The Alley-Oop with Ryan Blackburn

Ti Windisch of The Gyro Step Podcast joins Ryan Blackburn for the second Milwaukee Bucks Check-In of the 2023-24 NBA Season. The Bucks have lost four of their last five games, and defense remains a question mark. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are still awesome, but is the rotation around them good enough to win a championship?

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Ku Khahil of the Locked On Pistons joins Ryan Blackburn for the second Check-In for the 3-34 Detroit Pistons. Cade Cunningham is likely out at least a week, and there's little hope coming Detroit's way. Could they become surprise buyers at the trade deadline to shake things up?

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Justin Rowan of The Chase Down Podcast joins Ryan Blackburn for the second Cleveland Cavaliers Check-In of the 2023-24 NBA Season. Donovan Mitchell has carried the Cavs through injuries to their stars. Once they get healthy, Evan Mobley and Darius Garland will elevate the Cavs to new heights.

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Kevin Ferrigan of the Dennis Podman Podcast joins Ryan Blackburn for the second Chicago Bulls Check-In of the 2023-24 NBA Season. They discuss Chicago's recent surge, Zach LaVine's absence, Coby White's growth as a player, and what the Bulls will do at the trade deadline.

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Joe Mullinax of Locked on Grizzlies joins Ryan Blackburn for the second Memphis Grizzlies Check-In of the 2023-24 NBA Season. Ja Morant is back, and the Grizzlies are 5-3 since his return. Unfortunately, they're still just 11-22, and the next few weeks will make or break their season.

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Paul Garcia of Project Spurs and the Spurs Cast joins Ryan Blackburn for the second Check-In for the San Antonio Spurs of the 2023-24 NBA Season. How is Victor Wembanyama doing in his rookie season? Why are the Spurs 5-28? How can they best recover from such a dismal season?

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Shamit Dua of the In the N.O. Substack and Podcast joins Ryan Blackburn for the second New Orleans Pelicans Check-In of the 2023-24 NBA Season. They discuss the Pelicans getting healthy and bouncing back from the In-Season Tournament, but something still doesn't feel quite right in New Orleans.

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Jackson Gatlin of Locked On Rockets joins Ryan Blackburn for the second Houston Rockets Check-In of the 2023-24 NBA Season. They discuss Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, and how the Rockets are above 0.500 nearly halfway through the season.

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Bryan Toporek of Forbes Sports, Liberty Ballers, and the NBA Podcast joins Ryan Blackburn for the second Philadelphia 76ers Check-In of the 2023-24 NBA Season. They discuss Joel Embiid becoming the best version of himself, Tyrese Maxey replacing James Harden, and what the Sixers still need to win a championship.

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Esfandiar Baraheni of SDPN Sports joins Ryan Blackburn for the second Toronto Raptors Check-In of the 2023-24 NBA Season. They discuss Toronto's win over the Washington Wizards, a starting lineup change putting Scottie Barnes at point guard, and why Pascal Siakam may be on his way out of Toronto shortly.

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Dan Favale of Bleacher Report and Hardwood Knocks joins Ryan Blackburn for the second New York Knicks Check-In of the 2023-24 NBA Season. The Knicks are having a strong year, but what's the next step for them to go from playoff contender to championship caliber?

Topics Include:

• 15-8 in their last 23 games
• Winning on Christmas vs Giannis and Milwaukee Bucks
• Mitchell Robinson injury out for season?
• Will Knicks use hardship exception for center replacement?
• Who does Dan trust in playoffs on Knicks roster?
• Becky Hammon says Jalen Brunson is too small to be a 1A
• Should Knicks upgrade around Brunson on trade market?
• Will Knicks ever be GREAT?

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Dan Greenburg of Barstool Sports joins Ryan Blackburn for the second Boston Celtics Check-In of the 2023-24 NBA season. The Celtics are better than ever and showing all of the signs of a top tier championship contender once again.

Dan and Ryan discuss Boston's All-Stars, Derrick White, a stronger bench than advertised, and the one remaining question for Boston to answer.

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Ryan Blackburn checks in with the Northwest Division correspondents to discuss some very interesting teams! The Utah Jazz will be featured in an episode next week (changes to come to the format).

(0:25) - Denver Nuggets  - Brendan Vogt of DNVR Sports discusses the Nuggets young bench, replacing Bruce Brown, and Nikola Jokic's recent ejections.

(12:46) - Minnesota Timberwolves - Dane Moore of the Dane Moore NBA Podcast joins to discuss the first place T'Wolves and whether an average offensive team can win a ring.

(32:45) - Oklahoma City Thunder - David Brandon of Daily Thunder discusses Chet Holmgren's immediate stardom, SGA's MVP case, and an accelerated contention window.

(48:26) - Portland Trail Blazers - Danny Marang of the Jacked Ramsey's Podcast discusses Scoot Henderson's slow start, Shaedon Sharpe, and the relaxed nature of Portland's rebuild.

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Ryan Blackburn checks in with correspondents from the Southeast Division for updates about their respective teams.

