Tone, Rush, and Jarrett are back with a loaded episode of the Corner 3 Podcast, breaking down the biggest NBA storylines heading into the second half of the season.

The crew kicks things off with a full NBA All-Star recap, then dives into the biggest question in the East: What is the real ceiling of the Philadelphia 76ers if Joel Embiid is finally healthy for a playoff run?

They also debate whether battling injuries and adversity actually helps teams in the postseason — and whether the Boston Celtics can realistically reach the Finals without Jayson Tatum.

Out West, the conversation shifts to the biggest threats to the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, plus a deep dive into MVP odds for Cade Cunningham and Jaylen Brown.

LEAGUEWIDE

TONIGHT ON ESPN: A RARE 1 VS. 1 SHOWDOWN, THEN CHAMPS VS. CHAMPS
NBA.com

These 6 teams can make solid case for being best in NBA this season
Shaun Powell, NBA.com

NBA News Roundup
Jacob Sutton, JSutt Hoops

Tuesday’s Games By the Numbers
Dustin Brewer, HOOPS

NBA Future Rankings — for each team
Jeremias Engelmann, 5×5

Are Pelicans a non-tanking role model? Scouting Nets’ Wolf, Arkansas’ Acuff Jr.
John Hollinger, The Athletic

5 NBA Players Who Need More Minutes Starting Now
Dan Favale, Bleacher Report

Tank Watch: ranking the eight teams who are dedicated to boosting their lottery odds at the end of the regular season
John Gonzalez, CBS Sports

When it comes to tanking, the Jazz are doing what a small-market NBA team should
Tony Jones, The Athletic

The NBA’s 65-game rule is backfiring
Eric Koreen, The Athletic

TEAM-SPECIFIC

ATL: Jonathan Kuminga’s explosive debut delivers blowout win for Hawks
Lauren Williams, AJC

ATL: Jonathan Kuminga’s debut with the Hawks was spectacular
Josh Robbins, The Athletic

BOS: Payton Pritchard raising his play for rolling Celtics
Jay King, The Athletic

BOS: Mazzulla ball was once all about taking threes. This season, that math has included offensive rebounding and turnovers
Bill Sy, Celtics Blog

BOS: How the Celtics built the NBA’s best offense — without Jayson Tatum
Esfandiar Baraheni, The Athletic

BOS: Baylor Scheierman, Ron Harper Jr. combine for surge-defining stop in win
Jay King, The Athletic

CHA: The Hornets…are…BACK
Doug Branson, Every Hornets Boxscore

CHI: Can Rob Dillingham find his place in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls?
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune

CLE: Game Night Observations: A Statement Win, Feeling Out the Rotation and Free Throws
Danny Cunningham, The Inside Shot

The rest of the team-specific stories as well as draft-related items follow for paid subscribers

Read more

AROUND THE LEAGUE

What’s next for 10 lottery-bound teams ahead of the NBA draft?
NBA Insiders, ESPN

How to replace the NBA Draft
Tom Ziller, Good Morning It’s Basketball

Why Cade is BETTER MVP candidate than you think – Tom’s Title Tiers #19
Tom Haberstroh, The Spotlight with Tom Haberstroh

Why is NBA still dragging its feet on adopting ABA statistics, 50 years later?
Roy Brownell, The Athletic

The NBA’s stubborn refusal to acknowledge ABA records does not make sense. After all, the ABA boasted major-league talent. Indeed, the rival association won most of the 155 exhibition games played between the two entities.

Conceivably, the NBA could defend its intransigence by claiming it only includes statistics from NBA games. However, the NBA already recognizes statistics from the Basketball Association of America, a separate league that was founded after World War II. In 1949, the BAA merged with the older National Basketball League to establish a new organization called the NBA.

