Speaker 1: For Thunder, partaken of the NBA by Storm. For the
Speaker 1: first time, the NBA Champion resides in Oklahoma City.
Speaker 2: The story book season is complete.
Speaker 1: This is the baseline discussing the hot button topics of
Speaker 1: the NBA. Welcome everybody, you are tuned to the baseline
Speaker 1: Cali Warrnshaw discussing the hot button topics of the NBA
Speaker 1: and we now finally have a twenty twenty four twenty
Speaker 1: twenty five NBA Champion. Game seven of the NBA Finals
Speaker 1: goes to the Oklahoma City Thunder for their first title
Speaker 1: in franchise's history, winning one oh three ninety one, defeating
Speaker 1: the Indiana Pacers in what many can call it as just,
Speaker 1: you know, a fortunate and misfortunate game that was being played,
Speaker 1: but you can clearly tell that both teams left it
Speaker 1: all on the court. And I couldn't be happier for
Speaker 1: Oklahoma City Thunder, who wind up being the champions. I
Speaker 1: feel gutted for the Indiana Pacers. We'll break all of
Speaker 1: this down, man, and let me go ahead and roll
Speaker 1: out the red carpet to my right hand man, Www.
Speaker 1: Dot Shaw Sports a net Biga Huna pe and ce
Speaker 1: my man, mister Warrenshaw, the Warrenshaw wrapping down in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Speaker 2: What is good, brother, Good to be here with you.
Speaker 2: It's always bittersweet at this time of year. I said
Speaker 2: this before the game started, the Game seven of an
Speaker 2: NBA Finals, Mean, it's also the end of the NBA season,
Speaker 2: and what a wild and crazy and somewhat absurd NBA
Speaker 2: season this was, but in a mode and in a manner,
Speaker 2: in a fashion that they had to earn it, Like
Speaker 2: this was not an easy championship by any stretch of
Speaker 2: the imagination. They had to earn it, and they did
Speaker 2: against a very, very formidable but ultimately unfortunately locked Indiana
Speaker 2: Pacers team.
Speaker 1: Here now in Game seven, Yeah, I think we're gonna
Speaker 1: you know, we'll dive into, you know, the the misfortune
Speaker 1: of Tyler Terry's Halliburton's injury, you know, which happened, you know,
Speaker 1: really was it more than midway in the first quarter
Speaker 1: of the game, and you know, obviously your star player
Speaker 1: goes down. Man, that just has a huge impact on
Speaker 1: the overall emotional and mental and strategic tenor in tone
Speaker 1: with what the team wanted to do and how they
Speaker 1: were going about doing it, and especially with the way
Speaker 1: that Haliburton came out in that first quarter, you could
Speaker 1: clearly tell that had he played this game, we may
Speaker 1: not be having the same kind of conversation about the
Speaker 1: Oklahoma City Thunder being the champion. But with that being said, Shaw,
Speaker 1: it's kind of interesting because I want to touch on
Speaker 1: this real quick. It's interesting how when we got to
Speaker 1: this game seven situation that we took for granted that
Speaker 1: going into this game, Tyre's Halliburton was still nursing that
Speaker 1: achilles string, right, And I know that, like you know,
Speaker 1: we've had capturing cash strain, which but I think the
Speaker 1: reports are due to that injury that it's it's it's
Speaker 1: likely that the achilles that got ruptured because of what happened.
Speaker 1: But that being said, I don't want to I don't
Speaker 1: want to harp on it. You know, the meat the
Speaker 1: sports media has done way way, way too much with
Speaker 1: the overemphasation of injuries and showing it and reshowing. I
Speaker 1: don't want to get on that. What I want to
Speaker 1: get on is the fact that we had taken for
Speaker 1: granted because Halliburton did play in Game six, that we
Speaker 1: didn't know what state he would actually be in going
Speaker 1: into Game seven, and I feel bad because that's what
Speaker 1: you want, you know, you want your players, you know,
Speaker 1: to try to give it a go. But we've seen
Speaker 1: this so many times over. I'm just hoping that this
Speaker 1: injury is an injury that he can fully recover from.
Speaker 1: I hope that he takes his time and allows his
Speaker 1: body to properly heal. But I just feel bad for
Speaker 1: the Indiana Pacers because for that to happen as early
Speaker 1: as it did probably was good in a sense. But
Speaker 1: it still just feels bad because we didn't get the
Speaker 1: best of the Indiana Pacers, and in a game in
Speaker 1: which they had an opportunity in that fourth quarter, they
Speaker 1: were still within striking distance. You know, you want your
Speaker 1: closer out there on the basketball court. You want the
Speaker 1: person that we have seen throughout this playoffs doing something
Speaker 1: that probably could have been to your point when you
Speaker 1: tweeted it was improbable, right, doing some of the improbable
Speaker 1: things that they just couldn't find in anyone in that
Speaker 1: fourth quarter that ultimately allowed the Oklahoma City Thunder to
Speaker 1: create that distance and keep that distance for them to
Speaker 1: help me win the championship.
Speaker 2: Yeah, when you have a player like Tyrese Elbert, and
Speaker 2: I think we gave him all the praise in Game
Speaker 2: six because it wasn't this, oh he dropped thirty forty points.
Speaker 2: It was like fourteen and five. But I think it
Speaker 2: was a leadership aspect in this game. He had nine
Speaker 2: points in the first five minutes before going out, and
Speaker 2: I'd say that he's been to finish with thirty or forty.
Speaker 2: But you could tell like he sends something right. I
Speaker 2: even tweeted as that, like, oh, he's got his villain
Speaker 2: hat on because he was talking to the crowd chirbin
Speaker 2: like he was getting his guys going. And that is
Speaker 2: just the unfortunate risk. I think most players at this
Speaker 2: stage of their career, this getting to this stage of
Speaker 2: the NBA season, they probably would have tried to play
Speaker 2: through it. And I know, I know, and even hindsight
Speaker 2: is twenty twenty like it's the wrong move to make.
Speaker 2: It is because now he's jeopardized now another season in advance.
Speaker 2: We first learned about this towards the end of Game five,
Speaker 2: then going into Game six, it was like, well, Indiana
Speaker 2: ultimately shut him down. Listen, I have so much credit
Speaker 2: I want to give to that young man for putting
Speaker 2: literally you know, part of his season in his career
Speaker 2: on the line. Here for a chance to win an
Speaker 2: NBA championship and to be that spark for his Indiana
Speaker 2: Pacers team when they really needed it, but ultimately it
Speaker 2: wasn't in the cards. He goes down the replay. I'm
Speaker 2: sure anybody who's watched the finals you saw a thousand
Speaker 2: times over. Yes, it looks like you see that ripple
Speaker 2: effect kind of happen in his leg. And it does
Speaker 2: seem to be that unfortunate situation where wld b Achilles
Speaker 2: injury and now the Indiana Pacers are going to be
Speaker 2: facing a season probably now without Tyrese Haliburton after this miraculous,
Speaker 2: miraculous run that nobody saw coming. No.
Speaker 1: But and again, you know, we can sit here and
Speaker 1: we can speak about it, and you know, but let's
Speaker 1: also give credit to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Right. The
Speaker 1: Oklahoma City Thunder ultimately rested on what got them to
Speaker 1: this point, and they really really leaned in on what
Speaker 1: has made them a special team this season, and that
Speaker 1: was their ability to play defense to the highest level
Speaker 1: when needed and to force the Indiana Pacers to turn
Speaker 1: the ball over at really just at an insurmountable rate.
Speaker 1: There's no way that you can overcome a team that
Speaker 1: plays very sound, you know how, I was tweeting throughout
Speaker 1: the rest of this game on what I feel about
Speaker 1: them offensively. But when you can hang your hat on
Speaker 1: the nobility for them to turn the other team over,
Speaker 1: you force that team to value every single possession that
Speaker 1: they can muster, and to do it without having their
Speaker 1: best player. It just felt so insurmountable. Now, at the
Speaker 1: same time, the Oklahoma City Thunder surely looked like a
Speaker 1: team that was nervous, and they played scared basketball really
Speaker 1: throughout the fourth quarter, because there was nothing that was
Speaker 1: giving me any indication that they knew how to put
Speaker 1: the foot on the neck of the opposition, knowing that
Speaker 1: they were wounded. And because they had a twenty point
Speaker 1: lead in the beginning of that fourth quarter and it
Speaker 1: came down to a ten point lead by the time
Speaker 1: that we even get to the midway point, that told
Speaker 1: you that this team was searching and praying that the
Speaker 1: clock could not run any faster for them to get
Speaker 1: in and out of this situation and become the champions.
