Above the Break

Above the Breaks goes over the three pre-deadline day trades, and then talks about what moves will and won't happen.

Above the Break goes through the most recent NBA trade rumors and determines if they're fact or fiction.

Above the Break's reaction to the Toronto Raptors trading Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers for three first-round picks, Bruce Brown, and Jordan Nwora.

Above the Break dishes on the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers trade of James Harden. They answer what are the on-court ramifications for the Clippers and how the Sixers are now set up to star hunt again. They finish the episode discussing their reactions to the Rockets' 0-3 start to the season.

Above the Break delves into every Western Conference team's offseason moves and what their upcoming season should look like. From storylines to over/unders, Above the Break has you covered.

Above the Break goes through the entire Eastern Conference and dissects each team's offseason and how they should fair in this upcoming campaign.

Above the Break delves into the Portland Trailblazers rerouting Jrue Holiday to the Boston Celtics for Robert Williams III and Malcolm Brogdon and if it makes the Celtics the best team in the NBA.

Above the Break discusses the Portland Trailblazers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Phoenix Suns 3-team trade centered on Damian Lillard. After breaking down the trade itself, Nevin and James analyze the ripple effects from the Miami Heat to the Los Angeles Clippers.

In an emergency pod, Above the Break gives their take on the three-team Damian Lillard trade involving the Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, and Portland Trailblazers

In this episode of Above the Break, Nevin and James discuss the Houston Rockets' offseason moves and ponder how they will impact the upcoming season. They also discuss the Kevin Porter Jr. criminal proceedings and the on-court ramifications of his likely dismissal from NBA basketball. From Fred VanVleet's massive contract to Alperen Sengun's offensive role, Above the Break has the Rockets covered.

Above the Break has crunched the numbers to calculate each player's surplus value from the 2022-23 season. With the help of Cooper Klein and Bruce Hendricks of Upside Swings, Above the Break discusses what the surplus value rankings can tell us about team building.

Above the Break welcomes Alex Goldberg of the Celtics Lab podcast and indie-pop-darling Divine Sweater to discuss the Boston Celtics offseason. The episode chronicles the disappointing end to the Celtics' season, their trade for Kristaps Porzingis, their trade of Marcus Smart, and the ramifications of Jaylen Brown's massive super-max extension.

Above the Break gives their reactions to every single team's free agency thus far. That's right, all 30 teams in an hour. Call it a power hour.

Above the Break discusses all of the Wizards' offseason moves, the James Harden trade saga, Kyrie Irving's meeting with the Suns, three pre-agency deals, and their favorite and least favorite free agents.

In Above the Break's 2023 NBA draft reaction pod, Nevin and James riff on Cam Whitemore's fall to 20 and the Rockets, the Dallas Mavericks' excellent draft night, the Charlotte Hornets taking Brandon Miller over Scoot Henderson, how college prospects seem to still be held in higher regard than pros, sneaky good second-round picks, the Washington Wizards' from abroad with love, the Detroit Pistons' odd rebuild, and the Orlando Magic's looming backcourt crunch.

Above the Break is joined by Bryce Hendrick and Stone Handsen of Upside Swings to discuss the 2023 NBA Draft. The two draft experts discuss their big boards, the players and organizations that are the perfect fits, and which rookie could have the most significant first-season impact if in the right spot. Before Above the Break is joined by Upside Swings, Nevin and James discuss the Bradley Beal trade and the Ja Morant suspension.

Above the Break discusses the Denver Nuggets' 2023 NBA Championship and Nikola Jokic's claim to the greatest player in the world title. The episode concludes with a breakdown of the news that the New Orleans Pelicans are interested in trading up in the 2023 NBA draft to take Scoot Henderson. They discuss the potential machinations of the Pelicans' two most likely trade partners, the Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trailblazers, which centers on if Zion Williamson would be part of any deal.

In Rocky Mountain Heat Wave, Above the Break discusses the Miami Heat's game two victory over the Denver Nuggets and what to expect in game three.

Before they delve into the NBA Finals, Nevin and James quickly look at the newest coaching hires.

In Above the Break's 2023 Finals preview, Nevin and James break down how the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets won their conference, the keys to victory, and who will win the series. Before they get into the Finals, they discuss what the Boston Celtics should do next after coming up short in the Eastern Conference Finals.

