What was life really like at the top of the NBA? The Athletic’s Ethan Sherwood Strauss, author of the new book “The Victory Machine: The Making and Unmaking of the Warriors Dynasty,” discussed how the team dominated the NBA for the better part of a decade, why Kevin Durant left and other anecdotes from the dynasty.
8:48 Impact of social media on high-profile NBA stars
13:51 Why Kevin Durant left the Warriors
18:31 Getting yelled at by Durant
23:33 How Steph Curry handled immense fame
41:41 Awkward meeting with Andre Iguodala and Kevon Looney

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How did NBA players prepare to guard Kobe Bryant? Shane Battier, a three-time NABC Defensive Player of the Year at Duke and a two-time member of NBA All-Defensive Team, shared the mind games he played with the Black Mamba. Plus Batter, who is now the Vice President of Basketball Development and Analytics for the Miami Heat, revealed which NBA player could beat him in a Jeopardy duel.

3:28 Which NBA player could beat Shane Battier in a Jeopardy duel?
7:57 Advice for NBA rookies
10:27 Reading an absurdly obvious scouting report on Kobe
15:55 Guarding Kobe Bryant
26:20 Watching Kobe Bryant’s memorial service

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Will NBA players be in Tokyo for the Summer Olympics? Marc Stein, NBA reporter for The New York Times, analyzed how the new Olympic dates will impact USA Basketball. Plus Marc and Tom discussed the health-and-safety hurdles that need to be cleared before the NBA season returns.

7:30 The whirlwind of the season being shutdown
11:31 Biggest Premier League fan in the NBA
25:45 Options the NBA is exploring at this moment
34:06 Potential NBA calendar and its impact on Olympics participation
47:01 How different the NBA Draft and evaluation will be this year

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What is life like for basketball players stuck in Italy during the coronavirus pandemic? Michael Roll, who reached three Final Fours with UCLA, described being under a total lockdown while playing for Olimpia Milano. Plus he discussed how his family is preparing to welcome their first child at a time when Italian hospitals are so overwhelmed.

1:35 Scene in Italy
7:51 Reaction of NBA vs. EuroLeague
9:44 Playing against someone who tested positive
13:01 Expecting his first child in early May
19:21 Playing with Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love at UCLA

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What did Andy Larsen do after Rudy Gobert touched his microphone in the now-infamous press conference? Larsen, the Utah Jazz beat writer for The Salt Lake City Tribune, discussed finding out that Gobert tested positive for coronavirus and having to take the test himself. Then Eric Chemi, CNBC’s Sports Business reporter, analyzed the financial ramifications of the NBA suspending its season and which teams will be affected the most.

Andy Larsen (1:01)
5:35 Rudy Gobert’s now-infamous press conference
8:41 Learning Gobert was sidelined with an “illness”
16:50 Taking the coronavirus test
23:10 The conflict between Gobert and Donovan Mitchell
31:11 Larsen’s incredible story about his heart-rate monitor

Eric Chemi (36:46)
44:41 The ways coronavirus will affect NBA revenue
49:51 Why the NBA was slow to shut down the season
55:10 Next season’s salary cap

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When will NBA players return to the court? Tom Haberstroh discussed the coronavirus’ impact on the NBA with Howard Beck, Bleacher Report’s senior NBA writer and host of The Full 48 podcast.

2:12 Why the NBA made the right decision
9:35 The reasonable bar for players to get tested
12:40 Interactions with Rudy Gobert
24:11 Next steps for NBA
31:01 Possible NBA timeline for the next month

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How is Seattle reacting to the coronavirus? Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird discussed precautions and the possibility of playing in front of empty stadiums. Plus Bird, a three-time WNBA champion and four-time Olympic champion, revealed why she is endorsing a CBD brand.

1:50 Smartphone addiction
2:55 How Seattle is reacting to coronavirus
6:05 Being one of the first athletes to endorse a CBD brand
17:40 The importance of sleep
20:42 Why 40 is the new 30

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Just like in NBA Jam, players who make a couple of shots in a row catch on fire, right? Tom Haberstroh discusses the “hot hand” with Ben Cohen, author of the new book “The Hot Hand: The Mystery and Science of Streak.” Cohen, who covers the NBA for The Wall Street Journal, uses players like Stephen Curry to explore whether there really is such a thing as being in the zone. Plus Cohen and Haberstroh, who will both speak at the 2020 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, preview the topics attendees will be buzzing about.

6:01 Stephen Curry as the embodiment of the “hot hand”
12:03 Red Auerbach's thoughts on the “hot hand”
21:07 Important lessons from Cohen’s book
30:19 Previewing the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference
38:07 The hottest anyone has been on an NBA court

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Does the NBA need to change its stance on marijuana? Tom Haberstroh and NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole reveal what they learned after interviewing a number of NBA players including Al Harrington, Andre Iguodala, Stephen Jackson and Brian Shaw for their column “Marijuana and the NBA: Erasing the stigma and healing the league,” which you can read at NBCSports.com/Haberstroh. Plus Poole, the host of the Runnin’ Plays podcast, discussed being in Los Angeles for Kobe Bryant’s memorial and previewed Stephen Curry’s return to court.

2:35 Stephen Jackson and “The Program”
12:07 Brian Shaw’s cannabis party
21:10 David Stern’s stance on banned substance list
36:29 Kobe Bryant’s memorial
46:11 Should Stephen Curry be returning to the court?

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How do you coach LeBron James? Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel sat down with Tom Haberstroh at NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago to discuss what the Lakers need to do to win the NBA title. Plus Vogel told the story of how he ended up on the Stupid Human Tricks segment with David Letterman as a 13-year-old prodigy at spinning a basketball.

1:10 Being on David Letterman as a 13-year-old
5:36 Best trick-shot artist on the Lakers
14:40 Where he was when he heard the Kobe news
19:07 Becoming the coach of the Lakers
21:12 First meeting with LeBron James

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