Speaker 1: And that's a learning lesson, but maybe that was the
Speaker 1: best learning lesson for them that maybe they felt confident
Speaker 1: enough that they knew that their defense can hold when
Speaker 1: it absolutely mattered the most, and it showed when they
Speaker 1: needed it to, when they couldn't find a bucket and
Speaker 1: a drop in the ocean. You know what I'm saying,
Speaker 1: Like they just listen. Like I said, I'm gonna give
Speaker 1: you a floor to you on that part of it.
Speaker 1: But what I saw from this team offensively in that
Speaker 1: fourth quarter, that was why I was tweeting, like the
Speaker 1: Facers should put the pressure on them. I really want
Speaker 1: to see what version of the Oklahoma City thunder, you know,
Speaker 1: reflects in those final minutes that fourth quarter.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's interesting because I think I think I saw
Speaker 2: a tweet. I don't remember who it was, so my apologies,
Speaker 2: but somebody said, like, if the Pacers are not being
Speaker 2: turned over, or I guess it's the other way. If okay,
Speaker 2: see not turning teams over, then they become a little
Speaker 2: bit more average. And I think what Indiana has been
Speaker 2: able to avoid for the better part of the series,
Speaker 2: why they've had high turnover games. They weren't necessarily live
Speaker 2: ball turnovers where they were getting crushed. And I sent
Speaker 2: you a tweet from Kirk Goldsbury. You know where it was.
Speaker 2: I think twenty eight to seven or something like that,
Speaker 2: or twenty five to seven, I think, you know, in
Speaker 2: terms of points off turnovers. Okay, see that ends up
Speaker 2: being thirty two to ten in his totality at the
Speaker 2: end of the game. So twenty one turnovers for the
Speaker 2: Indana Facers turned into thirty two points for the Oklahoma
Speaker 2: City Thunder. That, in a lot of ways was the difference.
Speaker 2: In addition to that crazy, crazy, crazy third quarter where
Speaker 2: you just saw OKAC came out and their effort was different,
Speaker 2: Like there's when you're watching basketball as long as we
Speaker 2: have and I'm sure many of our fans listeners have,
Speaker 2: like you can see and feel when momentum is shifting,
Speaker 2: and that third quarter was very much that they just
Speaker 2: came out. They were quicker to the ball, they were
Speaker 2: more assertive, you know, they were pounding the glass. The
Speaker 2: offensive rebounds weren't crazy, but the second chance points were
Speaker 2: in favor of Indiana. I think it was twenty two
Speaker 2: to fifteen in favor of Indiana, while thirteen to twelve
Speaker 2: in terms of offensive rebounds between the two teams, sorry,
Speaker 2: twenty two in favor of OKC in terms of second
Speaker 2: chance points. That to me, I think was a difference.
Speaker 2: In addition, think Doorsborg indicated seventeen more shots you know,
Speaker 2: as a result of those turnovers for OKC as well too.
Speaker 2: They just had more bites at the proverbial apple and
Speaker 2: the TJ. McConnell magic just wasn't enough to kind of
Speaker 2: keep them going and close in the third quarter. And
Speaker 2: while they had a great run in the fourth and
Speaker 2: we saw some shades of Nadig Mathern kind of trying
Speaker 2: to do his thing, there just wasn't enough other pacers
Speaker 2: they are available to really turn the tide offensively, even
Speaker 2: while OKAC was starting to struggle a little bit in
Speaker 2: that fourth quarter offensively.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that third quarter Shaw was you know, I want
Speaker 1: to say gut renching. That third quarter was was hard
Speaker 1: to watch for Indandiana Pacers. But as a person who
Speaker 1: just loves a team that just plays that hard nosed defense,
Speaker 1: was impressed. This was the This was the defense that
Speaker 1: I thought OKC could have in most quarters, especially the
Speaker 1: third of this NBA Finals. And you know, I tweeted
Speaker 1: that this was the first time that I actually saw
Speaker 1: the Oklahoma City Thunder team minus the blowouts, this was
Speaker 1: the first time that I saw them impose their will
Speaker 1: defensively in the second half of games. It's usually in
Speaker 1: that third quarter that things kind of you know, fall
Speaker 1: off the cliffs, so to speak. Or an adjustment that
Speaker 1: Carlisle makes really puts the Oklahoma City Thunder on their
Speaker 1: heels and forces them to be offensively minded when there
Speaker 1: is clearly a crack in their defense. So this was
Speaker 1: the first time that I actually saw the Oklahoma City
Speaker 1: Thunder defense really, really really amp it up to another level,
Speaker 1: to even a degree where I'm not trying to say
Speaker 1: that Tyre's Halliburton would have been a difference maker, but
Speaker 1: I will say this, as much as we applauded the
Speaker 1: TJ McConnell magic, there was somebody that tweeted something It
Speaker 1: was really interesting too. He's like, listen, we're applauding TJ
Speaker 1: McConnell because he's having himself an awesome third quarter. But
Speaker 1: let's not forget he also turned the ball over six times.
Speaker 1: He finished with seven turnovers in the game. But this
Speaker 1: is a byproduct of asking TJ McConnell to do. What
Speaker 1: I'm saying, Like, if you had an actual floor general
Speaker 1: like Tyrese Haliburton who doesn't turn the ball over as much.
Speaker 1: That takes the pressure off a guy TJ. McConnell, and
Speaker 1: I think, and then you know also as well too
Speaker 1: Andrew Nemmar. He had a really good game. But again,
Speaker 1: when you don't have someone who is like a floor general,
Speaker 1: the propensity of certain players getting the ball at times
Speaker 1: is just falling right into the Oklahoma City Thunder's hands
Speaker 1: because they love to blitz and trap right or trap
Speaker 1: in blitz, and that just became prevalent throughout the whole
Speaker 1: course of the game, and especially in that third quarter
Speaker 1: where okay See dropped a thirty four piece on it.
Speaker 1: To your point about what you were saying before about
Speaker 1: the turnovers, I had indicated that like the margin of
Speaker 1: those turnovers happened in that third quarter, which is why
Speaker 1: you saw the disparity that you know, where the lead
Speaker 1: ballooned to twenty points. It was all within that framework
Speaker 1: of time of turnover points accumulated by okay See, turnover
Speaker 1: points accumulated by Okacee. So yeah, you know, unfortunately, you
Speaker 1: cannot afford to turn the ball over against this Oklahoma
Speaker 1: City Thunder team because that is how they generate their
Speaker 1: offensive output, and it was too little, too late for
Speaker 1: the Indiana Pacers, who did make that fourth quarter surge
Speaker 1: and put the pressure back on Oklahoma City to figure
Speaker 1: out a way to put the ball in the basket,
Speaker 1: which was really more via through free throws because outside
Speaker 1: of that Sga three that happened within the first you know,
Speaker 1: fifty seconds of the game, which then you're looking like, oh, oh,
Speaker 1: Sga jacking up a three on a one on one situation,
Speaker 1: is he really feeling himself? You really just saw the
Speaker 1: rest of that offense from OKC just kind of you know,
Speaker 1: it was just out of sources. The shot selection was porous.
Speaker 1: There was nothing great about what you saw offensively, but
Speaker 1: you could clearly tell they were just trying to survive
Speaker 1: the quarter.
Speaker 2: You are, you are for a team that just won
Speaker 2: the ABHM. You're very hard on them, I got it,
Speaker 2: and you've been very hard on them throughout the course
Speaker 2: of this. Of the of the five mills, but seven
Speaker 2: turnovers in the third quarter by the Indiana Pacers also
Speaker 2: your your favorite thing to the Pacers, you know, shot
Speaker 2: a bunch of threes in that third quarter, but got
Speaker 2: five of them. That Lou Dort miracle. I feel like,
Speaker 2: feel like thirty footer in the middle of the third.
Speaker 1: I was just like, and now you're calling out miracles.
Speaker 2: That was a miracle shot. I mean, and it's Lou Dort,
Speaker 2: so like, you know, shot clock winding down, I got
Speaker 2: nothing else to do, and nothing but bottoms like straight
Speaker 2: splash on that. But there was a turning point there.
