#371: Panic time!? Early playoff takeawa...

Apologies for some audio issues today! We preview the title favorites, matchup dynamics, possible dark horses, how the playoffs COULD be different (officiating changes, possible trends with rebounding, turnovers, transition game and more). 

Who were the best defenders in 2026? We crown our champions in 6 categories, plus a new BONUS award at the end of the show. Which player appeared in every category this year? Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball 

We discuss the best coaches of 2026, the Coach of the Year race, and react to our Jaylen Brown deep dive against the Thunder. Plus, Cody's defense of Sex Panther. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball 

The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Zach Lowe to discuss some NBA happenings that occurred during Zach’s podcast hiatus, including the Luka trade, the Suns, 76ers, and Mavericks’ disappointing season, and more (2:31). Then they talk about Monday’s Rockets-Lakers game (29:44) a ... Show More

The Ringer's BIll Simmons is joined by Kirk Goldsberry for an all-positive NBA discussion on the exciting NBA talent pool, the contending Cavaliers, and a better than advertised Eastern Conference (01:28). Then they discuss the surging Knicks, Victor Wembanyama's development, how ... Show More

<p>The Conference Finals are in full swing and we are starting to learn a lot from these 2025 NBA Playoff trends. In this episode of Mind the Game with LeBron James and Steve Nash, the guys dive into these trends such as, the importance of role players like Alex Caruso and Aaron ... Show More

Happy basketball! NBA ball is so good right now! The Buds get together to talk about the Wizards being the best, the Cavs being good, and the Sixers being only sorta fine. They talk about whether Russell Westbrook owes his time to a reporter (HE DOESN'T), Spencer Dinwittie being ... Show More

Brian Windhorst is joined by ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon to react to an eventful end to the NBA season including a wild finish with massive seeding implications between the Clippers & Warriors. The guys dive into an early look at the major storylines between the Clippers ... Show More

Haize talks about why this NBA offseason is shaping up to be an interesting one.Podcast Links: https://linktr.ee/nbacentralGet at us:Email: NBACentralShow@gmail.comTwitter: @CEOHaizePhone: ‪(773) 270-2799‬ 

The Jamal Murray Game. Nuggets take Game 2 and a 2-0 lead in the WCF and Lebron looked old for the first time (00:00:00-00:14:07). PGA Championship & We have an NHL team now (00:14:07-00:22:04). A side tangent on our support for the A's and fuck you to John Fisher (00:22:04-00:26 ... Show More

The Mavs finished off the Timberwolves in Game 5 and we're set with a Finals matchup. KAT has to be the hardest guy to root for and Luka decided to finish the series in the first quarter (00:00:00- 00:14:50). We talk NBA Finals and Hank's prediction (00:14:50-00:35:44). Bears get ... Show More

The Celtics lose game 2 and we have some questions for Hank (00:00:00-00:19:56). The Knicks keep winning as guys get injured and Rick Carlisle is being a bit of a baby (00:19:56-00:27:00). Mavs win Game 2 (00:27:00-00:29:56)and we talk some hockey with a stunning Canucks win and ... Show More