WEBVTT - Thunder Take Game 5, Bane Traded to Orlando with Damien Barling 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:04.280 On this episode of the Heat Check Game five is over. 0:00:04.440 --> 0:00:07.200 What a heartbreaker, just disgusting stuff. 0:00:07.880 --> 0:00:09.160 I am joined by my. 0:00:09.240 --> 0:00:14.600 Guy, another fellow ruder of the Indiana Pacers, who has 0:00:14.680 --> 0:00:18.960 to be despondent tonight because the opportunities were just there. 0:00:19.360 --> 0:00:23.240 And there's so many things that you can point to 0:00:23.440 --> 0:00:27.120 that went wrong, mostly coaching and also some repping, and 0:00:27.120 --> 0:00:31.800 also Halliburton's injury. But let's bring on Damien Barling from Sacramento, 0:00:31.920 --> 0:00:34.479 Di Lo and Casey. That's family right now, break it 0:00:34.560 --> 0:00:37.240 down so much to talk to. Wyatt dropped that motherfucking 0:00:37.280 --> 0:00:38.560 beat that should be Brianna. 0:00:39.400 --> 0:00:44.800 You're listening to the Hottest, the Hottest, it be a 0:00:44.920 --> 0:00:48.839 podcast out here. I said what I said, it's the 0:00:49.000 --> 0:00:51.400 heat Check Check. It's just. 0:00:53.320 --> 0:00:56.960 My god, it's just disgusting. 0:00:57.120 --> 0:00:59.400 Was it not right there? It was right there? 0:00:59.680 --> 0:01:03.200 It wus you know, like we overreact because they were 0:01:03.200 --> 0:01:05.000 making that run and you were like, oh, this is 0:01:05.040 --> 0:01:05.920 what the Pacers do. 0:01:06.040 --> 0:01:07.520 It was going to be right there for him. 0:01:07.760 --> 0:01:10.520 They still had like five or six points to make up, right, Like, 0:01:10.600 --> 0:01:12.920 they still had more stops to get, They still had 0:01:12.959 --> 0:01:15.760 more baskets to make, They still had more plays that 0:01:15.800 --> 0:01:18.600 they had to make work there, and it's just the 0:01:19.040 --> 0:01:21.800 killer was they were like five minutes left in the game, 0:01:21.880 --> 0:01:24.240 Like there was plenty of time to make mistakes, there 0:01:24.280 --> 0:01:26.360 were plenty of time to miss baskets, there was plenty 0:01:26.400 --> 0:01:28.760 of time to not have stops. They just did it 0:01:28.800 --> 0:01:30.760 all in a row where they turned the ball over. 0:01:30.800 --> 0:01:33.160 I think they turned the ball over on four straight possessions. 0:01:33.520 --> 0:01:35.560 Okay se scored on all of those, and it was 0:01:35.880 --> 0:01:38.560 like it was over, like as the run was happening, 0:01:39.000 --> 0:01:41.319 okay see, cut the legs off of it. Within like 0:01:41.840 --> 0:01:43.360 I don't even think it was more than two minutes. 0:01:43.360 --> 0:01:44.560 It was like ninety seconds. 0:01:45.040 --> 0:01:45.280 To me. 0:01:45.600 --> 0:01:49.200 The key thing in this game, and there was a 0:01:49.240 --> 0:01:52.040 lot of them, right, obviously we can kind of encapsulate 0:01:52.080 --> 0:01:53.720 the whole thing first and foremost. 0:01:53.800 --> 0:01:56.840 Okay see gets out to a quickly like they do 0:01:57.600 --> 0:01:59.880 Indiana a bajillion turnovers. 0:02:00.800 --> 0:02:03.880 Haliburton clearly not right, except for the fact that no 0:02:03.960 --> 0:02:06.480 one will tell us that he's not right until Sean 0:02:06.600 --> 0:02:10.560 stops the bomb on us, Like, like, what's that funk band? 0:02:11.720 --> 0:02:12.320 The gap band? 0:02:12.560 --> 0:02:14.960 The gap band, exactly there it is, that's why you're 0:02:15.000 --> 0:02:17.960 my guy drops the bomb on us, like it's the 0:02:18.000 --> 0:02:20.359 gap band. It's like, oh, okay, so there's something wrong 0:02:20.400 --> 0:02:26.600 with Tyres. But the key, the key to me was 0:02:26.639 --> 0:02:30.200 when TJ McConnell came in the game and let the 0:02:30.520 --> 0:02:34.040 like lit the world on fire. Yeah, and gave us 0:02:35.320 --> 0:02:41.000 eight consecutive points. I think he had scored or assisted 0:02:41.040 --> 0:02:45.680 on eighteen third quarter points in a row. He was 0:02:46.360 --> 0:02:50.240 hitting you, he was getting downhill, he was jump stopping, 0:02:51.040 --> 0:02:55.799 making people foul him, giving you the floater over larger defenders. 