The Hoop Genius Podcast

The play-in is done, the bracket is set, and Mo and Coach Brendan Suhr are going through every single first-round series live, just minutes after the Warriors went down to the Phoenix Suns. Eight series. Eight predictions. Game counts and X-factors for all of them. 
They also get into whether Steve Kerr's farewell embrace in the closing minutes was a goodbye, what Victor Wembanyama's first playoffs could look like, and Doc Rivers' reported retirement - including the personal story of how Brendan convinced him to get into coaching decades ago.
Plus: Cade Cunningham and Luka Doncic eligible for NBA awards despite the rule, Brendan's frustration with Rookie of the Year media predictions, and the fact that this podcast reported Luka's potential early return before anyone else.
Topics covered:

Play-in recap: Magic over Hornets (East), Suns over Warriors (West)

Steve Kerr: reading the goodbye in real time

Pistons vs Magic: full series prediction and X factor

Cavaliers vs Raptors: full series prediction and X factor

Knicks vs Hawks: full series prediction and X factor

Celtics vs 76ers: full series prediction and Jaylen Brown's injury status

OKC Thunder vs Phoenix Suns: Mo goes sweep, Brendan says five

Lakers vs Rockets: both pick Houston, KD injury clouds things

Nuggets vs Timberwolves: the hardest series to call in the first round

Spurs vs Trail Blazers: Wembanyama's moment to announce himself

Doc Rivers retirement: career retrospective and Brendan's personal story

Cade Cunningham and Luka Doncic NBA awards eligibility

Cooper Flagg and the Rookie of the Year debate

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This podcast is brought to you by NBA2K26:
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The NBA play-in tournament is deliveringeverything you could ask for. The Golden State Warriors came back from double digits down in the fourth quarter to eliminate the Clippers, Al Horford hit three straight threes, and Draymond Green locked Kawhi Leonard out of the game. Portland upset Phoenix. The Sixers handled Orlando, and Charlotte ended Miami's season in overtime with a LaMelo Ball controversy hanging over the whole thing.
Mo and Coach Brendan Suhr break down every play-in result before turning to the end of season awards. Who gets MVP? Who wins Coach of the Year? Why is the Most Improved Award being given to the wrong players? And is Cooper Flagg already good enough to have been on the US Olympic team?
Both hosts submit their full award ballot and make the case for some picks you won't hear anywhere else, including a Most Improved Player who hasn't been mentioned in any of these conversations.
Listen or watch on your favourite platform and catch up before the playoffs begin.
Topics covered:

Warriors comeback win over the Clippers, play-in recap

Portland Trail Blazers eliminating the Phoenix Suns

Philadelphia 76ers defeating the Orlando Magic

Charlotte Hornets beating the Miami Heat in overtime

LaMelo Ball's flagrant 2 foul on Bam Adebayo and the referee failure

A'ja Wilson's $1.4M per year contract vs NBA rookie salaries

Golden State vs Phoenix play-in preview

2026 NBA MVP debate: SGA vs Wembanyama vs Jokic

Victor Wembanyama Defensive Player of the Year

Joe Mazzulla as Coach of the Year and the best coach in the NBA right now

Brad Stevens Executive of the Year

Sixth Man of the Year: Mo's pick vs Brendan's pick

Most Improved Player: why lottery picks shouldn't qualify

Cooper Flagg Rookie of the Year

Clutch Player of the Year debate

🎧 Listen to the full Hoop Genius Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & all platforms.
📺 Subscribe for new episodes 2x a week.
This podcast is brought to you by NBA2K26:
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The NBA playoffs are finally here and we're breaking down every confirmed first-round matchup before a single ball is tipped. Mo and Coach Brendan Suhr run through the Knicks and Hawks, the Cavaliers and Raptors, the Nuggets and Timberwolves, and the Lakers and Rockets, with real picks, real takes and no hedging. Minnesota's numbers against winning teams don't lie. Denver is on a 12-game winning streak... and LeBron might be doing this alone (again).
Before we get to the first round, the play-in has to sort itself out and we've got a pick for every game. Then we shift to coaching, where Doc Rivers and the Bucks have parted ways. Mo's argument: don't blame Doc. The front office built this situation piece by piece, and this is where it landed.
Topics covered:

Knicks vs Hawks series preview and pick

Cavaliers vs Raptors series preview and pick

Nuggets vs Timberwolves: the hardest series to predict in the first round

Lakers vs Rockets: can LeBron survive without Luka and Austin Reeves?

