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
47 episodes
The Best Young Defensive Wings w/Nick Agar-Johnson
Ray and Aaron speak with Nick Agar-Johnson, Editor-in-Chief and staff writer for No Ceilings and co-host of the
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1:00:48
Not All NBA Offenses Are The Same
Aaron Bollwinkel talks with The Athletic's Law Murray about the false notion that all NBA offenses are operating the ...
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1:01:16
Jimmy Butler Trade and the State of The Warriors with Sam Gordon
Aaron Bollwinkel interviews San Francisco Chronicle Warriors beat writer, Sam Gordon, about the Jimmy Butler trade, the state of several of...
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52:29
"Basketball Beyond Paper" interview with Dean Oliver
Ray LeBov and Aaron Bollwinkel interview Dean Oliver, the author of Basketball Beyond Paper and one of the most important figures ...
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1:00:05
NBA Draft talk with Jonathan Wasserman
It's never too early to start talking about the draft, but here at The Unrestricted Area, we were fortunate enough to be the first to pick the brain of Bleacher Report's draft expert, Jonathan Wasserman, who recently dropped his
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1:21:02
"Balls of Confusion" interview with author Bob Kuska
Ray LeBov and Aaron Bollwinkel interview author and basketball historian Bob Kuska about his new book, Balls of Confusion: Pro Basketball Goes to War (1965-1970)—the most in-depth look we've been provided about the early days of the AB...
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1:11:42
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
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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
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Season 5
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Episode 1
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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...
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Season 4
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Episode 4
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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...
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Season 4
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Episode 3
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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’ ...
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Season 4
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Episode 2
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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...
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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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...
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Season 3
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Episode 13
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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.
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Season 3
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Episode 12
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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...
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Season 3
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Episode 11
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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...
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Season 3
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Episode 10
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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...
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Season 3
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Episode 9
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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...
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Season 3
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Episode 8
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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...
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Season 3
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Episode 7
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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 ...
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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...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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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 ...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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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...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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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.
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Season 2
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Episode 12
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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...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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58:25