0:02:56.000 --> 0:03:00.200 It was just electricity. And then for some reason. 0:03:01.360 --> 0:03:05.600 He just took him put them on like, Okay, TJ 0:03:05.800 --> 0:03:08.200 just must need a blow, and we'll just see what 0:03:08.280 --> 0:03:11.200 we have from Tyres. And then we did not see 0:03:11.240 --> 0:03:13.560 TJ McConnell again until it was too late. 0:03:13.880 --> 0:03:15.760 Yeah, they put him. He put him back in when 0:03:15.800 --> 0:03:16.519 the game was over. 0:03:16.600 --> 0:03:19.480 I don't think Rick Carlisle, I don't think makes a 0:03:19.480 --> 0:03:21.600 lot of coaching mistakes. That was I don't want to 0:03:21.639 --> 0:03:24.400 even call that a mistake. I just don't really know 0:03:24.440 --> 0:03:27.320 what he was doing, Like I'm not quite sure, like 0:03:27.440 --> 0:03:30.520 TJ was the spark, Like the fourth quarter run that 0:03:30.560 --> 0:03:33.560 happened in Game one, happened in the third quarter, and 0:03:33.639 --> 0:03:35.960 I think that's what got everybody so excited. I know 0:03:36.040 --> 0:03:38.440 we were preparing to do a TV and we're thinking, Man, 0:03:38.440 --> 0:03:42.920 we're gonna be gifted with another incredible finish. Tyres is good. 0:03:42.960 --> 0:03:46.119 They're gonna trash Tyrese because. 0:03:45.800 --> 0:03:46.520 Of this performance. 0:03:46.880 --> 0:03:50.520 No made field goals, but if this game is in 0:03:50.560 --> 0:03:53.160 the goes the direction we think it's going, he's going 0:03:53.240 --> 0:03:55.280 to have the ball in his hands with three seconds 0:03:55.360 --> 0:03:58.160 left and he's gonna have an opportunity to win his 0:03:58.200 --> 0:04:00.280 second NBA Finals game, And all of us would have 0:04:00.320 --> 0:04:01.840 thought if the shot had gone up, it would have 0:04:01.880 --> 0:04:05.000 gone in. That's just the type of postseason that he's had. 0:04:05.000 --> 0:04:08.560 But TJ was the spark behind all of that, So 0:04:09.920 --> 0:04:11.760 missing so much time in the fourth quarter was a 0:04:11.760 --> 0:04:13.680 bit a bit confusing. 0:04:14.040 --> 0:04:16.320 He came back with three minutes left. 0:04:16.400 --> 0:04:21.480 I'm screaming at my teeth, screaming at my TV. Also, 0:04:22.480 --> 0:04:26.720 I felt like Nemhard just didn't have it, and I 0:04:26.760 --> 0:04:31.359 love Nemhard, just there. The thing that was killing I 0:04:31.400 --> 0:04:34.719 think the Pacers is when they were getting it quote 0:04:34.760 --> 0:04:38.160 unquote getting into their offense, it was just like they 0:04:38.200 --> 0:04:39.680 were running through molasses. 0:04:39.880 --> 0:04:40.080 Right. 0:04:40.160 --> 0:04:42.960 They would get into the paint and they would see 0:04:42.960 --> 0:04:46.400 a bunch bodies and they would just panic see someone 0:04:46.480 --> 0:04:49.440 in the yellow jersey and just toss it there away. 0:04:49.800 --> 0:04:55.040 And against the thunder and especially Alex Crusoe, very opportunistic defender, 0:04:55.800 --> 0:05:00.440 you just can't give openings to them and allow them 0:05:00.600 --> 0:05:04.120 to get easy transition buckets. That's just demoralizing as you're 0:05:04.160 --> 0:05:04.880 making a run. 0:05:05.320 --> 0:05:08.960 Yeah, so many like their defenders. Like when you look 0:05:09.000 --> 0:05:11.800 at their made threes, their made threes came from that 0:05:11.920 --> 0:05:14.359 bench that you just named right there with Wiggins and 0:05:14.360 --> 0:05:16.239 Caruso and these guys. 0:05:16.240 --> 0:05:19.080 You got Dort hitting multiple threes. 0:05:19.200 --> 0:05:24.960 It's like you have three or four guys making three 0:05:25.080 --> 0:05:27.520 or more threes coming off your bench. Man, Like, I 0:05:27.560 --> 0:05:30.359 don't know how any team competes with that. Like I 0:05:30.360 --> 0:05:32.240 think the Indiana Pacers are one of the best. I 0:05:32.240 --> 0:05:34.839 think they got one of the deepest teams in the league. 0:05:34.839 --> 0:05:38.520 But like, I don't know what you do about that. Like, 0:05:38.680 --> 0:05:41.160 there's there's not another bench in the league that can 0:05:41.200 --> 0:05:44.640 do that. In the closest one might be the Pacers. 0:05:45.640 --> 0:05:47.560 When you have your point guard, you know, you know, 0:05:47.640 --> 0:05:50.520 being hobbled or just struggling or whatever the case may be, 0:05:50.640 --> 0:05:54.680 Like that's you're just not gonna have those same opportunities. 0:05:54.960 --> 0:05:57.320 You think that they was as soon as Tyres went 0:05:57.360 --> 0:05:59.920 to the locker room, do you think we should have. 0:06:01.400 --> 0:06:01.839 No more? 0:06:01.960 --> 0:06:08.000 Tye Na Like I hated that dialogue on the halftime show. 0:06:08.040 --> 0:06:11.200 I thought it was ridiculous. I thought Kendrick Perkins sounded ridiculous. 0:06:11.240 --> 0:06:12.880 He was like, Oh, I have no excuses. If you're 0:06:12.880 --> 0:06:15.839 out there, you need to produce. Like Tyrese isn't making 0:06:15.839 --> 0:06:18.559 an excuse, like Sean Shrine is telling you what's wrong. 0:06:18.640 --> 0:06:21.640 He's telling you what's happened. Tyrese is literally on the 0:06:21.640 --> 0:06:25.200 floor playing basketball like he's not making an excuse. Steven 0:06:25.200 --> 0:06:26.760 A talking about, Oh, he's got to be better, he's 0:06:26.800 --> 0:06:28.600 got to be a superstar. You're either healthier you're not. 0:06:28.800 --> 0:06:30.760 Oh sid him, don't play him, and it's like, Okay, 0:06:31.520 --> 0:06:34.120 we've got to decide what direction we're gonna go. 0:06:34.200 --> 0:06:34.440 Here. 0:06:34.960 --> 0:06:37.160 You're saying, oh, sit him, await for the next game. 0:06:37.520 --> 0:06:40.440 Tyrese sits and doesn't play that game and you find out, oh, 0:06:40.480 --> 0:06:43.360 it's a his cav was sore or it was tight 0:06:43.480 --> 0:06:47.479 or whatever. They're gonna rip him for four days for 0:06:47.600 --> 0:06:51.680 not playing through a soreness in an NBA finals, Like 0:06:51.839 --> 0:06:54.400 you just want to be the contrarian here and take 0:06:54.440 --> 0:06:56.880 whatever the opposite thing is. I don't think they should 0:06:56.880 --> 0:06:59.159 have sat him. He felt like he could play. He 0:06:59.240 --> 0:07:01.280 wanted to get get through it, he wanted to gut 0:07:01.320 --> 0:07:01.640 through it. 0:07:02.080 --> 0:07:02.880 I'm all for that. 0:07:03.000 --> 0:07:05.719 He would have gotten ripped if he didn't play and 0:07:05.920 --> 0:07:10.520 wasn't likely like like actually injured with an injury. So no, 0:07:10.720 --> 0:07:13.640 I'm I'm I like ty I'm a Tyree's fan. I'm 0:07:13.680 --> 0:07:15.880 glad he tried to cut it out a little bit. 0:07:16.000 --> 0:07:18.720 I'm a Tyres fan too. I feel like who that's 0:07:18.760 --> 0:07:20.000 on is Rick Carlisle. 0:07:20.480 --> 0:07:23.560 You don't have it, my guy. You're going only east 0:07:23.560 --> 0:07:26.960 and west. You couldn't get downhill to save his life. 0:07:27.400 --> 0:07:27.760 Yeah. 0:07:27.920 --> 0:07:30.800 The only player that was getting downhill pretty much at 0:07:30.840 --> 0:07:32.880 all outside of Pascal Siaka. 