Episode 206 – High ticket attractions: Cavs-Knicks and the must-see NBA playoffs

The Nail guys are back to talk about the Cavs-Knicks series, taking in the atmosphere at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse for the NBA playoffs, and the state of sports on TV.

The episode covers the Cavs' bounce-back win on Tuesday night to even the series, the emergence of Darius Garland and Caris LeVert after both had a rough Game 1, and expectations for the weekend as the series shifts to New York. Plus: The Cavs and Guardians are still on Bally Sports, but for how much longer? The landscape of sports on TV is changing quickly, both locally and at the national level.


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Photo by Ken Blaze/USA Today | Photo illustration by The Nail in the Coffin

Episode 204 – Cavs’ season of progress and promise comes to premature end

Too many injuries—and in the end, too much Trae Young—ultimately proved to be the Cavs’ undoing, as their season ended on Friday night with a dispiriting loss to the Hawks. Friend of the Nail and Cavs superfan Mark Meszoros joins the show for a look back at a memorable year in which the Cavs fought through one setback after another—Injuries! COVID! More injuries!—to win 44 games and establish a dynamic nucleus led by Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.

It’s a cathartic conversation that goes from lamenting what went wrong Friday against Atlanta to getting excited about the summer and beyond for a revitalized Cavaliers franchise.


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Photos from USA Today, Associated Press and Getty Images | Photo illustration by The Nail in the Coffin

Episode 202 – Back at it: Cavs, NBA All-Star, OBJ narratives and the Olympics

After a 5-month hiatus, the guys are back with a lot to catch up on, from misguided narratives about OBJ’s exit from Cleveland hanging over Super Bowl Sunday to the arrival of a new era for the Cavaliers franchise starring Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Plus: NBA All-Star Weekend is here, the Winter Olympics are on, and pro wrestling has had a drama-filled week behind the scenes with Cody Rhodes walking away from AEW to possibly set up a once-unthinkable return to WWE.


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Episode 196 – NFL Draft arrives in CLE, disgruntled Kevin Love, and a sports betting bill for Ohio

Kevin Kleps of Crain’s Cleveland Business joins the Nail to give a preview of what fans can expect to see downtown this weekend as the NFL Draft takes center stage in the city. Also covered: 

• An update on COVID-related attendance limits for Cleveland’s teams 
• The odds of a policy requiring COVID-19 vaccination for entry into sports venues (similar to what was recently announced in Buffalo) being implemented by the Browns, Cavs and/or Indians 
• Kevin Love is agitated again
• A look at the sports betting legislation that could be coming soon in Ohio

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Episode 192 – Surviving the Cavs swoon, understanding NBA Top Shot

Waiting For Next Year’s Craig Lyndall joins the guys to talk about the Cavs digging out of a hole after a miserable February, setting fair expectations three years into a rebuild, Jarrett Allen being awesome since joining the team, and why NBA Top Shot has become a phenomenon in recent weeks (and whether it can last).


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Episode 191 – Cavs rising, EA's college football game returning, and memories of Les Levine

For the better part of a generation, the Cavs have existed in two states: With LeBron James, an NBA championship contender, or without LeBron, one of the worst teams in the league. Times are changing. The Cavs are fun and more than holding their own this year. The guys discuss the leap of Collin Sexton (and his pairing with Darius Garland), the heist that brought Jarrett Allen to town (and will eventually send Andre Drummond out), and the experience of having a team that's out of the cellar but not yet facing championship-or-bust expectations.

Plus: EA Sports is bringing back its college football video game, Tampa is having the “best sports year that nobody can be present for” of all time, and a tribute to Cleveland sports media legend Les Levine.


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Episode 186 – Football flailing amid COVID chaos, Browns soldiering on, OSU sidelined

An NFL game between Baltimore and Pittsburgh that was supposed to be played on Thanksgiving night is now scheduled for a Wednesday afternoon in December so as not to conflict with the lighting of a Christmas tree in New York. The Ohio State Buckeyes have played four games and are currently in position to make the College Football Playoff, but are also on the verge of not qualifying for the Big Ten championship game. And yet it’s the NBA, which earned praise for the safety of its bubble over the summer, that is now getting ready for what might be the riskiest plan of all for its new season. Welcome to winter sports in the pandemic!

