Foul Trouble

James and Patrick are going full ref mode this week, trying to sniff out what's legit and what isn't as we continue through the back half of the season and barrel towards the playoffs. Some teams are legit, like the Timberwolves and the Celtics. Some teams are fake, like the Cavs and the Pelicans. Some teams are just confusing, like the Heat and the Knicks. Stick around for the worst take of the month and a rapid-speed Hot Streak/Shooting Slump. 

 

This week on the show Jiedel and Patrick are focusing on the rising OKC Thunder. There's no doubt that SGA and the gang will make the playoffs this year, it's just a question of who they'll have to take on. As we see it, they could face the Pelicans, Suns, Lakers, Mavs, Clippers, T-Wolves, and the Nuggets. We go through each potential matchup one-by-one, predicting what might happen. Stick around for a little Best Take/Worst Take at the end, featuring a disgusting Draymond take and a charming Kawhi clip.

We're officially in the back-half of the season so it's time to rank the top contenders in the league as of Feb 22. We have to first acknowledge the Heat and Lakers, who are teetering on the edge of even making the playoffs. Then the Sixers are a big question mark considering Embiid's injury. The Suns and the Mavs are tough to count out because of their exceptional personnel, but might not have enough cohesion to make it work. The Wolves are looking exceptional but we worry that their lack of maturity and Ant's questionable decision-making will prevent them from going all the way. Who does that leave for James and Patrick's top 3 picks? Tune in to find out! 

We just made it through All-Star Weekend and it was as underwhelming as usual. Anthony Edwards shot with his left hand during the skills challenge for some reason. Jaylen Brown couldn't cook up a creative dunk to save his life. And of course, the All-Star Game itself was all half-court shots and no defense. How do we fix it? James and Patrick have some ideas. Stick around for Best Take/Worst Take! 

Right before the All-Star break James and Patrick wanted to check in on this year's crop of rookies and pick out some favorites. Wemby is an obvious topic of conversation, but some unsung hopefuls like the Wizards' Bilal Coulibaly, The Warriors' Brandin Podziemski, and the Hornets' Brandon Miller also deserve a shoutout too. While we haven't seen too much from the Pistons' Ausar Thompson, the Rockets' Amen Thompson, or the Trailblazers' Scoot Henderson, we're hopeful that they'll get things going in the near future. Stick around for Hot Streak/Shooting Slump! 

This week on the pod we're checking in on our favorite teams! James' Heat are falling in the standings, while Patrick's Suns are on the rise. Why is this happening? Plus, the guys have some predictions In the wake of the trade deadline: the Mavs are going to rise to the 5 or 6 seed, the Sixers aren't going anywhere, the Nets have a chance to stay relevant if Ben Simmons stays healthy, and the MVP will go to Kawhi, Shai, or Jokic this year. Stick around for a little Best Take/Worst Take! 

Trade Deadline has come and gone and we're breaking down the winners and losers today on the pod. The Winners: The Knicks get Bojan Bogdanović in a pretty genius move that'll undoubtedly make their rising team even better; Dallas gets PJ Washington from the Hornets, which we think is EXACTLY what they needed; OKC gets Gordon Hayward and doesn't have to lose much at all. The Losers: Pat Bev to the Bucks?? The Grizzlies offloading Steven Adams?? The Raptors ditching Dennis Schröder?? And somehow the Bulls, Warriors, Lakers, and Hawks did pretty much nothing. Stick around for Hot Streak/Shooting Slump! 

We're back in studio! With the trade deadline coming up this Thursday, James and Patrick are starting off the week with their predicted trades. Who's making moves? Both Bojan and Bogdan Bogdanović could find better homes for the rest of the season. Same goes for Wizards PF/C Daniel Gafford, Jazz PF Kelly Olynyk, Trailblazers PF Jerami Grant, Bulls G Alex Caruso, Wizards PF/SF Kyle Kuzma, Bulls C Andre Drummond, and Hawks G Dejounte Murray. We also crown the worst take of January, and it's a stiff competition.