"The Hoop Collective" podcast, hosted by ESPN's Brian Windhorst, releases episodes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the NBA season. Windhorst and his guests break down what's happening on and off the court, evaluating the trends you need to know and examining the latest news from across the NBA.
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Latest episodes:
April 29 | April 27 | April 24 | April 22 | April 20 | April 17 | April 15 | April 13
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'The Hoop Collective' episodes
April 29: Eastern Conference playoff takeaways
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon to discuss the series-saving performance from Joel Embiid on Tuesday night against the Boston Celtics. They then move on to the New York Knicks' dominant Game 5 performance against the Atlanta Hawks and how the Orlando Magic are exposing the flaws of the top-seeded Detroit Pistons. They close on what's next for some eliminated teams, including some important months ahead for the Chicago Bulls.
Topics:
1:20: 76ers stay alive with Game 5 win in Boston
7:39: Celtics' reliance on 3-point shooting
15:12: Knicks' experience wins out in Game 5
24:10: Magic continue to spotlight Pistons' issues
35:56: Spurs show maturity while closing out Blazers
41:18: Thunder cruise past the Suns
47:24: Important months coming for the Bulls
Bontemps on Embiid's postgame comments: "He got asked about his play and he said, 'Inside, I feel pretty good about inside. I feel pretty good about my chances going one-on-one against anybody in this league and I don't think that I could be stopped. So I just took advantage of what they were giving me.'
" ... When Embiid is cooking, he is pretty unstoppable."
Bontemps on the Celtics' struggles at home: "Over the past three-plus postseasons, so since Joe Mazzulla became the head coach starting in the 2023 playoffs, the Celtics are 19-12.
"Twelve home playoff losses is a lot. By the way, they're 17-7 over that same span on the road. They're winning almost 72% of their games on the road in the playoffs over that span. Their focus is far better at on the road than at home. And at home, they are now 10-0 when they shoot 40% or better from 3 and they are 9-12 when they shoot under 40% from 3. And they're now 1-7 at home when they shoot under 30% from 3. All of those records are are better on the road.
"They're 3-1 when they shoot under 30% on the road in the playoffs from 3. When this team plays at home, they have these games where they just turn off and have lackadaisical stretches of play and they lose. It's almost the most predictable thing. They just blow these games at home repeatedly and then they go on the road and they play great."
Windhorst on what the Magic are doing on defense to frustrate the Pistons: "It's like their offense comes down the court and goes into rigor mortis.
"The ball gets to the 3-point line and things just stop and the Magic have four guys standing on the elbows and the blocks. They're just waiting to see which direction Cade (Cunningham)'s going to go and they just collapse on him. They'll run actions, they'll run some pick and rolls or whatever but they can't get any momentum.
"What ends up happening, especially when Duncan Robinson is not making shots or he's not in the game, the Magic literally do not care who is standing outside the paint and as soon as Cade looks like he's going to drive in, they collapse to him and he fights the good fight (but) he's getting the ball taken from him because all those guys know that they've got backup.
"He's got 24 turnovers in three games. They're just taking it from him."
April 27: Epic collapses and comebacks in the first round
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon to cover another wild weekend of playoff basketball. The guys begin on the Denver Nuggets-Minnesota Timberwolves series, including devastating injuries for Minnesota and whether Denver can mount a comeback down 3-1. They then move on to the Eastern Conference action, as the Toronto Raptors evened their series with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics took a 3-1 lead over the Philadelphia 76ers. They close on the Western Conference, while highlighting Victor Wembanyama's big Game 4, the Houston Rockets winning their first game of the season and another questionable play from Lu Dort.
Topics:
01:46: Fascinating Game 5 to come in Denver
19:14: Celtics power up against 76ers
23:30: Raptors stun Cavs in wild Game 4
33:31: Must win Game 4 for the Pistons
43:28: Wemby returns emphatically in Game 4
58:32: Rockets avoid sweep from Lakers
1:00:30: KAT powering Knicks over the Hawks
1:02:28: Another ambiguous Lu Dort play
Windhorst on the Nuggets' struggles against Minnesota: "Look, at at the end of the day ... Denver's only pathway to make any sort of run is to be awesome on offense. It is how they have gotten to where they have gotten.