(0:20) - Atlanta Hawks - Brad Rowland of Locked On Hawks discusses the recent Atlanta slide, Jalen Johnson's breakout, poor Hawks defense, and the Pascal Siakam trade rumor.

(16:30) - Orlando Magic - Stephen Cameron of Orlando Magic HQ discusses the fun Magic, an elite bench unit, and the Paolo Banchero/Franz Wagner breakouts.

(33:42) - Miami Heat - Wes Golberg of Locked On Heat discusses Jaime Jaquez Jr., the Tyler Herro injury, and a stronger Heat roster even without Damian Lillard.

(47:41) - Charlotte Hornets - Walker Mehl of Locked On Hornets and WFNZ Radio discusses a brutal LaMelo Ball injury, the return of Miles Bridges, and some bad Hornets defense.

(1:02:35) - Washington Wizards - Neil Dalal of Hoop District and Sports Rabbi discusses the Jordan Poole experience, a historically bad defensive group, and offers a Bilal Coulibaly scouting report.

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(0:20) - MVP Update - Matt Moore of The Action Network joins to break down the NBA MVP Race, from top candidates like Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to rising candidates like Tyrese Haliburton. Which players would make the ballot? Which players are on the outside looking in?

(57:20) - Phoenix Suns - Brandon Duenas of Locked On Suns and Bright Side of the Sun joins to do the Pacific Division Check-In on Bradley Beal's health, a surprisingly competent Suns defense, and more.

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Ryan checks in with four of the five correspondents from the Pacific Division to discuss what's going on with the Lakers, Warriors, Kings, and Clippers at the quarter mark of the NBA season. The Phoenix Suns check-in will be on Tuesday.

(0:20) - Los Angeles Lakers - Anthony Irwin of Lakers Lounge discusses the 44-point beatdown by the 76ers, an "Entitled" Lakers team, Austin Reaves off the bench, and more.

(19:35) - Golden State Warriors - Natalie Esquire of NBC Sports discusses the Warriors' struggles, regression from Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins, and whether the Warriors are at the end of their rope.

(36:59) - Sacramento Kings - Brenden Nunes of SacTown 1140 breaks down the Kings' recent play with and without now superstar point guard De'Aaron Fox.

(54:55) - Los Angeles Clippers - Robert Flom of 213 Hoops defends the James Harden trade, discusses the issues facing the Clippers, and much more.

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0:30 - Ryan Blackburn breaks down each group of the In-Season Tournament Group Stage heading into Tuesday night's final day of the Group Play stage. Which teams are in? Which teams are out? What should NBA fans watch for tonight?

10:28 - Ryan gives credit to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Orlando Magic, three small market teams that have turned their franchises around. What unites them? Why are they better than expected? Did they learn from Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets?

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Ryan Blackburn checks in with correspondents from the Central Division to discuss the latest news and analysis from their teams.

(1:00) - Indiana Pacers - Caitlin Cooper of Basketball, She Wrote discusses the star leap for Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers' hot start.

(17:50) - Milwaukee Bucks - Ti Windisch of The Gyro Step Podcast discusses the Bucks' slow defensive start and wing personnel issues.

(31:00) - Cleveland Cavaliers - Justin Rowan of The Chase Down Podcast discusses the Cavaliers' injury riddled start to the season.

(46:37) - Chicago Bulls - Kevin Ferrigan of Dennis Podman discusses the Zach LaVine trade rumors and a depressing Chicago Bulls roster.

(1:04:13) - Detroit Pistons - Ku Khalil of Locked On Pistons discusses the Detroit Pistons' 2-10 start and an ill-fitting starting lineup.

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Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report joins Ryan Blackburn to go around the NBA through the first 10 games of the season.

(1:15) - Biggest Surprises and Disappointments so far, including Tyrese Maxey, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Alperen Sengun, Golden State Warriors, James Harden, and more.

(36:22) - Early Awards picks around the NBA, including Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and the best and worst teams we've seen so far.

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Ryan Blackburn checks in with correspondents from the Southwest Division to discuss the latest news from their teams.

(1:15) - Houston Rockets - Jackson Gatlin of Locked On Rockets discusses a positive start to the season for the Rockets, anchored by defensive improvements and Alperun Sengun.

(17:50) - Dallas Mavericks - Grant Afseth of Dallas Basketball discusses a strong start to the year for Luka Doncic, Dereck Lively II, Grant Williams, and the Mavericks.

(36:02) - San Antonio Spurs - Paul Garcia of Project Spurs and the Spurs Cast discusses all things Victor Wembanyama.

(49:10) - Memphis Grizzlies - Joe Mullinax of Locked On Grizzlies discusses the Grizzlies' 1-7 start without Ja Morant and Steven Adams and why he's not giving up hope.

(1:00:03) - New Orleans Pelicans - Shamit Dua of the In the N.O. Podcast and Substack discusses an injured Pelicans team trying to survive absences to CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy, Jose Alvarado, and others.

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