Pickaxe and Roll

Ryan Blackburn and Michael Ferrero react to the Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 to advance to the Western Conference Finals. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Lakers will face Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, and the Denver Nuggets. Ryan and Michael share their initial thoughts on the series before doing a Stock Watch of the Nuggets rotation. Hosted by Simplecast, an...

Ryan Blackburn reacts to the Denver Nuggets Game 6 blowout win over the Phoenix Suns as Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray outplay Devin Booker and Kevin Durant on their home floor. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope stepped up big time in the first quarter, and the Nuggets had plenty of guys step up throughout the evening to deliver a closeout win. Ryan discusses the starters, the bench, and the coronation of t...

Ryan Blackburn reacts to the Denver Nuggets 118-102 win to take Game 5 of their series against the Phoenix Suns. Nikola Jokić was his usual dominant self with another triple-double, passing Wilt Chamberlain for most in playoff history by a center. Jamal Murray started slow but figured things out in the second half. Michael Porter Jr. started FAST and played one of his best games as a Nugget. Aaron...

Ryan Blackburn reacts to the Denver Nuggets 129-124 loss to the Phoenix Suns despite Nikola Jokić's incredible 53-point night. The Suns only answer for Jokić was to outscore the Nuggets, and they did just that with incredible performances from Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and...Landry Shamet? Jamal Murray was good but not great, and the Nuggets struggled once again with Jokić off the floor. Ryan di...

Ryan Blackburn and SwipaCam share their final thoughts on Game 3 from Friday night before previewing Game 4 tonight. Can the Denver Nuggets slow down Devin Booker? Will the Phoenix Suns keep firing offensively? Will Jamal Murray bounce back? What does Nikola Jokić have in store? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal d...

Ryan Blackburn reacts to the Denver Nuggets 121-114 loss to the Phoenix Suns in Game 3 as the Nuggets hold onto a 2-1 series lead. Devin Booker was unbelievable, scoring at will against everybody in this one but mostly Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Nikola Jokić was also unbelievable for the Nuggets and probably should have had more shot attempts down the stretch. Jamal Murray scored 32 points but took...

Ryan Blackburn and SwipaCam discuss Game 3 between the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns coming up on Friday night. What adjustments will the Suns make? How does Chris Paul's absence change things for both teams? Is Denver's defense for real? Are narratives about Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets changing during these playoffs? They discuss it all on the latest episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz c...

Ryan Blackburn and Pickaxe and Roll Producer Michael Ferrero share their hot takes about all of the action around the NBA playoffs. Are the Denver Nuggets the best team left standing? Are the Phoenix Suns cooked without Chris Paul? Do you care about the LeBron James vs Stephen Curry debate? Will the real MVP in Philadelphia please stand up? Ryan and Michael discuss all of that and more on the late...

Ryan Blackburn reacts to the Denver Nuggets Game 2 win over the Phoenix Suns. A 97-87 rock fight didn't stop Nikola Jokić from dominating with 39 points and 16 rebounds, putting the Nuggets on his back in the second half. Jamal Murray struggled with his shot, but the rest of the Nuggets picked him up with elite defense on Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. Ryan discusses the starters, the bench, the C...

Ryan Blackburn and SwipaCam share their hangover takes from the Denver Nuggets Game 1 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night. Were the great things the Nuggets did repeatable? How will the Suns try to adjust in Game 2? What can the Nuggets do to adjust to those adjustments? Or will those Suns adjustments actually matter? They share their takes on Nuggets-Suns then react to Game 7 between...

Ryan Blackburn reacts to the Denver Nuggets Game 1 win over the Phoenix Suns as Jamal Murray lights it up for 34 points and nine assists. He dominated the Suns in his first playoff game against Devin Booker, matching every run the Suns had with a run of his own. Nikola Jokić found his footing in the second half and dominated rebounding the entire night. Aaron Gordon and Bruce Brown also had great...

Ryan Blackburn discusses Denver Nuggets practice and the notes and quotes from Michael Malone, Aaron Gordon, and Bruce Brown. Then, he opens up the mailbag to answer questions from Pickaxe and Roll listeners on the Nuggets playoff matchup with the Phoenix Suns. How do the Nuggets guard Kevin Durant and Devin Booker? Who are the X-factors in the series? What can the Nuggets do to make life easier o...