0:07:32.680 --> 0:07:37.440 Was Yeah, so you gotta be the TJ run happened 0:07:37.440 --> 0:07:38.320 with Tye on the bench. 0:07:38.600 --> 0:07:39.040 Correct. 0:07:39.320 --> 0:07:41.680 Yeah, that's that's the one where if you're Rick Carlisle, 0:07:41.760 --> 0:07:44.480 you just got just keep the hot hand. Yeah, I'm 0:07:44.520 --> 0:07:47.760 not sitting you, but I'm I'm letting. I'm letting my 0:07:47.800 --> 0:07:49.400 guys play, Yes. 0:07:49.680 --> 0:07:56.000 Until until TJ can't go anymore. Yeah, you keep TJ 0:07:56.200 --> 0:07:58.840 out on the floor, and I think that was the 0:07:58.880 --> 0:08:02.880 part that was really interesting. How about on the positive 0:08:02.920 --> 0:08:07.600 side for OKC, Jalen Williams. 0:08:08.720 --> 0:08:11.080 Was a big dog out. 0:08:10.880 --> 0:08:16.280 There, and to me he almost looked maybe maybe I'm tripping, 0:08:16.360 --> 0:08:19.640 But to me, he looked a little Kawhi like in 0:08:19.720 --> 0:08:22.600 his forty plus point performance. 0:08:22.320 --> 0:08:25.560 Not a lot of razzle, dazzle, not a lot of wiggle. 0:08:25.840 --> 0:08:28.000 Well, I was gonna say, you said he's kawhi because 0:08:28.000 --> 0:08:28.520 he's boring. 0:08:29.040 --> 0:08:32.720 Yes, yeah, like that's the comp like he is just 0:08:32.800 --> 0:08:37.000 like he's boring in interviews. He's he doesn't like show 0:08:37.600 --> 0:08:40.880 very much emotion on the floor, but he is, Like 0:08:41.040 --> 0:08:44.360 tonight was a true you know if the if they 0:08:44.640 --> 0:08:47.240 and I don't know that this particular NBA Finals is 0:08:47.280 --> 0:08:50.680 grabbing a lot of casual fans or casual sports fans, 0:08:50.679 --> 0:08:54.440 casual basketball fans or whatever, but I think tonight was 0:08:54.559 --> 0:08:58.080 like a legit introduction to Jay Dubb for a lot 0:08:58.160 --> 0:09:01.120 of people, like for him to have you know, forty, 0:09:01.800 --> 0:09:06.160 I think Shay got past thirty, like you had those 0:09:06.200 --> 0:09:10.360 guys put up that superstar duo type stat line. Yeah, 0:09:10.400 --> 0:09:14.400 that was that was that was impressive. And then as 0:09:15.679 --> 0:09:19.120 as the Pacers were kind of squandering their opportunity to 0:09:19.200 --> 0:09:22.120 still this game. It was jew who was like, yeah, 0:09:22.160 --> 0:09:23.960 now let's just go ahead and make sure we're going 0:09:24.000 --> 0:09:25.520 back to Oklahoma City up three two. 0:09:26.160 --> 0:09:30.720 And he was super physical, absolutely unstoppable. He got every 0:09:30.760 --> 0:09:34.360 single call from the refs. He's blocking shots out there, 0:09:34.679 --> 0:09:39.280 he's fighting around screens fourteen for twenty five. Some of 0:09:39.320 --> 0:09:42.319 the shots he hit Damien were impossible. 0:09:42.800 --> 0:09:47.400 Yeah, that exact. Yeah, what I mean. 0:09:47.320 --> 0:09:49.640 You just put your He was doing things that I 0:09:49.880 --> 0:09:53.000 usually do when Shae is scoring, which you're like, what 0:09:53.200 --> 0:09:54.000 you gonna do about that? 0:09:54.200 --> 0:09:54.480 Really? 0:09:56.400 --> 0:09:56.840 Yeah? 0:09:57.160 --> 0:09:59.840 Yeah, he like the one in the fourth was crazy. 