Speaker 2: I think I have the scorner. I don't have the
Speaker 2: summary in front of me, but I think it was
Speaker 2: Indiana had actually tied the game sixty two to sixty
Speaker 2: two or something like that. SGA comes down immediately immediately
Speaker 2: and just drills with three like boom, all right, so
Speaker 2: they go back up three. Next position, you know, Indiana
Speaker 2: doesn't score. What of the case to be? They come
Speaker 2: back down. SGA on the baseline is trapped. Turner does
Speaker 2: a great job to send help, but SJA was masterful
Speaker 2: all night long. While he didn't shoot it great, he
Speaker 2: was great at getting others involved. And as he's falling away,
Speaker 2: as Turner comes to CONSSS, he kicks over to chet
Speaker 2: Holmgren homegrind cans of three. Very next position, Indiana turns
Speaker 2: it over. SGA gets in the lane bottled up again,
Speaker 2: kicks it out to Jaalen Williams on the wing three
Speaker 2: that rolls, bounces out, and ultimately goes in nine straight
Speaker 2: points right after Indiana tied the game in that third
Speaker 2: quarter off of finally Myles turn actually made a three
Speaker 2: point shot to tie the game, and then nine straight
Speaker 2: points off of three pointers, which you don't ordinarily expect
Speaker 2: from okay See, that to me was like, man, maybe
Speaker 2: this really is Okayc's night. In addition to that lou
Speaker 2: Dort three, in addition to the gentlemen Williams, the layup
Speaker 2: that should have been called for travel, all that happened
Speaker 2: in the third quarter, All those things went in okay
Speaker 2: Ce's favor and you could just kind of see like, dang,
Speaker 2: you know, maybe this was it. And before you jump
Speaker 2: back in, I had this one last thing to say,
Speaker 2: because it was a very much a topic of conversation,
Speaker 2: you know, on social media this evening, why Siakam did
Speaker 2: not play the majority part of that third quarter, why
Speaker 2: he was resting for as much as he did. Everyone
Speaker 2: was like, Sakam has to play at least forty minutes,
Speaker 2: Like like he has to get to forty I don't know.
Speaker 2: You know, I think Carlisle was still like, hey, well,
Speaker 2: you know, we were up in the middle at halftime
Speaker 2: rather and then you saw okay see started to make
Speaker 2: the run. But Siakam was out for a good portion
Speaker 2: of that run. And that's something that I think he's
Speaker 2: going to be kicking himself for a little bit now
Speaker 2: because you can't get these moments back. It is the
Speaker 2: last it's last game of the season, so only thirty
Speaker 2: seven minutes for for Siakam total, and he sat for
Speaker 2: a good portion that through a quorter, which I think
Speaker 2: many people would agree was pretty much a big mistake.
Speaker 1: It was a big mistake. But let me ask you
Speaker 1: this question. Maybe let me throw this back at you,
Speaker 1: and then I'll get back to my you know, my
Speaker 1: rant about the Oklahoma City thunder. That does that work
Speaker 1: for you? Let me ask you, Let me ask you
Speaker 1: the question. Let me ask you this question. And I
Speaker 1: don't know whether or not maybe I'm only looking at
Speaker 1: this within the perspective of the game itself, or maybe
Speaker 1: this is something that I saw a little bit more
Speaker 1: as well through through through the course of the Finals.
Speaker 1: But I felt like when it came to the TJ
Speaker 1: Magic was most of that while Siakam was on or
Speaker 1: off the court. Okay. So, and I'm not saying that
Speaker 1: this is this this was or wasn't the play, Okay.
Speaker 1: I can definitely say this though. If TJ mccollonell is
Speaker 1: on a heater and you're seeing more aggressiveness than him,
Speaker 1: and we've been saying that, you know, with Siakam, he
Speaker 1: has his moments where he can you know, everyone keeps
Speaker 1: saying that he is the best mismatch that the Pacers
Speaker 1: could have had in this series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Now,
Speaker 1: I'm not saying that Pascal Siakam didn't understand that or
Speaker 1: didn't recognize that either, But what I'm saying is is
Speaker 1: that there's still lacked that level of aggression to try
Speaker 1: to take things over. And I'm not saying force it.
Speaker 1: I'm just saying, just try and take things over. Then
Speaker 1: you have this guy who's coming off the bench, who's
Speaker 1: basically given you ten points in a quarter in which
Speaker 1: you could already sense that like you're rolling the dice,
Speaker 1: like you're pushing your chips all in. You cannot you
Speaker 1: can no longer wait for your guys Siakam to figure
Speaker 1: it out or find it or whatever.
Speaker 2: I'm just on the bench. I mean, I mean he's
Speaker 2: on the bench in the game.
Speaker 1: I under stand that. But what I'm saying to you
Speaker 1: Shaw is are you saying, Okay, take McConnell off, because
Speaker 1: clearly the both of them can't function on the court.
Speaker 1: But somebody scoring the basketball for you. Okay, okay, okay, fine.
Speaker 2: I'm not saying it is true. What I'm saying is
Speaker 2: is that like Hopping out there, who was basically he
Speaker 2: did absolutely nothing right. So Toping usually stubbing in for
Speaker 2: order the case of or they might play Topping and
Speaker 2: Siakam together, Turner is going to be out. Carlo could
Speaker 2: not get anything out out of Tony Bradley, which five minutes.
Speaker 2: But in those five minutes, it was it was like
Speaker 2: watching a nightmare, at least for me, because you could
Speaker 2: just tell the moment was too big for him. In
Speaker 2: that third quarter, those top in minutes, Uh, maybe they
Speaker 2: should have been complimented or supplemented by Siam because is
Speaker 2: your horse, he's your lead guy, especially with Albert, and
Speaker 2: that's I'm not saying you shouldn't play. I'm not saying
Speaker 2: I'm not saying that man was cooking or not.
Speaker 1: But Sean, I'm not saying you shouldn't play. But what
Speaker 1: I'm saying is is that if there is a struggle
Speaker 1: for him to find either his offense or find his
Speaker 1: game when you have someone who's obviously making it work
Speaker 1: and it's just not functioning between the two of them,
Speaker 1: I'm just saying, I don't know what else you would
Speaker 1: what else you would think Carlisle can do, because it's
Speaker 1: up to Siakam to figure out a way to make
Speaker 1: it work. And I'm not saying that you're not right
Speaker 1: that he shouldn't have put him in there. I'm just
Speaker 1: saying that clearly something was not right with the both
Speaker 1: of them on the court at the same time or
Speaker 1: else state. He should have been on the court, no question.
Speaker 1: But I don't know if you have the luxury of saying, well,
Speaker 1: how long do we wait to figure that part of
Speaker 1: it out? As you're seeing the lead balloon and you
Speaker 1: only have one person who's actually scoring the basketball and
Speaker 1: he really shouldn't have been the main scorer on your
Speaker 1: team at this point, but he ultimately was. He ultimately
Speaker 1: was right TJ mcconnumell, ultimately was your main scorer in
Speaker 1: that third quarter he's the only one who is really
Speaker 1: making shots, who's even putting the all KC defense in
Speaker 1: check given the fact that your team is turning the
Speaker 1: all over a lot more than you're actually scoring the basketball.
Speaker 2: All Right, well, I'm going to switch the conversation because
Speaker 2: I think this is leaning more towards how Indiana lost
Speaker 2: it and more about how Okay, see, he won won
Speaker 2: the championship. And I think, you know, shen Holmgren, who
Speaker 2: I called out at the end of Game six, while
Speaker 2: he was able to really get the best a Miles
Speaker 2: Turner tonight and get the best of Indiana tonight in
Speaker 2: all ways, you know, five blocks just really a great presence.
Speaker 2: While he didn't great at the free throw line obviously
Speaker 2: or whatever the case you be, but his interior defense
Speaker 2: was was massive, and again he had some very very
Speaker 2: timely shots, and we saw some level of aggression from
Speaker 2: him actually in that fourth corner where he kind of
Speaker 2: got a dunk when Indiana was trying to make their
Speaker 2: you know air quote, comeback if you will. I got
Speaker 2: to give shouts to chn holger Man. You know you
Speaker 2: finished with eighteen points. It was eight rebounds in five blocks,
Speaker 2: six of eight. Wasn't you know, overly trying to do
Speaker 2: too much when it came like he kind of picked
Speaker 2: the spots I think, you know appropriately. And then Jaylen
Speaker 2: Williams as well too, you know, finishing with twenty points
Speaker 2: again didn't shoot it well. I think the telecast was
Speaker 2: saying his risk might have been bothering or whatever the
Speaker 2: case would be. But he had a couple of comedy
Speaker 2: shots as well, driving to the basket, pulling up, hit
Speaker 2: a couple of threes. This this OKAC team was tough
Speaker 2: led by what SGA did. And you saw SGA played
Speaker 2: forty minutes tonight, right, Doctor Knott wasn't like, oh it's
Speaker 2: game seven, let me you know, listen, shea played forty minutes.
