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In a tightly packed Western Conference, where only a handful of games separate the first- and thirteenth-place teams, Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report is encouraged by the Portland Trail Blazers’ start. Specifically, the Blazers have gotten All-Star-caliber, not to mention career-best, contributions from Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons. Such stellar play from Portland’s secondary stars has enabled it to weather a difficult early schedule played about half of the time without franchise cornerstone Damian Lillard. Here are some Highkin highlights on how Portland was able to stay afloat, lottery pick Shaedon Sharpe’s early flashes, what’s ahead for the Blazers and much more:    6:15-7:07: “I don’t think they’re a title contender, and I don’t think they think they’re a title contender either; that’s the other part about it. Joe Cronin, the general manager, went into the season saying that he doesn’t think this roster is complete and he doesn’t think it’s good enough right now to contend and that it’s still kind of a work in progress. … Going into the season…I said they would probably make the playoffs as a 7 or 8 seed out of the play-in. At this point, I’m pretty comfortable saying that I think they’re gonna be Top-6 just because they’re currently in the middle of the toughest part of their schedule. They’ve had a ton of road games.” 19:45-20:03: “Already, [Sharpe]’s way ahead of where certainly I thought and where I think a lot of people even in the organization thought he was gonna at this point, so that’s something everybody’s really encouraged by. And honestly, for Blazers fans that I talk to, they haven’t really had a rookie that was exciting like this since Dame.” 25:45-27:15: “Well, [Grant]’s just found the exact right balance. … This spot that he finds himself in in Portland is kinda the perfect middle ground between those two [Denver and Detroit] situations, where he’s not the first option most nights ‘cuz everybody knows it’s still Dame’s show, but he can be that guy. That game against the Knicks, Dame was out in that game and he was able to do that. He’s had a couple of other 30-plus-point games this season. He had that game-winner against Phoenix. He’s been able to do that stuff, and he can do that from time to time when you need him to. So this is like the perfect spot for him.” 28:10-28:30: “In those Dame-CJ years, they never had a third guy half as good as either of those guys. … This is easily the most talented team that Dame has had since those LaMarcus-Batum-Wes Matthews-Robin Lopez teams.” Sponsor: Use code TBPN during sign-up at DraftKings.com to claim your free shot at millions of dollars in total prizes. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800- GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/LA/MI/NJ/TN/PA/WV/WY), 1-800- NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/KS/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/KS/LA(select parishes)/MI/NH/NJ/ NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. $200 in Free bets: New customers only. Min. $5 deposit. Min $5 pregame moneyline bet. $200 issued as eight (8) $25 free bets. Bet must win. Ends 1/8/23 @ 8pm. Risk-Free Stepped Up SGP: 1 Token issued per eligible game. Opt in req. Min $1 bet. Max bet limits apply. Min. 3-leg. Each leg min. -300 odds, total bet +100 odds or longer. Ends at start of final game of the 2022-2023 NBA Season. See eligibility & terms at sportsbook.draftkings.com/basketballterms.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the heels of a 2022 Western Conference finals berth, the 9-10 Dallas Mavericks are mired in mediocrity despite receiving historically brilliant contributions from superstar point guard Luka Doncic. Emmy Award-winning director Jason Gallagher, now head of production at The Old Man and the Three, triumphantly returns to shed light on what exactly isn’t computing.    4:38-5:14: "I believe that the shooting will improve, but I believe that the Kemba [Walker] move is a result of not having a second playmaker. Spencer is just not that. He is about as good as an X-Factor could possibly be, and that's what you want. That's where he thrived last year. But as a reliable sort of playmaking second option, I think that we're coming to find that he's just not the decision-maker that Jalen Brunson was. He didn't have the steadying sort of temperament that Jalen Brunson had." 12:23-14:02: "You kind of come to this conclusion of 'Why does this feel more frustrating than before? Why does this feel like a weird stretch?' Tim Cato tweeted that this is as about as down as he's seen Mavs twitter in a while, and I think the reason is obviously making the Western Conference finals increases your expectations, but I also think that there's a level of, you have a generational superstar and, as importantly, you have a core that you've invested a lot of time and a lot of resources to developing that still feels like a work in progress. … And I think that that is why fans probably feel frustrated. … I do think that a move has to come. I think anyone but Dorian Finney-Smith, honestly, I'm willing to say goodbye." 24:46-25:41: "The reason why you love this sport is that it's a puzzle, and if the pieces don't fit, they don't fit. Right now, they don't fit. … I mean you're seeing him insisting on staying in all of fourth quarters and things like that. You have to keep him away, like he will want to be out there for as long as he possibly can. I just think that, you know, if the shots start falling from those role players, the load gets way lighter on him, and then he starts playing better. That is the puzzle that you want to solve." 48:22-49:24: "What I find to be most fascinating, though, is building around a generational superstar in the modern era, and if the Mavericks have the wherewithal to really understand what that is. … How do you make Dallas an attractive destination? How do you build properly through the draft and then manage a team that wants to play with such a ball-dominant player? There's so many moving parts there. I really think that you kind of go Lebron-Heat/Cavs, and you kind of give them the keys a little bit. I know that sounds crazy, but it is a generational superstar we're talking about. You sell the farm and you get one to two big names and then the rest come dying to play." Sponsor: Use code TBPN during sign-up at DraftKings.com to claim your free shot at millions of dollars in total prizes. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800- GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/LA/MI/NJ/TN/PA/WV/WY), 1-800- NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/KS/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/KS/LA(select parishes)/MI/NH/NJ/ NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. $200 in Free bets: New customers only. Min. $5 deposit. Min $5 pregame moneyline bet. $200 issued as eight (8) $25 free bets. Bet must win. Ends 1/8/23 @ 8pm. Risk-Free Stepped Up SGP: 1 Token issued per eligible game. Opt in req. Min $1 bet. Max bet limits apply. Min. 3-leg. Each leg min. -300 odds, total bet +100 odds or longer. Ends at start of final game of the 2022-2023 NBA Season. See eligibility & terms at sportsbook.draftkings.com/basketballterms.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After an 8-1 start to the season that had some prognosticators pegging them as dark horse title contenders, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been hit with the On the NBA Beat curse and have lost their last four games. To help us get into the ins-and-outs of this enigmatic team, we've brought on Cavaliers expert and long-time friend of the show, Justin Rowan, host of The Chase Down Podcast. Justin takes us through what the off-season trade for Donovan Mitchell unlocks for Cleveland, the growth trajectory of young stars Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, and how he projects the Cavs to compare to the other members of the Eastern Conference elite this season and beyond. 