in Boston over the Celtics 14:10 Is Game 2 a must win for the Celtics? 17:43 The Indiana Pacers steal Game 1 in their series against the Cavaliers in Cleveland 24:50 Two underdogs out West are set to face off in the 2nd Round between the Warriors & Timberwolves 35:53 Will Nikola Jokic & the Nuggets put up a good fight against the OKC Thunder?

6 Touko 44min

0:00 ... Ross hello, welcome, and introduces the crew. 0:35 ... Episode #154 is dedicated to Sandro Mamukelashvili, who was drafted #54 in the 2021 NBA Draft 1:19 ... Knicks/Pistons discussion which includes a breakdown of the controversial "non call" at the end of game 4 which may have cost the Pistons the series. 3:25 ... Bruce feels like the Pistons should get every 50/50 call in game 5 to try and make up for the non-call in game 4 and he also was super impressed with Jalen Brunson's 4th quarter performance in game 4.  World B has massive praise for Karl-Anthony Towns. 7:50 ... Celtics/Magic discussion which includes Bruce's feelings that Orlando's toughness really tested Boston and helped prepare them for their upcoming series by forcing them to find ways to score other than with 3 point shooting.  World B feels like the Magic have played really well but lack the offensive firepower to defeat Boston. 11:47 ... Bruce asks Ross and World B if the Knicks have the type of personnel to play Boston the way Orlando has.  Ross and World B differ in their responses. 14:36 ... Bucks/Pacers discussion ... the big story is that Damian Lillard tore his achilles tendon on Sunday and will likely miss most of next season.  Bruce is worried that Giannis Antetokounmpo will ask to be traded now that Lillard is on the shelf and suggests that Oklahoma City has the assets needed to make the Bucks a solid offer for Giannis and that Milwaukee should be on the phone pursuing a deal.  World B feels like the Pacers are really clicking and are back to their hot January form.  Ross credits the Pacers defense for their success. 19:38 ... Lakers/Timberwolves discussion ... World B feels like LeBron James and Luka Doncic may have what it takes to win 3 straight games and dig themselves out of a 3-1 deficit, but the Timberwolves are playing like a team that can handle their business and move on.  Bruce felt that the Lakers were worn down by the Wolves in Sunday's 4th quarter as LA coach JJ Redick used just 5 players in the final quarter.  Bruce praised Naz Reid's work and nicknamed him "Nuclear Naz" because of his explosive play.  Ross with an amazing fact about Redick's historic "non use" of his bench in the second half of Sunday's game. 24:45 ... Clippers/Nuggets discussion ... Aaron Gordon's dunk on Saturday will go down in Nuggets lore and will be talked about forever, but the guys were also impressed by the way Gordon stood up for his teammate Christian Braun when the Clippers took exception to a foul Braun committed just before halftime.  World B feels it has been a great series that will go 7 games and thinks the Clippers can win another road game in Denver. 28:09 ... Bruce wants James Harden to come up with a monster game in game 5, which is something he has never really done in the playoffs. 30:08 ... Bruce asks his co-hosts if Nikola Jokic is now on the very short list of the 5 greatest centers of all-time?  And can he be considered the greatest International player of all-time? 31:13 ... Thunder/Grizzlies discussion ... the guys discuss whether the long layoff that OKC has earned after sweeping Memphis will negatively affect the team at the start of their next series.  Ross feels that Chet Holmgren will benefit the most from a long layoff between series as he'll need to have maximum energy against either Jokic or Ivika Zubac in the next round.  If the Nuggets advance and play OKC, we'll see the top two MVP candidates squaring off with Jokic vs Shai Gilgeous Alexander. 35:22 ... Cavaliers/Heat discussion ... Whatever happened to Heat Culture after being swept by the Cavs and losing game 3 by 37 points and game 4 by 55 points?  Bruce feels like the Heat roster will look a whole lot different next season after the way they flamed out this season.  While the Cavs had it easy against Miami, everyone expects the Cavs to be tested by Indiana in the next round. 44:15 ... Warriors/Rockets discussion ... are the Rockets in trouble trailing 2-1 with game 4 on Monday night?  Everyone agrees that game 4 is a "must win" for Houston.  If Houston  can improve their shooting, they can come back in the series.  But that's a big IF. 48:06 ... Ross wraps it up and says goodbye TRT 48:33

29 Huhti 48min

0:00 Intro 0:47 World B reacts to Ross’s episode dedication 1:28 The Minnesota Timberwolves with a statement win in Game 1, should the Lakers be concerned? 8:50 Russell Westbrook & the Denver Nuggets secure a huge Game 1 overtime victory over the Clippers 13:41 The Indiana Pacers handled business against the Bucks in their Game 1 home win 17:48 The New York Knicks secured a Game 1 win over the Detroit Pistons 23:19 Any hope for the Miami Heat against Cleveland or is this going to be a quick sweep? 27:11 Can the Orlando Magic win a single game without scoring in triple digits against the Celtics? 33:00 At this point would we be surprised if the Thunder don’t sweep the Grizzlies? 37:48 Should we be surprised the Warriors took Game 1 against the Rockets in Houston? 43:40 Instant reaction to the Pistons Game 2 bounce back win against the Knicks 48:04 The NBA Award Finalists were announced on Sunday

