The Bill Simmons Podcast Boston Does L.A., Honeymoon Harden, a Denver Hiccup, and a Kawhi Deep Dive With Zach Lowe
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Feb 23, 2026 
Zach Lowe, veteran NBA analyst known for deep, film-based breakdowns. He reacts to Celtics-Lakers postgame, dissects Lakers fit and Celtics identity, parses MVP race nuances, and maps conference seeding chaos. They also unpack Cleveland’s Harden honeymoon, Denver’s slide, Clippers’ resurgence, and run a long Kawhi Leonard career deep dive.
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Celtics Cohesion Vs. Lakers Disjointedness
- The Celtics feel cohesive, built on consistent roles and mutual effort that outperforms raw star power alone.
- The Lakers look disjointed often, with stars existing on islands and inconsistent effort producing blowout losses.
Durability Trumps Flash In MVP Race
- The MVP and All-NBA races hinge on availability and consistency as much as peak play.
- Durability and steady two-way impact (like Jalen Brown) can outweigh flashier scoring if games-played thresholds matter.
Use Clutch Minutes As A Tiebreaker
- When candidates are close, examine clutch minutes and late-game performance to split hairs objectively.
- Zach Lowe suggests using last-five-minutes-of-close-games shooting/usage as a tiebreaker metric.