Nate Duncan and John Hollinger break down the first week of the playoffs, including standout teams, superstar performances, the best and worst coaching jobs, surprising players, and early lessons from the playoff crucible

Who has been the best team of the playoffs so far?

Would we change our overall playoff predictions based on what we’ve seen?

The biggest change to our pre-series predictions after the first week.

Grading the superstars' performances in the early going.

The best prediction we made heading into the playoffs.

The worst prediction we made so far.

The best coaching jobs and the most impressive adjustments of the playoffs so far.

The worst coaching jobs and most questionable adjustments or non-adjustments.

The most surprising/disappointing players of the first week.

The best game of the playoffs to this point.

The worst game we've seen so far.

The best individual performance in a single playoff game.

Who would make the All-Playoffs First Team after one week?

Revisiting our playoff preview categories and early observations.

The playoff crucible: who thrived and who couldn’t hack it?

Which rotation players withstood the pressure?

Which players have turned to ash?

Full Daily Duncs with links⁠

• Giannis Antetokounmpo
• Defensive Player of the Year
• Cleveland Cavaliers
• Thunder-Grizzlies
• Detroit Pistons
• Knicks-Pistons
• Nuggets-Clippers
• Scoring
• Game 3s
• Alijah Arenas

⁠Full Daily Duncs with links

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Nate and John take their unique look at the playoffs, discussing their picks for:

• Most interesting series
• Least interesting series
• Individual player matchup you are most interested in seeing
• Star player with the toughest matchup
• Star player with the easiest matchup
• Best coaching matchup
• Biggest coaching mismatch
• Series with the most variables
• Rotation players most likely to have their roles cut
• Deep rotation players who could emerge
• Most important non-star player who will affect the outcome of a series
• Best playoff defense
• Best playoff offense

Plus, they give their picks for each playoff series winner and NBA champion.

They also discuss Joe Dumars’ hiring in New Orleans and the ax falling for Michael Malone and Calvin Booth in Denver.

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John and Nate go over their awards agreements and disagreements on Executive and Not-Executive of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and All-NBA.

But first, they give their opinions on the NBA’s new European venture and discuss the future of the teams they think won’t make the playoffs. Plus, thoughts on Joe Cronin’s extension and the future of the Blazers.

Full Daily Duncs with links

• NCAA championship game
• Trivia
• Kevin Durant
• Joe Cronin
• Trivia answer
• Seeds
• Awards
• No. 3 player
• Evan Mobley
• Rankings

Full Daily Duncs with links

Dunc'd On Prime is the only place to get every episode with Nate & Danny, plus every pod with John Hollinger & Nate as well! DuncdOn.SupportingCast.FM 

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John Hollinger joins Danny Leroux and Nate Duncan to break down our rankings of the top players in the NBA. Jokic or Shai at number 1? Who takes the 3rd spot? Where do old lions Steph, KD, and LeBron fall, and how do they compare with the young superstar bigs? How about the bevy of star guards? Plus, we discuss the biggest risers and fallers, the hardest to rank, and the players we think could make us look stupid for having them so low.

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Dunc'd On Prime is the only place to get every episode with Nate & Danny, plus every pod with John Hollinger & Nate as well! DuncdOn.SupportingCast.FM 

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Or, sign up for our FREE mailing list to get Dan Feldman's Daily Duncs with all the major topics around the league twice a week.

John Hollinger, who may or may not know anything about tanking, and Nate Duncan bandy about the best ideas they and listeners have for curbing the epidemic of tanking that has beset the league.  We go through basically every viable idea, and in the end agree on FOUR things we’d try to implement immediately.

Then, we eliminate two teams from the playoffs and discuss where they’re going from here.

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Jerry Engelmann used to work for the Mavs and the Suns, and now writes for former ESPN editor Royce Webb’s substack where he has been one of the most interesting writers of late with his controversial but data-driven opinions. You can subscribe at roycewebb.com/naterate and get a special deal for Dunc’d On listeners.

We get into a ton of interesting topics, including players Nate thinks might be overrated by Jerry’s metrics and why he disagrees, whether Alex Caruso is one of the best defensive players this century, the Hornets potentially trading for Anthony Davis, what the data says about injuries, and which players fall into Jerry’s “Quagmire” category that he believes no teams should ever acquire.

Jerry was also the creator of ESPN’s RPM, and he discusses the new metrics that he has up at xrapm.com.

Dunc'd On Prime is the only place to get every episode with Nate & Danny, plus every pod with John Hollinger & Nate as well! DuncdOn.SupportingCast.FM 

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John and Nate look back at their picks with Zach Lowe from last year of which stars were most likely to change teams by the start of the 2025-26 season. 

Then, the same exercise this year, as they pick which stars could be on the move between now and the start of the 2026-27 season.

They also discuss whether the Jazz being fined $100,000 will cause them to mend their tanking ways.

