Over and Back: Stories About NBA History

Jason and Rich examine NBA players who by age 25 appeared on the trajectory for all-time greatness but for one reason or another fell off track. Players discussed include early NBA star Ed Macauley, territorial pick in the last BAA draft before the BAA and the NBL merged to form the NBA. Jason and Rich discuss Macauley's early career, the trade he's most famous for and what he did in his p...

In the latest edition of our NBA 20 Years Ago series, Rich and Jason look back at the NBA in January 1998. We look at how the 1990s are a time of the most of the dominant players being older than 30, including MVP favorites Karl Malone and Michael Jordan, and how unprecedented that was in NBA history. We each pick our favorite mythical League Pass teams, including the Jason Kidd Suns, emerging Kev...

On today's episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA Podcast, Jason and Rich look at former NBA and ABA players who suited up for five, four and three teams in a single season. Players profiled include Bobby Jones, Steve Chubin, Ken Wilburn, Rich Johnson, Rod Higgins, Tony Massenburg, Alex Stivrins, Don Boven, Ron Perry, Reggie Johnson, Sam Cassell, Barry Liebowitz, Manny Leaks, Tom Owens and J...

In the third edition of our NBA 20 Years Ago series, we explore the events of December 1997 in the NBA, including Latrell Sprewell being suspended for choking Warriors coach P.J. Carlesimo, the Wizards opening a new arena, the Mavericks naming Don Nelson as coach, the slam dunk contest being canceled, and Michael Jordan being the victim of a hoax involving his mother's health during a game. We...

For Over and Back's 200th episode, Rich Kraetsch and Jason Mann watch "Space Jam" with basketball pals Curtis Harris (@ProHoopsHistory) and Reinis Lacis (@LamarMatic) and provide live commentary on the proceedings. Topics discussed: how the movie frames Michael Jordan's life, how we all were first exposed to the movie and how we feel about it now, the merits of the "Space Jam&#...

We are used to the NBA landscape being what it is. Since 1981, there hasn't been much in the way of massive conference realignment but that wasn't always the case. On this episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA podcast hosts Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch look at the NBA's long history of conference realignment. We look first at teams that have for the most part stayed in their respect...

In the second edition of our NBA 20 Years Ago series, we explore the events of November 1997 in the NBA, including Charles Barkley throwing a bar patron through a window, Tim Duncan's first month in the league, players being fined for wearing too-long shorts, A.C. Green setting the NBA consecutive game record, Isiah Thomas leaving his position as Raptors GM, and much more. We also discuss a ro...

We talk to "The Jordan Rules" author Sam Smith about his new book, "Hard Labor: The Battle that Birthed the Billion-Dollar NBA," which documents the labor battles between the NBA and its players in the 1960s and 1970s and shares stories about the key players in that fight, including Oscar Robertson, Elgin Baylor, Rick Barry, Bill Bradley, John Havlicek, Chet Walker, Joe Caldwell, a...

Basketball Hall of Famer Bernard King joins the Over and Back Classic NBA Podcast to discuss his new book, Game Face, and memories of his career, including his playoff battles on the New York Knicks and overcoming a gruesome knee injury to play again in the NBA after two years of recovery. He also discusses his analytical approach to basketball from a young age, coming into the NBA in an unsettled...

With Suns coach Earl Watson being fired after an 0-3 start, we look at the fastest firings and shortest coaching stints in NBA history on the latest episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA Podcast. We discuss Dolph Schayes being canned after one game with the 1972 Buffalo Braves, Gene Shue losing his job one year after taking the Philadelphia 76ers to the 1977 NBA Finals, Carl Bennett going from...

Jason and Rich explore dynasty survivors: the last player from each NBA dynasty to remain with their team even after the glory years. From Gail Goodrich and Don Chaney to Randy Brown and Robert Parish, we look at each major pre and post expansion dynasty and who hung on through the final days of the dynasty. We examine how long the player remained with the franchise, why he was the last left and o...

We are joined by Curtis Harris of Pro Hoops History in discussing the life and career of Connie Hawkins, the New York City playground legend and ABA superstar who was unfairly blackballed by the NBA until his late 20s. We discuss Hawkins being one of the first above-the-rim offensive superstars, how his high-flying grace and acrobatics inspired Julius Erving and Michael Jordan, his incredibly huge...

