The Mismatch

By The Ringer

What's The Mismatch about?

Kevin O’Connor and Chris Vernon discuss all the news, trends, and transactions happening in the NBA. They also offer their on-court analysis, and occasionally get into heated debates.

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All-Star Starters, NBA Riva...

01.27.2023

Verno and KOC debate whether the Knicks and Celtics are actual rivals before discussing Thursday night's fun game between two on TNT (02:00). The NBA All-Star starters have been announced, and the guys discuss Joel Embiid not making the cut ...

The Mismatch episodes:

01.27.2023 All-Star Starters, NBA Rivals Week, and Absurd Trade Values Verno and KOC debate whether the Knicks and Celtics are actual rivals before discussing Thursday night's fun game between two on TNT (02:00). The NBA All-Star starters have been announced, and the guys discuss Joel Embiid not making the cut ...
01.24.2023 Determining the League’s Buyers and Sellers, Plus Clippers Are Looking for Upgrades and Lakers Aren’t Done Yet Verno and KOC begin the show by discussing the Clippers, who are looking to upgrade their center and point guard positions (02:06). Could Fred VanVleet make his way to Los Angeles? After the trade for Rui Hachimura, the guys discuss ...
01.20.2023 Celtics-Warriors Takeaways, Plus Cavs Love, Luka’s Demands, and the Hot Heat Verno and KOC open the show by discussing Thursday's NBA Finals rematch between the Warriors and Celtics (01:16), which they agree had a playoff-like atmosphere. While discussing the game in Paris between the Bulls and Pistons, the guys talk about ...
01.17.2023 The Bleak Future Suns, Kessler or Gobert, and NBA Trade Targets Verno and KOC begin the show by discussing Jayson Tatum’s 50-point performance versus the Hornets before moving on to the disappointing Suns and debating what they need to do to turn their season around (02:10). They discuss Jaren Jackson Jr.'s ...
01.13.2023 Coach Verno, Scared Simmons, and the Latest Trade Rumors After discussing Verno’s newfound respect for coaches, he and KOC discuss Thursday night’s game between the Celtics and Nets, specifically looking at Ben Simmons’s lack of offensive production in the Nets' first game without Kevin Durant (09:40). The Thunder blew ...
01.10.2023 Why the Lakers Owe LeBron Nothing, Plus the NBA Halfway Point Check-In Verno and KOC begin by discussing Kevin Durant’s injury and debate whether the Nets can stay afloat without him (02:05). While the Nets are preparing to play without KD, the Warriors are getting ready to welcome back Steph Curry (10:55). ...
01.06.2023 All-Star Shocks and Disappointments, Plus: Trade Rumors and Early Prospect Comps Verno and KOC discuss the Celtics' blowout win over the Mavs as well the Magic’s bright future despite losing to the Grizzlies (01:19). The guys dive into the first results for the 2023 NBA All-Star game as they discuss what ...
01.03.2023 Dissecting the League’s Exploding Offenses and Recapping a Night of Extreme Scoring Verno and KOC open the show by discussing last night’s historic performance by Donovan Mitchell, who scored 71 points to become the seventh player in the 70-point club (02:15). Klay Thompson dropped 54 points in the double overtime win over ...
12.27.2022 A Christmas Embarrassment, the Thriving Nets, and Mailbag Questions Verno and KOC discuss why the growing rivalry between the Grizzlies and Warriors is good for the NBA (03:42). They also discuss the Celtics' blowout win against the Bucks before moving on to the 76ers, who are riding an eight-game ...
12.20.2022 Time for a Raptors Reset? Plus, the Good Vibes Magic and Other Rising Teams. Verno and KOC begin with looking at the Thunder-Blazers game from Monday night (02:30 ). They congratulate Damian Lillard for becoming the all-time scoring leader for the Blazers before discussing the great season that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is having for the ...
12.16.2022 Debating the NBA Rankings List, Plus the Grizzlies Dominate and What’s the Plan Without Steph? KOC congratulates Verno for his Grizzlies completely dominating the Bucks, 142-101, and taking over the 1-seed in the West (00:59 ). One of the reasons for the Grizz's blowout victory was Steven Adams’s excellent defense against Giannis. fter the Jazz ...
