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Nate Smith, Mitch Suchan, and EvilGenius discussed the Cavs' week of woe, the Houston loss, and his Turdness, James HArden. The NBA can't allow him to be MVP, can they? They also talked on Cavs'rebounding woes, the inability to get stops, the madness of NBA scheduling, Larry Sanders, NBA officiating and the free pass some guys get (we're looking at you Harden and Nene), Ty Lue's coaching brain farts, "Pudge" Williams, J.R. and www.pleasestopdribblingshump.com, LeBron's gas tank, the Eastern Conference race, Kyrie Irving's defense, and so much more.

Tom, David, and EG talk on the 2017 ASG, Kyrie, LeBron, and the Cavs’ choices and chances going forward, Kyrie’s general wackines, the LBJ ASG legacy, the ASG that turned into a layup line, what to look for this week, the Boogie trade as it breaks, and so much more.

On the pod, Nate Smith, Evil Genius, and newest CtPer, Mitch Suchan talk about about the win over the Wolf Pups, Derrick Williams, what Love's absence means, whether he'll be able fit back in, Shumpert's return, why Wiggins always gets up for the Cavs, the baffling absense of DeAndre Liggins', have we seen the last of Felder?, will the Cavs make another move, do they have the greenlight for greenbacks from @CavsDan?, LBJ minutes policing, Channing Frye, the Ibaka trade, and so much more.

To sum up: The Cavs let CJ Miles and the Pacers get loose in first quarter (70% shooting/36 points); got down by as much as 15; closed the gap to end the half; then came out and dropped 40 to 18 on Indy in the third; Korver went nuts (10-12, 8-9 from three for 29 points); Cleveland let Indy get within seven late in fourth then turned on the Threezus jets. Nate Smith and EvilGenius get as raucus as two middle aged guys can as they recap the Cavs victory over the Pacers and the incendiary play of the Cavs’ offense of late. The cover Korver and his 29 points (a lot better than Indiana did), his 108 TS%, LeBron’s gaudy assist totals of late (25, six, and nine dimes vs Indy), Kyrie mid-ranging (12-17 inside the stripe Wednesday for 29 points and seven dimes), the free throw resurgence (24-26!), Kevin Love’s freebie mastery (22-23 in the last three games), the Cavs second half rebound (literally and figuratively) – Cleveland was outrebounded 23-15 in the first half and went on to win the battle of the boards 39-38. Other topics include: DeAndre’s D, the epic victory over the Wiz; Kay Felder, world’s greatest miniature screen setter; the Carmelo Anthony kerfuffle; will Cleveland make a move; the missed Lance Stephenson opportunity; @CavsDan’s penny pinching; the January blues; and so much more

Despite the lonesome feel of the dusty trail that is the NBA regular season, CtB rustled up a posse of Tom Pestak, EvilGenius, and Nate Smith. They had plenty to talk about as they recapped a lousy Cavalier January. We chewed the cud over LeBron's comments to Dave McMenamin regarding Charles Barkley's comments on Inside the NBA. Was LeBron justified, was Barkley? Was it excessive? Who's gonna win this showdown? We asked what's ailing the Cavs (transition defense was a big one). Does David Griffin get a pass or fail? Should Cleveland take Nate's crazy advice and trade for Melo? Are we overreacting when we put out a warrant for this team's defense in January? Why is Tyronn Lue going all Hatfields and McCoys with the media? Who gets voted out of Cavalierville? What's the Cavaliers greatest need? And, the highlight, we giggle like 12-year olds while doing Campy Russell impersonations.

John Krolik and Nate Smith hopped in the podcast studio after this one. We talked LeBron (33, five boards, 11 dimes), Kay (9 points), Frye (8 rebounds!), Kevin Love (12 and 14), TT (12 and 10), and K.I. (28, four, and six). Most importantly we discussed James being the best player on the floor again +(22)! Yes, this was a lowly Nets squd that trotted out their B team, but the Cavs needed this win badly. Come for the recap but stay for the hot takes as we also hit on several other trending topics: The Drama King; what caused the slump? (hint: food poisoning and hamstrings); Kyle Korver, fitting out or fitting in?; DeAndre Liggins and Ty Lue's doghouse; the limited options the front office has to assuage the King's demands; the MVP race; LeBron's (maddening) free throw woes; and how many teams would Tristan Thompson start for (hint: not many). It's a fun hour.

Tom Pestak and Nate Smith tried to shake off the mid-season doldrums and discussed the Warriors’ loss and its significance (or lack thereof). Beyond that we, we examined… *  Tom’s deep dive on Kyrie Irving, analytics, and NBA perception. * Does LeBron Make everyone a roleplayer? * Draymond Green, biggest villain in the NBA? * Cavs Defense: can they go all millennial and be whatever, whenever they want to be, or do they have to conform to some NBA norm? * The impetus for the Cavs trying to trade one of: Love, Irving, Thompson (assuming things don’t work out this year). * The awesomeness of Cleveland and the cities of Ohio.

Evil Genius and Nate Smith discuss the Cavs' win in Brooklyn, the  Bulls win in Cleveland, Kyle Korver, how he fits with the Cavs, trade possibilities, the playoff picture, David Griffin's genius, the coming road trip, and so much more.

