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