Double Take

On the eve of the 2022-23 NBA Season, Alex breaks down the competitive layout in each conference, discusses who will take home each of the NBA awards, and makes his early 2023 NBA Finals predictions.

John and Alex are joined by NBA draft expert Eli Mallouhi to break down the biggest 2022 draft storylines. Who will the Magic select with the first overall pick? Which player has the highest upside? How good can Chet Holmgren be? Then, they go through a mock draft for the first 14 picks.

Eli Mallouhi joins John & Alex to recap the NBA Finals. They then get into a heated discussion about Steph Curry's legacy and his 2015 Finals MVP case, and wrap up by making early 2023 NBA Finals picks.

Alex shares his thoughts on the NBA Finals: how did Golden State win their fourth title in eight years? What went wrong for Boston? Then, he gets into legacy talk, breaking down where Steph ranks all-time after his greatest finals performance yet, and comparing this Warriors dynasty to the other NBA dynasties. Finally, Alex gives his way-too-early predictions for who will be crowned 2023 NBA champions.

Ahead of Game 1 on Thursday night, John and Alex dive into the 2022 NBA Finals storylines, x-factors, predictions, and the legacy of Steph Curry.

John and Alex mourn Miami's ECF Game 7 home loss to the Boston Celtics, the toughest Heat loss they can remember. They discuss what went wrong for the Heat, the greatness of Jimmy Butler, and consider what moves Pat Riley should make in the off-season to improve. Additionally, they give Jayson Tatum and the Celtics *some* credit for FINALLY punching their ticket to the finals while simultaneously throwing shade and discrediting them as frauds (just kidding (not really)).

John and Alex talk about Jimmy Butler's herculean Game 6 effort in Boston—47 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists—to force a Game 7 back home in Miami (1:02), before unpacking their thoughts, emotions, x-factors and predictions for game 7 (9:40).

John and Alex open the show by discussing Luka's historic game 7 demolition of the one-seeded Phoenix Suns (2:00). They then break down and make predictions for the WCF matchup between the Mavericks and the Warriors (17:20) before diving deep into a full Heat vs Celtics ECF preview (27:35) and making their picks for the series (46:48).

John and Alex return to the pod for the first round of the playoffs. They breakdown the Heat's gentlemen sweep of the Atlanta Hawks, discuss what went wrong with Brooklyn this year and if anyone won the Harden-Simmons trade, and then dive into the biggest surprises and best series of the first round.

John & Alex recap the NBA All-Star game, including a 50-point and 16 three-pointer performance from Steph Curry and LeBron's game-winning shot. Then they argue whether or not Anthony Davis is a top 75 NBA player of all time, and dive into the weekend of LeBron James narratives, with speculation about him returning to Cleveland for a second time, joining forces with his son Bronny in the future, and the Lakers' bleak title hopes. They wrap up the show with end of the season predictions for awards and finals picks.

John and Alex discuss the craziness of the 2022 NBA trade deadline. They give their takes on the James Harden for Ben Simmons blockbuster deal, and whether Philly or Brooklyn won the trade. Then the talk about the state of the player empowerment era and whether players jumping team to team constantly is good for the league. Finally, they talk about the depth of the eastern conference and list their winners and losers of the trade deadline.

John and Alex recap the Super Bowl LVI matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals. They talk the differing paths each team took to the big game, the final outcome, biggest plays, and Aaron Donald's case for the Super Bowl MVP. Then, they discuss the depth of the AFC over the coming seasons and give early predictions for who will meet in Super Bowl LVII in 2023.

John & Alex discuss the Brian Flores lawsuit against the NFL and the league's racially skewed hiring practices.

Alex is joined by Eli to discuss the Chief's shocking choke job in the AFC championship game vs. the Bengals, Tom Brady's premature retirement announcement, their five biggest takeaways at the midway point of the NBA season, and finally they select the 2022 NBA All-Star teams.

Part 2 of 2: Alex is joined by Eli to preview the 2021-22 NBA Season. They pick the top eight teams and two play-in teams in the tight western conference playoff, then they discuss conference finalists, NBA Finals picks, and NBA award predictions.

Part 1 of 2: Alex is joined by Eli to preview the 2021-22 NBA Season. They discuss the Kyrie-Nets-vaccination drama, the Simmons Sixers situation, and pick the top eight teams and two play-in teams in the tight eastern conference playoff.

