Season 2, Episode 15- Fifty

In this week's episode of "Diehlman at Halftime," which also marks the 50th episode of the podcast, I discuss:

Highlight: Milwaukee Bucks
Lowlight: Miami Heat
Random Stat: James Harden leads all active players in 40-point and 50-point games
Game of the Week: Atlanta Hawks @ Indiana Pacers

Also, listen to the perspective of our featured guest, Nick Earnshaw! (Follow him on X and Instagram at @nearnshawradio).

"Aurora" interlude music written by Jeff Kaale
https://uppbeat.io/t/jeff-kaale/aurora
License code: HJ6W88QKKUB00FNS

Intro/outro written by Larry Diehlman

Release date: Monday, Jan. 27, 2025

Chapters

• 0:16 Introduction
• 1:03 Overview of the NBA this Week
• 4:08 Highlight
• 5:42 Lowlight
• 7:41 Nick Earnshaw Interview
• 27:38 Random Stat
• 29:17 Game of the Week
• 30:32 Note from the Author
• 31:13 Conclusion

Transcript

**NOTE: Full episode transcript is below except the interview**

Introduction: Hello everybody, and welcome back to “Diehlman at Halftime,” the NBA podcast that tops all others! I’m your host, Larry Diehlman. If you’re joining us for the first time, welcome abroad. And if you’ve been a loyal listener, welcome back! We have much to get to today and not a lot of time to do it. We have five sections that we’ll get into: a general overview of the NBA this week, and our usual “Highlight, Lowlight, Random Stat, and Game of the Week.”

Overview of the NBA this Week: I might sound like a broken record, but it happened again: Jimmy Butler has been suspended by the Miami Heat. Butler just finished a seven-game suspension for “conduct detrimental to the team.” During the week, it was a two-game absence for “continued pattern of disregard of team rules, insubordinate conduct and conduct detrimental to the team.” Now today, Monday, Jan. 27, the Heat have suspended Butler indefinitely for walking out of a practice. We’ve already discussed Butler’s drama in South Beach ad nauseam this season. He missed a team flight to Milwaukee the other day. The newest reports are saying that a potential Butler trade could include four or five teams! His preferred destination is the Phoenix Suns. Just this week, the Suns acquired three first-round picks from the Utah Jazz for a 2031 unprotected first-round pick. Things could be moving quickly soon.

The NBA once again showed why expanding their product overseas is great for business. The San Antonio Spurs and the Indiana Pacers played both of their games for the season this week in Paris, France. This was for one reason and one alone: Victor Wembanyama. The Le Chesnay native received thunderous applause as the Spurs faced the Pacers in Paris’ Accor Arena. San Antonio won the first game on Thursday 140-110, where Wembanyama had 30 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and five blocks. The Pacers won the second game on Saturday 136-98. The NBA has played preseason and regular season games around the world. Hopefully, commissioner Adam Silver has more ideas like this up his sleeve.

We also were introduced to the All-Star starters this week. For the East, it’ll be Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson, Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Karl-Anthony Towns. In the West, it’ll be Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Steph Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Nikola Jokić. It’s hard to believe that LeBron, at 40 years old, is still getting All-Star starting nods. Then again, this is mostly a popularity contest. Some of the starting snubs were LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, and Victor Wembanyama.

Today’s episode marks a certain milestone. You might have heard it in the previous episode. This is the 50th episode of the “Diehlman at Halftime” podcast!

This episode is entitled "Fifty."

So, who’s raising eyebrows at the moment?

Highlight: It appears a team that was an early “Lowlight” this season is turning a corner. Enter the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks are 25-18 and fourth in the Eastern Conference. With the team Milwaukee has, being a top-four seed is expected. And they’ve won eight of their last 10. Not bad. Giannis Antetokounmpo, the franchise cornerstone, is averaging 31.4 points, 12 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.4 blocks per night. He’s second in the league in points per game and fifth in rebounds per game. While the Bucks may not be heavy favorites to represent the East in the Finals, like Boston or even Cleveland, they’re not a pushover. Damian Lillard is still a dangerous shooter. He may not be dropping 30 points per game anymore by himself in Portland, but he stretches the floor for players like Antetokounmpo. Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton are reliable options, despite the fact they’re aging rapidly. (Middleton, a former starter, is now primarily used off the bench). And Bobby Portis has made a name for himself on the team. The Bucks are looking to avenge their underwhelming playoff exits from the last two years. Let’s see if they’ll be a threat in April. Their next game is tonight, Monday, Jan. 27 at 9 p.m. They will be in Utah to face the Jazz.