Speaker 2: So that's I think the only thing that we were
Speaker 2: asking for carl Out to do on the other side.
Speaker 2: But this Okay see team, We're not going to get
Speaker 2: into the whole legacy talk and all of that. When
Speaker 2: they look when that third quarter was, they looked as
Speaker 2: dominant as they had any point during the course of
Speaker 2: the season so far, and that's where they become really
Speaker 2: really scary. But similarly, similarly and almost to why I
Speaker 2: think you Soono may be alluding to while this Okac
Speaker 2: team is young, and they even have a lot of
Speaker 2: repick who didn't play for them this year, Like most
Speaker 2: people don't know that their lottery pick was was injured
Speaker 2: or whatever, so you know they'll be able to get
Speaker 2: him in tow. I don't know that this said anything
Speaker 2: about to the rest of the league, where they feel like,
Speaker 2: no what they it on lock. Similar to when Boston
Speaker 2: won last year, especially playing the three ball, everyone was like, yeah,
Speaker 2: they're good, but we're not afraid of them, and you
Speaker 2: saw teams go out there and make moves in essence
Speaker 2: to answer what they thought they needed to do to
Speaker 2: the Boston Celtics. I thought I still picked Okac in seven,
Speaker 2: you picked OKC in five. I thought you were going
Speaker 2: to be right, because I just thought Okac was gonna
Speaker 2: really dominate this series, and it just it just didn't happen.
Speaker 2: And I think that probably bodes well for a lot
Speaker 2: of the other teams in the NBA to say, you know,
Speaker 2: maybe we can't get this guy. Maybe this isn't this
Speaker 2: dynasty in the making, despite how young they aren't, despite
Speaker 2: how good they are, I don't think teams are gonna
Speaker 2: stop trying to chase them. And see if they can
Speaker 2: catch Sam Pressy and this Oklahoma City Thunder team and
Speaker 2: see if they can get an NBA hip championship next year.
Speaker 1: Your tune to the baseline Cali Warrenshaw discussing the hot
Speaker 1: button topics of the NBA are Game seven discussion of
Speaker 1: the NBA Finals of Oklahoma City Thunder or the champions.
Speaker 1: They defeat the Indiana Pacers, one of the three to
Speaker 1: ninety one for the franchise's first ever championship. So to
Speaker 1: your point, Shaw, I think who I want some want
Speaker 1: to give praise to is coach Dagonal because I saw
Speaker 1: a subtle adjustment that was made one more so that
Speaker 1: to me, I thought maybe it would have been a risk.
Speaker 1: But I like the fact that Daggs put Dort on
Speaker 1: TJ McConnell. And while TJ McConnell is obviously faster than
Speaker 1: Lou Dort, having a bigger body on TJ McConnell, I
Speaker 1: think kind of exposed a little bit more. And I
Speaker 1: appreciate the fact that Dort took pride. You know, everybody's
Speaker 1: focusing and you were focusing on his hail mayy three.
Speaker 1: I was focusing on how he basically made it very
Speaker 1: difficult for TJ McConnell. He made TJ McConnell work in
Speaker 1: that fourth court, and I think that also eased up
Speaker 1: a little bit of the tension that was going on
Speaker 1: defensively when the Pacers would be able to put case
Speaker 1: Thunder on its heels. And then I also got to
Speaker 1: give credit, man. I know that SGA is the MVP,
Speaker 1: very very much well deserved, but Man, Alex Caruso tonight
Speaker 1: was so big. And let me say this Shaw because
Speaker 1: we had this conversation in our Game six wrap up
Speaker 1: with regards to, you know, my biggest issue with the
Speaker 1: Oklahoma City Thunder and the propensity to shoot the three.
Speaker 1: The fact that Alex Caruso in that first quarter came
Speaker 1: out and he hit a big three point shot. I
Speaker 1: think he had like six points for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Yeah,
Speaker 1: that to me was huge because it was either going
Speaker 1: to be one of two things. It's either that offensively,
Speaker 1: the strategy was move the basketball, get the best open look,
Speaker 1: and if the open look is a three, take it.
Speaker 1: And you clearly start out a lot tonight by the
Speaker 1: Oklahoma City Thunder or the Indiana Pacers are forcing them
Speaker 1: to shoot the three in which you can clearly see. Again,
Speaker 1: the Oklahoma City Thunder kind of struggled, but they got
Speaker 1: the three when it mattered the most. And it's ironic
Speaker 1: because the Indiana Pacers would really have only been in
Speaker 1: this game because of the fact that they were making
Speaker 1: their threes because they they could not score in the paint.
Speaker 1: It was so difficult for them to be able to
Speaker 1: score in the paint in the beginning. I think the
Speaker 1: Okahoma City Thunder had like a twenty one to nine
Speaker 1: advantage going into the coming out of halftime as far
Speaker 1: as paint points go. But the reason why the Indiana
Speaker 1: Pacers were still in that game and ultimately we're in
Speaker 1: striking distances because they were hitting the threes at a
Speaker 1: better clip than Oklahoma City Thunder. But if you got
Speaker 1: role players like Caruso, guys like home Grin, guys like
Speaker 1: Cason Wallace hitting those threes that they could not be
Speaker 1: they were not hitting throughout the course of this NBA Finals,
Speaker 1: that played huge because eventually it allowed Sga to go downhill,
Speaker 1: Williams to go downhill because that's their defense. It's just
Speaker 1: like the ISO ball. Wait for those guys to do
Speaker 1: that thing and then eventually somebody's going to be open
Speaker 1: for them to jack up the three. I don't like it,
Speaker 1: but it worked for them because ultimately, again they rested
Speaker 1: their hat on what they were giving on the defensive
Speaker 1: side of the basketball. And again, if the Pacers don't
Speaker 1: have someone else as a floor general to move that
Speaker 1: ball to get guys where they need to be, it
Speaker 1: makes things a little bit easier and it takes the
Speaker 1: pressure off of those guys to be more offensive minded
Speaker 1: when they're calling card is them being defensive?
Speaker 2: Mind? Yeah? I mean forty points are sorry, forty three
Speaker 2: point attempts for OKC tonight, So some of those coming
Speaker 2: in the fourth quarter. You know, Sga was two of twelve,
Speaker 2: you know, not not super sexy, I think from his lens, But.
Speaker 1: Go ahead, I love how you it's not super sexy.
Speaker 2: Two of twelve, Oh, I mean, you know, it's not
Speaker 2: really his game. But he hit a couple that were
Speaker 2: kind of an essence backbreak and the two he hit,
Speaker 2: you know, were thunderous, you know, pun intended. But forty
Speaker 2: points in the paint for OKC tonight, right in one
Speaker 2: hundred and three points total score, twenty points off the bench.
Speaker 2: Both Caruso and Caseon Wallace the only guys to hit anything,
Speaker 2: and they combined for foot hitting four threes off the
Speaker 2: bench to four of the eleven threes. Okay, see hit.
Speaker 2: So the bench production was more from the defensive side tonight.
Speaker 2: You know, even Williams and Wiggins when they came in
Speaker 2: like they were, they were pesky and they kind of
Speaker 2: got in the way of Indiana and helped force some
Speaker 2: of those turnovers. But all the scoring came from Crusoe
Speaker 2: and Wallace. Mathurin scoring off the bench conversy for Niana
Speaker 2: little of misnomer because he started in the second half
Speaker 2: and playing so many minutes because he basically was Haliburton sub,
Speaker 2: you know, once that went out. So yes, technically he scored,
Speaker 2: you know, more than them off the bench, but he
Speaker 2: was essentially like the starter, you know, as as the
Speaker 2: game kind of like progress unfortunately due to Haliburn's injury.
