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Luka makes Clippers look old, Suns are in big trouble & a preemptive funeral for Lakers | Good Word with Goodwill Apr 24, 2024

Show notes

Vincent Goodwill and Tom Haberstroh break down last night’s NBA Playoffs action and preview several games for tonight and tomorrow.

00:00 - Introduction

01:30 - Mavericks tie up series with Clippers

12:35 - Suns in trouble with Timberwolves

21:30 - Pacers tie up series, Bucks need Giannis

28:25 - Nuggets/Lakers Game 3

33:25 - Celtics/Heat Game 2

38:50 - Thunder/Pelicans Game 2

45:30 - Top 5 all-time NBA rookie seasons

On this episode of the Good Word with Goodwill, Yahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill is joined by longtime NBA analyst Tom Haberstroh to break down everything that’s going on in the NBA Playoffs.

Vince was at last night’s Dallas Mavericks win over the Los Angeles Clippers, so the guys start by talking about how Luka Doncic made James Harden, Kawhi Leonard and even Paul George look like old players that were past their prime. How is it going to look when the series moves to Dallas for game 3?

The Phoenix Suns are down 0-2 to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and facing a grim reality of what their offseason might look like with no way to pivot out of this roster and nothing but disappointment coming from this season. If they end up losing in 4 or 5 games, Vinnie and Tom agree that it might be time to talk about another Kevin Durant trade (maybe back to OKC?)

The Indiana Pacers were the first road team to win in the NBA Playoffs this year, and they did it by speeding up their offense and running the Milwaukee Bucks to death. The Bucks are hoping Giannis Antetokounmpo can return quickly and be the solution to their defensive (and offensive) issues.

Vinnie tells Tom that he’s wearing all black to tomorrow night’s Nuggets-Lakers game 3 in Los Angeles because he’s viewing it as a funeral for their championship chances. Tom has an incredible stat about Nikola Jokic that goes a long way towards explaining exactly why the Lakers can’t seem to beat the Denver Nuggets.

Vinnie has lost hope for the Miami Heat stealing a game from the Boston Celtics in that 1st round matchup, but Tom hasn’t! He explains why the Miami defense is set to do much better in game 2 than they did in game 1.

The New Orleans Pelicans gave the Oklahoma City Thunder all they could handle in game 1, proving the theory that the Pelicans are at their best when either Zion Williamson or Brandon Ingram is not in the lineup. What happens when Zion returns? And do the Pelicans need to trade one of them in the offseason?

Finally, Producer John asks Vince and Tom to list off their 5 best NBA rookie seasons of all time just to find out if either of them would include Victor Wembanyama.

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Knicks & Nuggets take 2-0 leads while 76ers & Lakers complain about officiating | Devine Intervention Apr 23, 2024

Show notes

Dan Devine and Seerat Sohi from The Ringer break down the first few games of the NBA Playoffs by using press conference clichés.

00:00 - Count me in!

03:40 - The Knicks’ ‘Nova boys!

12:30 - Anthony Edwards / Jalen Williams

22:15 - 76ers & Lakers complain about officiating

35:40 - Nobody believes in the Cavs

43:00 - Seerat doesn’t believe in the Bucks

46:10 - The Closing Five

60:15 - Weekly recommendations

On this episode of Devine Intervention, Dan Devine is joined by Seerat Sohi from The Ringer to break down some of their favorite stories coming out of the first handful of games in the NBA Playoffs.

When discussing what brings her joy from the world of basketball, Seerat mentions the New York Knicks “Nova Boys” (Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart & Donte DiVincenzo). Not only are they great on the court together, their public appearances and press conferences are hilarious, including last night’s after their win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Using the typical cliché of “He’s got that dog in him”, Dan and Seerat talk about how great Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder have been despite both of them being so young and inexperienced.

Both the Sixers and the Los Angeles Lakers were loudly critical of the officiating in their losses on Monday night, and Seerat says that the 76ers actually do have some valid complaints while the Lakers seem to be focusing on everything but the huge lead they gave away to the Denver Nuggets in the 2nd half.

When asked which team that has had early success still hasn’t earned belief in them, Dan digs into some of the concerning underlying numbers of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are still soundly beating the Orlando Magic every chance they get. Meanwhile, Seerat explains that she doesn’t really believe in the Milwaukee Bucks and doesn’t see how a team with such a tumultuous season can right the ship in the playoffs.

