Over and Back: Stories About NBA History

Jason and Rich continue looking back at classic NBA playoff Game 7s with a series on every NBA Finals Game 7 in history. For part four, they talk about the San Antonio Spurs vs. Detroit Pistons in 2005 and the Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers in 1966. Topics discussed include which of the 2000s Pistons are likely Hall of Famers, the wonders of young Manu Ginobili, how close the Pistons came t...

Jason and Rich continue discussing every NBA Finals Game 7 in history. For part three, they talk about the Washington Bullets vs. Seattle Supersonics in 1978 and the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics in 2010. Topics discussed include Dennis Johnson’s 0-for-14 shooting performance, the origins of “the opera ain’t over till the fat lady sings,” the odd paths for both the Sonics and Bullets in 19...

Jason and Rich continue looking at every NBA Finals Game 7 in history. In Part Two, they discuss the New York Knicks vs. Los Angeles Lakers in 1970, Minneapolis Lakers vs. Syracuse Nationals in 1954, and Rochester Royals vs. New York Knicks in 1951. Topics discussed include the shocking revelation that the “Willis Reed game” was only 15th on our list, Walt Frazier’s fantastic performance in said g...

For part one of our series looking at Game 7s of the NBA Finals, Jason and Rich discuss the Boston Celtics vs. St. Louis Hawks in 1960, Minneapolis Lakers vs. New York Knicks in 1952, and Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks in 1974. Topics discussed include Bob Cousy’s stardom and when Bill Russell became the face of the Boston Celtics dynasty, the fierce Hawks vs. Celtics Finals rivalry in four of...

Jason and Rich look at the best Conference Finals Game 7s of All-Time! Games covered include historic battles like the Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic and Mike Bibby’s 2002 Sacramento Kings vs. Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers also make an appearance later in the show as discuss one of the most recent Conference Final Game 7s and also one of the most memorable as...

We discuss more fantastic early round Game 7s: -Chet Walker and the 1974 Chicago Bulls taking on the Dave Bing, Bob Lanier and the Detroit Pistons. -Kevin Johnson puts up 46 points and Charles Barkley's plays his "last game" in the NBA (hint: it wasn't) as Mario Ellie hits a game-winner for Hakeem Olajuwon and the 1995 Houston Rockets. -Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry and the Dallas Mav...

A look at the best Game 7s in NBA history begins with early rounds (first round and conference semifinals). Series recaps include: -The 1981 Western Conference Semifinals with the surprising Houston Rockets led by Calvin Murphy taking on George Gervin, Mark Olberding and San Antonio Spurs -The 1976 showdown between the "Miracle" Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Bullets -The famous Vince...

Today's episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA podcast is all about unexpected great playoffs performances. To make it a little more interesting, we didn't look at guys who simply had one or two good/unexpected playoff games but guys who had entire playoff series or seasons that were unexpected or well above their normal expectations. Some of these guys parlayed their success into mega c...

The Over and Back Classic NBA podcast returns with a playoff-themed edition as Jason and Rich break down the worst NBA playoff teams in history. Whether the result of expansion or the NBA letting too many teams into the final dance, there have been numerous examples of terrible NBA playoff teams. Instead of breaking down each and everyone, this compact (~45 minute show) looks at the worst by each...

An in-depth look at the NBA's most storied feud: Kobe Bryant vs. Shaquille O'Neal. Jason and Rich begin with an overview of the tandem, how long they played together, how they came to form a powerful dynasty, how the feud is covered today versus coverage at the time, why there are no books or longform essays on the subject, a look at the Lakers supporting cast around Kobe/Shaq and how the...

On this edition of the Over and Back Classic NBA podcast, Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch remember the lives and careers of three NBA stars we lost in the past few weeks: Anthony Mason, Jerome Kersey and Earl Lloyd. We begin with a discussion on Earl Lloyd breaking the NBA's color barrier, the unique circumstances that led to him being the one to break it, his post-playing career and much more. W...

Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch are back with a brand-new episode of Over and Back: The Classic NBA podcast! Today's topic is all about the NBA trade deadline and some of our favorite midseason deals of all-time. The guys are first joined by Rafael Canton (@nba_trades) of NBATrades.tumblr.com to talk trade deadline history, most underrated deadline deals, trades that helped both teams, what compe...

