On this week’s episode of Off Panel, things take a turn in a different direction as David welcomes Grantland’s Jason Concepcion to the show to talk comics and basketball. The pair discuss how Concepcion first got into comics, what he’s currently reading, Jonathan Hickman, Rob Liefeld, the beginnings of his basketball love, Pacers vs. Knicks, why there’s such an overlap between hoops and comic fandoms, and then they jump into an NBA season preview done Off Panel style. That means they discuss their five League Pass team picks for the season and then attempt to figure out who the comic character equivalent is to ten of the NBA’s most interesting people. And no, Tim Duncan is not the Punisher.

Of note, this was recorded two weekends ago, thus explaining why Anthony Bennett was discussed as a TWolf.

Not an NBA fan? There’s still plenty to love here, anyways. If you’re curious about some of the basketball references, here are some quality links for you to watch:

– Reggie Miller’s 25 points in the fourth quarter against the Knicks in the 1994 NBA Playoffs
– Reggie Miller’s 8 points in 9 seconds
– Larry Johnson’s 4-point play
– Chris Paul losing his mind when DeAndre Jordan wouldn’t put the ball back up against the Blazers
– Spurs coach Gregg Popovich doing interviews

You can find Jason on Twitter (seriously, follow him – one of the best follows on Twitter) and his work at Grantland. Are you a Game of Thrones fan? Make sure to read his column Ask the Maester while the show is on. It’s essential.

Also, for good measure, here’s Stephen Curry’s Nightcrawler-esque moves mentioned in the podcast.

Have a question for Off Panel? You can reach David by email and Twitter.

Want to listen on the go? Download the show here. You can also subscribe to the show on iTunes or follow the show on its LibSyn page.

Cover art from “Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E.” by Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen and “Hellboy” by Mike Mignola. Intro music is Yo La Tengo’s “Periodically Double or Triple”, used with their permission (if they remember…I swear it’s true YLT!).