4:45-5:39: “I think the floor of what you're hoping for is to avoid the play-in tournament. But I think they have more than enough talent to get home court in the first round, and that should be the goal. If you're talking about translating that to the postseason, I'm always going to give the benefit of the doubt to the teams that have been there. Experience matters so much … so I'm going to give the edge to teams like Milwaukee and Boston when it comes to the playoffs, but in the regular season I do think they are up in that tier." 7:11-7:56: “The biggest difference from Donovan Mitchell and what the Cavs probably would have been pre-Mitchell trade is Mitchell kind of combines a lot of what you were looking for from multiple players. Collin Sexton is a good scorer. He’s a very good scorer, and I think his passing maybe was a little underrated, but it’s not at the same level as Mitchell. A lot of the actions that they were probably planning on running for Ochai Agbaji… you can run for Mitchell, but you also have the added benefit of his playmaking, the volume 3-point shooting, the improvement on defense, which I think was one of the things they were banking on prior to that trade. The fact that he brings all of those elements into one player is a massive boost for the Cavs.” 23:02-23:14: “[Mobley]’s impact transcends the box score, where it’s just such great feel for the game. Defensively, the instincts are like Draymond Green with a 7-foot player.” 33:07-35:23: “I think J.B. Bickerstaff, this year is the year we’re learning probably the most about him. Because when he was an interim in Houston, they led the league in 3-point rate… Then you go to Memphis, and all of a sudden the narrative around Bickerstaff is ‘He’s allergic to shooting 3s’ and ‘He refuses to play young players.’ … He goes to Cleveland…he plays a ton of young guys, and now that there’s more talent, you’re starting to see more 3-point attempts. … Everything fell apart [last season], but the fact that he was able to adapt the game plan on the fly throughout the regular season and find success with multiple styles, to me, that’s indicative of a head coach who’s willing to adjust, who is willing to try to figure out what’s going to work.” Sponsor: Use code TBPN during sign-up at DraftKings.com to claim your free shot at millions of dollars in total prizes. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800- GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/LA/MI/NJ/TN/PA/WV/WY), 1-800- NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/KS/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/KS/LA(select parishes)/MI/NH/NJ/ NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. $200 in Free bets: New customers only. Min. $5 deposit. Min $5 pregame moneyline bet. $200 issued as eight (8) $25 free bets. Bet must win. Ends 1/8/23 @ 8pm. Risk-Free Stepped Up SGP: 1 Token issued per eligible game. Opt in req. Min $1 bet. Max bet limits apply. Min. 3-leg. Each leg min. -300 odds, total bet +100 odds or longer. Ends at start of final game of the 2022-2023 NBA Season. See eligibility & terms at sportsbook.draftkings.com/basketballterms.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last season's Memphis Grizzlies announced their arrival by earning the 2nd seed in the Western Conference and with the fifth-youngest roster in the NBA and proven success building through the draft and player development, there's no reason to believe their upward trajectory should not continue into this season. To discuss how this up-and-coming team can continue to bolster their franchise's history, we've brought on special guest, Molly Morrison, formerly of MadeInMemphis1, the most followed Grizzlies' fan account in Memphis. She takes us through the growth that led to Ja Morant winning the Most Improved Player Award and Zach Kleiman winning Executive of the Year and where the team can go from here. 4:06-4:55: “Ja Morant obviously is just the pivotal reason as to why you’re sitting here saying, ‘They’re not even an up-and-coming team. They’re kind of already there.’ So much of that does have to do with Ja's ability to attack the basket, along of course with his other skill sets… and just all the areas he's willing and working to improve in. … Just some of the things he does, I truly believe that I am excited to watch every single Grizzlies game in the regular season, which is not something I could always say because there will be some sort of highlight that just doesn't look like something a natural person would do.” 11:24-11:57: “They’ve been shooting better on a higher volume, which is extremely hard to do… and the whole team has done that. That really goes back to what I mentioned earlier with coach Taylor Jenkins realizing, ‘OK, guys. Our defense is going to struggle. … We need to stop shooting as many midrange shots. We need to either attack the basket or shoot from deep.’ And I think you’ve really seen that pay off with the Grizzlies.” 28:05-31:06: “Honestly, I think the best thing [GM Zach] Kleiman has done is not overthink it. … I feel like just his consistency to keep on drafting these guys that end up being able to produce at the NBA level so quickly is just really impressive. … The draft wasn't an exciting time for a very long time. … To shift the narrative into, we don't have to have a top 10 pick to get a really exciting guy. It's normal to be able to find a steal late first round or second round. It's a new world for Grizzlies fans, and I give him a ton of credit.” 36:11-36:53: “Taylor Jenkins has been a huge part of this team's success. I really think you mentioning him and Ja coming in at the same time, it's such an interesting way to look at it because these two guys have immense, immense respect for each other. … Above all else… I think a really underrated thing with coaches is having that relationship between the star piece… and the coach because you've seen that go wrong time and time when that respect isn't there.” Molly's column about how she grew her MadeinMemphis1 anonymous account into the most-followed fan account in Memphis, and why she stepped away. Sponsor: Use code TBPN during sign-up at DraftKings.com to claim your free shot at millions of dollars in total prizes. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800- GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/LA/MI/NJ/TN/PA/WV/WY), 1-800- NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/KS/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/KS/LA(select parishes)/MI/NH/NJ/ NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. $200 in Free bets: New customers only. Min. $5 deposit. Min $5 pregame moneyline bet. $200 issued as eight (8) $25 free bets. Bet must win. Ends 1/8/23 @ 8pm. Risk-Free Stepped Up SGP: 1 Token issued per eligible game. Opt in req. Min $1 bet. Max bet limits apply. Min. 3-leg. Each leg min. -300 odds, total bet +100 odds or longer. Ends at start of final game of the 2022-2023 NBA Season. See eligibility & terms at sportsbook.draftkings.com/basketballterms.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After their 2021-22 season ended with a first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies, the Minnesota Timberwolves retooled by trading for three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert in what many called the most surprising and impactful move of the offseason. They also re-emphasized their commitment to franchise cornerstone Karl-Anthony Towns by offering him a super-max contract extension worth $224 million. To help us assess how Minnesota will fare in the crowded Western Conference, we've enlisted the help of Derek James, former Timberwolves beat reporter for various outlets and writer of the By Derek James Substack. He'll take us through those two aforementioned big moves by the front office, the continued growth of Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels, and much more. 6:26-8:11: “It definitely struck me as a lot when the Gobert trade first went down and seeing all those picks (be sent to Utah) and then hearing Tim Connelly talk about how he feels like they probably maxed out their ceiling last year. … How are you getting even better and taking the next step there? I think that is really where this trade has pushed the Timberwolves. You could see them reasonably having home-court (advantage), at least in the first round. … A big, determining factor in where they finish is probably going to be how...other teams operate (with injury management). There’s a range of possibilities. … Other factors in this, too, could just be Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, some of these younger guys, also improving like we think they should.” 10:43-11:55: “I think with the Tom Thibodeau regime and the veterans that he would bring in…they were probably on the back ends of their primes, to put it generously. … Kyle Anderson can still contribute. Taurean Prince can contribute. I think even with Austin Rivers… you don’t really need much more from your fifth, sixth guard than that, just a veteran who came in and just knows where to be and what to do, but is still young enough to be a useful player. … This is the first time this team has actually developed players.”          