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He's the Indiana University professor who got young Mark Cuban interested in advanced analytics, a pioneer of adjusted plus/minus, and a man who says some coaching moves in these playoffs have been flat wrong.

The retired NBA player admires the Spurs and the Grizzlies. But his big dream was that these conference finals would give Durant a fitting stage to take his career to yet another level.

Great scorers vs. great defense, who wins? Also, Kevin Durant taking too many contested shots? And a David Thorpe vs. Marc Stein trivia showdown.

Marc Stein and David Thorpe on coach of the year, coach of the playoffs, coaches on the hot seat, coaches doing smart things and coaches doing dumb things. A playoff coaching special.

Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless discuss Magic Johnson's comment that LeBron James needs more endorsements.

J.A. Adande and Israel Gutierrez on some of the best potential playoff matchups.

Kobe Bryant and Russell Westbrook both have the tools to beat their man every single time down the court. The challenge: Knowing when not to.

Who's getting the ball in crunch time? J.A. Adande and Israel Gutierrez decide.

Utah Jazzman Gordon Hayward talks about the timetable for his return, what tennis can teach us about basketball and delivers play-by-play for Butler's buzzer-beating thriller over Gonzaga.

Durant vs. LeBron. Who's been the MVP of the first half of the season?

The best young players in the NBA are, David Thorpe points out, not so different from the best players in the NBA, period.

Kevin Arnovitz and Shane Battier discuss the impact of analytics in the NBA, and why so many coaches employ hero-ball at the end of games.

Henry Abbott and John Hollinger on whether Hack-A-Dwight is an effective strategy and why the league is trying to prevent it.

This week features the Hollinger Rankings, with special guest John Hollinger and why the Thunder are #1.

David Thorpe on Hasheem Thabeet's revival in OKC, Lamar Odom's potential, and Andray Blatche getting coached-up in Brooklyn,

Harvard professor and Grantland contributor Kirk Goldsberry chats about early trends in the NBA season, James Harden, the Lakers' coaching decision and his favorite NBA player shot charts.