You know, I was waiting to learn a term that describes the way Zach pretends like he likes Pitbull and Tyres Saliburton dropped it. It's are a farming. That's what he's doing. It's the very definition. It's the act of intentionally trying to appear cool or charismatic through actions or behaviors often perceived as exaggerated or artificial.
We have the term. Now, can you use Pitbull for that? And Zach Harper or a farming on a Friday?
Right? I wouldn't say, I mean, I don't think I'm trying to look cool. I just enjoy the music. Whether you think that makes me look cool or not seems to be a projection of your own thoughts on what Pitbull is. So I think we just cracked the cake.
Don't get psychological on me on a Friday. You don't need to go two levels deep. You had you ever heard the term are a farming before Halliburton dropped it because it was new to me, Okay.
And I really hope I never hear it again. That founded real, dumb? It did?
It did? All right?
While we're while we're in the space, I don't know which target you want to aim at game one. I mean, like, there are so many different directions we could go. I referenced this earlier, had Howard beck On when Jalen hit his step back three to make it a fourteen point game. As a Nick fan, I'm never gonna be like, yeah, it's over. But I just thought Indiana was out of time. Right at what point of that game, if at all, were you like, all right, that's it.
There's no way the Knicks can lose this.
So I'll tell you. I'll tell you. Actually my experience of the game, I mistimed when I thought that game was going to be over, like an idiot. So I actually planned to go to dinner with somebody at seven thirty. They were late by a few minutes, so I'm just sitting outside a sushi restaurant watching on my phone. I had to stop looking at the game with thirty four
seconds left. So with the five point game, they're in that replay review or thirty four seconds left in the fourth quarter, so they're in that review on the og foul, they're up what five at that point or whatever it was, I was thirty four seconds left. I'm like, well, I mean, I know the Pacers can do this, but whatever. Three hours later, I checked my phone and I'm like, wait a second, Pacers won. I had like I didn't know,
Oh my god, Like I checked my phone. I had like one hundred and forty text messages or something like that. Like I just it was. It was chaos in my phone. I had no idea. But what's funny is like up until that point when I when I when I saw it was my phone. You know, we had this live blog going on the athletic and when it was one eighteen one oh two, with like seven something left, James Edwards the third does a great job covering the next
for us. You know, maybe Cat had hit a shot or someone had hit a shot, and he's like, that's gonna do it. And Eric Name who does a great job covering the bucks for us, and then there he goes, guys, let's not count this Pacers team out of seen it too many times. And then you know when Jalen hits that that shot, you know, I think someone else said it in Eric Name again, it's like, guys, don't count
the Pacers off. And then you know they made that little run and I think at the thirty four second Mark or maybe just before it, I want to say, Lot Murray for US was like, oh, this is a fake comeback, and Eric name again was like, guys, do not count this spacers in that because he can't. They've bought three times in this postseason. They just snapped a nine seventy game losing streak of teams down fourteen or more with two fifty left, which is a weird stat.
But somebody looked it up, so we should say it.
It is a weird stat. But you know, there are so many things about it that were wild historic. It was a comedy of errors. It was a perfect storm for Indianapolis. And as much as it was about crazy shot making, Zach, I don't know if you've had a chance to go back and watch the end at all, but it was simply that this team was out of gas.
Og stopped closing, which he never does, Josh Hart slipped twice, and then there was a back door cut where he's flat footed Jalen with multiple odd turnovers down the stretch. Kat was limping up and down. Oh Kat has a New York accent. Now, I don't know if you know, I don't know if.
You're aware of that I'm sure that'll last.
Okay, Yeah, I sent you a tweet.
I don't know if you check that out. But the fact of the matter is this Zach.
Yeah.
I've been listening to him interviewed since he was eighteen, never had a New York accent until now. But look, Tom thibodeau' is a hell of a coach, all right, But at some point, here's my question to you. Can you get ten minutes out of Precious at YOUUA? Can you get eight minutes? If you're gonna play your boy campaign. Precious at YOUA can give you ten minutes and Landry
Shammick can give you eight. I know he probably won't, but what what do they have to do If you will not extend his rotation, then they can't get in a track meet. They have to do something tonight to make sure their best players don't look gassed at the end.
You can't run with these guys like that's first and portant like I know they played well. I know the Knicks played well. And if you don't have that overtime period and they don't give up that, you know that last shot or whatever, it all looks great, right, all right? You survived it. And you you Wane and everything, but the of it is like you can't run with the pacers. They and the thing is like Cat's a pretty methodical score.
Jamon Brunson's definitely a methodical score. Oh, Janaoi's a methodical score. They should be slowing it down offensively. They should be trying to like, you're not gonna slow Indiana down offensively, but you can slow the game down yourself on your end of the floor. And so I like, I just think it's a mistake to allow both stop you know, both offenses to be a quick pace. I'm with you. And what's funny about this is I kind of feel like before game one, we had had all the backlash
to fifteen years of backlash against oh. I thought Tom Thibodeau's running guys and you know, playing too many minutes. I thought that was supposed to prevent that, Like we got all this stuff kind of saying that that's no longer a thing, and then you know, Day one, they run out of gas. Maybe we shouldn't just do that. Maybe we shouldn't dismiss fifteen years of something just because they won another game and got to the conference finals. Like I'm with you like, like, if Campaign is on
the court, precious can't be worse than Campaign. I've seen pressures chewing play Like I get if you don't know if pressures to chewing guy, but like he can he can give you six minutes, five, he can give you three somewhere in the second quarter, three, somewhere in the beginning of the fourth quarter.
