0:00 Intro

1:25 The Milwaukee Bucks are NBA Cup Champions! The Championship game recap

3:20 Do the Oklahoma City Thunder need to address their perimeter shooting prior to the trade deadline?

6:34 Giannis put on an absolute show in Vegas winning the NBA Cup MVP, where does he rank for the season MVP?

9:35 Will winning the NBA Cup MVP help Giannis’s case with MVP voters?

11:30 Key role players on the Bucks have stepped up big time recently, has the team turned a corner?

14:53 The Bucks are right on the Magic’s tail out East in the standings, can they catch Orlando?

18:24 Would the Magic benefit from making a trade to improve their roster prior to the deadline?

21:31 Karl Anthony Towns makes his first return to Minnesota & the Knicks pounded the Wolves

23:24 Mikal Bridges is finding his groove offensively with the Knicks

25:12 Ross provides his insights into the unselfishness of this Knicks group

27:35 Christmas Day Game Previews!

27:54 Wemby & the San Antonio Spurs visit Madison Square Garden to face the Knicks

30:12 “Anta” Claus & the Minnesota Timberwolves head to Dallas to take on the Mavericks

32:49 The Boston Celtics host Joel Embiid & the Philadelphia 76ers

35:57 LeBron James & the Lakers head to the bay to battle Steph & the Warriors

38:32 KD & the Suns cap off Christmas action in Phoenix against Jokic & the Denver Nuggets

41:10 Coach Bud’s defense in Phoenix isn’t as good as usual, is the roster to blame?

43:28 Final Thoughts: NBA viewership is down, but why?

0:00 ... Ross says hello and introduces co-hosts Bruce Bernstein & Michael "World B" Freer.

0:34 ... Ross recognizes this week's show (episode #135) as it falls on the second anniversary of our very first show. We've never missed a week since we started, so we consider ourselves "Ironmen" of sorts, not unlike the great AC Green, formerly of the Lakers who played in an NBA record 1192 straight games.

1:51 ... Ross does the live read for Bet Online

2:23 ... Ross tees up the NBA Cup Special and begins with the Atlanta Hawks, who battled Milwaukee in one of Saturday's semifinal games and seem poised to make a nice run during the remainder of the NBA season. Trae Young has improved his playmaking and players like Dyson Daniels and DeAndre Hunter are really stepping it ip.

9:19 ... Our focus shifts to the Milwaukee Bucks, who rode the stellar play of Giannis Antetokounmpo to a win over the Hawks and a spot in the championship game on Tuesday. Giannis has gotten a lot of help in recent weeks with the return of Khris Middleton and some more production from Damian Lillard. Age and health remain concerns for the Bucks.

24:32 ... Ross tees up a discussion of the Houston Rockets, a young team that battled the Thunder but has major offensive struggles. The Rockets are dynamic on defense but they struggle to score in the halfcourt and that holds them back against great teams like the Thunder.

30:05 ... Our conversation switches to the OKC Thunder, a team with championship aspirations that will battle the Bucks in Tuesday's championship final. Bruce feels like Shai Gilgeous Alexander plays the game as a guard like Nikola Jokic does at center. He plays at his own speed, he will not let defenses speed him up, and he gets to spots on the floor at just the right time and has a knack for always being where he should be. Ross feels that defensive wizard Lu Dort of the Thunder will actually guard Giannis frequently on Tuesday night.

38:23 .... Bruce, "World B," and Ross all make their predictions for the Bucks/Thunder matchup on Tuesday night. Bruce doesn't feel OKC can stop Giannis, "World B" also likes the Bucks, but Ross is picking the Thunder. Bruce "accuses" Ross of using reverse psychology since he is our resident Bucks fan but Ross insists he is concerned about Damian Lillard's ability to score on OKC's perimeter defenders.

44:27 ... Bruce's final thought concerns his desire to see Jimmy Butler traded from Miami to Houston.

45:39 ... The final thought from "World B" concerns the suddenly healthy Memphis Grizzlies and how Ja Morant needs to clean up his act and grow up.

46:56 ... Ross's final thought is on the two early trades that took place this week. Dennis Schroeder to Golden State and Thomas Bryant to Indiana.

47:57 ... Ross says goodbye

TRT 48:10

0:00 Intro

1:27 Ross introduces tonight’s special guest Zaza Pachulia

4:07 Drafted in 2003, a lot of international big men at the time were considered soft entering the NBA, but not Zaza!

7:18 Coming into the league at 19 years old, what were the biggest challenges he faced as a rookie?

9:46 Was there any kind of language barrier for Zaza at the start of his career?

12:52 Has Orlando Magic center Goga Bitadze asked for him for advice throughout his young career in the NBA?

16:11 Being from the same NBA Draft class as LeBron James, Zaza provides his thoughts on how LeBron James continues to impress

19:48 Zaza reflects on the 2008 Hawks/Celtics Playoff Series & his battle with Kevin Garnett

26:31 Zaza shares some stories on his former teammate & close friend Al Horford

29:01 Zaza on what he remembers from his 2015-2016 season with the Mavericks when he nearly made the NBA All-Star team

33:01 Was the Golden State Warriors Dynasty Team is the best NBA team ever?

40:21 The unfortunate Kawhi Leonard closeout became known as “The Zaza Rule” does it bother him that an NBA rule is named after him?

43:07 Being close friends with Klay Thompson, Zaza talks about him joining the Mavericks & his recent return to the Bay for the first time

46:38 Zaza shares some memories out at sea with Captain Klay

48:31 Word Association with Zaza!

48:47 Draymond Green

51:22 Steve Kerr

55:56 Giannis Antetokounmpo

57:49 Dirk Nowitzki

59:48 Stephen Curry

1:03:36 Zaza shares a special message to his fellow Georgians