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Dame sinks the Pacers, Celtics-Heat controversy, plus injury concerns for Kawhi & Embiid | Good Word with Goodwill Apr 22, 2024

Show notes

On this episode of the Good Word with Goodwill podcast, Yahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill is joined by former NBA front office member Amin Elhassan to react to almost every Round 1 series in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

00:00 - Introduction

02:15 - Bucks / Pacers

07:00 - Thunder / Pelicans

14:30 - Celtics / Heat

22:55 - Clippers / Mavericks

34:40 - Nuggets / Lakers

43:05 - NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award

46:05 - Knicks / 76ers

53:00 - Timberwolves / Suns

Amin kicks things off by talking about the value of experience in the NBA Playoffs, which is one of the reasons he picked the Bucks to beat the Pacers and thinks Damian Lillard (and, eventually, Giannis) can lead Milwaukee to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Oklahoma City Thunder squeaked out a win against a less talented, but more experienced, Pelicans roster. How far can such a young team go in the playoffs before they’re truly tested?

Despite a blowout win by the Celtics, there was some controversy late in their matchup against the Miami Heat. Vince and Amin explain why Brian Scalabrine was wrong, and why they think the play was “clumsy” and not dirty.

The Clippers blew out the Mavericks without help from Kawhi Leonard, thanks to a big game from James Harden. The guys discuss how far the Clippers can go without their best player and what the Mavericks need to do to counter the LA defense.

Speaking of LA defense, the Lakers played a great game against the Denver Nuggets and it simply did not matter. Because the Denver Nuggets are playing at a different level, a championship level, than just about everyone else right now.

Anthony Davis had a good game, but complained afterwards about being left out of the Defensive Player of the Year conversation. Vinnie explains why he didn’t vote for AD, and Amin argues for Bam Adebayo as the best defensive player in basketball.

The health of Joel Embiid’s knee is the main concern for the Philadelphia 76ers and they look to even the series against the New York Knicks, a tough team with a villainous fanbase (according to Amin). Are we sure he’s not making things worse by continuing to play on it?

Finally, Vince and Amin talk about the relationship between Anthony Edwards and Kevin Durant through the spectrum of The Lion King. Trust us, it ends up making sense.

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NBA PLAYOFFS: 76ers advance to face the Knicks & Eastern Conference playoffs preview | No Cap Room Apr 18, 2024

Show notes

Jake Fischer and Fred Katz recap the 76ers and Bulls wins in the NBA Play-In Tournament last night and preview each of the Eastern Conference first round matchups.

00:00 - Hello friends!

01:30 - 76ers defeat Heat

12:55 - Knicks vs. 76ers series preview

30:50 - Bulls defeat Hawks

32:45 - Who should the Hawks trade?

39:55 - Cavaliers vs. Magic series preview

48:00 - Bucks vs. Pacers series preview

On this episode of No Cap Room, Yahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Jake Fischer is joined by The Athletic’s Fred Katz, who covers the New York Knicks and the NBA at large.

The guys start with the big game last night, which saw the Philadelphia 76ers escape with a 1-point win over the Miami Heat after Joel Embiid and Nicolas Batum caught fire in the 4th quarter.

Jake was there, and talks about how seriously everyone around the Sixers wanted to win to avoid the Boston Celtics. Fred says that’s the right call, and explains that anything less than a conference championship will be a huge disappointment for the Celtics.

Embiid still doesn’t look like himself against the Heat, but he’ll probably benefit from facing the Knicks’ man-to-man defense instead of Miami’s zone defense. The biggest question coming out of this series is how the Knicks can keep their offense afloat when Jalen Brunson is on the bench.

The Bulls beat up on the Hawks last night, in a game that served as the announcement of Coby White’s arrival. Jake says he views White as an all-star caliber player now, and thinks the Bulls have a chance to beat Miami if Jimmy Butler’s knee keeps him out of Friday’s game.

The Hawks, who have the worst defense amongst non-tanking teams, have some big questions to answer this offseason. The biggest one being which of their two star guards (Trae Young & Dejounte Murray) should they trade over the offseason.

