Every week we talk about sports, primarily the NBA. If you're looking for advanced stats, snarky analysis, and all the sports talk you could ask for? You're in the right place!
We're back! Dre and Brian talk: The NBA Playoffs Conference Semi-Finals (sorry those still hurt) and Conference Finals Hey, injuries matter, huh? Do coach firings matter? We talk Mike Malone and Tom Thibodeau We wax effusive on Steph Curry, and Brian has a fantastic estimation exercise. We start talking WNBA numbers, is this gonna be a thing? We hope so!
Recorded April 8th, 2025. We talk: The state of the NBA Playoffs, since recording the Lakers ended a lot of ties The Denver Nuggets firing their front office. The Memphis Grizzlies firing of their coach. The great 2022 movie Hustle starring Adam Sandler and Juancho Hernangomez
Recorded 3/19/2025 Dre and Brian are back to talk: OKC's ridiculous season. The state of the major award races and who we'd pick. How the playoffs look right now. Bowling? Sure.
Recorded 3/4/2025 - sorry for the late release! Dre and Brian are back to talk: Victor Wembanyama The free-falling Mavericks and NBA History Net Points and "Advanced Analytics" History The New York Knicks are good? And "Get Your Bag" Hall of Famers
Dre and Brian are back to talk the NBA trade deadlines and the winners and losers. We also confuse Bogdanovic and talk a little NBA All-Star game as well.
No. Recorded 2-4-2025. Dre and Brian are back to talk the Anthony Davis / Luka Doncic trade and the Zach Lavine and De'Aaron Fox trade.
Records 01-21-2025 We're back to talk: Jimmy Butler being worth the one season gamble. Why Phoenix is actually doing the right thing. Why Houston looks so good. Nikola Jokic's Triple-Double MVPs (I even "predict" one)
Dre and Brian are back! We talk, well, a ton of the NBA and more Should teams trade for Jimmy Butler? The Wins Produced Numbers are back at Boxscore Geeks, and general stats overview/advice. Standout and top teams in the NBA. How OKC is just scary, so so scary. Who deserves MVP? Thanks for listening!
Dre and Brian are back to recap the 2024 NBA Finals. How do the 2024 Celtics rack up all time?
Professor David Berri returns to talk "Slaying the Trolls" the book he wrote with UMass' Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion Nefertiti Walker. It deconstructs many of the myths in women sports, and touches on a lot of NBA and WNBA, which we love!
Dre and Brian return to talk the Conference Finals and some of the previous NBA Playoffs. Do the Wolves have a chance? We recorded this before Luka definitively answered no. Also some sad Bill Walton talk and some WNBA talk.
Dre and Brian are back to talk The opening round of the NBA Playoffs Our thoughts on the various award finalists The "rule changes" the NBA has had in regards to fouls The WNBA! Some thoughts on the FIDE Chess Candidates tournament
We're back to talk: Super Tuesday! Can the Warriors win with the Rookie of the Year? Gotta keep up the Victor Wembenyama love! A fun stroll down memory lane and why the blogging analytics movement fractured, crashed, and burned, but why analytics still won. Tune in!
Recorded 2-13-2024 Superbowl Talk! We talk the Celtics, who are good, have no weaknesses, and may be the best Celtics squad ever. Victor Wembenyama is making his threes, as Vince Carter would say - "It's over!" We talk the All-Star Reserves and ... ugh. We finish talking Melo's revisionist history about his departure from the Nuggets.
For the first time in awhile we got some promo codes! Paydirt24 over at paydirtdfs.com! A little football talk to start! we check in on the OG Anunoby trade and revisit a segment we call "Brian is Right" We analyze the Kyle Lowry for Terry Rozier deck chairs trade. We talk about NBA All-Star starters and how we're pretty much fine with them. We also discuss All-Star rules and the Steph Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu matchup. We briefly talk about the NBA salary cap, moving on! We discuss Luka Doncic's 73-point game, the top games so far this NBA season, and the top scoring games. We talk about the MVP race, Joel Embiid's injury, and Doc Rivers getting to coach again.
Stat padding, blockbuster trades, the MVP race, and more! Embiid and Stat Padding MVP Race, can a player be an MVP w/ 65 games played? The Detroit Pistons / Washington Wizards "Blockbuster Trade" and if Marvin Bagley should dethrone Same Bowie as the biggest draft bust. A history lesson about how Moneyball is a misleading narrative. We discuss Pascal Siakam's possible spot. Spoiler, we think Dallas was a better fit than Indiana. We also question DeJounte Murray and if he should return to the Spurs. We don't believe Mikal Bridges is on the block but do question if a change of scenery would help. A brief Warriors check in! A Victor Wembenyama check-in, and like most rookies he started out a bit rough. Unlike most rookies, a mere 40 games into the season he's playing star level. Watch out!