0:09:59.840 --> 0:10:02.160 The the fact that he has so many different ways 0:10:02.160 --> 0:10:04.640 that he can score like he is, you know, you 0:10:04.640 --> 0:10:07.400 talk about three level scores, multipurpose goes like he can. 0:10:08.640 --> 0:10:11.240 He can score from anywhere, and when he's locked in, 0:10:11.280 --> 0:10:14.160 and we've seen it a few times, maybe not necessarily 0:10:14.160 --> 0:10:15.920 in this series, but we've seen it a few times 0:10:16.000 --> 0:10:20.080 this postseason where he's really locked in and he doesn't 0:10:20.120 --> 0:10:23.560 just go for forty, but he goes for forty on 0:10:23.760 --> 0:10:28.719 like seventeen shots or eighteen shots or something just. 0:10:28.760 --> 0:10:30.880 Absurd where you're left scratching your head. 0:10:30.679 --> 0:10:34.920 Like, man, this dude is really an elite scorer, and 0:10:35.080 --> 0:10:36.840 tonight was one of those nights for him. 0:10:37.480 --> 0:10:41.400 What is he like you said, boring is any but he. 0:10:41.360 --> 0:10:44.960 Yet he he almost like doesn't have a bag and 0:10:45.160 --> 0:10:48.320 yet does have a bag at the same time. It's 0:10:48.440 --> 0:10:51.240 just not flashy because I was like, Oh, he didn't 0:10:51.240 --> 0:10:55.200 really do anything that like dazzled me, and then I watched 0:10:55.200 --> 0:11:00.600 the highlight of him do the like stop to pivot 0:11:00.720 --> 0:11:02.760 spin dirk fade with. 0:11:03.000 --> 0:11:05.000 One leg and I was like, Oh, that was kind 0:11:05.000 --> 0:11:10.200 of tough. Yeah, but when you're relating in real time, it's. 0:11:10.160 --> 0:11:13.520 Kind of like, eh, but it's not your bag until 0:11:13.559 --> 0:11:16.120 you've dug into it a couple of times, right, Like 0:11:16.200 --> 0:11:18.360 if he pulls off that move again in game six 0:11:18.480 --> 0:11:20.600 or we start to see it regularly game seven, then 0:11:20.640 --> 0:11:24.160 it's like, oh, there's that move that you fear, right 0:11:24.280 --> 0:11:27.079 scores like Shay has one that people hate and it's 0:11:27.160 --> 0:11:29.040 kind of that like little push offf move, but you 0:11:29.080 --> 0:11:32.720 can score off of it. There are guys that just 0:11:32.800 --> 0:11:35.679 have those moves that they can go to where they're 0:11:35.720 --> 0:11:38.280 gonna get buckets out of it. And if that becomes 0:11:38.320 --> 0:11:41.040 his yeah, that's problematic for yo. 0:11:41.400 --> 0:11:45.080 You call that move or rent the runway. That's what 0:11:45.200 --> 0:11:45.679 that was. 0:11:46.440 --> 0:11:49.200 It's it's not when it's your bag, it's when you 0:11:49.240 --> 0:11:52.920 rent it and you gotta give it back game. Yeah, 0:11:53.559 --> 0:11:57.520 you have the option to buy it, Yeah, and then it. 0:11:57.440 --> 0:11:58.200 Will be yours. 0:11:58.280 --> 0:12:00.800 It looks like it's yours in the moment when it's 0:12:00.800 --> 0:12:03.440 when you're out there flossom, but you got to give 0:12:03.480 --> 0:12:04.000 it back. 0:12:04.080 --> 0:12:06.960 And so yeah, I think that's that's a really great point. 0:12:07.080 --> 0:12:11.079 And we've seen Jalen Williams disappear at times, but this Finals, 0:12:11.440 --> 0:12:14.040 I feel like he's taking it to a whole new level, 0:12:14.240 --> 0:12:17.679 especially considering that they are keying in on Shae. Shaye 0:12:18.160 --> 0:12:22.880 has just like a casual thirty one. Yeah, but really 0:12:23.760 --> 0:12:26.360 tenn assists was also huge for him too, as they 0:12:26.360 --> 0:12:27.720 were trying to frustrate him. 0:12:28.400 --> 0:12:31.120 Yeah, I mean he found is It's funny like he 0:12:31.559 --> 0:12:34.680 found his guys, but he didn't feel like he had 0:12:34.679 --> 0:12:37.079 the impact on the game the way he normally does, 0:12:37.080 --> 0:12:38.360 and that's probably because of what. 0:12:39.000 --> 0:12:42.959 Ja Double was doing. But that bench was so good. 0:12:43.720 --> 0:12:48.839 You just kept getting stopped by Wiggins Caruso like all 0:12:48.880 --> 0:12:51.480 of these different guys who are scoring their hitting threes 0:12:51.840 --> 0:12:55.200 and then every once in Shae would sprinkle in a little. 0:12:55.280 --> 0:12:56.880 Shae just scored five quick points. 