12:30-13:45: “That’s the thing with Anthony Edwards: I have no idea what his ceiling could be. … Out of the box, he was fearless in getting to the rim. He knew he was built like a tight end going to the basket. That was never a problem, but I think it was really just getting that shot consistent. And if that gets more and more consistent, I don’t really know what his limits are.”  23:05-23:25: "Russell is going to have a great lob target [in Rudy Gobert], maybe somewhat like Jarrett Allen in Brooklyn, only a little better. So I think he'll make D'Angelo Russell look better, and I think there'll just be this effect on teams in the pick and roll, where they have all these different looks they can throw at defenses now." Sponsor: Use code TBPN during sign-up at DraftKings.com to claim your free shot at millions of dollars in total prizes. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800- GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/LA/MI/NJ/TN/PA/WV/WY), 1-800- NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/KS/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/KS/LA(select parishes)/MI/NH/NJ/ NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. $200 in Free bets: New customers only. Min. $5 deposit. Min $5 pregame moneyline bet. $200 issued as eight (8) $25 free bets. Bet must win. Ends 1/8/23 @ 8pm. Risk-Free Stepped Up SGP: 1 Token issued per eligible game. Opt in req. Min $1 bet. Max bet limits apply. Min. 3-leg. Each leg min. -300 odds, total bet +100 odds or longer. Ends at start of final game of the 2022-2023 NBA Season. See eligibility & terms at sportsbook.draftkings.com/basketballterms.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a grueling, injury-marred 2021-22 season, in which the Los Angeles Clippers clawed their way into the play-in games but failed to advance any further, the Clips have returned for NBA preseason with a clean bill of health and championship expectations. We’ve brought back our friend Law Murray, Clippers beat reporter for The Athletic, to help us delve into the team some are calling the deepest in the NBA. He discusses the highly anticipated comeback of superstar Kawhi Leonard, what to expect from John Wall, the task ahead for coach Tyronn Lue and much more in this in-depth conversation. 5:34-6:11: “We always talk about 'if healthy.' We always talk about that being such a big swing factor for all teams, but the Clippers, everyone's more sensitive because they're just waiting for something bad to happen. Well, this is a pretty injury-proof team. … This team is going to roll out talent every night; there's just too many guys.” 8:40-9:17: A head coach has to be able to be an effective communicator, with the media, with his star players, with his young players, with his veterans, with the role players who have those roles where they could play 30 minutes or 10 minutes in the same week. And That's where Ty [Lue] excels better than any other place. Ty can get his message across and Ty can keep guys together and Ty can get guys to play hard for him. That's where he's at in his tenure with the Clippers. It's a great spot to be in, but that's an earned spot to be in.” 18:05-18:33: “I think Kawhi has an even greater appreciation of where he's at. I think Kawhi has an even greater appreciation of the guys that he's doing it with. He's been much more open and much more engaging. … Kawhi knows that he's a great player with a finite amount of time to be great going forward.” 21:48-23:35: “John [Wall] said it himself…he ain’t gonna be Batman anymore, OK? And I don’t even think he’s gonna be a Robin…When John played for the Rockets, that was his age-30 season. It was the first time that he came off of not one but two procedures on his Achilles, on his heel. … John also had to deal with his heart too: losing his mom, losing his grandmom, losing his career, losing his original NBA city, all that. … Physically he’s going to be different. Emotionally, he’s a different person. Mentally, he said he needed help, and he’s gotten it, and we expect him to be supported over the course of the year. And with that in mind, the Clippers ain’t gonna roll him out there being like, ‘Hey, be the No. 1 pick John Wall, be All-NBA John Wall.’” 38:37-40:32: “Norm[an Powell] is going to be a great teammate. Norm has won a championship; he knows what it takes. Norm has improved parts of his game every year. … I can’t believe the Clippers acquired this dude. … He’s like the cheat code for them.” John Wall's Players Tribune piece: https://signature.theplayerstribune.com/john-wall-nba-basketball-los-angeles-clippers/p/1 Sponsor: Use code TBPN during sign-up at DraftKings.com to claim your free shot at millions of dollars in total prizes. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/LA/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXTSTEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA(select parishes)/MI/NH/NJ/ NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. $200 in Free bets: New customers only. Min. $5 deposit. Min $5 bet. $200 issued as eight (8) $25 free bets. Bet must win. Ends 10/17/22 @ 8pm. Stepped Up SGP: 1 Token issued per eligible game. Opt in req. Min $1 bet.Max bet limits apply. Min. 3-leg. Each leg min. -300 odds, total bet +100 odds or longer. Ends 1/8/23 @ 8pm. See eligibility & terms at sportsbook.draftkings.com/footballterms Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After two seasons of missing the playoffs, the Golden State Warriors are back on the main stage, making their sixth Western Conference finals appearance in the last eight years. Ahead of Sunday night's Game 3, they find themselves with a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Dallas Mavericks and are poised to make their return to the NBA Finals. Joining us for a record fifth episode is Andy Liu of the Light Years podcast, who never fails to bring both knowledge and passion to the show. 2:37-3:58: “In those comebacks, it was the defense that was great, but the Warriors rained 3s. It would just be left, right, Steph, Klay, repeatedly until they beat the other team into submission, and that’s not what it was last night. It was a lot of defense, of course…but it was just getting to the bucket. A lot of that is Steph, Klay and (Jordan) Poole figuring out, ‘Hey, we’re great shooters, but that’s not our first option anymore.’ That’s different from what we’ve seen with the Warriors. Everybody always wants to see Steph go dribble, dribble, dribble, step-back 3, but I think those are less sustainable in the postseason. It’s pretty cool to see a more experienced championship pedigree Warriors team kind of come back this way. It felt like more classic basketball versus the Warriors basketball that we’ve seen for a long time.” 6:13-6:38: “Luka Doncic is a traffic cone. Luka Doncic is amazing. He was damn near LeBron-like on offense Friday night with the way that he was making 3s and getting to the hole. But he doesn’t hold LeBron’s jock on defense. And he’s absolutely terrible. Andrew Wiggins was going at him, Steph was driving right by him, and this Dallas team is exhausted. They go seven guys, they have like two, three good defenders – none of them great – and the Warriors know that.” 20:48-22:30: “I’ve never seen (Poole) lose confidence yet. … You could say he’s already helped the Warriors win one game this series, and this was Game 2. He got to the hole, he made a few big 3s. That third-quarter run at the end and then the beginning of the fourth quarter, that was Jordan Poole. That was Poole, Wiggins, Otto (Porter), (Kevon) Loon(ey). Those guys brought the Warriors back and helped give that lead to Steph. … And that’s something also that the Warriors have never had. Even when KD was on this team, the minutes that Steph wouldn’t play were always terrible.” 28:22-30:23: [Steph Curry]'s been great at everything except the thing that he's the greatest ever at. Like his shooting has been down, he's shooting 80% from the free-throw line. Just weird. ... Outside of that, I would say physically he's as great as he's ever been. And he's also way smarter. ... I think right now if you're a Warriors fan, you can argue who's the best player in this series and people are gonna say, 'Luka this, Luka that.' Five minutes left, give me Steph Curry every single time." 37:36-38:08: "I don't want to say [Steve Kerr] stole the game with the defensive scheme, but he set the tone. He said, 'You know what, we're just going to run this scheme with 18 different coverages in Game 1,' and that's what set the tone on Luka, and they won that game because of that. They won that first game because of Steve Kerr." Sponsor: Use code TBPN during sign-up at DraftKings.com to claim your free shot at millions of dollars in total prizes. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/ /NJ/NY/ PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Min. $5 deposit required. Eligibility restrictions apply. See http://draftkings.com/sportsbook for details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors tied through two games of an intense Western Conference semifinal series, we're joined by Keith Parish, host of Grind City Media‘s Fastbreak Breakfast and Grits and Grinds podcasts, who provides insight from the Grizzlies' perspective. 3:47-4:17: “These Ja Morant highlights, 140 million people saw them, and that’s by far the most of any NBA player. So he’s becoming an absolute superstar. What he did in Game 2 was a little bit different. … The Warriors are probably kicking themselves with the way they covered him. They didn’t seem to understand that he wants to drive left every time. They didn’t seem to understand that the Grizzlies were really, really short-handed and had not their normal closing lineup out there, but they didn’t force the ball out of his hands.”   12:32-14:11: “A healthy [Desmond] Bane I think could do incredibly against Klay Thompson. I’m not that confident in Klay Thompson’s ability to defend, and the Warriors keep playing these lineups where if [Jordan] Poole and Thompson are both out there, those are two things that the Grizzlies can attack if Bane is healthy. ... If he’s healthy and we get the normal Desmond Bane, he’s this unbelievable weapon because when you start helping off of Ja, [Bane]’s just there and he’s such a deadeye shooter. … If he’s hurt like he was in the first two games, where he’s not a threat, he can’t even quickly load his shot like he normally does, [then] you can get away with having Klay Thompson check him. I know Klay Thompson is a historically great defender, but I haven’t seen the athleticism from him yet this season where I feel like this is the old Klay on defense, so I think that’s something the Grizzlies would hope to attack. But it’s the health [of Bane], and we don’t know. “         17:30-18:03: “I don’t think the Warriors showed incredible poise outside of a Klay Thompson shot in Game 1, and in Game 2 they looked especially frantic. And they’re also prone to turn the ball over, which is one of the matchups in the series that plays into the Grizzlies’ hands. Clearly I have a lot of fear and respect for Klay and for Steph in the clutch, but I don’t know how much overall that experience factor is gonna matter or decide the series. Of course, we could see Games 3 and 4, maybe the young Grizzlies come out shell-shocked in Golden State, but it’s not something I’m expecting.”  29:26-30:31: “We don’t expect the Warriors to shoot that poorly, like they did in Game 2, but some of it is a little bit calculated where Andrew Wiggins is being left alone to shoot; I know he has the ability to make shots, but it has felt like a pick-your-poison type thing, where they’re saying, ‘OK, you can shoot.’ ... Steph is the one you’re obviously terrified of at all times. He missed a ton of very makeable 3s, including one where Ja and Ziaire [Williams] got mixed up at the end of the fourth quarter and left him wide open. As far as Jordan Poole, he’s been a good huge problem and he’s gonna continue to be a problem for the Grizzlies. They just have to try to continue to contest him, not foul him and hopefully he doesn’t make too high of a number.”    Sponsor: Use code TBPN during sign-up at DraftKings.com to claim your free shot at millions of dollars in total prizes. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/ /NJ/NY/ PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Min. $5 deposit required. Eligibility restrictions apply. See http://draftkings.com/sportsbook for details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the Boston Celtics (arguably) improbably leading the Brooklyn Nets 3-0 in an opening-round 2-7 matchup, we're joined by John Karalis, host of Locked on Celtics, Celtics beat reporter for The Boston Sports Journal and author of The Boston Celtics All-Time All-Stars 5:07-5:45: Most importantly, defending at an extraordinarily high level; that’s what got them to this place. In this series, they are not letting Kevin Durant close out. They are not letting Durant get going and start to do all the things that Durant does. When the Nets are closing out teams, it’s Durant, just bucket after bucket after bucket, midrange after midrange after midrange. Unstoppable. In this series, they’ve frustrated the hell out of him, they’ve beaten him up, and he’s throwing passes to nobody now.”    13:51-14:54: “The switching has, I think, taken them out of their rhythm. And when Kevin Durant is out of rhythm, then the whole thing starts to fall apart ‘cuz Kyrie [Irving] plays off Kevin Durant, and it’s not the other way around. … I look at Game 3 and I say, ‘Bruce Brown got 19 field-goal attempts, and Kevin Durant got 11 field-goal attempts.’ And to me, that tells the story of the Celtics’ defense more than any of these other stats, the steals, the turnovers, Kyrie’s numbers, KD’s numbers. That one number: Bruce Brown had eight more field-goal attempts than Kevin Durant is everything you need to know.” 27:49-28:57: "Right now with the playoffs, everybody understands ‘Whatever works.’ And so if [Payton] Pritchard is the guy that comes in and can hit some shots, then great. … If the series needs shooting and Pritchard's the guy who's gonna be hitting the shots, then great. I think Derrick White is ready to play 40 minutes or four minutes, and at the end of the game he's gonna be happy if they get the win." 34:39-36:26: "I said Celtics in five because of that defense. … Pick your poison: Kyrie, terrible defender, especially in Game 3 when he has five fouls. Seth Curry, terrible defender. Goran Dragic, terrible. Blake Griffin, terrible. Now you have multiple guys on the floor and Kevin Durant is so worn out that he can't be the defensive presence, the rim protector that he's supposed to be. … I never saw Brooklyn with the ability to stop the Celtics. And I always saw the Celtics being able to kind of get whatever shot they wanted in switches against a heavily switching team like the Brooklyn Nets." Sponsor: Use code TBPN during sign-up at DraftKings.com to claim your free shot at millions of dollars in total prizes. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/ /NJ/NY/ PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Min. $5 deposit required. Eligibility restrictions apply. See http://draftkings.com/sportsbook for details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shamit Dua, host of the In the NO podcast, discusses the promising, young New Orleans Pelicans, whose vastly improved defense and deadline acquisition of guard CJ McCollum has them tentatively in a play-in spot. Shamit discusses McCollum's arrival, including what it's unlocked for star wing Brandon Ingram, before exploring New Orleans' new dual-big man starting lineup, Herb Jones' seismic impact on its defense and the team's prospects for the remainder of the season and beyond. Among other forward-looking topics, Shamit pays special attention to the franchise’s consequential upcoming summer decision regarding Zion Williamson’s future as its centerpiece. 2:10-2:57: "From the get-go, CJ has brought professionalism, leadership and just attention to the franchise in a way that it hasn't had before. ... It's the kind of leadership that the team has really needed. He's been producing at an extremely high rate. I think he's up to like 27 points per game as a Pelican. He's jelling well with the other players on the team, creating open looks and just all in all making the Pelicans offense that much more dynamic and that much more difficult to defend." 7:46-8:45: "I think you as an organization have to do everything you can to sort of sort this whole situation out, and if at the end of the day it doesn’t work, then you can say, ‘We did everything, we accommodated [Williamson] at every corner, and it just didn’t work out.’ So you don’t want to look like the negligent franchise that the media will inevitably try to paint you as if another superstar ends up walking. With regard to his extension, I think that’s gonna be a very fascinating question this summer because you look at how Joel Embiid did not play very much in the first couple years and he got a pretty conditional extension with a lot of injury provisions and whatnot. A lot of people are arguing that Zion should get something similar, and I think the Pelicans would be right to do that. But it's still a tricky issue. Do you risk alienating him further by putting that on the table? Or do you just kinda swallow the pill and offer the full max?     22:12-22:47: “I personally don’t see [the Williamson-Jonas Valanciunas fit] as a challenge. You look at Zion last year: He averaged 27 points a game, shooting 60 percent from the floor, and you had Steven Adams as the center. People said the Steven Adams partnership wouldn’t work. The Pelicans were a pretty decent offensive team, and Zion got whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Jonas is a much more talented offensive player than Steven Adams, just as good of an offensive rebounder, he can space the floor, he can draw doubles himself. If the Jonas and Jaxson Hayes lineups aren’t obliterating teams offensively, Zion’s just gonna take them to another level. So I don’t see there being a question of fit.” 33:35-33:54: “They would like to win; that’s why they traded for CJ McCollum. I think they view themselves as an organization that should be trending upwards, so making the play-in would be the right step. But I’m not sure there’s this ‘World is ending. Are we gonna blow the team up?’ or there’s dysfunction behind the scenes if those outcomes aren’t reached.” Sponsor: Use code TBPN during sign-up at DraftKings.com to claim your free shot at millions of dollars in total prizes. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OR/ PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Min. $5 deposit required. Eligibility restrictions apply. See http://draftkings.com/sportsbook for details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Caitlin Cooper, contributing writer for SB Nation’s Indy Cornrows, has experienced quite a memorable 2021-22 Pacers season so far. Although the team stands at 20-40 at the All-Star break, well below expectations, it boldly traded 25-year-old two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis, just days before the deadline, in a package that most notably returned super-talented second-year guard Tyrese Haliburton from the Kings. Caitlin discusses Indiana’s team-building process, why Sabonis was ultimately dealt, what Haliburton’s arrival means for Malcolm Brogdon’s Pacers future, why she’s excited about some of the franchise’s lesser-known youngsters, the magic of Lance Stephenson’s return, and that’s not even all. Enjoy some notable excerpts below: 3:33-4:15: "When you go from Sabonis to Halliburton, both of them have really good feel for the game, and they process what's out on the floor very quickly; it's just that you're doing it at two very different positions. Knowing that they were moving on from Domas, they were mainly going to be losing what he does as a hand-off operator, his roll gravity, interior gravity, his ability to generate side-to-side action. They don't really have any other bigs that can do that to the level that he does, but I think the thought process was…I don't think the Pacers have ever in my lifetime had a point guard the caliber, even just after seeing these four games, of what Halliburton can do in terms of no-look passes, pass fakes to shake help defenders and get guys open and get everybody involved." 13:43-14:40: "I think that the skill that has stood out the most to me…is just the way that he [Haliburton] can freeze defenders. I mean you don't notice it right away sometimes even. But then I've watched the games back and been like, 'Oh, the reason Terry Taylor was just so open in the dunker spot is because he used a slight hand fake over to the corner and that defender jumped and then that was open.' Or, he'll look in transition to the opposite slot and then throw it to Isaiah Jackson on the roll. He has a really nice fake little lob pass that he'll throw that can even open up the lob even further. … Part of what’s so exciting about his potential is that I can see areas that he can be better in in each of these games that we’ve watched, and then I’ll look and be like, ‘Oh, that was pretty close to a 20-20 game.’" 31:30-32:08: "It's really tough to explain, and I'm even from Indiana. I live it. I've watched Lance [Stephenson] play since back in the 2013-14 era when they went to the Eastern Conference finals, and it's even hard for me to fully describe what the connection is between Pacers fans and Lance Stephenson and just how every single time, even since he's come back, when he enters a game, you'll start hearing the crowd get excited, and it's because Lance is going in. Even more so than watching Sabonis as a two-time All Star, or even sometimes what the reaction has been with Tyrese Halliburton getting introduced. He’s said it before, it's like he gets superpowers when he plays with the Pacers." 42:49-43:11: “They do need to settle on, going into next season, exactly what type of defensive team they want to be because I don’t think they’ve really ever solved that. When they headed into the season, what Rick Carlisle said that he wanted to do for this team, his top two priorities were togetherness and defense, and before they made these trades, I’m not sure that they really accomplished either one of those two outcomes.”  Sponsor: Use code TBPN during sign-up at DraftKings.com to claim your free shot at millions of dollars in total prizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zach Weiss, host of the “Across the Cavs” podcast, is back to provide Loren an update, and boy, is it an exciting one! As the Cavaliers ready to host the 2022 NBA All-Star game, they just received word that Darius Garland will be playing in the showcase event for the first time. On the heels of an 11-4 January, Cleveland is still playing excellent basketball, yet not satisfied with its roster. In fact, one-third of the way through this very interview, Zach learned in real time that Caris LeVert was on his way to Cleveland to improve the already talented squad. Among other topics, Zach opines on the acquisition, the Cavaliers’ postseason chances and why their three-7-footer lineup has worked so well. 2:55-3:01 – “Garland’s All-Star selection basically says, ‘Yeah, we’re hosting the game. We’ve got players in the game. We are real!’ 14:39-14:55 – “Justin Rowan of the Chase Down [podcast] – we had him on Thursday of last week; this would be February 3. He was big on Caris LeVert, who proceeded to drop 42 points, including 20 on just one miss in the first quarter in Indy’s last game, so he’s an option as well.” (Not even two and a half minutes later, Zach learns that the Cavaliers did indeed acquire LeVert, so be sure to listen to his excited, real-time reaction from 17:29-17:51.) 21:02-21:17 – “We get a guy who can create, he has playoff experience from Brooklyn, he dropped 50 in the Bubble, he’s got a lot of talent, he’ll have good nights, he’ll have bad nights. But finally [much-needed help has arrived]! We talked about Darius [Garland] carrying too much weight.” 26:17-26:35 – “When you put him [Lauri Markannen] with two rim-protecting, mobile bigs, I think you scare teams. You go at them even if they’re ready for the fight. Not many teams have figured us out. The Cavs are 32-21, and that includes a five-game streak without their bigs, so they’re really 32-16.” 30:37-31:04 – “It’ll be Darius and Caris, which kinda rhymes. LeVertland. Vertland, Vertland! There we go. Vertland. So take the pressure off Darius now. And they’re not gonna have that much tape to follow us ‘cuz Lauri’s not coming back until after the All-Star break, so for now you’ll probably have LeVert and Okoro starting together. And so when you consider everything here, they’re only gonna have 15 games of tape probably to watch.” 39:59-40:34 – “I don’t see a weakness [with the Milwaukee Bucks], and they’re gonna have [Brook] Lopez back in the playoffs, even if he’s only playing 15 [minutes per game]. He was incredible last year when they needed him to be, and when he was out, you put in Bobby [Portis]. This is a scary team. I don’t care they don’t have PJ [Tucker]. I don’t know how we beat them. I could be wrong because I said the Cavs weren’t ‘this,’ and then on October 1, I said we were a 12th seed. In November, end of the month, maybe even early December, I said we’re not even a top-six. So don’t take my word for it, I guess, but the Bucks are the team I’m the most scared of, more than Miami, more than Chicago, more than anyone else in the conference. Anyone!”    Sponsor: Use code TBPN during sign-up at DraftKings.com to claim your free shot at millions of dollars in total prizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have officially crossed the halfway point of the NBA's 1230-game regular season and to celebrate the occasion and welcome our show back from its hibernation, Aaron is excited to present a special solo episode of his (subjective) power rankings of the league's 30 teams, organized into five tiers. Along the way, Aaron will also share his thoughts on a select number of teams and offer other interesting nuggets about the season so far. Sponsor: Use code TBPN during sign-up at DraftKings.com to claim your free shot at millions of dollars in total prizes. Subscribe to, rate and review On the NBA Beat on Apple Podcasts. Follow On the NBA Beat and your hosts Aaron Fischman and Loren Lee Chen on Twitter. Discover the rest of The Basketball Podcast Network at thebasketballpodcastnetwork.