No Dunks – "These Teams & Players Fooled Us All"
Date: April 1, 2026
Hosts: J.E. Skeets, Tas Melis, Trey Kirby (TK), JD
Main Theme:
Celebrating April Fool’s Day, the No Dunks crew reflect on the teams and players that "fooled" them most during the NBA season—who defied, disappointed, or wildly exceeded preseason expectations. Detailed breakdowns of standout games, insightful humor, and candid postmortems on predictions gone wrong.
Episode Overview
- Theme: Which NBA teams and players fooled the panel and basketball fans this season—with a mix of both positive surprises and crushing disappointments.
- Segments:
- Last night’s NBA action, notably Lakers vs. Cavaliers, Rockets vs. Knicks, Blazers vs. Clippers
- Hall of Fame class discussion
- April Fool’s themed segment: "Who fooled you?" (teams and players)
- Favorite April Fool’s pranks
Key Game Recaps & Analysis
1. Lakers 127, Cavaliers 113
[02:23 – 12:12]
- Luka Doncic explodes for 42 points, 12 assists, 5 boards—finishing a monstrous March with over 600 points in the month.
- Tas Melis: "He scored over 600 points in the month of March. To put that in perspective, Anthony Davis scored 587 total points for the Dallas Mavericks during his tenure there. So Luka in one month, bad trade, it turns out." [06:43]
- Cavs’ defense and scheme scrutinized: deep drop defense allowed Luka easy looks; lack of resistance, especially on screens.
- JD on Cavs: "Cavs, no resistance at all. Right to start, I thought, yes. Luka went off. I thought his first opportunity was like a practice shot." [03:41]
- Jared Allen had a solid game, but Lakers scheme let him eat, focusing defense on Mitchell and Harden. Ayton highlighted for defense and adapting to play with Luka.
- LeBron’s dunks and impact since returning highlighted, with Ayton’s growth as a pick-and-roll partner praised.
- Memorable moment: Luka calls off help while guarding Jared Allen, gets immediately spun and scored on, keeps complaining to his teammate during the play. [09:32, JD]
2. Rockets 120, Knicks 97
[12:55 – 20:29]
- Houston dominates wire-to-wire, never trailing, shooting 54% from the floor, 43% from three, keeping turnovers low.
- Tas Melis: "The Rockets, man, got everybody, like, scratching their heads. We sort of like, they look good parts of the season, then they look like garbage, and then you're like, I don't know." [12:55]
- Reed Sheppard benched for matchup reasons but finished the game strong with active defensive plays.
- Knicks’ ball movement and offense falter (97 average points over last three games); missed chance to move up in standings.
- Rockets now tied with Wolves for 5th/6th in the West.
- TK: "That's 35 assists on 42 makes. That's the most assist they've had in a game all season. ... Best offensive game I've seen them play maybe the entire year." [15:32]
- Ongoing discussion: Will consistency or matchups decide Rockets’ postseason fate given fluctuating guard/wing play.
3. Blazers 114, Clippers 104
[24:36 – 29:47]
- Play-In implications: Blazers move to 39–38, just a half-game behind Clippers for 8th seed.
- TK: "The Blazers treated this like it was one of the most important games they had to play the entire season. ... 18 offensive rebounds ... 32 second chance points for Portland. I thought Avdija was good, just being too physical for the Clippers." [25:03]
- Drew Holiday (30 pts) and Deni Avdija (28 pts, aggressive driving/fouls) lead Portland.
- Chris Murray’s rebounding and energy off the bench noted as key.
- Scoot Henderson’s integration into the starting lineup hailed as a stabilizing factor late in the year.
- Fun Moment: Blazers' Jeremy Grant's outlandish "drawbridge-looking" sweater on the bench sparks laughter—"He looks like he's in Game of Zones." [29:22, TK]
Quick Hits: Other Games & NBA Nuggets
[29:57 – 34:10]
- Bucks beat Mavericks: Alex Antetokounmpo debuts, making four Antetokounmpo brothers to play in the NBA—possibly a record. [30:15]
- Pistons clinch Central Division: Jalen Duren’s growth highlighted; Danis Jenkins stepping in for Cade Cunningham.
- Dylan Brooks returns (first since February 21st); quickly racks up fouls and a technical. “He’s back, baby.” [33:45, TK]
Hall of Fame Class Discussion
[34:15 – 39:42]
- Inductees: Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne, Amar’e Stoudemire, Doc Rivers, Mark Few.
- Parker and Delle Donne hailed as "no-brainers"—legends, MVPs, and champions in WNBA.