Luka Doncic's injury treatment in Europe and the case for a comeback

Play-in tournament picks for all four matchups

Doc Rivers and the Bucks: who is actually to blame?

Brendan Suhr on why coaches can only be as good as their players

Denver's momentum entering the playoffs and the pressure on both coaches

Hornets as a dark horse and whether they belong higher than their seed

Regular season awards teaser: MVP, Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year coming next episode

🎧 Listen to the full Hoop Genius Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & all platforms.
📺 Subscribe for new episodes 2x a week.
This podcast is brought to you by NBA2K26:
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Mo Mooncey and Brendan Suhr have inside information on Giannis Antetokounmpo, and they're not holding back. The Milwaukee Bucks situation is heading in one direction, and the "I just want to play" narrative is not fooling anyone on this show.
Also in this episode: the Los Angeles Lakers lose Luka Doncic and Austin Reeves to injury in the same week, and with it, any realistic shot at a deep playoff run. What does that mean for LeBron's future, for Austin Reeves' $220m contract situation, and for the Western Conference race heading into the final week of the regular season?
Plus, Mo covered the Spurs vs Nuggets game live and he breaks down exactly why San Antonio still doesn't know how to win a close game. Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama both went off, Stephon Castle was a problem for Jamal Murray all night, and Aaron Gordon played 41 minutes on a minutes restriction because that is just what Aaron Gordon does.
Topics covered:

Giannis Antetokounmpo's future in Milwaukee: what Mo knows and why the nice guy act is over

Luka Doncic out 4-6 weeks, Austin Reaves shut down for the season

Austin Reaves' $220m contract: is it the right call?

Lakers' remaining schedule and what seed they can realistically hold

LeBron's future: Cleveland documentary, minimum salary, and the Kawhi Leonard angle

Nuggets vs Spurs overtime thriller: Wemby, Jokic, and San Antonio's clutch execution problems

Stephon Castle putting a defensive stranglehold on Jamal Murray

Jalen Duren is the most physically dominant big man since Dwight Howard

Detroit clinches a playoff spot 8-2 without Cade Cunningham

Boston Celtics as Eastern Conference favorites, and what's missing from the Knicks

Jayson Tatum: 21, 10 and 5 less than a year off an Achilles

Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers and the play-in race

The NBA scoring explosion: OKC drop 83 in a first half, Celtics score 53 in a quarter

NCAA March Madness final: Michigan vs UConn preview

🎧 Listen to the full Hoop Genius Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & all platforms.
📺 Subscribe for new episodes 2x a week.
This podcast is brought to you by NBA2K26:
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Phil Beckner is one of the most respected player development coaches in the business, and this episode explains exactly why. He started as an unpaid director of operations at Weber State, working night shifts at Costco and refereeing men's league games for $17 a night, while coaching a freshman named Damian Lillard during the day. Twenty years later he's trained some of the best players in the NBA and built a framework that has nothing to do with jump shots.
Phil breaks down how he builds resilience into players from the ground up, why so many young NBA players are physically ready but mentally not built to last, and what it actually looks like to develop a player who sticks. He shares the inside story of training Anfernee Simons through three teams in under a year, the moment Damian Lillard decided to stop being a victim and become an overcomer, and what Pop told him about the single biggest change in his coaching career.
We also get deep on the 2026 draft, with Phil revealing how he first connected with the top-rated prospect and why understanding a player's play types on Synergy matters more than any comparison you'll hear on TV. Plus his new book, Be Better Be Different, drops next month.
Listen or watch - this is one of those conversations that applies way beyond basketball.
Topics covered:

Phil's journey from unpaid Weber State coach to elite NBA trainer

Working night shifts at Costco while coaching Damian Lillard

Why so many young NBA players make it but can't stay

The five Cs of building resilience in players

Training Damian Lillard through his Achilles rehab and three-point contest win

Anfernee Simons: three teams, one year, and "I did it though"

Greg Popovich on empathy as the biggest change in his coaching

Joe Mazzulla rebounding at a Phil Beckner workout

Phil's four non-negotiable player standards

The Steve Nash high-five study and why the details matter

Giannis and the position evolution debate

Darryn Peterson and the draft prospect Phil believes in

Why player comparisons in the draft are almost always wrong

Phil's book: Be Better Be Different

🎧 Listen to the full Hoop Genius Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & all platforms.
📺 Subscribe for new episodes 2x a week.
This podcast is brought to you by NBA2K26:
https://nba.2k.com/2k26/buy/