12.13.2022 Looking at the Top of Each Conference, New NBA Awards, and Reaction from Celtics-Clippers Verno and KOC briefly discuss the Alabama upset over Houston before shifting their attention to last night’s Clippers victory over the Celtics (06:39). Are these back-to-back losses for the Celtics something to be concerned about? They also discuss Kawhi Leonard’s ...
12.09.2022 Which Middle-of-the-Pack NBA Teams Are For Real? Verno and KOC begin the show discussing tomorrow’s big college game between Alabama-Houston, which KOC will be attending (01:04). They then move on and discuss the middle-of-the-pack teams in the NBA and debate which teams are real, fake, or just ...
12.06.2022 Recalibrating the Lakers' Chances, Kawhi’s Underwhelming Return, and Inside the Hawks-Trae Drama Verno and KOC discuss Kawhi Leonard’s return in last night’s Clippers win over Hornets (02:28). They debate whether his return was blown a little out of proportion before discussing the impressive Pacers' win over the Warriors. The guys dive right ...
12.02.2022 KOC's Killian Hayes-gasm. Plus: Dallas Struggles, Star Performers, and the Royal Celtics. Verno gives KOC the floor to start the show because Killian Hayes had himself a breakout game last night against the Mavs (02:24). After giving Hayes his flowers, the guys discuss the Mavs' struggles and debate what moves, if any, ...
11.29.2022 NBA Quarter-Mark Check-In, Plus Reacting to a Wild Night of Games Verno and KOC recap some of the exciting games from last night, including Lakers-Pacers, Magic-Nets, and more (02:05). While discussing the Wizards-Timberwolves game, KOC mentions that Tim Connelly could have other moves in mind to fix the struggling T-Wolves (20:41). ...
11.22.2022 Ten Things We Are Thankful for This NBA Season With Thanksgiving this week, Verno and KOC each give five things they are thankful for this NBA season (06:15). Some of the things the guys are thankful for is Russell Westbrook accepting his bench role, the Spurs' tasteful tanking, the ...
11.18.2022 The Good and Not So Good About the NBA This Week Verno and KOC discuss the good and bad from the NBA this week, beginning with the amazing run that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on before discussing the Suns, the Kings' resurgence in Sacramento, and the Knicks, who are starting to look ...
11.15.2022 12 Things We Like and Dislike from the NBA Verno and KOC each give three things they like and three things that they don’t like from this NBA season so far. Hosts: Chris Vernon and Kevin O’Connor Producer: Jessie Lopez Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
11.11.2022 Luka Needs Help, Believing in the Blazers, and Do We Really Need All These Jerseys? Verno and KOC begin the show previewing Timberwolves-Grizzlies before diving into last night’s Blazers-Pelicans game (01:59). As the Jazz keep winning, the guys debate if it’s time to consider them a playoff team and whether or not Danny Ainge would ...
11.08.2022 A Loaded NBA Night, the Hot Jazz, and a Pelicans Debate Verno and KOC open up the show discussing the Celtics-Grizzlies game and Jayson Tatum’s hot start to the season (02:42). After praising last night’s staggered start times in the NBA, they discuss the special bond that’s forming in Portland and ...
11.04.2022 The NBA’s Disgusting Off-Court Stories Overshadow a Competitive Start to the Season Verno and KOC begin the show discussing Kyrie Irving’s apology (02:11). James Harden is expected to miss a month with a foot injury, but the guys believe the 76ers will be just fine (22:02). Also, they discuss the Cavs-Celtics game ...
11.01.2022 BREAKING: Nets Fire Nash, Eye Udoka, Plus: Siakim’s Dominance, Cade’s Rise, and Kawhi’s Weird Season The Nets and Steve Nash agreed to mutually part ways, so Verno and KOC discuss the fallout in Brooklyn before briefly discussing the noise around Kyrie Irving (01:09). They next discuss last night’s Pistons-Bucks game and go through Giannis’s monster ...
