On the sixteenth episode of the fifth season of The Sports-Casters hosts Steve Bennett and Don Russ welcome Steve Rushin (Sports Illustrated) and Tas Melas (NBA Network, The Starters). Starting the show with 3Things, Steve and Don look ahead to the NHL and NBA Finals, chat about the FIFA scandal, and discuss what a Triple Crown champion would mean for horse racing. The book club returns with two new books, and the show ends with One Last Thing.
-Steve Rushin is making his second appearance (00:29:19) on the podcast to talk about poetry that is overtime in the NHL Playoffs. Rushin talks about the grind of a multi-overtime game on the players, coaches, and even broadcasters. Rushin tells us why Al Michaels says he will never call hockey again, praises Doc Emrick, and explains the interesting dynamic of a postgame interview with the OT goal scorer. Rushin also explains why he picks stories to write, looks ahead to the NHL and NBA finals, and reminisces about the article he wrote for Sports Illustrated's 60th anniversary issue.
-Tas Melas is making his sixth appearance (01:02:20) on the podcast. Melas stops by to preview the upcoming NBA Finals. Melas explains why he thinks the Golden St. Warriors will be champions, downplays the importance of the series to LeBron James legacy, and tells us about the importance of the Cavs bench. Melas also talks about the problem with the NBA's first round, the excitement of having two relatively new teams in the Finals, and explains why hackaguy hurt the playoffs this year.
