48 Minutes: Celtics and 76ers Battle for #2, Nuggets fade while Kings gain, Clippers Up-Lakers Down, & Who's the MVP?

0:00 ... Hello and welcome to episode #27: the Zaza Pachilia episode of 48 Minutes.

0:48 ... Bruce's opening tip concerns the referees and how they continue to cause controversy, especially in the Celtics/Timberwolves game on Wednesday.

2:26 ... World B's opening tip gives credit to young teams that are near the bottom of the standings but continue to play with effort and energy.

3:50 ... Ross' opening tip praises the Bucks for becoming the first team to reach 50 wins and clinch a playoff spot.

5:04 ... The Celtics are trending in the wrong direction and Bruce is concerned that they're squandering leads by taking their foot off the gas when they should be finishing off their opponents. World B feels the Celts are just a "blah" team right now.

8:02 ... With Robert Williams III always battling health problems, can Boston get it done against quality bigs like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, and the others in the eastern conference?

10:00 ...Will Boston's rookie head coach Joe Mazzulla be overmatched against more experienced leaders like Mike Budenholzer, Doc Rivers, Tom Thibodeau, and Erik Spoelstra in the postseason?

11:28 ... James Harden and Joel Embiid have the 76ers hot on Boston's tail in the race to finish #2 in the east.

17:18 ... Ross and World B disagree on whether the 76ers will actually pass Boston in the standings.

19:03 ... Denver finally stopped its 4 game losing streak on Thursday against lowly Detroit, but the game was tighter than the final score might indicate.

20:30 ... Questions are starting to emerge about two time MVP Nikola Jokic's ability to carry the Nuggets to a deep playoff run.

22:13 ... The Nuggets have a nice cushion over the Kings and Grizzlies, but they'll have a difficult schedule over the final month.

24:53 ... The Grizzlies are in a tailspin and it goes well beyond Ja Morant's suspension.

27:30 ... Ross is concerned that Morant's issues are negatively affecting the vibe in the locker room.

29:19 ... The Kings continue to roll and while they don't have playoff experience as a group, there are many individual players who have been in the playoffs and their head coach Mike Brown certainly has lots of postseason experience.

33:20 ...In Los Angeles, the Clippers have won 4 straight after a 5 game losing streak and Kawhi Leonard's health has been a key reason.

35:19 ... Clippers coach Ty Lue has done a nice job of successfully integrating a lot of recently acquired players into his system.

38:48 ...The Lakers lost a close game to Houston on Wednesday with Anthony Davis sitting it out. Bruce was incredulous that coach Darvin Ham allowed it to happen.

40:53 ... Ross and World B feel that the Lakers didn't take the Rockets seriously and paid the price.

44:32 ... The MVP race has come down to the three International bigs: Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The guys each pick their winner.

52:26 ... Best Bets from Ross features his LA Clippers same game parlay choices that will make you some $$.

53:31 ... Bruce's final thought is on the San Antonio Spurs hoping history repeats itself in their quest to land a generational big man in the 2023 NBA Draft.

55:36 ... World B is upset that his West Virginia Mountaineers lost their first game in the NCAA Tournament, but is happy to remind everyone that WVU is well represented in the NBA on the court, on the bench, and in the front office.

57:24 ... And finally, Ross is excited to see the Chicago Bulls wear their green uniforms Friday on St Patrick's Day against the Timberwolves.

TRT 58:30