Dre and Brian return to talk a whole lotta Warriors as well as the Knicks/Raptors "blockbuster trade", the Rookie of the Year Race and why the Thunder have Rookie of the Year and MVP. Tune in!
Dre and Brian return to talk the end of the NBA Cup, if Joel Embiid is MVP, how Harden is doing on the Clippers, a couple of NBA scandals and feuds!
We're back to talk: The Phoenix Suns How Nikola Jokic and Tyrese Haliburton are generational MVP talents this season. The Minnesota TImberwolves finally being good! The Rookie of the Year race with Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembenyama Our thoughts on the NBA Cup aka the in-season tournament with some design advice from Brian. The Golden State Warriors, of course. Shout out to @AtomicNBA on X!
We're thrilled to have special guest Scott Williams on the podcast today. Scott is a fifteen year NBA veteran and three time title winner. Scott is on to discuss his book "Through the Fire: A Memoir of Trauma and Loss, Basketball and Triumph." We talk Scott's time at UNC with Dean Smith and how he overcame major tragedy including domestic abuse. Scott's time in the NBA and what it was like playing with MJ, Iverson, and LeBron Why Scott is the ultimate answer for the coolest (nerdiest?) NBA game Immaculate Grid. You can find Scott at ScottWill42 on Instagram Scottwilliams1767 on TikTok and at his site https://www.scottwilliamsbasketball.com/
We're back after three weeks! The NBA started right after we recorded this, so a lot to discuss including: The 76ers and Clippers and if they should pull the trigger for James Harden Has Dre joined the Wembanyama hype train? Is Boston the favorite? The Grizzlies and how fast predictions fall apart. The Warriors look good but do they have weaknesses? Will the Phoenix Suns have an amazing offense? Can Ben Simmons make a comeback? Will Chet and the Thunder impress this year? We even end with a hypothetical question about if playing time in the NBA matters for injuries! Enjoy!
The slumber of the offseason is over! We discuss the major Damian Lillard trade and follow up trades. Meaning we go over, in depth: The state of the Portland Trail Blazers The state of the Milwaukee Bucks The state of the Phoenix Suns The state of the Boston Celtics Broadcasted live on Twitch -- Watch live at https://www.twitch.tv/nerdnumbers
We talk: Anthony Davis' big contract. The demise of the PAC 12 ESPN getting directly in the sports betting arena Rank over 130 NBA Nicknames! Thanks to: Basketball Reference - https://basketball-reference.com Thomas Neumann - https://therookiewire.usatoday.com/li... Pat Heery - https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articl... Brady Klopfer (https://twitter.com/BradyKlopferNBA) - https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2022/12/... Howard Fear (https://twitter.com/hsfear) "Regular American" (https://twitter.com/Bot_From_Russia) Logan Trent (https://twitter.com/TheLoganTrent)
We're back! We discuss: The Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis signings in Boston and why both are bad, but Boston will likely still be good. Briefly about Bronnie and how sports has a sad history of risk, even to the young and healthy. We review a list of 101 NBA Nicknames (https://therookiewire.usatoday.com/lists/greatest-nicknames-in-nba-history/ thanks Thomas Neumann!) and prepare for a fun Tier game in a few weeks.
We're back to talk: NBA Free Agency and why contract analysis is difficult -- unlike player evaluation. Damian Lillard's current saga in Portland Every, if not most, important free agency signing as of 7/11/2023. Some highlights: Austin Reeves Haliburton vs Sabonis Brook Lopez Why Andre Drummond's sentiment that being a good teammate in attitude matters, really, his stats just aren't as important as others in terms of pay in the NBA.
We're back we talk: The NBA Finals and Dre's firsthand account of the Nuggets' historic win. The Chris Paul Trades, why the Suns and Wizards are who we thought they were, and the Warriors are light years ahead again. Why Bradley Beal and Devin Booker don't make sense next to each other. How the Warriors did well "drafting" Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis and how Mike Dunleavy has the right expectations. How the Celtics and Grizzlies lost the Kristaps Porzingis trade, and why it's harder to tell than you think. We're meh on the John Collins and Rudy Gay trade. Some top level NBA Draft thoughts, sorry, no real in-depth analysis here!
Brian and Dre talk the NBA Finals, what happened to Boston, Bob Myers exit in Golden State, and Jimmy Butler's attitude. Tune in!
Andrew Sutton returns to talk the NBA Conference Finals with Brian and Dre. We also talk: Doc Rivers firing Are the Heat for real? Can the Nuggets make the finals? Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs.
Brian and Dre return to talk: Dillon Brooks plummeting value and foolish trash talk. Injuries in the NBA Playoffs. Every 2nd Round Series, including optimism for the Warriors - which paid off! Tune in!
