The Drive

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Will cross-talking with Dover and Cecil. The guys discuss the Avalanche taking a commanding 2-0 lead in their second-round series. Is there a team in the NHL that can beat the Avs 4 out of 7 games? Will this be a historic playoff run with only 1 or 2 losses along the way to a championship? Zach and Will do a full breakdown of Game 2 in the Avs and Wild series. What were the guy's biggest takeaways from the game? Was last night Nathan MacKinnon's best playoff game of his career? How big was Scott Wedgewood bouncing back after a tough Game 1? The guys debate whether trading Jamal Murray is the best way for the Nuggets to overhaul their roster this offseason. Will the Nuggets "run it back" with most of their same team from last season? We react to Nuggets legend Dan Issel's comments on the changes coming to the Nuggets this offseason. 

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and James take a deep dive into the Avalanche and Wild Game 2 tonight. We hear from Jared Bednar and his comments on who will be in net tonight for the Avs. DenverSports.com's Will Petersen joins the show live from Ball Arena to discuss the goaltender dynamic for the Avalanche, the health of Cale Makar and Josh Manson, and much more. What led to the Avs' defensive lapses in Game 1? Do the Wild look desperate by benching their goaltender from Game 1? Is this series over if the Avs win tonight and take a 2-0 lead in the series? How have the Avalanche bounced back after bad defensive performances this season? We wrap up the show with the guys sharing the final injury report for the Avs and Wild tonight and share their predictions for the game. 

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and James preview the Avalanche and Wild Game 2 tonight in Ball Arena. What style of game are we expecting from these teams tonight after a 15-goal game in Game 1? Is the series over if the Avs pull out a win tonight? We hear from Jared Bednar and his comments on who will be in net tonight and the health of some of his skaters. We react to Christian Braun's comments on being a vocal leader of the Nuggets and letting the team down. Are we surprised that Braun is claiming himself as a vocal leader of the team? Just how bad is Braun's contract in the NBA landscape as his extension kicks in next season? Do the Kronke's need to look into their medical and training staff to figure out all the injuries they faced this season? We go in-depth into Peyton Watson not playing in the playoffs this season and debate if he was justified in not risking further damage to his hamstring. 

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and James continue their discussion on Nikola Jokic's leadership, or lack thereof. Zach calls his shot that Jamal Murray has played his last game as a Denver Nugget. Is Murray the only tradeable asset the Nuggets have that can bring talent back to the team? We hear from The Hoop Collective and their thoughts on the current state of the Nuggets. Will the Nuggets spend to keep Peyton Watson in Denver for the future? Today's "Three Count" includes the Rockies receiving a "B" on ESPN's grades of MLB teams this season compared to their expectations, the first step towards a 24-team playoff in college football and getting rid of conference championship games. What are the keys to victory for the Avalanche in tonight's Game 2? 

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and James cross-talking with Dover and Cecil. The guys debate what would have to go wrong for the Avalanche to lose game 2 tonight. How will the Wild adjust after allowing 9 goals in Game 1? Zach and James debate if the series is over if the Avs take Game 2 tonight. Is this year's Avs team better than the 2022 championship team? We react to Christian Braun's comments on being a vocal leader of the Nuggets and letting the team down. Are we surprised that Braun is claiming himself as a vocal leader of the team? Is it time for Nikola Jokic to be the unquestioned leader of the Nuggets in all aspects? James argues that Jokic doesn't lead for the Nuggets like he did during the Olympics for his home country of Serbia. We compare Jokic to other all-time great players with first-round exits and how he needs to win another championship to be at the "big boys' table" in NBA history.

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and James finish their conversation on Bo Nix posting a video of himself running at the Broncos practice facility. Who is Nix trying to convince of his health by posting this video? We pivot to the Nuggets and discuss the latest reporting regarding the Nuggets being open to re-constructing the roster. How do the guys feel about Aaron Gordon being a trade candidate for teams like the Lakers, Suns and more? What kind of returns would the Nuggets get for players like Gordon, Murray and Braun? Are the Nuggets making a mistake by bringing back Adelman for a second year and potentially wasting more of Jokic's prime? Is the Nuggets' ownership not maximizing their championship window by not being willing to spend on front office executives? We wrap up the show with Zach sharing about his experience at the Avalanche Game 1 last night with his family. 

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and James break down the Avalanche's thrilling 9-6 win over the Wild in game 1, last night. Zach shares about his experience at the game with his family. Are we in store for an Avs offensive explosion throughout this series? How historic was the Avs' offense in last night's game? Will Jared Bednar debate benching Scott Wedgewood for Game 2? Should the Avs have considered pulling Wedgewood in favor of Blackwood during Game 1? Why has Bednar been so non-committal to both Avs goaltending options? We hear from Bednar and his thoughts on Wedgewood's performance. The guys react to Bo Nix's recent Instagram post, which features a video of him running at the Brocnos practice facility. The guys speculate when this video was taken and debate if the video is misleading as many think this video is from months ago or even a year ago. 

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and James finish their discussion on Bo Nix posting a video of himself running at the Broncos practice facility. Is Nix's video misleading as many think this video is from months ago or even a year ago? Who is Nix trying to convince with this video? We pivot to the Nuggets and discuss ESPN's Shams Charania's recent reporting on the Nuggets keeping David Adelman but being open to making moves with the roster outside of Nikola Jokic. Are the Nuggets making a mistake by bringing back Adelman for a second year and potentially wasting more of Jokic's prime? Today's "Three Count" features the Nuggets' ownership not maximizing their window after not being willing to spend on front office executives and coaches, Joel Embiid exercising some demons by beating Boston in game 7 to move on to the second round, and Skip Bayless joining Stephen A. Smith on First Take this Friday. We dive into the reports on Aaron Gordon being looked at as a trade candidate for teams like the Lakers, Suns, and more. 

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and James cross-talking with Dover and Cecil. The guys discuss the high-scoring first game between the Avalanche and Wild in the second round of the playoffs. Will the Avs debate benching Scott Wedgewood for Mackenzie Blackwood after allowing 6 goals in a win? Zach and James continue to break down the Avs and Wild, wild game 1. Who is to blame for the Avs allowing 6 goals in the game? Does Wedgewood deserve the benefit of the doubt to start game 2? How historic was the Avs' offense in last night's game with 4 different defensemen scoring 5 goals total? What did the guys make of Marty Necas's performance with three assists but no goals? The guys react to Bo Nix's recent Instagram post, which features a video of him running at the Brocnos practice facility. The guys speculate when this video was taken and what shape Nix is in now. 

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil continue their discussion on the Nuggets after they went out in embarrassing fashion to the Timberwolves in the first round. How disappointing was Jamal Murray in this series after the best regular season of his career? We hear from Jamal Murray and his thoughts on Minnesota getting up to play Denver and them wanting it more than Denver. Is it best for the Nuggets and Jokic to stay together for Jokic's second half of his career? How big of a mistake was it for the Nuggets to let Tim Connely leave the Nuggets organization and go to Minnesota? We hear from David Adelman and his thoughts on a disappointing end to the season and how he handles the criticism. We wrap up the show sharing the possible start dates for the Avs in their second round series and reacting to Jokic's comments after being eliminated from the playoffs.