ShotTakes

The haters and losers thought ShotTakes was dead—SAD! After a quick half season of load management, we're here to dish on the 2022-23 NBA season: praise, scorn, predictions, and more. We went all around the league in this episode (taped Tuesday night) but stay tuned for a follow up that focuses on one luminescent team that will drop tomorrow....

We're back on the air and pleased to welcome a guest host who actually knows what winning basketball feels like: Spurs insider Elliott Soler. Lots of talk about the state of the Spurs, the Dejounte Murray trade, and of course the other blockbuster deals of the summer. 

The Finals are knotted 1-1 after an intriguing two games in San Francisco. We react to what we've seen so far and meander into broader, more irrelevant conversations as we always do. 

The Finals tip off on Thursday night, so it's time for Scott and Jesse to empty their notebooks on the Warriors-Celtics matchup, the NBA's obvious lack of COVID-19 protocols enforcement, "manifesting" vs. "resolutions," and other important subjects. Tune in for a deep dive on what we hope will be a great Finals.

The FULL four-person ShotTakes lineup is BACK to talk all things 2022 playoffs! It seems like we're hurdling towards a Warriors-Celtics Finals....right? We discuss the Heat's chances to pull out an improbable ECF win and the outlook for the Finals on tonight's full-strength episode of ShotTakes.

Scott and Jesse bring that famous #PlayoffIntensity to talk Suns' collapse, Luka Legend, the playoff genius of Jimmy Butler, replay review (so many replays), and more in a postseason edition of ShotTakes. 

The NBA's megastars are the subjects of many debates: GOAT, MVP, Top-10, First Team All-NBA, etc. etc. But there may be more to unpack in the next tier of players, who we're calling the "sub-superstars." Who's knocking on the door of true superstardom? Which up-and-comers are winning players, and which are stat-stuffers who haven't proven enough quite yet? In this episode, Scott and Jesse examine the ranks of the 11th to 25th best players; next time, they'll rank them and see where their lists diverge. Enjoy!

It's our favorite holiday: the NBA trade deadline. We've got reactions to the Harden-Simmons deal and all the other transactions in this premium episode of ShotTakes.

After a brief discussion about how Andrew Wiggins' All-Star selection threatens NBA (and American) democratic legitimacy, Scott and Eric center the episode on this podcast's founding premise: basketball and the law. Which NBA players would make the best—and worst—prosecutors, litigators, legal partners, judges, and fixers? Tune in for our expert* opinions.   *under Frye but not Daubert

Scott and Eric run the two-man game and get literary in tonight's episode. Inspired by the release of Chris Herring's Blood In The Garden, we cover book-worthy teams, the best sports volumes we've read, debate which modern players would fit Pat Riley's 90s Knicks, and reminisce on the best teams never to win a championship. And if you haven't heard, the Lakers are a disaster—but it's not Frank Vogel's fault. 

Kyrie Irving: the most skilled point guard of all-time? Klay's return: bigger than Christ's resurrection? The Grizzlies: on their way to a string of NBA titles? All possible if you allow your mind to enter the sacred Hyperbolic Chamber—a level of consciousness only brave souls (and true hoopers) have achieved. Those discussions and rank speculation about which NBA figures and organizations should be criminally investigated (looking at your draft pick laundering scheme, Sam Presti) all on tonight's enlightened episode of ShotTakes.

Happy 2022! We start off the new year by manifesting some NBA storylines we'd like to see blossom as the calendar turns. And we resolve to record *slightly* more often for the rest of the season! (low bar but the key to any good resolution is to set reasonable expectations)

Yes, you read this correctly: ShotTakes is BACK, BABY! Notes on the resolution of the 2020-21 season, critiques of the offseason, and observations on the early action since the restart. Enjoy!

Despite LeBron and Mark Cuban's doubts, the play-in tournament rocked. (Shoutout Evan Wasch, who definitely isn't getting fired.) We unpack the dynamics and future of the qualifying round before delving into the opening playoff action—apologies to the Clippers, but hey, don't let us raise your concern level above "no!"