Dunc'd On Prime is the only place to get every episode with Nate & Danny, plus every pod with John Hollinger & Nate as well! DuncdOn.SupportingCast.FM 

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John and Nate discuss our coach rankings! What makes a great NBA coach, and how can coaches be evaluated? Then, we rank our top group of coaches in the league. 

Full Daily Duncs with links

• Anjali Ranadive
• Domantas Sabonis
• Sacramento Kings
• De'Aaron Fox-Mike Brown
• Draymond Green/Karl-Anthony Towns
• Jalen Brunson
• Mark Cuban
• Payton Pritchard-Derrick White
• 3-1 lead
• 2005-06 SuperSonics

Full Daily Duncs with links

Dunc'd On Prime is the only place to get every episode with Nate & Danny, plus every pod with John Hollinger & Nate as well! DuncdOn.SupportingCast.FM 

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Nate Duncan and John Hollinger revisit the 2024 NBA trade deadline, re-evaluating the biggest moves, the teams that improved (or didn't), and the deals that didn't happen but should have. They also discuss the latest developments with Victor Wembanyama's health and San Antonio’s future.

OKC’s Stealth Salary Dump & the Gordon Hayward Trade (00:44)

• The Thunder’s move to clear salary space for Isaiah Hartenstein.
• Gordon Hayward’s underwhelming stint and OKC’s decision to prioritize future flexibility.
• Debate: Would OKC have been better off going after OG Anunoby or Pascal Siakam?

Dallas Mavericks’ Deadline Moves & Playoff Impact (05:06)

• Initial skepticism about acquiring Daniel Gafford & P.J. Washington.
• How both played key roles in Dallas’ Western Conference Finals run.
• The risk of giving up draft control from 2027-2030.
• In hindsight, a clear win for the Mavericks.

The James Harden Trade: Did the Clippers Win? (10:00)

• Clippers gave up future assets for Harden, but did it pay off?
• Sixers’ long-term play: Did Daryl Morey make the right call?
• Clippers' lack of draft control from 2027-2030 could limit future flexibility.

Toronto Raptors’ Trade Strategy (15:00)

• Evaluating the OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam trades.
• Why the Raptors prioritized players over picks.
• The case for and against RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley as core pieces.
• How does Brandon Ingram fit into the Raptors' long-term plans?

Indiana Pacers’ Pascal Siakam Trade & Fit (23:05)

• Siakam’s seamless fit next to Myles Turner and Tyrese Haliburton.
• Was he the better choice over Brandon Ingram?
• The Pacers’ salary cap challenges moving forward.

Miami Heat’s Terry Rozier Trade: A Disaster? (31:30)

• Rozier’s struggles in Miami.
• The Heat’s miscalculation on their championship window.
• The future of Miami’s draft pick situation.

Chicago Bulls’ Trade Deadline Inactivity (43:42)

• Bulls failing to trade Alex Caruso, DeMar DeRozan, or Andre Drummond.
• Could OKC have traded Josh Giddey for Caruso at the deadline?
• How Chicago mismanaged DeRozan’s value and ended up with a poor return in free agency.

Portland Trail Blazers’ Missed Opportunities (46:00)

• Holding onto Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons instead of capitalizing on their trade value.
• The declining value of Grant’s contract.
• Could Portland have gotten a P.J. Washington-like return for Grant?

Smaller Deadline Moves & Their Impact (51:00)

• Memphis Grizzlies getting a surprise draft asset for David Roddy.
• Houston Rockets trading for Steven Adams and how he fits.
• The Boston Celtics’ trade for Xavier Tillman paying off in the NBA Finals.

Victor Wembanyama’s Health & Spurs’ Future (54:00)

• Impact of Wembanyama’s injury on San Antonio’s rebuild.
• The Spurs’ roster needs: Who stays and who could be replaced?
• Should the Spurs consider a coaching change?
• Could Chris Paul be a buyout candidate?

Final Thoughts & Playoff Elimination (1:00:00)

• San Antonio officially eliminated from the playoffs.
• Reflecting on the biggest winners and losers from the 2024 trade deadline.
• Wrapping up with audience Q&A and discussion of future trade market implications.

Dunc'd On Prime is the only place to get every episode with Nate & Danny, plus every pod with John Hollinger & Nate as well! DuncdOn.SupportingCast.FM 

Subscribe on YouTube to see our hilarious faces and, more importantly, see the key moments from the pod each week.

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John Hollinger joins Nate Duncan to discuss the best and worst of the 2025 Trade Deadline.  They hit on the biggest winners and losers, their single favorite and least favorite moves, which teams improved the most for this year, and the biggest trends from deadline season.  Plus, our annual Shuffling the Deck Chairs award.

Dunc'd On Prime is the only place to get every episode with Nate & Danny, plus every pod with John Hollinger & Nate as well! DuncdOn.SupportingCast.FM 

Subscribe on YouTube to see our hilarious faces and, more importantly, see the key moments from the pod each week.

Or, sign up for our FREE mailing list to get Dan Feldman's Daily Duncs with all the major topics around the league twice a week.