10.28.2022 The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the NBA Season So Far Verno and KOC go through the good, the bad, and the ugly of the NBA season. Some of the good includes stars playing like stars, the higher scoring around the league, Jalen Brunson and Christian Wood fitting in with their ...
10.25.2022 Another Rendition of That’s True, That Might Be True, or That’s Ridiculous Verno and KOC go through a list of the hottest NBA topics in ‘That’s True, That Might Be True, or That’s Ridiculous!’ They discuss whether the Nets are a potential play-in team, the Blazers' hot start, and whether there’s growing ...
10.21.2022 Early First Impressions of the NBA Season With the NBA season officially underway, Verno and KOC go through their first impressions. They begin discussing the bad vibes in Philadelphia before moving on to the 0-2 Lakers, how the Knicks look with Jalen Brunson, and KOC’s beloved Pelicans ...
10.18.2022 Semi-Bold NBA Predictions, Extension Talks, and the Philadelphia 76ers Verno and KOC discuss who did and didn’t get contract extensions as NBA rosters are now set for the start of the season (01:59). Then, the guys discuss KOC’s latest article on The Ringer, a profile on 76ers GM Daryl ...
10.14.2022 10 Questions for the Upcoming NBA Season Vernon and KOC begin the show discussing reports that the Lakers are planning on moving Russell Westbrook to the bench for their final preseason game (01:58). Could this bring out the best of Russ on the Lakers? Next, the guys ...
10.11.2022 The Most Interesting Players Going Into the 2022-23 NBA Season Verno and KOC discuss the only potential flaw for Victor Wembanyama, before discussing Nikola Jovic’s near-perfect pairing with the Heat, and the latest going on with Jae Crowder (01:38). With the NBA starting up next week, the guys each pick ...
10.07.2022 The Draymond Green Punch, the Victor Wembanyama Experience, and NBA Season Predictions With Adam Lefkoe Verno and KOC return and are joined by TNT’s Adam Lefkoe. They discuss KOC’s trip to Las Vegas to watch top prospects Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson (01:44). Everyone gushes about Wembanyama’s skillset, but Henderson’s star potential is also can’t-miss. ...
09.27.2022 Suns Drama, Sixers Hype, and an NBA Media Day Recap Verno and KOC begin the show by discussing the 76ers after KOC attended their media day (01:35). He shares his excitement to see a full season of Joel Embiid and James Harden playing together, and Verno asks if this is ...
09.13.2022 Rest in Peace, Jonathan Tjarks Before starting today’s show, Verno and KOC share memories of our friend and colleague Jonathan Tjarks, who passed away over the weekend due to cancer (01:30). Then Kevin and Chris answer your mailbag questions. Topics include the Magic’s future, which ...
09.07.2022 Looking at the Mitchell Trade From the Cavs’ and Jazz’s Perspectives, Plus ‘2K’ Ratings and Wembanyama Coming Soon to the U.S. Verno and KOC give their first reaction to the Cavs’ trade for Donovan Mitchell (01:07). Can Cleveland take the next step to compete for a championship with Mitchell? They also look at the deal from the Jazz’s perspective (15:30). Even ...
08.30.2022 What Barrett Extension Means for Donovan Mitchell, and Your Mailbag Questions! Verno and KOC discuss the Knicks signing R.J. Barrett to a four-year extension and what this means for Donovan Mitchell (00:58). The Wizards are being mentioned as a possibility for Mitchell, but the guys don’t believe he’s a fit next ...
08.25.2022 Reading Between the Lines of the Pat Bev Trade and the Real Impact of Chet’s Injury Verno and KOC discuss the latest trade in the NBA as Patrick Beverly makes his way back to Los Angeles, but this time he’ll join LeBron James and the Lakers (01:05). Could this be the first step in the Lakers' ...
08.23.2022 BREAKING: Kevin Durant Staying in Brooklyn. What’s Next for the Nets? Verno and KOC return as they discuss Kevin Durant backtracking his trade request to remain with the Nets (01:14). Verno shares what he believes to be the turning point on KD changing his mind (07:40). Now that KD has decided ...
08.02.2022 Remembering Bill Russell, Tampering Unfairness, and Your Mailbag Questions Verno and KOC open the show by sharing their memories of NBA legend Bill Russell, who passed away over the weekend (01:02). As more charges of tampering continue in the NBA, the guys wonder if it’s time for the NBA ...