Eric blows our minds with some previously unimaginable personal news, then after readjusting our views of the world in response, we turn to the NBA's home stretch. While there's no doubt the action has been marred by injuries, tanking, and load management in recent weeks, the seeding races in both conferences promise an intriguing finish to this unique season. 

One of the most ridiculous figures in modern American history, Mr. Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez, is set to be the next owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves/Lynx, and we could not be happier about it. Scott and Eric are here with everything you need to know about A-Rod (you're welcome, Anthony Edwards), from his baseball career, scandals, improbable resurgence, and very recently terminated relationship with pop icon Jennifer Lopez. This is a new day for the NBA and we welcome A-Rod and all his absurdity to our beloved Association. Finally, we reflect on the sudden retirement of LaMarcus Aldridge and look back on his outstanding career. Tune in, and remember: you always want even leads versus odd leads. Why? The solo home run doesn't tie it, and the grand slam does not beat you. Keep it simple. 

After some high-level brainstorming about how to get The Big Boat out of the Suez Canal, the gang digs into the action and inaction at this year's trade deadline. We can debate the winners and losers until the cows come home, but one thing is clear: do not, under any circumstances, watch a Magic game for the rest of the season.    Send marine salvage ideas to @ShotTakes or shottakes@gmail.com.

Catching up after a brief All-Star break of our own (get it, we are "all stars"), the guys recap All-Star Sunday, assess the Hawks decision to replace Lloyd Pierce with top assistant Nate McMillan (to fantastic early returns), and look at some of the DEALS that have gone down/might go down before next week's trade deadline. Tune in and remember: not everybody can be a small ball five. 

For the first time since the infamous Jimmy Butler + third-stringers practice, Minnesota became the center of the NBA universe this weekend: Anthony Edwards threw down the dunk of the year, and the team raised some eyebrows by firing coach Ryan Saunders and immediately replacing him with Raptors assistant Chris Finch, passing over Wolves assistant David Vanterpool, among others. As is tradition, more feathers were ruffled when the NBA dropped the full All-Star rosters (though some feathers were unruffled when Devin Booker was announced as Anthony Davis' injury replacement). Finally, we make history with the inaugural version of an exercise nobody asked for: the Theoretical Players Draft! You know that version of a player you keep hearing about, but haven't seen for whatever reason? They might appear on one of our "mind's eye" squads. Tune in for the full picks.

If you've been listening to our competition (waste of time, but that's not the point), you've probably heard the same narratives over the past few weeks: "nobody's playing defense," "this team doesn't deserve multiple All-Stars," "that guy's team isn't good enough for him to be in the MVP race," etc. We unpack all of these and more, starting with Draymond Green's impassioned commentary on the unequal dynamic between team and player power. Tune in for #truth. 

On the one year anniversary of the helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant, and seven others, we revisit the surreal nature of that day and pay tribute to the victims. Then, we take stock of the new look Nets, who have won four of six since acquiring James Harden but clearly have a lot of work to do on the defensive end. Finally, we assess the early returns on other notable acquisitions who are impacting their teams in good and not so good ways. Tune in.

Sustainability is one of the most important abilities—it's even a U.S. government value again! Scott and Eric join on the first full day of the Biden Administration to weigh in on which early season outliers—good and bad—are built to last. Remember: science is real, even if the Cleveland Cavaliers' defense isn't. 

James Harden pushes the Houston Rockets to a breaking point, and the team ships him to Brooklyn in a four-team blockbuster that sends Caris LeVert to Indiana, Jarrett Allen to Cleveland, Victor Oladipo and a boatload of draft picks to Houston, plus more. The Nets bring in one mercurial superstar the same week philosopher-king Kyrie Irving goes AWOL (seemingly violating COVID-19 protocols during his sabbatical), making the team's attempt to form a three-star marriage all the more volatile. Oh, and the NBA is desperately trying to keep the season going in the midst of a deadly pandemic that shows no signs of slowing down. 

We've got two weeks of regular season basketball to recap (after a brief pizza debate, of course). Who looks good, who looks bad, what we like, what we hate, you know the drill. 

They're baaaaaack! Warriors-Nets was a dud but the rest of the NBA's opening week slate holds many tantalizing matchups both on Christmas Day and beyond—let's be honest, we're all elated just to have basketball back regardless of who's playing. Plus, a deep dive on the James Harden situation, his trade prospects, and a never before reported ShotTakes insider story from 2012 on Harden's recreational habits that now seems prescient [eyes emoji]. Tune in to hear the sauce—and happy holiday season from the ShotTakes family to yours! Stay safe.

The irreversible tide of cannabis legalization is sweeping across America and the National Basketball Association as the U.S. House of Representatives votes to OK pot at the federal level and Adam Silver suspends random marijuana testing for at least this season. Plus, Giannis agrees to the five-year, $228 million supermax extension to remain in Milwaukee and, oh, yeah, we assess the entire Western Conference. Tune in and remember: two-thirds of Americans support legalizing it. 

The small lineup is here to kick off the fourth season preview of the ShotTakes Era with a look at this year's Eastern Conference. Can the Heat back up their remarkable showing in the Bubble by defending the conference crown? Has Milwaukee made the upgrades necessary to reach the Finals—and earn Giannis' commitment? Who else can stake a plausible claim to contention? And which other feisty squads, well, are worth talking about? Believe it or not, there are less than three weeks until Opening Night—so there's not time like the present to tune in for our perspectives on all the above.   Stay safe, everyone.   

We're used to dramatic offseason developments in the NBA, though not necessarily during November nor condensed into an action-packed week that saw the draft, free agency, trades, failed trades (plus investigations?), and even an audience with Pope Francis for a delegation of NBA players. We've got the full starting lineup here with thoughts on all the above—tune in!

The NBA offseason is in full swing: the draft has been completed, trades are flying left and right, and free agency is set to begin in less than 24 hours. We've got reactions, analysis, and speculation on all of the above—tune in.

We want Joe Biden—NEED JOE BIDEN! Also it's about time ShotTakes mentions the 2020 NBA Finals and the outlook for a very unorthodox 2020-21 season. Thanks for hanging with us—it's great to be back! 

The NBA's Orlando bubble has been a smashing success, and now it's time for an unlikely Finals in more ways than one: an October showdown between LeBron & AD's Lakers and the ascendent Miami Heat enable cast. We recap how the two teams earned their spots in the championship round, and shoutout and/or roast the squads they downed on the way to the Finals.    Welcome to title season.

We've got lots of game action to discuss and preview, but first, a conversation about the games that weren't played on schedule: the Bucks' refusal to take the floor in protest of the Jacob Blake police killing sparked a wildcat strike that yielded major results, both in the commitments NBA players were able to secure from the league as well as powerful demonstrations that reverberated throughout the sports world and beyond. We fully support the players' actions and are proud to be loosely affiliated with this sport. Plus, a look at the two Western Conference first round Game 7s (one of which has already concluded) and a preview of the conference semifinals. 

Black Lives Matter.

The 2020 NBA playoffs are finally underway and they are spicy—at least in the Western Conference. We empty our notebooks on Luka's scintillating playoff debut, the sluggish Clippers, a tight Rockets-Thunder matchup, Donovan Mitchell's torching of Denver (NOTE: recorded prior to the Nuggets' G5 win), the Lakers finding their footing, and....the sweeptastic Eastern first round. Tune in to catch that August basketball fever.

Playoff basketball is underway and we are HYPE to dive into each of the first-round matchups....okay, maybe not Bucks-Magic or Raptors-Nets. Definitely all the other ones though! But first, we pay tribute to the Suns' remarkable 8-0 bubble performance and Damian Lillard's heroics that denied Phoenix a spot in the play-in game despite their shocking play. Let's GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

After many not-so-coy allusions to betting lines and over/unders in prior episodes, ShotTakes finally steers into the skid of degeneracy and dedicates the entirety of the program to gambling talk. We've got Brother of the Pod, longtime podcast financier, and America's most transparent sports gambler Ryan Lynch here to offer his finely tuned playbook on how to beat the house (sometimes) and bets to watch for in the upcoming NBA playoffs. (NOTE: any tips dispensed by Mr. Lynch on this program do not constitute financial advice on the part of ShotTakes, LLC and should not be relied upon to generate income, etc.)

Following the soap opera of The Bubble's initial weeks was entertaining, but now we get the real show: actual, regular season, NBA basketball games! The league returned to official action last Thursday, and we jump on the air to offer our thoughts on the unique environment, quality of play, standout performers, and social justice demonstrations that have marked the first week of play (aka The T.J. Warren Era) in Orlando. 

ShotTakes often shouts out the WNBA in passing but, candidly, we've been negligent when it comes to giving the league its proper due over the years. So in this episode, it's all women's basketball all the time—and we have just the special guest for the occasion. We were honored to (finally!) welcome former Penn State Lady Lion Sarah McMurtry to the program to discuss her experiences in the women's basketball ecosystem and offer her perspective on the significance of the WNBA for girls across America. Plus, a look at the 2020 WNBA season, which kicked off over the weekend at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida and features a heavy focus on Black Lives Matter + the broader social/racial justice movements. Tune in for a long overdue discussion! 

We're just over a week from the NBA's return, and while each of the 22 teams only has eight regular season contests on their slate, there's still plenty left to be decided in those games. We ran through the teams, players, matchups, playoff races, and miscellaneous storylines we've got our eyes on when the season picks back up—spoiler: the Sixers are mentioned. Plus, Zion leaves the bubble for a family matter (best wishes to him/them), Dwight Howard says some dumb stuff (who could have guessed?), Elena Delle Donne pens a powerful essay about her struggle with Lyme disease (take that, WNBA), and a wonderful announcement from Jrue & Lauren Holiday (#BLM). Tune in!

The NBA is hunkering down in Walt Disney World ahead of the league's scheduled July 30 return to play, and we are BACK on the airwaves to talk all things bubble. But first: we are very pleased to announce that ShotTakes has officially added former Charlotte and current Chicago correspondent Jesse Poljak to the rotation for the remainder of the season (with a mutual option for 2020-21....or whenever the next season is played). Big welcome to Jesse, who we're thrilled to have in the lineup on a full-time basis. Let's hope the NBA returns according to plan [fingers crossed].

ESPN's 10-part series on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls dynasty has reached its conclusion, and we don't know what to do with ourselves now. Tune in for our thoughts on how the series wrapped up.

What better way to celebrate Mother's Day than dedicating two more hours to studying the greatness of Michael Jeffrey Jordan and the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s? We've got takes on Jordan's first retirement, his sojourn into professional baseball, MJ's notorious ferocity, Scottie Pippen's infamous "1.8 seconds" moment, and more. Plus, Scott takes a break from roasting Hassan (eventually) and turns his fire on a new sworn enemy: Jerry Reinsdorf. 

Much like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were fueled by their contempt for Bulls GM Jerry Krause, ShotTakes feasts on the near-daily scorn we receive from our #1 critic: the Enemy of the Podcast, Mr. Hassan Halim. To maximize the success produced by this adversarial relationship, we invited Hassan on for this week's Last Dance breakdown. Tune in!    

The squad is back to break down parts 3 and 4 of ESPN's The Last Dance. (Spoiler: Dennis Rodman did some crazy shit.)

ESPN dropped the first two episodes of The Last Dance on Sunday night. We have thoughts about it. You don't have anything better to do. So tune in. Thank you. 

