Ball Might Lie - NBA Basketball Podcast

The gang marvels at the absurdity of LeBron James passing 40,000 regular season points scored in his illustrious career. Erik, Anu, and A.C. examine how LeBron scores, why he isn't widely considered a "pure" scorer, and how remarkably consistent he has been in his career. They also debate whether anyone will catch LeBron in career scoring and ponder just how many points LeBron will wind up with by the time he retires. And then the boys turn to French rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama and discuss just how unique his game is. They discuss his defensive dominance and offensive versatility. They also lament the lack of adequate talent around him and the unwillingness of his Spurs teammates to let him shine. And when asked to hypothesize about just how great Wemby could be, Erik has a hot take while A.C. compares him to...Taylor Swift?!Lebron James of the Los Angeles Lakers 0:58 - Reactions to LeBron surpassing 40,000 career points3:13 - Why isn't LeBron regarded as "pure" scorer by some? 6:28 - What has made him such an efficient scorer for over two decades? How has his method of scoring changed over time?10:50 - LeBron's consistency as a scorer 13:38 - Will anyone ever catch LeBron in career points? 15:16 - How many points will LeBron have by the end of his career?Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs16:45 - Wemby's defensive dominance 22:33 - Wemby's Spurs teammates have prevented him from playing to his potential26:03 - Wemby's versatile offensive game27:54 - Favorite Wembanyama plays so far 30:41 - What is Wemby's ceiling as a basketball player? Edited by A.C.

In a season of spectacular individual performances, Anu and A.C. examine this year's race for the coveted Most Valuable Player award. They discuss the five leading candidates and what makes them special as basketball players. But they also look at some of the weaknesses in these players' MVP cases such as Luka Doncic's poor defensive effort and penchant for complaining. And as the gang's resident Knicks fan, A.C. couldn't resist making a (totally unbiased) dark horse case for Jalen Brunson as MVP. 2:02 - Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets 14:40 - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder 21:36 - Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers26:23 - Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks 34:51 - Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks 38:51 - Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks Edited by: A.C.

In honor of President's Day, Aswi and Erik get together for a special episode comparing the legacies of some of the NBA's greatest players of all time with the legacies of some of the United States' most notable (and infamous) presidents. For instance, who is the Abraham Lincoln of NBA players? And which historically great NBA player is most reminiscent of John F. Kennedy? To prepare for the episode, Aswi and Erik each came up with their own lists of presidents and NBA player comparisons - they then shared their comps with each other live on the podcast. 1:38 - George Washington, the 1st President9:44 - Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President 14:22 - Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President 25:44 - Jimmy Carter, the 39th President 29:14 - Ronald Reagan, the 40th President 36:07 - Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th President 44:02 - John F. Kennedy, the 35th President 51:07 - Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th President 58:53 - Andrew Jackson, the 7th President 1:01:28 - James Buchanan, Jr., the 15th President 1:02:26 - Donald J. Trump, the 45th President1:04:00 - Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President 1:06:50 - Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th PresidentEdited by Aswi and A.C.

As the NBA gets ready to host this year's All Star weekend, Erik and Aswi preview the many events that are scheduled. They cover everything from the dunk contest to the much-hyped three-point shooting challenge between Steph Curry and Sabrina Ionescu. 4:30 - Celebrity game8:48 - Rising stars tournament 13:36 - Three-point shooting contest20:36 - Steph Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu challenge 24:48 - Dunk contest 36:58 - NBA All Star gameEdited by: A.C.

In the wake of Adam Silver signing an extension to remain the Commissioner of the NBA through 2030, the gang decided to reflect on his tenure so far. They commend the Commissioner's many innovative initiatives and the skill with which he implemented the Covid bubble and handled the Donald Sterling situation. But the gang also pulls no punches in criticizing Silver for some of the problems that have arisen during his reign including his handling of Draymond Green and player discipline, the unchecked rise in offense, and the lack of real accountability for officials. Things get especially heated when Aswi vents about the ways that Silver has seemingly targeted his Philadelphia 76ers. 1:00 - Adam Silver gets a contract extension 2:43 - Flattening the draft lottery odds to combat tanking 4:42 - Play-in tournament 10:02 - In-season tournament15:36 - Changes to the NBA All Star Game20:18 - 2020 bubble in Orlando in response to Covid-19 pandemic 22:32 - Global initiatives to grow the game abroad 24:15 - Rule change to eliminate transition take foul25:03 - Donald Sterling situation 28:16 - Silver's actions against the Philadelphia 76ers 40:52 - Draymond Green and player discipline 48:53 - Unchecked rise of offense in Silver's tenure 54:08 - Lack of accountability for officials Edited by: A.C.

The gang gets back together to discuss two of the most bizarre coaching situations in the NBA. First, they discuss the Los Angeles Lakers refusing to fire the woefully underperforming Darvin Ham. They cover the many ways that Darvin Ham has cost the Lakers including the nonsensical rotations, the questionable offensive and defensive schemes, and Ham's inexplicable obsession with playing Taureen Prince at small forward. Then, the boys provide their takes on the Milwaukee Bucks axing their rookie head coach (who led them to the second best record in the league) only to hire the NBA's most infamous playoff choker in Doc Rivers. Diehard Sixers fan Aswi takes particular glee in a rival contender hiring the very man he watched fail the Sixers. 1:46 - Darvin Ham has failed the Los Angeles Lakers 4:33 - Erik and A.C. rant about Ham's rotations11:48 - Ham's obsession with playing Taureen Prince at small forward16:35 - Anu proposes his theory that former players generally struggle as head coaches18:04 - Problems with Ham implementing a new 5-out offense this season and constantly changing the Lakers' defensive schemes23:23 - Ham's stubbornness 27:50 - Milwaukee Bucks fire Adrian Griffin and hire Doc Rivers28:37 - Why did the Bucks fire Adrian Griffin despite his record? 31:16 - The gang reacts to Doc Rivers being hired to replace Griffin 38:40 - The Bucks have real defensive personnel issues that would be a challenge for any coach to overcome 41:07 - Aswi discusses how the Bucks match up against his Sixers Edited by: A.C.