In this episode of Above the Break, Nevin and James discuss whether two seven seeds making the Conference Finals is a good thing for the NBA and why it happened. They close out the episode by talking about the top five picks from the NBA draft lottery.

In episode 52 of Above the Break, Nevin and James quickly discuss the first-round series that concluded over the previous week, the Rockets' hiring of Ime Udoka, and the Sixers-Celtics game one and Denver-Phoenix game two.

In episode 51 of Above the Break, Nevin and James are joined by Taylor Smith to discuss the Atlanta Hawks' future and the Sacramento Kings' first-round showdown with the Golden State Warriors.

In episode 50 of Above the Break, Nevin and James discuss all of the game ones from the NBA Playoffs' opening weekend. They make their picks for each series and offer insights into what you should believe is sustainable from each game.

In episode 49 of Above the Break, Nevin and James reveal their picks for the NBA's end-of-season awards. Find out who they picked and considered for Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, Most Improved Player, Sixth Man of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and MVP. As an added annual bonus, the dynamic podcasting duo selected the coveted Least Valuable Player. Remember, it's just an honor to be nominated.

In episode 48 of Above the Break, Nevin and James break down the most recent NBA news and reveal the five stories they believe have been under-discussed this season. From the Knicks' amazing offense to the Bulls and Pelicans being defensive juggernauts. This season has a ton of storylines that have been lost in the shuffle.

In episode 47 of Above the Break, Nevin and James discuss the sad Lonzo Ball injury news, Michael Jordan’s advanced talks to get out of the majority ownership business in Charlotte, Andrew Wiggins’ continued absence from the Golden State Warriors, the wild middle of the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets recent woes, and the top of the Eastern Conference.

In Above the Break's 5th Rockets Round Up of the season, Nevin and James discuss the Rockets lottery odds, whether should they go after James Harden in the offseason, and if Jonathan Givony is right to suggest the Rockets should cut Kevin Porter Jr.

In episode 46 of Above the Break, Nevin and James discuss the Hawks' firing of Nate McMillan and hiring of Quin Snyder, Lamelo Ball and LeBron James' injuries, whether Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game record is in danger, and the league's top-5 dynamic duos. 

In episode 45 of Above the Break, Nevin and James discuss the horrible All-Star game they didn't watch, Mac McClung becoming the newest great white hope, Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook's buyout situations, and finish the episode by selecting their Non-All-Star All-Stars.

In episode 45 of Above the Break, Nevin and James discuss every single trade deadline deal. From four team trades to cash considerations, Above the Break has everything covered. 

In episode 44 of Above the Break, Nevin and James give their thoughts on the three major trades of the NBA trade deadline; Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks, Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns, and D'Angelo Russell to the Los Angeles Lakers. The podcasting duo will be back soon to touch on the remaining deadline deals. 

In part two of Above the Break's midseason podcast, Nevin and James project the second half of the NBA season. They answer who will win the Western Conference, who will break out, who will fall off, what middle-of-the-pack teams will tank for Victor Wembanyama, what they want to see from the Houston Rockets, and more. 

In episode 43 of Above the Break, Nevin and James discuss their first half reflections. The teams and players that surprised them the most, how the three blockbuster summer trades have fared, why offensive efficiency is up, and who is the league's first half MVP. 

In Above the Break's fourth Rockets round up of the season, Nevin and James discuss the Rockets' recent victories over the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks, if the tank is in jeopardy, why people need to stop trying to fire Stephen Silas, and some fake Eric Gordon trades. 

In episode 43 of Above the Break, Nevin and James are joined by Cooper Klein to discuss how the top rookies from the 2022 NBA draft have performed to start the season.

In episode three of Above the Break's Rockets round up, Nevin and James are joined by a guest, Grant Afseth of FanNation, to discuss the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets. 

In episode 42 of Above the Break, Nevin and James laugh about all of the most recent NBA news, grade the severity of the small guard injury crisis, and then talk about the bizarro Celtics' league-leading offense, the Atlanta Hawks' confusing start to the season, and then the NBA Tank tiers. There are multiple Curb Your Enthusiasm references, so you know it's going to be a good one. 

In Above the Break Rockets round-up episode 2, Nevin and James discuss the Rockets' tank chances and prospects, the reorientation of the offense around Alperen Sengun, rookie sensation Tari Eason, and Jalen Green's mini-run.