Almost as long as there's been a draft in the NBA, there's been teams tanking to get the most favorable picks and a chance at generationally great players. In a league where one player can alter a franchise both on and off the court, getting that one is so important, sometimes losing games is the best method and thus, tanking was born. Jason and Rich discuss their definitions of tanking, h...

It's all about being cool on this episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA podcast. The official arbiters of cool (Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch) discuss what it means to be cool in the NBA, who our starting five of cool would be, what legends were or weren't cool as well as the coolest player from each team currently. We also say the word cool at least 130 times, it's a pretty cool sho...

Since 1947, when the New York Knicks battled the Providence Steamrollers on Christmas Day, professional basketball played on Christmas Day became an annual tradition. For every year, with the lone exception of 1998, has seen an NBA game on Christmas Day. Unlike the NFL on Thanksgiving Day, the NBA doesn't feature one particular team but rather the best and brightest in the NBA on a given year,...

Lucky episode #13 takes us to New York City as Jason and Rich cover the life and career former Knicks and Nets star Micheal Ray Richardson! We begin the episode chatting Sugar Ray with Robert Silverman (@bobsaietta) of Knickblogger, VICE, The Cauldron, Deadspin, The Daily Beast and The Classical as we discuss his impact in New York City, whether his addictions were aided by the city, his life-long...

Our most delicious episode yet — a complete breakdown of Jason "White Chocolate" Williams' career! We're first joined by Jared Dubin of Hardwood Paroxsym, Grantland, The Cauldron and Bleacher Report to discuss Williams' influence on him as a young NBA fan, what made Williams so special, whether he or the forever linked Mike Bibby are better and last but certainly not least, Jar...

Today on the Over and Back Classic NBA podcast it's all about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar/Lew Alcindor but unlike our typical career retrospectives, we're going to focus on Kareem in the 1970s. Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch discuss his dominance in both the high school and college ranks, the famed ABA/NBA power struggle to acquire his rights and the mythical $1 million check he was to receive from...

With the news of Steve Nash's season-ending back injury, the career of the Canadian legend appears to be over so we needed to give him the proper Over and Back treatment. Join us as we say goodbye to a fallen hero! We begin this week's episode with a roundtable discussion alongside Podium Game contributor Bryan Gibberman and the Podium Game czar himself Jordan White. Discussions including...

Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch are back with another episode of the Over and Back classic NBA podcast but this time instead of talking the past, we're talking the present as we preview the NBA season. Of course, we had to put a historical spin on it so we preview the season while referencing the past! Unfortunately the podcast begins with breaking news about Steve Nash missing the 2014-15 NBA se...

We're talking all things Detlef Schrempf on the newest episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA podcast! A detailed look at former Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, Seattle SuperSonics and Portland Trail Blazers great Detlef Schrempf. One of the first Europeans to pave the way for today's players, Detlef displayed rare talents making him one of the most versatile, dependable and effective...

We're talking 1999 NBA jerseys! After hours of exhaustive scientific research (no, seriously), Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch have determined 1999 is the absolute worst year for NBA jerseys. The next natural step is to rank these from best to worst and that's what this episode is all about. Jason and Rich discuss our voting methods, who was the best jersey that year, the worst, when the tren...

Jason and Rich react to the retirement of Detroit Pistons great Chauncey Billups and the death of Marvin "Bad News" Barnes. We discuss Billups' rocky start with the Boston Celtics, bouncing around the NBA including stops in Toronto, Orlando, Denver and Minnesota before finally finding his NBA home in Detroit. Discussions include Billups' reputation, his HOF candidacy, his ranking a...

Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch are back with a new episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA podcast, this time talking NBA expansion teams and expansion drafts. We're first joined by Curtis Harris of ProHoopsHistory.com to discuss his favorite expansion teams, memories of the Chicago Packers and expansion draft oddities. We then breakdown each and every expansion team, key players acquired in th...

We discuss the life, career and tragic death of the Boston Celtics' Reggie Lewis. Jason and Rich dive into the career timeline of Lewis, his rough upbringing in drug-riddled Baltimore, playing in high school with three other future NBA players and being recruited by Northeastern University and eventual UConn legend Jim Calhoun. The guys then move onto his NBA career, joining a still-talented b...