The Best of the Sports Shop

Reese, Pam and Alex discuss NBA Game 7s over the weekend. The NBA playoff weekend delivered three Game 7s, all in the East and this time it was the underdogs and comeback stories that defined it. The  Philadelphia 76ers stunned the Boston Celtics on the road, pulling off a historic win behind huge performances from Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey , who dominated late and flipped both teams&rsquo...

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex discuss the  Boston Celtics ’ Game 6 loss to the  Philadelphia 76ers, what it means heading into a decisive Game 7 on Sunday and this NBA Playoff weekend. In last night’s NBA playoff action, the Philadelphia 76ers held off the Boston Celtics 106-93 in Game 6 to even the series and force a winner-take-all Game 7. Boston’s struggles came at...

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex speak with Ian Parks to discuss his NBA Playoff picks. Ian Parks from Always Bet On Black w/ Ian Parks joins the Sports Shop to share his picks for this weekend in the NBA Playoffs. Who will win this weekend: Detroit Pistons or Orlando Magic? Toronto Raptors or Cleveland Cavaliers? Los Angeles Lakers or Houston Rockets? The Orlando Magic will host the Detroit Pistons toni...

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex discuss John Wall’s new front-office role at Howard, what his influence could mean for HBCU basketball and recruiting, the Duke-Amazon streaming deal and its impact on college basketball media and what all of it signals about the shifting landscape of the sport, including where UNC Basketball fits into that evolving picture. John Wall recently stepped into a front-o...

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex discuss the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2026, the energy from Media Day in Greensboro yesterday and Reese’s takeaways from  Media Day ahead of induction night. Several members of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame's 2026 induction class will have appeared on The Sports Shop. The new members, listed alphabetically, are Chip Beck, Heather Berg...

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex discuss the Minnesota Timberwolves ’ statement Game 6 win over the Denver Nuggets and what it means for both teams moving forward. In last night’s NBA playoff action, the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Denver Nuggets 115-98 in Game 6, closing out the series and advancing to the next round. From the opening tip, Minnesota set the tone with physical defense...

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex discuss the Knicks demolition of the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 of the NBA Playoffs. In last night’s NBA playoff action, the New York Knicks obliterated the Atlanta Hawks 140-89, delivering one of the most lopsided postseason performances in recent memory. From the opening tip, New York set the tone with relentless defense and red-hot shooting, building a double-digit...

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex speak with Louis Breeden. Louis Breeden is a North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame 2026 inductee. Breeden is a Hamlet native that was a standout at North Carolina Central where he led the team in interceptions three straight seasons. He was drafted by Cincinnati in the seventh round in 1977 and played 10 years for the Bengals, starting 115 games. Breeden was a first-team All...

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex discuss how the Lakers squandered a chance to close out the series against Houston and debate whether Los Angeles’ late-series struggles are more about execution and adjustments than rotation choices like Bronny James not playing or Austin Reaves returning from injury. The  Los Angeles Lakers  missed a chance to close out their series, falling 99-93 to the...

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex discuss Diego Pavia going undrafted after he recently signed a 3-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens and debate if Deshaun Watson should be the starter for the Cleveland Browns to open the season. Diego Pavia went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft. Pavia going undrafted mostly comes down to how NFL teams evaluated his traits versus his production. Pavia was productive and h...

Reese, Pam and Alex discuss the potential impact of the NCAA’s proposed expansion on the future of March Madness, including how it could change tournament structure, competitiveness and opportunities for teams. The NCAA is moving toward expanding both the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments from 68 to 76 teams, with a decision expected soon and implementation possibly as ear...

Reese, Pam and Alex discuss whether the NBA’s anti-tanking efforts and debate if the league can ever fully eliminate incentives to lose while still preserving a fair path for struggling franchises to rebuild through the draft. Anti-tanking measures in the NBA are designed to discourage teams from deliberately losing games to improve their draft position. The league, under commissioner Adam S...

