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In this week’s episode of Slate’s sports podcast Hang Up and Listen, Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Mike Pesca discuss the NBA playoffs, including the great coaching of Tom Thibodeau and Mark Jackson, the Oklahoma City Thunder in a post-Russell Westbrook world, and the masterful shooting of Stephen Curry. They also talk about the spitball accusations being thrown at Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz. Finally, they explore Spelman College’s decision to cut all of its sports and whether other schools could follow its lead and abandon the NCAA.

Here are links to some of the articles and other items mentioned on the show:

• The Chicago Bulls have a whole lot of injured players.
• It took a long time for the Bulls’ Tom Thibodeau to get a shot as an NBA head coach.
• How did Golden State beat Denver in Round 1? “Nothing but God,” says Mark Jackson.
• ESPN.com’s Tom Haberstroh reveals that Joakim Noah and Luol Deng run more than any other players in the NBA.
• Grantland’s Zach Lowe on the Thunder without Russell Westbrook.
• Kevin Pelton investigates whether Stephen Curry is the best shooter ever.
• Toronto Blue Jays broadcaster Jack Morris accused Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz of throwing a spitball.
• Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci on the “truth about Clay Buchholz, spitballs and how pitchers get a grip.”
• Fangraphs’ history of spitball accusations.
• MLB’s Rule 8.02, which bans the “shine ball, spit ball, mud ball, or emery ball.”
• Joe Niekro’s famed emery board incident.
• A 1967 SI feature on “the infamous spitter.”
• In 1955, MLB commissioner Ford Frick said he wanted to make the spitter legal again.
• A video from 2012 that supposedly shows Jose Valverde throwing a spitball.
• The New York Times on Spelman College dropping sports.
• A 2001 Sports Illustrated story on teams moving up to Division I.
• Morris Brown College tried to move to Division I. It eventually dropped sports and filed for bankruptcy.
• The Patriot League added football scholarships in 2012.

Hang Up and Listen’s weekly shine balls:

• Mike’s shine ball: Baseball writer Hal McCoy, who is now legally blind, gets to the ballpark with the help of Ray Snedegar.
• Stefan’s shine ball: The Baseball Reliquary has enshrined Eddie Feigner, Lefty O’Doul, and Manny Mota. Up next in 2014: Glenn Burke.
• Josh’s shine ball: Introducing Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole, the Canadian hosts of Fox’s new SportsCenter competitor.

Podcast production and edit by Mike Vuolo.

You can e-mail us at hangup@slate.com.