Did we just watch an NBA Finals preview?
Marc Stein, The Stein Line

The Spurs Got By Detroit in a Highly Physical Matchup
Hoops, Dustin Brewer

NBA stretch run report cards: Grading all 30 teams after the All-Star break
Zach Harper, The Athletic

NBA Power Rankings: Pistons, Spurs on top; post-All-Star-break outlooks
Law Murray, The Athletic

The Waive and Stretch: The Dead Cap Component Of Tanking, Upcoming Deadline Dates, Ducking The Tax Updates
Nick Thoreson, Ducking the Tax

TEAM NEWS

ATL: Hawks figuring out new rotations as they defeat Nets in matinee outing
Lauren Williams, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ATL: Ryan Dunn steps into biggest role yet with Dillon Brooks out
Malik Brown, Clutch Points

ATL: Why the Hawks benched Zaccharie Risacher, and what it means
John Hollinger, The Athletic

Subscribe now

Read more

LEAGUEWIDE

Debate, confusion and a ‘message’ sent: Inside the NBA’s call with GMs on tanking
Joe Vardon/Sam Amick, The Athletic

The Anomalies: This Season’s Weirdest Statistical Outliers, and What They Say About Themselves
Jacob Sutton, JSutt Hoops

TEAM-SPECIFIC

BOS: Jayson Tatum’s return date remains a mystery, but there are signs he is building momentum
Adam Himmelsbach, Boston Globe

BOS: Jayson Tatum on returning to Celtics this season: ‘Nothing is set in stone’
Jay King, The Athletic

BOS: Building a Better Bench: the Celtics have nailed talent recognition and player development
Rich Jensen, Celtics Blog

CLE: How Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder Have Made Immediate Impacts in Cleveland
Danny Cunningham, The Inside Shot

CLE: Cavaliers Unsung Heroes Catching Kenny Atkinson’s Eye During Win Streak
John Hobbs, Sports Illustrated

Cleveland’s bench may not light up the scoring column, but its impact is undeniable.

Atkinson has leaned on a high-energy trio featuring Keon Ellis, Dennis Schroder and Nae’Quan Tomlin, a group that shifts the tempo the moment it checks in. Their pace is relentless, turning half-court matchups into chaotic, up-and-down stretches that disrupt opponents’ rhythm.

“That second unit is our energy unit, and it just all of a sudden changes the whole speed of the game,” Atkinson explained. “We speed the other team up, and it’s nice to have that change of pace. I know that’s hard to play against.”

The defensive tone begins with Ellis. He combines fast hands, a quick vertical leap and impressive length to deflect passes and contest shots.

His instincts are unmatched on this Cavaliers side, that that is something that isn’t spoken about. He doesn’t simply react to plays; he predicts them.

Ellis routinely anticipates developing actions, jumps passing lanes, and forces ball-handlers into uncomfortable decisions. His deflections often spark immediate transition opportunities.

The rest of the team-specific stories as well as draft-related items follow for paid subscribers

Read more

TEAM NEWS

ATL: Hawks kick off homestand on wrong foot, fall to Heat
Lauren Williams, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

BOS: Parquet Plays : Celtics Best Sets/Actions vs Golden State
Nik Laud, Celtics Blog

BOS: Warriors’ desperate comeback bid falls short in Porzingis’ GSW debut vs Celtics
Sam LaFrance, Hardwood Houdini

BKN: Nets’ comeback bid stalls in 105-86 road loss to Thunder
C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News

CHI: Matas Buzelis Q&A: ‘I don’t want to be anybody. I want to be myself’
Cyro Asseo, Hoops Hype

CLE: Game Night Observations: Superstar Stuff, Bench Depth and Jarrett Allen’s Big Night
Danny Cunningham, The Inside Shot

DEN: Nikola Jokic didn’t wear tape on injured wrist in Portland, but not because the pain was gone
Bennett Durando, The Denver Post

GSW: Joe Lacob on Porzingis, trading Kuminga, and why the Warriors won’t tank
Tim Kawakami, The San Francisco Standard

GSW: Medical Expert Explains Stephen Curry’s MRI and What It Means for Warriors
Alder Almo, heavy.