1:38 Bucks Extinguish the Heat 16:16 Will the Lakers Bounce Back? 23:22 Dame vs. Joker 30:50 Can Luka Upset the Clippers? 37:14 Knicks-Hawks & Why Eli Hates the Knicks 48:35 Grit & Grind Grizzlies Return

1:32 Play-In: Success or Failure? 5:32 LeBron vs. Steph & LeBron’s Shot 10:34 Best East Matchups & Series Picks 21:36 Who’s Winning the East? 28:50 Best West Matchups & Series Picks 40:53 Who’s Winning the West? 44:07 Finals Picks & LeBron’s Path to Finals 50:10 Our 2021 Awards

2:06 How Have Star Player Injuries Impacted this Season 8:22 Will Nets Health Problems Affect Chemistry? 16:35 Victor Oladipo Injury Conundrum 20:15 East Playoff Race 23:44 Luka’s Comments on the Play-In 29:47 Phoenix Title Chances

1:22 LaMarcus Aldridge signs with Brooklyn 16:16 Lakers pick up Drummond 19:12 Bucks add Austin Rivers 21:22 NBA vs. NCAA Officiating 25:00 How are our March Madness brackets doing? 32:21 Dolphins blockbuster trades

1:05 Who won the trade deadline 5:23 Oladipo to Miami & Best Heat lineups 9:25 Raptors keep Lowry… WTF 12:28 Lakers lose big on Lowry 17:51 How the Orlando trades affect the Eastern Conference Playoffs 23:34 What will Aaron Gordon’s impact be in Denver? 25:38 Underrated trade: Portland gets Norman Powell 27:00 West playoff race and seeding 29:50 Takeaways from the trade deadline

0:30 Takeaways from All-Star Sunday Night 16:25 Blake Buyout 24:05 Regular Season Surprises 28:11 Heat Wave 30:10 Are We Changing our Finals Picks 39:33 MVP Ladder

John and Alex recap the NBA weekend and run through updates on teams trending up and down. 0:30 The surprise most fun team to watch 3:45 Milwaukee Bucks Rollercoaster season and win over Clippers 8:34 John goes Stephen A. on Alex 10:45 Clippers ready for title? 16:30 Heat Wave 24:30 The playoff-series hosting New York Knicks 31:30 The Lakers struggles and the sneaky most valuable Laker (hint: not Lebron/AD) 37:17 Jazz keep jelling

John & Alex debate which NBA players should make the 2021 All-Star teams.

John & Alex give their top 10 teams in the NBA after the first 25 games of the season.

On Super Bowl Monday, John and Alex recap Tampa Bay’s shocking victory over Kansas City (1:45), discuss Brady’s impact on the Buccaneers (11:43), consider whether or not Mahomes still has a chance to be the GOAT (16:23), evaluate Mahomes’s performance versus the Bucs (22:51), then jump to NBA talk to discuss Brooklyn’s defensive shortcomings (25:07), early MVP candidates (28:05), which teams should hit the panic button (36:11), and the Miami Heat’s disappointing start to the season (44:55).

John and Alex discuss the blockbuster four-team NBA deal that sent former MVP James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets. They also discuss where they were right and wrong in their preseason predictions after three weeks of the NBA season and finish with NFL playoff talk.

John and Alex are joined by Eli Mallouhi to unpack the NBA offseason and give a full preview of the NBA season. 2:04 Should the Heat trade for Harden 21:46 Who Won the Offseason 30:20 Who are the Sleeper Teams 44:00 Which Teams will Underperform 53:15 Finals Picks 71:50 MVP Picks 84:00 Fantasy Football Corner

On Double Take’s NBA Draft Special, John and Alex are joined by college basketball analyst and NBA Draft expert Eli Mallouhi to discuss the top prospects and their player comparisons, give a top 10 mock draft, and debate what the Milwaukee trades and Chris Paul trade mean for the NBA. 2:35 Did Milwaukee give up too much for Holiday? Are these trades enough to make Giannis stay? 11:14 Quick thoughts on potential Wall for Westbrook swap 12:36 How much better is Phoenix with Chris Paul? 16:40 How does Harden fit with Brooklyn? 22:17 Who should Minnesota take with the number 1 pick? 34:43 Why Wiseman is a perfect fit in Golden State 41:00 Charlotte Hornets Pick #3 44:03 Chicago Bulls Pick #4 46:14 Cleveland Cavaliers #5 50:45 Picks 6-10 57:06 Eli’s Top 10 Mock & Player Comparisons 59:02 Miami Heat Offseason Wishlist 74:49 Fantasy Football Corner

