Listen to That’s A Rap #97: Let’s play some basketball!

Ahhh, the sweet sounds of basketball has returned. Sneakers squeaking on hardwood. Whistles blowing occasionally. PA systems randomly blaring. And... “YEET” after a missed free throw?!?

While I grieve with the fact that I’m googling-yeet-and-still-don’t-understand years old, enjoy the latest episode of That’s A Rap. We were without Jason, but Dre and I did our best to cover the latest news in and around the NBA, including throwback names like Nate Robinson and Peja Stojakovic.

In This Episode:

1:00 — Let’s play some basketball

For the first time in four months, we got to watch some live basketball. Sure, it’s essentially a glorified pickup game, but an argument can be made that these games will be higher quality than Summer League (not just rookies and sophomores) and Pre-season (tighter timelines to get into shape). Bol Bol won’t get a lot of minutes when re-seeding games start, so enjoy the Bol Revolution while it’s here!

9:30 — Zero positivity

With re-seeding games just one week away, the NBA greeted the sports world with some promising news — zero positive COVID-19 tests among all 346 players inside the bubble. So, you’re telling me that wearing masks and social distancing could flatten the curve? In a year filled with negative news, this is the first “negative” news that’s actually uplifting!

15:05 — Iron Mike and Larry Legend

If Mike Tyson can come out of retirement to fight Roy Jones Jr., what’s stopping any basketball hall-of-famers from going one-on-one with another legend? No, I’m not referring to Nate Robinson’s undercard match with Jake Paul (I am also who-is-Jake-Paul years old). Can we get 57-year-old Michael Jordan on a court with 54-year-old Scottie Pippen? What about 42-year-old Dirk Nowitzki and 44-year-old Kevin Garnett renewing their Western Conference rivalry? What old-timer one-on-one battle would you like to see?

26:05 — Picking some award winners

Does Giannis Antetokounmpo deserve more than one award? Can Rudy Gobert join Dwight Howard as the only players to win three consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards? Can Lou Williams break a tie with Jamal Crawford for most Sixth Man of the Year awards? As odd as it may sound, can the Raptors, in only their 25th year of existence, become the sixth team in NBA history to have three different Coach of the Year winners?