GSW: Breaking down the good – and bad – of Kristaps Porzingis’ Warriors debut
Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News

Subscribe now

Read more

LEAGUEWIDE

The Flaw of the 40–20 Rule in the Modern NBA
Omar Zahran, Medium

NBA Power Rankings
Marc Stein, The Stein Line

Pre-Agency: February is the New July. How teams are using the Trade Deadline as an early Free Agency window
Jonas Plaut, The Cap Crunch

How can the NBA fix tanking?
John Hollinger, The Athletic

Addressing tanking incentives
Michael Hendricks, All Fields

The PHI-OKC Trade
Yossi Gozlan, Third Apron

The ‘Sophomore’ Ladder: Stephon Castle leads the way
Steve Aschburner, NBA.com

Swarming Hornets, the malleable Pistons and more NBA trends
Fred Katz, The Athletic

TEAM-SPECIFIC

ATL: Hawks best 76ers in first game back from All-Star break
Lauren Williams, AJC

BOS: 10 takeaways from Boston dissecting Warriors pressure
Azad Rosay, Celtics Blog

BOS: Celtics’ changes put in focus by matchup with Al Horford, Kristaps Porziņģis
Jay King, The Athletic

BOS: The Warriors rolled the dice with a little-used defensive scheme, but it wasn’t enough to slow down the Celtics
Adam Taylor, Celtics Chronicle

CHA: Missing 2 of their starters, Hornets can’t survive a Kevin Durant Master Class
Evan Hale, Every Hornets Boxscore

CHI: 3 takeaways from Bulls’ 7th straight loss
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune

CHI: Jaden Ivey Sends Powerful Message After Surprising DNP
Keith Watkins, heavy

CLE: Game Night Observations: The Return of Championship Belief and Cleveland’s Ideal Starting Five
Danny Cunningham, The Inside Shot

CLE: 7 Takeaways from another strong Jarrett Allen performance in Cavs win over Nets
Jackson Flickinger, Fear The Sword

Read more

LEAGUEWIDE

58 days to the NBA playoffs: What to watch
David Thorpe, True Hoop

The Seven Most Fascinating NBA Teams to Watch Through the Stretch Run of the Season
Sports Illustrated

Five biggest things to watch as NBA resumes for sprint to finish
Kurt Helin, NBC Sports

NBA Rookie Rankings: This class runs deep behind Cooper Flagg
Sam Vecenie, The Athletic

9 NBA teams that can win the 2026 Finals
Ricky O’Donnell, SBNation

9 NBA teams who can realistically win the 2026 title
Robert Zeglinski, USA Today

1 weakness each contender needs to fix before the NBA Playoffs
Eamon Cassels, Fansided

The Clippers investigation, Giannis, LeBron and more
Sam Amick, The Athletic

How tanking impacts NBA playoffs
John Hollinger, The Athletic

16 questions for the stretch run
Zach Harper, The Athletic

Fan’s Guide to Enjoying the Rest of the 2025–26 NBA Season
Liam McKeone, Sports Illustrated

NBA upcoming offseason storylines
Bobby Marks, ESPN

NBA Future of the Franchise Rankings III
Nate Silver/Joseph George/Jeremias Englemann, Silver Bulletin

Jaylen Brown, Draymond Green and what the NBA gets wrong about ‘next man up’
Joe Boylan, The Athletic

In the NBA, the same problem happens time and again. Contractual obligations, team hierarchy and rapid coaching turnover all play a role in limiting new opportunities. When teams make big, long-term investments, there is an expectation for collaboration and patience from the coach.

Within the team, personalities, experience and salary play into who gets to play free. And most coaches are trying to squeeze out every win, which limits their patience with players who need time to grow.