The guys discuss the COVID chaos engulfing the NFL and college football, the Browns somehow being in position to finally make the playoffs, the Cavs’ iffy Rock Hall-inspired City edition uniforms, Cleveland’s regional sports networks still not being available on many Northeast Ohio TVs and more.


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Episode 185 – Catching up on the Cavs and the NBA Draft with Justin Rowan

After 8 months, finally—FINALLY!—things are happening with the Cavs. The NBA’s trade moratorium is about to be lifted, the draft is on Wednesday night, and free agency isn’t far behind. Justin Rowan, co-host of the Cavs-centric podcast The Chase Down, drops in on The Nail to give us a refresher on the state of Wine & Gold basketball, from the likelihood of a trade involving Andre Drummond, Kevin Love or maybe even Larry Nance to how potential draft picks could fit into the Cavs’ lineup.

Plus: Why is Dayton big man Obi Toppin being linked to the Cavs in so many stories? What would the selection of Onyeka Okongwu, Deni Avdija, Isaac Okoro or Devin Vassell mean for players currently on the Cavs’ roster? And with adjusted lottery odds making tanking a more tenuous strategy than ever, are J.B. Bickerstaff and his assistants the right coaching staff to develop players who aren’t taken at the top of the draft?


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Episode 175 – Field days, fantastic wins, and more tales from yesteryear

With sports still mostly on hold and not much fun happening in the world right now, the guys take a break from current events to reminisce about some lighter moments from years gone by, including Ohio State’s 2002 national championship, a pair of dramatic Indians wins, and some youth sports misadventures. Plus: A last word on ESPN’s “The Last Dance.”


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Episode 174 – Jordan and the Bulls’ “Last Dance,” NFL Draft trainwreck potential

On Sunday night, ESPN premiered its long-awaited documentary on Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls, “The Last Dance,” airing the first two episodes in the 10-part series. The guys rejoice at having new sports content to watch for the first time in forever and share memories of the ’90s Bulls, including being in the building for Jordan’s last game in Cleveland as a player for Chicago. (Watch Bulls at Cavs on April 9, 1998)

Plus: The disaster potential for the virtual NFL Draft on Thursday night, and sports following the lead of WWE’s “Boneyard Match” at WrestleMania and having fun with how big events are pulled off in the shelter-in-place era.


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Episode 163 – On the dominant Buckeyes, ‘Maddening’ Browns, and surprisingly fun Cavs

It’s an old school edition of the Nail as the guys go around the horn on the Buckeyes, Browns and Cavs, no guests needed. First, with Ohio State rolling and star defensive lineman Chase Young set to return next week, Travis makes the case that this is the most complete Ohio State team in a generation. Plus: the biggest remaining threat on the Bucks’ schedule, way-too-early talk of an OSU-LSU national championship game, and why we’ve had so many big day games in college football this year.

Next: On the eve of a Thursday night showdown with the Steelers, are you believing in the Browns? The guys discuss Sunday’s ugly (but needed) win, the Freddie Kitchens experience, and the debut of Kareem Hunt.

Finally, this year’s Cavs are…fun? John Beilein and his staff appear to have their squad buying in. Collin Sexton is making strides. Darius Garland is showing glimpses of hope. And Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love are playing as well as they ever have in a Cavs uniform. Through 10 games, it has been a formula for entertaining hoops.


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Episode 162 – New attractions and familiar faces: Cavs continue roster rebuild in remodeled home

It’s the start of year five for The Nail and the 50th season of Cavaliers basketball. The Cavs tipped off this week in Orlando, and their first game at the newly minted Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is set for Saturday night. The guys welcome back longtime friend of the show Mark Meszoros to shift into basketball mode, starting with first impressions of rookie guard Darius Garland and new head coach John Beilein.

Plus: Collin Sexton and Cedi Osman survived early stumbles and played better over the second half of last season. What can we realistically expect from that duo in a more stable situation this year? Will Tristan Thompson or Jordan Clarkson, both with expiring deals, still be here by the end of the season? And finally, the guys discuss the renovations to the former Quicken Loans Arena and the Cavs’ creative monthly ticket pass.


