Sports Illustrated's Howard Beck joins to discuss Gary Payton II, the original Gary Payton, Marcus Smart's DPOY, asymmetries in offensive/defensive awards, and the nature of awards voting itself. Follow @HowardBeck and support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

How much stock should we put in one good or bad series from the first round? Should we ignore the regular season or fall back on it? We reflect on some of the dominant defensive performances of the first round and look ahead to round 2. With Cody Houdek @codyhoudek. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

More changes from the regular season to the playoffs than ever before. Coach Gibson Pyper of Half Court Hoops joins to discuss what makes postseason basketball different from regular season basketball in the 2020s, and what that means for star players like Kevin Durant and Trae Young, 3-point shooting, slower big men (Jokic and Gobert), scheme versatility and more. Follow Gibson @HalfCourtHoops. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

After only 1 week of the playoffs, many stars are under fire and many narratives have momentum. We discuss how no one is safe, and whether all the criticisms of Rudy Gobert, Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant and more are fair. With Cody Houdek @codyhoudek. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

We go deep on the epic Celtics-Nets opener in the East: Tatum's great game, what caused Durant's struggles and more. Plus other thoughts on officiating, physicality, rim pressure and more. With Cody Houdek @codyhoudek. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

The Athletic's Dave DuFour stops by for our annual preview show, where we size up the contenders in the East and the West, including a stunning first round upset pick by Dave in the Eastern Conference. Follow Dave @DaveDuFourNBA. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

Who is the MVP in 2022? Are we prioritizing the right players? Can we even answer this question without defining it clearly? We discuss the concept of awards ballots, the idea of ambiguous definitions, the purpose of awards and the difference between philosophical variety, fallacious arguments and non-contextual data points (Stats Police!) With Cody Houdek @codyhoudek. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

It's time for the second ever defensive awards, where we discuss the best defenders in a variety of categories ranging from the best paint protector to the best point of attack defender to “who is the most switchable defender in the league?” With Cody Houdek @codyhoudek. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

We tackle the exciting, difficult, painful task of sorting out the best offensive players in the league this season, including the incredible big men in the league right now and their different approaches, the value of playmaking, spacing and non-scoring effects, and the handful of players with really wide, uncertain ranges of impact heading into the 2022 playoffs. With Cody Houdek @codyhoudek. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

We discuss Jrue Holiday's great offensive season, the synergy between Giannis, Khris Middelton and Holiday, and the success of the Bucks Big 3 on offense this season. Also, why does it feel like there's no defense played in today's NBA? Would Giannis fail in a prior era? And who is the ideal teammate for LeBron James? With Cody Houdek @codyhoudek. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball