1 00:00:01,440 --> 00:00:07,360 Speaker 1: The volume. The NBA Finals are here. This is your 2 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:10,280 Speaker 1: last chance to bet on the NBA until next season, 3 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:12,960 Speaker 1: and DraftKings Sportsbook and official sports betting partner of the 4 00:00:13,039 --> 00:00:15,800 Speaker 1: NBA is pulling out all the stops to make this 5 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: a finals. To remember, one team will be crown champ 6 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 1: and the other will be lost to history. Who you 7 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 1: got winning at all? Put your hoops expertise to the test. 8 00:00:25,079 --> 00:00:27,680 Speaker 1: All season long, DraftKings has been the go to spot 9 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:30,880 Speaker 1: for NBA player props and that doesn't stop now. Who's 10 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 1: going to carry their team to the chip? 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Please play responsibly on 28 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 1: behalf of Boothill Casino and Resort in Kansas twenty one plus. 29 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:32,880 Speaker 1: Age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction void in Ontario. Bet 30 00:01:32,959 --> 00:01:37,440 Speaker 1: must win to receive reward. Minimum minus five hundred odds required. 31 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 1: Bonus bets expire one hundred and sixty eight hours after issuance. 32 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:46,080 Speaker 1: For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, see DKG dot 33 00:01:46,200 --> 00:02:01,480 Speaker 1: co slash audio. Well, hoops tonight, you're at the volume 34 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 1: heavy Thursday. Every buddy, hope all of you guys are 35 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 1: having a great week. Well, we went with Colly Coward 36 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:08,000 Speaker 1: last night. I wanted to take the time today to 37 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:09,760 Speaker 1: kind of dig a little bit further into the x's 38 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:11,520 Speaker 1: and o's and talk about some of the stuff that 39 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:14,960 Speaker 1: I learned from watching some more film this morning. As 40 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:17,080 Speaker 1: those of you guys who followed us over to playback, 41 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 1: we rewatched the fourth quarter last night. I dug into 42 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:22,279 Speaker 1: some other portions of the game a little deeper, specifically 43 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:24,920 Speaker 1: the run in the early second quarter as well. I 44 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:27,959 Speaker 1: wanted to dive into just how the Pacers pulled off 45 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:31,640 Speaker 1: that big win last night, and then after that looking 46 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:35,200 Speaker 1: forward in the series, what we can expect as we 47 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:38,000 Speaker 1: move forward for both of these teams now that we 48 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:40,799 Speaker 1: only have a few games left in the matchup. You 49 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:42,560 Speaker 1: guys know the joke before we get started. Subscribe to 50 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:44,280 Speaker 1: Hoops Tonight YouTube channels. You don't miss any more of 51 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:46,519 Speaker 1: our videos. Follow me on Twitter at underscore JCNLTS. You 52 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:48,960 Speaker 1: guys don't miss ShW announcements. Don't forget our podcast feet 53 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:50,800 Speaker 1: wherever we get your podcast under Hoops Tonight. It's also 54 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 1: super helpful if we leave a rating in a review 55 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 1: on that front. Jackson's doing great work on our social 56 00:02:54,919 --> 00:02:57,440 Speaker 1: media feeds Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok. Make sure you guys 57 00:02:57,440 --> 00:02:59,280 Speaker 1: follow us there and the last but not least, if 58 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:01,160 Speaker 1: you want any questions into our mail bags, member, we're 59 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:03,040 Speaker 1: doing them at the tail end of our live shows, 60 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:05,720 Speaker 1: So show up for the live show and then just 61 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:07,360 Speaker 1: drop your questions in the chat and then we hit 62 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:08,679 Speaker 1: them in the mail bag at the tail end. We 63 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:10,560 Speaker 1: will definitely be doing a mail bag at the tail 64 00:03:10,639 --> 00:03:12,600 Speaker 1: end of tomorrow night's show. 65 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 2: All right, let's talk some basketball. 66 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 1: So before we actually move into it, I figured this 67 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:20,120 Speaker 1: would be the perfect time for our Microsoft Course Correction 68 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:22,600 Speaker 1: segment because we had two guys last night and TJ 69 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:25,480 Speaker 1: McConnell and Ben Mathern that I think just deserve a 70 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:27,840 Speaker 1: special spotlight for the work that they did off the 71 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:30,320 Speaker 1: bench in these specific runs that I think won the 72 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 1: game for the Pacers. So welcome to Course Correction, brought 73 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 1: to you by Microsoft. Just like star players and teams 74 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:39,080 Speaker 1: navigating performance hurdles, business decision makers today are under immense 75 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:41,680 Speaker 1: pressure to get things right. They must rise to the occasion, 76 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:46,200 Speaker 1: turning challenges into opportunities. Microsoft empowers these visionaries with AI solutions, 77 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:50,960 Speaker 1: simplified cloud and data management, and trustworthy responsible AI. And 78 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:52,680 Speaker 1: when you're in the NBA, you have your own hurdles 79 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:54,760 Speaker 1: to face. In this segment, we will highlight the player 80 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:57,320 Speaker 1: every week that has risen to the occasion when his 81 00:03:57,360 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 1: team needed him whatever challenge you're facing, micro Soft empowers 82 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:04,000 Speaker 1: you with the expertise to say, bring it on. This 83 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:08,400 Speaker 1: week's Players of the Week are TJ McConnell and Ben Mathron. 84 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: University of Arizona A lumps. For those of you guys 85 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:15,119 Speaker 1: who forget, I'm from Tucson, Arizona, still currently live there. 86 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:18,279 Speaker 1: Big Arizona fan here. I used to be a bigger 87 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:22,200 Speaker 1: fan of the UVA before excuse me, bigger fan of 88 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:24,800 Speaker 1: college basketball in general, before I started working in this business. 89 00:04:24,839 --> 00:04:26,719 Speaker 1: I was lamenting that to a buddy of mine at 90 00:04:26,760 --> 00:04:28,880 Speaker 1: the gym the other day. Like ever since I got 91 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:32,359 Speaker 1: into the NBA and it's become my profession, I have 92 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:34,960 Speaker 1: had way less time to watch college hoops, which has 93 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:37,240 Speaker 1: been something that's made me a little sad. Maybe I'll 94 00:04:37,279 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 1: be able to find some more balance with that over 95 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:40,159 Speaker 1: the years. 96 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:41,080 Speaker 2: But I grew up. 97 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:42,920 Speaker 1: You know, when as I was growing up, the UVE 98 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:45,680 Speaker 1: was the team that I rooted for. It was you know, 99 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:48,200 Speaker 1: if you asked me who my favorite team was, it 100 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:50,919 Speaker 1: wasn't any NBA team Like the Suns didn't do a 101 00:04:50,920 --> 00:04:53,720 Speaker 1: great job marketing down to Tucson, even though we were 102 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:55,720 Speaker 1: an hour and a half down the road. It was 103 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:57,720 Speaker 1: the University of Arizona. That was what we rooted for. 104 00:04:57,880 --> 00:04:59,920 Speaker 1: It's a huge cultural. 105 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:01,760 Speaker 2: Thing here, just like it is in any. 106 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:04,080 Speaker 1: Other college town for those of you guys who live 107 00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:05,719 Speaker 1: in college towns and you know what it's like. And 108 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:07,680 Speaker 1: I was lucky to get to play with a lot 109 00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:10,560 Speaker 1: of these guys that came through the system. TJ McConnell 110 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:12,720 Speaker 1: has always been one of my favorite players. I've told 111 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:14,160 Speaker 1: this story on the show before. It's been a very 112 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:18,400 Speaker 1: long time, but TJ and I I played pick up 113 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:21,240 Speaker 1: with and against him at various points at the u 114 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:24,920 Speaker 1: of A. And my first time meeting TJ in person, 115 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 1: I was this young, just asshole, for lack of a 116 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:32,920 Speaker 1: better word, and I was playing in a game against 117 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:36,039 Speaker 1: TJ and some U of A guys, and I was 118 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:39,400 Speaker 1: bringing this like crazy competitive energy to the game because 119 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:41,640 Speaker 1: I was like viewing it as an opportunity to try 120 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:43,880 Speaker 1: to like test myself, you know that sort of thing. 121 00:05:44,480 --> 00:05:47,000 Speaker 1: And I was just being a dumb young basketball player. 122 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:50,359 Speaker 1: But I vividly remember in that environment a lot of 123 00:05:50,360 --> 00:05:52,840 Speaker 1: the guys kind of playing the too cool for school, 124 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:55,440 Speaker 1: like whatever, we're just out here messing around kind of thing. 125 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:57,880 Speaker 1: And there was one guy on the other team that 126 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:02,280 Speaker 1: had no desire to things that way and that wanted 127 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:05,559 Speaker 1: to win that game at all costs. And I saw 128 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:09,599 Speaker 1: the competitive fire in TJ's eyes in that game when 129 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:11,360 Speaker 1: we were playing against each other and he was talking 130 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:13,560 Speaker 1: shit to me and all that kind of stuff. Totally 131 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:17,120 Speaker 1: was like an exposure to the fact that, like TJ 132 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:20,359 Speaker 1: is one of the APEX competitors that you'll meet, he 133 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:24,359 Speaker 1: is a guy that that regardless. I always have thought 134 00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:27,880 Speaker 1: that a guy who approaches a random pickup game with 135 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:30,960 Speaker 1: an insane amount of competitive energy even though he is 136 00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:32,840 Speaker 1: a pro, even though he is a guy that has 137 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:36,200 Speaker 1: played at in the college level, at the overseas level, 138 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:38,000 Speaker 1: in the NBA level, like that, to me is an 139 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:41,400 Speaker 1: indicator of a guy that has a competitive motor that 140 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:45,320 Speaker 1: is there regardless of surrounding circumstances. And I just remember, 141 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:47,600 Speaker 1: like I remember being struck by TJ the first time 142 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:51,200 Speaker 1: I met him, just by how intense he was. And 143 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:53,400 Speaker 1: I do think that that has been a huge driving 144 00:06:53,480 --> 00:06:56,800 Speaker 1: force behind what has made him a ten year NBA 145 00:06:56,920 --> 00:07:00,000 Speaker 1: pro and has just been one of my favorite players 146 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:02,719 Speaker 1: to root for over the years. But I've been fortunate 147 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:04,799 Speaker 1: to see a bunch of u A guys come through Tucson, 148 00:07:04,880 --> 00:07:06,800 Speaker 1: and it was obviously a lot of fun last night 149 00:07:07,080 --> 00:07:10,800 Speaker 1: to watch TJ and Ben to uf alums put a 150 00:07:10,960 --> 00:07:14,960 Speaker 1: huge mark on an NBA Finals game that the Pacers 151 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:18,080 Speaker 1: basically won that game with two runs. There was a 152 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:20,840 Speaker 1: twenty five to ten run in the early second quarter 153 00:07:21,160 --> 00:07:24,160 Speaker 1: that took them from down eight to up seven, and 154 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:26,760 Speaker 1: then there was a twenty three to eleven run in 155 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:29,760 Speaker 1: the early fourth quarter that put them from down five 156 00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:34,120 Speaker 1: to up seven, and those were really the stretches that 157 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:37,560 Speaker 1: swung this game back towards Endy. The early second quarter 158 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:40,880 Speaker 1: run was mostly TJ McConnell. Again, We've talked about this 159 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:43,440 Speaker 1: a lot in the series preview, but he has one 160 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:46,600 Speaker 1: of like TJ is actually one of the better athletes 161 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:48,800 Speaker 1: in the league when it comes to getting straight line 162 00:07:48,840 --> 00:07:52,080 Speaker 1: speed and changing direction. At straight line speed, he can 163 00:07:52,320 --> 00:07:54,160 Speaker 1: bring the ball out the floor with pace and he 164 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:56,000 Speaker 1: just kind of sets it up for a strong right 165 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:57,920 Speaker 1: hand drive and he counters it with a right to 166 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:00,880 Speaker 1: left crossover and then he spins, he gets cut off, 167 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:03,680 Speaker 1: and he just brings a lot of downhill power in 168 00:08:03,760 --> 00:08:06,240 Speaker 1: those drives and it just makes him very, very difficult 169 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:08,320 Speaker 1: to guard and like, there were a lot of plays 170 00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:11,280 Speaker 1: like there was one where he dropped off the ball 171 00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:14,239 Speaker 1: to Pascal Siakam for an easy layup. During that run 172 00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:17,560 Speaker 1: where he just was staring down Cason Wallace like head 173 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:21,160 Speaker 1: to head and just got into the lane. And that 174 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:24,880 Speaker 1: ultimately is the thing that breaks down any defense is 175 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:28,560 Speaker 1: the ability to beat your primary defender and to draw 176 00:08:28,640 --> 00:08:30,840 Speaker 1: and help. And on this play he beat Cason Wallace 177 00:08:30,880 --> 00:08:33,760 Speaker 1: and drew and Alex Caruso, which opened up a little 178 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:36,640 Speaker 1: drop off to Pascal Siakam and he got an easy layup. 179 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:38,840 Speaker 1: And there were a lot of opportunities for guy like 180 00:08:38,880 --> 00:08:41,560 Speaker 1: he had a big transition drive where he drew a foul. 181 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:45,559 Speaker 1: He had another drive out of pick and roll where 182 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:47,800 Speaker 1: he beat Caseon Wallace towards the baseline. He just was 183 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:51,560 Speaker 1: consistently getting past his man, which was making all of 184 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:54,640 Speaker 1: these positive trickle down effects. And guys were getting open 185 00:08:54,679 --> 00:08:56,880 Speaker 1: on cuts I talked about Siakam, Ben Mathern got open 186 00:08:56,880 --> 00:08:59,080 Speaker 1: on a cut, Obie Toppen got open running his lane 187 00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:01,320 Speaker 1: and transition on the left side of the floor. That 188 00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:04,200 Speaker 1: was when TJ got one of his inbound steals. If 189 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:08,480 Speaker 1: you remember, he stole the inbound pass immediately after scoring 190 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:11,880 Speaker 1: like TJ was just all over the place in that 191 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:15,440 Speaker 1: early second quarter run and brought the life back into 192 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:17,200 Speaker 1: the arena after Oklahoma City threw a hell of a 193 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:19,560 Speaker 1: punch in the first quarter and left Indiana just a 194 00:09:19,559 --> 00:09:22,400 Speaker 1: tiny bit shook at that point, but TJ dug