"... But they're no longer even a reliable clutch team. Yeah, they are a killer offensive team and they are in this series right now [because] their offense has failed them, and they do not have the defense to survive it."
Bontemps on the Pistons' shortcomings: "Despite how great a season they had ... They don't have a reliable second perimeter scorer next to Cade (Cunningham). You know, Jalen Duren is a guy who needs to get the ball to him a lot of times to be effective offensively.
"This team has not had any playoff success. They had one appearance last year. Most of these guys had no real other playoff experience beyond that. (Coach) JB Bickerstaff has had a checkered playoff history so far as a coach. So how are they going to look? And if you go back to October ... people would have said Orlando's roster is more talented than Detroit's.
"And if you're picking sides and saying, I'm going to pick guys off each team, I think you can make a pretty good argument you're picking five Magic players before you're picking a third guy off Detroit.
MacMahon on Devin Booker's post-game comments about the Dort play: "I asked (Booker) about this postgame ... and (Booker) really kind of let Lu off the hook. He said, 'I don't know if it was intentional or not. He put his hand up to say it was a foul' and I'm paraphrasing. He put his hand up, and called it. So (Booker) basically passed on the opportunity to make this an issue.
"And honestly, I think the fact that Booker went so hard blasting the officials after Game 2 might have taken the heat off of Lu, because I don't think Booker wanted him to. I don't think he wanted his post-game comments to be a dominant storyline in two straight games. I really don't think he'd want to do that."
April 24: Panic for Knicks and Nuggets? Injury updates and more foul drama with Thunder
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon to breakdown some pivotal Game 3s with No. 3 seeds Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks down 2-1 in their respective series to the No. 6 seed. Plus, the Toronto Raptors steal a game from the Cleveland Cavaliers at home, proving no one is safe in the playoffs.
Topics:
1:25 Wolves take control against the Nuggets
6:20 Minnesota backs up trash talk vs. rivals
15:13 Hawks stun Knicks again, ATL leads 2-1
27:09 How much trouble is New York in?
36:08 Raptors dominate Cavs in Game 3
40:21 Windy Storytime: LeBron's reign In Toronto
49:12 Wemby making progress in concussion protocol
53:04 Austin Reaves questionable for Game 3
55:39 Concern level for Jalen Williams' injury
58:19 When could Embiid return for 76ers?
1:01:48 Is the Dame return a possibility?
1:06:06 Foul drama in Suns-Thunder Game 2
ESPN's Vincent Goodwill on how the Atlanta Hawks executed against the Knicks in Game 3: "I felt like that was coaching. That was a lot of game plan discipline. Like Atlanta did the right things at the right time. Like they kept letting go of the rope and they kept grabbing it before the boat capsized."
Windhorst and MacMahon on foul drama with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Phoenix Suns:
Windhorst: "Let me just say that this is not going away with the Thunder because the Thunder have, as we have talked many times, create a strategy that causes this frustration for the opposing teams. And it's particularly frustrating for the teams because they can't beat them."
MacMahon: "And their complaint is always the calls SGA gets are the calls that aren't whistled on the other end. I can just tell you this, SGA is completely unbothered by this. Like the free throw merch and stuff. Okay, chant at him while he's at the line, he doesn't care. He's going to hit 90% of his free throws and score 30-some odd points a game."
April 22: First-round chaos, Playoff LeBron and disasters in Houston and New York
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon to discuss the potentially series-altering injury to the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama, the tepid Houston Rockets offense, how LeBron James has fueled the Lakers' first two wins and why the Celtics continue to give away games in the playoffs.
Topics:
1:16: Wemby injured in Spurs' Game 2 loss to Blazers
14:59: Lakers take 2-0 lead over Rockets
28:06: 76ers shock the Celtics in Boston
37:22: Hawks stun Knicks and MSG crowd
44:00: Wolves even series with Nuggets in Denver
50:20: LeBron and Alperen Sengun viral video reactions
Windhorst and MacMahon on Wembanyama's injury and its ripple effects:
Windhorst: "This throws the entire Western Conference into some disarray, not knowing what's going on with Victor Wembanyama."
MacMahon: "Even with Wemby out, this was a game the Spurs had, and the Blazers took it from them. De'Aaron Fox has to be better. Toumani Camara swallowed him up in the fourth quarter."
