Fatal flaws for East contenders & LeBron flirts with the Knicks | Good Word with Goodwill

Yahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill spends the day before the NBA trade deadline digging into stories that we haven’t talked about enough, including fatal flaws for the elite teams in the Eastern Conference.

00:00 - Introduction

01:00 - Jalen Brunson ankle injury

03:30 - Ben Simmons returns

13:25 - Scoot Henderson figuring it out

19:00 - Kawhi Leonard as playoff destroyer

30:30 - Damian Lillard on balancing life & basketball

35:40 - Fatal flaws for contenders in the East

36:05 - Boston Celtics

38:05 - Milwaukee Bucks

39:55 - Philadelphia 76ers

42:55 - New York Knicks

45:30 - LeBron James flirts with the Knicks

53:10 - NBA viewing guide

On this episode of the Good Word with Goodwill podcast, Yahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill talks about some of the stories that are going uncovered around the league. But first…

Jalen Brunson went down with an ankle injury last night, another in a long line of injuries to important players that the New York Knicks now have to deal with. Will this one, to their most important player, force them to make a deal at the trade deadline?

Vinnie and Producer John then try to find stories that are not being talked about enough, including the return of Ben Simmons to the Brooklyn Nets and Scoot Henderson figuring out his offense with the Portland Trail Blazers after Shaedon Sharpe’s injury.

When the topic of “playoff destroyer we don’t see coming” comes out, Vinnie explains why Kawhi Leonard could challenge Nikola Jokic and Producer John says to watch out for Damian Lillard, who has never been on a team this talented before.

We speed run through the four contenders in the Eastern Conference, with Vinnie explaining the fatal flaw that could potentially sink each one of them. Can the Celtics win a ring on 3-point shooting? Can the Bucks win one without perimeter defense? Can the 76ers get Joel Embiid back and healthy? Can Tom Thibodeau keep from grinding his players into dust during the regular season?

Producer John tries his best to explain why he thinks LeBron James is flirting with the New York Knicks, which could spell the end of his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers, before he and Vinnie reveal which games they’re most excited to watch this week.

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