Winners of eight straight, the Boston Celtics have a firm grip on the Eastern Conference. So who can reasonably challenge them?

On a new episode of the Just Basketball show, Chris Manning is joined by Wes Goldberg (Locked on Heat, The Ringer) to talk about who can actually challenge the Celtics from the following pool of teams: the Heat, the Knicks, the Cavs, the Bucks and the 76ers.

Plus: What does Trae Young’s injury mean for the Hawks the rest of the season and into a potentially pivotal summer?

Cold open/intro: Is the Clippers rebrand good?: 0:00

Trae Young out a month with a broken finger: 3:37

Knicks: 14:56

Cavs: 23:05

Heat: 29:54

76ers: 48:49

Bucks: 51:20

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With All-Star Weekend in the rearview mirror, it’s time to preview the final stretch of the NBA regular season.

Chris Manning and Brendon Kleen discuss 10 different things worth watching over the final weeks of the NBA season, including the MVP race, if the 76ers and Joel Embiid can turn their season around, how far Jalen Brunson can take the Knicks and if the Phoenix Suns can actually compete for a title.

0:00: Cold open featuring who the NBA can rely on to promote the league

6:26 - Does someone have a moment for MVP that separates themselves from the pack?

13:02 - Is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander going to win MVP?

18:51 - How do seeds 2-4 break in the East?

25:48 - Can the 76ers salvage their season?

33:00 - Can the Miami Heat still be fixed?

38:52 - How far can Jalen Brunson take the Knicks?

43:56 - Are we going to see Victor Wembanyama fully unleashed?

51:06 - Can the Suns avoid being embarrassed?

58:40 - What does the rest of the year dictate for the Warriors and the Lakers?

1:02:07 - Who is this year’s late bloomer?

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NBA All-Star weekend may have felt like a dud, but it didn’t have to be.

Chris Manning and Brendon Kleen discuss the highs (Steph Curry vs Sabrina Ionescu) and lows (the game itself) of the weekend before diving into Jacque Vaughn being fired in Brooklyn, Mike Conley getting an extension in Minnesota, Caitlin Clark breaking the NCAA scoring record, and Klay Thompson being benched by the Warriors.

0:00 Intro Cold Open feat Paige Bueckers

4:15 All Star Winners & Losers

15:01 Fixable or not fixable?

32:17 Jacque Vaughn out

42:40 Mike Conley extends

51:41 Caitlin and Juju

1:02:15 Klay benched, Warriors are here?

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Use code JUSTBASKETBALL when signing up on Thrive Fantasy: https://partners.thrivefantasy.com/justbasketball/

Buy NBA & WNBA gear at Homage using our link: https://homage.sjv.io/JustBasketball

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Please subscribe and leave a five-star review if you enjoy the Just Basketball Show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and Like and Subscribe on YouTube!