Speaker 2: But I'm thinking about now for Oka, see when they
Speaker 2: go into this offseason, s g A as the you know,
Speaker 2: as the MVP finishing off what was a truly, truly miraculous,
Speaker 2: miraculous season. I think Silver had said, I don't remember
Speaker 2: what year it was, but he's the first guy to
Speaker 2: kind of like do it all, scoring champion final MVP
Speaker 2: and Finals MVP like that hasn't happened in however many years.
Speaker 2: This okay See team now you feel like it should
Speaker 2: have what it takes right. They have been battle tested twice,
Speaker 2: winning two game sevens on the way to the NBA Championship,
Speaker 2: knocking off literally the best player in the game in
Speaker 2: Nicolo Jokic, you know, in that semi finals round, and
Speaker 2: then getting all they can handle here in a game
Speaker 2: seven against the Indiana Pacers. The future is absolutely bright
Speaker 2: for for Oka See, and you want to see them
Speaker 2: now figure out that next level of dog. I'd be interested.
Speaker 2: I don't want to jump too far far ahead, but
Speaker 2: I don't know like it'll be similar to Boston. I think, like,
Speaker 2: I don't think we're going to see them like, oh,
Speaker 2: we need to go out here and win sixty eight
Speaker 2: games in the regular season like they may rest some
Speaker 2: you know what I mean, and feel like, all right, well,
Speaker 2: we need to keep our guys healthy. Maybe we get
Speaker 2: some of these other younger guys some more reps and
Speaker 2: more opportunities so that we can be even deeper, because
Speaker 2: that if there is maybe something too fault is that
Speaker 2: maybe offensively, as you've alluded to you, they don't have
Speaker 2: the overall continuity and they are a little bit top heavy.
Speaker 2: But another year of development for chet Holmgrim, another year
Speaker 2: of development even for Aaron Wiggins, you know, within this
Speaker 2: system and this OKAC t can just continue to be
Speaker 2: as fumatile as we saw, but even more fumative than
Speaker 2: we saw excuse me, you know as on their way
Speaker 2: to the twenty twenty five NBA Championship. Yeah.
Speaker 1: One of the things that I think has really impressed
Speaker 1: me throughout the course of this this finals run for
Speaker 1: OKAC is they stay true to who they were, and
Speaker 1: I think that to me resonates with similar to what
Speaker 1: we saw with the with the Bus and Celtics last year. Like,
Speaker 1: as much as I kind of loathed and I more
Speaker 1: appreciated team that knows how to adjust and adapt, I
Speaker 1: can also respect a team that says we're going to
Speaker 1: be who we are and we are going to go
Speaker 1: down as that as such, We're not going to sit
Speaker 1: here and suddenly, you know, adopt an Amba like mentality
Speaker 1: and and and suddenly you know, just change because another
Speaker 1: team is based us for it basically forced us to
Speaker 1: be or apply ourselves differently. So I respect effect that
Speaker 1: the Oklahoma City thunder maintained who they were and if
Speaker 1: nothing else, doubled down on who they were. Whether or
Speaker 1: not we agree or don't agree, this is why they're
Speaker 1: the NBA champions because they did it better than every
Speaker 1: other team that was there, including the Indiana Pacers. Okay,
Speaker 1: but with that being said, and you brought up a
Speaker 1: very interesting point where the growth is for this team, right,
Speaker 1: It's why I think there is gonna be parody going
Speaker 1: into this upcoming season because if you look at this team,
Speaker 1: this team, as good as they are, there are certain
Speaker 1: players in which they still need a chance for them
Speaker 1: to be able to develop. And how they go about
Speaker 1: developing themselves I think goes a long way on that
Speaker 1: aspect of continuity. Like Sga is definitely an MVP like
Speaker 1: kind of player we've seen, Like with Jordan, Jordan could
Speaker 1: have probably stayed being the kind of player that he was,
Speaker 1: but he evolved, Right, he didn't need a three point shot,
Speaker 1: but that NBA, in the style of that game, you know,
Speaker 1: didn't have to allow him to do so because he
Speaker 1: changed other aspects to how he attacked the basket, how
Speaker 1: he got to the free throw line, you know, and
Speaker 1: things of that nature. And with SGA, I think this
Speaker 1: year is an interesting year because you actually see him
Speaker 1: now more of as a point guard, and you saw
Speaker 1: that tonight with him double digits and assists right like
Speaker 1: you saw elements of him very Curry esque in a way.
Speaker 1: But what I appreciate about him is that there's still
Speaker 1: levels to his game improvement, Like he can get a
Speaker 1: little bit bigger, he can get a little bit faster.
Speaker 1: It's not like he's at the end. He's just now ascending.
Speaker 1: So it'll be interesting where this level of him as
Speaker 1: an MVP kind of player takes him and how his
Speaker 1: ability to score the basketball with the level of efficiency,
Speaker 1: can can he even be more efficient? Can he be
Speaker 1: even more deadly now that he has the ball in
Speaker 1: his hands and could facilitate because that part of his game.
Speaker 1: Most guys usually take three or four years down the
Speaker 1: road if their primary scores before they get around to
Speaker 1: being that kind of that kind of superstar or that
Speaker 1: kind of star player.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I will agree with that. I think there's the
Speaker 2: notion that like he's he is truly and clearly clearly
Speaker 2: the lead guy. And while he has like the Rold
Speaker 2: definement and no case he like, there's not really a
Speaker 2: question about it. We don't really have Jillian Williams or
Speaker 2: ch Aed Hilmgan like yo, I need more touches like
Speaker 2: nipping at SGA's heels. But I think as the league
Speaker 2: gets more smart and more used to kind of like
Speaker 2: what he does, even though he's very hard in essence
Speaker 2: to guard because he's so snaky and sleep and slinky,
Speaker 2: you know, especially dribbling into basketball. I think them hard
Speaker 2: did a bottles good a job as you can possibly
Speaker 2: do want him throughout the course of the regular season,
Speaker 2: the short course of the playoffs. Robber, but Williams, Holmgren,
Speaker 2: Wallace Wiggins, all those guys have more levels. And I
Speaker 2: think it's to me like they got here withes she
Speaker 2: being the lead guy, like truly like the alpha and
Speaker 2: the MVP, And I don't know how that roleing do
Speaker 2: relation might shift slightly? You know? Does he say, all right, well,
Speaker 2: I do have more help now, right, because the difference,
Speaker 2: like I say, from last year with Boston, right, let's
Speaker 2: even go back to them and then we'll use another example.
Speaker 2: But Tatum wasn't an MVP guy. He was in the
Speaker 2: MVP conversation, but clearly the league guy and his team
Speaker 2: but didn't wasn't equipped in that sense to take on
Speaker 2: kind of the workload that SGA, that Sha did, or
Speaker 2: even Joki the year before that. Right, Like, it's just
Speaker 2: like there's there's truly levels to it. And I think
Speaker 2: what's good about OKAC is that they may still be
Speaker 2: able to find out because all of them, they have
Speaker 2: so much young talent that is still ascending and still
Speaker 2: getting better. With Boston last year, it took mossoula kind
Speaker 2: of like changing the kind of the role definement around
Speaker 2: and allowing it to be a little bit more democratic. Well, yes,
Speaker 2: JT was a lead dude, Brown like had to figure
Speaker 2: out his spots out better instead of trying to like
Speaker 2: compete with JT. Then you had Derek White come in,
Speaker 2: Then you had Porzingis come in and give them another element.
Speaker 2: I think Okay season a better position than a scene
Speaker 2: like a Boston because those younger guys are still on
Speaker 2: the rise, and I think SGA can say, you know what,
Speaker 2: maybe I don't need to do as much or if
Speaker 2: I do, well, I know we can win this way
Speaker 2: as well. I think we will see Okay, see trying
Speaker 2: to figure out different ways in the sends to be
Speaker 2: able to command their offense and get buckets. And remember
Speaker 2: check missed so much time this year. Was it fifty
Speaker 2: games you missed or whatever? Uh? Thunder again. They're they're poise, man,
Speaker 2: They're poised for a really really to be a really
Speaker 2: really good team for a very very long time. And
Speaker 2: they have great ownership and great general management as well too.
Speaker 2: So I'm anxious to see how this how the season
Speaker 2: goes offseason and goes into next year. But man, just
Speaker 2: what a complete complete performance from them. And you know,
Speaker 2: they they they did it the hard way, and they'd
Speaker 2: learned some things along the way here that I think
Speaker 2: they're going to take to take to them take with
Speaker 2: them rather excuse me going into future seasons.
