Ball Might Lie - NBA Basketball Podcast

LeBron surpasses 40,000 points and Wembanyama exceeds the hype

The Bums — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 11:02:00 -0400

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 points
3:13 - 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 Spurs

16:45 - Wemby's defensive dominance
22:33 - Wemby's Spurs teammates have prevented him from playing to his potential
26:03 - Wemby's versatile offensive game
27:54 - Favorite Wembanyama plays so far
30:41 - What is Wemby's ceiling as a basketball player?

Edited by A.C.

Race for the NBA's MVP Award

The Bums — Fri, 08 Mar 2024 12:20:00 -0400

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 Clippers

26:23 - 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.

NBA History Meets U.S. Presidential History

The Bums — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 18:15:00 -0400

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 President

9:44 - 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 President

1:04:00 - Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President

1:06:50 - Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President

Edited by Aswi and A.C.

2024 NBA All Star Weekend

The Bums — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 19:00:00 -0400

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 game

8:48 - Rising stars tournament

13:36 - Three-point shooting contest

20:36 - Steph Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu challenge

24:48 - Dunk contest

36:58 - NBA All Star game

Edited by: A.C.

Adam Silver's Legacy: The Good, the Bad, and the 76ers

The Bums — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 13:40:00 -0400

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 tournament

15:36 - Changes to the NBA All Star Game

20:18 - 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 foul

25:03 - 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.

Lakers got some spoiled Ham while Bucks turn to...Doc Rivers?!

The Bums — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 13:00:00 -0400

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 rotations
11:48 - Ham's obsession with playing Taureen Prince at small forward
16:35 - Anu proposes his theory that former players generally struggle as head coaches
18:04 - Problems with Ham implementing a new 5-out offense this season and constantly changing the Lakers' defensive schemes
23:23 - Ham's stubbornness

27:50 - Milwaukee Bucks fire Adrian Griffin and hire Doc Rivers

28:37 - 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.