John & Alex return to discuss everything concerning the NBA Offseason: instant reactions to the Woj Bomb announcing Philadelphia’s hiring of Daryl Morey (0:33), the potential regular season start dates (14:37) the NBA Draft (23:08), potential stars that could be traded (31:34), and the five most interesting teams to keep an eye on this offseason (38:23). 0:33 Our Instant Reaction to Sixers Daryl Morey Hiring 10:25 Boston College Campus Update 12:04 NFL COVID Situation 14:37 NBA Potential Start Dates 23:08 NBA Draft Talk & What Will Warriors Do with #2? 31:34 Which Star is Most Likely to Get Traded? 38:23 Five Most Interesting Offseason Teams Will the Rockets Run it Back? How Can Sixers Get Better? What Can the Bucks Do to Convince Giannis to Stay? Potential CP3 Trade Do the Warriors Have Cap Room to Solidify Their Bench? How Can Brooklyn Maximize KD & Kyrie Title Potential? 58:35 Breaking Down the Depth in the West 63:39 Fantasy Football Corner

John & Alex wrap up the longest NBA season of all time by commending Commissioner Silver and the successful NBA Restart, discussing LeBron’s 4th championship, recapping a Miami Heat season for the books, returning to the GOAT debate, and previewing 2021 season. 2:12 Well Done Adam Silver, the Bubble Was a Success 4:33 LeBron Delivers a Championship to LA 11:00 Giving LeBron His Damn Respect 14:21 Reflecting on the Incredible Miami Heat Playoff Run 22:37 Top 5 Moments of the Heat Season 34:05 How Does this Win Affect the GOAT Debate? 46:13 Looking Ahead to Next Season 54:00 Our 2021 NBA Finals Picks

John & Alex discuss Jimmy Butler’s performance for the ages in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, breakdown how the Heat were able to upset the Lakers, and where the series will go from here. 1:43 Jimmy Butler’s All-Time NBA Finals Performance 19:40 How did the Heat pull off this win? 30:46 Let’s Slow Down on the Anthony Davis Hype 32:40 Can the Heat make things interesting?

John & Alex talk everything about the NBA Finals: storylines, matchups, keys to win for each team, potential surprises, ranking the players in the series, five fun facts about this year’s finals, and predictions on who will win the finals. 3:05 Pat Riley After 2014 Finals Loss - LeBron vs. Riley - LeBron vs. His Old Team, Miami - Riley vs. His Old Team, LA 7:15 Best Player vs. Best Team 10:35 Best Matchups of the Series - Bam vs. Davis - Crowder vs. Davis - LeBron vs. Butler - LeBron vs. Iguodala 17:50 Keys to Win the Series for the Heat 25:30 Keys to Win the Series for the Lakers 30:45 Potential Surprises During the Finals 37:17 Ranking the Top 10 Players in the Series 45:00 Five Fun Facts about the 2020 NBA Finals 49:00 John’s Finals pick 53:00 ALEX’s Finals pick

0:40 Miami Beats Boston in 6 & Advances to the NBA Finals 10:32 Exposing Old Takes & National Media Coverage of the Heat 17:13 Bam is a Superstar 18:40 How D-Wade is Still Contributing to the Heat 23:45 How the Heat Rebuilt a Contender from Basketball Purgatory 29:00 LeBron Makes His 9th Finals Appearance in 10 Years

1:25 Anthony Davis Game-winner & Is Denver Done? 14:00 Should Heat Fans Be Worried? Game 3 Takeaways Game 4 Keys 31:38 Why Are These Injuries Happening in the NFL? 34:40 Fantasy Corner 39:55 Sayf Bets of the Week

John & Alex break down the Game 1 overtime thriller of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Clippers Game 7 choke job against the Nuggets, and the Western Conference Finals matchup between the Lakers and the Nuggets.

John & Alex discuss the Denver Nuggets’ shocking comeback against the Clippers in Game 6 to force their second straight Game 7 after being down 3-1 this postseason (1:50), then they each give a gameplan and keys to winning the series for their respective Eastern Conference Finals picks (7:30), and wrap up the episode with their thoughts on Coach Mike D’Antoni opting not to re-sign with the Rockets (24:15), and Fantasy Football Corner (28:22).

John & Alex rave about the Miami Heat making their seventh Eastern Conference Finals in 15 years after beating the number-one-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. Then they talk about where the Bucks went wrong, the Lakers’ Game 3 victory over the Rockets, if the Nuggets can bounce back after their loss to the Clippers, the Sayf Bets of the Week, and more.

John & Alex talk the two bizarre Game 7s in the Western Conference First Round and also break down the couple of surprising 2-0 leads in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals.

