the nail in the coffin | A Cleveland sports podcast

On the eve of the Eastern Conference Finals, the guys ponder what, if anything, the Celtics can do to stay competitive in this series, how the Cavs will look to take away Isaiah Thomas at one end of the floor and get Kevin Love more involved at the other, and whether Ty Lue gets his proper due as an NBA coach.

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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With an alley-oop off the backboard from Kyrie to LeBron 3 minutes into Game 1, the Cavs were on their way to dismantling the Raptors, and they never relented en route to a decisive and dominant four-game sweep. The guys discuss LeBron’s transcendent play through the first two rounds, the Cavs’ switch officially having been flipped, and what’s ahead after the team’s next lengthy layoff.

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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books, and as usually is the case, the Browns gave us no shortage of stuff to talk about. The guys discuss whether it was the right move to trade down from No. 12 and draft Jabrill Peppers, DeShone Kizer vs. the rest of this year’s QB class, and other notable picks around the league. … Plus: What to watch for when the Cavs play the Raptors in what might be their biggest challenge in the Eastern Conference.

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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In a special episode of The Nail, Kurt Angle details his long road back to WWE after a decade of addictions to pain medication and alcohol threatened his life and livelihood. Angle also discusses whether he would be satisfied with his career if he never wrestles another match for the company, how WWE's women's division has taken off in recent years, and his work behind the scenes sharing advice with a new generation of superstars.

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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With the Cavs heading to Indiana looking to finish off the Pacers, Mark Meszoros is back on the show to help us get ready for Game 3. Will the Cavs throw down the hammer over the next two games, or will they let the Pacers hang around and send the series back to Cleveland? Other topics covered: Overcoming fourth quarter issues, Ty Lue’s adjustments through two games, Kevin Love wrecking Indiana in the post, and the Celtics and Raptors having their hands full in their respective series.

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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Whether they’re ready or not, the Cavs begin their NBA title defense on Saturday when they open the playoffs vs. Indiana. The guys sift through a strange and mostly lackluster regular season and figure out what, if anything, can be applied going forward. Can the Cavs stay focused long enough to handle their business in the early rounds? Does anyone on Indiana scare you besides Paul George? Which team is the Cavs’ biggest threat in the East? And for that matter, does a threat in the East even exist?

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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Baseball is back, baby, and the Indians have given Cleveland all sorts of reasons to be excited. John Arthur Hutchison, a contributing writer for Burning River Baseball, is back on the show to bring us up to speed on all things Tribe for 2017. Topics covered include: offseason roster moves, the emergence of Yandy Diaz, the return of Michael Brantley, Francisco Lindor’s star power, Andrew Miller’s role in the bullpen, Cody Allen’s underappreciated greatness and lots more.

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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With the Columbus Blue Jackets putting the finishing touches on their best regular season in franchise history, Leo Welsh, the team’s national anthem singer since 2003, joins the show to bring us up to speed on all things CBJ and NHL. Topics covered include: slimmed-down goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, rookie phenom defenseman Zach Werenski, former Lake Erie Monsters playing key roles in Columbus, and the NHL’s bizarre playoff seedings. … Plus, the guys wrap up the show by hitting Leo with a few Browns questions on the offseason, the draft and the front office.

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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The guys are back to talk about all the big matchups from the opening weekend of March Madness, including Villanova vs. Wisconsin, Duke vs. South Carolina, and AT&T Uverse vs. Raycom Media. (Come back, CBS!) … Plus, the NBA's problem of resting stars and how ESPN, the network that invented “Embrace Debate,” blew a chance to have a discussion of actual back-and-forth substance about it during Cavs-Clippers on Saturday night.

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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It’s championship week in college basketball, and that means the Mid-American Conference is bringing its brand of mid-major hoops back to The Q. With nearly every team coming to town having a realistic shot of cutting down the nets on Saturday night, Jason Arkley, the OU beat writer for the Athens Messenger, is back on the show to bring us up to speed on all things #MACtion. … Plus: With a disjointed regular season finally winding down, the guys lament the endless wait to see the Cavs at full strength and start thinking ahead to what their playoff rotation could look like.

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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