NBA Finals Game 3 Reaction: Pacers Make A Loud Statement

Summary

Podcast Summary: Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective – "NBA Finals Game 3 Reaction: Pacers Make A Loud Statement"

Release Date: June 12, 2025

In this engaging episode of Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective, host Brian Windhorst teams up with 2016 NBA champion Iman Shumpert to dissect the thrilling NBA Finals Game 3 between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Pacers clinched a decisive 116-107 victory, taking a 2-1 series lead and edging closer to their first-ever NBA championship.

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1. Pacers' Dominant Performance and Championship Aspirations

Brian Windhorst sets the stage by highlighting the Pacers' significant lead in the series:

Brian Windhorst [00:05]: "Pacers are up 2-1. They're two wins from their first ever NBA championship."

Iman Shumpert echoes the sentiment, acknowledging the Pacers' strong position:

Iman Shumpert [00:31]: "Well, we now know the gentleman's suite we once talked about might be out of the question."

Despite initial speculations about other teams, both hosts agree that the Pacers are exhibiting characteristics of a championship contender. Shumpert emphasizes the series could extend to seven games, praising the competitive nature of the matchups:

Iman Shumpert [00:43]: "I see this going seven now. I think it got legs. I think it's great for basketball."

2. Key Player Performances

Tyrese Halliburton's Impact

Tyrese Halliburton emerges as a pivotal player for the Pacers. Brian highlights Halliburton's consistency in the playoffs:

Brian Windhorst [01:46]: "If anybody wants to talk about the ratings... Serious basketball people will talk about the quality of this game, which was excellent... Tyrese had 22 and 11 assists and he averages 11 assists."

Iman further commends Halliburton's ability to drive the offense and handle pressure:

Iman Shumpert [07:01]: "When I look at him, the more and more I see him, I think today the drive that he had, he drove it and he sort of leaned into him."

Andrew Nemhard's Defensive Prowess

Andrew Nemhard's defensive efforts are a focal point of the discussion. Windhorst notes his record-setting six turnovers caused:

Iman Shumpert [04:14]: "For Andrew Nemhard, when he went out there and disrupted SGA, he got SGA to elbow him. Seven seconds, and that's what you need."

Shumpert praises Nemhard’s aggressive defense, which disrupted Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) repeatedly:

Iman Shumpert [04:23]: "He dominated this game. Six turnovers to SGA. That's a record for him in the playoffs."

Benedict Matheran's Standout Sixth Man Performance

Benedict Matheran's exceptional contribution off the bench garners significant attention:

Brian Windhorst [06:07]: "Ben Matheran had the best game of his life right here. Right here on this court."

Iman admires Matheran's efficient scoring and crucial role in the Pacers' offense:

Iman Shumpert [07:15]: "His knack for scoring is so efficient. It reminds me of playing when I played with Jordan McRae in Cleveland."

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) and Other Key Players

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s performance is also discussed, particularly his cooling demeanor under pressure:

Iman Shumpert [08:33]: "Every defensive rebound he gets, he's gonna have to see my face. You're not allowed to take that rebound and just turn it into momentum."

3. Bench Performance: Pacers vs. Thunder

Windhorst contrasts the bench performances of both teams, highlighting the Pacers' depth:

Brian Windhorst [07:57]: "Matheran, 12 shots, 27 points, plus 16."

Iman underscores the importance of the Pacers' bench, noting their ability to maintain momentum and support the starters effectively:

Iman Shumpert [08:33]: "Shumpy had five steals, five assists and five assists. And it was in timely manners."

In contrast, the Thunder's bench struggled, with key players like Caruso registering a minus-15 impact:

Brian Windhorst [26:03]: "Caruso got... and it wasn't just about him."

Iman expresses concern over the Thunder's bench performances, emphasizing how detrimental it is when their role players underperform:

Iman Shumpert [26:40]: "Seeing an indication of a guy like that having -15, you don't like to see it."

4. Team Strategies and Defensive Tactics

Pacers' Full-Court Pressure

The Pacers employed relentless full-court pressure, a strategy that significantly disrupted the Thunder’s gameplay:

Brian Windhorst [21:38]: "The Pacers scored 66 points in the second half of game one, shot over 50%. They scored 66 points in the second half of game two, shot over 50%."

Iman attributes this defensive intensity to their overall game plan, making it difficult for the Thunder to mount comebacks:

Iman Shumpert [21:33]: "They are doing the job that they need to do. Like, that is unbelievable."

Thunder's Physical Play and Handling Pressure

The Thunder responded with a physically demanding game, trying to wear down the Pacers:

Brian Windhorst [28:13]: "The Thunder play very, very physical and they bang everybody."

