Limited Upside

The Los Angeles Lakers are BACK in the NBA Finals after a 10-year absence and a seven-year nadir filled with buffoonery and false hope. This week, we dial up old friends Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) and Anthony Irwin (@AnthonyIrwinLA) of Silver Screen and Roll to talk through Los Angeles' burgeoning love affair with LeBron James and this team, the key factors to the Lakers' tight chemistry, and an NBA Finals matchup with the Heat that I (Mike) can't get a read on, but Harrison and Anthony can.

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Nekias Duncan, the NBA media's rising star and lead writer for the start-up hoops website Basketball News, joins the show to dive into the Eastern Conference Finals. What makes the Miami Heat tick? Why has the Heat's famed "culture" endured through so many eras? Why is Jimmy Butler the perfect Heat star? How many of the adjustments the Celtics made in Game 3 will carry over to the rest of the series?

We also discuss some of the major schematic takeaways from this year's postseason, lament the NBA media's tendency to focus on the drama instead of the basketball, wonder why Mason Plumlee was asked to guard Anthony Davis, and hope for better from our beloved Las Vegas Aces after a terrible WNBA semifinal Game 1 performance.

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Longtime Denver Nuggets analyst Adam Mares, now the VP of Creative Production at DNVR Sports and co-host of the Keeping it 1,000 podcast with George Karl, joins Ben and Mike to celebrate the Nuggets' improbable march to the Western Conference Finals. No Clippers choke talk here! Go anywhere else for that side of the story. This is all about the Nuggets' triumph and their journey to this point.

Among the topics discussed:

-Where the Nuggets' resiliency comes from.

-The three-pronged franchise pillar of Mike Malone, Nikola Jokic, and Jamal Murray

-How the Nuggets' versatile offense flummoxed the Clippers.

-Why Adam now believes in Jamal Murray after being a longtime skeptic.

-Michael Porter Jr. as the X-factor, both this year and beyond.

-Denver's chances against the Lakers in a series

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The WNBA Playoffs begin Tuesday! Matt Ellentuck from the wonderful WNBA newsletter Here's Basketball and SB Nation's Sabreena Merchant join Mike to talk through the Las Vegas Aces' surprising No. 1 seed status, whether playoff WNBA basketball is actually different from the regular season, the preseason favorite Seattle Storm's chances, dangerous dark-horses from the single elimination rounds, players we expect the general public to know a lot better after this postseason, and much more.

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Haven't these playoffs been great? Isn't it nice when you get a bunch of good, but flawed teams competing for a title with no real favorite? Yes and yes. This week, Mike Prada welcomes his partner-in-crime Ben Epstein and good buddy Michael Pina of GQ and every other outlet ever to talk about three really good, but flawed teams that are suffering different fates in these playoffs:

The demise of the Bucks, the NBA's regular-season monster. Who's most to blame for their (impending) early exit. Is this on Mike Budenholzer or the roster? Is Giannis Antetokounmpo a regular-season player only? How do they get out of this quagmire? What does all of this say about the importance (or lack thereoff) of the regular season?

The Celtics are legit, man. Ben jumps out for this part because he can't take it, so in his place, Prada and Pina talk about why they're both feeling like the Celtics could actually win the whole thing.

Finally, Ben rejoins for a long discussion about the Clippers. Are they actually a "flip the switch" team, or do they have real flaws? What does their inconsistency say about Kawhi Leonard as a leader? Do we expect too much of them? After two rounds of the playoffs, we're as confused as ever about the preseason favorite.

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It’s NBA Playoff time! To celebrate, we’re bringing you a special Xs and Os-themed playoff preview. I’m joined by Mo Dakhil and Steve Jones, two former NBA video coordinators and assistant coaches who have actually been involved in playoff preparation for actual teams. To steal a line from Hamilton, they’ve been in the room where it happens. We went through each of the eight playoff series and talked through the on-court vulnerabilities each team will try to exploit. What should be the gameplan for each team? How will each alleviate the other’s strengths and exploit their weaknesses? This is a podcast for folks who want a taste of the conversations these teams are actually having before beginning their playoff journeys. 2:40 — Jazz-Nuggets17:40 — Nets-Raptors28:02 — 76ers-Celtics38:10 — Mavericks-Clippers47:50 — Magic-Bucks51:02 — Heat-Pacers1:00:18 — Rockets-Thunder1:13:48 — Blazers-LakersSUBSCRIBE TO LIMITED UPSIDE Get full access to Prada's Pictures at mikeprada.substack.com/subscribe

