Are the Spurs Legit Title Contenders? | Real Ones

Logan Murdock, Raja Bell, and Howard Beck are back with another edition of Real Ones, and they examine how the Spurs snapped the Oklahoma City Thunder's 16-game win streak in the NBA Cup semifinals. Victor Wembanyama returned with a vengeance, netting 22 points and nine rebounds in just 21 minutes of action. The guys ask whether the young and up-and-coming Spurs are actually ready to win now. Should the Spurs make a run at Giannis Antetokounmpo if the Bucks are open to trading him? Plus, the mailbag! (0:00) Intro (1:43) FanDuel ad break (2:33) Are the Spurs going to the NBA Finals? (20:28) Amazon Prime ad break (21:01) How the current Spurs compare with teams of the past (44:30) Mailbag https://www.theringer.com/2021/02/17/nba/jeremy-lin-g-league-santa-cruz-warriors-linsanity Hit the mailbag! [email protected] Hosts: Logan Murdock, Howard Beck, and Raja BellProducers: Victoria Valencia and Clifford AugustinAdditional Production Support: Ben Cruz and Conor Nevins The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please check out ⁠rg-help.com⁠ to find out more, or listen to the end of the episode for additional details. Shopping. Streaming. Celebrating. It’s on Prime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Justin, Rob, and J. Kyle Mann are together in L.A. to welcome everyone to trade season. The guys run through six big trade questions now that recently signed free agents are allowed to be traded. Before they get to that, the guys give their thoughts on the Spurs' upset win over the Thunder, and briefly preview the NBA Cup final matchup between San Antonio and the Knicks. (00:00) Intro (3:19) FanDuel ad break (4:13) Spurs-Thunder (19:36) Spurs-Knicks (25:11) FanDuel ad break (26:32) Amazon Prime ad break (29:22) Chasing stars? (37:42) Giannis trades (48:34) Intriguing non-Giannis trades (1:00:59) Teams that should unload a star (1:06:32) Which team needs to make a trade? (1:16:35) Buy-low players Hosts: Justin Verrier, Rob Mahoney, and J. Kyle Mann Video Producer: Victoria Valencia Audio Producer: Isaiah Blakely Additional Production Supervision: Ben Cruz Social: Isaiah Blakely and Keith Fujimoto The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit ⁠www.rg-help.com⁠ to learn more about the resources and helplines available. Shopping. Streaming. Celebrating. It’s on Prime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Justin, Rob, and J. Kyle Mann are back and here to talk about some players and teams that may have flown under the radar while the frenzy of Giannis Antetokounmpo trade news was going around. Then, they wrap up by previewing the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup. (00:00) Intro (5:43) Ryan Nembhard(18:10) Deni Avdija(33:33) Nickeil Alexander-Walker (44:18) Pat Spencer(56:23) Spurs(1:03:46) Noah Clowney(1:17:20) NBA Cup Hosts: Justin Verrier, Rob Mahoney, and J. Kyle Mann Video Producer: Victoria Valencia Audio Producer: Isaiah Blakely Additional Production Supervision: Ben Cruz Social: Isaiah Blakely and Keith Fujimoto The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit www.rg-help.com to learn more about the resources and helplines available. Shopping. Streaming. Celebrating. It’s on Prime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Logan Murdock and Raja Bell are back with a Friday edition of Real Ones. The Oklahoma City Thunder, the reigning champions, are off to a historic 24-1 start and don't seem to be letting up. Logan and Raja take a deep dive into the Thunder, how they’re smashing opponents, and whether they’re poised to possibly be the greatest team ever assembled. The Knicks have been hot lately and are on the heels of the Pistons for the lead in the East. Now that they’re healthy and at full strength, how scary are they? Raja then relives a story that Steve Nash told on NBA on Prime about how Raja was suspended for Game 6 of a Suns-Lakers playoff series and watched in a bar full of Lakers fans. Plus, Real One of the Week. (0:00:00) Intro (1:40) FanDuel ad break (2:40) Oklahoma’s historic start (26:49) FanDuel ad break (27:43) Amazon Prime ad break (32:11) NBA travel (38:13) Knicks and Spurs (41:46) Raja relives being suspended for Game 6 against the Lakers (51:52)Real One of the Week Hit the mailbag! ⁠[email protected]⁠ Hosts: Raja Bell and Logan Murdock Producers: Victoria Valencia and Clifford Augustin Additional Production Support: Ben Cruz, Conor Nevins, and John Richter The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please check out rg-help.com to find out more, or listen to the end of the episode for additional details. Shopping. Streaming. Celebrating. It’s on Prime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Justin, Rob, and J. Kyle Mann are here to provide their instant reactions to the Knicks and Magic moving on to the semifinals of the NBA Cup. Then the guys talk about Derik Queen’s historic triple-double and how the Pelicans should build for the future around Queen. (00:00) Intro (4:32) NYK-TOR(21:52) ORL-MIA (39:34) Derik Queen(55:39) Pelicans trade ideas Check out The Ringer's League Pass Awards here! Hosts: Justin Verrier, Rob Mahoney, J. Kyle MannProducers: Ben Cruz, Isaiah Blakely, and Victoria Valencia  The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit www.rg-help.com to learn more about the resources and helplines available. Shopping. Streaming. Celebrating. It’s on Prime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Logan Murdock, Raja Bell, and Howard Mf’n Beck are back with another edition of Real Ones, this time examining the Ewing theory as it applies to three of the league's favorites. Ja Morant, Trae Young, and Paolo Banchero are all highly touted stars in the league and the cornerstones of their respective franchises, but with their teams performing better without them, are there destinations that could better fit their skill sets where they could contribute to team success? Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane had another crash out against the Knicks when he unnecessarily threw the ball at Knicks forward OG Anunoby. The guys try to figure out the reasoning behind some of his outbursts. Plus, the return of the mailbag! (0:00:00) Intro (1:00) FanDuel ad break (2:44) Ja Morant Ewing theory (22:12) Amazon Prime ad break (22:46) Trae Young Ewing theory (38:11) Paolo Banchero Ewing theory (44:40) What’s going on with Desmond Bane? (54:40) Mailbag! Check out Howard Beck’s latest piece on Giannis: https://www.theringer.com/2025/12/09/nba/giannis-antetokounmpo-nba-trade-rumors-all-in-history Hit the mailbag! [email protected] Hosts: Logan Murdock, Howard Beck, and Raja Bell Producers: Victoria Valencia and Clifford Augustin Additional Production Support: Ben Cruz, Conor Nevins, and John Richter The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please check out rg-help.com to find out more, or listen to the end of the episode for additional details. Shopping. Streaming. Celebrating. It’s on Prime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

