The Lowe Post

Zach and ESPN's Kevin Pelton react to Luka Doncic's monster game as the Mavs advance to the Finals, how the Celtics and Mavericks match up on both sides of the ball, Minnesota's looming financial crunch and fake KAT trades. Wolves had no answer for Luka (3:07) Celtics won't have best player in the Finals (15:28) Luka's on pace to wind up in rarefied air statistically (24:31) NBA Finals Preview (28...

Zach and ESPN's Chris Herring discuss the Western Conference Finals, Minnesota's chances of pulling an historic comeback, the Mavs playoff surge and very early thoughts on their potential Finals matchup with Boston, the state of the Celtics and the pressure on them to win, the Mike Brown situation in Sacramento, and the incomparable Bill Walton. Then Caitlin Cooper of Basketball, She Wrote discuss...

Zach and ESPN's Tim Bontemps discuss Luka Doncic's game-winning 3-pointer to put the Mavs up 2-0 in the Western Conference Finals, the struggling Minnesota offense, the media narratives around Jayson Tatum, and why the Celtics need to win the NBA title. Final sequence (1:33) Are we emotionally prepared for a Celtics vs. Kyrie Irving NBA Finals? (10:52) Last minute blow by blow (12:17) Minnesota's...

Zach and Kirk Goldsberry discuss the Mavericks win in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, how both Dallas and Minnesota might adjust in Game 2, the All-NBA results, Cleveland firing JB Bickerstaff and what comes next for Donovan Mitchell, quick Pacers-Celtics takes, and Kirk's new book "Hoop Atlas." Dallas grinds out Game 1 in Minnesota (2:17) Kyrie Irving has been amazing for Dallas (15:52)...

Zach and ESPN's Kevin Pelton react to Game 7 wins for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Indiana Pacers, questions in Denver and New York going forward, Knicks injuries, and more. Plus: Quick thoughts on Mavs-Wolves and Celtics-Pacers in the conference finals, what's next for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and much more.  Nuggets offseason questions (19:47) Mavs-Wolves Western Conference Finals Lookahead...

Zach and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic talk all things Wolves-Nuggets and preview Game 7. Then (38:47) Zach discusses the Boston Celtics soft path to the conference finals and the perception Boston isn't playing well enough to win the title -- and whether anything short of that is a failure. Then (54:09) Zach welcomes in ESPN's Tim MacMahon to discuss Mavs-Thunder, how the Mavs trades worked out...

Zach and ESPN's Bobby Marks discuss the Nuggets showing the heart of a champion to bounce back and even their series against the Wolves, the Knicks running out of gas in Game 4 against the Pacers, and what Indiana's off-season could look like. Then ESPN's NBA Draft Expert Jonathan Givony joins on what the Hawks could do with the #1 pick, how the Spurs will handle two picks in the top 8, and the ne...

Zach and ESPN's Tim Legler discuss the home losses in Game 2 by the Celtics and Thunder, the firing of Frank Vogel in Phoenix, and what to expect in Wolves-Nuggets and Knicks-Pacers. Plus, Mike Singer joins to share the story of his forthcoming book on the rise of Nikola Jokic. Knicks-Pacers (4:30) Cavs rout Celtics in Game 2 (8:46) Mavs win Game 2 in OKC (24:25) Vogel fired in Phoenix (47:09) Sin...

Zach and NBA.com's John Schuhmann discuss the Wolves beatdown of the Denver Nuggets and New York's wild and controversial win over the Pacers -- and what comes next in both series. Then they briefly preview Cavs-Celtics and Mavs-Thunder, make picks, and discuss the fallout from first-round eliminations for the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, and LA Clippers.  Wolves take both games in Denver (1:45) Kni...

Zach and Howard Beck of The Ringer discuss the epic Knicks-Sixers series, Joel Embiid's play, what's next for the Sixers, Heat, and Bucks after disappointing first-round exits, the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George era in LA, the Darvin Ham noise, Knicks-Pacers early thoughts, and much more. Then Adam Mares of DNVR Sports and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic join for an in-depth preview of the Nuggets-Wolv...

Zach and ESPN's Bobby Marks discuss Anthony Edwards' brilliance in Minnesota's sweep of Phoenix, the potential fallout for the Suns, fake Kevin Durant trades, Clippers-Mavericks and Kawhi Leonard's injury, the pressure on Cleveland in Cavs-Magic, the stakes for the Sixers and Bucks behind 3-1, and much more. Then Fred Katz of The Athletic joins for a deep dive on Knicks-Sixers, New York's future p...

Zach is joined by Mo Dakhil for reactions to Game 3 in Knicks vs. 76ers, Cavaliers vs. Magic, and Nuggets vs. Lakers. They also preview the Game 3's in the Friday slate of games and how they expect the rest of the first round to play out. 2:55 Sixers bounce back against the Knicks 20:35 Lakers vs Nuggets 38:30 Magic vs. Cavs 44:00 Clippers vs. Mavericks 52:09 Wolves vs. Suns 58:15 Miami Heat shock...

Zach and ESPN's Kevin Pelton discuss what they've seen from every Game 1 of the first round and what to look for as each series progresses. Knicks-Sixers (2:11) Celtics-Heat (8:03) Cavs-Magic (12:06) Nuggets-Lakers (16:46) Timberwolves-Suns (27:10) Thunder-Pelicans (36:21) Clippers-Mavericks (50:23) Bucks-Pacers (1:02:57) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Zach discusses the Warriors being eliminated from playoff contention and questions if this is the end of this team as we know them, then he is joined by David Thorpe for their annual 8x8 first round deep dive. 0:00 The Warriors being eliminated by the Kings. 19:10 Injury updates following the play-in. 25:55 Minnesota vs. Phoenix series preview 41:20 Sixers vs. Knicks preview 51:42 Lakers vs. Nugge...

Zach is joined by ESPN's Chris Herring to review Sunday's regular-season conclusion, preview the four play-in games and four playoff series that we know so far, and give their final awards picks for the 2024 season. 7:00 Winners and losers from Sunday's regular season conclusion 12:15 Is Orlando actually a good matchup for the Cavs? 18:00- The Phoenix Suns avoiding the Play-In by beating the Wolve...

Zach asks injury expert Jeff Stotts about the extent of Giannis Antentokounmpo's injury and his potential recovery timetable. Then The Athletic's Mo Dakhil joins to discuss Knicks-Celtics, playoff seeding, and the MVP race. What will Giannis' recovery look like? (1:27) Dakhil (17:20) Does anything concern you about the Celtics? (21:03) Knicks are a joy to watch (24:26) Jrue Holiday extension (32:0...

Zach and ESPN's Bobby Marks weigh in on the pivotal races in the Western Conference. Then ESPN's Tim Bontemps joins to discuss the logjam behind Boston in the East, what's gone wrong in Cleveland, and how their All-Defense and All-NBA ballots are shaping up. The race for 6th in the West (3:21) How the top spot will be determined in the West (20:05) The muddled East from 2 to 8 (33:42) Who's the bi...

Zach and ESPN's Kevin Pelton discuss the Sixers' chances now that Joel Embiid is back in the fold, how seeds 3 through 5 might shake out in the East, the race for the top seed in the West, how dangerous the Lakers can be, and what to make of the Suns and Clippers. Sixers with Embiid (10:31) Are the Heat going to heat up or what? (24:01) Knicks without Randle (27:14) Cavs and Magic (35:26) Race for...

Zach and ESPN's Tim MacMahon discuss Joel Embiid's expected return to the Sixers, the charging Mavericks, and a trio of teams succeeding without an injured star. Plus, TrueHoop's David Thorpe joins to run through the top candidates for Most Improved Player. Impact of Embiid's return (1:04) Mavs currently in 5th in the West (9:42) Hawks without Trae, Wolves without KAT, and Rockets without Sengun (...

Zach and ESPN's Doris Burke discuss Draymond Green's ejection and the Warriors' push for the play-in before revealing their preseason takes that have since fallen flat. Headlines around the league (15:04) Worst Preseason Takes (22:07) Under on the Thunder (22:27) Hawks to finish in the top 5 (30:56) Lukewarm on the Porzingis trade (33:19) A Mavs swoon that never happened (41:58) D'Angelo Russell's...

Zach and The Dunker Spot's Steve Jones, Jr. discuss what's going on with the Warriors, the races for the 6th seed in the East and West, and the battle for positioning among the 3-4-5 spots in the East. Then ESPN Chalk's David Purdum joins for the latest on the NBA looking into betting irregularities involving Toronto's Jontay Porter. What's going on with the Warriors? (2:27) 6-7-8 spots in the Wes...

Zach and ESPN's Tim MacMahon discuss how the Celtics and Bucks would match up in a playoff series, forecast the Thunder's chances in the West, and weigh in on Coach of the Year candidates. Then The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski joins to talk all things Anthony Edwards- the dunk and his elevation into superstardom- plus, what success looks like for the Timberwolves this season. Celtics-Bucks matchup (...

Zach and The Athletic's Mo Dakhil discuss the latest Laker losses, the charging Mavericks, their concern for the Clippers and Suns, Victor Wembanyama making highlight plays look routine, and candidates for 6th Man of the Year. Lakers-Warriors reaction (4:03) The surging Mavs (15:08) Concerns about the Clippers (30:47) Officiating has been tweaked since the All-Star break (44:28) Suns (50:22) Wemba...

Zach and ESPN's Bobby Marks run through their preliminary list of candidates for All-NBA. Then the NBA's Head of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars and the Senior VP of Referee Training and Development Monty McCutchen join to discuss why scoring has dipped since the All-Star Break, ideas to help defenders, and the unintended consequences of the 65-game rule for awards. Bucks still trying to figure i...

Zach and ESPN's Andrew Lopez discuss the red-hot Pelicans, Zion's play, Brandon Ingram's unheralded season, and how the Pelicans stack up against each of the West's elite. Then ESPN's Kevin Pelton joins to pick All-Defensive teams, talk Heat, Suns, Magic and Jamahl Mosley's extension, the recent decline in scoring and free throws, Victor Wembanyama, and much more.  Pels are a mystery box and a sle...