In what is our final episode of the Catch & Shoot 2.0 podcast, our hosts Aaron Berlin and Otto Strong discuss what the NBA is doing to curtail the rising Covid cases around the league, including whether or not the league should take a pause. On a lighter note, with Christmas approaching, we thought we should give out gifts to NBA players, coaches, fans, etc., and we incur the help of some special guests -- former hosts Adam Stanco & Noah Coslov, former producer Scott Turken, current producer Daniel Kramer and Pure Hoops CCO and Executive Producer Bruce Bernstein -- to help out. We wrap things up by having our hosts and special guests talk about their favorite memories, guests and what it was like to work with each other.

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Can the Philadelphia 76ers move Ben Simmons and get the pieces around superstar Joel Embiid to contend for a championship? This and other questions were posed by our guys Aaron Berlin and Otto Strong to Serena Winters, the host and producer of the Locked on Sixers podcast. Serena and the guys explore what is the best potential move for both Simmons and the team, plus check on whether or not, considering his health and injury history, if Embiid is the man to trust to lead Philly to their first title since 1983. The guys also give their appropriate props to Stephen Curry after surpassing Ray Allen as the all-time 3-point king.

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The defending champs Milwaukee Bucks got off to a slow start this season, mainly due to injuries, but have been hot of late, winning 11 of their last 12 games. In fact, the team is undefeated when their "Big 3" -- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday -- have been on the court. The Athletic's Sr. NBA Editor Rob Peterson -- who happens to be a Wisconsin native -- explains to our Otto Strong and Bruce Bernstein how winning the title last season has given the team some "house money" in being patient with any of the injuries and not rush any of the guys back. The guys discuss with Peterson how the team seems to enjoy being under the radar despite having won the title last season, plus, how the Greek Freak's game has continued to evolve. Otto and Bruce also discuss what we can glean from the 2 match-ups between the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors last week, the mess going on in Portland, the struggles of the Knicks, and the red-hot.... Rockets??? Come check it out!

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There have been some lean years of late for the Chicago Bulls, but so far this season, they have played great basketball and have one of the better records in the NBA's Eastern Conference. Former Chicago Bull and NBA Champion Will Perdue, now Studio Analyst for the Bulls telecasts on NBC Sports Chicago, joined the show and tells our Aaron Berlin and Otto Strong that the team's intensity on defense has been the spur behind the Bulls fast start. Perdue also explains who the "alpha dog" is on the team (is it Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan), how other new players are adjusting to head coach Billy Donovan's style (Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso) and what he thinks the ceiling is for the team this year. Also, with the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors facing off twice this week, Aaron and Otto tell us whether they'd go with either team to win it all ...or the field.

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College Basketball is back and who better than Howie Schwab to tell us what to expect from the coming season. Schwab joins our Aaron Berlin (flying solo this week) to give us a preview of the recently started season. #1 Gonzaga looked pretty formidable in their dominant win over UCLA, but Schwab isn't so sure if they're better than last year's edition. That said, he still feels they deserve to be the favorites to cut the nets down at the Final Four in New Orleans. Schwab also expresses his thoughts on Duke and the final season of Coach K, Aaron's beloved Kansas Jayhawks, other teams he sees making noise this season (like Texas, Kentucky ...and St. Bonaventure?) and how the enlarged transfer portal has affected how team rosters are now being put together.

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Robert Sarver, the owner of the Phoenix Suns (and the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury), is under investigation by the NBA for alleged racist and misogynistic comments and fostering a hostile and toxic workplace. Despite all that, the team keeps winning on the court, having won 9 in a row as of Monday night. Duane Rankin, the Suns beat reporter for the Arizona Republic, tells our Otto Strong and Bruce Bernstein how the team has been able to keep focus on playing great basketball while all the controversy swirls around their owner. Rankin credits the leadership of head coach Monty Williams and point guard Chris Paul. Rankin also gives us what the mood is from the fans about the team and the Sarver allegations and what he thinks will be the timeline for how long the league investigation will take. Plus, Bruce and Otto also discuss the drama going on with the Lakers and 76ers, and the surprising starts of three teams in the East -- Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers.

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Scottie Pippen was one of the greatest players in NBA History, but he had to overcome a lot in his early life just to make it to the league. Michael Arkush, who co-authored the just-released autobiography Unguarded with Pippen, joined our Aaron Berlin and Bruce Bernstein to discuss how Scottie's relationships with his father, 11 siblings and his high school & college coaches helped shape the player and person he became. We also get into his complicated relationships with Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson and Jerry Krause. Plus, Aaron and Bruce talk the Nikola Jokic/Markieff Morris scrape (and, now, family beef) and is it good to see some physicality return to the league; Steph Curry and the rolling Warriors; the latest with the 76ers and Ben Simmons (could he be traded to the Celtics?) and the Robert Sarver situation in Phoenix.

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Otto Strong & Aaron Berlin are joined by Bruce Bernstein this week as they play 3 on 3 with 3 topics. Should Celtics Nation be in panic mode? Are Zion Williamson & Ja Morant repeating the history of Greg Oden and Kevin Durant? And with gambling now such a big business for the NBA, are there issues that will emerge and place a cloud over the sport? Will the league implement measures to keep fans who bet on games fully informed? Three provocative discussions this week on Catch & Shoot 2.0.

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