Hoops

Eric Smith and Paul Jones chat about how the Raptors couldn't manage a win over Cleveland, while Indiana and Boston have 3 apiece (1:15), then delve into the coaching carousel in the NBA and Dwane Casey being targeted by the Detroit Pistons (4:35). In the 2nd segment of the program, the guys talk about just how good Jayson Tatum has been for Boston (17:10) and then we hear from the Celtics' rookie, as well as LeBron James, Al Horford and both coaches (30:05).

Raptors PG Fred VanVleet joins Eric Smith and Paul Jones to discuss being named a finalist for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award, the Boston Celtics' success this season, whether the Raptors' struggles against the Cavaliers are just a mental hurdle, Dwane Casey's firing, and whether he wants to remain in Toronto (3:08); Sportsnet's Michael Grange on the Raptors' search for a new head coach, how much say Dwane Casey's assistants had in making decisions, and what a Nick Nurse hiring would mean for Rex Kalamian and Jerry Stackhouse (17:26); NBA.com's Steve Aschburner on the Celtics' 2-0 lead over the Cavaliers, and the struggles of the Cavs' supporting cast (30:47).

Eric Smith and Paul Jones comment on the rumours that Dwane Casey will be fired, and Casey and Masai Ujiri's press conferences (1:20); Dwane Casey's comments on his future with the club, Kyle Lowry's compliments for Dwane Casey, DeMar DeRozan's thoughts on his head coach, and Masai Ujiri's comments on Casey's future with the club (9:46); Former NBA-er and current Philadelphia 76er's personnel scout Alvin Williams on the team's playoff run, and what's next for the club (14:47); Former player and current Boston Celtics broadcaster Brian Scalabrine previews the team's match-up vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers, and gives his thoughts on the Raptors' performance against the Cavs (23:13); Indiana Pacers assistant coach and former NBA-er Popeye Jones on what his team did well against the Cavs, and what the Raptors struggled with against Cleveland (35:01).

After the Toronto Raptors go down 0-2 at the unfortunately familiar hands of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Eric and Paul take you inside scrums with Fred VanVleet (3:07), CJ Miles (5:51), and Dwane Casey (10:26), who discuss what it will take to claw back out of the hole. Paul speaks with ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin (14:27), and then gets some time with Raptors GM Bobby Webster (21:37). After the break, Paul chats with Trailblazers swingman Evan Turner for some postseason analysis (28:05) before Eric wraps things up by chatting with analyst Leo Rautins (38:27).

This week, Eric Smith and Paul Jones go over the first 5 games of the Raptors and Wizards series (0:20), before Jonesy chats with ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz (7:40). In the second half of the show, Eric chats with Wizards radio analyst Glenn Consor (22:55) and Sportsnet's Michael Grange (30:10).

On this playoff edition of Hoops, Eric and Paul chat about the Raptors being up 2-0 on the Washington Wizards, before we hear from the head coaches of both teams, Dwane Casey (12:15) and Scott Brooks (16:46), talking about what they need to do to succeed going forward. After the break, Paul goes one-on-one with ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz, who is covering the Wizards beat for the series (25:02), and then we take a peek into a media conference call with former Los Angeles Laker (and NBA legend) Kobe Bryant (37:19).

Eric Smith and Paul Jones weigh-in on the Raptors/Wizards series (1:13); Kyle Lowry audio on the Raptors' loss to the Heat, and their series vs. Washington (6:32); DeMar DeRozan gives his thoughts on the series, and whether they're using their previous playoff loss to the Wizards as motivation (8:07); Jonas Valanciunas on the Raptors' confidence heading into the post-season (10:50); Paul goes one-on-one with Norm Powell, and they discuss how the playoffs will be different this year for the Raptors, how the team moves on from a game in the post-season, and the team's development and experience (15:21); audio from Dwane Casey media availability on how the team's new offence and defence will carry into the playoffs (22:45); audio from DeMar DeRozan's media availability on how the Raptors have grown from their sweep at the hands of the Wizards three years ago, and the confidence they have now (25:12); Miami Heat PXP Mike Inglis on the team's "weird" season (29:46); Raptors analyst Leo Rautins reflects on the team's season (39:13).

Eric Smith and Paul Jones on what it will take for the Raptors to clinch first place in the East, the team's play as of late, why their struggles haven't been due to a lack of effort (0:52), and what impressed them the most about the team's win over the Celtics (3:41); NBC Sports Boston's A. Sherrod Blakely and the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn join Paul to discuss the parity in the NBA's Eastern Conference, potential playoff upsets, whether or not the road to the Finals still goes through LeBron (7:31), what teams have the best chance of knocking off the Cavaliers (12:31), the question marks surrounding the Houston Rockets, concerns about the Golden State Warriors, and potential Western Conference "wild cards" (17:36); Eric and Paul take a look at how tight the bottom half of the Eastern Conference is (27:59); Former NBA player and current Celtics analyst Brian Scalabrine joins Eric to discuss why Boston has been so successful this season despite their injury issues (29:53), Brad Stevens' coaching style (32:46), and the increasing amount of contributing young players in the NBA (33:50); Eric and Paul on why it's hard to bet against LeBron James in the playoffs, and whether or not the Raptors have the personnel to stop LeBron (38:32).

Eric and Paul weigh-in on the Toronto Raptors' final stretch of the season (0:26), and discuss the team's recent struggles (1:04), whether or not the Raptors are the best team in the East (6:35), what they think Dwane Casey may do with the rotation come play-off time (10:54), how potential playoff match-ups for the Raptors may play-out (14:34); Stephen Jackson audio from The Herd with Colin Cowherd on Tony Parker's comments on Kawhi Leonard's injury (22:39); Eric and Paul give their thoughts on Stephen Jackson's comments (26:29); Brad Turner, LA Times Clippers' beat reporter, joins Paul to discuss the Raptors' play this season, their playoff demons, how Steph Curry's injury may impact the Warriors' in the post-season, whether or not he thinks the Clippers will make the playoffs, and Doc Rivers' future with the club (34:37).

Leo Rautins breaks down the Raptors loss in Cleveland (5:27) ; Paul Jones has a one-on-one with raptors PG Fred Van Vleet looking ahead to the post-season (16:01); we hear from Dwane Casey about the pressures of an NBA head coach (28:47); and Jones goes one-on-one with former NBA head coach Brian Hill about the topic (40:04).