With the 2019-20 NBA regular season virtually over, it's as good a time as any to hand out our awards for this strange, truncated year. The MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year honors were predictable sweeps, but we got into some intriguing debates when it came to Sixth Man, Most Improved Player, Coach of the Year, top executive, and All-NBA teams. Tune in for a heady recap of perhaps the strangest season in NBA history—but one that we truly hope is not over, yet. 

As the NBA's coronavirus sabbatical continues, we've tapped our creative juices in order to fill the content void. Tonight, we drafted our post-lockout (2011-12 to present) "dream teams" in an episode that was equal parts parlor game, theoretical debate, and journey through some of the great performances in recent NBA history. Rules:  Each team drafts a starting five, two bench players, a coach, and a home court The team must be comprised of players and coaches from the 2011-12 NBA season to the present (snake draft) We are drafting specific player-seasons for which we believe the drafted player was at his apex (Example: in a 1990s draft, the first pick might be 1996 Michael Jordan, followed by 1993 Charles Barkley, 1994 Hakeem Olajuwon, etc.) No need to pick individual coaching seasons, unless you are really inspired by somebody’s work in a particular year. The home court can be located in any climate-controlled facility on Earth where an NBA-sized floor can be installed and spectators can attend (post-corona, of course) Every player is eligible to be drafted only once (e.g. in the above hypo, once 1996 Michael Jordan is selected, all other versions of Michael Jordan are off the board) No strict positional requirements, but your team should comport with traditional notions of fair play and roster balance (fluid and responsive to emerging community standards and scientific studies) In order to work some concept of “role players” into the exercise, your two bench players cannot have averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds, or 10 assists per game in any of the eligible seasons   The results: Team Elizabeth (Coach: Gregg Popovich; Home Court: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX) (Starters) LeBron James (2017-18) Chris Paul (2013-14) Blake Griffin (2013-14) Klay Thompson (2014-15) Dirk Nowitzki (2013-14) (Bench) Ray Allen (2011-12) Tim Duncan (2012-13)   Team Scott (Coach: Mike Krzyzewski; Home Court: Rec Hall, University Park, PA) (Starters) Kevin Durant (2013-14) Kawhi Leonard (2016-17) James Harden (2017-18) Paul George (2018-19) Damian Lilliard (2019-20) (Bench) Draymond Green (2015-16) Andre Iguodala (2013-14)   Team Eric (Coach: Erik Spoelstra; Home Court: Rucker Park, New York, NY) (Starters) Giannis Antetokoumpo (2019-20) Stephen Curry (2015-16) Anthony Davis (2019-20) Russell Westbrook (2015-16) Jimmy Butler (2016-17) (Bench) Manu Ginobili (2013-14) Kevin Garnett (2011-12)

You might remember the infamous night in February 2017 when former Knicks forward Charles Oakley was ejected and banned indefinitely from Madison Square Garden—it was quite the stir in the NBA world, as was the ill-advised Knicks PR campaign against Oakley that involved salacious press releases and James Dolan media appearances designed to sully the former All-Star's reputation. But you probably haven't delved into the amazing—amazing—litigation that ensued in Oakley v. Dolan, so we've provided our expert legal/basketball analysis for a very special episode of ShotTakes. We spend the bulk of the time unpacking Oakley's initial complaint against Dolan and various Knicks entities, because, well, it is a real treat! Enjoy, and stay safe out there, everybody.

The NBA has suspended its 2019-2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic, but ShotTakes is still here to fill the content void and serve as a refuge to a beleaguered nation. We react to the shocking events that have unfolded in recent weeks, answered some mailbag questions, and talked about our plans for the basketball hiatus. Tune in—and wash your hands! 

Eric gets up close and personal with Dr. J himself on the red carpet before Kenny Atkinson's final game as Nets head coach, coronavirus concerns grip the NBA (and world—wash your hands before reading the rest of the description!), Steph returns briefly before falling prey to the regular flu, and a trip to the ol' Discount Resale Market. Tune in—and seriously, wash your hands!