Windhorst: "Well, that's what happened. They were able to put Camara on Fox because they didn't have to put Camara on Wembanyama."
Bontemps on the messy Rockets offense: "There's no theory to the Rockets' offense. They're just smashing their heads into the wall and flinging the ball around. Yes, [the Lakers' defense] is throwing double-teams at KD. It's like the Rockets don't have a plan for that. ... It's what we've seen in clutch games all season. They just completely short-circuit all the time."
April 20: Major upsets brewing in Round 1 and early playoff headlines
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon to discuss the first weekend of the 2026 NBA playoffs, which teams' Game 1 performances should be cause for concern, and which players need to step up this week. They also dive into NBA awards announcements and discuss preliminary thoughts on the race for MVP, DPOY and more.
Topics:
2:26: OKC looked like defending champs today
4:25: Magic stun the Pistons on the road
14:19: How concerned should the Pistons be?
19:24: Lakers take down Rockets without KD
30:20: Spurs win in Wemby's playoff debut
36:14: Boston takes care of business with 76ers
38:36: Great atmosphere in San Antonio
45:24: Cavs strong start to series vs Raptors
48:20: Knicks got the job done in Game1 vs. Hawks
51:47: Concerned with Anthony Edwards' injury?
57:36: NBA Awards finalists announced
MacMahon and Windhorst on the Thunder's dominant Game 1:
MacMahon: "J-dub looks like himself."
Windhorst: "Yeah, he had four steals in the first half alone, pretty sure. And the Thunder. What was the points off of turnovers in this game, 34 to 2? See, okay, I'm going to obviously you're going to give the Suns a bit of a pass because they've played three games in six days or whatever. But I'm just going to say that when the Thunder are dominating the possession game like that, that is when you know they're at their best."
Bontemps on what Philadelphia has to do against the Celtics: "The Celtics dominated from start to finish. But the only thing to talk about is if Philadelphia wants to make this a competitive series of any kind, Tyrese Maxey has to be the best player to do that."
"He's got to play better than Jayson Tatum. He's got to play better than Jaylen Brown, and they have to get up more 3s. If they're shooting under 25 3s, shooting under 30 3s or even maybe 35 3s, I just don't think they can keep up with the Celtics. And they certainly didn't today."
April 17: NBA playoff preview and NBA Awards rulings
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon to discuss the recent LaMelo Ball fine and whether he should've been suspended for his actions. They then move on to the 65-game exemption that made Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham eligible for regular season awards before closing on a full playoff preview of each series.
Topics:
1:18: Play-in a great start for NBA postseason
2:52: Should LaMelo Ball have been suspended?
7:51: Windy storytime: LeBron's flagrant no call
15:43: Luka and Cade get 65-game exemption
19:01: Eastern Conference playoff preview
20:15: Who would give Detroit the best series?
21:59: Philadelphia 76ers-Boston Celtics breakdown
27:28: Atlanta Hawks-New York Knicks breakdown
35:22: Toronto Raptors-Cleveland Cavaliers breakdown
43:24: Western Conference playoff preview
43:35: Can anyone challenge the Thunder?
48:31: Portland Trail Blazers-San Antonio Spurs breakdown
59:48: Minnesota Timberwolves-Denver Nuggets breakdown
1:03:54: Houston Rockets-Los Angeles Lakers breakdown
1:10:14: Full playoff predictions
Windhorst on the Ball fine and non-suspension: "I believe he should have been ejected from the game at the time. He was not ejected.
"I did not believe he should have been suspended, but I'm going to tell you, I wavered on that when I saw multiple instances of him doing this exact same thing. Not just the Bam Adebayo game two years ago where he thought he got fouled and tripped Bam. But in February, he did this to Jabari Smith Jr. against the Rockets. Almost the same type of play. (He) was driving, thought he got bumped, and he actually got called for a Flagrant 1 in that situation.
"I will tell you that I researched, I didn't have complete records, and it was hard to search, but the couple of instances that I found where a player was retroactively given a Flagrant 2.
Bontemps on the Spurs' playoff outlook: "It's going to be amazing to watch Victor (Wembanyama) in the playoffs and see how this goes. The Spurs have had no adversity all season.
"Victor has missed a little time, but they've basically been healthy. They've been in cruise control for months. There've had no pressure on them, really. The first time there was any kind of pressure on them it was the last game of the regular season against half the Nuggets. They couldn't win the game. They didn't shoot the ball great. They didn't play well.
"It will be interesting whether it's in the first round or against Denver or Minnesota in the second round when they do get punched in the mouth. How do they respond?"
April 15: Chaotic play-in games and the full LaMelo Ball experience
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon to cover the two exciting play-in games from Tuesday night, including the wild ending between the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat and whether LaMelo Ball's controversial trip of Bam Adebayo will have ramifications moving forward. They then move on to the Portland Trail Blazers' late win over the Phoenix Suns in the West before closing on previews of this week's other play-in games.
Topics:
1:08: Hornets win wild game over the Heat
16:31: Controversial play in Hornets' win over heat
21:37: Ramifications going forward?
32:09: Blazers win clutch game over Suns
44:56: Can Orlando rebound at Philadelphia?
47:02: Big matchup between Steph and Kawhi Wednesday
49:35: The NBA playoffs are finally here
Bontemps on whether Ball will face repercussions for the trip: "I had a GM text me tonight and ask, because they saw the play later, 'This guy's got to get suspended, right?"
MacMahon on the Heat's final stretch of the season: "The Heat absolutely stunk down the stretch of the season. They came to play (Tuesday). They couldn't get defensive stops at the end of this game.
"(Coach Erik Spoelstra) said if they could just get a couple of stops, they would have won. But fellas, they became a historically horrible defensive team. After (Adebayo's) 83-point performance, they played 16 games, about 20% of a season. Their defensive rating was 123.3. That would be the worst in NBA history.
"Now, there were two teams that were worse during that stretch. Those were the (Washington Wizards) and the (Memphis) Grizzlies. The two tankiest of all tank teams that did not commit any overt behavior because they were not fined. ... I'm saying the Heat absolutely fell apart defensively down the stretch of the season."
Bontemps on the Blazers' strengths against San Antonio: "I'm not saying Donovan (Clingan) is going to stop (Victor Wembanyama). He's not going to stop him. But when you talk about physicality, the Blazers have physical wing players and they've got in Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams, two legit 7-footers to have out there all the time. I just think Victor's going to get banged around playing against a really physical (team)."
April 13: Upsets help shape playoff matchups
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon to discuss the final day of the NBA regular season, including how upsets influenced the playoff seeding. They then move on to the most exciting first-round playoff matchups and storylines. They close on interesting comments from the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo about his future with the franchise.
Topics:
1:40: Two shocking upsets on the final day
2:57: Playoff paths for the Nuggets and Spurs got harder
9:15: Orlando fails to control its own destiny
17:13: NBA play-in schedule
23:04: Windy Storytime: Epic Jurassic Park performances
28:56: NBA playoffs first-round schedule
39:47: Best possible storylines of the first round
41:48: Will Lakers get Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves back?
46:22: Final standings of the lottery odds
55:25: Curious end-of-season messages from Antetokounmpo
1:04:32: Hoop Collective wins pool unveiled for 2025-26 NBA season
Bontemps on the Spurs' loss and playoff path: "They might not be favorites to beat Denver at all in a series. And Denver's just a way harder opponent. And now they have to not only beat Denver, they still probably have to beat Oklahoma City as well.
"And the fact of the matter is, yes, they might beat both teams, they might make the Finals. But their path is much harder because they could not win this game against basically Denver's C team and Nikola Jokic for a half. And I also think this does highlight something I've talked about a lot, that this team has not been in pressure situations before and has some real flaws going into this playoff run."
Windhorst on the Lakers' injuries and possible returns: "There are potential Laker playoff opponents who felt that it was a better chance -- based on their analysis of the situation -- that Austin Reaves could play sooner rather than later, and that as this team was preparing to potentially see the Lakers, that they were preparing for Austin Reaves potentially to play i that first-round series at some point."
MacMahon on Antetokounmpo's Bucks' future: "Giannis on a supermax makes zero sense for Milwaukee. If you're going to be mediocre, don't be expensive, I'm sorry. You can't be a crappy small market team with a massive payroll. None of that makes any sense in the Bucks' best interest.
"They need to trade Giannis. Now, if they want to work with him off his preferred list of destinations, if they feel like they have to, OK, that's all stuff to figure out. But Giannis back on their roster on a supermax extension would be ridiculous."