Tag: NBA Finals

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Knicks Spurs NBA Finals Breakdown, Predictions, Crazy Comps

The dance card is officially set, and we are running it back to 1999! The 2026 NBA Finals are locked in: Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs versus Jalen Brunson’s rough-and-tumble New York Knicks.

In this episode—unfiltered and pulled straight from the raw recording—Mike completely throws objectivity out the window and goes 1,000% insufferable Knicks fan. Tarlin tries to inject some actual data with an objective breakdown rubric, but it’s hard to fight the “street meat seasoning” and pure destiny of Midtown bedlam. From Baby Yoda comparisons to ginger-on-ginger crime, the energy is completely unplugged.

  • The 1999 Revenge Tour We are trading the Y2K panic for the AI apocalypse as the Knicks and Spurs meet again on the ultimate stage.
  • The Pod Burn Book Find out why Draymond Green, Becky Hammon, and Brian Scalabrine are officially banned from the rotation.
  • The Objective Rubric Tarlin breaks down the data on Mike Brown vs. Mitch Johnson, River Walk vs. Midtown, and who actually has the championship pedigree.
  • Star Wars Fandom Only Why Jalen Brunson is a mix of Grogu and Captain Kirk, and why Trekkies aren’t welcome here.
  • Forged in Suffering The difference between a fast-ascent team and a squad that built its culture in the trenches of heartbreak.

Timestamps:

  • 00:00 – The Dance Card is Set: Knicks vs. Spurs
  • 01:10 – 1999 vs. 2026: From Y2K to the AI Apocalypse
  • 02:05 – The Media Hate List: Done with Draymond and Scalabrine
  • 03:45 – Bedlam in Midtown: Why it’s Knicks in Six
  • 05:15 – Is Jalen Brunson actually Baby Yoda?
  • 06:40 – The Coach Rubric: Mike Brown vs. Mitch Johnson
  • 09:15 – New York Street Meat vs. The Alamo Dome
  • 14:40 – History Repeating Itself: The 22-Year-Old MVP Narrative
  • 21:15 – Team Culture: Forged in Suffering vs. Lucky Ascent
  • 25:30 – Roster All-Stars and the Playoff Eye Test
  • 28:15 – Final Predictions & Mike’s Impending Wellness Check

“Put the women and children to bed. Don’t bring your family to Times Square for game six.”

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Jokic, Murray and the Nuggets – Lessons Learned from the 2023 NBA Finals

Jokic, Murray, Nuggets

Tarlin and Mike return to talk Lessons Learned from the 2023 NBA Finals as Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and the Denver “Chicken” Nuggets prepare to close out the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. We start with a conversation about the crazy weather and some (TMI) details about Tarlin’s footcare regimens before digging into what we can learn from the selflessness and chemistry of the 2023 Denver Nuggets. Once again we compare the Miami Heat to the 1999 New York Knicks before going deeper into the connections between the 2023 Nuggets and the 1999 San Antonio Spurs. Are we on the verge of a new dynasty? How does Jokic compare to other legends of the game and what legendary NBA Duo is an easy target for comparison with Jokic and Murray? What does this teach us about leadership, chemistry, and the importance of intangibles? Listen in to find out.

Subscribe to Running It Back wherever you listen to podcasts. Visit us at RunningItBack.fm for more amazing lessons learned from sports.

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Lessons Learned from the 2022 NBA Season

NBA

Tarlin and Mike are back, this time just ahead of the NBA Finals where two teams will square off for all the marbles. We look for lessons learned from the NBA Season, the end-of-year awards, and what we’ve seen so far in the Playoffs.

We begin by talking about Marcus Smart, the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year. Tarlin runs it back to The Glove as we recognize the energy and other intangibles he brings to the Celtics. Mike explains why he likes the Celtics to take it all as we acknowledge what Ime Udoka, Brad Stevens, and a cohesive, defensively-minded unit from Boston.

From there, we talk Luka and what Jason Kidd and team are doing in Dallas, even though we don’t see them getting past Steph and the Ws. Tarlin fights back the tears as we look back at the disappointing performance of so-called Super Teams like the Lakers, Nets, and Sixers.

We talk about the Suns’ mysterious and embarrassing disappearance in Game 7 at home versus Dallas. We may never know what happened but it doesn’t keep us from speculating.

Tarlin wraps us up with our note of support for the Buffalo community, looking for inspiration from the many successes of Black Coaches in the NBA.

Thanks for listening. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Visit us at RunningItBack.fm for more incredible lessons learned from sports.

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Giannis the King – 2021 NBA Finals Edition

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Tarlin and Mike are back to break down the 2021 NBA Finals, beginning with CP3 before concluding with Giannis. How do we place players like Giannis and the Point God and their respective teams into the annals of history now that the Milwaukee Bucks have triumphed in six games? What lessons can be learned from the example of the Bucks culture and the leadership style of Giannis Antetokounmpo that can be applied in other areas of our lives?

And what of the old adage, “Offense wins games, Defense wins championships?”

We cover all of this and even speculate about potential casting decisions for Space Jam 3. Listen in and enjoy!

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Jordan’s Baseball Years, The Glove and the Sonics, and the Bulls’ Return to Dominance

We run it back again to our roots in the Spring of 2020 when Tarlin and Mike were regrouping after the premiere of each episode of The Last Dance to break it down and look for lessons learned from each episode. We also indulged in some serious 90s nostalgia along the way.

In today’s show, we talk through Jordan’s stint at baseball, his return to Scottie’s Bulls, and the beginning of their second Threepeat in a classic NBA Finals matchup against Gary “The Glove” Payton and Shawn “Manchild” Kemp of the Seattle Supersonics.

We hope you enjoy. And stay tuned for our final wrapup show on The Last Dance slated to drop in the next few days!

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2020 NBA Finals Tipoff Edition

Tarlin and Mike got together just before the tipoff of the 2020 NBA Finals to talk through the David versus Goliath matchup between Jimmy Buckets and a crew of role players versus LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and an interesting supporting cast.

How many championships are represented on each squad? Who deserves credit for assembling the crews that have made it the Finals? And will this Championship come with an asterisk? We cover all this along with JeVale McGee’s influence on Dwight Howard, the Resurgence of Playoff Rondo, and Andre Iguodala’s 6th consecutive Finals appearance in a quick hit lightning round episode heading into what we hope to be a tremendous conclusion to the NBA’s year in the Bubble in Orlando.

Thanks as always for listening.

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