Speaker 1: Absolutely, I want to I want to switch gears now
Speaker 1: and talk about the Indiana Pacers real quick, shaw and
Speaker 1: then we can probably you know, throw our final comments
Speaker 1: you know about what we you know what you know
Speaker 1: the Oklahoma City Thunder and you know, just just the
Speaker 1: achievement in the accomplishment. But with the Indiana Pacers, they're
Speaker 1: an interesting team because to your to what we were
Speaker 1: just talking about, with the Oklahoma City Thunder, I think
Speaker 1: you can definitely make the argument that the Indiana Pacers
Speaker 1: have about as well balanced a group as far as
Speaker 1: veteran and young players. Barring that, you know, the you
Speaker 1: know that they're not going to be you know, hampered,
Speaker 1: and salary is going to be an issue, you know,
Speaker 1: with the with the players that they do need to
Speaker 1: keep or want to keep in things of that nature.
Speaker 1: But the core of this team, I think there's so
Speaker 1: much upside with Nie Smith, there's so much upside with
Speaker 1: them Hart, there's so much upside with Topping, and you've
Speaker 1: got really solid grounded players like McConnell. I want to
Speaker 1: throw Benedict Mantherin in the in the mix, but you know,
Speaker 1: we'll wait, We'll wait and see. He has his moments,
Speaker 1: but when when he when his head is right, he
Speaker 1: to me has about as much upside as I've ever seen.
Speaker 1: Like I at one point, I would have wanted to
Speaker 1: have seen him, you know, be starting I think he
Speaker 1: had it was a window an opportunity to do so.
Speaker 1: But I also respect the fact that he actually recognized
Speaker 1: that this team is better suited with the lineup that
Speaker 1: Carlisle had put out there, and he gladly came in
Speaker 1: and assumed that six seven man role coming in and
Speaker 1: has really been a be in his you know, it
Speaker 1: has been been a benefactor of that. And I think
Speaker 1: that growth maturity because you've posted it, you tweeted it
Speaker 1: as well too, Homie gonna be chucking from next season,
Speaker 1: and I want to see I want to see him,
Speaker 1: you know, have that mentality. I think when he has
Speaker 1: an aggressive mentality to score the basketball, the Pacers bowl well.
Speaker 1: So to me, this team equally, I think is going
Speaker 1: to have a lot to say, you know, and I
Speaker 1: get it, Halliburton will probably not be here for most
Speaker 1: of the season, if not all of the season, But
Speaker 1: I don't think that diminishes the level of grittiness and
Speaker 1: play that you can still get from the Indiana Pacers.
Speaker 1: And we still have an off season. You know, we'll
Speaker 1: be talking about what the Boston Celtics are going to do,
Speaker 1: you know with their off season. Danana Pacers, even though
Speaker 1: they lost Haliburton, they still have a lot of great
Speaker 1: players on that team to make them worth saying. Let's
Speaker 1: still put somebody on there. Find somebody on here who
Speaker 1: may not be a Halliburton, but you sure as hell
Speaker 1: can give us a lot for what this team has
Speaker 1: been able to show us throughout the course of this finals,
Speaker 1: in the playoffs run ultimately as well.
Speaker 2: I mean Indiana is they're just not going to be
Speaker 2: as good as they would they were hoping, right, I
Speaker 2: think they would have been the favorite going into next year.
Speaker 2: But there is still talent here and I think, of
Speaker 2: nothing else we should not count them out. But if
Speaker 2: we were going to precede them going to the next
Speaker 2: season as a one or two seed, I just don't
Speaker 2: know how you could do that without Halliburn, Like I
Speaker 2: just don't. And while we think Mattherurin has all the
Speaker 2: talent in the world, I think we all know Nemhart
Speaker 2: is a quality starter within the NBA and is going
Speaker 2: to produce in a real magical way next year. In
Speaker 2: addition to Siakam. I just can't see how they can
Speaker 2: get back to this level. And this isn't me just
Speaker 2: doubting them like I was in the beginning of this year.
Speaker 2: I just don't see how they could do it without Halliburn.
Speaker 2: And now I don't know the question with Miles Turner.
Speaker 2: I think Shams has said going into this, you know, hey,
Speaker 2: he's been the longest tender to pay serr. He's been
Speaker 2: here nine long years and hasn't gotten a you know,
Speaker 2: hasn't sniffed the finals or whatever like this. This is
Speaker 2: kind of his reward and that they were going to
Speaker 2: definitely ultimately pay him. This guy shot i think six
Speaker 2: to twenty eight from the three point line in the
Speaker 2: NBA Finals, And yes, I know he's a big but
Speaker 2: like he's supposed to be a stre five and that three
Speaker 2: wasn't working for him. And then he also doesn't have
Speaker 2: this great back, you know, post up game as well too.
Speaker 2: So I'm just trying to figure out what is a
Speaker 2: long term play even with Miles Turner. Now, do they
Speaker 2: just kind of grandfathered in, like, hey, we have this
Speaker 2: miraculous run, so we're still going to give you the
Speaker 2: loot regardless. But when you know that Halliburn is also
Speaker 2: going to miss like a full year as well too,
Speaker 2: do you just do that? I think it changes the
Speaker 2: course of a team's history when you have an injury
Speaker 2: like this. So we're seeing this already. We saw this
Speaker 2: with Dame Lillard now with Milwaukee and whether what's the
Speaker 2: future of the bus with Gianni Sans Takompo. Now we
Speaker 2: saw that with Jason Tatum. What are they going to do?
Speaker 2: We know massive changes are coming to the Celtics' offseason,
Speaker 2: and while I don't think massive changes are coming to
Speaker 2: the Indiana Pacers, I don't know that what they were
Speaker 2: going to do is still what they are now going
Speaker 2: to do as a result of a Halliburn injury. I
Speaker 2: think this changes a couple of things for them going
Speaker 2: into the summer.
Speaker 1: Well, I agree with you on that part. I do
Speaker 1: think that it's interesting because these injuries kind of expose
Speaker 1: a little bit more about what we as fans often assume.
Speaker 1: If let's say, for example, the Indiana Pacers did win
Speaker 1: a championship, I think you could probably present the same
Speaker 1: arguments that you're making right now, Sean, saying, well, will
Speaker 1: they be good enough for them to be able to
Speaker 1: run it back? And almost you know by forcing that
Speaker 1: that thought process of saying you got to run it
Speaker 1: back with that same team doesn't necessarily merit or mean
Speaker 1: that they're going to be able to give back, you know,
Speaker 1: to the NBA Finals. You know, even if you did
Speaker 1: have Haliburton healthy, right, you may make that you may
Speaker 1: make that drastic change because you recognize that long term wise,
Speaker 1: is it better that you do it only for this
Speaker 1: one time if you had or hadn't won the championship,
Speaker 1: or you're trying to do that for multiple times with
Speaker 1: the kind of roster that you're trying to build, and
Speaker 1: there's only been a couple or a handful of executives
Speaker 1: will ultimately have adopted that kind of mentality, one of
Speaker 1: which now has just won himself in NBAH Championship after
Speaker 1: how many times, you know, after how many versions of
Speaker 1: a roster he's been able to put together. So I
Speaker 1: think you pose a very interesting questions as it pertains
Speaker 1: to Miles Turner. I think where I was going with
Speaker 1: to your point, Shaw is if you choose to keep
Speaker 1: the core as it as it is, you know, do
Speaker 1: the Pacers still look to get say, you know, a
Speaker 1: veteran guy that's out there may not score the basketball
Speaker 1: like a Halliburton, However he fits right in with his
Speaker 1: ability to have opportunities to score the basketball, you know,
Speaker 1: like you know, like Halliburton would be able to in
Speaker 1: this kind of offense. And you really kind of sip
Speaker 1: set up the way that this team plays at such
Speaker 1: a frenetic up and down pace and things of that nature,
Speaker 1: that it's not about the Halliburton the closer, or maybe
Speaker 1: Halliburton the ball distributor or whatever the case may be,
Speaker 1: but collectively, the whole team altogether just you know, a
Speaker 1: mass is a good successful campaign to give themselves a
Speaker 1: chance to try to make a similar run to what
Speaker 1: they did. They're not going to be the best team
Speaker 1: to your point, but again, given the climate of where
Speaker 1: we are with the Eastern Conference, it's hard not to
Speaker 1: imagine that the Indiana Pacers, with the young core of
Speaker 1: talent that they already have established and what they've shown
Speaker 1: us through the course of this run second half of
Speaker 1: the season and getting to the NBA Finals, that they
Speaker 1: probably are going to wind up being on the better
Speaker 1: side of whatever that outcome might look like without Halliburton
Speaker 1: than we do say about other teams that we have
Speaker 1: seen lose their top player and literally just fall off
Speaker 1: a clip, like to the point where they're like hanging
Speaker 1: around maybe the nine or ten seed or not even
Speaker 1: in playing contention.
