Open Floor: SI's NBA Show

On today's show, Andrew Sharp and Ben Golliver sort through the NBA Playoffs with help from listeners. First: They answer question about the Raptors ongoing struggles in the playoffs and the upset potential against the Bucks. Then: How wrong was Sharp about Thon Maker? Will confirmation bias ruin the Russ/Harden showdown? Could Paul George end up on the Cavs? Are the Bulls the NBA's version of Donald Trump's campaign? Are the Celtics paying the price for patience at the trade deadline? Do people understand how unfair Draymond Green is? Do people understand how good John Wall is? At the end: Ben Googles Kendrick Lamar, updates to the Open Floor altitude contest, and NBA relationship advice.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode, Andrew Sharp and Ben Golliver welcome the arrival of playoff chippiness and grumpiness across the league. They begin by talking about Paul George's sudden turn toward podium drama, the dynamics at work in Indiana, and options for the future. From there, they salute David Fizdale for edging out Kawhi Leonard as Spurs-Grizzlies MVP, take stock of Celtics-Bulls, the state of Blake Griffin and the Clippers, and the Giannis coming out party in Toronto. At the end: Carmelo's having a terrible week, and Phil Jackson's triangle obsession is even worse than we thought.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode, Andrew Sharp and Ben Golliver preview the playoffs with help from listeners. First, Golliver makes an early upset pick in the East, Sharp picks his favorite future bets, and they discuss whether it's actually healthy for the Bulls to make a playoff push. Then: Could the Bucks scare the Raptors? Who's got the better Big 3 in Clips-Jazz, and who's got the most enticing free agent this summer? Did John Wall deserve MVP love? Did Rich Paul mastermind an Eastern Conference playoff conspiracy? Is Kyrie Irving overrated? At 45 minutes, they re-enter the MVP discussion, and then select other awards such as Least Valuable Player, Coldest Take, League Pass All-Star Teams, 6'10 All-Stars vs. 6'4 All-Stars, Hipster MVP, and more. At the end: They say goodbye to the regular season by resolving the Nutella pronunciation debate.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's show, Andrew Sharp and Ben Golliver explain their ballots for the NBA's end-of-year awards. They begin by clearing up some confusion about whether they actually have official votes, and it turns out that both of them do. Then they spend the next 25 minutes arguing about the MVP conversation and explaining their choices. From there, they talk through their picks for Most Improved (Giannis ... or Waiters?), Rookie of the Year (Embiid), Defensive Player of the Year (Gobert? Draymond?), and more. They finish by questioning the NBA's All-NBA system, picking their teams, and looking ahead to the playoffs.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's show, Andrew Sharp and Ben Golliver answer more questions from listeners. What's the best starting five if the NBA has to play a team of aliens? What did Wednesday night's game say about the Cavs? What did it say about the Celtics and the rest of the East? Would the Lakers ever trade D'Angelo Russell to the Nets? Who will be more beat-up by the playoffs: the Rockets or Spurs? What moves could the Wolves make going forward? Can the NBA Lottery give us a new Bird-Magic rivalry?

At the end: Ben shares thoughts on Ernie Johnson after his feature, they talk about defensive player of the year, Lance Stephenson and the Devin Booker butterfly effect, and the definitive pronunciation for nutella.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's show, Andrew Sharp and Ben Golliver celebrate the regular season dog days by bouncing all over the map. They begin with a few preliminary notes from Sharp's time with Markelle Fultz on Monday afternoon, and then shift to a recap of Monday night's uninspiring NCAA title game. Then: Reactions to the Magic's social media gaffe on Monday, including some of Golliver's experience with past front office mistakes. At the end: an apology to Jusuf Nurkic, thoughts on the Cavs continued struggles, the Wizards' officiating complaints, potential regrets for the Celtics, and a good ol' fashioned Tankathon simulation.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's show, Andrew Sharp and Ben Golliver field more questions from listeners. They begin with an update on the Warriors, who are as terrifying as ever and look poised to remove the drama from the NBA playoffs. Then: How real is the Jusuf Nurkic revolution in Portland? Who should win the MVP if we were voting based on acceptance speeches? Does Russ really have as much talent as Harden? Who is the most improved player in the league? Why haven't any coaches been fired this year? What should we make of Kobe's Musecage project? And how concerned should we be about the Nuggets future? At the end: updates on Golliver's chess game, Sharp's half-baked celebrity theories, and the NBA's version of a peanut butter taco.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's show, Andrew Sharp and Ben Golliver take stock of the Cavs after a particularly rough stretch of losses as the playoffs approach. Are people around the NBA overreacting or not reacting enough? How much do the defensive issues matter? Is Iman Shumpert actually good? And can anyone in the East actually beat them in seven games? Plus: Some thoughts on James Harden and the MVP race, reactions to Devin Booker's 70-point explosion in Boston, and Ben's notes on the 7 most hopeless franchises in basketball.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's show, Andrew Sharp and Ben Golliver take more questions from listeners. Discussion includes thoughts on the top five players to start a team with, James Harden's last season in Houston, the rise of the Milwaukee Bucks, the NBA's addiction to peanut butter and jelly, the future of Markelle Fultz, and what's waiting for teams in the draft.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's show, Andrew Sharp and Ben Golliver recap another one-sided Thunder/Warriors matchup. They talk Steph Curry's value over the past few years and what he still has left to prove, the matchup problems Golden State creates for OKC, and Sharp gives an update to bad Westbrook takes from last week's pod. Then: Golliver reports from Staples Center, aka ground zero of the NBA's latest war over superstars and rest, and they discuss possible solutions to a problem that's not going away. At the end: Rajon Rondo is having a party and Ray Allen is not invited.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices