BBALL BREAKDOWN Podcast

CLNS Media Network

Entertaining And Insightful NBA Analysis

  • 52 minutes 16 seconds
    Is SGA Foul Baiting, and Do the Wolves Need a Trade?

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    Coach Nick and Combo get into the weirdest NBA debate that never ends, is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander “foul baiting,” or is he just elite at initiating real contact like every other star. They break down why OKC suddenly gets treated like the league’s villain, how playoff whistles differ from regular season whistles, and why “you can’t touch him” narratives make fans lose their minds.

    Plus: Ant’s career year, Wolves offense without a true point guard, Ja Morant trade chatter (Wolves vs Lakers), why NBA Twitter trashes dynamic guards like Ja and Trae, and the never-ending question of what actually counts as flopping.

    #BBALLBREAKDOWN #NBA #SGA #Thunder #Timberwolves #JaMorant #AnthonyEdwards

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    18 January 2026, 10:43 pm
  • 47 minutes 41 seconds
    What Jaylen Brown, Kawhi Leonard, and the NBA Rulebook Are Telling Us

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    Coach Nick and Combo kick off the Monday morning live show with some vibes, some Jaylen Brown love, and a quick reminder that NBA players definitely have burners, with Kevin Durant basically confirming the whole internet has been arguing with a real person the entire time. From there, the guys get into why Kawhi Leonard is still a defensive problem even as he ages, why the Celtics are rolling, and what it means when Brown wants to be seen as the best two-way player in basketball.

    Then it’s straight into the Basketball Twitter chaos: foot contact, why stepping on a defender’s foot is a foul even if it feels “unfair,” and how pickup rules have cooked everyone’s brains when it comes to what the NBA rulebook actually says. Coach Nick breaks down the carry rule in simple terms, why certain Tyrese Maxey clips are getting misread, and why fans keep confusing “what I grew up with” for “what the rule is.” Plus, they hit the never-ending balance between offense and defense, including how Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fits into the modern foul-drawing conversation.

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    11 January 2026, 8:40 pm
  • 50 minutes 14 seconds
    Jaylen Brown Is Batman, Not Robin, And The Celtics Might Be Fine

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    Coach Nick and Combo kick off the Friday live show with a spicy premise, Jaylen Brown was always Batman. With Jayson Tatum sidelined, they dig into why Boston’s offense can actually flow better without the ball-stopping, multi-dribble isolations, and how Brown’s downhill force, transition athleticism, and rim finishing changes the entire feel of the Celtics.

    From there, they debate the real question, should Tatum even come back this season if Boston keeps humming. They talk chemistry, rust, reintegration, and whether Tatum could shift into more of an off-ball, defense-first role to maximize the team’s rhythm.

    The conversation expands into coaching, the rise of younger head coaches, the difference between teacher-student and collaboration models, and why “cone drills” create robots instead of hoopers. Plus, a deep dive on constraints-led training, how to balance reps with live reads, and why most players spend the game without the ball but train like they always have it.

    Then it gets even wilder, Cade Cunningham MVP talk, the Pistons sitting on top of the East, and the heated debate over whether finishing at the rim should disqualify a player from serious MVP consideration. They also touch on OKC’s title window, the looming Spurs problem, and why the Giannis trade scenarios could get chaotic fast.

    BBALLBREAKDOWN: Not a channel, A conversation,.You In?

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    4 January 2026, 10:56 pm
  • 1 hour 1 minute
    Is Wemby Already Top 5, And What Is Even A GOAT Anymore?

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    Coach Nick and Combo are back on the Monday live show with a three-course meal of NBA chaos. First up, the NBA Cup Final, Knicks pride meets the most box office player alive, and the inevitable question, is Wemby already Top 5 right now, and what does that mean for the GOAT debate when rings, eras, and “best of your generation” all collide.

    Then the show pivots into the foul-drawing rabbit hole, SGA’s landing space controversy, what “unnatural” actually means in real time, and why fans swear it happens every possession even when the numbers don’t back it up. Add in some rulebook talk, some coaching perspective on body control and contact, and a little vocabulary flexing, myopic makes an appearance.

    Finally, Coach Nick and Combo get into the Lakers-Suns madness, Dillon Brooks as the league’s premier instigator, why disrespect matters more than impact, and how one chaotic sequence can flip the energy of an entire game. Plus, super chats, quick hitters, and the classic reminder that Twitter is not a real place, it just feels like it is.

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    21 December 2025, 5:34 pm
  • 56 minutes 49 seconds
    Did Grayson Allen Really Travel Or Is Everyone Wrong About The Rules?

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    Coach Nick and Combo kick things off with the Grayson Allen “travel” that broke the internet, including the text exchange where Combo just wanted a simple yes or no and got a dissertation instead. From there, Nick walks through the gather step frame by frame, explains exactly why it is technically a travel, and why expecting refs to see a 1/60th of a second pivot slide in real time is insane.

    They dive into why fans are still stuck on seventh grade PE versions of the rules, how the one foot step through has been legal for almost a century, and how interpretation of carries and travels has changed from Elgin to Harden to SGA. Then they zoom out to the bigger question, has the league made scoring too easy with less physicality, freer footwork, and more whistles, or are offensive players just that much better now?

    Along the way, Nick pulls out vintage clips from the 30s and 50s, rants about “AI slop” and reading comprehension on Twitter, and lays out his thesis that today’s officiating is actually closer to the rulebook than the old days that everyone romanticizes.

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    14 December 2025, 10:50 pm
  • 58 minutes 40 seconds
    Anthony Edwards (Ethical) vs SGA (Unethical) And The NBA Whistle War

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    Coach Nick and Combo dive into the Anthony Edwards free throw controversy, Mark Cuban stepping in on officiating, and why fans think stars like SGA and Luka are gaming the whistle. They break down whether today’s scoring boom is real skill or ref-aided inflation, how defenses are actually more sophisticated than ever, and why people still romanticize 80s and 90s “toughness.” The guys also hit LeBron’s new life as maybe the greatest third option ever, rookie of the year and Most Improved chatter, OKC’s defensive hacks, Miami’s insane pace, possible veteran trade targets, and how NBA coaches really decide substitution patterns.

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    6 December 2025, 7:38 pm
  • 43 minutes 12 seconds
    Klay vs Ja, Brooks vs KD, and What It Really Takes To Make The NBA

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    Coach Nick and Andrew “Combo” Salop kick off Thanksgiving week with a rant about thumbnails and a love letter to the most slept on guys in the league, from “Cotton Candy Apple” types to Scottie Barnes, Jalen Johnson, and Tyrese Haliburton who win without living on iso scoring. They break down why this Charlotte wing is torching teams without elite burst, using driving lines like Luka, and how that changes the way we think about athleticism and development. Then the show pivots to Klay Thompson defending Cooper after Santi Aldama’s bush league trip, Ja Morant hijacking Cam Spencer’s moment, and why Klay deserves a lot more respect given his rings, defense, and what he battled back from. From OKC’s no middle overload scheme and the value of irritants like Dillon Brooks and Marcus Smart, to AD trade talk, Harden’s rule changing impact, and the real non negotiables for making the NBA, Coach Nick and Combo connect all the dots on how teams get it right, and how franchises like Washington and Sacramento keep getting in their own way.

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    30 November 2025, 1:20 am
  • 1 hour 3 minutes
    Rockets Magic Ending, Risacher Fall, OKC Dominance

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    Coach Nick and Combo discuss the latest in the NBA.

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    24 November 2025, 2:30 am
  • 39 minutes 48 seconds
    Cade’s MVP Leap, Mavs Meltdown, And A LeBron Conspiracy

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    Coach Nick and Combo are back on a Monday live show to talk Cade Cunningham’s leap into the MVP conversation and whether the Pistons’ hot start is actually sustainable or just a friendly schedule bump. They dig into Cade’s finishing at the rim, his improved drive numbers, how Duren fits next to him, what happens when Jaden Ivey returns, and whether Detroit is really just one Lauri Markkanen type move away from becoming an Eastern Conference Finals regular.

    From there, the guys pivot to the chaos in Dallas, wondering how badly the Mavs butchered their franchise by moving on from Luka, why the roster around Cooper is such a mess, and whether it is already time to tear it down and rebuild. They also break down OKC’s suffocating defense, Mitchell’s under-the-radar impact, Reed Sheppard’s wild shooting start, Rockets intrigue, and what is really going on with Russell Westbrook and Zach LaVine’s value on winning teams.

    To close, Coach Nick and Combo debate which legend can get closest to his prime in the playoffs between Steph, KD, and LeBron, then wade into a spicy LeBron theory around his absence and whether the Lakers are actually better without him. Plus, behind-the-scenes stories from Coach Nick’s House of Highlights Fan vs Hater James Harden debate, fan recognition in random lobbies and Chipotle lines, and Combo popping up in national commercials.

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    16 November 2025, 10:16 pm
  • 56 minutes 24 seconds
    Bulls Surge, Knicks Wobble, Heat’s No Screen Playbook

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    Coach Nick and Combo kick off the week with a fast look at why Chicago opened hot, what the schedule says about how real it is, and which tweaks are driving the pace and screening volume. Then it is a Knicks vibes check featuring Brunson’s usage, KAT’s role confusion, and whether the defense can hold up. We break down Miami’s new motion and double gap concepts with Bam as the hub, and ask what happens when a team almost never calls ball screens. Josh Giddey’s early three point spike, Amen vs Cooper at point guard, and a quick word on why modern officiating finally matches the rulebook all make the rundown. Drop your questions in Super Chat and come hang for the next Playback watch party.


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    10 November 2025, 12:21 am
  • 37 minutes 18 seconds
    Giannis Steps, SGA’s Position, LaMelo’s Myster

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    Coach Nick and Combo go deep on a wild NBA week: the Giannis “travel” discourse and how gather rules really work, whether SGA is a true point guard or a scoring guard, and why LaMelo Ball’s film says more about Charlotte’s stagnant offense than it does about his talent. They hit Austin Reaves’ handle and whistle, Rockets double-bigs and spacing, KD’s workload, the refs’ impossible sprinting angles, Kuminga’s encouraging evolution, and Harden’s lasting impact on skill development.
    Drop your questions in the comments or via Super Chat, and follow along on Playback for live breakdowns.

    Chapters
    0:00 Intro and late-night Twitter fallout
    4:10 Giannis steps, gather timing, why it looked worse than it was
    12:40 Is SGA a point guard or a scoring guard
    18:30 LaMelo tease, assist quality vs box-score assists
    24:20 Rockets’ double-big experiment and KD spacing
    31:10 Austin Reaves’ handle and foul drawing
    38:15 Kuminga’s decision-making leap
    44:00 Harden’s legacy on step-backs and skill work
    50:00 The Jordan push-off debate revisited

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    2 November 2025, 4:23 pm
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