Bobby Manning and Friends

Talking NBA Finals Games 3 and 5, two of the greatest performances in NBA Finals history from Jimmy Butler, both 30 point triple doubles putting him alone with LeBron James as the only players with multiple. Bobby talked about the stunning state of these NBA Finals (0:00), discussed Jimmy Butler's origin story with Jeff Goodman (13:03) before the more-surprising development this month, Rolling Stones releasing a phenomenal 500 Greatest Albums list that included an influx of Black representation, 2000s music and even shades of the youth influence. Mel Smith joined Bobby Manning for an early edition of Music Monday (17:50) to discuss five albums that stuck out most on the list, what's missing and what could potentially be added in ensuing versions of the list -- including a still-lacking representation for trap music and new-wave Latinx music. 

Justin Poulin of Celtics Stuff Live stopped by to catch up with Bobby Manning and recap the Celtics loss to the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. What fundamental flaws with the team popped up, and how will the Celtics address them going forward? How did Justin, who covered Doc Rivers during his title year with the Celtics, react to the Clippers firing him? Then, Bobby brings in friends Lindo Zay and Rocco Cimino to discuss the disastrous first 2020 Election debate, which featured Donald Trump bulldozing through Chris Wallace, calling for poll-watching and whistling white supremacists again. How did Joe Biden handle the heat? 

0:00 Celtics lose to Heat 
47:26 NBA Finals previews
56:24 Biden-Trump Debate recap

Yusuf Abdul-Qadir's riveting city hall speech spread across social media throughout July for its poignant points on the impact of police not living where they work. Beyond creating a foreign workplace they have no incentive to improve, the police budgets go to outside communities and further pull money outside of the communities. So residents who spend millions in tax dollars on policing get little back in money spent. Abdul-Qadir discussed his demands in Syracuse and weighed in on the impact of athletes and celebrities like the NBA and WNBA players speaking out and striking last week. 

In the second half, Sahal Abdi discusses what went wrong with the Raptors in Game 1 and 2 of the series. The video version of his Watch The Breakdown segment with Bobby is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=begLH74xwfY

0:00 Intro 
6:00 Yusuf Abdul-Qadir 
46:29 Sahal Abdi on Celtics-Raptors 

NBC Sports Producer Max Lederman joins to talk about the end of his beloved 76ers, his road into sports production and adjusting to the realities of remote work with COVID-19. Plus, what it's like to call NBA games away from the arena, as NBC Sports Boston did during the Celtics restart. Bobby Manning opens with thoughts on the college re-start disaster and what college students will potentially lose to the coronavirus. 

00:00 College re-start thoughts 
9:47 How NBC Sports Boston moved to remote production 
21:02 Broadcasting games outside of the Orlando NBA Bubble 
32:22 College memories and how COVID will change them forever
40:00 The silly, weird NBC Sports Celtics coverage 
46:02 The *death* of the Philadelphia 76ers 

Bobby Manning hosted Snottie Drippen on the final day of the NBA's race to the playoffs in Orlando. How did the format work? Should the NBA keep and/or tweak it in coming seasons, and how much does Damian Lillard's iconic run raise his status in the NBA hierarchy? (9:12) Plus, re-establishing the Top 25 Players after the Bubble (43:50), would you take Damian Lillard or Luka Doncic right now? 

Snoop Dogg and DMX garnered over 2 million live viewers in the peak performance of Swizz Beats and Timbaland's "VERZUZ" that began in March. The two have hosted various legendary artists to display their discographies, tell stories from their career and allow fans to decide who won the battle. Snoop pulled off a timeless performance, displaying his continued cultural dominance at 48 and carrying DMX along for the ride by invigorating the legendary NYC MC. Does Verzuz have any relevance to smaller artists as the quarantine further pressures the music industry? Bobby Manning discusses with music business experts Anthony Obas and Jamel Smith, before breaking down Logic's Twitch deal and his final stellar release "No Pressure." 

Boston representative, historian and prolific music writer Dart Adams joins Dome Theory for a wide-ranging discussion, starting with the erasure of Black Boston. Why do so many Black figures start here then move on? Why is the city seen for its white foreign faces rather than the Black and Latino people who fill its streets? Plus, who's the Al Horford of hip-hop? J. Dilla and Slum Village's big anniversary. Then, where's music headed after quarantine? 

00:00 Intro 5:59 Feelings about sports coming back 8:25 Statues and beans 10:55 Erasure of Black Boston27:55 Who is the Al Horford of hip-hop? 37:58 Was Kyrie Irving fit to be a Celtic? 42:10 Celtics title drought enters second decade45:33 Slum Village anniversary of Fantastic Vol. 2 51:37 J. Dilla legacy 1:01:10 What resonates among music readers? 1:07:10 Is the music review still relevant? 1:15:18 What will be the impact of COVID on the music industry?

Jon Mugar and Dan Friel dreamed of The Basketball Tournament in a group chat. If there was a single-elimination tournament in the summer for money, who would play, who wouldn't, and why? TBT began in 2014 and almost immediately, players decided, why not? With an initial cash prize of $500,000 that has only grown since, institutions from Barstool to Notre Dame alumni and powerful groups like overseas players and former Syracuse players grouped up in ensuing years. This summer, TBT gained its greatest talent ever in Joe Johnson. Mugar joins us to explain the lesser-known bubble in sports, going on in Columbus, Ohio for its third month, to allow TBT to undergo its seventh tourney. What's the food been like, why did he go for it, as well as details of how Mugar founded one of the simplest, but most successful stories in sports history. 

Mac Miller started the year with a surprise, posthumous release that feels like eons ago. Six months later, Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist teamed up for the perfect quarantine album. Music likely changed forever when tours halted and distribution chains continue to transform as part of long-running trends. Childish Gambino continued to toy with the surprise release format, Drake pushed another "album by a different name" while Kali Uchis and others opted for short, teaser projects. Bobby Manning and Taylor McCloud go through their favorite music of 2020 at the midway point before Taylor interviewed Kemet High of XXL and other publications for how music journalism is meeting the stories and moment of this tumultuous year. 

LeBron James' Decision on July 7, 2010 changed the course of NBA history. It set the tone for a decade of super teams, followed-up by Kevin Durant's turn toward Golden State in 2016. It allowed Dirk Nowitski to carve out legendary status in 2011, and created two of the greatest NBA Finals ever in 2013 and '16. Justin Rowan, a lifelong Cavaliers fan and writer for Fear The Sword looks back at the ripple effects of the Decision, why it was so controversial and how we could be looking at a reeling-in of player movement in 2020 due to the financial implications of the COVID-19 outbreak. Speaking of Orlando, are we "legitimizing" the NBA's move by talking about basketball?