Is the “Big 3” Era Over in the NBA? 🏀

Is the Superstar “Big 3” Era Over in the NBA? 🏀 Knicks’ Cinderella Run & the Rise of the WNBA 🌟

On this episode of the Running It Back sports podcast, hosts Tarlin Ray and Mike Palmer break down:

  • Golf star Scotty Scheffler’s bizarre arrest before the PGA Championship 🚓 Drawing hilarious comparisons to Tiger Woods and John Daly mugshots
  • The New York Knicks’ unexpected underdog playoff run led by the “Nova Knicks” 🗽 Is this gritty team the end of NBA’s superstar “Big 3” era?
  • Why the WNBA is having a moment with rising stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese 👀 Is this the tipping point for the league’s popularity?
  • Should NBA teams stop chasing manufactured “Big 3” superstar trios? 🤷‍♂️ The benefits of cohesive, role-oriented squads

Get insight, analysis and laughs as the hosts banter about the latest NBA, golf and WNBA storylines in this must-listen episode! ⛳️🏀👂

Hoops IQ Part 1 – Jalen Brunson vs Luka Doncic – Recorded Live at ASU+GSV

NBA Playoffs 2024

Running It Back recorded live together in person for the first time! Mike Palmer and Tarlin Ray record this podcast live from the 39th floor of a hotel in San Diego while attending the ASU+GSV education technology conference. Despite the non-sports setting, we managed to discuss a variety of basketball topics in our signature free-flowing style.

Our main focus rests on Jalen Brunson’s impact on the New York Knicks and his potential to be one of the most underrated stars in the NBA this playoff season. We debate his elite basketball IQ, leadership qualities that have unlocked teammates like Isaiah Hartenstein, and how his game compares to past greats like Isiah Thomas and Kevin Johnson. Other storylines include our playoff predictions, the Knicks’ chances against teams like the Bucks, Celtics and 76ers in the East, and frequent references to the 1990s Knicks.

Sans our usual prep, and in-person, not in Zoom, the new dynamic brings a fresh energy to the conversation. Don’t miss insights into leadership, life, and more while chopping it up heading into the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

NBA 2023 Trade Deadline Shuffle Up and Deal Edition

NBA Trade - Kyrie & KD

Mike and Tarlin are back to talk about Lessons Learned from the NBA with the recent team shakeups across the league as we prepare for the stretch run after the All-Star Game. Kyrie and KD are no longer Nets and that has set off ripple effects that have transformed the NBA. We get Mike’s reactions to the new look Knicks and Nets and hear from Tarlin about his revamped Lakers before digging into the new Big 4 with the Suns and how they shape up against Jokic’s Nuggets and the new pecking order in the Western Conference. The leadership in the East is clearly Boston, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia. Mike issues an “Intangibles Alert” with the crafty Jae Crowder heading to the Bucks. What have the experiments with Big 3s and so-called “Super Teams” taught us so far and how does this set us up for the rest of this season? We try to answer this while also reflecting on the sale of the Suns from Robert Sarver to bench player for the 2000 NCAA Champion Michigan State Spartans, Matt Ishbia, and what it means for the league.

Then we conclude by reflecting on LeBron breaking Kareem’s All-Time NBA Scoring record in a wide-ranging romp through the exciting and vastly transformed NBA in 2023. Don’t miss it.

Subscribe to Running It Back wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at RunningItBack.fm for more amazing lessons learned from the world of sports.

Linsanity – Lessons Learned from a Magical Run

Tarlin and Mike are back to talk about Jeremy Lin’s historic hot streak back in 2012 when he took advantage of his opportunity with the New York Knicks to break through and lead the team to an amazing winning streak before being sidelined with an injury and getting traded to the Houston Rockets. We explore what got him to that point and why he captured the global consciousness at the time before shifting focus to what lessons we can draw from his experience both during the stratospheric heights of 2012 to what is now a 10 year professional career in the NBA.

We also explore his role as a trailblazer, a role model, and an influencer as issues of AAPI hate and bias have recently bubbled up in America and beyond. We talk through what Linsanity means to Knicks fans (Mike) and Harvard Alums (Tarlin) before concluding with takeaways about self-belief, focus and preparation in what we hope is an inspirational return trip to a magical performance during a brief stretch of time nearly 10 years ago.

Thanks as always for Running It Back with us. If you like what you’re hearing subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and check us out at RunningItBack.fm.

The Dream Team, Toni Kukoc, and Scottie’s Sitout

Once again, we run it back to Spring of 2020 in the midst of the first wave of COVID-19 when Mike and Tarlin began this crazy ride by analyzing episodes of The Last Dance for 1990s nostalgia along with some lessons learned for today’s day and age.

This episode covers episodes 5 and 6 of the 10 part docuseries called The Last Dance. We talk about Michael’s emergency as the alpha among alphas on The Dream Team, explore the Toni Kukoc narratives, and try to make sense of Scottie Pippen’s memorable choice to sit out the final 1.8 seconds of a pivotal playoff game between the Bulls and the Knicks in 1994.

There’s a lot to dig into and we hope you enjoy a glimpse into how Running It Back came into being. Thanks as always for listening.

The 1999 NBA Playoffs, the Cinderella Knicks, and the Rise of Pop and Tim Duncan

Tarlin and Mike run it all the way back to 1999 to cover the season that was shortened due to a work stoppage. Through a series of fortuitous events, the New York Knicks get hot and tear through the early rounds of the playoffs before overcoming the loss of The Big Fella, Patrick Ewing, in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers. Despite losing their Captain, the Knicks go on to beat the Pacers by virtue of the heroic play of Latrell Spreewell, Marcus Camby, Alan Houston, and Larry Johnson. They go on to face Greg Popovich and Tim Duncan in the Finals where they were quickly dispatched as the Spurs dynasty begins to take shape.

What can we learn from this? How do the stories of 1999 resonate with life in the NBA Bubble amid the tumult of 2020? As leaders, what lessons can we learn from Van Gundy, Spree, Tim Duncan, and Pop?

Listen in as we run it back to help make sense of things today.