Steve Kuhn on NBA Finals and Probability Cup

Steve Kuhn on NBA Finals and Probability Cup

Author: Ethan Strauss June 11, 2026 Duration: 51:47

We’re podcasting per the launch of the World Cup-tracking Probability Cup, but of course, just had to talk about Wednesday night’s NBA Finals classic. The BIG question on my mind: Should predictors/gamblers price in the NBA’s massive incentive to make this great series continue? Topics!

* Knicks–Spurs Finals comeback analysis and whether San Antonio collapsed or New York surged.

* How teams should manage volatility differently when protecting large leads versus playing from behind.

* Debate over NBA referee incentives, league interests, and the possibility of series-extension bias.

* SportsPredict’s World Cup Probability Cup and using prediction contests to identify analytical talent.

* Whether modern hiring should adopt a “Moneyball” approach by measuring forecasting skill instead of relying on traditional credentials.

* Is the big money in studying idiot sports predictors or geniuses?

Again, join our Probability Cup contest and perhaps win an iPad Pro ($1,000 value) or $200 Ticketmaster gift card. Accept the challenge and learn more at sportspredict.com/probabilitycup.

House of Strauss is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

Ethan Strauss hosts the House of Strauss, a podcast that operates on a simple premise: the games we watch are never just games. They are reflections of our culture, our politics, and our rapidly evolving relationship with technology. Each episode digs into the collisions and convergences between these seemingly separate worlds. You might hear a deep analysis of an NBA dynasty followed by a conversation about how artificial intelligence is reshaping the media that covers it, or a debate on a political headline examined through the lens of a stadium funding fight. The discussions are built on the understanding that the playing field, the voting booth, and the Silicon Valley boardroom are increasingly part of the same conversation about power, money, and the future. This isn't about hot takes for their own sake, but about tracing the deeper connections that explain why we care so much about sports and what they tell us about everything else. Tune in for thoughtful, often unpredictable explorations where a debate about league policy can easily spiral into a discussion about societal change, all guided by Strauss's curious and contrarian perspective. The House of Strauss podcast is where the passion for competition meets a critical examination of the forces shaping it.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

House of Strauss
Podcast Episodes
Narrated: 5 Articles [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:59
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comTrying something new and curious what you all think. Instead of separating this week’s articles into their own narrations, I combined th…
Wosny Lambre on Sexual Taboos in the Sports Workplace [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:13
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comHonestly, this was one of the most enjoyable podcasts for me. I credit the WNBA, everyone’s favorite league, and also give thanks to the…
Spike Eskin: NBA, Nike, UBS, Diana Russini [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:50
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comSpike Eskin got into it with Sopan Deb of the New York Times and became a character in my article on UBS blaming the NBA for Nike woes.…
Tom Haberstroh on the NBA Star Injury EPIDEMIC [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:40
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comOur guy Tom Haberstroh is here to discuss an article of his that sent shockwaves throughout the NBA. What’s going on with this “alarming…
Ryan Glasspiegel on NBA TOPICS [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:19
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comThe greatest sports media podcast in all the land returns as Ryan and I get into some NBA heavy chatter, with a side of Roger Goodell’s…
Kyle Porter: Is This Golf's Moment? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:33
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comKyle Porter from Normal Sport is a thoughtful commentator who thinks about a lot more than just the sport he covers. So I wanted to pres…
Matt Klinman Tests My Political Compass [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01:36
Some of you have asked where I am on politics these days, so my best friend and occasional main antagonist decided to objectively gauge it. In this episode, Matt and I go through every question of the famous Political Co…
Ryan Glasspiegel: MLB vs. NBA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:20
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comOur man Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports is here to discuss how Ross Barkan and others are joining his MLB > NBA bandwagon. Is it…
Arguing WOJ and Luke Kornet on Basketball Illuminati [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:26:22
I visited the friendly confines of Basketball Illuminati, only to be at a severe rhetorical disadvantage versus Amin Elhassan. He was strongly anti Luke Kornet’s criticism of now cancelled Magic City Night, and argued th…
Andrew Sharp on Anthropic, America, NBA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:53
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comIt’s a convoluted world out there and I trust Stratechery’s Andrew Sharp to help us navigate it. In this podcast we humble former NBA me…