NBA Playoffs: Lillard sinks the Pacers, Celtics-Heat controversy, plus injury concerns for Kawhi & Embiid

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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.

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.

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

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