In the days following Christmas, I checked in with Ben Werth who was kind enough to talk Cavs while riding a tram in Germany. We talked up the epic Christmas day battle, the Jefferson dunk, some of the crazy calls, the enigma of Kyrie Irving, and the disappointing Pistons loss. Then, Tom Pestak, Mike Schreiner, and I squeezed into the podcast booth stateside, a little fuller after our holiday feasts, and gushed over the Christmas day game too. Should the Dubs be happy that they won even though Steph had a bad game? Was Liggins the reason? Should Cleveland be happy knowing that Shumpert and Jefferson can’t shoot that poorly again? Were the calls fair? How is Cleveland competing against the death lineup? Then, we hit up an in depth discussion on Jeremias Engelman (father of RAPM), Kyrie Irving, and the problem of analyzing players like him. Do Kyrie’s fourth quarter and playoff contributions outweigh his periodic laziness? How do you quantify a player who is appreciably better in the playoffs? Does lineup based analytics penalize guys like Kyrie and Klay for playing great with “star” lineups and not so great with “bench” lineups? All these topics and more abound on an atypically concise podcast, that didn’t even get long in the tooth.

Tom Pestak, EvilGenius, and Nate Smith tried to ignore all the tinsel in the broadcast booth as fired up a pre-Christmas pod. The Warriors matchups, both in the Finals and at Christmas, were heavily in our discussion as we looked back and looked ahead to the December 25th showdown. Much of our bull session revolved around whether the Cavs need another big man, or even if all the big men they have are all that important. We also talked about Nerlens Noel, David Blatt, rings for Timo, Delly, and Much Danger Ninja. We tackled the important questions. Why have Cavs fans turned on Andy? Bigger flopper: Andy or K-Love? What Cavs' swag is on your wish list? Then Tom expounded on his Friday piece about NBA players going broke and about how certain completely unbelievable and debunked pieces of information can get recycled in the medium for the better part of a decade. Finally, if you're still listening, we've got some bonus coverage on holiday movies, Star Wars, and the best war movies. Happy Holidays, Cavs fans.

Tom Pestak, Nate Smith, and John Krolik check in with a first quarter analysis of your Cleveland Cavaliers. Topics: biggest surprises and disappointments so far; the current rotations; the Liggins effect; J.R.'s blues; LeBron's ever changing jumper; north/south Kyrie; Tom's pillow talk; prepping for the Dubs; and so much more. We ask hard questions like: can the Liggins/Shump backourt work off the bench? Is James Jones consuming super garbage time powerups? Do the Cavs need another playmaker? Can Kay Felder develop on the Cavs? Who's your garbage pile point guard of choice? Who would you trade K-Love for straight up? How much did Cleveland win the Wiggins' trade by? Who's da real MVP?

David Wood, Tom Pestak, Nate Smith, and EvilGenius talk Cavs, Buckeyes, Kevin Love, the Cavs' record, Hollywood westerns, what it's like to be middle aged, and most of all, sustainability. Is Kevin Love's shooting sustainable? Are LeBron's numbers? Is the Cavs' roster? Is David's unicorn collection?

Tom, Nate, and John Krolik, discuss the state of the Cavs, their "big three," the offense, the defense, Domingo Ayalez, Cavs history, and so so much more.

Long time Cavs beat reporter, Bob Finnan joins Nate Smith to discuss his new book, 100 Things Cavaliers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. The book takes us through 100 moments of Cavalier history from the team's inception to it's 2016 championship and aftermath. Bob and I chatted about the Cavs championship, our Indian summer, and the Northeast Ohio renaissance. We also spent a lot of time on his favorite people and moments covering the Cavs over 20 years.

Ben Werth and Nate Smith spend a couple minutes gushing over the Tribe, and then play a little game of "Trend or Outlier?" when it comes to the Cavs and this early NBA season. Will LeBron go full on Magic Johnson this year? Are the Bulls for Real? Is Atlanta better? Are the Warriors worse? Will Tristan Thompson score over five points a game? Will Kay Felder play a role? Is Kawhi Leonard the second best player in the NBA? We debate all these questions and more while watching Game 5 of the World Series, and Nate tries not to jinx it.

Tom and I hopped in the the podcast booth to discuss all things Cavs. Top on our list was the Cavs effect on their neighbors, the Cleveland Indians. The wine and gold definitely bring an energy to Progressive every postseason game. The team's effect is palpable everywhere they go, but when LeBron and Co. show up on the diamond, the "Cleveland effect" is like nothing we've seen before in sports. Tom and I will admit, there's a little more baseball talk than any other CtB Podcast. Also in our discussion: the J.R. Smith contract, the backup point guard debate, and how do the Cavs match up with the Warriors? We also hit on LeBron's political leanings, locker room talk, Tom's home improvement projects and the Cavs depth in the middle.

Nate Smith, Evil Genius, and Tom Pestak talk about Iman Shumpert on and off the court, J.R. Smith, The Cavs' Indian summer, the search for a third point guard, what we're looking forward to this season, and so much more.

Nate, EvilGenius, and Tom enjoy the Cavs universe the way it is - not the way it could have been.

What a week! Ben Werth plays us in on this pod with his Jack Black-esque diddy about how he feels about a Cleveland Champship. Tom Pestak, Nate Smith, and Carson Zagger discuss game seven again, the series, LeBron's legacy, Kyrie, Championship Week, and the transcendent moments we all shared over the last eight days.

A raucous pod celebrates the Cavs first championship, and the first Championship in Cleveland in 52 years. Nate Smith, Ben Werth, EvilGenius, Tom Pestak, Elijah Kim, David Wood, and Mallory Factor celebrate. What a win. What a season. What team.