It's all you need.
I mean, look, I get sticking to the plan, and I get sticking to what brought you here. But in the in the fourth quarter against the Celtics, it was one hundred and ten to seventy six with five minutes left, and Jalen Brunson is fighting over pick set by Xavier Tillman, and it's.
Like, what are we doing? I mean, Delon Wright he like, I don't know, man.
I actually thought one of my biggest takeaways from game one, and I didn't hear a ton of people dig into this. I thought Tom was out coached. He used his challenges way too early. He didn't stagger his timeouts. Carlisle had two challenges that he used late with two big plays.
YEP.
I think Tom Thibodeau has some uh adjusting to do as well. If they want to get out of this series, or you can just be stubborn and probably lose your job at the end of the year. I mean, because I think that's where we're headed if he refuses to adjust a little bit.
Yeah, Like I thought if they got to the conference finals, his job was safe. But if you lose to the Pacers, I don't know if that's true. And that's not a shot. That's not me taking a shot at the Pacers. I just don't know if James Dolan's gonna feel that way, right, Like, that's that's the person you have to kind of convince and historically not the most rational guy, you know, not the not the clearest thinker there. Yeah, I don't think.
I don't think there's any shame in getting out coached by Rick Carlisle, But the way he got out coached,
I'm with you, like, I think that's bad. I do not know what is this obsession in this postseason with some of these coaches using challenges early on the most like mundane plays like I don't like Carlisle played it right, he had chat like you said, he had challenges late for plays that mattered, not some dumb challenge in the first half that really doesn't like unless it's a guy picking up a third foul, like a star picking up a third foul. I don't think I would ever challenge
in the first half. I don't get it. I don't understand that. And Tom Thibodeau is one of those coaches that will do it, and he just like he can't be so stubborn. I know it got them there, and I know, like, oh, they're so conditioned now and they're ready for these big mens and everything. Not really, not really, they're they're a good team, and they are well coached
to a degree, and they know their identity. But you do have to be adaptable, like they You're not so good that you have to force everybody to adapt to you, right.
And there were two occasions, one from Halliburton and the other from Turner in the first half. And look every NBA player, whenever they commit a foul and they think it's questionable, they turn around, they do the thing. Okay, let's review the thing, and they all do it. There were two occasions that I took note of. Halliburton was called for a foul in the first half. He turns to the bench and he does the thing Okay, let's review it, and Carlisle basically told him to shut up.
He said, go play, and then he did the same thing to Miles Turner about two minutes later, and I took note. I'm like, he's saving his challenges, which is what you should do. And the challenge Tom used on the Jalen offensive foul was beyond dumb. I don't know who told him to do that. It was clearly a foul. They were not gonna win that. So ultimately that brings us to tonight. Do you have a lean? I mean, I feel like there's a stoicism to Jalen Brunson that
I respect. Like, after the Knicks beat the Celtics, he's summarily dismissing the celebrations and telling his teammates to go to the locker room. I don't anticipate, Like I know, the media narrative is like, hey, there's gonna be a hangover. There's no coming back from that, and that was a horrible, damn loss. I'm not saying it's not, but I feel like the Knicks, you're going to respond tonight.
Now.
I don't know if their coach is going to adjust enough to give them gas at the end to win the game.
But I don't feel like all is lost.
Tell me where your head is out as far as the game tonight and the rest of the series.
It's a bad loss. I don't think it's like this gut punch they can't recover from. Yeah, I mean, if you think about it, even if like the end of regulation, yes it's a collapse because they gave up a fourteen point lead in two minutes and fifty seconds. They scored on seven of their last ten possessions like that. That's the thing. They weren't giving the ball away the whole
time and missing shots badly like they scored. The problem is they just came up three pointers in Aaron neth Smith every time, like they were trading one for three, two for three every time. And so I do think it's fluky. I don't think it was. I think overtime was kind of was more of an indictment on the bad things about that team. I don't think the end of regulation was. I think that was a fluke. I think this is this isn't some young team that's rattled.
I think it's just a team of veterans that will be fine. I think Jalen Bruns as the leader is going to make them fine. I think they'll probably win. I also think teams keep underestimating this Pacers team, and this Pacers team is capable of winning the championship.
They're really good and I've been wildly impressed. And you know, ultimately, I do think the Knicks have some size down low that the Pacers don't. But the Pacers have the depth at the Knicks don't. It makes it really really fascinating. But I know you don't have a ton of time today, So let's move out this way and before we talk, okse t Wolves chase the MVP.
Yeah, do you think do you think that was the right call?