Speaker 2: Well, I mean, there's something to be said about continuity,
Speaker 2: you know, team building and a team chemistry, and this
Speaker 2: Indiana Pacer team does have that going for them. So
Speaker 2: I don't feel like they are a destination. Even with
Speaker 2: an NBA Finals run, you know what is not like
Speaker 2: an amazing They're not going to have an opportunity for
Speaker 2: I think an amazing draft pick here now. So do
Speaker 2: they get a disabled player at exemption? You know with Haliburton,
Speaker 2: more than likely. But what does that get them in
Speaker 2: terms of being able to attract somebody? I think if
Speaker 2: you're trying to make a trade with then you're looking
Speaker 2: at potentially disrupting You're already team chemistry, right, So where
Speaker 2: does that put you? It puts you in a in
Speaker 2: a really really strange juxtaposition. So maybe they just bring
Speaker 2: them Miles Turner back and say, you know, bump it.
Speaker 2: We'll give them, We'll give them whatever.
Speaker 1: Would wouldn't it wouldn't wouldn't it be funny? I'm sorry,
Speaker 1: let me let me get into my j low bag.
Speaker 1: Ain't it funny? Wouldn't it be funny if they if
Speaker 1: they figured out a way to bring back playoff.
Speaker 2: P not a chance but but not not a chance.
Speaker 2: But I'm sure if Philadelphia would be happy to do anything.
Speaker 2: I mean, there's rumors about him going to Utah right now,
Speaker 2: so you know, god bless. But but ultimately I think
Speaker 2: they have cheap contracts on the books like top end, Niece, Smith,
Speaker 2: and McConnell all under fifteen million dollars each. But if
Speaker 2: you move anyone or even a combination of those guys,
Speaker 2: what are you getting back? You know? And then are
Speaker 2: you having are you going to attach draft equity or
Speaker 2: capitable in essence to try to do something when you
Speaker 2: know Haliburton should be back the year after. I don't know,
Speaker 2: Like the whole aspect of a gap year is something
Speaker 2: that most teams do not want to do. Take your
Speaker 2: Miami Heat for for example, like they just refuse. But
Speaker 2: then there's certain times forced into those gap years, you know, unceremoniously.
Speaker 2: So what ends up added with the Indiana is something
Speaker 2: that we will be absolutely keeping a close eye on
Speaker 2: as we're going into the summer here now because Haliburton
Speaker 2: thing really makes it a more difficult situation for Kevin
Speaker 2: Pritchard Carlisle Company to figure out, right, well, who can
Speaker 2: we really be next year realistically without jeopardizing our future
Speaker 2: for when how he does ultimately come back, because Haliburn's
Speaker 2: only what like twenty four to twenty five, so he's
Speaker 2: not done. You know, it's not the end of his
Speaker 2: career in any search of imagination, so he should return
Speaker 2: from this. But again you're looking at least probably a
Speaker 2: year from.
Speaker 1: Now before that happens. Yes, at least at least that
Speaker 1: I wanted to. I wanted to kind of chime in
Speaker 1: on something you said before, because you were mentioning how
Speaker 1: the Indiana Pacers is quote unquote not an attractable market.
Speaker 1: I presume that you were talking about, you know, any
Speaker 1: off season person targeting, you know, going to a market
Speaker 1: that well, it's more viable, right, gives them a little
Speaker 1: free agents.
Speaker 2: I think role players will ultimately go there and feel like, hey,
Speaker 2: this is a place I can thrive, Carl out can
Speaker 2: coach me up. I may get an opportunity, especially with
Speaker 2: how he not being there, But they're not looking at
Speaker 2: any stars I think coming into this, into this into
Speaker 2: this team, which.
Speaker 1: Which you know I would I would probably not if
Speaker 1: I'm the Uniana Pacers, I wouldn't be thinking about it
Speaker 1: in that context, but I would. I we wanted to
Speaker 1: make sure that I was understanding what you were saying
Speaker 1: and your you know, you were clarifying that part of it,
Speaker 1: because in my head. I'm thinking Indiana to me is
Speaker 1: one of those few franchises right now. Given what they
Speaker 1: were able to do, they are riding on the momentum
Speaker 1: of something very similar to what we saw with the
Speaker 1: San Antonio Spurst, where I don't think the market itself
Speaker 1: is determining or dictating ultimately what kind of player they
Speaker 1: need to have or would like to have come to
Speaker 1: the franchise. I think it's what we've seen, and we've
Speaker 1: alluded to this that this was the best scenario for
Speaker 1: the NBA. While people are not enamored with this matchup
Speaker 1: between the Thunder and the Pacers, this is absolutely awesome
Speaker 1: to see this happen because if you are a star player,
Speaker 1: or if you're a player who really is about quote
Speaker 1: unquote winning and being in a winning situation, it really
Speaker 1: forces the narrative, what would make you not want to
Speaker 1: go to Indiana and play under a guy like Rick Carlisle.
Speaker 1: What would not make you want to go and play
Speaker 1: next to a guy like Nem Harden, a guy like
Speaker 1: Nie Smith, and a guy like Miles Turner and not
Speaker 1: think that what you can bring to the table will
Speaker 1: enable this team to return back to an NBA finals
Speaker 1: Like I think what I'm trying to allude to is
Speaker 1: not so much as the selfishness of the star player,
Speaker 1: because they're looking at maximizing their value and their brand.
Speaker 1: But ultimately, if all you kept talking about was winning
Speaker 1: a championship, well, there's a team right there that needs
Speaker 1: another piece in order to get closer to that championship.
Speaker 1: What would stop you now from not doing it right?
Speaker 1: And I think that now can be elevated into an
Speaker 1: actual conversation where it could be taken seriously, because before,
Speaker 1: I think a lot of it was all smoking mirrors
Speaker 1: and the guys of guys saying that that's what they
Speaker 1: really are about until somebody throws a check in front
Speaker 1: of their face, and because it was a storage franchise
Speaker 1: or because it's because it's a high visible market, that
Speaker 1: it justified them wanting to sign, you know what I'm saying,
Speaker 1: and not really being founded on the idea that them
Speaker 1: as a player are really thinking winning basketball mentality, being
Speaker 1: in a winning culture, or them bringing a winning basketball
Speaker 1: mentality to that franchise to help them get over the hump.
Speaker 2: Indiana is again they're going to, I think struggle with
Speaker 2: the star level, right. But if you look at this run,
Speaker 2: look at Carla, look at the Vibes, and this is
Speaker 2: very much a Vibez team. Then maybe there is a
Speaker 2: high level role player or say hey, I want to
Speaker 2: go here. This happened for them a couple of years
Speaker 2: ago with Bruce Brown, right, but they flipped Bruce Brown
Speaker 2: to Pascal Siaka because the timing was right. So do
Speaker 2: they do something else similar to that? I don't know,
Speaker 2: And I think they're going to want to try to
Speaker 2: keep their books clear because the second part of this
Speaker 2: tile is like, they're not a tax payer I think currently, Uh,
Speaker 2: but they're willing they were willing to, according to Sean,
Speaker 2: willing to go into the tax to paid Miles Turner.
Speaker 2: Are they still willing to do that knowing that next
Speaker 2: year may not be exactly what they were hoping it
Speaker 2: to be, and then the year after that what Halliburton
Speaker 2: is back presumably? So then all right, now you're going
Speaker 2: to have you know, Mathrin who's probably going to be
Speaker 2: a free agent, and do you keep him or what
Speaker 2: are you going to be paying him?
Speaker 1: At?