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Episode 160 – Jeff Boals on coming home to coach the Ohio men’s basketball team

A quarter-century after helping to lead the Ohio men’s basketball team to an NCAA tournament appearance and a Preseason NIT championship as a team captain, Jeff Boals is back in Athens to guide the program as its new head coach. Boals joins The Nail to talk about returning to Southeast Ohio to take his dream job, getting students and fans excited about Ohio basketball, and going through a change in athletic directors shortly after being hired.

Plus, Boals explains what he learned as an assistant under coach Thad Matta at Ohio State and what he thinks Cavs fans can expect from John Beilein after seeing the longtime Michigan coach from the opposing bench in Big Ten play.


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Episode 158 – Remembering Fred McLeod and trying to forget Week 1 for the Browns

It was a tough day in Cleveland as news broke that Fred McLeod, the popular, long-time Cavs play-by-play announcer, died suddenly Monday night. Will Gibson, who wrote a wonderful tribute to McLeod for WFNY, joins the show to reflect on how he won over Cavs fans with hard work, authenticity and a welcoming demeanor, and, along with broadcast partner Austin Carr, made games more fun to watch—whether he was crying tears of joy when the Cavs won the 2016 NBA championship or keeping things light during down seasons.

Plus, Will talks about staying engaged with Cleveland sports while living out of state (and, for a few years, on the other side of the globe), and the Browns’ dud of an opener.


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Episode 152 – Cleveland sports biz headlines with Kevin Kleps

Kevin Kleps of Crain’s Cleveland Business is back on the show to run through the sports biz items making news in Northeast Ohio. The guys discuss a pair of big events coming to town: the MLB All-Star Game (and all of its related activities) this weekend, followed by the NFL Draft in 2021 (actual stage location to be determined). Plus: The Browns scaling back their crowd sizes at training camp to create a better fan experience, the future of their local media deals, and the financial challenges along the Cavs’ long, slow road to rebuilding.


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Episode 151 – Picks & possibilities: A Cavs/NBA Draft preview

The Cavs enter the NBA Draft on Thursday night armed with the 5th and 26th picks in the first round, as well as a whole lot of options. Evan Dammarell, who covers the team for Forbes and Fear the Sword, joins the show to discuss the players in the mix for the Wine & Gold, odds of the Cavs trading either (or both) of their picks, and the unique (and very tradeable) contract of JR Smith. Plus: Big happenings around the league, such as the trade that will send Anthony Davis to the Lakers, that could have a trickle-down effect on what the Cavs want to do.


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Episode 149 – Catching up on the Cavs, John Beilein and the NBA’s self-inflicted lottery problems

It’s been an eventful couple of weeks for the Cavs with the hiring of a new head coach and the lottery securing their position in next month’s NBA draft. Jeff Nomina joins the show to discuss the Cavs getting the fifth pick in the draft, whether the league did more harm than good with its overhaul of the lottery odds, and who the Wine and Gold might target in the draft.

Plus, the out-of-nowhere hiring of John Beilein as head coach, his track record of developing players, embracing advanced stats and adaptability, and the role he’ll have to play as the Cavs continue with building not only their roster, but their organizational culture.


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Episode 142 – Michael Mulhall, VP of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission

Michael Mulhall, vice president of business development for the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, joins the show to go inside the process of bringing major sporting events to Cleveland. What are leagues looking for when selecting host cities for their championship and all-star events? How has Cleveland’s pitch changed in the past five to 10 years? What events are on the horizon for Northeast Ohio – and which aren’t? Mulhall tackles all of that and more.


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Episode 141 – A constructive look at the rest of the Cavs season

The trade deadline has come and gone, the All-Star break is over, and the remainder of the NBA regular season begins Thursday night. What can the Cavs accomplish over their final 24 games? David Zavac of Fear The Sword is back on the show to answer that question, as well as whether the Cavs should prioritize their lottery odds or player development, how much we can take away from Collin Sexton’s rookie season given the circumstances, what we should expect from Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson, and the chances any members of the coaching staff will still be here next season.


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Episode 140 – The Nailbag, Vol. 1: Lunch with a Brown, favorite sports movies, Indians offseason

This week, the guys are opening it up for questions from the audience. Some of the topics on listeners’ minds: What are your top five sports movies? If you could have lunch with a current and retired Brown, who would you choose? Who should the Cavs draft? What are the odds LeBron returns again? Plus: “Slobby’s World,” potential Kluber or Bauer trades, the best Nail guest of all time, and more.


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