The Unrestricted Area Presented by Basketball Intelligence
The mind behind Basketballintelligence.net, Ray LeBov assesses the best in basketball writing using his four I's strategy: any stories selected must be intelligent, informative, insightful, and interesting. Now, he's applying the same logic to The Unrestricted Area, where guests from around the basketball world come to discuss the NBA and sports analysis as a whole.
Episodes
41 episodes
Rookie Impact
Ray Lebov (@ticketrules) talks with BI’s own, Aaron Bollwinkel, from Live. Breathe. Ball., as well as draft expert, Nick Agar-Johnson, from
•
1:21:31
NBA Shooting Coach Marc Campbell on his best bets for the season
Mike Shearer (@bballispoetry) talks with NBA shooting coach Marc Campbell (@LowManHelp) about the teams they feel Vegas misjudged. Marc is the writer of the
•
Season 5
•
Episode 1
•
47:56
French Basketball, the Olympics, and the NBA, with Dr. Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff
Mike Shearer and Ray LeBov speak with Dr. Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff, a leading world expert on sports diplomacy and French sporting history. Dr. Krasnoff speaks to us from Paris, where she’s attending the Olympics.We cover basketball’s plac...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 4
•
1:00:26
Atlanta Hawks' play-by-play legend Bob Rathbun
Mike Shearer (@bballispoetry) and Ray LeBov (@raylebov) are delighted to chat with Atlanta Hawks’ broadcaster Bob Rathbun. We discuss load management, the burden of travel, why broadcasters knew something had changed with the officiating before...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 3
•
48:13
Did the NBA's changes cause all these playoff injuries? w/ James Herbert, CBS Sports
Ray LeBov and Mike Shearer chat with James Herbert of CBS Sports. We primarily cover James’ ...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 2
•
1:00:23
Dean Oliver on what to watch for in the NBA Finals and his new book
Mike Shearer(@bballispoetry) and Ray LeBov (@raylebov) are once again delighted to chat with the legendary analytics pioneer Dean Oliver (@DeanO_Lytics).We cover some anecdotes and insights from his forthcoming book (Basketball Beyond Pa...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 1
•
47:12
Bill Walton's life and legacy, with Kerry Eggers
Mike Shearer and Ray LeBov speak with Kerry Eggers about Bill Walton. Eggers spoke with more than a dozen of Waltons’ closest associates to paint a complete picture of the player and the man. He wrote a compelling piece that warranted further d...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 13
•
36:43
Playoff Standouts and Surprises
Ray LeBov and Mike Shearer break down some of the 2024 playoffs’ biggest surprises and standouts. They discuss the new wave of superstars, coaching improvements, the officiating, injury resilience, and so much more.
•
Season 3
•
Episode 12
•
29:31
Dean Oliver on offensive rebounding, momentum, and his new book, Basketball Beyond Paper
Once again, Ray LeBov and Mike Shearer speak with the godfather of modern NBA analytics, Dean Oliver.Dean talks about the trade-off between offensive rebounding and transition defense, the existence of momentum, what he'd tell armchair a...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 11
•
41:48
Life in the G, with author Alex Squadron
BI’s Mike Shearer and Ray LeBov are joined by Alex Squadron, who recently authored a book called Life in the G: Minor League Basketball and the Relentless Pursuit of the NBA.We talk about his season e...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 10
•
52:49
Potential NBA rule changes, with former NBA official Ronnie Nunn and Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey
Basketball Intelligence's Mike Shearer (@bbballispoetry) and Ray LeBov (@RayLebov) speak with Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey (who authored a story suggesting these changes) and former Director of Officiating Ronnie Nunn about some potential rule...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 9
•
59:14
Knicks-Raptors lawsuit, with Seth Partnow and Mike Kasdan
Basketball Intelligence is joined by NBA analyst Seth Partnow and intellectual property expert Mike Kasdan to discuss the wild Knicks-Raptors lawsuit. It's a fascinating deep dive filled with legal and basketball nuances as they discuss trade s...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 8
•
44:08
Dean Oliver on analytics and coaching
Ray LeBov and Mike Shearer speak with the godfather of NBA analytics, Dean Oliver. He discusses why we're talking about defense wrong, his new book, how coaching is different than a front office role, Kristaps Porzingis' love of numbers, and ho...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 7
•
40:45
2023 NBA Draft Thoughts, with Adam Spinella
Ray and Mike speak with The Box And One's Adam Spinella, the multitalented coach and scout. We discuss his favorite picks, his issues with quiet personalities being unfairly judged, an awesome Cam Whitmore story, Anthony Black's shooting ...