I voted for him? Yeah? I think so. Here the season no one else has ever had. Their team was dominant, and he was the best player they you know, they there was a massive difference with him on the court versus him off the court. Like I don't fault if you if you voted for Jokicic and thought he was it, But if you dismiss Shaye as an MVP candidate, I think you've got a weird agenda.
Yeah, well said, And I would not have had an issue with anyone who voted for Jokic, but I did I agree with you.
I believe Shay was the red call. All right. So I said this earlier with Howard. I'll repeat it to you.
And this is not breaking news because if you've watched them all year, you know that they have a level that maybe nobody else has. Boston had it last year and I started to feel like no one was going to touch the Celtics, and I'm starting to feel like nobody's touching Okasee. I'm always very hesitant to anoint the team that has never had a deep playoff run, and that was kind of my hesitancy, like, let's see how you guys respond. And you know, a couple of moments VERSU.
Denver that weren't great, but Denver is a team that has one of the best players of this generation and won a championship a couple of years ago. I feel like they're ready, man. I feel like I'm ready to say that today that I feel like they're ready. I don't think the Wolves has what it takes to come back and win four. I think they can get one at home, and I don't think either New York or Indiana has the level Okasee has when they are maximizing their ceiling.
What are your thoughts.
I think Indiana could challenge them, I do, like I I think Indiana's got the depth to do it and the style of play to maybe mess some things up, But it would take a lot of like hitting your peak at the right time. Right. But yeah, I mean, okay, so he's just super impressive. I actually I disagree with
a lot of people, like I think Minnesota. Minnesota should have won Game one, and I know you look at the final score and think that's ridiculous, but Minnesota went eight of thirty on wide open three point shots and it was good shooters taken. It's not like it was a bunch of a bunch of bums getting these corner
open corner shots because it was being funneled there. Like Devincenzo, Alexander Walker nas reed, Mike Connley like these were forty percent wide open shooters who were missing wide open shots. And I like, I they should have been up, you know, fifteen eighteen points in the first you know, at halftime they were up four, and we you know, okay, so he's the best third quarter team in basketball and they're
going to make that run. It's different when you have the fifteen to eighteen point cushion versus the four point cushion, you know, like, I just think that's different. Also, this was a ten point game with four minute minutes left in a game where they just they missed so many open threes. So I actually think Minnesota probably should have
won that game. Game two, you see the cracks there, right, You see the frustration of Minnesota, and it's really starting to get to them the disparity and how the game's
being officiated. And I'm not even saying this is this is a they're losing because of the rest they even if it's not the case, they feel it is, and they're letting it get to them like they are whining through this stuff, like they're they're letting the frustration instead of just playing and being physical and just playing their way. They're in this in between zone because of it. Defensively, and I do think okay, See gets away with more
more contact defensively than what Minnesota is. Okay, you got to adjust them, like you just got to figure it out. You can't just throw your hands up and start pushing and pouting everything like you gotta you gotta figure it out. And so like they're they're struggling a little bit mentally. I think they'll be I think things will change at home. It Like it really wouldn't shock me if it was two to two going back to okay See, but I like,
I mean, okay, she's going to win the series. But I think I don't think Minnesota is going to shoot this poorly the whole time. I mean they're getting they're generating good looks. They cut down on the turnovers. The problem is when they force turnovers, they're dead ball turnovers. When okay See force turnovers, they're all live ball turnovers. Like they just there's there is a disparity there. And and we always talked about a team getting hot offensively,
Okay See gets hot defensively. They go on these like runs defensively they're just crazy impressive.
Yeah they do. And when they dial it up a notch with that length and that size, it just feels like the Minnesota's up against it. And last thing before I say you lose, I mean, you know, I said this to a lot of my friends last year watching the Knicks in the playoffs, like what do you think? I'm like, well, what do you think about Julius Randall
as your second option offensively? And look, I'm not taking anything away from what he's done so far, but last night I was like, yeah, that's kind of who he's been spring basketball.
They need more from him, Zach if they're going to get back in this.
Yeah. I said this in a video for Today where you know he was great for he was great for too much. He played the best basketball of his career for the last two months they did, and then he turned into a pumpkin yep in Game two and I said, this is all this is our bad with Like, you don't talk about a perfect game during a perfect game, right, you don't address it. Like that's what happened. Like everyone started to be like, oh, Julius Randall, he's really good,
and now it feels like it's ruined. And yeah, like I mean maybe good because that player options coming up instead of needing a new contract. Yeah, like Julius Randall, maybe he gets back to it. I still think he's you know, he's definitely better than what he was last night,
but they need him to be perfect. They need to be perfect, and they need to hit these outside shots to have a chance to win these games and then even then, like you like you were talking about, like, okay, see me, just have a gear that and hit that gear every game that no one else can touch.
Yeah, yep, we'll see what happens though.
Man.
Enjoy the game tonight. I appreciate the time. Have a good long weekend.
Okay, all right, buddy, thank you, all right.
Zach Harper from the Athletic at tak Hoops on Twitter is where you find his work. A bunch of different pods, a bunch of different videos for the Athletic and writes their weekly power rankings. He is a voter for NBA Awards as well. Appreciate Zach's time on this Friday afternoon.