The Cavaliers might’ve angered the basketball gods by tanking the end of the season, and their reward will be an Orlando Magic team that can match them in terms of size and can beat them with physicality.

The Bucks, meanwhile, will be without Giannis Antetokounmpo for at least the first part of their series against the Pacers. This series has some drama in it from the In-Season Tournament, but it’s also a terrible matchup for the Bucks’ defense. How far can Damian Lillard carry the team without Giannis?

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Lakers advance, Warriors dynasty is over & Western Conference playoffs preview | Good Word with Goodwill Apr 17, 2024

Show notes

Vincent Goodwill and Nekias Duncan discuss Tuesday night’s play-in games, discuss the Warriors’ future, and preview every Western Conference playoff matchup.

00:00 - Introduction

02:45 - Lakers defeat Pelicans

08:35 - Kings at Pelicans play-in game preview

11:40 - Kings defeat Warriors

14:15 - What’s the Warriors’ future?

25:15 - Thunder vs. #8 seed

29:10 - Nuggets vs. Lakers

37:30 - Timberwolves vs. Suns

47:30 - Clippers vs. Mavericks

On this episode of the Good Word with Goodwill podcast, Yahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill is joined by Nekias Duncan from The Dunker Spot to talk about the NBA Play-In Tournament and the first round matchups from the Western Conference of the NBA Playoffs.

The guys start with Zion Williamson, who played a heroic game against the Los Angeles Lakers before exiting with a hamstring injury that helped lead to a New Orleans Pelicans loss and will keep him out against the Sacramento Kings on Friday.

Speaking of the Kings, they played fantastic against the Golden State Warriors and had the game well in hand before the end of the third quarter. After talking about the Kings’ gameplan and performance, Vince and Nekias spend some time wondering what the Warriors can do this offseason to try and turn their fortunes around.

The Los Angeles Lakers, after beating the Pelicans, get a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets. While it will not be easy, both Nekias and Vinnie lay out ways in which the Lakers could maybe steal a game or two away from the defending NBA champions.

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns is a first-round series loaded with star power and brimming with fun matchups. Who will Rudy Gobert defend when the Suns go small? How will the Suns create an offense beyond contested shots? There are plenty of questions to be answered heading into this one.

Finally, the Dallas Mavericks are traveling to Los Angeles for the first two games against the Clippers. These two teams are facing off in the playoffs for the third time in recent memory, and much of the analysis heading into the series is wondering how healthy Kawhi Leonard’s knees are.

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts

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NBA Play-In preview, MVP race & Wembanyama's future with Bomani Jones | Good Word with Goodwill Apr 15, 2024

Show notes

Vincent Goodwill and Bomani Jones preview the NBA Play-in Tournament, wonder how good Victor Wembanyama will be next year, and tell you their picks for some year-end awards.

00:00 - Introduction

07:45 - Lakers in the play-in

11:45 - Michael Porter Jr.

16:00 - Zion Williamson

20:25 - Warriors in the play-in

26:30 - 76ers vs. Heat

31:20 - Suns vs. Timberwolves

37:35 - Victor Wembanyama

42:00 - MVP race

45:55 - James Harden

49:10 - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

54:15 - Defensive Player of the Year

58:50 - Bomani’s NBA Playoffs picks

On this episode of the Good Word with Goodwill, Yahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill is joined by Bomani Jones to preview the NBA Play-in Tournament.

After talking for a bit about Carmelo Anthony and David Stern, the guys talk about where the Lakers are in the play-in and explain why getting the Nuggets early in the playoffs might be better for LA than getting them late.

Zion Williamson is still waiting for his signature NBA game, after flaming out in the NBA In-Season Tournament, and now everyone wants to see how he’ll perform under the spotlight of the NBA Playoffs.

The Warriors will travel to Sacramento to face the Kings, but the big questions surrounding Golden State are more about the state of their team than the matchup in front of them. Are there big changes coming to this dynasty in the offseason? How would this team be viewed differently if they didn’t have four championships?

Bomani explains why he has a hard time believing in the 76ers while Vinnie wonders why the Cavaliers are so eager to avoid a rematch with the Knicks.

Instead of talking about Hawks/Bulls, the guys instead talk about how fun it will be to watch Kevin Durant’s Suns go up against Anthony Edwards’ Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs because of how dynamic and entertaining both players are on, and off, the court.