•
41:45
Krysten Peek on the 2023 NBA Draft
Ray LeBov and Corban Ford talk with Krysten Peek, draft expert from Yahoo Sports. On the eve of the draft, she talks about Brandon Miller vs. Scoot Henderson, some risers and fallers, how she navigates the flood of misinformation at this time o...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 3
•
26:40
Fran Fraschilla on USA 3x3 Basketball
Mike Shearer and Ray LeBov interview Fran Fraschilla, the longtime coach, scout, and analyst, to discuss his new role coaching the USA Men's 3x3 team. They talk about the upcoming Olympics, the thrill of representing the USA, the shadow of the ...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 2
•
41:31
The National Basketball Retired Players Association, with President and CEO Scott Rochelle
Basketball Intelligence's Ray LeBov and Mike Shearer host Scott Rochelle, head of the National Basketball Retired Players Association, for a fascinating conversation about players' lives after basketball. They talk about the evolution of the NB...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 1
•
41:49
March Madness! The Most Interesting NBA Prospects in the Tourney, with Nathan Grubel
Ray LeBov of Basketball Intelligence is joined by No Ceilings' Nathan Grubel to discuss some of the most interesting future NBA players in the NCAA Tournament today.
•
Season 2
•
Episode 12
•
38:06
Stephen Cagan from NBA University on the Orlando Magic
Basketball Intelligence's Mike Shearer talks with Stephen Cagan from NBA University about all things Magic. Come for the discussion about Franz Wagner's upside, Paolo Banchero's defense, and Markelle Fultz's surprisingly positive fit on the tea...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 11
•
58:25
8 Surprising Rookies, with Maxwell Baumbach of No Ceilings
Hosts Mike Shearer and Ray LeBov speak with Maxwell Baumbach, from the No Ceilings NBA draft collective, about eight rookies who have exceeded expectations.They discuss what expectations were coming out of college, how they've been successf...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 10
•
59:01
The #BeamTeam, with The Athletic's Sam Amick
We get into the the Kings' offseason additions, the impact of coach Mike Brown on the team's defense, De'Aaron Fox's resurgence, the repercussions of the Tyrese Haliburton trade for Domantas Sabonis, and, of course, the victory beam (and just h...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 9
•
55:07
What To Make Of The Wolves, with Chris Hine
Mike Shearer and Ray LeBov talk with Chris Hine from the Star Tribune about the Minnesota Timberwolves' start to the season. We cover KAT, Gobert, rebounding, meeting expectations, Anthony Edwards, the popularity of Jordan McLaughli...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 8
•
40:00
The Surprising Blazers, with The Athletic's Jason Quick
Ray and Mike talk with Jason about all things Blazers, including the team's surprising defense, Shaedon Sharpe, Chauncey Billups, Damian Lillard, Joe Cronin, and why Josh Hart might be Jason's favorite Blazer this year...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 7
•
43:15
The Refreshing Indiana Pacers, with Caitlin Cooper
Ray and Mike talk with analyst nonpareil Caitlin Cooper of Indy Cornrows about the surprisingly fun Indiana Pacers. We dive into the Haliburton/Mathurin backcourt, the Pacers’ unconventional lineups, why Buddy Hield is the best option to guard ...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 6
•
41:49
The Utah Jazz's Hot Start with Sarah Todd and Eric Walden
Today, Basketball Intelligence’s Ray LeBov and Mike Shearer talk with Utah Jazz reporters Sarah Todd, of Deseret News, and Eric Walden, of The Salt Lake Tribune. We cover the end of the old Jazz, coach Will Hardy, the team’s fast start (and its...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 5
•
38:50