In the NBA, most organizations say they value development but behave in ways that actively suppress it. They stabilize rotations too early. They define roles too narrowly. They mistake order for effectiveness

TEAM-SPECIFIC

BOS: Biggest questions facing Celtics in return from NBA All-Star break
Zack Cox, Boston Herald

BOS: From Tatum’s reintegration to Brown’s growth: Sam Cassell breaks down Celtics’ roster
Bobby Krivitsky, Fansided

CHA: Hornets Return From All-Star Break With Identity Intact and Hunger Growing
Will Eudy, The Eudy Report

DAL: Q & A: Max Christie
Mark Medina, Essentially Sports

The rest of the team-specific stories as well as draft-related items follow for paid subscribers

Read more

TEAM-SPECIFIC

BOS: Celtics roster evaluation, Part 2: A closer look at the starters
Adam Himmelsbach, Boston Globe

CHI: Rob Dillingham is getting second chance with Bulls, but for how long?
Joe Cowley, Sun*Times

CLE: Jarrett Allen could be the unlikely X-factor who defines the Cavs’ championship ceiling
Ethan Sands, cleveland.com

CLE: Cavs’ championship window is now, but are their latest trades enough for an NBA title?
Jimmy Watkins/Ethan Sands, cleveland.com

CLE: Donovan Mitchell diary: ‘This team is going to be special’ with James Harden
Marc J. Spears, Andscape

GSW: The 4 biggest questions facing Warriors after NBA All-Star break
Joseph Dycus, Mercury News

GSW: Post-All-Star break could be fun for Warriors team devoid of playoff expectations
Nick Friedell, The Athletic

IND: Q & A: Kobe Brown
Tony East, Circle City Spin

LAL: Lakers Lineups Deep Dive: A Testing Ground for the Summer Rebuild
Iztok Franko, digginbasketball

NOP: Saddiq Bey: The Throw-In Who Became a Closer
Shamit Dua, In The N.O.

NYK: The Triumphant, Transformational Power of Jalen Brunson
Tom Kludt, Vanity Fair

The rest of the team-specific stories as well as leaguewide- and draft-related stories follow for paid subscribers. And a Doug Moe Memorial

Read more

TEAM-SPECIFIC

ATL: A flurry of trades at the deadline seems to bode well for franchise’s long-term future
Ken Sugiura, AJC

BKN: The Nets are on notice for their tanking ways, but they can’t let the NBA’s threats stop them
Brian Lewis, NY Post

BOS: Celtics roster evaluation, Part 1: A closer look at the bench heading into the second half of the season
Adam Himmelsbach, Boston Globe

BOS: Just three games with the Celtics and Nikola Vučević is making some noise
Mark Aboyoun, SBNation

CLE: Where Cleveland fits in the playoff race after trade deadline
Ethan Sands, cleveland.com

CLE: The Cavs are facing multiple decisions with Dean Wade
Caleb Crowley, Fansided

DEN: The Disturbing Truth About Denver’s Defense
Matt Moore, Hardwood Paroxysm/The Denver Dig

DET: From 14 Wins to NBA Title Contender: How the Pistons Found Their Identity
Chris Mannix, Sports Illustrated

The rest of the team-specific stories as well as leaguewide- & draft-related items follow for paid subscribers

Read more

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Above the Break

My Final Remarks on Tanking

Listen now

an hour ago · Above the Break

12 Reasons Why The NBA Needs an Etsy Witch as Commissioner
Madeline Hill, Impersonal Foul

30 Things I’ll Be Watching On League Pass
Jared Dubin, Last Night, In Basketball

The buzz at NBA All-Star Weekend: What players, coaches and execs were talking about
The Athletic

NBA All-Star is fun again? First-of-its-kind format leads to surprisingly competitive event
Joe Vardon, The Athletic

Tremulous to solid, cool to warm
Katie Heidnl, Basketball Feelings

NBA Power Rankings post-All-Star Break: A new No. 1 entering the second half
Law Murray, The Athletic

The NBA All-Star format was a win. Can it get people to care again?
Zach Harper, The Athletic

NBA All-Star Weekend still needs some fixes. Here are 5 ways to do it
Shakeia Taylor, The Athletic

TEAM NEWS

BOS: Three statistical paradoxes that define the Celtics’ overachieving season
Azad Rosay, Celtics Blog

BOS: Jayson Tatum comeback? What doctors, history say about Achilles rehab
Souichi Terada, Masslive.com

Subscribe now

Read more