The guys spend some time talking about their favorites for MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, leading to a conversation about where Wembanyama will rank in the NBA next season.

Finally, Bomani gives his picks to win the East, West and the Larry O’Brien Trophy at the end of the podcast.

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts

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Jrue Holiday's contract extension, Paolo Banchero comps & playoff legacies on the line | No Cap Room Apr 11, 2024

Show notes

Dan Devine and Tom Haberstroh react to the news of Jrue Holiday’s contract extension with the Celtics, come up with comps for Magic forward Paolo Banchero and discuss which players have the most to gain, or lose, in this year’s NBA Playoffs.

00:00 - Hello friends!

01:30 - Jrue Holiday signs extension with Celtics

06:20 - Paolo Banchero comps

31:10 - OG Anunoby & the Knicks

43:25 - Who has the most on the line in the NBA Playoffs?

44:15 - Jayson Tatum

50:10 - Cleveland Cavaliers

52:40 - Damian Lillard

56:10 - Zion Williamson

On this episode of No Cap Room, Yahoo Sports senior NBA writer Dan Devine is joined by Tom Haberstroh to do a whole bunch of previewing of the 2023-24 NBA Playoffs, but first…

The Boston Celtics announced yesterday that Jrue Holiday had signed a 4-year contract extension, keeping almost their entire team together through all of next season before even getting a chance to see what they do in the playoffs this year. Dan and Tom provide their reactions to the news, and explain how Holiday’s role has changed since being traded to the Celtics.

Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic are likely headed to the playoffs, which will provide him with an opportunity to introduce himself to a national TV audience that hasn’t seen much of him since his days at Duke. Dan and Tom try their best to explain what kind of basketball player Banchero is for anyone who has never seen him play, and end up finding a bunch of fun nicknames for Mark Aguirre along the way.

OG Anunoby has been amazing for the New York Knicks since being traded away from the Toronto Raptors, and Tom has some stats to back up exactly how good he’s been as a member of the Knicks. Without Julius Randle, who underwent shoulder surgery last week, the guys wonder if OG Anunoby (who is playing through an elbow injury) could possibly get the Knicks to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Finally, Dan and Tom each made a list of the players who have the most to gain (or lose) in this year’s NBA Playoffs. Listen to find out just how much is on the line for Jayson Tatum, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Damian Lillard, Zion Williamson, most of the Los Angeles Clippers and Rudy Gobert.

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts

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Giannis’ calf injury, Suns lose their powers & Wemby’s case for All-Defense | Good Word with Goodwill Apr 10, 2024

Show notes

Vincent Goodwill talks through a crazy NBA night that included a serious injury for Giannis, the Clippers embarrassing the Suns and another breakout game for Victor Wembanyama.

00:00 - Introduction

01:30 - Giannis Antetokounmpo injury

12:20 - Knicks 128, Bulls 117

13:30 - Clippers 105, Suns 92

18:10 - Warriors 134, Lakers 120

24:25 - What’s on the line in the Eastern Conference?

29:40 - Vincent’s All-Defense team (1st draft)

48:40 - NBA viewing guide

On this episode of the Good Word with Goodwill, Yahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill recaps a wild night for the NBA, starting with a calf injury for Giannis Antetokounmpo that originally had people wondering if he had torn his Achilles right before the playoffs.

The Chicago Bulls are an unserious team, which explains why two of their players were fighting over alley-oops while down 10 to Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks.

The Phoenix Suns’ big 3 looked like they had lost their basketball powers while getting stomped by Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers last night. They’ll have a chance to redeem themselves tonight when these two teams play again.

The Golden State Warriors have quietly been one of the better teams in the league since the end of January, and they proved it again by taking care of business against the Los Angeles Lakers (without Anthony Davis) last night. Could they catch the Lakers for the #9 seed before the end of the season?

There are a lot of big changes coming to the Eastern Conference teams this offseason, and the playoffs will determine which teams are making big moves. Vinnie talks about what is at stake for teams like the Bucks, Heat, Celtics and more. Producer John wonders if anyone can beat the 76ers in the 1st round of the NBA playoffs.