0:12:57.000 --> 0:12:59.400 No one cares, though, because Wiggins just hit his third 0:12:59.400 --> 0:13:03.720 three at the game. You know, Jay's up to twenty 0:13:03.840 --> 0:13:07.520 nine at this point, and he just sprinkled in six 0:13:07.559 --> 0:13:10.079 more points. No one's paying attention because we're watching everything 0:13:10.120 --> 0:13:13.320 else he's doing. Shay had a quiet game in which 0:13:13.360 --> 0:13:14.480 he was so so. 0:13:14.600 --> 0:13:16.400 Good, just so good. 0:13:16.920 --> 0:13:20.560 Who else who else impressed you or like who else 0:13:20.640 --> 0:13:22.560 stuck stuck out in general? For you? 0:13:25.080 --> 0:13:28.959 Well, Wiggins one, like Aaron Wiggins, like you, You had 0:13:29.000 --> 0:13:32.360 a couple of opportunities in this series to hit big shots. 0:13:32.400 --> 0:13:34.920 You've had a couple of opportunities in this postseason, like 0:13:34.960 --> 0:13:38.800 he's not given I think he had one thirty minute 0:13:38.840 --> 0:13:39.640 run in. 0:13:41.880 --> 0:13:43.120 Is that was? That was that game too. 0:13:43.160 --> 0:13:45.040 I couldn't even remember if it was this series or 0:13:45.080 --> 0:13:48.160 the or the Western Conference finals. But I feel like 0:13:48.240 --> 0:13:51.520 he's made the most of his minutes and he as 0:13:52.200 --> 0:13:55.520 much of a player with that like level of playing time, 0:13:56.080 --> 0:13:59.080 like he's as he's impressed me as much as anyone 0:13:59.120 --> 0:14:02.600 else has. He takes advantage of the opportunities he has, 0:14:02.600 --> 0:14:05.160 and anytime you have a role player who can do that, 0:14:05.240 --> 0:14:07.240 anytime you have a role player who might play thirty 0:14:07.240 --> 0:14:09.880 minutes one night, or might play like ten to twelve, 0:14:10.080 --> 0:14:12.000 but they're going to take advantage of those ten to 0:14:12.000 --> 0:14:15.880 twelve or those thirty, Like you have a winning culture, 0:14:16.160 --> 0:14:16.960 like you have. 0:14:17.480 --> 0:14:18.760 An egoist team. 0:14:19.160 --> 0:14:23.240 It's easy, Like I hate, everyone's got to stay ready. 0:14:23.600 --> 0:14:28.000 It's such like a tired like coach cliche, because I 0:14:28.000 --> 0:14:30.480 don't think most guys can do it, Like even the 0:14:30.520 --> 0:14:32.840 best basketball players in the world, I don't think most 0:14:32.880 --> 0:14:35.000 guys can do it. So when you find one who can, 0:14:35.280 --> 0:14:38.160 it always really really stands out to me, and Waiting 0:14:38.560 --> 0:14:40.960 stand out for it stood out with me with Wiggins and. 0:14:40.880 --> 0:14:44.520 The Thunders case that shit is real. You really do 0:14:44.640 --> 0:14:48.120 have to stay ready because you can be Isaiah Joe 0:14:48.520 --> 0:14:50.720 and all of a sudden mess around to get eighteen 0:14:50.760 --> 0:14:54.480 minutes or right Aaron Wiggins and you're like, oh, my goodness, 0:14:54.520 --> 0:14:57.160 I haven't seen him in two games. And I was 0:14:57.200 --> 0:15:00.160 talking about this with the Metal Art guys right before 0:15:00.680 --> 0:15:03.400 I came on with you, and we were talking about 0:15:03.440 --> 0:15:07.000 just really all the unsung heroes for both teams are 0:15:07.040 --> 0:15:12.520 on impossibly team favorable contracts like Aaron Ne Smith, like 0:15:12.640 --> 0:15:16.640 Andrew Nemhard like Aaron Wiggins. Both these teams have these 0:15:16.680 --> 0:15:20.920 guys under team control until like twenty twenty seven, twenty 0:15:20.960 --> 0:15:26.280 twenty eight, So you have to wonder, is this is 0:15:26.320 --> 0:15:29.680 this something that we're gonna see repeating We know that 0:15:29.800 --> 0:15:31.720 probably is the case and what people think is gonna 0:15:31.720 --> 0:15:35.200 happen with okay see, but do you think this is 0:15:35.200 --> 0:15:39.560 sustainable for the Pacers, this level of performance and success? 