Ball and Beats

So we were going to talk the NBA Finals…But Roger got Mendo going on a tangent and this is what happened

The Finals are upon us! The Mavs are heading in hot, while Boston struggled as much as any team can in a sweep. How will the Mavs' offense stack up against Boston's perimeter defense? Dallas lives off corner 3s, and Boston is top 3 in taking those away. What gives first?

We'll also discuss Boston's sweep of the drain series and lost by 28 in March, with Gafford coming off the bench then. How big a difference will that make now? Teams that give Boston trouble have unpredictable offenses with several scoring options. Can the Mavs rely on just high screen and roll with Luka and Kyrie?

Plus, how does KP coming back (if healthy) change the series dynamics? What impact will getting Dwight Powell back have for Dallas? And let's talk about Dallas' elite defense. Did Minnesota's lack of shot creation contribute to the Mavs looking that good, or was it all about Dallas' scheme and execution?

Second round is in full effect…we have some hotly contested matchups as we get in the thick of the playoff matchups

Phoenix, out. Swept.

OKC is one away from doing the same to the Pelicans…

Nuggets, Pacers and Knicks are all on the verge of the gentleman’s sweep. Who falls and who will keep it going?

What are some takeaways with the game 1’s in the books?

Embiid’s injury

Ant letting KD know

The Play-in is set and we will dissect the Western Conference matchups tonight…

The Play-in is set and we will dissect the Eastern Conference matchups tonight…

We will talk about all the dumb hot takes that have been said on the airwaves for the last week…

We have 10 games left in the season and Play-in spots are still in play in each conference? Do any of them have the ability to pull a Heat/Lakers and make a run to advance past the first round?

We have brought back the ever popular…Ask Roger segment where we take questions from our listeners and Roger gives his unfiltered opinion.

New segment alert…Start, Bench, Cut rapid fire choices.

We are in the quarter turn of the NBA season and since game 20 people have been talking about the MVP Race. We'll give our thoughts and yes…Gilbert says the darndest things too. All that and more!

The NBA has hit a wall and the All Star game was the straw that broke the camel's back. How did we get to this point that the NBA All Star game is literally unwatchable? But this is not the only issue the NBA has currently…has the money made the players not care?

All-Stars are in and we have some opinions on the reserves… and speaking of opinions, Ms. Swoops has entered the Bizarro-world with Arenas and has some awful takes…

What do we make of the Clippers resurgence? + The Trade Machine, a look at the top 10 trade targets. Do any of these guys move the needle? Where do we think they could land…if anywhere?

In this episode, we are going to discuss James Harden and his early Clippers tenure and the history of Hurricane Harden, the path of death, destruction and dismemberment he has caused. Then we go into the new segment here on the Pod…Who Predicted this??? Some wild events in the first few weeks of the season. Not everything is going to plan.

In this episode, we're moving to the Southeast Division, where Miami is the apparent top dog. However, we have the Hawks, Hornets, Magic and Wizards and they've all made some moves…are they enough? Stay tuned to find out.

In this episode, we move to the Southwest Division to take a look at the Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs. Are any of these teams moving the needle? We know there's talent on these rosters, but are they ready to compete in the tough Western Conference?

In this episode, we'll dive into the Western Conference ahead of the new season. What's the outlook for the Pacific Division? Is anyone up to dethroning the Nuggets in the Northwest? And what about the Southwest, where several young teams are hungry to make a splash?

In this episode, we'll discuss the blockbuster trades that sent Damian Lillard to the Bucks and Jrue Holiday to the Celtics. We'll dissect the latest potentially game-changing trades, analyzing how they impact not only the players but also the teams involved. Who's coming out on top in these major transactions? Stick around as we break it all down

We will discuss how the new Load Management rules will effect the 49 “Star” players in the upcoming season and who will be more likely to potentially be impacted.

Gilbert says the darndest things. A 3 time all-star with the biggest basketball drop off the face of the Earth is back and making noise.

Team USA went on to lose to Germany and Canada on consecutive days and did not medal. What went wrong for team USA? Was it the lack of talent on the USA side? LeBron has now put the call out for the big guns to seek redemption.

The Ball & Beats community has some retorts to our “Superstar” talk…Roger and Mendo will break down what makes a Superstar; the stats that translate to winning, leadership, crossover appeal, and a top 10 recognition.

Harden takes his dumpster to China, to tell some 14 year olds "Morey is a liar," and sets it on fire. Harden and Morey, their history, when did it start and how did we get here? What do we get out of a days away from 34 Harden? Is there a market for him?

Welcome to Ball & Beats, the show that is less filling but tastes great. We are back after a lengthy hiatus with Episode 40, the re-pilot episode.

Send us a voice message and let us know what you think of the episode

All Star rosters are out and while we may (or may not) have many qualms with the starters, I think the reserves have some question marks. We will dissect that in this episode and maybe Roger’s Celtics...

The term Superstar is thrown around too loosely, Roger & Mendo breakdown what a Superstar really is!

Careful what you wish for with trades...is it really worth it? Nets have firepower but what's their ceiling with limited rebounding and suspect defense? Philly is winning but Simmons is shooting even less than before. Do they continue with the experiment or should they try to maximize Simmons’ trade value now?

As winter approaches and the NBA Season is underway we discuss the Good, the Bad and the Ugly through 2 weeks

Back at this Free Agency period and we pause and exclaim... Wait you’re not serious? With some of the moves we look at a few head scratchers as we navigate through these wild times. More free agency madness.

Free Agency Madness! Lakers reload and weaken Clippers at the same time. Looks like Philly found a taker for Horford, but does he stay in OKC? Boston/Charlotte collide again and Houston appears to be running it back with Harden and Russ.

Rumor Mill Nonsense...we are talking about some of the foolish trade talks as we approach the Free Agency of the upcoming season.

As we pivot into no NBA or WNBA we will enter some uncharted waters. Let’s talk about the Lakers'  ring count and retired jerseys, what is next up for the Heat, and OKC. Our take on rebuilding with CP3.  

Now that the Lakers are the champs again, all the narratives are out…. How can you be considered one of the Greatest Big Men if you don't want to be labeled a big man? The case can be made for AD being a great, but if not as a center, the field gets crowded. Who is he bumping out of the top spots? 

The fans and the media are at it again, the forever rate race to dethrone and crown a king. Is it all worth it? Isn't being a top 5 alone a huge accomplishment? How much of this ongoing debate is being fueled by LBJ? join us for our takes.

Injury talk from all angles...what it has done to the Heat so far as well as the Nets injury riddles stars firing off nonsense.

All things Finals, matchups & predictions oh yeah we had to talk about the Celtics debacle too...

This episode is all about coaching vacancies and the East and West Conference Finals. Can the Nuggets get a win? Will the Celtics tie? We have our predictions, what are yours? Can the Rockets be coached with the current roster? 

Can the Nuggets finally get some respect? They deserve it! The Clippers couldn't get any production from what is supposed to be the deepest team. Our matchup thoughts for the conference finals + our predictions. 

Western Conference:Will AD be tasked by Milsap, who is having sort of a resurgence. Can the Nuggets afford to wait until games 3 and 4 to adjust?

Eastern Conference:Who do the Celtics put on Butler? Kemba should be able to eat up the midrange. 

Off the cuff: State of society and big ups to the NBA

Our Season Award Winners

Still getting back into the mix.

Getting back into the mix.

Just some random babble while sipping on some. A little All-Star, some rookies, and some favs. 

Lots of items in this Baker’s Dozen

Lots of items in this Baker’s Dozen

Lots of items in this Baker’s Dozen

We chat about some recent releases as well as some NBA Preseason news and notes.

NBA training camp is underway...I know we’ve been away from the music for a bit so we are going to touch on some new album releases as well as some “lists” that have been a buzz.

Offseason Recap so far

Roger rhyming!

Offseason Recap so far.

Finals are over and the Larry O’Brien trophy is headed to Canada. With KD and Klay getting hurt, and AD off to LA, the offseason drama show is already underway.

 Top 10 Albums of all time. 

We’ve gone through every round so we couldn’t leave out the Finals. Roger and I are going go position by position and give a grade and advantage to who. But before we get into that let’s talk about the conference finals... 

Quick recap of round 2 and our take on the conference finals match-ups.

NBA Playoffs preview: East and West coast match ups.