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

Latest Episodes:

Vince Carter retrospective & NBA schedule breakdown Jun 30, 2020

Show notes

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open by taking a long look back at Vince Carter's career after the 22-year vet announced his retirement? Where did he rank compared to his contemporaries? What were his best moments? How will he be remembered? Did he inspire love? Did he have both the greatest in-game dunk and Dunk Contest dunk of all time? Will he make the Hall of Fame? From there, Ben and Michael shift gears with a breakdown of the NBA's schedule for the Orlando restart. Which opening week games are the most tantalizing? Do Zion Williamson and the Pelicans have the inside track to the playoffs? Which first-round playoff matchups do the guys want to see?

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NBA players test positive for coronavirus, renaming awards, star semantics Jun 26, 2020

Show notes

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina take stock of the NBA's return plan, which saw players report to their teams for coronavirus testing this week. Is the media to blame for reporting an individual player's positive tests? If now, how should the NBA be handling the testing results? Did Nikola Jokic's positive test reveal anything new about worst-case scenarios facing the league inside the bubble? Then Ben and Michael touch on the worsening state of the coronavirus in Florida and how fans should react to players who decide not to participate before taking questions from the Open Floor Globe. Which NBA awards and accomplishments should be named after famous players? Should it be the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar MVP award and the Michael Jordan scoring title? To close, the guys debate the difference between a "star" and "superstar" and wonder whether there should be a new category that differentiates between a garden-variety superstar and the cream of the crop.

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Remember that NBA move? Plus, Florida's coronavirus spike Jun 23, 2020

Show notes

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open by going back to review some of the NBA's minor transactions from February and March before the shutdown. Consider this "Who he play for?" Open Floor style. Who signed Reggie Jackson? Michael Kidd-Gilchrist? Joakim Noah? Jeff Green? Markieff Morris? They debate whether any of those moves will be viewed in a new light given the NBA's Orlando bubble plan and possible player withdrawals. From there, they pivot to questions from the Open Floor Globe. How concerned should the NBA be about Florida's spike in coronavirus cases? Does the NBA have enough schedule flexibility to handle a wider outbreak in Orlando or would a forfeit be in order? Would the NBA consider signing up its players for vaccine trials? Is it time to bust myths like "the team with the best player always wins the series"?

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Life, safety and games in the NBA's Disney World bubble Jun 19, 2020

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Ben Golliver and Michael Pina dig into the NBA's health and safety protocol for the upcoming season at Disney World. Is this a good plan? How will games be played and which hotels will house the players? Will the players buy in? What are some of the quirks fans should watch for once play resumes? From there, Ben and Michael shift gears to take questions from the Open Floor Globe. What can the NBA do to increase its number of African-American owners? What happens in the empty arenas next year if NBA games can't be played with fans? Could the NBA players ever break off to form their own league? Should fans get to pick their audio broadcasts -- fake noise or real noise -- during the Orlando bubble? How can the broadcasts incorporate activist messages?

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NBA players voice concerns about Orlando return Jun 16, 2020

Show notes

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina react to the NBA players' various concerns about the Orlando return plan. What is Kyrie Irving's role in all of this? What did Damian Lillard tell Michael about his stance? Will basketball distract from the ongoing social justice protests? What would happen if the players collectively chose not to play? Have the health and safety questions been answered? Will the plan stay on track? From there, Ben and Michael shift gears to answer questions from the Open Floor Globe. Can the NBA incorporate fans into the visual and audio experiences? Which teams will be hurt the most by the long lay-off? Finally, who would be the worst person to present the Finals MVP trophy if Bill Russell can't make it to Orlando?

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NBA superstars mobilize for social justice Jun 12, 2020

Show notes

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open by surveying the superstar landscape to detail how the NBA community is gearing up in the wake of George Floyd's death. LeBron James tackles voting rights, Michael Jordan donates $100 million, Kevin Durant calls for fair treatment of the police officers involved in Minneapolis, Giannis Antetokounmpo seeks to better Milwaukee, Russell Westbrook funds a documentary about Tulsa, and Stephen Curry protests and chants about President Trump. After digging into each of those topics, Ben and Michael take questions from the Open Floor Globe about their all-quarantine draft from last week. Which team did the Globe think won? Who had a better draft strategy? Could a Globe member field a better team? Why were Luka Doncic and Marcus Smart snubbed?

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Ten predictions for the new NBA playoffs Jun 09, 2020

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Ben Golliver and Michael Pina dive headfirst into an impossible task: trying to predict the most unpredictable playoffs in NBA history. Will the NBA be able to keep its players safe and crown a champion? If so, who will win the title and Finals MVP? Will there actually be a play-in round? Will the extra eight regular season games influence the NBA award races? How will the neutral site impact the length of series? Will we see any noticeable differences from the referees? What aspect of the television product will Basketball Twitter whine about the most? How many owners will appear in the bubble? Should Michael Jordan make an appearance?

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The NBA sets return plans & an all-quarantine draft Jun 05, 2020

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Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open by recapping the NBA's 22-team return-to-play plan. Was it a good compromise, a money grab or both? Will it succeed in generating interest out of the gate? From there, they draft their all-quarantine teams, putting together eight-man rosters of the guys they expect to play well, and play well together, in Orlando's unique circumstances. Who will thrive without fans? Who will suffer? Which stars will be in tip top shape? How much should a TV-friendly roster matter? At the end, they challenge the Open Floor Globe to vote on whether Ben or Michael drafted the better squad.

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The NBA responds to George Floyd's death Jun 02, 2020

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Ben Golliver and Michael Pina recount the weekend of nationwide protests that followed George Floyd's death in police custody in Minneapolis. They address what things are like in their communities right now and how long these protests might continue. From there, Ben and Michael survey responses from throughout the NBA community -- Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Doc Rivers, Dwane Casey, Stephen Jackson, Jaylen Brown, Malcolm Brogdon -- and try to pinpoint why the reaction to Floyd's death was different than previous episodes of police brutality. Along the way, Michael shares his family's stories of combating racial bias and Ben lays out the predicament facing NBA commissioner Adam Silver as he tries to restart the NBA's season. They close by offering thoughts on how to cope with this weekend's violence and how to contribute to the causes of equality and social justice.

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Playoff format overload, scoring champ title winners May 29, 2020

Show notes

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open by running through this week's developments regarding the potential format of the 2019-20 resumed NBA season. Why is Adam Silver even bothering with World Cup group stage and expanded playoff proposals? What advice would Ben and Michael offer to the commissioner? Did Damian Lillard have a point when he threatened to sit out if the Blazers can't play meaningful games? Should the NBA cater its proposal to the intense fan interest in Zion Williamson? From there, Ben and Michael take questions from the Open Floor Globe. Who will be the next player to win a scoring title and the NBA championship in the same year? And why did a new mother laugh at Michael's lack of pain tolerance?

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