48 Minutes: Nets fire Vaughn, All Star Thoughts, & Stretch Run Preview

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 Mar 20231h 5min

0:00 ... Hello and welcome to episode #27: the Zaza Pachilia episode of 48 Minutes. 0:48 ... Bruce's opening tip concerns the referees and how they continue to cause controversy, especially in the Celtics/Timberwolves game on Wednesday. 2:26 ... World B's opening tip gives credit to young teams that are near the bottom of the standings but continue to play with effort and energy. 3:50 ... Ross' opening tip praises the Bucks for becoming the first team to reach 50 wins and clinch a playoff spot. 5:04 ... The Celtics are trending in the wrong direction and Bruce is concerned that they're squandering leads by taking their foot off the gas when they should be finishing off their opponents.  World B feels the Celts are just a "blah" team right now. 8:02 ... With Robert Williams III always battling health problems, can Boston get it done against quality bigs like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, and the others in the eastern conference? 10:00 ...Will Boston's rookie head coach Joe Mazzulla be overmatched against more experienced leaders like Mike Budenholzer, Doc Rivers, Tom Thibodeau, and Erik Spoelstra in the postseason? 11:28 ... James Harden and Joel Embiid have the 76ers hot on Boston's tail in the race to finish #2 in the east. 17:18 ... Ross and World B disagree on whether the 76ers will actually pass Boston in the standings. 19:03 ... Denver finally stopped its 4 game losing streak on Thursday against lowly Detroit, but the game was tighter than the final score might indicate. 20:30 ... Questions are starting to emerge about two time MVP Nikola Jokic's ability to carry the Nuggets to a deep playoff run. 22:13 ... The Nuggets have a nice cushion over the Kings and Grizzlies, but they'll have a difficult schedule over the final month. 24:53 ... The Grizzlies are in a tailspin and it goes well beyond Ja Morant's suspension. 27:30 ... Ross is concerned that Morant's issues are negatively affecting the vibe in the locker room. 29:19 ... The Kings continue to roll and while they don't have playoff experience as a group, there are many individual players who have been in the playoffs and their head coach Mike Brown certainly has lots of postseason experience. 33:20 ...In Los Angeles, the Clippers have won 4 straight after a 5 game losing streak and Kawhi Leonard's health has been a key reason. 35:19 ... Clippers coach Ty Lue has done a nice job of successfully integrating a lot of recently acquired players into his system. 38:48 ...The Lakers lost a close game to Houston on Wednesday with Anthony Davis sitting it out.  Bruce was incredulous that coach Darvin Ham allowed it to happen. 40:53 ... Ross and World B feel that the Lakers didn't take the Rockets seriously and paid the price. 44:32 ... The MVP race has come down to the three International bigs: Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.  The guys each pick their winner. 52:26 ... Best Bets from Ross features his LA Clippers same game parlay choices that will make you some $$. 53:31 ... Bruce's final thought is on the San Antonio Spurs hoping history repeats itself in their quest to land a generational big man in the 2023 NBA Draft. 55:36 ... World B is upset that his West Virginia Mountaineers lost their first game in the NCAA Tournament, but is happy to remind everyone that WVU is well represented in the NBA on the court, on the bench, and in the front office. 57:24 ... And finally, Ross is excited to see the Chicago Bulls wear their green uniforms Friday on St Patrick's Day against the Timberwolves. TRT 58:30

17 Mar 202358min

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 Mar 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 Mar 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 Mar 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 Mar 20231h

0:00 Intro 0:50 World B gives his opening tip on Damian Lilliard’s 71 point performance on Sunday night 3:25 Ross talks about Friday night’s historic double overtime thriller between the Kings & Clippers 8:36 In the 1st quarter World B and Ross recap the outstanding ABC/ESPN games on Sunday 9:09 2021 NBA Finals Rematch between the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks 15:23 The Lakers hard fought come from behind win in Dallas against the Mavericks 21:55 The duo react and provide analysis on Sunday night’s Clippers at Nuggets game 30:19 Quin Snyder becomes the new Head Coach of the Atlanta Hawks, the duo reacts to the news 34:37 World B explains how oddly enough the Denver Nuggets can still be considered overlooked 40:25 Ross & World B play a fun game of Bleav or Dis-Bleav 46:38 Mailbag! Listener Submitted Questions 53:52 Best Bets with Ross who shares a Same Game Parlay X with familiar faces in new places! 56:11 World B shares his final thoughts on the wild, wild West heading down the stretch 57:46 Ross provides his final thought on how he’s focused on specific teams/coaches rotation decisions moving forward

28 Feb 20231h

0:00 Intro 01:12 Scott shares “his why” on sharing his journey and stories in writing his soon to be released book “Through the Fire: A Memoir of Trauma & Loss, Basketball, & Triumph”  05:55 Scott discusses both the pain and therapy he experienced throughout the writing process  08:42 Scott talks about his early childhood, high school days, his recruitment, and how he ended up deciding to attend the University of North Carolina  13:30: World B asks Scott what college he likely would’ve selected if not the Tar Heels 15:39: World B picks Scott’s brain on the expectations and challenges of playing basketball at North Carolina 19:04: Scott shares his experience on going undrafted and how he ended up getting his opportunity with the Chicago Bulls  22:53: Ross asks Scott what it was like being part of one of the greatest NBA teams of all time while also being teammates with some of the league’s best players of all time as such a young NBA player 27:09 Scott discusses the Pistons famous walk off without shaking hands after getting swept by the Bulls in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals  31:34 World B being a longtime Knicks fan asks Scott to talk about some of legendary the Knicks/Bulls battles and some key plays/reasons why the Bulls were able to prevail in their playoff matchup on their way to the 3-peat 36:00 Scott shares his thoughts & perspective on Pippen refusing to check back into that legendary playoff game 40:57 Scott shares his thoughts and perspective as a former player on the NBA’s current load management problem 48:09 Scott shares his thoughts on the Suns big acquisition in Kevin Durant & their chances to win it all this season 50:43: Ross asks Scott to reflect upon his time as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks during Giannis’s rookie year 53:07: Ross asks Scott to talk about the keys to his success from the foul line as a career 72% shooter from the foul line and why many NBA bigs struggle making free throws 55:06: Ross follows up on Scott’s perspective on shooting by asking him about Ben Simmons struggles as Scott and Ben both stand at 6’10 57:44 With Scott being a former teammate of Lakers Head Coach Darvin Ham, he shares his thoughts on the Lakers this season and gives his opinion on the GOAT debate between MJ & LeBron 1:02: Ross asks Scott to provide some insight on young LeBron when they were teammates in Cleveland

24 Feb 20231h 5min