After a way too long hiatus, Nate Smith and Chris Francis made a pilgrimage to the CtB broadcast booth to bend the knee to North America's incoming emperor, Darius Garland. The slicer of defenses, the scimitar of the pick and roll, conqueror of crunch time, the fracture jaw gladiator, facial contusion magnet, driller of stepbacks, lob wizard, vibes king, humble all-star, first of his name: Darius Garland. Darius Garland as Chris noted in Thursday Night's recap/lt is the best clutch player in the NBA right now, posting an astounding 1.68 points per possession in crunch time (before last night!).

The gents gushed more than a little over the last couple games, the season so far, how well Kenny Atkinson is coaching, how the Cavs have Donovan Mitchell and the three most underrated players in the association, and the teambuilding template that the desk of Koby Altman has architected. The emperor's subjects marveled at the beauty and lack of BS in the Oklahoma City matchup, stood in awe one of the best regular season games you'll ever see, and looked forward to the next meeting with OKC.

After breaking down the wins, amazing at the depth, and laughing at the haters, Chris and Nate went around the NBA and pondered the fate of Jimmy Butler. They got into a little slop-talk about who would be sellers, and what the Cavs need to be complete. Nate got nostalgic about the beers he won't drink and why and regaled Chris about going to college in Alaska. Finally, the guys had pitches that were a little foggy at 1:30 in the morning. It was a much welcome return the podcast booth for both, even if it did get a little long in the tooth.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy