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The Classic NBL Podcast has been temporarily brought out of retirement to preview the upcoming 2019 New Zealand NBL season.

While there will be no weekly podcast this season - cue cries of desperation from the tens of devoted listeners - Niall Anderson and Sam Garriock had enough takes that they wanted to get out onto the ol' world wide web that they decided to put together a two-part NBL preview extravaganza, for old times' sake.

In Part Two, the guys discuss the league having games broadcast on SKY this year, the league's expansion into Australia, and preview the fortunes of the Southern Huskies, Hawke's Bay Hawks [well, kinda...], Wellington Saints and Southland Sharks.

Thanks for listening - see you for the World Cup?

The Classic NBL Podcast has been temporarily brought out of retirement to preview the upcoming 2019 New Zealand NBL season.

While there will be no weekly podcast this season - cue cries of desperation from the tens of devoted listeners - Niall Anderson and Sam Garriock had enough takes that they decided to put together a two-part NBL preview extravaganza, for old times' sake.

In Part One, they discuss why there will be no weekly podcast this year, the improvements the league has made during the offseason and the potential stumbling blocks that come with it, and preview the fortunes of the Manawatu Jets, Supercity Rangers, Taranaki Mountain Airs, Canterbury Rams and Nelson Giants.

The NBL Final Four is here, and to give it the proper celebration it deserves, Niall Anderson and Sam Garriock break down the two semifinal clashes from every conceivable angle. The guys run through all there is to know about the Saints v Hawks and Giants v Sharks encounters, and since they are going to be absolute barnburners, there is a brief lesson in where the term "barnburner" comes from. It's all happening this weekend - get excited...

Niall Anderson and Sam Garriock run through their official NBL award ballots for the 2018 season, revealing their votes for ROY, MONZG, MOG, MONZF, MOF, COY, NZMVP, MVP and any other acronym you can think of. Also, a brief tribute to two greats of the league who played their final game on Sunday - Lindsay Tait and Dillon Boucher.

The Final Four teams have been set in the NBL, but there's still plenty to play for - Niall Anderson and Sam Garriock break down the scenarios for the races for top spot and to avoid the wooden spoon. They then analyse the four teams who have missed the playoffs - what does their future look like, and what do they each need to improve on for next season? Also, some thoughts on Dillon Boucher's final game on Sunday, and his legacy in the NBL.

On possibly the nerdiest ever episode of the Classic NBL Podcast (and believe me, that's saying something), Sam Garriock catches up with Breakers Analytics Manager Andrew Price to discuss how he went from a fan blogging about the ANBL to becoming a member of the Breakers' staff. There's plenty of statistical discussion, and Andrew also gives some insight into what to expect from the Breakers this year.

Niall Anderson and Sam Garriock discuss the NBL playoff picture, Tall Blacks World Cup qualifying, the Boomers Brawl, Isaac Fotu's patriotism, the Breakers taking on the Suns, Cedric Jackson's return, and of course, Rocco Mediate.

On this week's podcast, the guys re-examine the NBL playoff race in the midst of losses for the Bay Hawks and Wellington Saints. The investigative branch of the podcast gets answers on Jamie Skeen's classic nickname, while there's some love for Alonzo Burton after a big weekend. Then, in the second half of the podcast (37.40), Tall Blacks discussion returns - what to make of the 14-man squad, and what to expect from their upcoming World Cup qualifying games.

Sam Garriock talks to Kiwi coach Ross McMains, who has recently been appointed as Head Video Coordinator/Player Development for the New York Knicks. McMains talks about his upbringing, applying for a coaching gig with the Breakers while still at high school, and how he teaches and gains the respect of the players he develops. As expected, there's lots of chat about his tenure with the Taranaki Mountain Airs, including a truly inexplicable question about Omar Samhan, and some Knicks talk at the end.

In the first half hour of the pod, Niall Anderson and Sam Garriock wrap up the action from the latest week in the NBL, before spending the last half hour making their midseason award picks for MVP, Coach of the Year, all of the other award categories, and of course, best Classic NBL Moment.