him 195 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:23,320 Speaker 1: out of it and got him. 196 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 2: Back into the game. 197 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:26,240 Speaker 1: And then on the other end of the floor, Jdubb 198 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:28,240 Speaker 1: took and missed a couple of tough mid range pull 199 00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:30,360 Speaker 1: ups the two man game with Hartenstein and Chet. That 200 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:32,439 Speaker 1: was a too big look for the Thunder that didn't 201 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:34,200 Speaker 1: work in this game. Again, I talked about that after 202 00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:37,000 Speaker 1: Game one, like I don't really the different looks that 203 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:40,400 Speaker 1: Oklahoma City has are more or less irrelevant to me 204 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:42,920 Speaker 1: because each one of them can succeed. It's just are 205 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:44,320 Speaker 1: they going to do the job or are they not? 206 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:46,720 Speaker 1: And this was an example where the two big look 207 00:09:46,760 --> 00:09:50,640 Speaker 1: didn't work. They switched the two man game at the 208 00:09:50,679 --> 00:09:52,240 Speaker 1: top of the key and forced Chat into a tough 209 00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:54,160 Speaker 1: fade away that he missed. It was just in general 210 00:09:54,200 --> 00:09:58,120 Speaker 1: a cold spell for Oklahoma City. Indiana jumped and took 211 00:09:58,120 --> 00:09:59,959 Speaker 1: the lead there and then in the early fourth quarter 212 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:02,400 Speaker 1: it was Ben Matherin again a twenty three to eleven 213 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:05,120 Speaker 1: run that took them from down five to put him 214 00:10:05,160 --> 00:10:08,079 Speaker 1: up seven. Ben Matherin, we talked about him before the series, 215 00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:10,920 Speaker 1: is another one of those guys that has that size 216 00:10:10,960 --> 00:10:14,160 Speaker 1: and athleticism to get to his spots against this Oklahoma 217 00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:16,240 Speaker 1: City defense. I talked about this a little bit last 218 00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:18,160 Speaker 1: night with Colin and we talked about it on playback. 219 00:10:18,679 --> 00:10:21,839 Speaker 1: But the if you look at Nie Smith, Neie Smith 220 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:23,719 Speaker 1: is a very good athlete, but he doesn't handle the 221 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:27,040 Speaker 1: ball like TJ or Ben, not close right, And Nemhard 222 00:10:27,120 --> 00:10:29,280 Speaker 1: is a great ball handler, but he's not not anywhere 223 00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:32,360 Speaker 1: near the athlete that TJ McConnell and Ben Mathern are. 224 00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:35,160 Speaker 1: And so TJ and Ben bring that combination of like 225 00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:38,960 Speaker 1: kind of apex athletic traits and also the ability to 226 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:42,800 Speaker 1: handle the basketball that brings a real problem for Oklahoma 227 00:10:42,840 --> 00:10:44,920 Speaker 1: City to be able to handle. And like I know, 228 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:47,040 Speaker 1: a TJ doesn't really have the reputation of being that 229 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:47,800 Speaker 1: type of athlete. 230 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:48,440 Speaker 2: I think he is. 231 00:10:48,559 --> 00:10:50,760 Speaker 1: I think he's very big and strong and is a 232 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:54,080 Speaker 1: very strong, like straight line speed guy that can change direction. 233 00:10:54,160 --> 00:10:56,160 Speaker 1: I think that's an elite athletic trade and that is 234 00:10:56,200 --> 00:10:59,480 Speaker 1: what has allowed those guys to be successful against a 235 00:10:59,559 --> 00:11:03,280 Speaker 1: very very good perimeter defense from Oklahoma City. But we 236 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:05,520 Speaker 1: discussed Ben before the series as a guy that could 237 00:11:05,559 --> 00:11:09,200 Speaker 1: be a real scoring boost for this Pacers team, and 238 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:12,120 Speaker 1: he got a bunch of buckets. In that early fourth 239 00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:15,679 Speaker 1: quarter stretch, he drove into Jdubb's chest and spun off 240 00:11:15,679 --> 00:11:17,839 Speaker 1: of him and got an and one floater. He had 241 00:11:17,880 --> 00:11:21,679 Speaker 1: this ridiculous shot and drop coverage where he like softly 242 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:24,560 Speaker 1: fed a left handed layup up off the glass. That 243 00:11:24,679 --> 00:11:27,240 Speaker 1: was just a remarkable piece of shot making. That's a 244 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:30,280 Speaker 1: shot that the vast majority of even NBA players are 245 00:11:30,280 --> 00:11:32,920 Speaker 1: going to overcook off the glass and probably end up missing, 246 00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:35,240 Speaker 1: and Ben mather and made it. He had a pull 247 00:11:35,280 --> 00:11:37,760 Speaker 1: up three versus drop coverage along the right side of 248 00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:40,040 Speaker 1: the floor. He had several pull up jump shots in 249 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:43,280 Speaker 1: the game, and if you watch him, he just gets 250 00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:45,920 Speaker 1: such great lift and that's really the thing for him, 251 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:47,640 Speaker 1: Like if he can just get to his spot and 252 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:51,080 Speaker 1: rise up, these thunder players literally aren't big enough to 253 00:11:51,160 --> 00:11:53,120 Speaker 1: really get a great contest on him there, and he 254 00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:55,160 Speaker 1: was able to get some really good pull up jump 255 00:11:55,160 --> 00:11:58,000 Speaker 1: shot looks in this game. And then TJ had another 256 00:11:58,120 --> 00:12:00,200 Speaker 1: stretch in that in that run where he he had 257 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:02,960 Speaker 1: a driving layup where he ran like kind of a 258 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:05,599 Speaker 1: decoy ballscreen on the left side and got Casen to 259 00:12:05,640 --> 00:12:07,959 Speaker 1: think he was gonna switch. Instead he just hit the 260 00:12:08,040 --> 00:12:10,120 Speaker 1: Jets with one of those right handed drives and got 261 00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:13,800 Speaker 1: a layup. Immediately stole the inbounds pass and got another layup. Like, 262 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:17,480 Speaker 1: those guys were just massive in this game. Ten points, 263 00:12:17,520 --> 00:12:21,040 Speaker 1: five assists and five steals for TJ. McConnell, twenty seven 264 00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:25,280 Speaker 1: points in an NBA Finals game on just twelve shots 265 00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:29,680 Speaker 1: for Ben mathurin just huge NBA Finals moments for those 266 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:32,280 Speaker 1: two guys. And if they win the title, obviously as 267 00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:35,200 Speaker 1: a local Tucson guys in Arizona guy, it will be 268 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:38,080 Speaker 1: a game that I look back on very fondly. That's 269 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:41,560 Speaker 1: it for this week's course correction. Remember Microsoft's AI solutions 270 00:12:41,679 --> 00:12:45,920 Speaker 1: empower you to take bold steps and make informed decisions, 271 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:48,600 Speaker 1: sparking new ideas to help drive your business forward. With 272 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:51,120 Speaker 1: Microsoft as your trusted partner, you can navigate your journey 273 00:12:51,160 --> 00:12:54,720 Speaker 1: with confidence, finding innovative solutions, and reaching new possibilities. Visit 274 00:12:54,760 --> 00:13:00,480 Speaker 1: Microsoft dot com Slash Challengers to learn more. It's worth 275 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:03,160 Speaker 1: mentioning that in the fourth quarter that during that run 276 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:05,760 Speaker 1: their defense was incredible as well. The big thing that 277 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:09,239 Speaker 1: really started to have some effect was just overall ball denials. 278 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:13,440 Speaker 1: There was a possession where Nemard had a quality denial 279 00:13:13,679 --> 00:13:17,280 Speaker 1: of Shay on a sideline out of bounds where he 280 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:19,400 Speaker 1: was trying to get a post up and because they 281 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:21,120 Speaker 1: didn't throw it to him and ended up getting worked 282 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:23,000 Speaker 1: around to j Dubb for a miss. 283 00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:25,319 Speaker 2: There were multiple plays. 