NBA Playoff Picks + Cheating Scandals From the Court to the Lake | w/ Rick Garcia and Corey Nathan

NBA Playoffs Are Here. Someone Stuffed a Fish.

Rick Garcia and Corey Nathan open the second season with a full NBA playoff bracket breakdown — East and West — then pivot to a Mets reality check 16 games in, defend baseball's new ABS challenge system, debate whether to trade Puka Nacua, and close with a fishing tournament felony (...yeah, you read that right. A FISHING FELONY.) that somehow became a referendum on cheating in sports.

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Key Takeaways

1. OKC and San Antonio Are the Teams to Beat

Both hosts agree Oklahoma City is the Western Conference favorite, with San Antonio right behind them. Rick wants OKC-San Antonio in the conference finals. Corey's got the Celtics winning it all; Rick's going OKC. Same finals, different winner.

2. Lakers-Rockets: More Interesting Than It Looks

Luka's hamstring and Austin Reaves' oblique have the Lakers limping in, but Corey's not writing them off. His case: LeBron elevates teammates in ways KD simply doesn't, and if Deandre Ayton shows up, Houston doesn't have the size to stop him. Rick gives the edge to Houston, but only barely.

3. The East Comes Down to Knicks and Celtics

Detroit gets respect as a one seed but neither host is fully buying them. The real second-round series to watch is Boston-New York, with Rick predicting a sweep and Corey pushing back. The underlying thread: Brunson is excellent, but Mikal Bridges has to show up every night, and KAT is still KAT.

4. Mets in Last Place, But Corey Isn't Panicking Yet

Seven and ten through 16 games, swept by the Dodgers, and the bats are cold. Corey's not calling the fire department yet, but Memorial Day is the deadline. If they're still playing .400 ball by then, expect managerial names to start surfacing. Dark horse offered: Martin Maldonado.

5. The ABS Challenge System Is Actually Making Umpires Look Good

Balls moving 18 inches at 98 miles an hour, called correctly with the naked eye. Both hosts came away impressed. The overturned calls are within fractions of an inch, and that's an argument for the umps, not against them.

6. Don't Trade Puka Nacua

Off-field concerns have dinged his market value, but Corey's argument is simple: buy low, don't sell low. He's 24, hasn't peaked, and the Rams shouldn't move him now of all times. As a Giants fan, though? He'd take that call immediately.

7. Pop That Culture: If You Ain't Cheating...

A Texas fishing tournament, some suspiciously heavy bass, and a felony charge got the guys debating the spectrum of cheating in sports. Deflate-gate, stolen signs, scuffed balls, and steroids all got their day in court. The verdict: strategery is fine, stuffing fish with weights is not.

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The playoffs are here. The fish are being weighed. And somewhere in Texas, a man is regretting his tackle box.