Open Floor: SI's NBA Show

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina react to the Lakers' breathtaking performance and the Heat's many injury issues in Game 1 of the Finals. Are the Heat toast? Are we seeing a legendary breakthrough for Anthony Davis? If the Lakers win, will LeBron James or Anthony Davis claim Finals MVP? What adjustments can Miami make? Was the grueling bubble experience always bound to fizzle out? From there,...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina recap the exciting end to the conference finals and preview the upcoming NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat. Did LeBron James reclaim his spot as basketball's best player with his Game 5 takeover? Did he really beat the Nuggets with his mind? Will the Lakers have the same advantages against Miami that they had against Denver? Then, Ben and Mi...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open with an extended discussion of Tyler Herro's 37-point explosion in Game 4 of the East finals. Where does that night rank in NBA history for players at his age? Where did Herro come from? How does he compare to Celtics foils from years past? From there, Ben and Michael zoom out to see what's gone wrong for Boston and whether they are toast. Then, they dig...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open by offering their thoughts on the Los Angeles Lakers' dramatic Game 2 victory over the Denver Nuggets, which came courtesy of an Anthony Davis buzzer-beater. Did Davis sink the Nuggets? Did the Lakers deserve to lose? How will Davis be received if the Lakers win the title after he elbowed his way off the small-market Pelicans? From there, Ben and Michael shif...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina dig in deep to the Clippers' spectacular demise, assigning blame to Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Doc Rivers before listing the extenuating circumstances that contributed to their collapse. Then, at the urging of many angry Nuggets fans, Ben and Michael riff on Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray while previewing an unexpected Western Conference finals match-up with t...

Ben Golliver opens the floor to angry listeners who demand accountability for Michael Pina's takes about the Lakers. How have LeBron James and company turned things around? How did they dismantle the Rockets so easily? Are they now the clear title favorites? Then, Ben and Michael dig into Houston's complicated future and ponder James Harden trade scenarios. They close with updates on Giann...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open by recapping the best game of the bubble: Toronto's double-overtime Game 6 win over Boston. Why did Nick Nurse decide to go super small? Did Jayson Tatum need to do more late? What will be the deciding factors in Game 7? From there, they shift gears to show love to the Miami Heat, who are in the Eastern Conference finals just waiting to find out their opponen...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina recap the long holiday weekend of NBA playoff basketball by asking four questions about each of the four remaining series. Who's to blame for the Bucks' collapse? Did the Celtics unveil their championship case in Game 5? Has an MVP ever played worse than Russell Westbrook did in Game 2? Is Patrick Beverley the NBA's best troll? If the Celtics and Heat meet...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina react to the stunning news that the Brooklyn Nets have hired Steve Nash as coach. Is Nash really the next Steve Kerr? Can he be the Kevin Durant whisperer? Can any coach lead Brooklyn to the title? From there, Ben and Michael shift gears to recap a crazy week of NBA playoff action. What's up with the referees mucking up late-game scenarios? Why are the Bucks strug...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open by gushing over Jamal Murray's latest scoring explosion and poignant post-game interview. What does Murray's playoff rise say about the Nuggets' pecking order and the importance of big men in the NBA's evolving style? Where does Murry rank among 23-and-under talents? Will his historic scoring duel with Donovan Mitchell lead to bubble asterisk talk...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina discuss the Milwaukee Bucks' historic walkout and react to the NBA players' decision to continue with the 2020 playoffs. Ben offers a first-hand account of the Bucks' decision not to play their playoff game against the Orlando Magic in protest of Jacob Blake's police shooting, which triggered a postponement of the NBA's Wednesday schedule. From the...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina dig deep into Luka Doncic's unbelievable 43-point triple-double against the Los Angeles Clippers by answering a bunch of questions from the Open Floor Globe. Luka or Giannis to start a franchise? Luka, LeBron or Harden to win a title this year? Luka or Dame for Bubble MVP? Would you buy a Luka sneaker? Are the Mavericks the most likeable team in the Bubble? From t...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina recap the early first-round NBA playoff action by digging into the Lakers' shooting struggles. How can LeBron James fix this? What's up with Anthony Davis? Should they go small more often? From there, they shift gears to the Bucks' disappointing Game 1 loss. Will they get right and can their defensive strategy hold up to the way basketball is being played...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open by recapping a busy weekend on and off the court. Jim Boylen is out in Chicago, Vlade Divac is out in Sacramento, and Alvin Gentry is out in New Orleans. Will Boylen ever get a second chance? Did Luka Doncic cost Vlade his job? What will the Pelicans look for in their next coach? From there, Ben and Michael recap Portland's play-in win by discussing Ja Morant...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina preview the long-awaited NBA playoffs by breaking down the seven first-round match-ups that have been set in stone and guessing who will face the Los Angeles Lakers. Ben and Michael make their predictions for each series and identify key storylines that will determine each series. Out West, does bad blood make Thunder/Rockets the most interesting showdown of the eight...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina recap a wild weekend of NBA action by rethinking some of their conventional wisdom from before the bubble. Why aren't defenses ahead of offenses? Did the NBA really invite too many teams to Orlando? Will the favorites romp in the playoffs or will chaos reign? From there, they gush about Luka Doncic's electric showing against the Milwaukee Bucks, dig into Damia...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open by discussing the back-and-forth between LeBron James and Donald Trump over the NBA's kneeling demonstrations. Did LeBron show a strategic shift from the "U bum" showdown in 2017? Then, they double back quickly to Jonathan Isaac's demonstration to discuss why some people draw a distinction between Black lives mattering in general and the Black Liv...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina react to the opening weekend of the NBA Bubble with their boldest opinions and hottest takes. Before diving into the action, they discuss Jonathan Isaac, Meyers Leonard, Gregg Popovich and the other NBA figures who chose not to kneel during the national anthem demonstrations. Then, they hand out superlatives. Most impressive player? Most disappointing performance? Wea...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina offer a detailed breakdown of the NBA bubble's opening night. They start by analyzing the pre-game social justice demonstrations during the National Anthem by players, coaches and referees. Was this a demonstration, a protest or a sanctioned protest? Then, they pivot to discussing LeBron James's epic opener: a game-winner, a big defensive stand and a moving tr...

