The Mismatch

Play-In Madness and Things We Care About in the First Round

April 17, 2026·1h 25m
Episode Description from the Publisher

Verno and Jacoby return to react to the opening games of the play-in tournament and preview the final games on Friday. Then, they discuss the things they care about heading into the opening round of the NBA playoffs. Welcome to The Mismatch! (0:30) Play-in tournament recap (2:03) Hornets-Heat: The game was wildly entertaining (7:06) Magic-76ers: Magic fans would rather watch Hornets-Pistons (11:29) Warriors-Clippers: Vintage masterpiece by Steph and Green (24:15) Blazers-Suns: Devin Booker will be front and center vs. the Warriors (28:48) Things we care about going into the playoffs (29:09) Things we care about: Wings vs. bigs in the Cavs-Toronto matchup (32:34) Things we care about: What if the Cavs lose? (38:11) Things we care about: Last run for this iteration of the Wolves (43:05) Things we care about: Nuggets must close quick (47:48) Things we care about: Can the Knicks run with the Hawks? (49:43) Things we care about: The Knicks' transition defense (53:28) Things we care about: Mitchell Robinson’s free throw shooting (1:00:06) Things we care about: Can the Celtics' regular-season success carry into the playoffs? (1:03:19) Things we care about: Is effort the Moneyball of the NBA? (1:06:08) Things we care about: Who doesn’t love Tyrese Maxey? (1:12:29) Things we care about: Small-market energy (1:16:05) Things we care about: Battle scars The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit www.rg-help.com to learn more about the resources and helplines available. Leave us a message on our Mismatch voicemail line! (323) 389-5091 Hosts: Chris Vernon and David Jacoby Producers: Stefan Anderson and Jeff Shearin Social: Keith Fujimoto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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