Lowlight: Some stories get better with time; others get worse. The Miami Heat are going the wrong way. The Heat are 22-22 and eighth in the East. As we mentioned in the opener, the Jimmy Butler dilemma is arguably the main problem hanging over this franchise. While he’s a great player, when he starts doing this kind of stuff, look out. (Look up the end of his time in Minnesota to see what I mean). Tyler Herro has stepped up in Butler’s absences, averaging career-highs of 24 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game on 47.7% shooting and 40.5% from downtown. The Heat have a solid rotation outside of Butler and Herro, like Bam Adebayo, who’s made an All-Defensive Team for five straight years, Terry Rozier, Jaime Jacquez, and Nikola Jović. However, one of Miami’s issues is starting off seasons slow. They end up in the middle of the Eastern Conference standings as a result. Another is team president Pat Riley. While Riley has overseen championship runs in South Beach, LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, and now Jimmy Butler have had beef with him at some point. For now, the Heat just need to focus on trading Butler and attempt a playoff run. Their next game is tonight, Monday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m. They will host an in-state battle against the Orlando Magic.

Interview Segue: To get more insight into our “Lowlight” this week, we have our fourth guest on “Diehlman at Halftime” season two. Let’s get into it!

Nick Earnshaw Interview

Random Stat: Some players are just known to dominate, no questions asked (well, in the regular season at least). L.A. Clippers star James Harden recorded his 104th 40-point game over the weekend. No other active player has more than 80! The usual suspects make up the rest of the top five: LeBron James (77), Kevin Durant (71), Stephen Curry (68), and Damian Lillard (59). Oh, and Harden has the most 50-point games among active players too (23). Even with his Hall-of-Fame resume coming into focus, Harden has bounced around the league in recent years. About three seasons in Oklahoma City, about eight seasons in Houston, two half seasons in Brooklyn, 1.5 years in Philadelphia, and now two years with the Clippers. And yet he continues to shred any defense from any team you throw at him. At 35 years old, Harden can still average 20 points per game (despite his field-goal percentage being questionable). What has made “The Beard” dangerous is his patented step-back jumpshot, which has been borderline unguardable, especially in his prime. He can drive to the rim, and his free-throw percentages are usually high. I have no doubt “The Beard” has a handful of 40-point games left in the tank. We just have to step back and watch.

Game of the Week: For this week’s “Game of the Week,” let’s do Atlanta Hawks @ Indiana Pacers. This game is on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 5 p.m. This will be the second home game for the Pacers since returning from Paris. Atlanta and Indiana are separated by three games in the Eastern Conference, despite being four seeds away from one another (Indiana is fifth, Atlanta is ninth). Two of the Hawks’ young stars, Jalen Johnson and rookie Zaccharie Risacher, are out for at least a week or more. Other than that, it should be smooth sailing for both sides, medically-speaking. Trae Young of Atlanta and Tyrese Haliburton of Indiana are two of the best passing guards in the NBA. Young leads the league in assists per game, while Haliburton is fifth. The Hawks have great guards like Dyson Daniels and Bogdan Bogdanović. The Pacers utilize forwards like Bennedict Mathurin and Pascal Siakam. It should be a good game. I’m going to take the Hawks 113-109.

Note from the Author: I want to take this time to thank you, my listeners and guests, for your continued support of the “Diehlman at Halftime” podcast! It’s hard to believe that we have already hit the 50th episode. Trust me when I say it’s always a fun time recording episodes every Monday night (well, usually Monday nights). We’re about halfway through the regular season, so the excitement will only grow from here. Here’s to the next 50!

Conclusion: Well, that’s all the time we have for today. If you haven’t already, make sure to follow me on social media. I have two X (or Twitter) accounts and two Instagram accounts. The podcast accounts are under @Diehlman_NBA for both X and Instagram. My personal X account is @LarryDiehlman18, and my personal Instagram is @mr_sports18. They’re also in the description on Buzzsprout, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And thank you to Nick Earnshaw for being our guest this week on the podcast. Remember, you can follow him on X and Instagram @nearnshawradio. And don’t forget to spread the word about “Diehlman at Halftime!” See you next time, fellow hoops fans, and thank you to all of you for making the 50th episode possible!