Open Floor: SI's NBA Show - TopPodcast.com

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Lakers steamroll Heat in Finals opener Oct 01, 2020

Show notes

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina react to the Lakers' breathtaking performance and the Heat's many injury issues in Game 1 of the Finals. Are the Heat toast? Are we seeing a legendary breakthrough for Anthony Davis? If the Lakers win, will LeBron James or Anthony Davis claim Finals MVP? What adjustments can Miami make? Was the grueling bubble experience always bound to fizzle out? From there, Ben and Michael discuss their biggest takeaways from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's press conference before turning their attention to the art of trolling. Will Ben apologize to the Celtics fans for his glee at their demise? They close with thoughts on Doc Rivers' exit from LA and what comes next for the Clippers.

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LeBron James ends the Nuggets, Bam Adebayo ends the Celtics & the NBA Finals are set Sep 28, 2020

Show notes

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina recap the exciting end to the conference finals and preview the upcoming NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat. Did LeBron James reclaim his spot as basketball's best player with his Game 5 takeover? Did he really beat the Nuggets with his mind? Will the Lakers have the same advantages against Miami that they had against Denver? Then, Ben and Michael shift gears to analyze how the Heat won the East and what went wrong for the Boston Celtics . Was this the first major loss of Brad Stevens's career? Why did Jayson Tatum struggle so much to impact late-game situations? Where will the Celtics' expectations be set for next year? How did Bam Adebayo so thoroughly eviscerate Boston? Who else can do what Adebayo did in the fourth quarter and is he the ideal match-up for Anthony Davis? Do the underdog Heat have a chance to pull the upset on the Lakers? Will Michael really pick against LeBron James four series in a row?

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Tyler Herro's heroics push Celtics to the brink; NBA reacts to Breonna Taylor Sep 24, 2020

Show notes

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open with an extended discussion of Tyler Herro's 37-point explosion in Game 4 of the East finals. Where does that night rank in NBA history for players at his age? Where did Herro come from? How does he compare to Celtics foils from years past? From there, Ben and Michael zoom out to see what's gone wrong for Boston and whether they are toast. Then, they dig into the Breonna Taylor ruling and how it impacted NBA players and coaches on Wednesday. What takeaway should players have about their advocacy on behalf of Taylor's family? Ben and Michael close with quick thoughts on the Western Conference finals and Billy Donovan's move to the Bulls before Michael unveils his latest episode of The Pod's Book Club.

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The biggest shot of Anthony Davis's career; Celtics fight back Sep 21, 2020

Show notes

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open by offering their thoughts on the Los Angeles Lakers' dramatic Game 2 victory over the Denver Nuggets, which came courtesy of an Anthony Davis buzzer-beater. Did Davis sink the Nuggets? Did the Lakers deserve to lose? How will Davis be received if the Lakers win the title after he elbowed his way off the small-market Pelicans? From there, Ben and Michael shift to the resurgent play of Rajon Rondo and Dwight Howard, taking a moment to reminisce on Rondo's early-career peak. They close with a look at the Boston Celtics' big Game 3 bounceback, how Gordon Hayward changes the series, and whether Jaylen Brown should be viewed as the Eastern Conference Finals' X-factor.

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Clippers collapse, Nuggets get their due, West Finals preview Sep 17, 2020

Show notes

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina dig in deep to the Clippers' spectacular demise, assigning blame to Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Doc Rivers before listing the extenuating circumstances that contributed to their collapse. Then, at the urging of many angry Nuggets fans, Ben and Michael riff on Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray while previewing an unexpected Western Conference finals match-up with the Los Angeles Lakers. Is Jokic vs. LeBron the best showdown of playmakers since Magic vs. Isiah? Is Gary Harris the WCF's X-factor? How will the match-up battles between the stars shake out? The show closes with a look back at Boston's late offensive struggles in Game 1, and Michael pours his heart out describing what it felt like to watch Bam Adebayo block his beloved Jayson Tatum with the game on the line.

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LeBron James & the Lakers peak, Rockets combust, ECF preview Sep 14, 2020

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Ben Golliver opens the floor to angry listeners who demand accountability for Michael Pina's takes about the Lakers. How have LeBron James and company turned things around? How did they dismantle the Rockets so easily? Are they now the clear title favorites? Then, Ben and Michael dig into Houston's complicated future and ponder James Harden trade scenarios. They close with updates on Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, plus a rapid fire preview of the Eastern Conference finals between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat.

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Raptors live on, Heat watch and wait, Danuel House in trouble Sep 10, 2020

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Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open by recapping the best game of the bubble: Toronto's double-overtime Game 6 win over Boston. Why did Nick Nurse decide to go super small? Did Jayson Tatum need to do more late? What will be the deciding factors in Game 7? From there, they shift gears to show love to the Miami Heat, who are in the Eastern Conference finals just waiting to find out their opponent. What are Miami's key strategic advantages in the East finals? How well does Jimmy Butler need to play to get to his first NBA Finals? Can their shooters be trusted to stay hot? Ben and Michael close with a look at the impact of Danuel House's possible health protocol violation and how the Bucks' protest has inspired striking teachers across the country.

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4x4 NBA playoff round-up Sep 08, 2020

Show notes

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina recap the long holiday weekend of NBA playoff basketball by asking four questions about each of the four remaining series. Who's to blame for the Bucks' collapse? Did the Celtics unveil their championship case in Game 5? Has an MVP ever played worse than Russell Westbrook did in Game 2? Is Patrick Beverley the NBA's best troll? If the Celtics and Heat meet in the East finals, who wins and in how many games? Do the Rockets have any answers for Playoff LeBron? Why don't the Heat get more love as a title favorite?

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Steve Nash to Brooklyn, referee hijinks, Bucks crumbling Sep 03, 2020

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Ben Golliver and Michael Pina react to the stunning news that the Brooklyn Nets have hired Steve Nash as coach. Is Nash really the next Steve Kerr? Can he be the Kevin Durant whisperer? Can any coach lead Brooklyn to the title? From there, Ben and Michael shift gears to recap a crazy week of NBA playoff action. What's up with the referees mucking up late-game scenarios? Why are the Bucks struggling and how much is Mike Budenholzer to blame? What does the future look like for Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert after Utah's first-round exit? And what can Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's boycott of the 1968 Olympics tell us about the players' activism efforts in the bubble?

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Jamal Murray's moment, NBA resumes play, Goodbye to Luka and Dame Aug 31, 2020

Show notes

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open by gushing over Jamal Murray's latest scoring explosion and poignant post-game interview. What does Murray's playoff rise say about the Nuggets' pecking order and the importance of big men in the NBA's evolving style? Where does Murry rank among 23-and-under talents? Will his historic scoring duel with Donovan Mitchell lead to bubble asterisk talk? From there, Ben and Michael shift gears to recap the Bucks' protest and the NBA's return. Did the players extract enough in their negotiations with the owners? Did the protest prove its point? The guys close with farewells to Luka Doncic's Dallas Mavericks and Damian Lillard's Portland Trail Blazers. How did the Lakers turn their series around to eliminate the Blazers and what are the next steps on Doncic's rise to world domination?

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