0:15:40.040 --> 0:15:41.600 Yeah, I mean this is that I do. 0:15:41.800 --> 0:15:44.160 The answer to your question is I do you talk 0:15:44.200 --> 0:15:46.960 about guys being impressed with Maybe not this particular game 0:15:47.000 --> 0:15:48.880 because this was not a good game for him, but 0:15:49.040 --> 0:15:52.680 I've liked Legit, become like a Nemhart fan, like an 0:15:52.680 --> 0:15:56.120 Internet like I'm a Legit fan. And it was today 0:15:57.040 --> 0:16:00.840 before this game that you know, Casey and I I 0:16:00.880 --> 0:16:03.600 both like kind of acknowledged for the first time because 0:16:03.600 --> 0:16:06.479 he was like, hey, are you rooting for the Pacers? 0:16:06.800 --> 0:16:10.120 And I was like, I think I am, like, and 0:16:10.160 --> 0:16:12.280 I didn't go, I'm not going to lose sleep tonight 0:16:12.320 --> 0:16:14.840 because the Pacers lost. If OKC wins, you know, the 0:16:14.920 --> 0:16:17.520 NBA Finals, like salute to Shay in that group, Like 0:16:17.880 --> 0:16:20.000 what they've done is phenomenal. And he admitted he was 0:16:20.080 --> 0:16:22.480 rooting for the Oklahoma City Thunder, but there was this 0:16:22.520 --> 0:16:25.160 thing where it's just like, yeah, I normally don't have 0:16:25.280 --> 0:16:27.680 rooting interest in this stuff, but I really bought into 0:16:27.680 --> 0:16:30.800 this Pacers team, and part of it was I thought 0:16:30.800 --> 0:16:34.320 they really overachieved last year. I didn't buy the Eastern 0:16:34.320 --> 0:16:37.680 Conference Finals run. I bought the premise of it, but 0:16:37.760 --> 0:16:40.120 I didn't really buy the run. Like they landed there. 0:16:40.160 --> 0:16:43.680 They got that like great, like cool, it happens all 0:16:43.720 --> 0:16:47.720 of the time, salute. But when we got to the offseason, 0:16:48.200 --> 0:16:50.480 I kept saying, like, I think Indiana is going to 0:16:50.520 --> 0:16:52.760 be a top four team next year. Like I don't 0:16:52.840 --> 0:16:55.880 know how real the Eastern Conference Finals run was, but 0:16:55.960 --> 0:16:59.920 I think the the crux of what they're doing is real. 0:17:00.760 --> 0:17:03.360 And they made a couple of acquisitions. I love the 0:17:04.119 --> 0:17:06.440 Nie Smith acquisition. Like, I think they did a couple 0:17:06.520 --> 0:17:10.399 of things this offseason where it was like, yeah, maybe 0:17:10.400 --> 0:17:12.520 they could be better. And then the season started the 0:17:12.520 --> 0:17:14.760 way that it did, and you know, Ty was I 0:17:14.760 --> 0:17:16.600 think dealing with the hamstring and it was like I 0:17:16.600 --> 0:17:19.200 don't okay, I guess I just missed on this one. 0:17:19.840 --> 0:17:22.719 And then the calendar switched to twenty twenty five and 0:17:22.760 --> 0:17:26.040 they went and that's where it was like, Okay, if 0:17:26.040 --> 0:17:28.760 you're not paying attention, and I know everyone's watching the 0:17:28.840 --> 0:17:31.600 Knigs and Dame and Giannis and you're watching all of 0:17:31.640 --> 0:17:38.640 these stars in Boston, Indiana's playing really well. So the 0:17:38.720 --> 0:17:40.919 way that they played the second part of the season, 0:17:40.960 --> 0:17:43.600 I absolutely think can be carried over. And they showed, 0:17:44.000 --> 0:17:46.880 you know when they made the move for Pascal Siakam. 0:17:46.880 --> 0:17:49.879 We were so invested in this because we we know 0:17:50.040 --> 0:17:52.960 that the Sacramento Kings were at a point in on 0:17:53.040 --> 0:17:56.560 a conversation for Pascal Siakam. We know why that deal 0:17:56.600 --> 0:17:59.000 didn't go through. We know why that trade didn't happen. 0:17:59.040 --> 0:18:01.199 We know why he wound up becoming a Pacer and 0:18:01.280 --> 0:18:07.720 not a Sacramento King. And I commended Indiana for It's like, okay, 0:18:07.840 --> 0:18:10.879 this is your move, Like you made your move. You 0:18:10.960 --> 0:18:13.920 got Tyres that was the start, but you made your 0:18:14.000 --> 0:18:16.600 move to say this is what we're doing with the 0:18:16.640 --> 0:18:20.040 trade of the draft picks, the big contract extension Siakam 0:18:20.040 --> 0:18:22.800 and Ty was gonna be what you're building around. Although 0:18:22.840 --> 0:18:25.040 to talk about trading Miles Turner and those two not 0:18:25.080 --> 0:18:27.800 playing together, they're like no, no, no, No, you guys 0:18:27.800 --> 0:18:31.240 have misunderstood. We're all in on Miles Turner, and Miles 0:18:31.320 --> 0:18:32.560 Turner is all in on us. 0:18:32.680 --> 0:18:34.480 And I think the guy who deserves the most credit 0:18:34.560 --> 0:18:35.320 is Rick Carlile. 0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:38.520 Rick Carlisle, let these guys run up and down the 0:18:38.560 --> 0:18:42.919 floor that last year, Hey, go go go ahead, set records, 0:18:42.960 --> 0:18:44.560 be the fastest team in the league. That's great, go 0:18:44.760 --> 0:18:47.280 go do your thing. Great we got we got to 0:18:47.320 --> 0:18:50.240 the Eastern Conference finals, cool suffered some injuries along the way, 0:18:50.320 --> 0:18:50.960 beat some teams. 0:18:51.440 --> 0:18:52.040 It's all good. 0:18:52.400 --> 0:18:54.680 Then the offseason got here and said, I want you 0:18:54.720 --> 0:18:59.520 all to keep doing this. If we play a slightly 0:18:59.600 --> 0:19:02.159 higher line level of defense. I'm not asking you to 0:19:02.160 --> 0:19:04.639 be the Pistons. I'm not asking you to hold teams 0:19:04.640 --> 0:19:07.800 to seventy. I'm asking you to be a slightly better 0:19:07.840 --> 0:19:11.160 defensive team. And that's exactly what they were. They went 0:19:11.200 --> 0:19:12.919 from a team that was in the you know, the 0:19:13.000 --> 0:19:15.320 late twenties in terms of defensive rating all the way 0:19:15.400 --> 0:19:18.360 up to like fifteen and sixteen, and so I am 0:19:18.520 --> 0:19:22.840 completely in on Indiana and what they're building moving forward. 0:19:24.880 --> 0:19:26.440 Yeah, I'm looking to see what they are. 0:19:26.480 --> 0:19:30.160 In the playoffs, they had the number two defensive rating 0:19:30.200 --> 0:19:31.680 in the postseason. 0:19:31.920 --> 0:19:33.520 Behind the OKC Thunders. 0:19:33.640 --> 0:19:36.960 They really stepped it up and it's gotten better and 0:19:36.960 --> 0:19:38.960 better and better. And when you're playing against the OKC 0:19:39.160 --> 0:19:42.520 Thunder and you're making Shay uncomfortable, that really speaks to 0:19:42.560 --> 0:19:44.639 what they did. I do want to ask you, though, 0:19:45.000 --> 0:19:47.760 because I was talking to somebody about this today and 0:19:47.800 --> 0:19:50.800 I haven't thought about it until now, But you talk 0:19:50.840 --> 0:19:54.080 about that Eastern Conference Finals run where they got swept 0:19:54.119 --> 0:19:58.159 by the Celtics, but this was the first team in 0:19:58.359 --> 0:20:02.919 NBA history we had a ninety percent win percentage or 0:20:03.040 --> 0:20:06.600 higher in the like last two minutes of the fourth 0:20:06.680 --> 0:20:10.440 quarter in all four games that they lost. 0:20:11.320 --> 0:20:12.360 Oh, that's crazy. 0:20:12.880 --> 0:20:15.520 So they were the meltdown kids. 0:20:15.920 --> 0:20:19.560 They were literally the heart attack pacers on the other 0:20:20.000 --> 0:20:24.240 side of the coin, and they took that and then 0:20:24.480 --> 0:20:27.320 almost like, I don't know, do you feel like that 0:20:27.440 --> 0:20:31.640