Brian and Dre are back to talk: De'Aaron Fox and Jaren Jackson Jr. winning the first two NBA awards of award season. All of the NBA Playoffs, especially the Nuggets and Warriors. Draymond Green's stomp, and why the NBA's handling of it was already bad, and spoilers, we'll definitely talk how it gets worse. Also, be sure to check out the Nerd! Podcast with Brian, Dre, and Jeff this week (Brian is a guest host!) to discuss Magic the Gathering. It's found under the Jeff has Cool Fans banner anywhere podcasts are found or at patreon.com/jeffmay. Thanks!
We're back to talk: The NCAA and March Madness' End Catlin Clark and Angel Reese's "feud" MVPs and why Embiid briefly wasn't deserving and is now the favorite Why the Warriors aren't a threat in the playoffs. We also break a pack of 1990-1991 Fleer Cards, but the video for that can be found at youtube.com/@nerdnumbers
Podcast Week - BSG, Ted Lasso (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-creativity-education-and-leadership-podcast/id1567287356), and Star Wars CCG ()https://www.patreon.com/jeffmay), oh my! State of the Western Conference, Including Highlights for The Grizzlies The Kings The Mavericks Deep Dive on the Denver Nuggets. Boring answer - Jamal Murray doesn't look 100% We skip March Madness Bracket talk but highly suggest: https://twitter.com/DataStrictly and https://twitter.com/TyWillinganz if you want good advice We discuss why the NCAA is a bad farm system, how the top draft picks aren't NCAA players, and how players like Zion hurt themselves going to school. We end Rookie of the Year and why Walker Kessler, currently ranked 4th at NBA dot coms Rookie of the Year race, is ranked 4th, behind two players we say are terrible. Zach Edey is Brian's potential Rookie of the Year for next year IF a team has the fortitude to play him. Some shout-outs to high school basketball squads. Oakland High Basketball - Boys and Girls! And DePere's Basketball Squad.
Dre and Brian return to talk: The current state of the Warriors, and what's gone wrong and what's gone right? The Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo and some of the frustrating realities about how the NBA is really a big grift for billionaires. We check in early on the Mavericks/Nets trade. We question if the Nets are making mistakes or if Ben Simmons is more injured than we thought, a running theme. We also check in a few times on the Portland Trail Blazers and Damian Lillard a few times. Enjoy!
Holy cow, we go over every major trade at the NBA Trade Deadline including: Kyrie Irving for Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith D'Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt to the Lakers Kevin Durant to the Suns! Josh Hart and Matisse Thybulle for the Knicks and Blazers, in another four-team trade Gary Payton and James Wiseman in a four-team trade with the Warriors Mason Plumlee to the Clippers
Dre and Brian return to talk: The Nuggets Finals hopes! How parity has "Returned to the NBA" and top draft picks have vanished from the top. Why the trade market may not solve all teams woes. Why defense remains a hard concept, and what even is defense? Tune in!
Find Dave on Twitter and Instagram as @wagesofwins FIne Dre on Twitter and Instragram as @nerdnumbers. You can check out nerdnumbers.substack.com for show notes, articles, and more! On this show, we discuss: Why a lot of people do science wrong. WNBA and NBA players being underpaid, even adjusting for league revenue. How the WNBA and NBA are like different weight classes in boxing. What Donovan Mitchell's numbers look like and why he's an MVP candidate. Dave Berri, Forbes, and the NBA and how Dave disagreed with them on how WNBA players were paid. We also compare writing to golf and gymnastics.
We talk Dre's post on NBA Award Trophies Why Luka Doncic is the obvious MVP. Some surprise NBA players like Lauri Markannen and Donovan Mitchell.
Dr. Jonathan Weiler (@jonweiler) joins the show! Dr. Weiler is a professor at UNC Chapel Hill, specializing in economics and politics. He also has a great Substack - jonathanweiler.substack.com. He also has the fantastic podcast "The Agony of Defeat" with Matt Andrews. He joins us to talk: Kyrie Irving and the deafening silence in the NBA about antisemitism. The New York Knicks and why the look bad and good at the same time, from someone that remembers when they were great. The 2022 Midterms and a ton of politics. Don't worry, we get a fair number of sports numbers in.
We're back to talk: The start of the NBA season. Featured teams are the Nuggets, the Warriors, the Grizzlies, the Mavericks, the Pelicans, the Cavaliers, and the Jazz. Is tanking a good strategy, and is Victor Wembanyama worth it? Dre was wrong about Russell Westbrook :( More chess controversy and why cheating is chess is a lot like Steph Curry's shot! Tune in!
Recorded 10-4-2022 We're back to talk: Small Sample Size Theater. Overreacting to preseason games! Including James Wiseman, Ben Simmons, Michael Porter Jr., and more! Tyler Herro's massive contract and if it's worth it (spoiler, it's not) Aaron Judge's Home Run Record and a brief history lesson. A whole lot more on the Hans Niemann / Magnus Carlsen chess scandal.