It’s almost time for voters to submit their ballots for year-end NBA wards, so Vince lets listeners into his process for voting on the All-Defense team, which includes a certain rookie down in San Antonio.

Finally, Producer John and Vinnie talk about tonight’s important game between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves, who are currently tied for 1st place in the Western Conference.

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2023-24 NBA year-end awards anxiety | Devine Intervention Apr 09, 2024

Show notes

Dan Devine and Ben Golliver talk their way through some of the NBA’s year-end awards and explain why they have anxiety about voting.

00:00 - Count me in!

04:20 - NBA’s 65-game threshold worked!

09:00 - NBA awards anxiety

13:05 - Jokic for MVP?

20:00 - Rookie of the Year

25:05 - All-Defense

29:00 - Most Improved Player

36:30 - All-NBA

40:30 - The Closing Five

55:30 - Weekly recommendations

On this episode of Devine Intervention, Yahoo Sports senior NBA writer Dan Devine has anxiety about his ballot for some of the NBA’s year-end awards and he welcomes Ben Golliver from the Washington Post to help him try and sort some of it out.

First, Ben explains why the NBA’s 65-game threshold for year-end awards has worked. More NBA stars played more games this year than last year, which means less fans ended up disappointed when going to a game or tuning in on TV. That’s great!

Dan talks a bit about his own anxiety in putting together his ballot for year-end awards, while Ben explains why he no longer has a ballot and what his voting process was when he did.

The guys discuss the toxicity around the NBA MVP conversation the last few years and wonder if Joel Embiid is right when he says that this year’s MVP race is boring. Can anyone catch Nikola Jokic?

Rookie of the year is pretty much settled, and the guys spend some time talking about just how great Victor Wembanyama already is, but the real question is who to vote for after Wemby and Chet Holmgren.

The rules around voting for All-Defense has changed this year, and Dan wonders if anyone will be crazy enough to submit a first-team that is nothing but bigs. Ben explains why that’s crazy and why he would judge anyone who does that as “not knowing ball”.

What is the criteria for Most Improved Player? Can it be a 2nd year player? Is the leap from good to great harder than going from bad to good? Is this award a lock for Tyrese Maxey or can Jalen Williams jump in front?

The rules around voting for All-NBA have also changed, but the guys are more interested in whether team success should have a factor in how many players from that team make All-NBA.

We end the podcast with The Closing Five, where we learn a lot about moose, and weekly recommendations.

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts

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Caitlin Clark’s WNBA future, the Bucks' problems & the Knicks’ playoff path with Monica McNutt | Good Word with Goodwill Apr 08, 2024

Show notes

Vincent Goodwill is joined by New York Knicks broadcaster and ESPN personality Monica McNutt to discuss women’s basketball and the NBA’s Eastern Conference.

00:00 - Introduction

02:40 - Women’s NCAA Tournament

16:15 - Can the Cavs get out of the 1st round?

21:45 - What’s wrong with the Bucks?

29:00 - New York Knicks

54:40 - How will Caitlin Clark fare in the WNBA?

On this episode of the Good Word with Goodwill, Yahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill is joined by New York Knicks broadcaster and ESPN personality Monica McNutt.

Vince and Monica start with the controversial foul call in the women’s NCAA tournament on Friday before giving Dawn Staley her flowers as one of the best coaches in women’s basketball history.

The Cleveland Cavaliers could be setting up for another 1st round playoff matchup with the New York Knicks, but nobody has much confidence in them without Donovan Mitchell.

The Milwaukee Bucks have a losing record with Doc Rivers as their head coach, and Vinnie wonders if this team is just broken. Monica thinks she knows what this year’s Bucks team is missing, and it provides some optimism for next year’s Bucks.

Vince and Monica spend most of the back-half of the podcast talking about the New York Knicks, who seem like a different team when OG Anunoby plays and might be able to survive in the playoffs without Julius Randle. Did they benefit the most from the “new rules” on how refs are calling NBA games? Who do they most want to play in the 1st round of the playoffs? Can they top the Boston Celtics in a series?

Before wrapping up, Monica tells us what to expect from Caitlin Clark in the WNBA next season and explains why she’s not a sure thing to win Rookie of the Year.

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts

📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv

🖥️ Subscribe to the all new Yahoo Sports NBA channel on YouTube!

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