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

Latest Episodes:

John Beilein's slugs, RJ Barrett's blurry Knicks existence & the NBA's biggest dead ends Jan 10, 2020

Show notes

On today's show, Ben Golliver and Michael Pina discuss the John Beilein controversy in Cleveland. Is his "thugs vs. slugs" explanation believable? What do these repeated leaks say about his job security? How should the Cavaliers handle the next month until the trade deadline? From there, Ben and Michael consider RJ Barrett's rough rookie existence and launch into their rankings of the NBA's biggest dead end destinations. For elite NBA draft prospects, what's the worst place to land: Cleveland, Charlotte or Detroit? Do the Bulls and... gasp... the Spurs deserve mention too? They close by taking questions from the Open Floor Globe on the value of defensive highlights, the resurgent Utah Jazz and the Australia brush fires. Please consider donating to Celeste Barber's Facebook campaign to raise money for Australian firefighters.

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Russell Westbrook returns to OKC, three cheers for Sam Presti, Pondering midseason boredom Jan 07, 2020

Show notes

On today's episode, Ben Golliver opens with exciting news about former Open Floor co-host Andrew Sharp, who has made his triumphant return to the NBA podcast world. From there, Ben and Michael Pina dive deep into Russell Westbrook's upcoming return to Oklahoma City. Would the Rockets undo the Westbrook trade if they could? Was Thunder GM Sam Presti the biggest winner from last summer? Should Presti be an Executive of the Year candidate? Aside from Chris Paul's all-star play, what has driven Oklahoma City's success this season? From there, they take emails from the Open Floor Globe, weighing different ways to honor former Commissioner David Stern and discussing whether the NBA's season has reached an extended lull. Ben and Michael close with big news from Poland: Listening to Open Floor while practicing basketball has turned one listener there into a potential superstar.

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RIP David Stern, Bold predictions for 2020, Alternative all-decade awards Jan 03, 2020

Show notes

On today's show, Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open with a remembrance of former NBA Commissioner David Stern, who died this week at age 77. What were some of Stern's most memorable moments and accomplishments? What is Stern's legacy? How should the NBA honor him? From there, Ben and Michael shift gears to make bold predictions for 2020. Will the Houston Rockets win the title or blow up completely? Will Zion Williamson come back to claim Rookie of the Year? Will Giannis Antetokounmpo shock the world by signing the Supermax? They close by taking questions from the Open Floor Globe, handing out alternative all-decade awards for the 2010s like "Most Iconic Performance" and "Best feel-good story."

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Kawhi, LeBron, Embiid, Luka & 10 Post-Christmas NBA Takeaways Dec 31, 2019

Show notes

On today's show, Ben Golliver and Michael Pina reconvene after a short holiday break to run through 10 takeaways from the NBA on Christmas. Did Kawhi Leonard seal his spot as the greatest player in basketball? Are LeBron James and the Lakers finally showing some cracks? Has anyone actually forgotten about Joel Embiid? How should the Bucks react to their humbling loss? Should Al Horford regret his decision to leave Boston? Why wasn't Luka Doncic scheduled to play on Christmas? Was Masai Ujiri the NBA's Executive of the Decade? Was Steve Kerr the Coach of the Decade? Has the criticism of Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets gone too far? Has the criticism of the Rockets not gone far enough?

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NBA on Christmas Preview: LeBron vs. Kawhi, Giannis vs. Embiid & key stats to consider Dec 23, 2019

Show notes

On today's episode, Ben Golliver and Michael Pina offer a full preview of the NBA's 2019 Christmas quintuple-header, ranking the games in terms of watchability. What's at stake for LeBron James's Lakers and Kawhi Leonard's Clippers in their rematch? Could a holiday showdown with Philadelphia be one of the most important days in Giannis Inc.'s history? After breaking down the headline match-ups, Ben and Michael offer one key stat for each of the 10 teams playing on Christmas, highlighting Jayson Tatum's insane RPM, the Nuggets' unmatched continuity, Lonzo Ball's inefficiency and the Warriors' very depressing team leaders. Programming note: Open Floor will be off for the rest of the week and will resume regularly scheduled programming on Dec. 31. Happy holidays.

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Who are the NBA's heels? Did the 2010 Celtics break LeBron? What's up with Ayton? Dec 19, 2019

Show notes

On today's show, Ben Golliver and Michael Pina are joined by special guest Captain Accountability, who has many thoughts on Deandre Ayton's return from a 25-game drug suspension. From there, Ben and Michael dig into Kevin Garnett's comments about LeBron James. Did the Celtics break LeBron in 2010? Did KG leave out some important details from the conversation? KG was an all-time NBA heel, but who are the best NBA heels right now? And will the Lakers, Clippers, Rockets or Sixers emerge as the league's most hated team come playoff time? Then, the Open Floor Globe checks in with fake trades involving Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, plus an extended riff on John Coltrane and player development.

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NBA trade season opens, favorite fake trades, "real fans" Dec 17, 2019

Show notes

On today's show, Ben Golliver and Michael Pina celebrate the Dec. 15 NBA trade-eligibility deadline by compiling their favorite fake trades. DeMar DeRozan to the Bulls? Kevin Love to the Suns? Kyle Lowry to the Jazz? Aaron Gordon to the Hawks? JJ Redick to the Bucks? Derrick Rose to the Sixers? From there, they propose rule changes that would make the trade deadline more fun. Ben and Michael close by taking questions from the Open Floor Globe on what it means to be a "real fan." Can a Thunder fan hop on the Grizzlies bandwagon? Can a LeBron James fan use "we" to describe the Lakers?

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Kawhi Leonard’s triumph, Bam Adebayo’s breakout, First-Time All-Stars Dec 13, 2019

Show notes

On today's show, Ben Golliver and Michael Pina discuss Kawhi Leonard's return to Toronto for ring night. Did Leonard and the Clippers make a statement? Are they engaged in a "tortoise and the hare" race with the Lakers? Is sizing a championship ring to fit the middle finger cool or lame? From there, they dig into Michael's feature on Bam Adebayo, Miami's breakout star. How does he change the Heat's offense, defense and long-term planning? Should the Heat swing for the fences at the trade deadline? Ben and Michael close out by pondering Adebayo's All-Star chances and nominating other potential first-time all-star candidates.

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Knicks change coaches, Giannis vs. LeBron Finals dreams, the case for Team Fandom Dec 10, 2019

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On today's episode, Ben Golliver and Michael Pina ask the questions no one else is asking about the New York Knicks' coaching change. Who, really, is to blame for the players' lack of effort? If Masai Ujiri were to actually consider becoming Knicks president, what type of ludicrous negotiation demands should he make? Can we safely assure an Australian listener that the Knicks won't make the 2020 playoffs? From there, they switch gears to digging into the narrative possibilities of a 2020 NBA Finals match-up between Giannis Antetokounmpo's Milwaukee Bucks and LeBron James's Los Angeles Lakers. Which factors make this potential showdown of juggernauts so exciting? Would it be more like the 1991 Finals or the 2007 Finals? Ben and Michael close with questions from the Open Floor Globe about Trae Young's true value and Brandon Ingram's remarkable rise, plus a passionate case for eschewing player fandom in favor of being a team fan through thick and thin.

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Live from the Bronny James beat, more NBA cheating ideas, Peak Giannis Dec 06, 2019

Show notes

On today's episode, Ben Golliver and Michael Pina dig deep into Bronny James and the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers. After Ben's visit to the elite high school in California, they discuss the different environments faced by LeBron James and his son, the hype that has built around the Southern California powerhouse, how the ambitious school positioned itself to land Bronny and whether a LeBron/Bronny NBA connection is possible. From there, they open it up to the Open Floor Globe for another batch of hilarious plans for cheating in the NBA. They close with questions about how Giannis Antetokounmpo can reach his absolute peak and whether Kawhi Leonard made one of the worst free agency decisions of all time.

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