After a little bit of a break, Above the Break is back in action. In episode 41, NBA Confidence Ratings, Nevin and James give you their confidence rating in a  team's or player's early season struggles or successes. Before they get into the meat of the episode they have to touch on the Kyrie Irving situation, Josh Primo, and James Harden and Cam Johnson's injuries.

In Above the Break's first full-length Rockets Round Up podcast, Nevin and James talk about their impressions from the first three games of the season, how good the Rockets can be, how good they should want to be, will Jabari Smith Jr. or Tari Eason have the better rookie season, Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green's growth and struggles, and what they're looking forward to most from the Rockets' season. 

In episode 40 of Above the Break, Nevin and James jack up some threes: their three most interesting teams, the three best young cores, the three biggest disappointments, and the top-3 MVP and ROY candidates. The duo also rip on the Lakers' extension of Rob Pelinka and some quick impressions on the very young season. 

In episode 39 1/2 of Above the Break, Nevin and James discuss Canadian Thanksgiving, or as the Canadians call it, "Thanksgiving," before tackling the Draymond Green and Jordan Poole altercation at Warriors practice.  The two close out the episode with their thoughts on Victor Wembanyama and the prospects of an All-Time draft in 2023. 

In episode 38 of Above the Break, Nevin and James conclude their Championship equity rankings. Before they rank the top-24 players in the NBA, they talk about CJ McCollum's extension, Blake Griffin to the Celtics, and the Rockets and Thunder's nine-player trade.

In Episode 37 of Above the Break, Nevin and James discuss the bad behavior of Ime Udoka, Robert Sarver, and Doc Rivers, the trade of Bojan Bogdanovic and the Lakers' signing of Dennis Schroder, and the knee injuries to Lonzo Ball, Robert Williams III, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, before they get into part II of their Championship Equity Rankings. In part II, they discuss players 34 through 25 who swing a franchise's championship odds.

In episode 36 of Above the Break, Nevin and James bust out part one their top-50 championship equity rankings. They work their way from honorable mentions to the 35th-ranked player in swinging a team's title odds. Before they discuss their rankings, they discuss the in-season tournament, the projected salary cap, and the NBA's weak Robert Sarver punishment. 

In episode 35 of Above the Break, Nevin and James talk all about the Cleveland Cavaliers' massive trade for Donovan Mitchell. The undersized (in NBA terms) podcasting duo breakdown all the ins and outs of the trade for Cleveland and the Utah Jazz, and if the New York Knicks were saved from themselves. Before they get into the trade, they banter about the Danilo Gallinari injury, Markieff Morris signing with the Nets, and RJ Barrett's new extension with the Knicks. 

In episode 34 of Above the Break, James and Nevin comment on LeBron extending his stay with the Lakers, Kevin Durant rescinding his trade demand, the Lakers swap of Talen Horton-Tucker for Patrick Beverly, Ben Simmons and the 76ers settling, Chet Holmgren's unfortunate injury, and the standstill in the Donovan Mitchell sweepstakes. They finish the episode by picking their contenders, breakout, and break down candidates. 

In episode 33 of Above the Break: From Slam Ball to Spaceballs, Nevin and James discuss the latest NBA news and dig into their favorite moves of the offseason. The duo talks about the return of slam ball, LeBron's impending extension, new signings, and a Spaceballs joke. Before diving into their favorite moves of the offseason they pay homage to the late great Bill Russell and try to answer if Draymond Green deserves a max extension. The episode concludes with a Rockets round-up discussing the organization's offseason at large and what to do about a Kevin Porter Jr. extension. 

In episode 32 of Above the Break, Nevin and James talk at length about the leftovers of free agency and the two major potential trades of Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell. Nevin does his best to come up with a new nickname for Austin Reaves and James dons a new retro Rockets hat in an episode full of comedy and more box plus/minus than a Nikola Jokic MVP season. 

In episode 31 of Above the Break, Nevin and James actually have a ton to talk about! The duo quickly covers the Trail Blazers Summer League Championship, the rumors linking the Wizards to Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and his agent's breakup, the Nuggets extension of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, LeBron and Kyrie's different Drew League approach, and Austin Rivers to the Timberwolves. The meat of the episode is Deandre Ay-Ton's new four year deal, Donovan Mitchell to the Knicks?, Keegan Murray is Summer League MVP and a quick look at the top-five picks Summer League play, and Keldon Johnson's four year extension with the Spurs. The episode concludes with the return of the Rockets Round-up and if the Rockets should actively tank.