Jimmy Butler makes his highly anticipated return to Miami as the Golden State Warriors take on the struggling Miami Heat. Amin and guest cohost Jeremy Tache reflect on Butler's time in South Beach, and analyze Draymond Green and Butler' differing takes on how much this game means. We close the show with the first-ever edition of Shot Clock, an NBA trivia tic-tac-toe game show from the mind of Jeremy Tache!

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Don't be fooled by the standings or the calendar: Amin lets guest cohost Jeremy Tache know that the playoffs have already begun! The Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets are battling for the No. 2 seed in the West, while the Los Angeles Lakers suffered a brutal loss to the Chicago Bulls that may have knocked them out of contention. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder compete for the best record in the NBA to claim home court advantage in the Finals. Steph Curry’s injury raises concerns about the Golden State Warriors' chances of holding onto the No. 6 seed with the red-hot Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Clippers right on their heels. Plus, Jeremy gives his definitive take on the MVP race between Nikola Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and what "Most Improved Player" really means.

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What happens when every NBA team loses its best player? Amin and Izzy analyze how teams would perform without their biggest stars. They break down the New York Knicks without Jalen Brunson, the Los Angeles Lakers without LeBron James (not Luka Doncic), and the Milwaukee Bucks without Giannis Antetokounmpo. Does Oklahoma City become a lottery team without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? To close the show, ’tis the season: they fill out a bracket and decide which team would take first without its star.

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Introducing Statline Shuffle, a new game built for box-score watchers. Too bad Izzy and Amin grind tape! We give the statline, you guess the player. How did the Nuggets pull off a win over the Warriors without Jokic? And how did the Warriors pull off a win over the Bucks without Steph? Plus, we shout out Boston Celtic Baylor Schierman for our Iciest Play of the Week and play Prop-a-slot!

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Enough of these whippersnappers! Today Izzy and Amin are drafting teams of the best NBA players age 36 and older. The old heads have been hooping this year! You've got LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and... well actually the list kind of drops off after that, doesn't it? Tune in to see who else makes the cut.

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Amin and Izzy play Odd One Out to discuss the hottest NBA storylines of the day, including the Cleveland Cavaliers’ surprising weaknesses despite their win streak, the Orlando Magic’s real MVP, and the Houston Rockets’ six-game surge. The Washington Wizards completed a stunning season sweep over Nikola Jokić’s Nuggets over the weekend. Should we be worried about Denver? Izzy has some notes for J.B. Bickerstaff after his all-time postgame rant. To close the show, Amin breaks down why the matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday was the saddest NBA game of all time.

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The Oklahoma City Thunder took down the Boston Celtics 118-112 behind a dominant fourth quarter from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Celtics’ late-game struggles continued, as they rank near the bottom of the league in fourth-quarter net rating over their last 10 games. Crunch time gets even crunchier in the playoffs... Can Boston right the ship in time? Plus, we break down whether SGA is the NBA’s best closer, how to weigh this matchup with Kristaps Porziņģis and Jalen Williams on the sidelines, and what a potential Celtics-Thunder NBA Finals could look like. Later, we dive into Mikal Bridges' comments on Tom Thibodeau’s heavy minutes load for Knicks starters and get spicy with another round of Hot Po-Take-O!

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The NBA MVP race is heating up, and Nikola Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are making their cases. What were Amin and Izzy’s takeaways after a back-to-back showdown between the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder earlier this week? We break down Jokić’s comments on the race, and Coach Mike Malone’s argument for his star player to take home the award. Plus, Tyrese Haliburton delivers the Iciest Shot of the Week, the latest on the Pacers’ playoff positioning, and a look at must-watch matchups ahead.

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NBA champion and Cleveland Cavaliers legend Channing Frye steps into the hot seat to separate fact from fiction about the Cavs’ title hopes. How does Cleveland’s starting five compare to Oklahoma City and Boston? Is Donovan Mitchell better than Jalen Brunson? Did the Cavs overpay for De’Andre Hunter? Could this year’s squad beat the 2016 championship team? And most importantly: can Channing Frye handle the heat of the hot seat?!

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With the playoffs one month away, these regular season powerhouse matchups are hitting a little different. After watching the Lakers take on two of the top teams in the East and the Thunder take down the Nuggets over the weekend, Izzy and Amin are turning their attention to the hunt for the Larry O'Brien trophy. Today they're power ranking the top six teams by record-- Cavaliers, Thunder, Celtics, Lakers, Nuggets, and Knicks-- to determine who has the best chance of winning a title this season. Plus, how will LeBron James and Jalen Brunson's injuries affect the title race?

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