07.26.2022 What Would It Take to Get KD to Boston, Can Tatum Be the Guy, and Latest on Mitchell Verno and KOC discuss whether the Celtics should go for it all and trade for Kevin Durant (03:25). As the guys debate what it would take for the Celtics to get KD, KOC points out that Brad Stevens has not ...
07.19.2022 Top Summer League Performances, Interesting Teams, and Lakers Drama Verno and KOC congratulate the Blazers for winning this year’s summer league tournament before discussing the top performers (02:00). The guys debate how many interesting teams there really are in the league right now before discussing whether the Raptors would ...
07.15.2022 Ayton Returning to the Desert, Do What You Can to Get Mitchell, and Summer League Prospect Watching Verno and KOC are back home as they discuss the Suns matching the Pacers' offer sheet for Deandre Ayton (01:30). While it’s been extremely quiet with Kevin Durant, Verno points out why it truly is only a matter of time ...
07.11.2022 The Young Warriors, Paolo’s Proportionate Size, and Thanks Steph Curry Verno and KOC report from Las Vegas one last time, as they discuss the latest news on Deandre Ayton before going into James Wiseman’s Summer League debut and how good the young Warriors looked (01:03). Paolo Banchero has been one ...
07.11.2022 Summer League Observations and the Mavs' Future With J. Kyle Mann and Jonathan Tjarks \| The Void Hey, it's Kevin; thank you for listening to The Void. Today’s guests are The Ringer’s own J. Kyle Mann and Jonathan Tjarks from Upside High. We are all about the NBA Summer League as we discuss the performances of Paolo ...
07.08.2022 Summer League Recap, Preview, and Speeding Tickets Verno and KOC are live from Las Vegas for the NBA summer league as they recap the debut of Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, and others (01:05). They also discuss the unfairness of players like Josh Giddey and Paul Reed playing ...
07.05.2022 All Quiet on the Free Agency Front, The Gobert Gamble, and Summer League Excitement After the initial wave of signings, free agency has hit a stall as Verno and KOC discuss how the league is waiting for Kevin Durant to get traded (01:17). The T-Wolves traded for Rudy Gobert over the weekend, and Verno ...
07.01.2022 Where in the World Will KD Go, and Recapping the Early Free Agency Moves Kevin Durant ruined all of free agency, so Verno and KOC open up the show by going through the potential teams that can put together the historical package for KD that the Nets are asking for (00:54). Despite KD putting ...
06.29.2022 Brunson to New York, Implications for the Knicks and Mavs With Marc Stein \| The Void Hey, it’s Kevin! Thank you for listening to 'The Void.' With the news of Jalen Brunson possibly leaving the Mavs for the Knicks, I bring on Marc Stein to help break down all the implications from both sides. You can ...
06.28.2022 Post-Draft Stories and Getting Ready for Free Agency Verno and KOC return to give their reaction to how the NBA draft shook out (01:20). With free agency starting up this week, the guys dive into the hottest stories leading into Thursday (13:02). They discuss the Nets drama, where ...
06.24.2022 Seven Lingering Questions Following the NBA Draft With Logan Murdock \| The Void Hey, it's Kevin! Thank you for listening to 'The Void'. Today The Ringer's Logan Murdock is joining the show to discuss some of our takeaways from the draft and then look ahead to the NBA offseason, which will be ramping ...
06.21.2022 Gearing Up for the NBA Draft, Players on the Move, and Potential Sleepers With the draft just days away, Verno and KOC discuss whether the top of the order is set in stone, or if we should expect moves to be made (00:56). Anything can happen in the draft, as KOC mentions some ...
06.18.2022 Drafting the Magic’s Future With Kevin Clark and Steve Ceruti \| The Void Hey it’s Kevin, on today’s podcast I spoke with The Ringer’s resident Magic fans, Kevin Clark and Steve Ceruti. With the draft less than a week away, we’re diving deep into the Orlando Magic and their future. The fit for ...

