The Drive

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach, Phil and the guys compete in our weekly trivia competition against the morning show. Will we beat their shaky 1-3 performance from earlier today? We look back on the Avalanche season and ask if Nathan MacKinnon would have the best season from any Av ever if he caps it off with a Stanley Cup. We preview game one of the Nuggets and Timberwolves series. How many points will Jamal Murray score in his highest scoring game of the series?  We react to George Paton's comments on selecting the best player available in the NFL draft and how it will be hard for a player to come in and start day one. The guys explain why a rookie not starting off the bat can be the healthiest thing for both the Broncos and the player. Do the Broncos need to add depth at offensive line with uncertain futures for two of the starters? 

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil take a deep dive into the Nuggets and Avalanche as they get set to start their playoff runs. Which team is under more pressure heading into the playoffs? Would Jared Bednar be on the hot seat if the Avs can't make it back to the Stanley Cup finals? The Athletic's NBA analyst Jon Krawczynski joins the show to discuss the Timberwolves underwhelming season, how the TWolves will try to slow down Nikola Jokic, and who the x-factor is for Minnesota in this series. Could the TWolves "blow up" their roster if the series doesn't go well for them? Today's "Three Count" features our reaction to our conversation with Jon Krawczynski, CU landing a huge financial commitment to the Athletic department from a donor, and Chase Dollander dealing in last night's game against the Astros. Our 9News Broncos insider Mike Klis joins the show to discuss the anticipation around the draft without a first round pick, if the Broncos will make a big splash like Aqib Talib predicted, and much more. 

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover and Cecil. The guys discuss how many championships we will see in Denver this summer between the Nuggets and Avalanche. Are the Avalanche the Thunder of the NHL? Zach and Phil preview the Avalanche first round playoff matchup now that we know their opponent in the Los Angeles Kings. Are the guys expecting the Avs to take care of business fairly quickly and sweep or win the series 4-1? We preview the Nuggets and Timberwolves first round matchup. How will the Timberwolves and Chris Finch guard Nikola Jokic? Will we see Minnesota dare Jokic to score and try take away the other Nuggets' players? We react to George Paton's comments on selecting the best player available in the NFL draft and how it will be hard for a player to come in and start day one. The guys explain why a rookie not starting off the bat can be the healthiest thing for both the Broncos and the player. 

In hour 4 of The Drive, Phil and John take a deep dive into the Nuggets as they get ready to start the first round of the playoffs against the Timberwolves. How does this series feel different than when they played the TWolves in 2024? Could the Nuggets be in jeopardy of losing game one of the series? How will the week long break for the Nuggets impact the team as they ended the season on a 12-game win streak? What are our biggest concerns for the Nuggets in this series? Could the Broncos find their "joker" in tight end Eli Stowers? How important is it for the Broncos to upgrade at tight end this offseason? Do the Broncos still need to add a true running back to the team? We wrap up the show with DenverSports.com's Aniello Piro joining the show to discuss the potential playoff matchups for the Avalanche in the first round. Is there any excuse for the Avs to not make it out of the first round? 

In hour 3 of The Drive, Phil and John dive into the Avalanche as they will find out their first-round opponent tonight. We debate who the Avs will start at goaltender when the playoffs start. Has Jared Bednar been setting up MacKenzie Blackwood to be the starter after seeing how much he has played recently? How will the health of Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones impact the Nuggets in their first-round matchup? What is the biggest question or concern for the Avalanche as they head into the playoffs? Will Marty Necas bounce back after a tough postseason last year? We react to ESPN's Ben Solak's piece which details how the Broncos can "ace" the draft next week. Do the Broncos need to begin a succession plan for their aging offensive line? Do the Broncos need added depth on defense, specifically at inside linebacker? 

In hour 2 of The Drive, Phil and John are joined by DenverSports.com's Jake Shapiro to breakdown the upcoming Nuggets playoff run. How does the western conference bracket set up for the Nuggets chances of winning a championship? Are the Nuggets and Timberwolves officially rivals? Is this year's Nuggets team better than the 2023 championship teams? How will the Nuggets use their depth to not overuse their guys in the first round? How will the Timberwolves approach trying to slow down Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets offense? Today's "Three Count" includes Steph Curry and Draymond Green turning back the clock with a vintage performance in last night's play-in tournament, Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham winning their appeal for extraordinary circumstances appeals to qualify for NBA awards, and Dante's simple fixes to making the NBA regular season matter more. We react to Rockies recent losing skid and dive into what is going wrong with the team.

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Phil and John cross-talking with Cecil. The guys discuss the Broncos needs in the draft and how they would feel about the team drafting a running back, tight end or defensive lineman with their first pick. Phil and John preview the Nuggets and Timberwolves first round matchup in the playoffs. We debate how the Nuggets will use their new found depth this season and how the injuries to Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones will impact their rotations. We breakdown the possible matchups for the Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs. Who would the guys prefer the Avs play between the Oilers, Ducks and Kings? How would the style of games change, depending on who the Avs opponent is? We react to ESPN's Ben Solak's piece which details how the Broncos can "ace" the draft next week. Do the Broncos need to begin a succession plan for their aging offensive line? 

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil take a deep dive into the Nuggets as they get ready to go on a championship run. Is this year's team better than the 2023 team that won the title? We hear from Anthony Edwards on the rivalry between Minnesota and Denver, Julius Randle's thoughts on what he's learned about playing against Jokic, and Chris Finish's thoughts on slowing down Jokic. We react to Bo Nix's letter he wrote to his newborn daughter. Zach reads excerpts from the letter and points out the new side of Nix he saw when openly and honestly talking about his personal life. We wrap up the show with DenverSports.com's Will Petersen joining the show to discuss Nix's letter in the Player's Tribune and what we learned about Nix. 

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil try to guess how the odds makers are pricing the Nuggets and Timberwolves game one. We try to guess Jokic's point total, who will have the most threes in the game, and much more. We react to the Avalanche's record setting win last night in Calgary as they tied the franchise record for road wins in a season with 29. Will Colorado's road success translate to the playoffs? We also dive into Marty Necas's achievement of reaching 100 points in a season for the first time in his career and joins MacKinnon as two Avs score 100+ points in a season for the fourth time ever. How do the guys feel about being behind both SGA and Victor Wembanyama in ESPN's rankings of the most impactful players in the NBA playoffs? With the NFL Draft 8 days away, we react to ESPN's Mel Kiper's latest mock draft which has the Broncos selecting a defensive tackle out of Florida. Do the Broncos need extra depth at defensive line after the departure of John Franklin-Meyers? 

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil take a deep dive into the Nuggets as they get ready to go on a championship run. Is this year's team better than the 2023 team that won the title? We hear from Anthony Edwards on the rivalry between Minnesota and Denver, Julius Randle's thoughts on what he's learned about playing against Jokic, and Chris Finish's thoughts on slowing down Jokic. Today's "Three Count" features Deion Sanders and Colorado securing a commitment from a four-star quarterback and reacting to two thrilling games in the first day of the NBA's play-in tournament. NHL Network's Mike Johnson joins the show to discuss how the Avalanche stack up against the rest of the playoff teams, if the Avs will roll out multiple goaltenders during the playoff run, and how well Marty Necas has fit with the Avs since the trade last season. Who would Johnson vote for the Hart Trophy this season?