Podding the Bubble is a three-part mini-series taking a deep dive look into the biosphere created by the NBA in Orlando. Part 3 puts the NBA's plan into the context of what other major sports leagues are doing, and of the pandemic at large as it stands today. And with the help of global health expert and noted bioethicist, Dr. Zeke Emanuel, we try to answer the question: Was all of this a good...

Podding the Bubble is a three-part mini-series taking a deep dive look into the biosphere created by the NBA in Orlando. Part 2 follows the lives of the NBA players inside the bubble who now face a unique challenge. How do they stave off restlessness and cabin fever for three months while living inside the bubble through the rest of the season and the playoffs? Not to mention, they still have to f...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina welcome NBA fans to opening week of the bubble restart. They discuss how stars like LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic looked in early scrimmage play, and break down the audio and visual components of the NBA's new made-for-TV courts. From there, they dive into Lou Williams' Magic City misadventure. Did he threaten the bubble? Should we be tha...

Podding the Bubble is a three-part mini-series taking a deep dive look into the biosphere created by the NBA in Orlando. Part 1 explores how the NBA decided that a bubble was the right solution for them to be able to finish the 2019-2020 NBA season and conduct something resembling a normal playoffs and NBA finals. We'll also get into how the bubble is supposed to work on paper, both for player...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina celebrate as the NBA's Disney bubble opened practice sessions to the media. What was the best thing LeBron James said? How did Giannis Antetokounmpo's shot look? Are the Bucks about to spoil all the narratives and run to a "boring" title just like the Spurs of yore? From there, Ben and Michael take questions from the Open Floor Globe. What do the new p...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina get into the NBA bubble talk with a quick tour from Ben of the media's access area after he finally cleared his week-long quarantine. Which Disney World areas and amenities are available to media and which are off limits? Which NBA players and figures has he seen so far? Do the NBA's rules regarding media access make sense? From there, Ben and Michael dig into...