On the NBA Beat

A show bringing you nuanced perspectives on the NBA's most important stories, hosted by USC alums Aaron Fischman, Joshua Jonah Fischman and Loren Lee Chen. Find us on our website at OnTheNBABeat.com or our Twitter page (@OnTheNBABeat).

Sports
Basketball
51
On the NBA Beat Ep. 131: Tomer Azarly: The Clip...
Tomer Azarly of Clutch Points goes in depth and breadth on the special 2018-19 Clippers team that has exceeded expectations despite significant player turnover. The Clippers are back in the playoffs, but whom should they hope to avoid in the first...
49 min
52
On the NBA Beat Ep. 130: James Edwards III: Gri...
The Athletic's James Edwards III informs on all things Detroit Pistons at this critical juncture for the franchise. *Due to dynamic advertising, excerpt time stamps may vary per listener:According to James, the Pistons are all in on Griffin, but that...
36 min
53
On the NBA Beat Ep. 129: Joshua Recounts All-St...
Two years ago, the NBA moved the All-Star game away from Charlotte due to the passage of North Carolina's discriminatory House Bill 2. Within months, HB2 was repealed, and although many in the LGBTQ community are presently unsatisfied with the status...
26 min
54
On the NBA Beat Ep. 128: Howard Beck on Deadlin...
Bleacher Report's Howard Beck has been covering the NBA full-time for the past couple decades, and he detects an unmistakable change in the way the league's superstars are increasingly dictating where they play. He discusses this phenomenon with...
53 min
55
On the NBA Beat Ep. 127: Coral Lu: Consuming NB...
From David Stern's visits to China in the '80s to every NBA Finals game being broadcast there live in 1994 to Yao Ming's thrilling rookie season with the Rockets in 2002 to LinSanity 10 years later to the explosion of social media and the league's...
45 min
56
On the NBA Beat Ep. 126: Mares: Nikola Jokic Re...
The Denver Nuggets are on the upswing with a talented young core and six straight months of winning basketball. They also hold the Western Conference’s No. 1 spot, one and a half games ahead of the Thunder and Warriors, and are led by MVP candidate...
37 min
57
On the NBA Beat Ep. 125: James Ham: These Kings...
The Sacramento Kings are off to a strong beginning after most expected them to finish at or near the conference's cellar. And second-year point guard De'Aaron Fox's seismic leap is a huge reason why. James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area and NBC Sports...
47 min
58
On the NBA Beat Ep. 124: The Bucks Are Scoring ...
Aaron reviews the first quarter of the 2018-19 season, focusing on overall offensive production compared to last year and the Milwaukee Bucks' considerable improvement. While scoring is way up, offensive efficiency remains about the same as last...
27 min
59
On the NBA Beat Ep. 123: Brad Botkin Previews W...
Brad Botkin, senior NBA writer for CBS Sports and co-author of Olympic gold medalist Dan O' Brien's memoir, "Clearing Hurdles," has strong opinions about this season's Western Conference and he's unafraid to share them. Timing will vary due to dynamic...
44 min
60
On the NBA Beat Ep. 122: "It's a Terrible (East...
In the wake of LeBron James' departure, Kelly Dwyer discusses his Eastern favorites and why the conference is overall so bad. The online basketball writing pioneer who wrote for Yahoo!'s Ball Don't Lie blog for nearly a decade, among multiple notable...
31 min
61
On the NBA Beat Ep. 121: "The (Clippers) Curse"...
Mick Minas, author of "The Curse: The Colorful & Chaotic History of the LA Clippers," is here to discuss his comprehensive book that chronicles the wild history of the Clippers. Plagued by penny-pinching ownership, questionable management, terrible...
56 min
62
On the NBA Beat Ep. 120: LeBron's Lakers With H...
Following a five-year playoff drought, come July, the Los Angeles Lakers and their fan base could exhale. That’s when they landed LeBron James, the most dominant and versatile player in today’s NBA. To discuss these Lakers, Aaron and Loren are joined...