284 00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:27,640 Speaker 1: Where guys like got denied and they tried to back 285 00:13:27,679 --> 00:13:30,319 Speaker 1: cut out of the denial and then part and Sign 286 00:13:30,400 --> 00:13:33,000 Speaker 1: or someone else like threw a pass on a back 287 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:35,120 Speaker 1: door cut to try to get them open against the 288 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:38,800 Speaker 1: denial that led into turnovers. So like, lots and lots 289 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:41,920 Speaker 1: of success from ball denials, lots and lots of success 290 00:13:41,960 --> 00:13:44,120 Speaker 1: from just overall ball pressure. We're gonna talk about it 291 00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:46,920 Speaker 1: in a minute, but I thought Oklahoma City really looked fatigued. 292 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:49,600 Speaker 1: Down the stretch defense was a huge element of those 293 00:13:49,600 --> 00:13:52,760 Speaker 1: fourth quarter runs as well. Now down the stretch once again, 294 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:55,960 Speaker 1: in classic Pacers fashion, a little bit of everybody right 295 00:13:56,360 --> 00:13:59,800 Speaker 1: Tyres Halliburton, who all night long started just taking the 296 00:14:00,160 --> 00:14:01,719 Speaker 1: I thought he came out the first couple minutes a 297 00:14:01,760 --> 00:14:04,440 Speaker 1: little passive, but hit the jets there in the middle 298 00:14:04,480 --> 00:14:06,720 Speaker 1: of that first quarter, and just did a great job 299 00:14:06,720 --> 00:14:09,640 Speaker 1: all night of just taking the conceited coverage beating looks 300 00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:12,120 Speaker 1: that he wasn't taking for the first three quarters of 301 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:14,480 Speaker 1: Game two. It's not on every possession. Sometimes they beat 302 00:14:14,559 --> 00:14:16,080 Speaker 1: him over the top of the screen. He wasn't able 303 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:18,600 Speaker 1: to get some clean looks. But all throughout this series, 304 00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:22,680 Speaker 1: again in the drop coverage, he's had mildly contested pull 305 00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:25,400 Speaker 1: up jump shots coming off of ball screens and mildly 306 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:29,760 Speaker 1: contested floaters going downhill in ball screens. All against variations 307 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:32,200 Speaker 1: of drop coverage. Those shots have been there for him, 308 00:14:32,200 --> 00:14:34,160 Speaker 1: and he just didn't take them for the first three 309 00:14:34,200 --> 00:14:36,680 Speaker 1: quarters of Game two. Did a much better job tonight 310 00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:38,480 Speaker 1: of taking them, and he was making them tonight, So 311 00:14:38,520 --> 00:14:40,200 Speaker 1: not only was he keeping himself in a rhythm, but 312 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:43,240 Speaker 1: he was actually providing some real scoring pop for his team. 313 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:45,840 Speaker 1: But in the fourth quarter, hit a huge three at 314 00:14:45,880 --> 00:14:47,720 Speaker 1: the top of the key that broke a tie that 315 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:49,800 Speaker 1: put them up by three. Late in the game, he 316 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:52,440 Speaker 1: had a beautiful skip pass and pick and roll that 317 00:14:52,840 --> 00:14:54,880 Speaker 1: led to an Aaron Nee Smith three in the right corner. 318 00:14:54,920 --> 00:14:57,440 Speaker 1: Nie Smith hit a couple of massive threes in the 319 00:14:57,480 --> 00:15:00,400 Speaker 1: second half of this game, despite having we talk all 320 00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:02,200 Speaker 1: the time about just find a way to make a 321 00:15:02,240 --> 00:15:04,160 Speaker 1: play when you're having a rough night. And Nie Smith 322 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:07,480 Speaker 1: was getting cooked by J. Dubb in io and in 323 00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:10,120 Speaker 1: ball screens all night long. He was missing shots. It 324 00:15:10,200 --> 00:15:13,280 Speaker 1: was like a really rough Nie Smith game. And he 325 00:15:13,560 --> 00:15:15,720 Speaker 1: just hit a couple of huge threes late and he 326 00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:18,920 Speaker 1: got a couple of big stops on Jdublade and who 327 00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:21,600 Speaker 1: the hell cares what happened before that. Pacers got the 328 00:15:21,640 --> 00:15:24,720 Speaker 1: win right, but really nice skip pass from Haliburton there. 329 00:15:24,760 --> 00:15:26,760 Speaker 1: I thought he actually missed another one that could have 330 00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:29,080 Speaker 1: gotten to Siakam three in the left corner where he 331 00:15:29,120 --> 00:15:31,960 Speaker 1: forced the ball to Turner instead, but Halliburton did a 332 00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:33,200 Speaker 1: really nice job down the stretch. 333 00:15:33,440 --> 00:15:34,920 Speaker 2: Nemhard hit two huge jumpers. 334 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:36,840 Speaker 1: There was a play where TJ McConnell just straight up 335 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:40,440 Speaker 1: broke off Sga on an ISO, but he smoked the 336 00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:43,160 Speaker 1: layup on the tap The tap out that happened after 337 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:46,560 Speaker 1: Nemhardt hill a pretty tough little mid range jump shot 338 00:15:46,560 --> 00:15:48,800 Speaker 1: over Chet. He had another one and dropped coverage. That 339 00:15:48,840 --> 00:15:51,800 Speaker 1: was a big shot in crunch time, Miles Turner, after 340 00:15:51,840 --> 00:15:54,680 Speaker 1: having a brutally bad game for three quarters, just getting 341 00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:57,600 Speaker 1: absolutely fried in is at the level coverage and missing 342 00:15:57,600 --> 00:16:01,440 Speaker 1: shots all over the floor, he Chet on a pocket 343 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:04,400 Speaker 1: pass where he caught the ball and just got downhill 344 00:16:04,400 --> 00:16:07,040 Speaker 1: and then just bumped Chet off and Chet went flying 345 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:09,840 Speaker 1: and he got a little easy layup. He blocked Chet 346 00:16:09,960 --> 00:16:12,440 Speaker 1: three times in the fourth quarter, twice at the rim 347 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:15,120 Speaker 1: in another play at the three point line. Once again, 348 00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:18,520 Speaker 1: rough game for Miles for three quarters. Just find a 349 00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:21,400 Speaker 1: way to make a play. Now, we will remember Game 350 00:16:21,440 --> 00:16:24,200 Speaker 1: three as a game where Miles Turner made huge plays 351 00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:26,040 Speaker 1: and helped his team win, and no one's gonna care 352 00:16:26,080 --> 00:16:28,040 Speaker 1: about what happened in the first three quarters. It's such 353 00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:31,000 Speaker 1: as these were such classic examples of like, for you 354 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:33,240 Speaker 1: young basketball players out there, no matter what happens in 355 00:16:33,280 --> 00:16:35,520 Speaker 1: the first quarter, no matter what happens in the second quarter, 356 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:37,400 Speaker 1: no matter what happens in the third, no matter what 357 00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:39,560 Speaker 1: happens in the first half of the fourth quarter, Like, 358 00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:42,240 Speaker 1: just find a way to make a play and do 359 00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:45,000 Speaker 1: something to put your team in position to win, and 360 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:48,200 Speaker 1: no one's gonna give a shit about what happened during 361 00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:49,480 Speaker 1: the remainder of that game. 362 00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:50,560 Speaker 2: Obi top in. 363 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:52,920 Speaker 1: A huge sequence, a two way sequence where he had 364 00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:54,400 Speaker 1: a tip dunk and then got a block. On the 365 00:16:54,440 --> 00:16:57,120 Speaker 1: other end, Tyres was running a guard guard screen on 366 00:16:57,160 --> 00:16:59,080 Speaker 1: the left side of the floor. He rejected the screen 367 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:01,680 Speaker 1: and got great dribble penetration. And when you get great 368 00:17:01,760 --> 00:17:05,159 Speaker 1: dribble penetration trickle down effects. Right lou Dord has to 369 00:17:05,160 --> 00:17:08,480 Speaker 1: step over off of the weak side corner in low manhelp. 370 00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:12,080 Speaker 1: Alex Cruso, who's guarding Toppin, has to drop an account 371 00:17:12,119 --> 00:17:14,600 Speaker 1: for the corner. That opens up a runway for Obi 372 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:17,359 Speaker 1: Toppen to just shoot down that right wing lane line 373 00:17:17,720 --> 00:17:19,840 Speaker 1: and he just gets up and throws down a massive 374 00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:22,280 Speaker 1: two handed dunk. They go down to the other end 375 00:17:22,280 --> 00:17:25,600 Speaker 1: down the stretch. The pacers were way way better with 376 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:28,320 Speaker 1: their at the level coverages with their forwards. He at 377 00:17:28,320 --> 00:17:31,040 Speaker 1: the level coverage with Turner doesn't work. It's causing all 378 00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:33,040 Speaker 1: sorts of problems. We're going to talk about that in 379 00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:36,199 Speaker 1: a minute. But with Siakamen Topping in particular, they got 380 00:17:36,280 --> 00:17:39,600 Speaker 1: multiple stops on switches in actions that looked to attack 381 00:17:39,640 --> 00:17:42,280 Speaker 1: them with either JDub or Shay And the big part 382 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:45,080 Speaker 1: of it was One of the problems they were having 383 00:17:45,119 --> 00:17:48,520 Speaker 1: in those hedges or in those switches with those forwards 384 00:17:48,880 --> 00:17:51,199 Speaker 1: is one either the on ball guy would lose contain 385 00:17:51,640 --> 00:17:54,080 Speaker 1: and share or JDub would just reject the screen, at 386 00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:57,240 Speaker 1: which case would be an automatic four on three, or 387 00:17:57,520 --> 00:17:59,600 Speaker 1: they would go off the screen and then just immediately 388 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:03,879 Speaker 1: top In or split Siakam and get right downhill and 389 00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:05,920 Speaker 1: suddenly it would be another four on three. Those four 390 00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:08,360 Speaker 1: on threes have been a major issue for Indiana's defense 391 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:10,600 Speaker 1: over the course of the last two games, but in 392 00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:12,600 Speaker 1: the fourth quarter, one of the things they were doing 393 00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:17,119 Speaker 1: the on ball guy was more strongly overplaying towards the 394 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:19,520 Speaker 1: screen to make it so that Shay or Jadubb could 395 00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:22,800 Speaker 1: not reject the screen, Almost like an ice coverage where 396 00:18:22,800 --> 00:18:24,920 Speaker 1: you're like forcing him to go a certain way, except 397 00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:26,879 Speaker 1: for instead of in an ice coverage, you forced the 398 00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:29,160 Speaker 1: guard to go away from the screen. In this case, 399 00:18:29,160 --> 00:18:32,399 Speaker 1: they were overplaying him to the screen, and then the 400 00:18:32,440 --> 00:18:35,760 Speaker 1: guy Siakam or Topping weren't getting split Toppin was meeting 401 00:18:35,840 --> 00:18:38,480 Speaker 1: him a little further back. Siakam same thing, using his 402 00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:42,040 Speaker 1: length to contest. After the tip dunk, Toppin switched on 403 00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:45,199 Speaker 1: to j Dubb, slid his feet, kept his chest in 404 00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:48,760 Speaker 1: front of that shoulder, met Jdubb at the rim and 405 00:18:48,840 --> 00:18:51,840 Speaker 1: swatted his ass. Huge play down the stretch of that 406 00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:54,639 Speaker 1: game and then their defense. We talked a little bit 407 00:18:54,640 --> 00:18:57,760 Speaker 1: about it earlier, but after really struggling to guard Oklahoma 408 00:18:57,760 --> 00:19:01,840 Speaker 1: City for basically seven quarters row, they got the stops 409 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:04,440 Speaker 1: they needed in that fourth quarter again Siakam in top 410 00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:08,520 Speaker 1: in those switches. Siakam locked up SGA and ISO twice, 411 00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:10,359 Speaker 1: once got him to pass out of a little step 412 00:19:10,359 --> 00:19:13,240 Speaker 1: back three attempt, another one where he contested a really 413 00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:17,160 Speaker 1: like a really nice contested ISO, like eighteen foot off 414 00:19:17,160 --> 00:19:19,240 Speaker 1: of the left elbow where he got to stop. He 415 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:21,439 Speaker 1: also had a really sharp close out on Cruso on 416 00:19:21,480 --> 00:19:22,840 Speaker 1: a play where he had a foot in the paint, 417 00:19:23,119 --> 00:19:24,080 Speaker 1: passed went out to Cruso. 418 00:19:24,119 --> 00:19:25,080 Speaker 2: Crusoe looked open. 419 00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:27,159 Speaker 1: We talked about this in the Knick series too, but 420 00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:29,280 Speaker 1: Siakam has been really good with his like help and 421 00:19:29,320 --> 00:19:31,960 Speaker 1: recover closeouts on the weak side. He got a really 422 00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:34,280 Speaker 1: good close out on Cruso that forced him to pass 423 00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:36,800 Speaker 1: out of what looked like in open three. They started 424 00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:39,440 Speaker 1: to snuff out specific actions we talked earlier about there 425 00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:41,480 Speaker 1: at the level coverages with their forwards. We won't go 426 00:19:41,480 --> 00:19:44,040 Speaker 1: any further into that, but they finally got to stop 427 00:19:44,040 --> 00:19:46,919 Speaker 1: on that SGA backscreen action. We talked about this in 428 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:51,680 Speaker 1: game In game one, they had Shay backscreen for Cason Wallace. 429 00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:54,639 Speaker 1: Caseon Wallace got a wide open layup because Nemhar didn't 430 00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:57,360 Speaker 1: want to help off of SGA on screens. They ran 431 00:19:57,400 --> 00:20:00,560 Speaker 1: it again early in the fourth quarter tonight for Chet 432 00:20:00,960 --> 00:20:04,639 Speaker 1: SGA screen for him. Nemhar didn't want to help. Chet 433 00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:06,760 Speaker 1: got an easy layup out of it. They ran it 434 00:20:06,800 --> 00:20:10,080 Speaker 1: again in crunch time, and finally the Pacers snuffed it out. 435 00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:13,920 Speaker 1: Nemhard slid over and showed while it was one of 436 00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:16,320 Speaker 1: the biggs. I think it was Siakam, it might have 437 00:20:16,359 --> 00:20:18,880 Speaker 1: been Turner. I think it was Turner. Actually, Turner lingered 438 00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:22,040 Speaker 1: for just a second on Shay while Nemhard lingered for 439 00:20:22,280 --> 00:20:25,840 Speaker 1: just a second showing on the Chet backcut, and then 440 00:20:25,880 --> 00:20:28,760 Speaker 1: they recovered to each other's man shut down the action again. 441 00:20:28,800 --> 00:20:32,360 Speaker 1: That's what happens in these playoff series. As things progress, 442 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:35,240 Speaker 1: you see things enough times, you start to kind of 443 00:20:35,240 --> 00:20:39,040 Speaker 1: snuff out the actions. You know what you're looking for, 444 00:20:39,160 --> 00:20:41,520 Speaker 1: what you're waiting for, and it all of a sudden 445 00:20:41,560 --> 00:20:43,400 Speaker 1: becomes a little bit more about getting one on one 446 00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:46,760 Speaker 1: buckets or where you can create an advantage because the 447 00:20:46,800 --> 00:20:49,840 Speaker 1: actions aren't working as well. And then in general ball 448 00:20:49,840 --> 00:20:53,159 Speaker 1: pressure and fatigue. You'll notice I've been pretty critical of 449 00:20:53,240 --> 00:20:57,000 Speaker 1: the Turner at the level coverages, especially in this series, 450 00:20:57,040 --> 00:20:59,920 Speaker 1: but I haven't been too worried about the ball pressure. 451 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:03,040 Speaker 1: There's been some downsides where they've given up dribble penetration. 452 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:06,439 Speaker 1: But the big difference between this team and Jaden McDaniels 453 00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:09,119 Speaker 1: is when Jada McDaniels would get beat, he's not as 454 00:21:09,280 --> 00:21:12,000 Speaker 1: quick footed to get back into the play. Nie Smith, 455 00:21:12,080 --> 00:21:15,000 Speaker 1: Nemhar tj. These guys are so quick footed that even 456 00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:17,359 Speaker 1: when they give up dribble penetration in their ball pressure, 457 00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:20,520 Speaker 1: they can pressure from behind and rush the ball handler 458 00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:23,680 Speaker 1: into making mistakes. I'm advocating with Turner for a deeper 459 00:21:23,760 --> 00:21:24,280 Speaker 1: drop coverage. 