To kick off our new series NBA 20 Years Ago, we look at the 1997 NBA offseason, including the Shawn Kemp trade, the Kevin Garnett extension, Rick Pitino taking power in Boston, and Larry Bird coming home to Indiana, in the latest episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA Podcast. We discus the offseason melodrama surround the Chicago Bulls, a record number of coaching changes, the Washington Bullet...

On this episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA Podcast, Jason and Rich compare and contrast Oklahoma City's new big 3 (Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook and Paul George) to Boston's famed big 3 formed in 2007-08 when Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined forces with Paul Pierce on the Celtics. Topics on this show include where all six men were and are in their careers in terms of accomplis...

Adam Ryan of the In All Airness podcast joins us to discuss the 1989 NBA All-Star Game, Michael Jordan's "The Shot" against Cleveland, and the Chicago Bulls vs. the New York Knicks in the 1989 playoffs. We talk about Adam's exposure to the NBA living in Australia, watching VHS tapes of moments over and over again, how much the All-Star Game meant in an era in which fewer games were...

On this episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA Podcast, hosts Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch explore the topic of franchise leading scorers and what each franchise's all-time leading scorer says about their history. Jason and Rich break down each team's leading scorer, if said player was the franchise's best player of all-time and where he ranks among other all-time scoring leaders. Th...

Jason and Rich discuss NBA players who starred in other professional sports in the latest episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA Podcast. They discuss Wilt Chamberlain's post-NBA professional volleyball career with teams like the Seattle Smashers and the Southern California Bangers, The Big Dipper's dominating performance on national TV after a fellow star's criticism, 1993 Heisman T...

On this episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA Podcast, Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch explore some of their favorite "what-if" scenarios in NBA history including Jason Kidd going to the San Antonio Spurs in the summer of 2003, the Philadelphia 76ers traded Moses Malone to the Detroit Pistons in 1986, the Chicago Bulls trading Scottie Pippen to Seattle for Shawn Kemp, Detroit drafting Carm...

The Over and Back Classic NBA Podcast examines players that went out on a high note with productive final seasons in the league. Jason and Rich look at which players had the highest points-per-game, rebounds-per-game, Win Shares and PER in their final campaign including Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, John Stockton, Tim Duncan and more. Next is a deeper dive into some of the more interesting final...

In celebration of Ice Cube's Big 3 league, hosts Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch draft a Big 3 for each current and past NBA franchise. To make things more interesting, players can only be selected to one team so someone like Julius Erving can't represent both the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn/New Jersey/New York Nets. Throughout the show, Jason and Rich debate who would make the best three...

We examine some of the best non-first round picks in NBA history on the latest episode of the Over and Back Classic NBA Podcast, hosted by Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch. Combing through each decade of draft classes, we discuss Maurice Cheeks in 1978, Danny Ainge in 1981, Jeff Hornacek, Mark Price and Dennis Rodman in 1986, Toni Kukoc in 1990, Stephen Jackson in 1997, Rashard Lewis in 1998, Manu Gin...

Fresh off the conclusion of the 2017 NBA Finals, Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch look at the best individual NBA Finals performances of all-time. We begin with a look at three players who had standout performances in this year's NBA Finals including Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Steph Curry. We then take a look at the best historical NBA Finals performances of all time including players such as...

The Golden State Warriors are two games away from pulling off the NBA's first-ever perfect postseason. However, Golden State isn't the only team to enter the NBA Finals with a chance at perfection. Today on the Over and Back Classic NBA Podcast, Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch look at eight other teams who chased perfection into the NBA Finals. We'll look at each team's regular season...

We discuss the NBA in the 1970s with Adam Criblez, author of "Tall Tales and Short Shorts: Dr. J, Pistol Pete and the Birth of the Modern NBA." We look at what the 1970s are best known for in the NBA, how they provided the building blocks for the modern league and the success of the 1980s, why David Stern called them the "dark days," early shoe and endorsement deals, how the NBA tr...

With yet another season ending in disappointment for Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and the Los Angeles Clippers, the Over and Back Classic NBA Podcast looks at teams that were great... but not great enough. To date, only four teams have won at least 50 games for five straight seasons, maintained an SRS of 3 or better and still didn't make the NBA Finals: the 1981-87 Milwaukee Bucks...