Welcome to Edge of Sports, the podcast, brought to you by the Nation magazine.

This week we are talking to Aria Shirazi about all things NBA playoffs.

But before we get started and jump right in there, we have a discussion that we need to have in a brief one, if you will.

About Jalen Brunson.

And the reason for this has to do with you, the listener.

Who I have to thank?

What's that you say? Me thanking you, the listener. Who I have to thank. What's that you say?

Me thanking you.

Ha ha.

Yes, indeed.

Because when Ariya and I did our much lauded podcast about Luca Donchich and

Kyrie Irving, several people got in contact and said, I can't believe you're talking about

those two Bajakaloups before you speak about everything Jalen Brunson, given Brunson being

such a remarkable story in the NBA season this year. And so, but I don't want this to be

too long because we do want to get to the playoffs, but I'm going to just pose, this is going to be simple. I'm going to pose a question to Aria. Aria is going to answer it and then we'll move on. Because there's a question about Brunson that there are two narratives about Brunson. And I want to see which one Aas sides with. All right. So first of all, just

some basic bio notes for those who don't know anything about Jalen Brunson, son of a very

gritty, a little used NBA player named Rick Brunson. He won two championships during his

three years at Villanova. And in his last year, he won the Naismith Award as the nation's best college player.

He's drafted in the second round by the Dallas Mavericks, and these are his point totals while in Dallas.

He scores nine a game, eight a game, 13 a game off the bench, and then 16 a game.

Then they just let him go for nothing.

They don't try to sign him and trade him.

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