460 00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:24,600 Speaker 2: We'll see. 461 00:21:24,640 --> 00:21:26,199 Speaker 1: We'll talk about that when we get a little bit 462 00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:29,080 Speaker 1: later into the show. But those that is a specific 463 00:21:29,119 --> 00:21:32,359 Speaker 1: issue that they were having with Minnesota, that Minnesota was 464 00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:34,720 Speaker 1: having where Shaye would beat ball pressure and then he 465 00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:36,879 Speaker 1: was just getting wherever he wanted on the floor for 466 00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:40,040 Speaker 1: the most part, Indy's been able to like actually cause 467 00:21:40,119 --> 00:21:43,360 Speaker 1: some issues with their dribble drive guys into rushing, into 468 00:21:43,359 --> 00:21:46,119 Speaker 1: making mistakes and turning the basketball over. And there's a 469 00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:49,439 Speaker 1: huge fatigue element to ball pressure in denials. And I 470 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:53,560 Speaker 1: thought Oklahoma City looked tired down the stretch Shae in particular, 471 00:21:53,640 --> 00:21:56,800 Speaker 1: hands on knees, not fighting for loose balls like Shaye 472 00:21:57,359 --> 00:22:00,080 Speaker 1: looked really tired down the stretch of this game. That 473 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:03,680 Speaker 1: is a cumulative wear and tear effect that comes from 474 00:22:03,680 --> 00:22:06,919 Speaker 1: that ball pressure. But once again for the Pacers, everybody 475 00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:10,119 Speaker 1: made plays and that continues to be the story for 476 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:14,160 Speaker 1: this Pacers team. They have seven guys averaging double figures 477 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:17,840 Speaker 1: for them in this series. Nobody's averaging twenty, but seven 478 00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:21,479 Speaker 1: dudes are averaging at least ten. Juxtaposed with a Thunder 479 00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:24,960 Speaker 1: team that has two dudes averaging twenty in five dudes 480 00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:28,480 Speaker 1: total averaging ten. They are just a They are just 481 00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:31,920 Speaker 1: a cumulative force of nature. On any given night, it's 482 00:22:31,960 --> 00:22:36,160 Speaker 1: somebody different doing something different. But they're just a remarkably 483 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:38,880 Speaker 1: balanced basketball team. They as a team, forced a bunch 484 00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:41,960 Speaker 1: of turnovers, blocked a bunch of shots. They continue to 485 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:45,040 Speaker 1: be one of my favorite playoff teams that I've ever watched. 486 00:22:45,080 --> 00:22:47,479 Speaker 1: I actually thought it was funny. I saw a comment 487 00:22:48,240 --> 00:22:51,240 Speaker 1: from you guys after last night's show where there are 488 00:22:51,240 --> 00:22:53,399 Speaker 1: a lot of Pacers fans that think that, like I 489 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:57,359 Speaker 1: want the Thunder to win, that's not true. Like I 490 00:22:57,400 --> 00:22:59,840 Speaker 1: think the Thunder are going to win. I picked them 491 00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:02,000 Speaker 1: to win the series because you'd be foolish not to 492 00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:04,920 Speaker 1: given what we knew about the two teams coming in. 493 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:08,440 Speaker 1: But like I find the Pacers to be a more 494 00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:11,800 Speaker 1: likable basketball team than the Thunder, I find the Pacers 495 00:23:11,880 --> 00:23:15,440 Speaker 1: to be a funner team to watch than the Thunder. 496 00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:18,719 Speaker 1: Me and my basketball pick is not the same as 497 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:22,199 Speaker 1: what my basketball heart believes, so to speak, And I 498 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:25,800 Speaker 1: will flatly say that the Pacers are one of my 499 00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:31,119 Speaker 1: favorite teams that I've ever watched, and I'll just freely 500 00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:33,600 Speaker 1: admit I have been rooting for them in this series. 501 00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:37,280 Speaker 1: It's just an authentic basketball feeling that I have when 502 00:23:37,280 --> 00:23:39,800 Speaker 1: I'm watching this team. I'm watching them and I want 503 00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:43,679 Speaker 1: them to win. So like that is that I believe 504 00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:46,280 Speaker 1: in the Thunder and I have so much respect for 505 00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:48,920 Speaker 1: the Thunder. And we're going to talk about the specific 506 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:51,200 Speaker 1: reasons why I think they still deserve to be favored 507 00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:54,320 Speaker 1: in the series. But yeah, Like I'm sitting on the 508 00:23:54,359 --> 00:23:57,240 Speaker 1: couch and I find myself rooting for the Pacers because 509 00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:01,760 Speaker 1: they're just such an unbelievably likable basketball team that plays 510 00:24:01,760 --> 00:24:05,040 Speaker 1: such a beautiful brand of basketball. You've got a couple 511 00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:07,240 Speaker 1: of U of A guys on the roster that's obviously 512 00:24:07,280 --> 00:24:10,679 Speaker 1: gonna appeal to me in my sentimentality a certain amount, right, So, 513 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:13,879 Speaker 1: like this is they They've just I think they've been 514 00:24:13,920 --> 00:24:17,560 Speaker 1: such such an excellent showcase for the next generation of 515 00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:20,679 Speaker 1: basketball fans to see what the best version of modern 516 00:24:20,760 --> 00:24:23,440 Speaker 1: basketball looks like. And I just really enjoyed watching them 517 00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:26,280 Speaker 1: in this playoff run on the Oklahoma City front. They 518 00:24:26,280 --> 00:24:28,480 Speaker 1: look to be in a really strong position for three quarters. 519 00:24:29,160 --> 00:24:31,520 Speaker 1: After Jadubb hit that little side step three at the 520 00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:32,680 Speaker 1: top of the key at the end of the third 521 00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:34,320 Speaker 1: quarter that put them up five, I thought they were 522 00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:37,440 Speaker 1: gonna pull that game out. It mostly came down to turnovers. 523 00:24:37,760 --> 00:24:39,800 Speaker 1: Their half court offensive rating wasn't good. I think it 524 00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:42,040 Speaker 1: was like a ninety three if I remember correctly, But 525 00:24:42,080 --> 00:24:45,360 Speaker 1: they were they were efficient in their specific actions. When 526 00:24:45,359 --> 00:24:48,000 Speaker 1: they didn't turn the ball over, they got good looks 527 00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:50,480 Speaker 1: and I'm sure that's what deag Naught will be talking 528 00:24:50,480 --> 00:24:52,879 Speaker 1: about when he watches the film and he talks to 529 00:24:52,920 --> 00:24:54,520 Speaker 1: his guys. He's gonna be like, look, when we don't 530 00:24:54,520 --> 00:24:56,320 Speaker 1: take when we don't turn the basketball over and we 531 00:24:56,359 --> 00:24:59,200 Speaker 1: get the ball through their defense, we get quality looks. 532 00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:01,800 Speaker 1: Oklahoma City shot the ball really well last night. Like 533 00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:03,640 Speaker 1: that's the other thing too, Like, if you're a Pacers fan, 534 00:25:03,680 --> 00:25:06,680 Speaker 1: you're looking for another upside, Like you won Game one 535 00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:08,760 Speaker 1: despite the insane amount of turnovers. 536 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:10,719 Speaker 2: You won Game three. 537 00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:13,880 Speaker 1: Despite the fact that Oklahoma City shot substantially better than 538 00:25:13,920 --> 00:25:16,479 Speaker 1: you did. There's a lot of upside there if you're 539 00:25:16,520 --> 00:25:19,840 Speaker 1: a Pacers fan looking for some optimism looking forward in 540 00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:22,600 Speaker 1: the series. But Oklahoma City did when they didn't turn 541 00:25:22,640 --> 00:25:24,360 Speaker 1: the ball over, they did get good looks. They were 542 00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:26,720 Speaker 1: very efficient in pick and roll. This is the in 543 00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:30,159 Speaker 1: this entire series, Oklahoma City has been extremely well, especially 544 00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:32,520 Speaker 1: in Game two and three. I should say Oklahoma City 545 00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:35,000 Speaker 1: has been very, very efficient attacking and pick and roll. 546 00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:37,160 Speaker 1: They have a lot of upside that they've been able 547 00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:40,320 Speaker 1: to identify through three games. They just can't turn the 548 00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:44,000 Speaker 1: ball over as much as they did. They they did 549 00:25:44,040 --> 00:25:46,040 Speaker 1: get away from their pet action like it's funny. Every 550 00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:48,040 Speaker 1: team has to have a pet action that they trust 551 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:50,879 Speaker 1: in order to have success later in playoff series. And 552 00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:54,000 Speaker 1: I think the Shai Gilles Alexander ball screens where they're 553 00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:57,960 Speaker 1: attacking Miles Turner in space are really really good and 554 00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:00,520 Speaker 1: they're getting great stuff out of them. Even in the 555 00:26:00,520 --> 00:26:02,560 Speaker 1: fourth quarter, they got a wide open three for lou 556 00:26:02,600 --> 00:26:05,400 Speaker 1: Dort out of the left corner and out of that action, 557 00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:07,919 Speaker 1: and they should have got another wide open three for 558 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:10,399 Speaker 1: lou Dort, but Chet missed a read off of a 559 00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:14,440 Speaker 1: short roll a catch. But like they consistently get four 560 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:17,200 Speaker 1: on threes out of it because either the guy shows 561 00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:19,679 Speaker 1: too high and Shaye dumps it over the top and 562 00:26:19,720 --> 00:26:21,760 Speaker 1: that guy gets a four on three on the roll, 563 00:26:22,119 --> 00:26:26,200 Speaker 1: or Shay's just beating that that at the level show 564 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:28,200 Speaker 1: from Turner because he's too slow to keep him in 565 00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:31,040 Speaker 1: front in space, or Shay's rejecting the screen and now 566 00:26:31,040 --> 00:26:32,560 Speaker 1: Turner is on the wrong side of the screen and 567 00:26:32,600 --> 00:26:34,760 Speaker 1: he's getting four on three. Anyway, they get a lot 568 00:26:34,760 --> 00:26:36,879 Speaker 1: of really good stuff out of that, but they didn't 569 00:26:36,920 --> 00:26:41,159 Speaker 1: spam it enough, like classic example, the one that Dort missed, 570 00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:44,080 Speaker 1: like Shaye runs the ball screen with chet top of 571 00:26:44,119 --> 00:26:46,360 Speaker 1: the key. They get a wide open three for lou 572 00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:49,119 Speaker 1: Dort out of it. So like textbook process and lou 573 00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:50,919 Speaker 1: Dort's been shooting the shit out of the basketball in 574 00:26:50,920 --> 00:26:54,280 Speaker 1: this series. Dort misses the three. So instead of being like, 575 00:26:54,359 --> 00:26:57,520 Speaker 1: we ran good process, got a great shot, let's go 576 00:26:57,680 --> 00:26:59,720 Speaker 1: back to it, they went right down the floor on 577 00:26:59,720 --> 00:27:01,600 Speaker 1: the next possession, shade it and see the ball they 578 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:04,639 Speaker 1: went through. They went through Jadub and it's like, I 579 00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:06,960 Speaker 1: get it, Like Jadub was having success. He was attacking 580 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:09,560 Speaker 1: knees Smith and having some success. But like, by far 581 00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:12,040 Speaker 1: the most reliable action for the Thunder in the series 582 00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:14,119 Speaker 1: has been Shaye attacking turner and ball screens at the 583 00:27:14,160 --> 00:27:16,840 Speaker 1: level they get great stuff out of it every single time. 584 00:27:17,359 --> 00:27:19,600 Speaker 1: And I didn't think they ran it nearly enough in 585 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:22,359 Speaker 1: the fourth quarter. And that's the thing with young basketball players. 586 00:27:22,400 --> 00:27:24,800 Speaker 1: They struggle to identify what's working and replicate it, and 587 00:27:24,840 --> 00:27:27,479 Speaker 1: identify what's not working and get away from it. And 588 00:27:27,520 --> 00:27:28,720 Speaker 1: so I do think there was a little bit of 589 00:27:28,760 --> 00:27:32,040 Speaker 1: an execution misstep in that fourth quarter. Looking forward in 590 00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:35,080 Speaker 1: the series, again, as we talk about as series progress, 591 00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:38,000 Speaker 1: the low hanging fruit stuff becomes harder and harder to 592 00:27:38,040 --> 00:27:40,199 Speaker 1: come by, you know, unless you're playing the Knicks and 593 00:27:40,280 --> 00:27:43,760 Speaker 1: suddenly they play their worst transition defense and overall details 594 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:44,600 Speaker 1: game in game six. 595 00:27:44,720 --> 00:27:45,119 Speaker 2: That's kind of. 596 00:27:45,160 --> 00:27:47,520 Speaker 1: Unusual, but most for the most part, teams kind of 597 00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:50,240 Speaker 1: get a little better at identifying and staying in front 598 00:27:50,240 --> 00:27:53,280 Speaker 1: of that stuff as series progresses. As the series progresses, 599 00:27:53,320 --> 00:27:55,720 Speaker 1: and then actions get snuffed out right, and so all 600 00:27:55,760 --> 00:27:59,960 Speaker 1: of a sudden, it becomes what are your reliable, unguardable actions. 601 00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:02,840 Speaker 1: What are the things you can run that are guaranteed 602 00:28:02,880 --> 00:28:05,000 Speaker 1: to generate you a good shot in the half court 603 00:28:05,040 --> 00:28:07,639 Speaker 1: because they don't have a good option to defend it. 604 00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:10,359 Speaker 1: And I think Oklahoma City has a really reliable action 605 00:28:10,480 --> 00:28:12,120 Speaker 1: that they can go to to generate a good shot, 606 00:28:12,119 --> 00:28:15,080 Speaker 1: and it's that Shay high ballscreen with Miles Turner where 607 00:28:15,080 --> 00:28:17,400 Speaker 1: they're just consistently getting four on threes out of it. 608 00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:21,720 Speaker 1: I'm not sure Indy has established any one single action 609 00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:25,040 Speaker 1: that reliable. It's been kind of different stuff in every 610 00:28:25,119 --> 00:28:28,240 Speaker 1: different part of the game. It's very much like a 611 00:28:28,280 --> 00:28:31,200 Speaker 1: flow in a rhythm that Indiana gets that involves everybody. 612 00:28:31,280 --> 00:28:33,840 Speaker 1: So I still would make Oklahoma City a favorite to 613 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:35,879 Speaker 1: win the series at this point, but to be clear, 614 00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:40,840 Speaker 1: we have officially entered into the Pacers have a great 615 00:28:41,120 --> 00:28:45,000 Speaker 1: chance to win this series territory. That's where we're at now. 616 00:28:45,520 --> 00:28:47,320 Speaker 1: You know, we always talk about like you got to 617 00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:48,840 Speaker 1: take it one game at a time, all the stuff 618 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:51,240 Speaker 1: that you hear in press conferences when teams are just 619 00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:54,160 Speaker 1: saying all the meaningless platitudes that we hear. 620 00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:54,720 Speaker 2: But it's true. 621 00:28:54,760 --> 00:28:56,880 Speaker 1: It's one game at a time, Right, you play again 622 00:28:56,920 --> 00:29:00,360 Speaker 1: on Friday. If you beat the Thunder on Friday, you're 623 00:29:00,400 --> 00:29:03,320 Speaker 1: in an excellent position to win the series. It's two 624 00:29:03,400 --> 00:29:06,280 Speaker 1: days off between every game from that point forward. You'll 625 00:29:06,320 --> 00:29:08,600 Speaker 1: have two days off between Game five and Game six 626 00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:11,120 Speaker 1: back in Indiana, and that city will be on fire. 627 00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:14,200 Speaker 1: And you win one game in game six, suddenly you 628 00:29:14,240 --> 00:29:18,160 Speaker 1: win the championship. So everything centers around Friday. Win Friday. 629 00:29:19,160 --> 00:29:21,040 Speaker 1: The pathway is there for you to win the series. 630 00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:22,360 Speaker 1: All of a sudden. I think I'd make you a 631 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:26,800 Speaker 1: favorite if you win on Friday. So it is incredibly achievable. 632 00:29:27,280 --> 00:29:29,680 Speaker 1: You did the job. You did the job to this point. 633 00:29:29,720 --> 00:29:32,080 Speaker 1: You stole home court advantage and you won one of 634 00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:34,760 Speaker 1: your home games. It's win two home games and the 635 00:29:34,800 --> 00:29:38,240 Speaker 1: trophy is yours. It is right there for the taking. 636 00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:43,080 Speaker 1: But as you know that expression that, like in baseball, 637 00:29:43,080 --> 00:29:45,440 Speaker 1: that momentum is only as strong as your next night 638 00:29:45,520 --> 00:29:48,440 Speaker 1: starting pitcher, the point being like, doesn't matter if you 639 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:50,000 Speaker 1: won five games in a row or four games in 640 00:29:50,040 --> 00:29:53,600 Speaker 1: a row, doesn't matter, you know what positive momentum you've 641 00:29:53,640 --> 00:29:56,760 Speaker 1: built up. If the next dude who comes to town 642 00:29:57,040 --> 00:29:59,040 Speaker 1: has like a one hundred and two mile an hour 643 00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:01,200 Speaker 1: two seemer that he keeps down in the zone and 644 00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:03,400 Speaker 1: no one can hit, and he counters it with a 645 00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:06,360 Speaker 1: slider that everyone's swinging out of their shoes even though 646 00:30:06,400 --> 00:30:08,760 Speaker 1: it lands, you know, eighteen inches outside of the strike zone. Like, 647 00:30:08,760 --> 00:30:10,959 Speaker 1: if that is what's happening, and your dudes are all 648 00:30:11,000 --> 00:30:12,880 Speaker 1: swinging out of their shoes and they can't make contact, 649 00:30:13,080 --> 00:30:15,160 Speaker 1: no one cares about your momentum. No one cares about 650 00:30:15,160 --> 00:30:19,200 Speaker 1: what kind of like like vibe you've got going in 651 00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:22,680 Speaker 1: the dugout right. Similarly, in the NBA, momentum is only 652 00:30:22,680 --> 00:30:25,560 Speaker 1: as strong as, like, can you score against Oklahoma City's 653 00:30:25,600 --> 00:30:28,640 Speaker 1: defense when they really really tighten the screws, And as 654 00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:31,160 Speaker 1: we saw in the third quarter in particular, they can 655 00:30:31,320 --> 00:30:33,400 Speaker 1: tighten the screws on this Pacers team and cause problems 656 00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:34,800 Speaker 1: for him. I think they only had twenty points in 657 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:36,120 Speaker 1: that quarter, and it was a lot of the same 658 00:30:36,120 --> 00:30:39,840 Speaker 1: stuff we saw in Game two, like super intense closeouts 659 00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:42,280 Speaker 1: that were kind of shaking Indiana spot up shooters. 660 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:43,600 Speaker 2: They went really cold. 661 00:30:44,320 --> 00:30:46,640 Speaker 1: There is there's a level that Oklahoma City can get 662 00:30:46,640 --> 00:30:49,160 Speaker 1: too athletically, and I believe that they will reach that 663 00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:53,520 Speaker 1: point in Game four, understanding the desperation of the situation 664 00:30:53,960 --> 00:30:55,880 Speaker 1: for the majority of that game, and so I think 665 00:30:55,920 --> 00:30:58,720 Speaker 1: it's going to be a much much tougher game to win. 666 00:30:58,920 --> 00:31:02,200 Speaker 1: And in that setting, Oklahoma City has this really reliable 667 00:31:02,240 --> 00:31:03,720 Speaker 1: action they can go to at the top of the 668 00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:06,560 Speaker 1: key to get great shots. Not to mention just Shae 669 00:31:06,560 --> 00:31:10,720 Speaker 1: Iso is a relatively reliable action in this matchup, and 670 00:31:10,760 --> 00:31:12,920 Speaker 1: so it's gonna be tough. That's the challenge that Game 671 00:31:12,960 --> 00:31:14,440 Speaker 1: four is going to be the toughest game of the 672 00:31:14,480 --> 00:31:17,400 Speaker 1: series by far for the Pacers. I absolutely think they 673 00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:19,920 Speaker 1: can win it. I absolutely think they have a great 674 00:31:20,000 --> 00:31:22,560 Speaker 1: chance to win this series. But at this point, I 675 00:31:22,560 --> 00:31:25,960 Speaker 1: think Oklahoma City's defense at its ceiling has proven to 676 00:31:25,960 --> 00:31:28,400 Speaker 1: be a little bit better than Indiana's, and I think 677 00:31:28,400 --> 00:31:30,480 Speaker 1: they have a reliable action that they can go to 678 00:31:31,040 --> 00:31:33,280 Speaker 1: I think Oklahoma City is going to win Game four, 679 00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:36,680 Speaker 1: win Game five, and then win one of the next 680 00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:38,840 Speaker 1: two games. So I'm gonna stick with Oklahoma City in 681 00:31:38,880 --> 00:31:42,000 Speaker 1: six or seven. But the Pacers have done exactly what 682 00:31:42,080 --> 00:31:44,560 Speaker 1: we hoped they would do. They have put themselves in 683 00:31:44,640 --> 00:31:48,160 Speaker 1: a position to win this series coming into the series 684 00:31:48,200 --> 00:31:50,640 Speaker 1: despite it being one of the most substantial favorites in 685 00:31:50,720 --> 00:31:53,560 Speaker 1: recent NBA history. So shout out to the Pacers for 686 00:31:53,600 --> 00:31:56,560 Speaker 1: making this an entertaining series. One last note on that 687 00:31:56,640 --> 00:31:59,640 Speaker 1: action we talked about that high ball screen attacking turner 688 00:31:59,680 --> 00:32:01,760 Speaker 1: in space. I want to dive into this action just 689 00:32:01,760 --> 00:32:03,560 Speaker 1: a tiny bit further for just a couple minutes, and 690 00:32:03,560 --> 00:32:07,560 Speaker 1: then we'll be done. So why would you bring a big. 691 00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:08,080 Speaker 2: Up to the level. 692 00:32:09,040 --> 00:32:11,280 Speaker 1: You bring a big up to the level to dissuade 693 00:32:11,280 --> 00:32:13,640 Speaker 1: a pull up shooter. So like, let's say you're playing Steph. 694 00:32:13,720 --> 00:32:15,640 Speaker 1: You don't want him coming off of screens and shooting 695 00:32:15,640 --> 00:32:17,280 Speaker 1: pull up three. So you need someone at the level 696 00:32:17,280 --> 00:32:19,120 Speaker 1: that can kind of like take away that shot right 697 00:32:19,680 --> 00:32:21,800 Speaker 1: or two to take away the runway right. So like 698 00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:24,680 Speaker 1: athletic guards that are really good dribble drive guys. A 699 00:32:24,680 --> 00:32:26,280 Speaker 1: lot of times you'll show at the level just so 700 00:32:26,320 --> 00:32:29,880 Speaker 1: that they can't curl the screen and get going. They 701 00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:32,440 Speaker 1: curl the screen and run into somebody before they can 702 00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:34,640 Speaker 1: get their momentum, and so it like stops them from 703 00:32:34,640 --> 00:32:38,840 Speaker 1: giving dribble penetration right or three to blitz get the 704 00:32:38,840 --> 00:32:39,800 Speaker 1: ball out of their hands. 705 00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:40,120 Speaker 2: Right. 706 00:32:40,880 --> 00:32:43,480 Speaker 1: But the problem that the Pacers are having in this action, 707 00:32:43,560 --> 00:32:45,960 Speaker 1: and the reason why these shape ball screens with Chet 708 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:49,240 Speaker 1: and Hartenstein that attack Turner in space have been so effective, 709 00:32:49,920 --> 00:32:52,760 Speaker 1: is that Turner's going up to the level and he's 710 00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:56,280 Speaker 1: not containing the ball and Shay's getting past him or 711 00:32:56,320 --> 00:32:59,440 Speaker 1: the role man's getting past him. The ball is getting 712 00:32:59,520 --> 00:33:03,120 Speaker 1: past Turner almost every time when he gets up to 713 00:33:03,160 --> 00:33:05,800 Speaker 1: the level, and so that literally defeats the purpose if 714 00:33:05,800 --> 00:33:10,040 Speaker 1: you're that defeats the purpose unless you're consistently getting the 715 00:33:10,080 --> 00:33:14,160 Speaker 1: ball out of Shay's hands. But Shae himself is dribbling 716 00:33:14,320 --> 00:33:17,640 Speaker 1: past Turner much of the time. Like there were a 717 00:33:17,640 --> 00:33:19,560 Speaker 1: couple plays in the second half where they were more 718 00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:22,480 Speaker 1: blitzy with Turner and he was super aggressive and he 719 00:33:22,600 --> 00:33:24,880 Speaker 1: forced Hey to get rid of the basketball. That's fine, 720 00:33:24,920 --> 00:33:26,880 Speaker 1: at the very least, you're forcing them to play four 721 00:33:26,920 --> 00:33:30,120 Speaker 1: on three without Shae in the action, but like, there's 722 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:32,720 Speaker 1: way too many examples of Turner coming up to the 723 00:33:32,800 --> 00:33:35,680 Speaker 1: level and Shae's dribbling right around him, and so my 724 00:33:35,800 --> 00:33:38,760 Speaker 1: thing is keep pressure in him. But if Shay's gonna 725 00:33:38,800 --> 00:33:40,960 Speaker 1: get past him, if the ball's gonna get past him, 726 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:43,400 Speaker 1: no matter what, you might as well have him at 727 00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:46,000 Speaker 1: the rim or closer to the rim. And so all 728 00:33:46,040 --> 00:33:49,040 Speaker 1: I'm advocating for is just running a deeper drop coverage 729 00:33:49,040 --> 00:33:51,880 Speaker 1: with Turner. Well, that have its issues, of course, Now 730 00:33:51,920 --> 00:33:53,200 Speaker 1: all of a sudden he's gonna have to deal with 731 00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:55,640 Speaker 1: someone coming downhill at him, but at least he's got 732 00:33:55,760 --> 00:33:58,840 Speaker 1: length to bother at the rim. Now you're gonna concede 733 00:33:58,840 --> 00:34:00,880 Speaker 1: a lot of pull up mid range jump shots in 734 00:34:00,960 --> 00:34:04,280 Speaker 1: drop coverage around the elbows, Okay, but I'd rather give 735 00:34:04,320 --> 00:34:06,520 Speaker 1: that up than some of the stuff they're getting out 736 00:34:06,560 --> 00:34:09,760 Speaker 1: of these four on threes, especially when Shay himself beats 737 00:34:09,840 --> 00:34:11,960 Speaker 1: the at the level coverage. And so my thing is like, 738 00:34:12,360 --> 00:34:14,759 Speaker 1: don't bring Turner up to the level unless he can 739 00:34:14,800 --> 00:34:17,319 Speaker 1: either contain the ball or force Shay to get rid 740 00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:19,160 Speaker 1: of it, and he hasn't been able to do that 741 00:34:19,200 --> 00:34:21,000 Speaker 1: in this series. So I would have him in more 742 00:34:21,040 --> 00:34:24,239 Speaker 1: of a deeper drop, or at least you're making his 743 00:34:24,440 --> 00:34:27,120 Speaker 1: length a factor at the rim, because again, like that 744 00:34:27,280 --> 00:34:28,920 Speaker 1: is the action they're gonna have to find a way 745 00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:31,359 Speaker 1: to guard. If they're gonna win this series, They're gonna 746 00:34:31,400 --> 00:34:35,360 Speaker 1: have to find a way to guard that SGA ballscreen 747 00:34:35,360 --> 00:34:38,120 Speaker 1: that attacks Miles Turner in space. All right, guys, It's 748 00:34:38,120 --> 00:34:40,080 Speaker 1: all I have for today is always to sincerely appreciate 749 00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:42,239 Speaker 1: you guys for supporting me and supporting the show. We 750 00:34:42,280 --> 00:34:45,239 Speaker 1: will be back tomorrow night after the final buzzer of 751 00:34:45,320 --> 00:34:48,560 Speaker 1: Game four of the NBA Finals. I'm incredibly excited. It'll 752 00:34:48,560 --> 00:34:50,520 Speaker 1: be just me that night, me and Jackson. We're breaking 753 00:34:50,560 --> 00:34:52,480 Speaker 1: it down. We'll have a mail bag. We'll also head 754 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:55,240 Speaker 1: over to playback and take questions and watch some film. 755 00:34:55,480 --> 00:34:57,840 Speaker 1: Really looking forward to Game four. I will see you 756 00:34:57,840 --> 00:35:00,440 Speaker 1: guys then. But some guys, as always, im preciate you 757 00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:03,440 Speaker 1: for listening to and supporting Hoops tonight. They would actually 758 00:35:03,480 --> 00:35:05,359 Speaker 1: be really helpful for us if you guys would take 759 00:35:05,360 --> 00:35:08,040 Speaker 1: a second and leave a rating and a review. 760 00:35:08,120 --> 00:35:09,360 Speaker 2: As always, I appreciate you guys. 761 00:35:09,239 --> 00:35:10,840 Speaker 1: Supporting us, but if you could take a minute to 762 00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:15,440 Speaker 1: do that, I really appreciate it. The volume