Ryan Blackburn previews the Denver Nuggets second round playoff matchup with the Phoenix Suns from a numbers perspective, sharing his insights on key battlegrounds between the two teams. When the Suns have the ball, will the Nuggets taller rotation give them better chances to contest Devin Booker and Kevin Durant jumpers? When the Nuggets have the ball, will they be able to create efficient shots...

Ryan Blackburn reacts to the Denver Nuggets Game 5 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves as Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokić power the team past Anthony Edwards in impressive efforts from both. Murray led the team with 35 points on efficient scoring, while Jokić put up a big triple-double on uncharacteristically bad shooting. The team played good enough defense as a whole to get past Minnesota, and the...

Ryan Blackburn reacts to the Denver Nuggets 114-108 loss in overtime to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite Nikola Jokić's 43-point performance, the Nuggets didn't have enough to survive Anthony Edwards' strong play in clutch time. Jamal Murray struggled in his minutes. Michael Porter Jr. wasn't very involved. Aaron Gordon struggled defensively. The Nuggets ultimately didn't have enough to defeat...

Ryan Blackburn and SwipaCam react to the first three games of the series between the Denver Nuggets and Timberwolves. Who's the most interesting player so far? What are Ryan and Swipa most impressed by? Do they agree on Denver's red flags? Then, Ryan and Swipa preview Game 4 before looking aroun the Western Conference at the other playoff series going on. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company....

Ryan Blackburn reacts to the Denver Nuggets 120-111 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 to take a commanding 3-0 series lead. Nikola Jokić and Michael Porter Jr. were both fantastic. Jamal Murray offered all-around impact. Aaron Gordon hit his shots. Bruce Brown and Christian Braun made big plays in the second half. The Nuggets needed it all to get the job done on the road, and their com...

Ryan Blackburn reacts to the Denver Nuggets Game 2 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves to improve to 2-0 in the first round series. Jamal Murray scored 40 points and hit some clutch baskets to lift the Nuggets after they let a big lead slip in the second half. Nikola Jokić was good, not great. Michael Porter Jr. was uninvolved until he made some big fourth quarter plays. The Nuggets found a way to...

Ryan Blackburn shares insights from Denver Nuggets practice on Tuesday afternoon as the Nuggets prepare for the Minnesota Timberwolves in a Game 2 matchup. The Nuggets know the T'Wolves will be better, more physical, and more aggressive in how they approach the game. Michael Malone, Nikola Jokić, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope all shared their thoughts on the matchup at practice, including some insi...

Ryan Blackburn reacts to the Denver Nuggets dominant 109-80 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves to take Game 1 of the first round playoff series. The Nuggets were ready to play and imposed their will on the T'Wolves early and often. Nikola Jokić was dominant early and set the tone, while Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray found their shooting rhythm later in the contest. Denver's defense was stel...

In a crossover podcast episode, SwipaCam hosts a Denver Nuggets preview show featuring Adam Mares, Matt Moore, and Ryan Blackburn to discuss the Nuggets first round matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves. They initially share thoughts on the Play-In tournament and Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth before transitioning into playoff talk. Just how good are the Timberwolves? Which Nuggets play...

Ryan Blackburn reacts to the Minnesota Timberwolves clinching the 8th seed over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night, setting themselves up for a matchup with the Denver Nuggets in the first round. Ryan breaks down some of the strengths and weaknesses of the Timberwolves rotation, looks back at previous matchups between the two teams, and shares his keys for a Nuggets series victory. Hosted b...

Ryan Blackburn reacts to the Play-In game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. He then reacts to Nuggets practice and shares his insights into Denver's approach this week. Finally, Ryan asks three simple questions that will answer if the Nuggets can win a championship or not. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information abo...

Ryan Blackburn reacts to the Play-In Tournament matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers will be the 7 seed, and the T'Wolves could face the Denver Nuggets in the first round. Ryan discusses the game before going in-depth on the Nuggets playoff rotation, sharing his favorite Nuggets lineups ahead of their first round series. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz com...

Ryan Blackburn and SwipaCam react to the end of the NBA's regular season, from the relatively weak Denver Nuggets finish to an incredible lead-up to the Western Conference Play-In tournament. They discuss the Play-In participants in each conference, making predictions for who will face who. Then, Ryan and Swipa discuss the Playoff Picture at large, making predictions for each first round series. F...