- TK: "Let's just talk about Chicago because this is three big Chicago players going in. Candace Parker ... Elena Delle Donne ... Doc Rivers from Maywood Proviso East." [35:04]
- Amar’e surprises some, as he makes it before Blake Griffin, despite similar resumes.
- "This is good news for Blake Griffin. He's in for sure." [35:41, TK]
- Doc Rivers’ coaching (6th all-time in wins) outweighs his playing career.
- Inside baseball: Debating the transparency and logic of Hall selection process.
April Fool’s Day Segment — Who Fooled You in 2025–26 NBA?
[43:29 – 57:47]
Which Team Made You Look the Most Foolish?
- JD: New Orleans Pelicans. Bought into Zion Williamson’s preseason promises of maturity & leadership; team still disappoints, with low win total and recurring injuries. JD: "Zion has played differently this year. ... His points slowed down, ... they started Jeremiah Fears at point guard for the first 20 games of the season." [46:26]
- TK: Houston Rockets. Team’s offensive collapse after losing Steven Adams made no sense statistically, plus Tar Eason’s three-point fall-off and unclear rotations. "How were the Rockets so good the first half of the season and also how did they fall off so hard in the second half?" [51:07]
- Tas: Orlando Magic. Locked them for 50+ wins, expected leap with Desmond Bane addition, but injuries and stagnant offense/defense left them mediocre. "I was wrong. ... Mainly the Suggs part. And he's so important." [56:33]
Which Player Had You Fooled?
- TK: Ja Morant ("He's fooling himself and he fooled me as well"), Josh Giddey, Brandon Ingram, and—#1—Mikal Bridges, whose disappearing acts are routinely scapegoated onto Karl-Anthony Towns. "Bridges never gets a single percentage of the blame for the New York Knicks." [64:34]
- JD: Evan Mobley. Expected a leap after DPOY, All-NBA last year; usage and impact dropped even as Cavs traded for James Harden. "He wasn't used all that much by Kenny Atkinson ... Just not a ton." [67:21]
- Tas: Khalil Ware for Sixth Man award. Insanely up-and-down usage; when positive, Heat win, but Spoelstra's leash and matchup quirks have kept Ware from blossoming or locking a rotation spot. "I pick Khalil Ware to win six man of the Year. He was coming off the bench in the preseason and I got fooled, man." [69:08]
Favorite April Fool’s Pranks
[73:13 – 77:11]
- JD: Filled a donut box with fruit and veggies to prank his kids: "They screamed, punched me in the gut. Deserved." [73:52]
- TK: Corporate gags like Taco Bell’s "Taco Liberty Bell," and classic media hoaxes (e.g., SI's fictional Mets pitcher Sid Finch throwing 168 mph). [74:08]
- Tas: NBA-specific, Jimmy Kimmel's animal PSA prank on Ron Artest—escalation in animal "props" from puppy to python: "He keeps saying, 'I gotta warm up, I gotta warm up.'" [75:47]
Memorable Quotes & Moments
- JD on being duped by Zion: “He fooled me.” [45:08]
- Skeets on Rockets: “They look good parts of the season, then they look like garbage.” [12:55]
- TK on the Blazers: “It feels like they've been sitting there in the play in for a long time. … They just don’t come up a lot.” [25:03]
- JD on Mikal Bridges: “But it is hilarious. When we go through our over unders, I think all of my super locks are wrong. All six of mine look like… wow.” [57:47]
Timestamps for Significant Segments
| Segment | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------|------------| | Lakers vs. Cavs Recap | 02:23–12:12| | Rockets vs. Knicks Recap | 12:55–20:29| | Blazers vs. Clippers Recap | 24:36–29:47| | Pistons/Bucks/Notable Quick Hits | 29:57–34:10| | Hall of Fame Class Discussion | 34:15–39:42| | April Fool’s "Who Fooled You?" (Teams)| 43:29–57:47| | "Who Fooled You?" (Players) | 63:13–71:34| | Pranks/Favorites | 73:13–77:11| | Closing: WOBOY and outro banter | 77:42–83:14|
Tone & Style
- Sarcastic, self-effacing, and playful—embracing their mistakes as part of the NBA fandom experience.
- Lively banter, inside jokes (e.g. "dunk scores," over/under locks gone wrong), and warm community engagement (references to stream team, listener mailbags).
For Those Who Haven’t Listened
This episode serves as both a candid walk-of-shame on misfired predictions and a shrewd snapshot of the weird, wonderful, and unpredictable 2025–26 NBA season. With quick-hitting recaps, deep dives into roster construction/rotation mysteries, honest fan confessions, and a healthy sense of humor, the crew gives anyone who missed the episode all the essential context—and camaraderie—of an eventful NBA April.
End.