The Thunder were the Warriors before the Warriors. Well, except for the titles. Young, homegrown talent emerges as a dominant force in the league, consistently vying for the NBA championship. This straightforward strategy, exemplified by the successes of Oklahoma City and Golden State in the 2010s, is seldom as effective as they made it appear. However, the OKC's inability to clinch an NBA championship is integral to their story, just like their enduring success. Equally integral is the element of excitement. Few teams have engaged in as many thrilling matches with iconic ..read more

It’s easy to look back now and wonder how Oden ever could have been selected ahead of a superstar like Kevin Durant. After all, KD had averaged 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds a game as a lanky freshman at Texas, leading the Big 12 in both categories, as well as blocks. Durant was a sure thing, like Michael Jordan was in the 1984 draft … so why draft Sam Bowie? Because Greg Oden was never supposed to be Sam Bowie. Oden was Hakeem Olajuwon. That narrative, that four-letter word, haunted him for a long time. It hurt to hear. It hurt to explain. But that word doesn’t capture the spirit of his strug ..read more

In 2023-24, the Minnesota Timberwolves are seeing a resurgence as one of the premier teams in the league as we head towards the 2024 NBA playoffs. How far do you have to go back to find the last Timberwolves playoff run? 20 years in fact. 2004 is the last time the Wolves won a playoff series. In that year Kevin Garnett was MVP and got them 2 games within the NBA Finals. Join Josh and Calvan as they bring on Jeremiah, lifelong T-Wolves fan, to talk about KG, Sam Cassell, Flip Saunders, Latrell Sprewell, today's Wolves and MUCH more. This is Once Upon A Dribble. Follow Jeremiah/SmartTakes on X ..read more

In 2023-24, the Minnesota Timberwolves are seeing a resurgence as one of the premier teams in the league as we head towards the 2024 NBA playoffs. How far do you have to go back to find the last Timberwolves playoff run? 20 years in fact. 2004 is the last time the Wolves won a playoff series. In that year Kevin Garnett was MVP and got them 2 games within the NBA Finals. Join Josh and Calvan as they bring on Jeremiah, lifelong T-Wolves fan, to talk about KG, Sam Cassell, Flip Saunders, Latrell Sprewell, today's Wolves and MUCH more. This is Once Upon A Dribble. Follow Jeremiah/SmartTakes on X ..read more

Today we continue in part 5 of a 10-part series at Once Upon a Dribble! During the 2022 playoffs the NBA began awarding MVP awards to the best performing player of each conference finals: the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals Most Valuable Player Award and the Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals Most Valuable Player Award, named for the two players credited for building the league up to greater popularity in the 1980s.  This begs the question, with the award just being handed out for the first time last season, who are the deserving winners from the previous 50+ years of NBA ..read more

NBA Christmas day games have been an annual tradition since the league's second season in 1947. Let’s take a step in the NBA time machine and look at some of the best moments in NBA Yuletide Lore. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/onceuponadribble/support ..read more

In 1987 Michael Jordan averaged 37.1 points per game. In 2006 Kobe Bryant put up 35.5 points per game. And in 2019 James Harden lit up the stat sheets to the tune of 36.1 points per game. These three marks rank as the best individual scoring seasons of the modern era And how those 3 prolific scorers achieved those historical remarks was in extremely different ways. Harden attempted 13 threes per game during his campaign, Bryant only tried 6.5. But the leader of them all, MJ, attempted less than 1 per game, averaging just 0.8 threes per game 3 all-time great, 3 unique and distinct play styles ..read more

Being a team leader during the regular season and playoffs is vital to a team’s success and a chance at a championship.  Normally, there are 1 or 2 guys who step up when their team needs it the most to go get themselves a clutch basket or completely take over on the offensive end.  There are also the guys who elevate their game when their backs are against the wall. They are players who leave it all out on the floor when they are facing elimination from championship contention.  These guys do whatever it takes to keep their team’s hopes alive for at least one more day. There are ..read more

Today we continue in part 4 of a 10-part series at Once Upon a Dribble! During the 2022 playoffs the NBA began awarding MVP awards to the best performing player of each conference finals: the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals Most Valuable Player Award and the Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals Most Valuable Player Award, named for the two players credited for building the league up to greater popularity in the 1980s.  This begs the question, with the award just being handed out for the first time last season, who are the deserving winners from the previous 50+ years of NBA ..read more

Here we are! The 2023-24 NBA season will be here before you know it. Opening night is just around the corner, it's time to prepare for what should be another season of intense competition. There are plenty of storylines to follow and Calvan takes you through the wild, wild West for what promises to be a memorable race to the playoffs. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/onceuponadribble/support ..read more