John & Alex discuss the horrific police shooting of Jacob Blake and the NBA players’ strike in the Orlando bubble. They cover the Wednesday night meeting of the players, coaches, and executives of the remaining 13 playoff teams, and consider where the players, coaches, and owners will go from here in order to make an impact on the racial injustice and police brutality in America.

John & Alex talk LeBron’s return to peak playoff form (3:58), Luka’s legendary shot against the LA Clippers (10:08), Chris Paul leading the Thunder back to tie their series against the Rockets (23:00), where Donovan Mitchell ranks in the NBA after his historical series versus the Nuggets (31:24), preview the Raptors-Celtics and Bucks-Heat eastern conference semifinal matchups (39:24), and give their “Sayf” Bets of the Week (57:58).

After four days jam-packed with intense bubble playoff basketball, John & Alex recap by discussing their biggest overreactions to the first two games of each series, considering Dallas’s chances against the Clippers, creating an offseason gameplan to fix the Sixers, raving about the Heat’s 2-0 lead of the Pacers, and offering their “Sayf” Bets of the Week. 1:25 Masai Ujiri Security Guard Cam Footage 5:06 Biggest Overreactions to the First 2 Playoff Games 16:00 Will the Mavericks Beat the Clippers? 23:12 What Moves Should the Sixers Make this Offseason? 36:26 Miami Goes Up 2-0 vs. Indiana 45:40 Sayf Bets of the Week 48:18 Game 3 Predictions for Every Series

John & Alex give discuss and debate the 10 most interesting teams heading into the playoffs and then each give their full brackets and predictions.

John & Alex conclude the bizarre 2019-20 NBA regular season by awarding the Most Valuable Player (2:20), the All-NBA Teams (20:20), the Defensive Player of the Year (35:36), the Coach of the Year (38:40), the Rookie of the Year (44:40), the Most Improved Player (50:19), and the 6th Man of the Year (57:32).

2:40 Luka Ceiling & Player Comparison 12:55 Why have the Suns been so Successful in the Bubble? 21:55 Damian-Clippers Beef 28:12 Our Take on a Hot Take: Skip Bayless “Not Buying” Dame Time 31:27 Should the Sixers Split up Embiid & Simmons? 42:57 Miami Heat Bubble Assessment 46:36 “Sayf” Bets of the Week 49:00 The Waiters Island Heat Check of the Week

Alex and John express their excitement with the NBA restart as they discuss and debate the first two days of games in the Orlando Bubble. 0:00 Initial Feelings about the Return 5:26 Miami Blowout vs. Denver 8:04 Lakers vs. Clippers Part 4 17:11 Did Giannis get Bailed Out? Do the Celtics have an Answer for him? 23:26 Dallas vs. Houston Shootout. Can Mavs Make a Deep Playoff Run? 30:46 Should the Pelicans Give Zion More Minutes? 37:37 Blazers vs. Grizzlies Overtime Thriller 43:20 Performance of the Week 45:56 The “Sayf” Bets of the Week

On the eve of the NBA Restart in the Orlando Bubble, John and Alex discuss who they think will win the title, which teams will emerge as dark horse contenders, if the 2020 championship will have an asterisk on it, and which player’s legacy will benefit the most from an NBA title. 2:13 Good Cop, Bad Cop: Lou Williams 8:23 Who will Win the 2020 NBA Title? 20:00 Dark Horse Contenders 35:23 Will There Be an Asterisk on this Year’s Championship? 40:20 Whose Legacy Would Benefit the Most from a Ring? 46:38 The Western Conference Race for the 8-Seed

John and Alex discuss the news, developments, and drama in the Orlando NBA Bubble, and then give their list of the 10 greatest teams of all time. 1:30 NBA Bubble Talk 13:42 The 10 Greatest Teams of All-Time

After watching ESPN’s “Backstory: The Decision,” Alex & John revisit LeBron’s 2010 free agency, its impact on the NBA, and how it has aged after a decade. They also discuss the release of the NBA’s restart schedule and how teams’ strength of schedule will affect playoff seeding and awards. 2:10 Revisiting “The Decision” & the Player Empowerment Era 22:30 Comparing “The Decision” to 2014 “I’m Coming Home” 26:50 Comparing “The Decision” to 2016 KD move to Warriors 32:52 NBA Releases 8-Game Regular Season Schedule 33:20 Will Miami’s Tough Schedule affect Playoff Seeding? 36:50 Grizzlies v. Pelicans & Ja v. Zion

Alex and John debate their rankings of the top 10 NBA players of all-time.

John and Alex talk about Kyrie Irving's pushback to the league's return proposal and if the NBA comeback will diminish or benefit its players' ability to bring about social justice.