The Finder pod: Analytics storyteller Neil Paine

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.tomthefinder.comBrandon Payne hit me up on Monday. Stephen Curry’s longtime trainer couldn’t wait to do another video. Payne was listening to Hall of Fame point guard Isiah Thomas on Sirius X/M NBA Radio and heard Thomas’ scathing review about today’s style of basketball. To put it lightly, Isiah ain’t impressed.Here’s a clip from Isiah’s interview with Rob Perez and A…

This podcast episode is free. If you’d like to receive more content like this and access to all of The Finder’s content and participate in the comments, become a paid subscriber. The NBA 82-game regular season is just around the corner. Balls are bouncing. Lineups are forming. Ideas are flowing. Friend of The Finder Nate Jones, an NBA agent and entrepreneur, joins the pod to propose a wild way to juice fan interest in the NBA regular season: Gamify it.If the owners aren’t willing to shorten the season from 82 games, there might be an alternative way to raise the stakes and make games matter more. Pulling from his affinity for professional wrestling and Monopoly, Jones introduces The Gauntlet, a points-based system that incentivizes teams to play more and play harder throughout the season. Instead of the standings being decided by win-loss record, Jones argues for a points-based system that awards bonus points for wins in (but not limited to) the following circumstances:* Second-night of a back-to-back* In-Season Tournament* On the road, especially deep in a road trip.* National TVThe goal is to transform the NBA from an Inventory Sport into an Event Sport without putting players more at risk for injury. We also look at interesting comps to the Continental Basketball Association 7-point system from the 80s and the FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour.OK, Finders:What do we like? What do we not like? Let’s hear it.If you’d like to watch the episode, it’s up on YouTube. (Sorry for my blurry video. We’re still recovering from Hurricane Helene here in NC). This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.tomthefinder.com/subscribe

Early this week, I texted Kirk Goldsberry to invite him onto the pod and talk about his awesome new book, HOOP ATLAS: Mapping the Remarkable Transformation of the Modern NBA. He was in. He had one request. Can we get Brandon Payne on too?YES.A man of many talents, Goldsberry is a professor of Sports Analytics at the University of Texas and has worked at ESPN and the San Antonio Spurs, and evidently, he is also a great producer. It was a great hour with Goldsberry and Payne.Goldsberry’s changed the way we watch and talk about basketball, if not changed basketball itself. In his chapter on Stephen Curry, Goldsberry talked to our pal Brandon Payne, Curry’s longtime trainer, and shared a bunch of insights on what makes Curry one of one. You should pick up Goldsberry’s book at your local Amazon store. Tell ‘em I sent ya!We caught Payne just before he headed out to The Bay to run some workouts with Curry before he jets off to France for the Olympics this summer. As always, he shared so much wisdom with us about basketball, especially here in the States compared to abroad.On this episode, we hit a bunch of topics:* The technology that Stephen Curry uses in workouts* Why the nose is so important* Why swishes aren’t good enough for Payne re: Steph* Goldsberry’s campaign to kill the corner 3* The return of the bigs* The problem with American youth basketball* What is Wemby going to do to basketball?* Are there too many 3s? This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.tomthefinder.com/subscribe

You might have seen the Patrick Mahomes stat that went viral this week. The man behind that stat, Neil Paine, joins us this week at The Finder. An old colleague from the ESPN days, the whip-smart proprietor of Neil’s Substack talks about using numbers to do premium storytelling, his final days at the now-defunct The Messenger, Denver’s altitude as a superpower, the full-circle response to his “infamous” Andrew Wiggins story, reimagining the Kobe Bryant clutch debate, his recent post on an NBA efficiency paradox and what he learned while working in the Atlanta Hawks’ basketball operations.Really great to catch up with Paine. Follow my lead and subscribe to his Substack! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.tomthefinder.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.tomthefinder.comAfter Kyrie Irving dropped 44 on the red-hot Knicks, we had to run it back with Brandon Payne.Stephen Curry’s longtime trainer Brandon Payne couldn’t wait to talk about Irving’s array of shot-making, creativity and space creation. What struck me about Irving is how unique his moves are. Totally unpredictable. No one else is like him.On Friday we ran thr…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.tomthefinder.comVictor Wembanyama celebrated his 20th birthday by melting candles and melting minds on Thursday.27 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocks in just 26 minutes against Milwaukee Bucks’ frontline of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez. The numbers don’t do his performance justice.The behind-the-back And-1 dunk in transition on Brook Lopez.The backdoor cut that j…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.tomthefinder.comStephen Curry dropped 36 points on Tuesday night against Orlando with a couple shots that made its way through socials. Since y’all seemed to love the Steph moonball video we did, I sent out the Brandon Payne bat signal.He’s been Stephen Curry’s skills trainer and shot guru for Curry for years.We went through each and every one of Curry’s 12 makes. Slow…

One of my favorite people (and a favorite to so many others in the NBA universe), my friend Travonne “Tray” Edwards joins the pod at a very … let’s say transitional time in my life. The copywriter at top ad agency Weiden-Kennedy / author of two books / confidante to NBA stars / Count The Dings co-founder / social media expert / Compton native / amazing teammate helps me untangle the web of emotions following my mother’s recent death. First, the social media guru explains the memification of the Mexico aliens and how to game the Twitter/X/Instagram system. We ask: is it actually shameful to pay for Twitter Blue? Then we get to the heavy stuff. The text he sent me after my mom died. Grief. Loss. Childhood trauma. Forgiveness and what it was like to have a mom who was 14. The difference between a mom and Mom. Gratitude. Spiritual healing. A lot.Then he breaks some big news about Team USA.As he texted me after, “it’s not a pod it’s a open convo.”Enjoy. And go follow Tray.Thank you to super producer Anthony Mayes. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.tomthefinder.com/subscribe

This week’s guest is ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky, a former NFL quarterback and terrific TV analyst for ESPN NFL Live and Monday Night Football. He’s also bff’s with my older brother Chuck.This week on the pod, we discuss:* Why don’t pro athletes play two sports anymore? My recent piece on Bo and Deion.* Why specialization and year-round youth sports is “suffocating” kids* Why Dan doesn’t want to parent like his father* Did the end zone blooper make him a better TV analyst?* Could Calvin Johnson have played in the NBA/MLB?* Did the official NFL data get his first TD wrong?* Why he loves to make fun of himself This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.tomthefinder.com/subscribe

I was going to wait a bit before I launched a podcast on The Finder. And then on Tuesday, ESPN went ahead and announced ESPN The Sportsbook! Kinda.I had lots of questions so I asked my two industry buddies/gurus to hop on — the Bens.Ben Fawkes — formerly of ESPN Chalk, the gambling section of ESPN.com, and VSiN — came to us from Vegas to share his sports betting expertise from the inside.Ben Aronson, a longtime media/marketing executive, weighs in on the sports business side.A little rundown …🔦 Why did this happen now? Was it the earnings call?🔦 Why Penn? How much market share do they have?🔦 How does this impact newsbreakers like Adam Schefter and Adrian Wojnarowski? Is this why Woj all of a sudden stopped tipping his NBA Draft picks?🔦 Will this make ESPN’s app indispensable?🔦 Should ESPN restrict what kind of bets ESPN Bet offers? Should employees be allowed to gamble on sports?So … what’s your bet on how this plays out? This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.tomthefinder.com/subscribe