LeBron James’s 1,297-game streak of scoring in double digits has come to an end, but the Lakers came out on top with a victory over the Raptors thanks to a LeBron assist to Rui Hachimura. Raja Bell and Logan Murdock discuss whether this is the version of LeBron the Lakers need to be successful. After he was sent home by the Clippers, more has been revealed about why Chris Paul is no longer with the team. Were the Clippers out of line for the manner in which they released arguably the best player in their franchise's history? Plus, there's been an uptick in injuries to stars and games being missed by important players; does basketball have a problem with the way it's developing players? Plus, a pack watch for the ages! (0:00) Welcome (1:46) FanDuel ad break (2:29) What does the end of LeBron’s streak say about him? (18:42) Pop quiz: The last time LeBron scored under double digits (20:26) Amazon Prime ad break (20:59) Pack Watch with Jomi Adeniran (24:38) Chris Paul sent home: Fair or foul? (45:42) Is the NBA workload becoming too much? (1:07:37) Real One of the Week Hit the mailbag! [email protected] Hosts: Logan Murdock and Raja BellProducers: Victoria Valencia and Clifford AugustinAdditional Production Support: Ben Cruz, Conor Nevins, and John Richter The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please check out ⁠rg-help.com⁠ to find out more, or listen to the end of the episode for additional details. Shopping. Streaming. Celebrating. It’s on Prime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

No J. Kyle Mann today, but Justin and Rob are joined by Chris Ryan for another edition of Name That Take! First, however, the guys discuss the news that recently broke about Chris Paul being sent home by the Clippers. They share their thoughts about the decision and what’s next for Paul in his final season. Then they play Name that Take!, where Rob and Chris are tasked with guessing Justin’s take about a certain team or player in as few hints as possible. (00:00) Intro(01:54) Chris Paul news(14:13) Boston Celtics(29:28) Giannis Antetokounmpo(47:56) Oklahoma City Thunder(58:31) Chicago Bulls Hosts: Justin Verrier and Rob MahoneyGuest: Chris RyanProducers: Ben Cruz, Isaiah Blakely, Victoria Valencia, and Jon JonesThe Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit www.rg-help.com to learn more about the resources and helplines available.Shopping. Streaming. Celebrating. It’s on Prime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're about a quarter of the way through the NBA season, so now is a great time to revisit some of our predictions from the preseason. Howard Beck and Michael Pina assess what has happened so far this season, and if their predictions have been accurate. Plus, who’s the Most Valuable Player and Coach of the Year so far? Revisiting hottest preseason takes (10:05) Stubborn take (21:55) Bold take (35:41) Coach of the First Quarter of the Season (57:37) MVP of the first quarter of the season (01:55:00) Mailbag (01:49:07) Shopping. Streaming. Celebrating. It’s on Prime. Check out Michael Pina’s latest piece: https://www.theringer.com/2025/12/01/nba/nba-awards-2025-26-nikola-jokic-luka-doncic-shai-gilgeous-alexander-mvp Hit the mailbag! [email protected] The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please check out rg-help.com to find out more, or listen to the end of the episode for additional details. Hosts: Howard Beck and Michael Pina Producers: Liz Jerry and Clifford Augustin Additional Production Support: Ben Cruz and Conor Nevins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Justin, Rob, and J. Kyle Mann are here to break down which teams are NBA title contenders and what percentage chance they have to win the title. Then, they put their lists together to create a consensus title pie. (00:00) Intro (6:30) FanDuel ad break (7:07) Title pie intro (10:42) Title favorites (24:41) FanDuel ad break (25:34) Amazon Prime ad break (33:36) Title contenders (50:09) Dark horse contenders Hosts: Justin Verrier, Rob Mahoney, and J. Kyle Mann Producers: Ben Cruz, Isaiah Blakely, and Victoria Valencia Shopping. Streaming. Celebrating. It’s on Prime. The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit www.rg-help.com to learn more about the resources and helplines available. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices