Vincent Goodwill and Tom Haberstroh talk about the Thunder and Celtics taking game 1 of their series and discuss issues with NBA officiating.

00:00 - Introduction

01:45 - Thunder 117, Mavericks 95 (OKC leads series 1-0)

23:30 - Celtics 120, Cavaliers 95 (BOS leads series 1-0)

26:50 - Knicks / Pacers officiating

33:25 - Jalen Brunson

40:30 - Timberwolves / Nuggets officiating

48:00 - Top 5 NBA Playoffs breakout performances

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

The guys start in Oklahoma City, where the Thunder defense looked too big, too strong and too energetic for Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks to handle. Are the Thunder just the better team or is Luka’s high usage rate going to sink the Mavericks?

As expected, the Boston Celtics cruised to an easy victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers, even without Kristaps Porzingis. Vinnie and Tom talk about Jayson Tatum, who has been Boston’s 3rd best player amidst a poor playoff run by him and it hasn’t mattered at all. Tom wonders if he’s just keeping himself fresh for the later rounds.

The end of game 1 between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers was a mess due to inconsistent officiating. Tom and Vince talk about what calls they wish were, or weren’t, called and why the players are right to complain about the refs in this postseason.

Jalen Brunson, similar to Luka Doncic, has been carrying a high usage rate for the Knicks and the guys are wondering how long he’ll be able to keep it up. Tom digs through the stats to show that, historically, offenses built around one player with a high usage rate doesn’t typically equal playoff success.

Back to the officiating, Tom wants to talk about what happened in game 2 between the Nuggets and Timberwolves because he has a theory as to why Jamal Murray felt empowered to throw a towel and a heat pack at a referee. Meanwhile, Vinnie has a theory as to why Michael Malone wasn’t given a technical foul when he was screaming in the same ref’s face.

Finally, Producer John asks the guys to give their Top 5 best playoff breakout performances. The type of games that announce to the world that a new star is taking over the league and the old star’s time is done, similar to what Anthony Edwards did to Kevin Durant in round 1 this year. And, as per usual, the guys go digging in the crates and find examples from the 80s and 90s.

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Dan Devine and Adam Mares discuss the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves after Monday night’s game 2.

00:00 - Count me in!

03:00 - NBA Joy - Minnesota Timberwolves

05:30 - What’s wrong with the Denver Nuggets?

33:15 - Anthony Edwards

37:25 - The Closing Five

49:15 - Weekly recommendations

On this episode of Devine Intervention, Yahoo Sports senior NBA writer Dan Devine is joined by Adam Mares from DNVR to try and figure out what has happened to the reigning champs that has them down 2-0 in their series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

But first, Dan asks Adam to list something from the world of basketball that is bringing him joy and Adam picks….the Minnesota Timberwolves! They’re playing great basketball right now and are a joy to watch, even if they’re beating the team that Adam roots for.

Dan and Adam then have a long conversation about a number of things that have gone wrong in Denver this year and seem to be causing issues for the Nuggets since the start of the NBA Playoffs. Can the Nuggets win if Jamal Murray doesn’t get better? Will Jamal Murray be suspended? Are we sure the GM and head coach are on the same page? What if this roster has just expired and nobody realized it yet?

Before moving on to The Closing Five and weekly recommendations, the guys take a few minutes to talk about Anthony Edwards, who appears to be one of the best leaders in the entire NBA despite being just 22-years old. Dan and Adam both relay some of their favorite moments from his recent press conferences that show how coach-like he already is.

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Vincent Goodwill and The Athletic’s Fred Katz talk through the Cavaliers game 7 win on Sunday, the offseason ahead of the Magic (and Lakers) and preview the Knicks / Pacers 2nd round series.

00:00 - Introduction

02:40 - Cavs beat Magic, win series

10:10 - What’s next for the Magic?

21:20 - Knicks vs. Pacers series preview

40:40 - Lakers search for a new head coach

On this episode of the Good Word with Goodwill, Yahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill welcomes Fred Katz from The Athletic to the show.

The NBA Playoffs have officially moved past the first round and into the Conference Semifinals, with the last game taking place on Sunday between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic.

The Cavaliers won the game, and probably saved a few people from getting fired, on the strength of another outstanding playoff performance by Donovan Mitchell.

The Magic, meanwhile, played like a young team when the game mattered most. But that’s because they are a young team! And they have lots of opportunities to improve their roster in the upcoming offseason. Vince and Fred talk about what they liked, and didn’t like, from the Magic and what they are looking for on the trade and free agent markets for Orlando.

Fred is about as locked in as you can be to the New York Knicks, so he’s the perfect guy to help us preview their Conference Semifinal series against the Indiana Pacers. The guys hit this series from all angles and wonder how the Pacers will try to play defense against Jalen Brunson.

Finally, the Los Angeles Lakers fired head coach Darvin Ham on Friday. There are rumors swirling that LeBron James’ podcast co-host JJ Redick could be a candidate to replace him. Vince and Fred talk through the people they think are candidates and wonder who would be the best fit for this high-pressure job.

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