45 min
63
On the NBA Beat Ep. 119: Around the League in 8...
A soon-to-be college graduate and his dad, a recently retired professor, set out on an 80-day journey around the NBA, stopping by all 29 arenas over a nearly three-month period. That's the backdrop for "Around the League in 80 Days," a 2015 memoir...
39 min
64
On the NBA Beat Ep. 118: Harvey: “Which Rockets...
We’ve brought back Randy Harvey, former sports editor of the Houston Chronicle, to discuss the Houston Rockets’ Western Conference finals run. Since retiring on March 1st, Randy and his wife moved to Pasadena where he’s continued to follow the Rockets...
33 min
65
On the NBA Beat Ep. 117: Grizz Gaming GM Lang W...
Lang Whitaker is back for another exhilarating appearance, this time informing us on the brand new NBA 2K League and his role as general manager of Grizz Gaming, the Memphis Grizzlies’ representative team. Whitaker, who also serves as a contributor to...
32 min
66
On the NBA Beat Ep. 116: Bill Bohl: "Everything...
A little more than six months after our latest Timberwolves-themed episode, things are looking pretty good for the team currently fourth in the West. Aaron checked in with Billy Bohl, writer for ESPN True Hoop’s A Wolf Among Wolves to discuss a slew...
40 min
67
On the NBA Beat Ep. 115: Salman Ali: Rockets "N...
After a disappointing second-round exit in the 2017 playoffs, the Rockets were busy during the offseason, trading for star point guard Chris Paul and adding defensive specialists Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and P.J. Tucker. Those moves have been bearing...
32 min
68
On the NBA Beat Ep. 114: Jordan Maly: Markkanen...
The Chicago Bulls ended the year last season by surprisingly stealing two games in Boston in their first-round playoff series against the Celtics and then subsequently losing the next four games. Since then, they let go of veterans Dwyane Wade and...
43 min
69
On the NBA Beat Ep. 113: Ian Levy: Oladipo Spea...
The Indiana Pacers have bounced back from a subpar start to stand 18-14. In an Eastern Conference crowded with many solid, second-tier teams looking to separate themselves from the pack, Indiana is more than holding its own thanks to an elite offense...
46 min
70
On the NBA Beat Ep. 112: Max Rappaport: "Now 76...
With redshirt rookie Ben Simmons garnering heavy praise around the league and Joel Embiid looking healthy and better than ever, the long-tanking 76ers are finally winning games, beginning to reap the benefits of their ambitious Process, which Sam...
48 min
71
On the NBA Beat Ep. 111: Duncan Smith: Drummond...
The Detroit Pistons have bounced back from an incredibly disappointing 2016-17 campaign to begin this season 14-8. In the process, Detroit is securing come-from-behind victories with great frequency – half of its wins have occurred in games it trailed...
45 min
72
On the NBA Beat Ep. 110: Eric Nehm: "Giannis Is...
Since the Milwaukee Bucks took Giannis Antetokounmpo with the 15th pick of the 2013 NBA Draft, he’s shown tremendous growth as a basketball player, both literally and figuratively. This season, he has planted his name firmly within the MVP...
46 min
73
On the NBA Beat Ep. 109: Andrew Schlecht: Thund...
The Oklahoma City Thunder turned heads around the NBA this offseason when they added stars Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. So far, though, integrating them into the team hasn't been a smooth process. Before back-to-back wins against the Los Angeles...
39 min
74
On the NBA Beat Ep. 108: Adam Mares: “Guys Are ...
The 5-5 Denver Nuggets are currently about as good as their record would suggest, according to this week’s guest Adam Mares, host of the Locked on Nuggets podcast and site manager for SB Nation’s Denver Stiffs. He argues that despite the team’s...
34 min
75
On the NBA Beat Ep. 107: Sandy Mui: "Nets Fans ...
The Brooklyn Nets’ 2017-18 season, much like Boston’s, was shaken from the very start when starting point guard Jeremy Lin went down with a scary-looking knee injury. Shortly after, it was announced the veteran guard would be sidelined for the rest of...
30 min