We're back we talk: (0:54) - A little warm-up talking about Brian's Warriors (14:29) - Rob Sarver's Suspension and Fine (32:37) - Robert William's Injury (47:49) - Hans Niemann and Magnus Carlsen's Chess Drama Shameless self-promotion, I just did a podcast with Jeff May on Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link. Check it out here - https://nerdnumbers.substack.com/p/shut-up-nerd-episode-1-zelda-2. Also, I'm aiming to stream every Tuesday (next one on September 27th) at twitch.tv/rixtergt at 10pm EST playing a vintage NES game. Next up? Megaman 4! The other Tuesdays? Brian and I will record the Boxscore Geeks Show at twitch.tv/nerdnumbers
Dre and Brian discuss: Kevin Durant "staying put" in Brooklyn The Donovan Mitchell trade to Cleveland Some, definitely behind the news cycle by the time this is released, chess talk on Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann at the Sinquefield Cup.
We're back to talk about the relevant NBA trades and free-agent signings as of July 6th, 2022. Special thanks to Spotrac for having such information readily available: https://www.spotrac.com/nba/transactions/trade/ - Trades https://www.spotrac.com/nba/free-agents/ - Free Agent tracker Also, I review a substack piece I had on Jalen Brunson and contract rates in the modern CBA. https://nerdnumbers.substack.com/p/is-jalen-brunson-worth-100-million
Welcome Ben Guest for a new segment we'll be calling: "20 Second Timeout with Ben Guest", where we quickly discuss a topical subject that we don't want to wait for our "weekly" shows. Today's topic? The NBA Finals! Also, if you stick around to the end, I read my most recent substack article. You can find Ben on Twitter as @bguest, his newsletter and podcast at benbo.substack.com, and his book "Zen and the Art of Coaching Basketball" is available on Amazon.com!
We're back to wrap up the NBA Conference Finals and discuss our picks for the Larry Bird and Magic Johnson Trophies. We also "predict" the NBA Finals, with some notes on how Marcus Smart's defensive takes are wrong, and it all hinges on Robert Williams' minutes.
We're back to recap our thoughts on round 2 of the NBA Playoffs. Reminder: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics Philadelphia 76ers vs. Miami Heat Golden State Warriors vs. Memphis Grizzlies Dallas Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns Shout out to Greg Steele's new site - https://www.thebasketballdatabase.com/
Brian and Dre are back to talk: Nikola Jokic's MVP season and why Joel Embiid is a hilariously bad, albeit positive option. The Timberwolves "overzealous" celebration in their play-in victory. Some predictions on the first round of the NBA playoffs. This episode was recorded Thursday April 14th.
Chris Yeh (chrisyeh.com and @chrisyeh on Twitter) returns to talk about the Los Angeles Lakers and Russell Westbrook. We have a debate, will Russell Westbrook get a contract at 15% of an NBA team salary cap, or, roughly $20 million a season after his current deal expires. I say yes, Chris says no! We also talk a lot more Lakers including: The family Dynamics that make the front office both good and bad at stuff. How awesome Austin Reeves is. Some history for any foolish naysayers on the squad. Shoutouts to: Liz Cambage Ian Nepomniachtchi Chris Yeh and Scott Johnson for their episodes on the Chris Yeh Podcast. A must for investors! (chrisyeh.com/podcast)
We're back to talk the sixteen trades that happened between February 4th 2022 and February 10th (the trade deadline!) Somehow we do it in less than two hours! Full list of trades here - https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/32965050/nba-trade-tracker-grades-details-every-deal-2021-22-season Some highlights: Tyrese Haliburton was a great pickup by the Pacers. The Nets absolutely crushed their deal, but Daryl Morey may very well have won in his goal. We laugh at the Wizards and give Montrezl Harrel this year's Kenneth Faried award (at least he's the front runner) Shout out to Hikaru Nakamura for advancing in the FIDE Grand Prix in exciting fashion yesterday!
Dre and Brian are back to talk: Some random NBA including the Nuggets, the Jazz, and the 76ers. A lot of NFL including Tom Brady's retired, Brian Flores' coach hiring problems, and who will win the Super Bowl! Tune in.
Short episode this week! Dre read's his piece on David Ortiz and the Hall of Fame (https://nerdnumbers.substack.com/p/why-the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is) Also, extra content! Dre's thoughts on the Naismith Hall of Fame compared to Cooperstown. Issues with Hall of Fame and player evaluations in general. Also is Andrew Wiggins a star, and what the Warriors say about the myth of meritocracy! Shout out to Pete Croatto for his perfect encapsulation of the NBA All-Star game - https://twitter.com/PeteCroatto/status/1487067158467293185
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