In our last episode, we set off on a the ultimate NBA time machine road trip to crown the best player from every NBA franchise. In our race across the Eastern Conference, we highlighted players from practically every era of NBA history. 

At times we easily agreed… and then at other times, we went vastly different directions!

Today, come and join us as we finish our trip across NBA America and basketball history, as we debate the greatest player to ever play for each WESTERN conference team.

The NBA time machine is gassed up, our destinations have been set, and it’s time to once again jump into some of the biggest debates in the sport and try to settle the never ending debate: who is the GOAT... over and over again!

It’s the classic "barber shop" question among fans in any sport, in any era: who is the greatest of all time?

In basketball, the debate most often comes down to Michael Jordan or LeBron James, and maybe the occasional fringe candidate here and there but the truth is, the GOAT debate may never be fully settled in any sport. As even the factors and conditions and numbers required to make a determination are seldom agreed upon by fans.

In truth, any GOAT debate will probably never provide a truly definitive answer... but that’s sure not going to stop us from trying!

In this episode, a first part of a two-part episode, we take the NBA time machine to countless stops, as we determine the best player in the history of every NBA franchise

Today we focus on teams in the Eastern Conference, one by one, as we argue who the best player was in franchise history, for EVERY franchise!

With Calvan and Josh's NBA Time Machine getting some brief repairs, we take a quick detour with Josh as he shares some thoughts on all of the NBA teams jockeying for playoff position as we close in on the 2022 NBA Playoffs. 

In the 1990s, Michael Jordan set a new standard of dominance in American sports, bringing six championship banners to Chicago. His talent, accomplishments, and sheer force of will made him the greatest basketball player of all-time. 

But that didn't happen overnight.

In the 1980s, while a young Michael Jordan was setting numerous scoring records on a regular basis, he found himself marred in year after year of playoff disappointment, as the hapless Bulls floundered in a pre Scottie Pippin, pre Phil Jackson era.

In today's episode of Once Upon a Dribble, Josh and Calvan review the seasons that most Michael fans like to pretend never happened, and explain why it took the GOAT six years of famine, before his legendary six years of supremacy!

Before the wonder years, there was: The Bummer Years

Today Calvan and Josh hop back in the NBA Time Machine and take it all over the league's history to discuss the Association's most unbreakable records. 

Part of what makes our the game we love so addicting is seeing the world's very best athletes push the limit on what we think is possible. Those who reach that threshold leave behind some of the most astounding records and feats that we have ever seen. 

From inspiring records, like Wilt's 100-point game, to uninspiring records, like Houston's 27-consecutive missed 3's in the 2018 WCF, we tackle it all. Will anyone catch Stockton and his ludicrous body of work? And will ANYONE be as bad as the 2012 Bobcats?

(*music provided by bensound.com)

The NBA time machine is in the shop today, as Josh and Calvan give their opinions and predictions on the 2021-22 NBA season after one week of play

In 1994, a young Dikembe Mutombo led a group of misfits, has-beens, and fringe guys to a 42-40 record and an 8-seed in the western conference playoffs to take on the vaunted 63-win Seattle Supersonics, led by prime Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. At the time, an 8-seed had never beaten a 1-seed, and many questioned if such a feat would ever happen.

Over the next five games, however, something truly remarkable unfolded as the team from the Mile High City upset the odds-on title favorites in five games to pull-off the upset that many people said was impossible!

But the 93-94 Nuggets would not be content with making history just once, as just a few days later, finding themselves on the verge of being swept by the Utah Jazz, the Nuggets reeled off three straight improbable wins to set up the possibility of becoming the first team to ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit to win the series in 7.

Would the clock strike midnight on this Cinderella story? Or would the Nuggets do the impossible AGAIN? Join Josh and Calvan as they break down the team that nobody saw coming, and examine how this unprecedented upset impacted the entire NBA, and what would become of that miracle team afterwards, right here on Once Upon a Dribble

(*music provided by bensound.com) 

Life is full of a lot of almost moments. We almost took a different job, we almost married a different person, we almost moved to a different city. Back in 2004, something almost happened that would've changed the destiny of the whole NBA as we know it in innumerable ways. Join Josh and Calvan as they break down the time Kobe Bryant almost left the Los Angeles Lakers, and almost became a Los Angeles Clipper. 

(Intro and outro music generously provided by bensound.com)

The NBA draft is where legends are born. A single night that can change the trajectory of a franchise for years. A good decision can elevate a team to championship heights (we're talking to you, 2009 Golden State Warriors), and a bad decision can just as easily trap a team in the proverbial cellar (we're talking to you, 2009 Minnesota Timberwolves). A bad draft selection and the accompanying "what if" can haunt a fanbase for decades.

In the case the 2000 NBA draft, however, it wasn't so much about good decisions or bad decisions. From first first pick down to the last, 2000 was more an example of bad decisions, or even worse decisions. With a bevy of role players, and dull players, 2000 takes the cake for worst NBA draft class of all-time!

In today's episode, Josh and Calvan discuss the what went wrong, and look back at the best individual accomplishments of players from the 2000 class (hint: there ain't too many). All this and more, right here, on Once Upon a Dribble

Once Upon a Dribble kicks off a special series of micro-episodes! In these quick and crisp mini shows, all 15 minutes or less, Calvan and Josh discuss the lighter side of NBA history. With a mixed bag of NBA trivia, off-beat discussions, and what-if scenarios, the Once Upon a Dribble Podcast micro-episodes are perfect for the on-the-go NBA fan!  

In the first episode of our micro-series, we play "The Nickname Game". Join Calvan and Josh as they guess the identity of players behind some of the wildest nicknames in NBA history!