The Pure Hoops Quick Hitters

Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets was a second round draft choice in the 2014 NBA Draft. From the very start of his career he was impressive, but in the past few seasons, he has developed into a generational player and the favorite to win this year's MVP award. Brian Scalabrine of Sirius/XM NBA Radio join Mike Wise to examine the reasons behind the success of "The Joker."

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BJ Armstrong teaches some NBA history, highlighting one of the first ever NBA players to perform the stepback jumper, and how that move influenced Larry Bird.

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Russell Westbrook is going to the Hall of Fame when his career is done. But he is FAR from done and he is leading the Washington Wizards on a late season push to make the playoffs. His legendary intensity is on display every night and he's showing his younger teammates what it takes to play winning ball.

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The Celtics have been hit hard with injuries and Covid-19 issues this season, but NBC Sports Boston's Amina Smith tells us that a lack of focus and energy have also stunted the team's ability to be a strong contender in the Eastern Conference. Superstars like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown need to more consistently "bring their 'A' game" for Boston to make a deep playoff run.

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The NBA used to send legendary coaches like Chuck Daly, Dr. Jack Ramsay, Hubie Brown, & Lou Carnesecca overseas to teach the game to coaches in Europe. But as ESPN's Fran Fraschilla explains, when it comes to the current playing style, the students have become the teachers.

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BJ Armstrong and Eric Newman discuss what has gone right for New York this season, and how they’re positioned to succeed for the future.

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In this "Buckets, Boards, & Blocks" Quick Hitter, Monica McNutt and Terrika Foster-Brasby discuss whether "one and done" in Women's basketball is a good idea.

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Catch & Shoot 2.0 co-hosts Aaron Berlin and Otto Strong discuss whether or not the NBA should explore including playoff performance in determining who wins league MVP. They also discuss, in a season where many stars have missed time due to injuries and other factors, can those stars play there way back into the MVP discussion. Finally, the fellas look at other creative ways in determining who wins the Maurice Podoloff Trophy, including using a point system based on voting totals for the league's Player of The Week and Player of The Month awards.

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When legendary NBA executive jerry Colangelo took over as head of USA Basketball in 2005, he knew the team needed a change of culture. So he convened a group of Olympic basketball veterans including Michael Jordan, Jerry West, and a certain head coach at the University of North Carolina. One of the main discussions concerned the hiring of a head coach for the 2008 Olympics and beyond. Jerry shares what happened in the meeting with Mike Wise in this week's Quick Hitter segment.

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Ryan Hollins played 10 NBA seasons and has something to say about pretty much everything. When he plays "Word Association" with Monica McNutt and King McClure, it's "LOL" time. He also explains why he loves the Super Team in Brooklyn and looks forward to LeBron James going up against KD, the Beard, and Kyrie if he expects to win his 5th ring.

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