Reese, Pam and Alex discuss the Pistons forcing a Game 6 behind Cade Cunningham’s 45-point explosion to keep their season alive, the Rockets continuing their comeback push by beating the Lakers in Game 5 to trim the series to 3-2 and the Cavaliers holding off the Raptors in a close-out attempt to move one win away from advancing to Round 2. The Detroit Pistons kept their season alive with a...

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex speak with Tyler Hansbrough. Tyler Hansbrough is a North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame 2026 inductee. Ha nsbrough is a former standout forward at the University of North Carolina and arguably the greatest UNC Tar Heel in UNC basketball history. Hansbrough made his name as one of the most dominant college players of his era with the North Carolina Tar Heels , where he becam...

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex discuss the surprise selection of Ty Simpson by the Los Angeles Rams at No. 13 in the 2026 NFL Draft, including reports of secret pre-draft meetings with Sean McVay and what those conversations might reveal about the team’s long-term plans at quarterback. The situation around Ty Simpson and the Los Angeles Rams is one of the bigger surprises of the 2026 NFL Draft. S...

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex discuss the media attention surrounding Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, including Bueckers’ comments emphasizing that their personal relationship is “nobody’s business” and both players’ desire to keep the focus on basketball and their performance with the Dallas Wings. The situation around Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd has mostly centered on me...

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex discuss last night’s NBA playoff action, including the San Antonio Spurs closing out their series against the Portland Trail Blazers and advancing to the second round, while also breaking down the historic moment of LeBron James and Bronny James sharing the floor in the NBA Playoffs and the Los Angeles Lakers taking a 3-1 series lead over the Houston Rockets. In las...

Reese, Pam and Alex discuss the potential impact of the NCAA’s proposed expansion on the future of March Madness, including how it could change tournament structure, competitiveness and opportunities for teams. The NCAA is moving toward expanding both the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments from 68 to 76 teams, with a decision expected soon and implementation possibly as ear...

Reese, Pam and Alex discuss last night’s NBA playoff action, including standout performances and key series developments across the league. In last night’s NBA playoff action, the  Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics in a hard-fought matchup, with Joel Embiid leading the way thanks to a strong all-around performance, scoring efficiently and controlling the paint on both...

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex speak with Leonard Hamilton. Leonard Hamilton is a North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame 2026 inductee. Hamilton is a longtime college basketball coach who was recently announced as a 2026 inductee into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. Hamilton is best known for his long and successful tenure at  Florida State Seminoles men’s basketball , where he built the...

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex speak with lawyer Gregory Reynald Williams. GRW Law discusses the Brendan Sorsby gambling investigation, as well as NBA gambling involvong Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones. What's going on? What else has GRW been working on recently?

Reese, Pam and Alex preview the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame's 2026 induction class and discuss which inductees will be on the show. Many of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame's 2026 induction class will appear on The Sports Shop. The new members, listed alphabetically, are Chip Beck, Heather Bergsma, Louis Breeden, Leonard Hamilton, Tyler Hansbrough, Richard Huntley, John Isner, Norvell...

Reese, Pam and Alex discuss whether Cooper Flagg deserved Rookie of the Year over Kon Knueppel and what the NCAA gambling investigation involving Brendan Sorsby could mean for his future in college football. Cooper Flagg officially won the 2025-26 NBA Rookie of the Year award in a very tight race, narrowly beating Kon Knueppel by just 26 voting points, with 56 first-place votes to Knueppel’s...

Reese, Pam and Alex discuss the Detroit vs Orlando series. The Orlando Magic now have firm control of their playoff series against the Detroit Pistons after winning last night 94-88 to take a 3-1 lead, putting them just one victory away from advancing. Orlando has gained the upper hand through strong execution on both ends of the floor, with  Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner leading the offens...

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex discuss the Spurs’ surge behind Victor Wembanyama and whether San Antonio is the biggest threat to OKC, break down the tightly contested Magic–Pistons series and whether Detroit can force a comeback and react to the bizarre golf disqualification where Tae-hoon Ok was eliminated after running out of balls mid-round. The  San Antonio Spurs  have emerge...