22 Huhti 54min

0:00 ... Show open and Ross intros the panel and our special guest Jared Greenberg of TNT Sports and NBA TV. 0:47 ... Ross dedicates episode #152 to the Houston Rockets, who won 52 games this season. 1:08 ... Bruce introduces Jared Greenberg ot TNT Sports and NBA TV 1:49 ... Eastern conference "play in tournament" preview ... Orlando and the Bulls get the 7 and 8 spots 3:02 ... Western conference "play in" preview ... Golden State gets #7 and Memphis #8 3:48 ... Will Houston be challenged by a #7 seed like Golden State in the first round?  Jared is impressed by Houston's mental makeup. 6:07 ... The Rockets are one of the hardest playing teams in the league ... Detroit and OKC are the others.  Jared expects ramped up intensity from all 3 of them in the playoffs. 7:06 ... Ross tees up the preview of the Pistons/Knicks series ... lots of pressure on the Knicks while the Pistons are playing with house money. 8:45 ... Will the season be a bust if the Knicks don't make the conference finals?  Jared puts their season into context and suggests changes may be coming if they fall short of expectations. 10:06 ... The Pistons have more playoff experience than many realize and NY really needs Jalen Brunson to play well. 11:11 .... Indiana vs Milwaukee is a repeat of last season's 4 vs 5 matchup in the east ... with Damian Lillard out, can the Bucks possibly win the series?  Since Giannis is the best player on the court, he may be able to carry Milwaukee to a series victory. 12:35 ... Ross asks Jared about the Bucks personnel moves during the season with the addition of Kyle Kuzma and Kevin Porter Junior and the loss of Khris Middleton. 15:26 ... Tyrese Haliburton has been spectacular since the All-Star break ... his numbers across the board have been great.  But Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner have been solid too. 17:17 ... Can any lower seeds challenge Cleveland or Boston in the east?  Is there any chance the Cavs could start their first playoff series on a "down" note in game one?  Which first round opponent would give Cleveland's defense problems? 19:17 ... Jared sizes up a possible eastern conference finals matchup between Boston and Cleveland. 20:40 ... Joe Mazzulla risked losing some games during the season in order to give guys rest and keep them fresh for the playoffs.  Much like the 1995 Rockets, the 2025 Celtics knew they could take their foot off the gas at times in search of a larger prize. 22:57 ... Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley are two young players who will have huge opportunities in the playoffs.  Jared feels that Mobley's success will be somewhat dependent on Donovan Mitchell, who must continue his "team first" play. 24:49 ... The Wolves/Lakers 3 vs 6 series in the west should be fascinating ... Jared feels like Minnesota really stepped up their defense as the season wore on.   Julius Randle may have some extra motivation as a former Laker.  Will Anthony Edwards help eliminate a Hall of Famer for the second year in a row? 28:02 ... Minnesota has an advantage with better bigs, so JJ Redick may go small and try to limit Rudy Gobert's impact. 29:16 .... Denver vs the LA Clippers in the 4 vs 5 series ... Nikola Jokic gives the Nuggets a presence that no team can match.  Kawhi Leonard's health is always a potential issue.  And Ivica Zubac is someone Jared has his eyes on regarding the matchup with Jokic. 30:36 ... Ross asks if any team in the west can challenge OKC ... um ... No.  But Jared feels any number of teams could make it to the western conference finals, they just can't beat the Thunder. 32:16 ... NBA Championship matchup: Boston vs Oklahoma City ... so who does Jared think will win the Larry O'Brien Trophy?  Can the Thunder find a second consistent scorer along with Gilgeous-Alexander? 34:46 ... Ross asks about Jared's favorite postgame interview and he has a really good Stephen Curry story. 36:02 ... Postseason Awards discussion ... who will win MVP? 37:45 ... Is Shai Gilgeous-Amexander a "mini version" of Jokic due to his playing style? 39:39 ... Rookie of the Year?  Jared runs through the list of worthy candidates but settles on ____! 40:14 ... Defensive Player of the Year?  Victor Wembanyama would have won if not for missing so many games, but he doesn't qualify.  Jared drops a great stat about Wemby and Brook Lopez. 43:29 ... Most Improved Player?  As a former number one overall pick, should Cade Cunningham really be considered? 45:28 ... World B likes Cunningham but also feels Ivica Zubac is worthy. 48:41 ... Coach of the Year?  Jared has four solid candidates but he feels that rewarding the coach of a 6 seed is an problem for him.  So he's going with the coach who took a good team to "great," rather than taking a bad team to "good." 49:25 ... Jared has worked for TNT's NBA coverage for more than a decade and he shares his feelings about the final weeks of TNT's NBA coverage as their 36 year run covering the league ends in early June. 51:06 ... Ross thanks Jared and wraps things up ... TRT 51:34

15 Huhti 51min