Speaker 2: Indiana is not known for having you know, bazillions of
Speaker 2: dollars here like Steve Bomber, And now I guess like
Speaker 2: the Lakers will now as well too in terms of
Speaker 2: their spending. So I think they are going to have
Speaker 2: to be really nuanced and careful about what they do
Speaker 2: going into next year. They're not going to give up.
Speaker 2: They seem too proud. I think this team is just
Speaker 2: they're just too tight in essence to just quit. We
Speaker 2: won't see them in the lottery per se, you know,
Speaker 2: barring anything else. You know, kind of crazy happening injury wise,
Speaker 2: but I don't know what additions can actually happen for
Speaker 2: them going in this offseason. So we'll see if somebody
Speaker 2: takes a look that says, you know what, hey, I'd
Speaker 2: love to go over there and get my shine on
Speaker 2: and try to see if we can get back to
Speaker 2: the NAA finals, and then even the year after that
Speaker 2: will be even better when how he does return. So
Speaker 2: shout out to this Indiana Pacers team for a miraculous run.
Speaker 2: Shout to Carlisle although some questionable decision here in Game seven,
Speaker 2: but more importantly and unfortunately more big shout out to
Speaker 2: the Oklahoma City Thunder for getting it done here. The
Speaker 2: best team all season long, hands down. Yes they're flawed,
Speaker 2: but it still was there it was their championship to lose,
Speaker 2: and they did not lose a championship.
Speaker 1: Look at you trying to look at you steal in
Speaker 1: my thunder. There you go, see what you did that? Yeah? Man,
Speaker 1: the Oklahoma City Thunder best team from start to finish,
Speaker 1: and they accomplished the mission. They they they basically you know,
Speaker 1: completed the deal, and you know, they won that NBA Championship.
Speaker 1: I will concede Shaw and I will give some positive
Speaker 1: I'll add something positive to them. This by far, you know,
Speaker 1: has been one of the most impressive teams defensively that
Speaker 1: I've seen in recent memory. And I'm not saying that
Speaker 1: they're gonna go down as one of the greatest defensive
Speaker 1: teams or anything like that, but I think the way
Speaker 1: that they played and how they played, you know, you
Speaker 1: wish that a team like that has an even better
Speaker 1: level and even higher level, but that's that's not the
Speaker 1: mentality of the NBA. You know, the NBA is going
Speaker 1: to be predicated on scoring the basketball. And you know,
Speaker 1: I don't know if we'll ever speak about the Oklahoma
Speaker 1: City Thunder team. This version of the Oklahoma City Thunder
Speaker 1: team and did win the NBA Finals in that light
Speaker 1: in that elk. But I'm just very very proud that
Speaker 1: this team leaned into what I thought was always their
Speaker 1: calling card and what got them to the level of
Speaker 1: dominance to a mass of sixty eight wins that they
Speaker 1: did this year was the fact that they played hillatious
Speaker 1: defense and they did that for four quarters, and you know, that,
Speaker 1: to me is a sign of a team that has
Speaker 1: a championship medal in them. You know, when it's necessary,
Speaker 1: lock a player down when it's necessary, force a turnover
Speaker 1: when it's necessary, get a key rebound, you know what
Speaker 1: I'm saying. Like, I know, we focus a lot more
Speaker 1: on the offensive side of things and stuff, and I'm
Speaker 1: not saying that we shouldn't, but I do think that
Speaker 1: when a team has been this good defensively, you just
Speaker 1: don't abandon that. And I'm glad that they showed that
Speaker 1: on the most important game, which was a game seven situation.
Speaker 1: And you know, people could have made the excuse that
Speaker 1: this was tired legs, you know, seven games ruling, grueling effect,
Speaker 1: or whatever the case may be, but this game was
Speaker 1: basically being played out as we were thinking it was
Speaker 1: going to be. It was either going to be this
Speaker 1: team offensively is going to figure out a way to
Speaker 1: break the OKC defense, or the OKC defense was going
Speaker 1: to figure out a way to break the Indiana Pacers offense.
Speaker 1: And we kind of saw that momentum swing, especially despite
Speaker 1: the injury. But we saw how that momentum played itself out,
Speaker 1: and I'm glad that the Oklahoma City Thunder showed that
Speaker 1: they were just the better team and they wound up
Speaker 1: winning the championship ultimately, you know, for their for their
Speaker 1: commitment to what got them.
Speaker 2: There defensively, you know, it wins championships in an era of offense,
Speaker 2: Game seven of the NBA Finals and in a score
Speaker 2: of one to three to ninety one, so you know,
Speaker 2: not one twenty five, you know, to one eighteen again
Speaker 2: barely scraping over one hundred points. You know, in a
Speaker 2: defense of battle old case. He wins in a way
Speaker 2: that they've won many games throughout the course of this
Speaker 2: regular season and into the playoffs. Third quarter, turn it on,
Speaker 2: turning the getting points off off of those turnovers and
Speaker 2: really lying on their defense, and you figure teams would
Speaker 2: be smarter about this moving forward, and I'll try to
Speaker 2: take advantage of their aggressiveness. But that's where Daga, Nau
Speaker 2: and company will need to the encounter and figure out
Speaker 2: ways in that sense sor right, well, how do we
Speaker 2: bait even more than we have and maybe not be
Speaker 2: as aggressive and then figure out ways and essence to
Speaker 2: turn it on. We saw some stuff with them even
Speaker 2: in the game one of this series, right, they went
Speaker 2: and zone in the first game. We hadn't released them
Speaker 2: do a lot of that, So there's a lot of
Speaker 2: more upside. I think this Oklahoma City Thunder team defensively
Speaker 2: and obviously offensive ways with little too, but they won
Speaker 2: the NBA Championship their way, and I'm really really excited
Speaker 2: to see what with the future. Holes. But man, what
Speaker 2: a wild and I mean a wild NBA season this was.
Speaker 2: And you know, hey, I'm glad to have been able
Speaker 2: to do it with you, my guy.
Speaker 1: Seriously, absolutely, man, this has been another awesome season of
Speaker 1: the n B a that we've been able to encapsulate,
Speaker 1: you know, speak to and you know, ultimately articulate for
Speaker 1: our listeners. But hey, man, it doesn't stop right because
Speaker 1: now right around the corner, we've got the NBA Draft.
Speaker 1: So you know what I'm saying, gotta gotta gotta get
Speaker 1: ready to re up and reload, you know, with our
Speaker 1: with the conversation that's going to be going on, and
Speaker 1: I'm looking forward for us to having the opportunity, you know,
Speaker 1: to speak about you know, there's obviously some moves that
Speaker 1: have been made which we will get to because they
Speaker 1: will obviously have a role to play or we'll play
Speaker 1: a huge factor in what we'll be expecting, uh for
Speaker 1: NBA Draft Night as well.
Speaker 2: Yes, sir, I mean you're and you're teasing it up,
Speaker 2: so you tap in with the baseline. We will be live.
Speaker 2: I think we'll probably do up to the lottery, but
Speaker 2: we'll be able to have a chance to discuss some
Speaker 2: of the trays that we haven't really touched on here,
Speaker 2: the sale of the Lakers, et cetera, and then everything
Speaker 2: that happens draft night. I'm sure there will be some
Speaker 2: trains happening, swopping of picks in the whole nine. So
Speaker 2: stay tuned to us here. I guess June twenty fifth,
Speaker 2: we will not be live from Barkley Center, will be
Speaker 2: live from our respective places well watching the NBA Draft,
Speaker 2: giving our immediate analysis and reaction to everything that will
Speaker 2: be happening on NBA Draft Night.
Speaker 1: But not that the NBA shouldn't consider putting us on. Man.
Speaker 1: You know, we'll be more than happy. I'm you know, saying,
Speaker 1: just jump hop on, hop on a path train and
Speaker 1: you know, take that take that hop on the path
Speaker 1: and then head to the MTA. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2: And you know, let me get my Jet Blue credit together.
Speaker 2: We'll get it right.
Speaker 1: We'll make it right, absolutely well. Once again, man, we
Speaker 1: appreciate everybody for hopping on board. We hope everybody enjoyed
Speaker 1: the NBA Finals, and once again we'd like to give
Speaker 1: a shout out to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are
Speaker 1: your twenty twenty four to twenty twenty five NBA champions
Speaker 1: for the baseline, Calie warren Shaw. We appreciate you, guys. Thanks,
Speaker 1: thank you for happing on board with this this time,
Speaker 1: and we'll catch up with you on the next go round.