Older episodes

The Mismatch

What's The Mismatch about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Mismatch episodes:

All-Star Starters, NBA Rivals Week, and Absurd Trade Values

Determining the League’s Buyers and Sellers, Plus Clippers Are Looking for Upgrades and Lakers Aren’t Done Yet

Celtics-Warriors Takeaways, Plus Cavs Love, Luka’s Demands, and the Hot Heat

The Bleak Future Suns, Kessler or Gobert, and NBA Trade Targets

Coach Verno, Scared Simmons, and the Latest Trade Rumors

Why the Lakers Owe LeBron Nothing, Plus the NBA Halfway Point Check-In

All-Star Shocks and Disappointments, Plus: Trade Rumors and Early Prospect Comps

Dissecting the League’s Exploding Offenses and Recapping a Night of Extreme Scoring

A Christmas Embarrassment, the Thriving Nets, and Mailbag Questions

Time for a Raptors Reset? Plus, the Good Vibes Magic and Other Rising Teams.

Debating the NBA Rankings List, Plus the Grizzlies Dominate and What’s the Plan Without Steph?

Looking at the Top of Each Conference, New NBA Awards, and Reaction from Celtics-Clippers

Which Middle-of-the-Pack NBA Teams Are For Real?

Recalibrating the Lakers' Chances, Kawhi’s Underwhelming Return, and Inside the Hawks-Trae Drama

KOC's Killian Hayes-gasm. Plus: Dallas Struggles, Star Performers, and the Royal Celtics.

NBA Quarter-Mark Check-In, Plus Reacting to a Wild Night of Games

Ten Things We Are Thankful for This NBA Season

The Good and Not So Good About the NBA This Week

12 Things We Like and Dislike from the NBA

Luka Needs Help, Believing in the Blazers, and Do We Really Need All These Jerseys?

A Loaded NBA Night, the Hot Jazz, and a Pelicans Debate

The NBA’s Disgusting Off-Court Stories Overshadow a Competitive Start to the Season

BREAKING: Nets Fire Nash, Eye Udoka, Plus: Siakim’s Dominance, Cade’s Rise, and Kawhi’s Weird Season

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the NBA Season So Far

Another Rendition of That’s True, That Might Be True, or That’s Ridiculous

Early First Impressions of the NBA Season

Semi-Bold NBA Predictions, Extension Talks, and the Philadelphia 76ers

10 Questions for the Upcoming NBA Season

The Most Interesting Players Going Into the 2022-23 NBA Season

The Draymond Green Punch, the Victor Wembanyama Experience, and NBA Season Predictions With Adam Lefkoe

Suns Drama, Sixers Hype, and an NBA Media Day Recap

Rest in Peace, Jonathan Tjarks

Looking at the Mitchell Trade From the Cavs’ and Jazz’s Perspectives, Plus ‘2K’ Ratings and Wembanyama Coming Soon to the U.S.

What Barrett Extension Means for ​​Donovan Mitchell, and Your Mailbag Questions!

Reading Between the Lines of the Pat Bev Trade and the Real Impact of Chet’s Injury

BREAKING: Kevin Durant Staying in Brooklyn. What’s Next for the Nets?

Remembering Bill Russell, Tampering Unfairness, and Your Mailbag Questions

What Would It Take to Get KD to Boston, Can Tatum Be the Guy, and Latest on Mitchell

Top Summer League Performances, Interesting Teams, and Lakers Drama

Ayton Returning to the Desert, Do What You Can to Get Mitchell, and Summer League Prospect Watching

The Young Warriors, Paolo’s Proportionate Size, and Thanks Steph Curry

Summer League Observations and the Mavs' Future With J. Kyle Mann and Jonathan Tjarks | The Void

Summer League Recap, Preview, and Speeding Tickets

All Quiet on the Free Agency Front, The Gobert Gamble, and Summer League Excitement

Where in the World Will KD Go, and Recapping the Early Free Agency Moves

Brunson to New York, Implications for the Knicks and Mavs With Marc Stein | The Void

Post-Draft Stories and Getting Ready for Free Agency

Seven Lingering Questions Following the NBA Draft With Logan Murdock | The Void

Gearing Up for the NBA Draft, Players on the Move, and Potential Sleepers

Drafting the Magic’s Future With Kevin Clark and Steve Ceruti | The Void

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