The Hoop Genius Podcast

The first round of the NBA playoffs is delivering chaos across the board, and Mo and Brendan Suhr are breaking down every series . Jalen Duren is being outplayed by the fifth option on the Orlando Magic while his max contract talks stall. The Toronto Raptors shot 4-30 from three and won a playoff game. Jaden McDaniels talked his way into a feud with the entire Nuggets roster and then dunked on Nikola Jokic to back it up.
Mo and Brendan cover all eight first-round matchups in full, including the Spurs' historic second-half comeback from 17 down against Portland, Payton Pritchard's 32-point masterclass for Boston, and a big debate on whether the Houston Rockets front office set Ime Udoka up to fail. Plus, Brendan drops some genuine insider knowledge on concussion science that most coaches and fans don't know.
Also in this episode: Rudy Gobert gets his flowers after years of being the punchline in every Jokic highlight reel, the Pelicans coaching search throws up an eyebrow-raising name, and Mo and Brendan debate the NBA's so-called unwritten rules.
Listen or watch and catch up on everything happening in Round 1.
Topics covered:

Pistons vs Magic: Jalen Duren's playoff disaster and what it means for his contract

Cavs vs Raptors: How Toronto won shooting 4-30 from three

Knicks vs Hawks: Series reset after Atlanta missed their chance to go up 3-1

Celtics vs Sixers: Payton Pritchard's 32 points and Boston's player development pipeline

OKC vs Suns: The officiating debate and why it misses the point

Lakers vs Rockets: Marcus Smart's game-changing steal and the front office failures

Wolves vs Nuggets: Rudy Gobert's redemption, Jaden McDaniels, and the unwritten rules debate

Spurs vs Blazers: Wemby, De'Aaron Fox, and one of the great second-half runs in recent memory

Pelicans coaching search: Sean Sweeney vs Rajon Rondo

Post-concussion science: What the research says about lower extremity injury risk

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LeBron James is 41 years old and dropping playoff performances that are making the entire league uncomfortable. Without Luka Doncic and Austin Reeves, the Lakers have gone up 2-0 on the Rockets - and it's not even been close. Mo and Coach Brendan Suhr break down what JJ Redick has built and why Houston's identity has completely fallen apart.
Plus: Victor Wembanyama is out with a concussion and De'Aaron Fox is now under the microscope without his superstar to hide behind. The Timberwolves came back from 19 down to beat the Nuggets in a playoff war. Jaden McDaniels called out every single Nugget by name. Billy Donovan has resigned from the Bulls. And the Portland Trail Blazers owner is rapidly becoming the most embarrassing figure in the league.
It's round one, it's already wild, and Mo and Brendan are not holding back.
Topics covered:

Jaylen Brown gets a technical foul for dunking too hard

Magic vs Pistons: Orlando's size advantage and Jamal Mosley's brilliant preparation tactic

Cavs are demolishing the Raptors and Donovan Mitchell's second-round curse looms

Knicks vs Hawks tied 1-1: Nickeil Alexander-Walker's defense on Brunson, CJ McCollum cooking

Celtics vs Sixers tied 1-1: shooting collapse, Derrick White's role, pick-and-roll coverage problems

OKC Thunder on a purpose-driven assignment: they are not messing around

Lakers up 2-0 on the Rockets: LeBron at 41, Rob Pelinka's roster decisions vindicated

Kevin Durant isolation problem and Houston's missing point guard

Timberwolves vs Nuggets tied 1-1: Rudy Gobert's clutch defense and Jaden McDaniels' iconic post-game

Wembanyama concussion: what now for the Spurs, and what does it mean for De'Aaron Fox?

Portland Blazers owner controversy: no t-shirts for fans, cutting costs in the playoffs

Billy Donovan resigns from Chicago Bulls

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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

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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:
https://nba.2k.com/2k26/buy/