The Control Room with Esrael Yohannes
The Control Room is a show that provides a mostly unknown perspective of a sports broadcaster who’s behind the scenes. Specifically, one who obtains stats and displays them on graphics. This show will expand on stats you know, teach you stats you don’t know, and detail the production of a sports broadcast in a way you haven’t heard before. Welcome to The Control Room. This is an independent project and is not associated with Bally Sports or any other sports network.
Episodes
In this episode, Esrael is joined by Mavs Live Host Dana Larson, who has covered the Mavericks for 22 seasons in its 44-year existence! She talks about her sports TV career, how she stays prepared, her favorite memories of the Mavericks, and she and Esrael recap Dallas's 2023-24 NBA Season after falling short in the NBA Finals.
On the 13th anniversary of the Dallas Mavericks winning their first and only NBA championship, Esrael is joined by colleague Michaela Lewis, the Mavericks Basketball Graphics Producer. Michaela runs graphics for Mavs games on their local broadcasts and has an even closer perspective on the Mavs over the last 3 seasons. She goes over her broadcasting career, her time covering the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks, and she a...
The 2024 NBA Finals are set between the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics! First, Esrael puts a bow on the Conference Finals, then he breaks down stats pertaining to both teams' strengths and weaknesses. He gives his official Finals prediction at the end of the episode. Here's to the Finals!
We've reached the Conference Finals, and the Dallas Mavericks are still dancing! Esrael breaks down how they've succeeded against the Minnesota Timberwolves to take a 2-0 series lead by laying the foundation with their success against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He'll also share his Conference Finals predictions and celebrate the All-NBA selections for this season.
The Dallas Mavericks & the Oklahoma City Thunder will face off in the Western Conference Semifinals! Esrael breaks down how the Mavs took down the Clippers, as well as his main concern for the upcoming series against the Thunder. He'll also recap his picks from the 1st round and give predictions for the 2nd round.
Mavs-Thunder Series Preview: S01E20 - Apple Podcasts
The one and only Erin Hartigan joins Esrael to talk about their experiences in athletics and broadcasting and how they use their skillsets to create a compelling show for the basketball fan. They also break down what went wrong for the New Orleans Pelicans in their first two games in Oklahoma City and what they need to do to bounce back and avoid elimination.
The first interview of The Control Room features Dave Evans, Esrael's former professor of Sports Broadcasting at Baylor University. He was the Coordinating Producer at Fox/Bally Sports Southwest, Oklahoma, and New Orleans. He also served the Dallas Mavericks as their Director of Broadcasting for 14 years. Esrael & Dave discuss Dave's career, including the technology advancements he's seen and the challenges he's overcome from h...
As March Madness continues, Esrael takes a look at the red-hot Mavericks and what's helped them win 9 of their last 10 games. He also looks at the Pelicans and CJ McCollum to fill the void left by Brandon Ingram as well as the Thunder and their recent 2nd Chance success. Plus, a preview of some potential playoff matchups.
Luka Doncic and Daniel Gafford both made NBA history in the last several games, and Esrael has all the stats to break them down. And as the NBA season reaches the last 16 games, Esrael takes a look at what the Mavs, Pelicans, and Thunder all have ahead of them as they all make a playoff push.
The Mavs are broken, and it's partly because of the Strus juice. Esrael breaks down Dallas's plays and mistakes from the last 5 minutes of the Mavs-Cavs game. He also takes a look at the high-flying Pelicans after their wins against the Knicks & Pacers as well as the Thunder's quest for best in the West.
The NBA All-Star Weekend is in the rearview mirror, and the Mavs, Pelicans, and Thunder each have interesting paths to the playoffs. Esrael breaks down where each team has improved and/or where they may have trouble as contending teams look to finish the season on a high note.
The NBA Trade Deadline has come and gone, so Esrael breaks down what the Mavericks, Pelicans, and Thunder did or did not do at the deadline, and he also provides a brief outlook for what each team must look out for. Then, he recaps Week 16 for those three teams, and he also provides a tease to what's coming the next couple of weeks as well as a Super Bowl LVIII prediction.
One of the hottest debates in the basketball world right now is the NBA's 65-game rule, and Esrael has some thoughts on it. He'll explain the purpose of the rule as well as its biggest flaw. Plus, he'll touch on how he feels about Luka being 6th in the MVP race, and he'll also look at the best games from the Mavs, Pelicans, and Thunder from Week 15.
This week, the NBA saw 2 players score 60+ PTS on the same night...TWICE. Luka's performance, however, was the best of them, and Esrael breaks down the Mavs' response to their recent struggles. He also looks at the matchup between the Pelicans and Thunder, as well as the 2024 All-Star Starters that have been announced.
The NBA has reached the halfway point, and Esrael has data on how the Mavs', Pelicans', and Thunder's seasons have gone so far. He'll also give some insight as to where they can improve to come out strong in the second half of the season.
This week, Esrael breaks down the start of the Mavs' longest homestand of the season and their huge victory against the Knicks without Luka Doncic. He also looks at the hot offense and suffocating defense of the Pelicans while diving deeper into the Thunder's issues with second chance points.
In the first episode of 2024, Esrael breaks down the Mavs' post-Christmas struggles, then he talks about their first win of their 7-game homestand. He then gives out advanced stats about the Pelicans' recent rise through their 4-game win streak, and then he looks at the Thunder's big win against the Celtics. He'll also give news on NBA All-Star voting.
For the last episode of 2023, Esrael recaps Week 9 in the NBA for the Mavericks, including all the milestones Luka Doncic hit on Christmas Day in Phoenix, as well as for the Pelicans and the Thunder throughout the week. He also takes a quick look at the NBA Christmas slate and previews what's to come in 2024.
What We Learned From The NBA Christmas Day Games | The Dunker Spot
It's the holiday season, and Christmas in the NBA is almost here! Esrael recaps Week 8 for the Mavericks, Pelicans, and Thunder as they each navigate their trials and triumphs and look to solidify their standing in the loaded Western Conference. He also previews the NBA Christmas slate.
Merry Christmas!
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