Iman acknowledges the Thunder's physicality but points out that the Pacers' disciplined defense remains a significant hurdle:

Iman Shumpert [28:25]: "He sold probably two calls. It happens. But it's not as bad as I've seen."

5. Player Dynamics and Chemistry

Canadian Players' Connection

The conversation delves into the camaraderie among Canadian players on the Pacers, enhancing team chemistry:

Brian Windhorst [17:26]: "Nemhardt and Shea have known each other their whole lives, since they were kids because they're both from Ontario."

This shared background fosters a competitive and cohesive environment on the court, contributing to the team's success.

Mic'd Up Players and Media Presence

Windhorst mentions the emerging trend of mic'd up players, particularly highlighting Tyrese Halliburton's increased media exposure:

Brian Windhorst [19:07]: "Tyrese has been mic'd up three games in a row. Normally the star player, you got to wear the mic at least once."

Iman humorously speculates on the technical aspects of being mic'd up during intense gameplay:

Iman Shumpert [19:38]: "You'd never remember you're mic'd up once the warmups is done."

6. Upcoming Game Predictions and Series Outlook

Both hosts speculate on the potential outcomes of the upcoming games in the series. Windhorst suggests that Game 4 will be pivotal in determining the series winner:

Brian Windhorst [25:31]: "I sort of feel like this is one of those situations where the winner of game four wins the series instead of this."

Iman emphasizes the importance of maintaining momentum and addressing physical and mental fatigue:

Iman Shumpert [23:05]: "The games are late. The TV timeouts are longer. Your body is tired. The crowd is not tired. They want a war."

They express optimism about the Pacers' ability to capitalize on their current form while acknowledging the Thunder's resilience:

Brian Windhorst [24:34]: "Friday is going to be something. The Thunder are going to be tested like none of these guys have been tested before."

7. Fan Atmosphere and Venue Energy

The energy at Gainbridge Fieldhouse is a recurring topic, with both hosts praising the passionate and respectful crowd:

Iman Shumpert [24:03]: "I've always appreciated gyms where the fans hate you. Like we are allowed to hate each other for 48 minutes."

Brian concurs, noting the unique and intense atmosphere that elevates the game's excitement:

Brian Windhorst [24:32]: "Friday's gonna be something. The Thunder are going to be tested like none of these guys have been tested before."

8. Final Thoughts and Closing Remarks

As the episode draws to a close, Brian Windhorst and Iman Shumpert reflect on the Pacers' impressive strategic execution and the Thunder's challenges in matching their intensity. They acknowledge the high stakes of the upcoming games and the potential for the series to extend further, keeping listeners on the edge of their seats.

Brian Windhorst [28:54]: "Thank you to Rafa and Jackson, our producers. Thank you for watching and listening to Hoop Collective."

Iman Shumpert [28:55]: "We'll be back on Friday."

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Conclusion

This episode of The Hoop Collective offers a comprehensive and insightful analysis of NBA Finals Game 3, celebrating the Indiana Pacers' formidable performance while scrutinizing the Oklahoma City Thunder's areas for improvement. With expert commentary from Brian Windhorst and Iman Shumpert, listeners gain an in-depth understanding of the strategies, player dynamics, and pivotal moments that shaped the game, setting the stage for an electrifying continuation of the Finals series.

Transcript

[Iman Shumpert]

Foreign.

[Brian Windhorst]

Welcome to the hoop Collective podcast. We talk about the NBA and we are here on the court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse immediately after the Pacers 1 16, 107 game three victory to take a 21 series lead. I am here with 2016 NBA champion Iman Shumpert. Shump. Pacers are up 2 1. They're two wins from their first ever NBA championship.

[Iman Shumpert]

Well, we now know the gentleman's suite we once talked about might be out of the question.

[Brian Windhorst]

What if it's the Pacers?

[Iman Shumpert]

It might just be the other way, but I don't see that.

[Brian Windhorst]

But.

[Iman Shumpert]

Yeah, but I see this going seven now. I think it got legs. I think it's great for basketball. I think the fans are going to have a lot more fun with it. Everybody was talking about how this was two small market teams, but I think this is what you want to see as far as award. This is a chess match. This is adjustment game in, game out. This is pressure on both the stars that are mentioned in this conversation between SGA and Tyrese Halliburton. And I feel like they're living up to the calling.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah, look, let me just say right now, if anybody wants to talk about the ratings, and maybe that's your job, go ahead and do it. If you need to make your get your point off, go ahead and get your point off. If someone's talking about the ratings, they're not serious people. They're not serious basketball people. Serious basketball people will talk about the quality of this game, which was excellent. The this game had all of the markers that you need from Tyrese Halliburton to win. So we know that Halliburton, they're 32 and four, something like that. When he scores over 20 points.

[Iman Shumpert]

Yep.

[Brian Windhorst]

They're now nine one in the playoffs when he scores actually eight and one in the playoffs when he scores over 20. He had 22 and 11 assists and he averages 11 assists. Right, here's our guy here on RO.

[Iman Shumpert]

Love this.

[Brian Windhorst]

We got the Netflix. We got the Netflix crowd. Tyrese is with his family right next to us.

[Iman Shumpert]

Love it.

[Brian Windhorst]

I don't know about those jeans, John.

[Iman Shumpert]

Now he be calling it. I love it.

[Brian Windhorst]

John, he called you out on national TV about those jeans. You did? Tell me what he's telling me. Well, for our viewers, they can't see because Tyrese and John are right off the screen here. But.

[Iman Shumpert]

Love it.

[Brian Windhorst]

He told me before the game. He told me before the game. Don't, don't count out or don't bet against Tyrese Halliburton. That's what he told me before the game.

[Iman Shumpert]

Yeah.

[Brian Windhorst]

And I was just. Tyrese said afterwards that he was making fun of his dad's jeans, which, I don't know. You're a fashion guy. What do you think of those jeans?

[Iman Shumpert]

They probably got him those jeans back when they was in.

[Brian Windhorst]

I see.

[Iman Shumpert]

And dad just now makes it around to wearing them. My dad does it all the time.

[Brian Windhorst]

These are the Netflix. The Netflix stuff. He's got all these people around him. It's all. The Netflix documentary.

[Iman Shumpert]

Oh, yeah. It's perfect. I think it's so fitting that they picked him up anyway.

[Brian Windhorst]

I mean, now that Jon was over here yelling at me about. I mean, I wasn't yelling at me, but we talked before the game, and he said, don't bet against my son. Which, you know, what is he gonna say? Bet against my son. But he's, you know, he. He. He knew his son would play a much better game. And look, he may not have hit the shots that he, you know, he hit four out of eight threes, which is huge for him, but he went and he focused getting his feet back in the paint, and that was a major difference. He couldn't get in the freaking paint.

[Iman Shumpert]

But it wasn't just that. They got stops. Yeah, they got stops.

[Brian Windhorst]

You talk about that all the time. You're a defender first.

[Iman Shumpert]

Because it's the reason why I became. I didn't start off a defender. It's just I had so many guys on the team that needed the ball to be effective that I'm like, how do I still keep myself sane while having to deliver the ball in on a post up? And my way of freedom was if I could just turn him, turn him, turn him and make him make a mistake, I can get out there and it's easy. I don't have to think about it. I don't have to think about getting somebody involved. I get to attack first. If I don't have anything, I could pull it out. I usually deliver the pass that leads to the bucket, but I feel like I'm a part of this game. I think that they figured that out, that we need to get stops. Nemhar took the challenge. We're not going to talk about it enough. We're going to talk about Tyrese Halliburton. We're going to talk about, you know, Pascal Siakam getting out there and playing just a nice, balanced game, but we're not gonna talk about it much. For Andrew Nemhard, when he went out there and disrupted sga, he Got SGA to elbow him. Seven seconds, and that's what you need. Elbow me? Yeah, elbow me. Yeah. You pissed off? Good, good. You about to check out? Maybe I'll go get a rest too, but I'll be right back. As soon as you get back in the game. I feel like having that aggression toward him and. And making him. Even if it's for one or two plays, where it's a pride, a pride drive. That's not. It's not there. It's just pride. You just been bothering me the whole night, and I gotta get this off. Well, if he misses that, the pressure on that shot leads to a. Tyrese Halliburton getting an easy lay in. You saw the one run out that he had where he finished it on the side leading to those buckets. That. You get to see his creativity, but it lets him throw that pizzazz into it. It lets him be that player that we're waiting for him to be. Magic at the end. He. He has to have those things throughout the game to feel that way. So I think Andrew Nemhar won't get talked about enough for it, but he dominated this game. Six turnovers to sga. That's a record for him in the playoffs. It's like you don't see this out of him. I think that he was. More pressure. Without a doubt.

[Brian Windhorst]

Six turnovers.

[Iman Shumpert]

Without a doubt. T.J. mcCullough in there, just making stuff happen.

[Brian Windhorst]

Disrupting. Yeah. We'll talk about the bench. Okay. Before this game, you said. You cracked me up. You said somebody needed. What did you say? You said somebody needed to be disgruntled.

[Iman Shumpert]

Disruptive.

[Brian Windhorst]

Disruptive, yeah.

[Iman Shumpert]

Dysfunctional.

[Brian Windhorst]

Dysfunctional. That's what you said. You said somebody's got to be dysfunctional.

[Iman Shumpert]

Yeah.

[Brian Windhorst]

I thought that was fascinating, the way you put it. I want to talk about Ben Matheran. Ben Matheran had the best game of his life right here. Right here on this court.

[Iman Shumpert]

We talked about that. We talked about that. It's always one player for Indiana. I think Danny said it. There's always one guy for them that just comes along.

[Brian Windhorst]

Danny Green, you mean?

[Iman Shumpert]

Yeah, yeah. It's just like.

[Brian Windhorst]

So their bench. Just in general. Their bench. So Matheran has a game of his Life. He goes 9 of 12, 27 points.

[Iman Shumpert]

At the game of his life. Or is that just. Well, I'm sure he's isolated because of the finals. I think he's been playing well.

[Brian Windhorst]

That's what makes it the greatest game of his life. If you do it in the finals.

[Iman Shumpert]

It makes it the best and it's the best stage.

[Brian Windhorst]

I'm sure. I'm sure he had games in high school where he scored 45 points. It wasn't.

[Iman Shumpert]

I don't want to take it away from. Because there's so many weapons with Indiana that it leads to him getting those extra four shots. And it's like if he got those extra four shots in Indiana, it would have been the great game. So it's like, I don't want to make it seem like he was in his bag because I really feel like he's one of those guys that sooner or later you got to make a decision anymore.

[Brian Windhorst]

I see what you're saying.

[Iman Shumpert]

That's what I mean. Like, he's a dangerous product. When I look at him, the more and more I see him, I think today the drive that he had, he drove it and he sort of leaned into him.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah.

[Iman Shumpert]

And took somebody's legs away from. They couldn't jump. But the way he stepped and did that, I was just like, wow, his knack for scoring.

[Brian Windhorst]

He's a great scorer.

[Iman Shumpert]

You know what I mean?

[Brian Windhorst]

He's a third leading scorer.

[Iman Shumpert]

It's just the knack for it is so efficient. It reminds me of playing when I played with Jordan McRae in Cleveland.

[Brian Windhorst]

Another pure scorer. He was a third stringer, but he was.

[Iman Shumpert]

But he'd get out there for eight minutes and have 20 points.

[Brian Windhorst]

That's right.

[Iman Shumpert]

And it's like, it's the most efficient thing ever.

[Brian Windhorst]

It's just a no. 1 in Cleveland for chugging Jack Daniels during a Cleveland Indians World Series game in the suite. All right, that's a. That's a callback. That's a Cleveland. That's a Cleveland reference.

[Iman Shumpert]

Unbelievable year.

[Brian Windhorst]

He also could score.

[Iman Shumpert]

He also scored the hell out the ball.

[Brian Windhorst]

All right, so the pacers bench.

[Iman Shumpert]

Yes.

[Brian Windhorst]

Matheran, 12 shots, 27 points, plus 16. Remember, it was the Thunder bench with Wiggins and Caruso that dealt that huge deep damage in game two. So now, you know, they had to sit around for three days and listen to it. So Matherin has game of the playoffs for him. T.J. mcConnell. Now, if I told you T.J. mcConnell was 3 of 8 shooting, he had one rebound, two turnovers, I would say, well, you know, whatever. Shumpy had five steals, five assists and five assists.

[Iman Shumpert]

Five assists. He just was. And it was in timely manners. It was. Every time you felt like maybe they could. They got a little momentum. You know, Shay's feeling good. And then it was like Shay would throw a pass across court and they would shoot the gap Every time it was like, it just seemed like they watched a little bit more film on him. It just seemed like they knew his rhythm, they knew what he was looking for, they knew what he was trying to get to. Shay's gonna look back on this one and he's gonna, you know, it'll be hard. He'll have to grit his teeth a little bit about it, but, yeah, the way Indiana communicated tonight, the way they played for each other, that's what we're used to seeing. I know it goes hand in hand with the home crowd. It's got to feel good to be in front of your fans to get that confirmation that you did your job, you went out there, you stole one on their home floor. The pressure is on them. And now you just put an enormous amount of pressure on them to come out here, game four and put on a show knowing that they can't get over the hump with you.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah, right. So, like, big pressure now. Unexpected pressure on okc, without a doubt.

[Iman Shumpert]

Just because you've been. You're still waiting on a good game, you still don't know what a good game from them looks like. There's always somebody that's off. More Hoop Collective podcast after this.

[Brian Windhorst]

Chet, J Dub and Shea all scored over 20. Obviously was an off game for Shea. He only had 24. He had six turnovers. I thought J Dub played. Jalen Wattis played pretty well in this game.

[Iman Shumpert]

Yeah. I just hated that he missed so many free throws.

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, that didn't help. That didn't help on the way back.

[Iman Shumpert]

Yeah, I think. I think his. His. He should never.

[Brian Windhorst]

So their bench, obviously their bench got totally dominated in this game, but Lou Dort hit four threes. Chet. I thought he didn't make many shots in the second half, but I thought he had an impactful game. Like, they didn't have a bad night. I know what you're saying. They didn't play great. Yeah, they didn't have a bad night. But you are right, sir. Like, they better freaking win on Friday. They go down three, one down, home court advantage. That's big problems.

[Iman Shumpert]

For the first time, I'm interested in the post game interviews. I want to see what was said. I do. Because this is not a regular. Like, it's not a regular series. It's not a regular game. Like, y' all all need this. You need it. Like, it's not. It's gotta be red alert. If I'm Jalen Williams, even down the stretch, I'm trying to find ways that I can get back to that free throw line and you know, make this game feel a lot different. Be able to coach guys in between but knowing that they are the better team when there's a whistle, we're playing X's and O's. OKC is the better team in that regard. But, but if they continue to do this thing where you know, you miss a conversion of a breakaway and now they're pushing it back and now it's a back and forth. You're playing into their hands, especially when it's deep in the game. I don't know what it is about late in the game and Indiana putting together a better end game, but their end game is unbelievable. He is Peyton Manning in the two minute drill. This is. Yeah, this is, this is crazy.

[Brian Windhorst]

When they are in a close game, you just believe that they're going to get it done. You just believe they're going to get. By the way, they have not trailed in a series yet. They've not trailed. All right, they won. If they won first round four one. They won the second round four one. They won last round. They were up two zero on the Knicks.

[Iman Shumpert]

They gonna have to win this four three. I don't, I don't see that. There's no way.

[Brian Windhorst]

You telling me you can win a 43 without trailing.

[Iman Shumpert]

You can.

[Brian Windhorst]

But I, I just want to say also you're talking about Nemhard. You're talking about, you know, being unhealed. Miles Turner five blocks in this game.

[Iman Shumpert]

Yeah, we knew that. We knew it was going to be a big game for him though.

[Brian Windhorst]

You see, you said he needed it. He didn't shoot the ball well. 3 of 11.

[Iman Shumpert]

But it's not even that. I think it's. It's the energy, it's the. He has a contagiousness to him. There's an integrity to the way that Miles Turner plays that is a direct effect of good basketball. Like if you're playing the right way, that pocket pass is going to be available. If your guard is coming off hard two dribbles off of a ball screen, that pocket pass is available for him. He could roll into the short, that short jumper at 16 to 18ft or he can extend it back and let a three pointer go. But he plays an honest game. He kind plays his reads. I wish he would roll to the basket more and get into a more back to the basket game. But that's just me, you know what I'm saying? I think Pascal Siaka.

[Brian Windhorst]

Pascal. Pascal played it back to the basket game tonight.

[Iman Shumpert]

I love it.

[Brian Windhorst]

He. They could not get into the paint. In the first two games, they could not get into the paint. Literally. They couldn't forget about scoring the ball from the paint. They couldn't get their bodies into the paint with the ball. And so Halliburton really tried to get his feet in the paint tonight, even if he didn't always shoot in here. And Saks, Yakim came out of the gate looking to post Shai up, looking to get that established, and he had 21 points tonight.

[Iman Shumpert]

It's gotta feel like that every time he sees Shay, it's gotta be walk him down, find his chest, hit, turn, open up, and it's gotta be like, throw me that ball. Worse come worse. He reached for it. I go, two hands, chase the ball and get a foul on him, but he is not allowed to play behind me tonight.

[Brian Windhorst]

Also, I must say this. The Pacers scored 66 points in the second half of game one, shot over 50%. They scored 66 points in the second half of game two, shot over 50%. This game, they score 116. Their magic number is 111. They're 14. Zero now in the playoffs, and they get 111 or more. They're 05. When they don't, they shoot 51%, score 116 points. They are getting points against this defense. They're like, it's, it's. They can't assume it, but they're. They're having success. They're. They're. They are touching up. They were marking up this defense more than anyone has yet this postseason. And it's now been three games where I would say they've had three and a half very good halves of offensive basketball.

[Iman Shumpert]

I love the way they putting it together. If I'm okc, like, it's wild because when OKC does this, they always have that unsung hero, right? But what's wild is they, like, Niecemith didn't even start clicking. Like, there's always so much room for Indiana to play better that it bothers me. I'm like, when they handle. They handle their business, and then I look at it and say, this guy didn't even really. He never really could get it going, but he still played well within the team. But it's like, what happens when all of them are turned up? Like, who can stop them? Like, what happens when they're not playing within two, three possessions with you all the way until three minutes? Like, what happens if they just stop start clicking and you're down 15? Like, can anybody come back for 15 when they're clicking. That's what scares me about them. I've seen OKC when they're clicking and I can see, like, all right, you can't play with them if they're on all cylinders. You got to take something away.

[Brian Windhorst]

That's right.

[Iman Shumpert]

Like, you cannot play with them. I would like to see the heavyweight punch back and forth just to see what'll happen if both teams are clicking. But with both of these defenses, you're just seeing them take somebody away, take this away, take that away. And then you have a guy have to come off the bench and do his job. But for Indiana right now, they are doing the job that they need to do. Like, that is unbelievable. I didn't. And before the game, I didn't talk about him at all. I don't think any of us did. Benedict Matheram, like, I apologize. I'm sorry. I didn't know. I didn't know we needed to do this before the game. I apologize. But in the post game, you gonna get your flowers, young man?

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, he was one of the top scoring sixth man in the league. He's probably a starter on a lot of teams.

[Iman Shumpert]

I'm just saying I haven't spoke on you a lot, and I apologize. I stand.

[Brian Windhorst]

You're familiar with his game?

[Iman Shumpert]

Oh, no, I'm familiar. That's the thing. It just. It's so much other. That's the thing that scares me about this team. Like, it's. Obi had a great game. It wasn't that. I didn't. I don't like Matheran. I love him. I love how you playing. Young guy. Come out here playing one of the only Canadians doing. I get it. More Hoop Collective podcast after this.

[Brian Windhorst]

Listen, man, there's this Canadian thing going on here, so. Nemhardt and Shea have known each other their whole lives, since they were kids because they're both from Ontario.

[Iman Shumpert]

So this has been a thing.

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, I didn't understand that they had a little, like, you know, they were on the Canadian national team together. They played together in Ontario growing up. There's definitely an edge here. Like, you know, like, I. I assume you there were guys you grew up from Chicago with. Chicago.

[Iman Shumpert]

Oh, yeah, for sure.

[Brian Windhorst]

Who maybe you were friendly with. But you had a few.

[Iman Shumpert]

But you just know their game. Like, you've had to see them before.

[Brian Windhorst]

The same thing with Lou Dort and Ben Matheran. They're both from Montreal. Montreal and Ontario. Literally, totally different places. You know, they speak French in Montreal. It's like. It's like almost like a different Country. So the fact it's one thing to be Canadian, like, you know, Kelly Olenek is from Kamloops, British Columbia, and both.

[Iman Shumpert]

Guys are from the same sound, but.

[Brian Windhorst]

They'Re both from the same area. Yeah, again, it'd be one thing of. One guy's from Montreal, one guy's from Ontario. They're both in the same area. And Matheren and Dort, like, they're talking. They might be talking trash in Creole. They speak Creole? Yeah. They speak French. They speak English, but they speak Haitian Creole.

[Iman Shumpert]

Hey, mic them up.

[Brian Windhorst]

Can you imagine? Like, they would speak in case. I mean, so that's what I'm saying. Like, it's a weird little thing that's going on in this.

[Iman Shumpert]

Has the NBA done that? Have we released footage in another language yet? Have we done that yet?

[Brian Windhorst]

I don't know. But you know what? Tyrese is worn the mic three games in a row. Normally the star player, you got to wear the mic at least once. Like, LeBron would always wear the mic in the first game, and that was it. He doesn't want to be mic'd up. Halliburton wants the mic. He wants to have. He. You know, he's very aware.

[Iman Shumpert]

What's that moment.

[Brian Windhorst]

He's got the Netflix cameras around him right now. He's, you know, who knows what his fashion is, what he's got saved for game four or five, six.

[Iman Shumpert]

You know what's wild, though? And I'll tell y' all all this about being mic'd up. You're not gonna remember you're mic'd up once the warmups is done.

[Brian Windhorst]

I think he knows. Maybe you wouldn't remember.

[Iman Shumpert]

Cause you wouldn't know. He wouldn't know. It's too much to think about. It's too much. It's so much to think about in a game. Maybe you'll probably have one or two, three times. You'll be conscious of it if you fall down and hit your. Your back on the little battery pack or whatever.

[Brian Windhorst]

Oh, is there a battery pack, like, on your waist?

[Iman Shumpert]

Yeah, you gotta wear it on the compression. Well, I don't know. They got all this new technology. Y' all probably got a little baby tack you could put on the ear or something by now. Yeah. I don't know what gidgets and gadgets y' all got, but we had a little battery pack, soft pack that you used to have. But if you got knocked down onto the cameras, like, yeah, you gonna feel it. But, yeah, I don't think that you could be conscious of it. Right now, I think he is playing so free. I was happy that they were able to get stops, that he was able to get rebounds. What do you have? Eight defensive rebounds. I know it like the back of my hand. He is one of those guys that in a game that we played them, that would be my main thing. Every defensive rebound he gets, he's gonna have to see my face. You're not allowed to take that rebound and just turn it into momentum. You're gonna take that and you're gonna check around and make sure I'm not there. But I'm not even going to the board. I'm attached to you. You know what I mean? Because I see that it's a direct correlation between him getting a rebound and pushing the ball. Like, him pushing that tempo is scary to me. When we talk about things that scare me, that scares me. I wouldn't like that. And things that scare me. I'm not willing to go do it. I don't get scared of the roller coaster and then be the first one on the roller coaster. No, I'm not going to the. We might not go to the amusement park, but Tyrese Halliburton getting a rebound and getting. Turning into a run out. No, thank you. I've seen it. It's good. It's a great movie. You're not watching it no more.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah.

[Iman Shumpert]

You're not watching it. I'm breaking the DVD player. It's over.

[Brian Windhorst]

So. Also, I thought the Pacers worked their backside off to apply full court pressure. Oh, yeah, they came up. They like, they worked so hard again, Andrew Nemhard, they're not even allowing a free inbound after a made basket.

[Iman Shumpert]

You want to know what else is the direct result of that, Nemhar? Five fouls.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah.

[Iman Shumpert]

Use them. You can't take them all.

[Brian Windhorst]

Neesmith had six.

[Iman Shumpert]

Can't take them home. Use them all. Use them all. Cause if you can get SGA like that, and I don't mean they did something where it's like you shut him down. No, you didn't shut him down. You. You pissed him off. There is no shutting down. As ga. That's right. There is no shutting. Don't do. Don't go into the game. I'm not trying to shut him down. You're so good, let's clap it up for you. I'm going to disrupt you. I'm going to piss you off. I want you to push me off. Any extra little thing I can get you to do, let's do it. But you're going to Win a different way. It's not going to be cool, calm, collected. I want your face to change. His facial expression never changes.

[Brian Windhorst]

That's right. He prides himself on that.

[Iman Shumpert]

I want to see his angry eyes.

[Brian Windhorst]

It's happened a few times with Nebha.

[Iman Shumpert]

I don't ever see him adjust his headband. You watch Caruso adjust his headband all game. Sga. Never see his headband.

[Brian Windhorst]

Always calm the headband because not a bead of sweat gets down on that face. It must be the greatest headband ever designed.

[Iman Shumpert]

I think that's an old sound. I was talking to Coach California. That's an ode to his conditioning. They say that he's in unbelievable shape and he prides himself on it, which is why Cal had him in Kentucky, without a doubt. Which is why he's, you know, one of those guys that looks for the end of the game to do some of his best work. But knowing that.

[Brian Windhorst]

Having said that, I thought the Thunder got a little tired at the end of this game.

[Iman Shumpert]

Yeah, well, we're late. We are late in the season. We are late. It is late at night. The games is later. The TV timeouts is longer. People don't realize that just for y' all can be entertained at home. I know. It's a great special on the finals. All of it is cute. Now you sitting on the bench for way longer. Like that sweat that was going. That used to go in game two. That sweat be gone. Like, you could get cold waiting on a timeout. But it's just a different thing. The pressure's different. The presentation's different. The crowd is different. The crowd not gonna get tired. Your body gonna know it's tired. You go, say, man, it's getting late. The crowd is not tired. They drunk. It's time. They wanna play. They want a war. They wanna see you win. Like, I love the energy tonight. I told you, I've been in this. In this field house.

[Brian Windhorst]

You played dozens of fighters.

[Iman Shumpert]

Oh, man. But it's. I don't know. I've always appreciated gyms where the fans hate you. Like we are allowed to hate each other for 48 minutes. Let's get it on. Cause they love you when you come back. You know, seeing me in the suit, I promise I haven't gotten thrown. Nobody threw their drink at me. Nothing. And this is one of the most vicious crowds I've ever dealt with. But they respectful love basketball. And they are eating this up right now. Cause this is unbelievable to watch.

[Brian Windhorst]

Friday's gonna be something.

[Iman Shumpert]

Oh, man. Be. Be there. Be square. Get your popcorn ready.

[Brian Windhorst]

Friday is going to be something. The Thunder are going to be tested like none of these guys have been tested before. I will say this. They were down 2:1 to Denver. They faced the game seven against Denver. This they haven't done the finals before, but they were heavy favorites. And they're going to listen for the next two days to hear about how they're in trouble. So we'll see how they come back on.

[Iman Shumpert]

I would love to see the even.

[Brian Windhorst]

Keel because if they win on Friday, they got home court. Back three games series. They got home court. It's not so bad. But this felt like 2:2 to me all along. I just felt this to be 2:2. I don't know where I'll feel about on Friday, but I feel like this felt like 2:2 to me when we came here. That's what it might be.

[Iman Shumpert]

You know what's wild? I think that if the Thunder witness is going to be a 31 situation even to win it, I think it's a 31 situation. They really look like they need to figure it out before they.

[Brian Windhorst]

I sort of feel like this is one of those situations where the winner of game four wins the series instead of this. Yeah, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know. But I feel like, look, Indiana hadn't lost two games in a row in three months, granted.

[Iman Shumpert]

The Thunder are like that too, though.

[Brian Windhorst]

The Thunder are 17 and two off losses this year. They don't lose two in a row either. They've only lost two in a row twice.

[Iman Shumpert]

I'm saying this is not a. So you feel like it's just going. We going to play tennis for a little bit.

[Brian Windhorst]

I just think whoever wins game four, I feel I kind. I'm not ready to declare that, but I feel like whoever wins game four is going to be.

[Iman Shumpert]

What's your adjustment for OKC that makes them realize they can get over this hump?

[Brian Windhorst]

I don't know if there's an adjustment because they pretty much play the same way all the time, but their bench is. The bench war is big. The bench war is big. Their bench got crushed in this.

[Iman Shumpert]

Yeah, they got cooked.

[Brian Windhorst]

Caruso's minus 15.

[Iman Shumpert]

They got cooked. And that's irregular. That jumps out. I didn't even look at that. That's crazy.

[Brian Windhorst]

Caruso got. You know. And it wasn't just about him. But.

[Iman Shumpert]

No, but it's like. It's one of those things that if a guy like that can have a minus 15, it's just tough to win tonight, clearly. Cause he's a guy that plays good with principle. He doesn't take away from anybody. Everything he does is trying to be positive and an add on to the team. It's nothing that you gotta draw up and force. You know what I mean? So seeing an indication of a guy like that having -15, you don't like to see it. Casen Wallace being a -10 is a direct indication of whatever the starter's doing. So it doesn't bother you as much, but.

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, Shump, I really enjoy listening to hear you talk about these games, man. You're emotionally invested.

[Iman Shumpert]

And you know what? I try not to be. I try not to be, but especially when it seems like guys are like, right there. They're like right there. It's like I just look at it from a perspective of if I was against them, how would we game plan for them? I'm usually the guy that has to guard the best player. So it's like, if I could think of how we would come at it. It's like that's usually just the adjustment they need to make. If they can make sure nobody takes that from them, that's usually their best attribute. Like, if I'm looking at it, Andrew Nemhard, you have to play like that. Like this is. That's textbook for taking. That's called taking the head out the snake. Yeah. You just not gonna play tonight. I'm sorry, I'm about to pester you. It's not fair. I am fouling you sometimes. Don't care. I'm not gonna flop with you. If you're gonna sell it, go ahead.

[Brian Windhorst]

The Thunder play very, very physical and they bang everybody. So when Shay gets banged around, they have to accept that that's the way it's gonna be.

[Iman Shumpert]

Without a doubt. And I like the way Shay played. Cause he didn't go start flopping and begging for funds.

[Brian Windhorst]

Actually, it was a well officiated game.

[Iman Shumpert]

He sold probably two calls.

[Brian Windhorst]

It happens. Yeah, but it's not as bad as I've seen.

[Iman Shumpert]

Oh, I love that. Nobody's talking about that no more. Cause that was gonna piss me off. Before the series.

[Brian Windhorst]

He only had six free throws. That was.

[Iman Shumpert]

He has not shot a lot of free throws this whole series.

[Brian Windhorst]

He had 12 in game two, but tonight, it was. Tonight. BU was below his average.

[Iman Shumpert]

I'm saying, having 12 free throws for the MVP one game.

[Brian Windhorst]

He led the league this year. Yeah. All right, we gotta go. Thank you, Shump. Thank you to Rafa and Jackson, our producers. Thank you for watching and listening to Hoop Collective.

[Iman Shumpert]

Keep the cameras rolling.

[Brian Windhorst]

We'll be back on Friday.

[Iman Shumpert]

It.