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Cleveland Cavaliers outperformed everyone's expectations during a blistering start that saw them near the top of the Eastern Conference standings and rookie Evan Mobley as the odds-on favorite to win the Rookie of the Year Award. Recently though, they've fallen on harder times with six of their top eight scorers, including four of their opening day starters and the aforementioned Mobley, missing time with injury. During the recording of this episode, we received even more bad news for the Cavs, that fourth-year guard Collin Sexton would be undergoing season-ending surgery on his torn meniscus. We brought on Zach Weiss, host of the Across the Cavs podcast, for this episode to help us weigh the good and the bad for Cleveland so far this season and provide his insight on where this young team can go from here. 3:35-4:02: “It’s clear they made the right decision to draft Evan Mobley and to pay Jarrett Allen. I think they can very much coexist. … Yes, [Mobley]’s hurt right now. He’ll be back. … When [Lauri] Markkanen, who should be back very, very soon, once they’re all together again, that three-7-footer lineup, I think it’s special. You don’t see other teams even willing to try that.” 5:04-5:24: “It’s important to kinda be realistic and say that there’s no chance the Cavs will be a top-six team by the time the year’s over. And so that being said, I think it’s all about the play-in. It’s about just trying to win as much as you can. There’s no more draft picks they need. You can only have so many young guys.” 8:09-8:55: “It was the Knicks game for me that stood out for Mobley. He had 26, nine and five… But Mobley was smooth, he was hitting clutch 3s, he was getting all the rebounds. He was taking one dribble from the corner, beyond the arc, and getting right to the basket. When you look at his averages of 15, 8, 2.5 assists, a steal, 1.6 blocks, the assist, steal and blocks numbers are kinda like a young Giannis. And he’s not Giannis. He’ll never be Giannis. There’s only one Giannis. But impacting the game as a 20-year-old defensively is not something many players do. That alone is impressive. I think the shot is a lot better than we expected it to be at this point.” 14:16-14:42: “For [Collin Sexton]’s career, I think this is the best thing, but for the Cavs, this is a mega, mega issue because while he’s been out, they’ve really struggled to replace his value. [Ricky] Rubio as a starter has not quite been the same player as Rubio, the backup. They’re gonna have to sign somebody or do something if they really want to compete this year because Denzel Valentine is not that guy.” 24:53-25:15: Coming in last year when we drafted [Isaac Okoro], it was only a year ago. Remember how weird last year was? And he came in with these expectations – lockdown defender who will figure out his shot. Surprisingly, Deni Avdija of the Wizards is pretty much a slightly more developed Okoro, is what it looks like right now.” 31:10-31:31: “Once players get back and everyone can get a defined role again, I think we’ll understand what they have. But it’s gonna be six or seven weeks before we actually know good the Cavs are. Whatever their record is, whatever their rotation looks like, if everyone that’s on the roster now is still there, there’s a lot that we’re gonna learn about them with No. 2 [Sexton] not playing again this year.” 38:32-39:00: “I think [head coach J.B. Bickerstaff] trusts his team, which is a great sign; not all coaches do. That being said, the fact that he can count on the five guys on the court at a given time to fix their own mistakes means that they have a good off-court relationship that they can kinda have that unspoken trust. I think he’s gonna be a great coach. He will be the coach that gets them their next playoff series win. Whenever that is, it’s gonna be J.B. Sponsor: Use code TBPN during sign-up at DraftKings.com to claim your free shot at millions of dollars in total prizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Year 2 of 20-year-old point guard LaMelo Ball’s NBA career, the Charlotte Hornets are playing with one of the league’s fastest paces while managing to score efficiently. Their successful high-octane offense has provided a breath of fresh air, although their defense ranks among the league worst and they’ve been plagued by long scoring droughts as well as other types of inconsistency. As a result, despite notable improvement from Ball and forward Miles Bridges and a healthy start from Gordon Hayward (not to mention his reliable production), the Hornets sit just a game above .500. Nick Denning, former editor at SB Nation’s At the Hive, breaks down what to expect from this enigmatic team that began 4-1 with three road wins, then dropped six of seven and has since won three straight, including a Sunday night victory over the then-11-1 Warriors. What can we make of this team? Nick will guide us through as we aim to determine that.   7:25-8:07: “Their offense, that’s why people watch them. It’s just how good they are offensively, it’s all the weapons they have, it’s the instinctiveness that LaMelo and others play with. He starts it, but everybody feeds off it, and head coach [James] Borrego really allows that instinctiveness. That’s what’s gonna keep them in games, and then those nights when they can play well enough defensively are gonna be the nights where they can pull off some wins and maybe beat some teams that they don’t really have any business beating.” 13:26-14:02: “You’re aware of just how underwhelming the Hornets have been for much of their existence, so to have a player like [Ball], just for what he does alone, it’s worth the price of admission. It’s worth planning your evenings around watching him because you know you’re gonna get a couple plays that just, they make me shake my head, and they make me just think that everything that’s come before this, all the missed draft picks, all the bad free agency decisions, maybe it was worth it if I can get a decade or more of watching this kid play for us and do these special things.’”    21:40-22:17: “The role [Miles Bridges] has this year was actually orchestrated at the end of last season. Basically, Borrego said, ‘Hey, we like what you did this year, but you’ve gotta take the next step, and that step comes with ball-handling. We want you to isolate more, we want you to be able take on defenders more yourself.' … I think [he’s such an integral part of Charlotte’s success] because the coaching staff looked at the roster and said, ‘Look, for us to improve next year or take the next step, Miles has to take the next step himself.’ He obviously bought into that. He attacks the hoop much more effectively than I’ve ever seen him do before.” 32:38-32:48: “It’s not flashy, and that’s probably why [Gordon Hayward] doesn’t get the attention that Bridges and LaMelo get, but he kinda holds things together.” 36:50-37:00: “I’ve come to realize through 14 games that this is who [Kelly Oubre Jr.] is gonna be. You just have to accept it and ride with it. No pun intended, but ride the wave.” 38:51-40:00: “Up until this point and probably for at least another season, [Borrego] is being evaluated on player development, at least primarily on player development. … Maybe not this year but definitely next year, that expectation is gonna shift from player development to winning, to making the playoffs and to competing in the playoffs.” Sponsor: Use code TBPN during sign-up at DraftKings.com to claim your free shot at millions of dollars in total prizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Golden State Warriors have made their triumphant return to the upper echelon of the Western Conference behind an MVP-caliber start of the season from their star, Steph Curry. On this episode, Andy Liu of the Light Years podcast has made a similarly triumphant return to this podcast to discuss his expectations for the team this season. 2:55-4:16: "I think they could make the Western Conference Finals. I think that's their upside, and, you know, when you're in that one series to get into the NBA finals, anything can happen, especially if you have Steph Curry.… I think the worst-case scenario is just Steph Curry being hurt and if that happens, I mean, all right, here comes another lottery pick, right? But other than that, I think this team is bare minimum what that team was last season. They're an eighth-seed, seventh-seed at the very least, and then they have the upside to be a Western Conference Finals team." 5:06-4:30: "The amount of love Steph got when the Warriors went 15 and 5 at the end of last season with no chance of actually winning anything, it was incredible. It felt like everybody loved him and he never got that same love when he was winning titles.