The Control Room with Esrael Yohannes

The Control Room returns for Season 3! The Oklahoma City Thunder have won the 2025 NBA Championship, and Esrael breaks down their dominant season led by their MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He also looks at who their potential challengers could be this season, as the last 7 seasons have featured 7 different champions. Then, he gives an outlook on the Dallas Mavericks, who selected Cooper Flagg with the 1st overall pick. Finally, Esrael provides the latest on the controversial deals between Kawhi Leonard, the LA Clippers, and Aspiration, as well as the gambling scandal that rocked the NBA Thursday morning.
 
Pablo Torre Finds Out (Aspiration Investigation - Full Playlist): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp43H6Vt_yDoUarxNb_fVK9_6bSiA2aHo&si=2w_m-8Sd2cDIc6RB

The 2025 NBA Finals have gone to a seventh game! Esrael breaks down the numbers from the playoffs and Finals for the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers. He'll make his case for how each team can finish the job and win the 2025 NBA Championship.
 
*Disclaimer: This episode was recorded before Game 7 began. Tyrese Haliburton unfortunately suffered an injury in the 1st quarter. Sending my best to him and wishing for a major comeback.

The 2025 NBA Finals are set between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers. Esrael returns to break down how OKC and Indiana reached this point through their successful styles of play. He also gives his prediction of who will be crowned the 2025 NBA Champion.

In this episode, Esrael breaks down Luka's historic return to Dallas and why he thinks ESPN missed out on a massive statistical opportunity. He also talks about how Luka's presence has helped the Lakers with their 3-PT shooting and overall offense. Then, he dives deep into the Indiana Pacers' surge since mid-December involving Tyrese Haliburton's improved play, as well as lays the Chicago Bulls to rest with a recap of their run in March & April. Finally, he gives his stats to watch for the final Play-In Tournament games before the 2025 NBA Playoffs are set.

In the mad month that is March, the NBA had massive performance after massive performance. In this episode, Esrael breaks down the numbers for the high-scoring backcourt duo on the Los Angeles Lakers. Later, he looks to solve the mystery of why the New York Knicks are heavily relying on their starters, and he then embraces the arrival of the Detroit Pistons, led by newly-named All-Star Cade Cunningham.

The loss of Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers still stings, and Esrael breaks down how Luka has come into form in his most recent outings with LA. Then, he talks about what the Mavericks need to do to stay in the playoff race, if the legend of Ramadan Kyrie is real, and what Anthony Davis brings to the table.

After what is considered to be the worst trade in NBA history, Esrael briefly gives his two cents on Nico Harrison, the general manager of the Dallas Mavericks, and why he believes Harrison was wrong to trade Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Dallas Mavericks have had a month to remember, and Esrael has the stats to back it up. He breaks down how the Mavs are balancing both their paint and perimeter offensive attacks and how their defense has held up to get them wins. He will also recap the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup, highlighting the resurgence of the Milwaukee Bucks and the dipping efficiency of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Then, he'll give a standings update and the NBA Christmas Day schedule. Merry Christmas!

The Mavs are on a hot streak despite being without Luka Dončić, and Esrael has all the stats to break down their winning ways. He dissects how Dallas is breaking from the new NBA norm of shooting threes and is carving out their own identity in the paint. Plus, he ponders the question...do the Boston Celtics really need Kristaps Porziņģis?

The Mavericks responded to their 4-game losing streak with a 4-game winning streak, and Esrael has the stats to break down why Dallas has been more successful despite losing Luka Dončić. He'll also look at new teams to watch as they start to build identities, and he'll provide an update on the NBA Cup standings in group play.