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Apologies for the lack of updates this week. My house still has no power after a tropical storm wrecked Long Island earlier this week, so while I was able to watch a ton of games, I haven’t had large blocks of time to concentrate and get any written stuff out. I’ll make it up to y’all in the future. (Also got a few big announcements I’m finalizing. Stay tuned).In the meantime, Ben and I found a window to chat on Friday about the first week of the NBA bubble. (We tried recording this on Tuesday, but that’s when the power went out). Among the topics discussed:Who’s better: Suns or Blazers? And just how good is Devin Booker anyway?Is there any reason to worry about the Bucks? (Not really, at least not any new one). Is there any reason to alter the title race? (Maybe. Houston looks dangerous).Are there any major differences in the style of play compared to a regular-season game? We’ve spotted a few, but we’re not sure how much they matter.Bubble surprises! How about T.J. Warren? Michael Porter Jr.? (The playing part on the latter).We end by lamenting the third rail of discussing biomechanics and injury prevention. Why aren’t these topics that any broadcast is willing to discuss? Why can’t we comment on Zion Williamson’s movement patterns? Why can’t we ask if injuries like Jonathan Isaac’s and Jaren Jackson Jr’s were preventable given the long layoff and immediate ramp-up in physical activity.More to come soon. Until then, enjoy this. Get full access to Prada's Pictures at mikeprada.substack.com/subscribe

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The Limited Upside podcast is back after a brief hiatus! On this episode, I chat with Coleman Ayers, the genius behind the indispensable By Any Means Basketball YouTube channel and basketball training service. Ayers has made himself into an expert on an increasingly essential field: basketball biomechanics. Ever wonder what makes a basketball player so explosive and skilled? Curious to know which of your favorites are putting themselves at risk of injury? How do I improve my body to become a better player? Ayers can help you answer those questions and more. His expertise is especially pertinent with the NBA and WNBA resuming their seasons in a controlled bubble environment after a long layoff. Topics discussed in this pod include:How Ayers got into the business of basketball training and performance.What factors explain the startling lack of emphasis or study on basketball biomechanics prior to the last few years?Why landings are so important and what goes into a proper landing. Which stars are best at it? The heightened risk of injury inside the bubble. What types of ailments should most worry fans and why? Which types of players are most at risk of getting hurt? What should coaches and teams be doing to mitigate those risks while still aiming to win?Finally, Ayers tells us what to watch for if we want to learn more about a player’s biomechanics. Subscribe to Limited Upside on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Get full access to Prada's Pictures at mikeprada.substack.com/subscribe

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This Star Wars clip was too easy.It feels weird to celebrate basketball’s imminent return. In some ways, it feels weirder than ever. All we have to do is look at the rising COVID-19 numbers in Florida and elsewhere around the country. And yet, we love this game and everything it entails. We want basketball back … but we wonder if we shouldn’t. (Speaking for myself: it’s a lot easier to write a pro basketball newsletter when I can write about new pro basketball).That’s why we brought SB Nation Engagement Editor and all-around joy Whitney Medworth on this week’s Limited Upside podcast. If Whitney is conflicted about wanting the NBA and WNBA to return, then we all should be, too. I’ve never met anyone who derives so much love from basketball, yet is still able to maintain the necessary perspective that this is just a game.We spent some time talking through our feelings, wondering if we deserve sports now, and imagining how we’ll react when the WNBA returns on July 24 and the NBA on July 30. (Note: this was recorded on Thursday, before the news that the NBA is closing on creating a second bubble for the eight remaining teams).We also give long overdue props to Maya Moore, the WNBA superstar who abruptly left the game two years ago to devote her time to overturning wrongful convictions in our judicial system. Earlier this week, Moore watched as Jonathan Irons, a man who spent 22 years behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit, was finally released from prison. ESPN’s Katie Barnes has a must-read piece for anyone who wants to learn more about Moore’s extraordinary sacrifice. Get full access to Prada's Pictures at mikeprada.substack.com/subscribe

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It’s time for a new Limited Upside podcast! This week, we welcomed longtime favorite Mo Dakhil, podcast host at The Athletic and a former video coordinator for the Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, and Australian National team. This week’s topic: life inside the NBA Disney World bubble. The league recently laid out exhaustive COVID-19 safety guidelines for the league’s 22-team restart, and while some players seem reluctant to attend, there’s enough momentum to believe this plan will actually go forward. But given the deadly virus, the importance of fixing systemic racism, and the unusual living arrangement for the players, this is going to be a strange few months for the players that attend. Mo has experience working directly with players, so he knows that they are creatures of habit. How will NBA teams create some sense of normalcy in the bubble to preserve their players’ mental and physical health? What effect will those efforts have on their athletic performance, personal well-being, and the important movement to end police brutality and fix racial divides in this country?We’ll hit these questions and more in a new podcast that I hope you find interesting. Get full access to Prada's Pictures at mikeprada.substack.com/subscribe

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