… Steph is not a different player than he was in 2018 when they beat the Cavs.… He's the same guy, but because the Warriors in the last few seasons, especially the last one, didn't have a chance to win a championship, I think people are coming out the woodwork and saying, 'All right, it's safe now to love Steph.'" 13:02-13:41: "I think Jordan Poole has proved that he has a lot of talent, especially you saw at the end of last season. He has a lot of talent and he's the only guy on this team, even if Klay comes back, he's the only guy on this team that can get to the hole consistently. It's basically Steph, Jordan Poole, and maybe Andrew Wiggins depending on what he ate for breakfast that day.… If he's bad now, that's okay, you got to let him play through it. It's more about what he looks like in March at the end of the season when they're gearing up for a playoff run." 16:25-17:18: "[Wiseman] was put in a position to fail last season. Just quite honestly he was thrown into the fire and he wasn't given much to actually succeed.… They also had him running Steve Kerr's system where they were doing split cuts and intricate passing designs. When the hell has a 19-year-old ever been able to do that? That made no sense, and so he failed. He failed in those moments and I don't blame the kid. Now what I think was successful near the end of the season, they started to put him in pick-and-roll and have them just run to the rim and dunk the ball. That's it. He was getting more comfortable and then he tore his meniscus." 24:15-24:32: "They picked up guys [Otto Porter, Nemanja Bjelica, and Andre Iguodala] that knew their role, knew how to play basketball and weren't going to make mistakes and I think that's really what makes life a lot easier and what made Warriors basketball so much fun to watch and they're bringing that back this season." 29:05-31:28: "I don't think at any point Steve Kerr should be fired. I think Steve Kerr should be the coach of this team as long as he wants to be the coach of this team because he doesn't do anything that that really derails the team. He's not actively making the team worse, but he hasn't also made the team better these last few years.… This season, they put a very veteran-laden coaching staff around him. Kenny Atkinson was an incredible coach for the Nets, he's on the staff now. Ron Adams is still there. They brought in a couple of player development coaches, [DeJan] Milojević and another one from Toronto, Jama Mahlalela. I think that with those guys, it's made his life a lot easier." Sponsor: Use code TBPN during sign-up at DraftKings.com to claim your free shot at millions of dollars in total prizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Enjoy Aaron's one-on-one conversation with Bleacher Report writer Jake Fischer on his debut book, "Built to Lose: How the NBA’s Tanking Era Changed the League Forever." 4:47-5:23: “There was a long Google doc of probably 600 names of people that were this player and his agent and the player’s college coach and every single guy who was ever rostered by that team, guys who were in training camp. And then as you get on the phone with other people, you start to ask also, like, ‘Hey, now that we’ve talked for 20, 30, 40 minutes, and you kind of know who I am a little bit, know the work I’m trying to do, and just the honest conversation I’m trying to have, anybody you think you could put me in touch with that would help me further understand, add another perspective?’ Sometimes I’ll even ask for specific people.”     14:38-15:47: “For me, before I got into this more newsy space at Bleacher Report, at Sports Illustrated, I was working on “Built to Lose” for a long portion of my time there. I kinda developed a niche at SI of being someone who covered left-of-center stories, like I got coffee with Mike D’Antoni ‘cuz he’s obsessed with Starbucks. And my last thing I ever wrote for SI was a profile on Red Panda, so stuff like that. I realized from [those], I don’t really cover basketball that much. I kinda cover the people who work in basketball and things about the business of basketball and the ecosystem of the NBA. So it’s always been difficult, I think at times, to throw like a random question to somebody, but there’s a way to do it in a way that is interesting to them versus, ‘Here’s this total left-field subject.’ If you go at it kind of with humility and laughing at yourself…”     18:24-19:00: “I really do believe that every page has some type of new information that didn’t come out before, whether it was furthering a story that had come out previously or just bringing out a new story altogether. That’s a big goal of mine any time I write. I had a really great journalism adviser in high school named Greg Gagliardi, who I shout out all the time, who’s one of the people the book’s dedicated to. And he taught me back in my junior year of high school, maybe even my freshman year, if you don’t have something new, then you don’t have a story.”  30:11-30:50: “I really wanted to include the Lakers being that they’re the independent variable in all this, where they were the worst team in the league during the five-year stretch in which we cover in the book. And it didn’t matter. LeBron still signed there in free agency in 2018, Anthony Davis came soon after, they won a title. So I think that’s exactly why tanking does exist in these smaller markets. If you’re Utah with Donovan Mitchell, if you’re Orlando when they had Dwight Howard, Milwaukee with Giannis, Portland with Dame [Lillard], you’ve gotta get these guys through the draft and do everything you can to build a contender around them or else you’ve got no shot.”   35:01-35:11: “The worst team in the NBA was creating some of the biggest storylines and the most interest in its product, so I don’t see how it could’ve been viewed as a bad thing.” Sponsor: Use code TBPN during sign-up at DraftKings.com to claim your free shot at millions of dollars in total prizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah Todd, Utah Jazz beat reporter for the Deseret News and host of the Unsalvageable podcast, sheds light on last season's best regular-season team. How can the Jazz take their pre-playoff success and parlay it into a deep postseason run? 4:48-6:28: “I think it all has to do with versatility and health. Because if Mike Conley is healthy through the Clippers series, if Donovan Mitchell doesn’t have a bum ankle, then maybe the Clippers’ offense isn’t able to break the point of attack as easily as it was able to, which then causes problems on the switch, which is what caused so many problems for Gobert on the defensive side. It wasn’t that he wasn’t good; it was just that the perimeter gave him too much to deal with because they weren’t holding guys out. … Other teams have been exploiting that flaw of the Jazz’s for years. … As far as versatility goes, that’s what they tried to address in the offseason. They got Rudy Gay and Eric Paschall, both guys that can play small-ball 5 and can switch 1 through 5, are versatile defenders.” 12:50-13:06: “They saw firsthand last season how important health is once you are in the postseason and how much it can change things in a really drastic way. And so, in talking with some of these players over the last couple of weeks, they are more open to the idea of resting.” 14:42-15:10: “These are elite athletes. You’ve got two max players that the Jazz have completely built their roster around in Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. They want to be the best in their lane, and if there wasn’t any tension between them at all, I think that I would be really surprised. That’s not just for the Jazz; that’s on all 30 NBA rosters. There’s not an NBA roster out there where there aren’t quibbles among teammates, and I think that’s what this is.” 20:25-20:55: “His last season in Cleveland, some of the coaches started working with him on finding more efficient ways to play. They started trying to take and cut out some of his midrange game. And then when he came to the Jazz, they completely expedited that, and they say, ‘OK, let’s almost nearly eliminate the midrange game. You can shoot absolutely as much as you want.’ Jordan Clarkson wants to get buckets, he can get ‘em all he wants as long they’re from the 3-point line or at the rim. And so, they just let him loose.”   28:24-28:51: “When you have a season like they did last year, I think that pressure is eased a little bit because the front office is able to look at the health of the team and say, 'What was Quin [Snyder] supposed to do when he's got injured players?' If something like that were to happen again this year, again I think the pressure will be off, but if the Jazz go into the postseason completely healthy, basically no excuses, I think that raises the pressure a lot because then you start looking at the fact that he's been here eight years and they haven't been able to get past the second round.”   36:33-37:38: “The fact that [Jared Butler] dropped to 40 and they were able to get him, that was like Christmas morning for the Jazz. …His handle and his decision-making with the ball in his hands seem incredibly advanced for a guy coming in to his rookie NBA season. I've been really impressed with that. … He's also just a pure shooter. He has just a beautiful shot, and he has amazing range.” Sponsor: Use code TBPN during sign-up at DraftKings.com to claim your free shot at millions of dollars in total prizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gregg Popovich finds himself in an unfamiliar position after a quarter-century of coaching the San Antonio Spurs. For the first time, he’ll be tasked with leading a youthful group packed with promising but largely unproven players – a group projected by most to miss the playoffs by a landslide. In the offseason, the franchise parted with veteran mainstays DeMar DeRozan, Patty Mills and Rudy Gay, and months earlier, it bought out LaMarcus Aldridge’s contract. As a result, the youth movement is firmly here. And Popovich, 72, appears energized for his new challenge, expecting to lead a fast-paced team where playing time will be spread around generously. Project Spurs’ Paul Garcia, who also hosts the Spurscast and writes for Analyzing the League, spoke with OTNB to help preview the young team’s season and further describe the new dynamic. Discussing the youngsters, with special emphasis on Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell and Josh Primo, Paul gets us ready for San Antonio’s season to tip off in T-minus three weeks.     3:01-3:29: "This is a new thing for the city here in San Antonio and for the fan base, and it's kind of exciting…that it's a lot of young players and a lot of these players, they're gonna finally get the keys to the car. … Now all of a sudden it's up to Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Keldon Johnson, Lonnie Walker, all of these young players. It's their opportunity now to basically see how far can they go, what kind of level can they get to." 7:40-8:22: "(Popovich)'s excited because I think that for him it's a new challenge in the sense of he's never been in this situation, (at least) in a very long time where the expectations aren't there to become a playoff team or become a championship (team) like the expectations have always been for San Antonio. But instead it's learning, 'How can I help these young guys develop? Who might turn into a star down the road here?' … He’s also gonna change his approach. He already said because they’re young, because they’re quick, they’re gonna try to play fast.” 15:27-15:34: “Now that DeRozan’s actually gone off this team, they’re gonna have better, more athletic, more energetic type of defenders.” 26:51-27:21: “The date that I’m watching right now – and we’re all watching here in San Antonio – is October 18. Right now, the Spurs have 17 players on guaranteed contracts. So by October 18, they have to get their roster down to 15 players on guaranteed contracts. So they’re gonna have to either waive or trade two players. And when you look at this roster, you see a bunch of young players, and then you see those two veterans. We’re kind of watching in these next few weeks here before the season starts, ‘Is (Thaddeus) Young still on the team? Is (Al-Farouq) Aminu still on the team?’             32:17-32:53: “What you really saw from (Devin Vassell) was on the defensive end, just how good he is in anticipating passes incoming to an opponent, and he could get those steals, just really good about reading and providing help defense. … Now what was interesting to watch was how the team purposely wanted to see how he runs pick-and-roll in summer league, and so he got his opportunity – he played in like five games – and he did very well.”     36:02-36:26: "Whenever I get asked this question about who's gonna be the successor to Pop, I always say basically, in my opinion, that if Becky (Hammon) is not hired by anybody else, I think that she would take over as the next head coach whenever Pop decides to retire. … I really feel like she is the strongest candidate to get the job here." Sponsor: Use code TBPN during sign-up at DraftKings.com to claim your free shot at millions of dollars in total prizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Memphis Grizzlies, particularly outside of franchise cornerstone Ja Morant, haven’t received much national attention in recent years, but they increasingly should. They’re a fascinating youthful team that’s kept quite busy this offseason. According to Keith Parish, host of Grind City Media's Fastbreak Breakfast and Grits and Grinds podcasts, Memphis’ flurry of moves were designed to enhance the quality of the young core around Morant and power forward Jaren Jackson Jr., who missed all but 11 games with injury last season. But even though the front office’s eyes are trained on the future, Keith doesn’t expect a “big step back” this year. He touches upon the expected impact of the Jonas Valanciunas trade, why so much is riding on Jackson’s upcoming season, the gamble Memphis is making with regard to rookie Ziaire Williams and the team’s pair of promising 23-year-old shooting guards, among other timely Grizzlies topics. 3:50-4:37: “It was perceived that Valanciunas was kind of like a bridge. We traded Marc Gasol for him, and then he was gonna be this bridge into the future where eventually Jaren Jackson Jr. maybe bulked up enough to play the 5. But then last season, Jaren Jackson essentially misses the whole year, and the Grizzlies are competitive and good and he’s putting up these career-high numbers…and everyone’s like, ‘This is one of our building blocks.’ … The front office I don’t think ever thought this is a long-term piece. The ideal form of Jaren and Ja together probably doesn’t include Jonas at the 5. So when they had an opportunity to move him to pick up a future first-round pick and to move up in the draft to get the guy they wanted, they jumped at it.”    12:45-13:06: “I think he [Steven Adams] could fit really well alongside Jaren Jackson Jr. in a frontcourt. And I don’t think the Grizzlies are gonna take a big step back because even if Adams isn't a big part of the plans, just opening more time for Xavier Tillman, who came on really strong last season, and then Brandon Clarke. I think this team is going to be competitive once again.” 16:45-17:29: “Ja was the Grizzlies essentially, and we’ve seen it now both of the last two years, and the postseason and the play-in games last year; this guy scores 30 points per game when it matters. … I guess a question for Grizzlies fans: Is that something he needs to do more? Does he need to be more aggressive? Does he need to take on more of the offensive load? Dillon Brooks still leads the team in shots.” 23:19-24:30: “He [Brooks] is a bizarre, unique player, and he proved this season that he is an unbelievable defender. He’s an actual lockdown defender. … He hit his stride as a defender, which is what everyone was hoping for. … You don’t want him to be your No. 2 scorer. He’s been playing above his head because there’s been no one else. He’s the best guy at creating his shot in the halfcourt, and that’s a problem of roster construction. Ja is not that great in the halfcourt yet. Everyone else, it was like, ‘Alright, do we post up Jonas Valanciunas in the halfcourt or just basically let someone miss the shot and hope Jonas gets the rebound?”   29:17-29:33: “That’s the balancing act this team has been trying to do the last couple seasons. … ‘We want to be competitive but also be building toward a point where we are a contender.’” 34:41-35:28: “As long as you get some answers and some clarity about the young guys on your roster, if you identify which ones you’re gonna use going forward…I think that would be a successful season. You want to gain as much information as you can about the young guys and then based on that have a plan for what Year 4 of Ja is gonna look like and how you’re gonna use your resources and assets to bring in maybe another even better player and then really go for it once Ja heads into his extension.”  Sponsor: Use code TBPN during sign-up at DraftKings.com to claim your free shot at millions of dollars in total prizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices