NBA Finals Game 6 Reaction: Game 7 Here We Come

Summary

Hoop Collective Podcast Summary

Episode: NBA Finals Game 6 Reaction: Game 7 Here We Come
Release Date: June 20, 2025
Hosts: Brian Windhorst, Iman Shumpert
Guest: Tim Bontemps
Platform: ESPN's Hoop Collective

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1. Introduction and Game 6 Overview

The Hoop Collective podcast kicks off with host Brian Windhorst welcoming listeners from Gainbridge Fieldhouse right after Game 6 of the NBA Finals. He sets the stage by highlighting the surprising dominance of Indiana in the game, which many expected to be more competitive.

Brian Windhorst [00:38]:
"What we ended up getting was far and away the most surprising game of this finals where Indiana totally, totally dominated this game. After the first like five minutes."

---

2. Player Performances and Impact

Tyrese Halliburton's Resilience

One of the focal points is Tyrese Halliburton's remarkable performance despite concerns about his calf injury. Initially expected to play limited minutes, Halliburton not only played the entire game but also posted a commendable stat line.

Brian Windhorst [04:40]:
"He was plus 25, which just illustrates how important he was when he's out there."

Iman Shumpert [04:12]:
"I truly think that this is why he is trying to birth himself as a superstar, a rock star at the least."

Halliburton's ability to maintain high performance under pressure emphasizes his pivotal role for OKC.

Jalen Williams' Struggles

Contrastingly, Jalen Williams had an unprecedented performance with a minus-40 plus/minus rating, marking it as the worst in 40 years of finals history.

Brian Windhorst [02:19]:
"Jalen Williams was minus 40, got outscored by 40 points when he was on the court. That is the worst plus minus in the 40 year history of plus minus."

Iman discussed how this performance impacts OKC's chances of advancing, particularly highlighting the challenges posed by turnovers and Halliburton's search for fouls.

Iman Shumpert [02:37]:
"If he doesn't go well, if it doesn't go well for him, it's hard to see OKC you know, moving the way they move."

T.J. McConnell and Obi Toppin's Contributions

T.J. McConnell and Obi Toppin played crucial roles in Indiana's victory. McConnell showcased his versatility with extra rebounds, steals, and aggressive defense, while Toppin displayed confidence and clutch shooting.

Iman Shumpert [01:24]:
"He did everything that we were talking about, needed to be done."

Brian Windhorst [13:37]:
"He had nine rebounds, but he had four steals and six assists."

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3. Team Strategies and Defensive Dominance

Indiana's defensive strategy was a game-changer. They mirrored OKC's offense effectively, leading to constant turnovers and disrupted offensive flows.

Iman Shumpert [23:15]:
"First help, second help rotation, sending a man to the weak side corner. Indiana did it all today."

Brian noted the staggering number of turnovers by OKC, attributing Indiana's defensive pressure as a key factor.

Brian Windhorst [23:00]:
"Shea, Alexander having eight turnovers in a game is crazy."

The team’s ability to enforce defensive stops early in the game set the tone for Indiana’s dominance.

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4. Mental Warfare and Team Psychology

The podcast delves into the psychological aspect of the game, emphasizing how Indiana maintained composure while exploiting OKC's lapses.

Iman Shumpert [07:02]:
"They knew how much pressure they had on themselves to win on their home court."

The hosts discuss the importance of mental toughness, especially leading into Game 7, where the stakes are even higher.

Brian Windhorst [30:43]:
"Somebody in the locker room needs to say something because their mental approach to this game was not acceptable."

Iman stressed the need for leadership to inject urgency and emotion into the team to avoid complacency.

Iman Shumpert [26:30]:
"Somebody has to deliver the message that the even keel thing I know we usually do that today ain't the day."

---

5. Historical Context and Game 7 Predictions

Recalling their own past experiences, Iman Shumpert and Tim Bontemps draw parallels between previous Finals series and the current matchup, providing insights into potential outcomes for Game 7.

Iman Shumpert [09:27]:
"They have now faced elimination. Y' all have had every version of basketball thrown at you, and you've survived it."

Tim Bontemps [17:55]:
"The Pacers dominated game four and lost. The Thunder dominated game one and lost. And that's why it's not 3-3 for the home team so far."

Brian compares the current series to the Denver series, highlighting similarities in team performances and dominance.

Brian Windhorst [32:00]:
"This series has completely mirrored the Denver series. In each game, it's gone exactly the same."

The discussion concludes with cautious optimism for OKC, noting their historical resilience and the importance of maintaining composure in Game 7.

Iman Shumpert [25:04]:
"I didn't expect that type of win. That was very convincing. That showed a lot of pride."

---

6. Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Brian Windhorst [02:19]:
  "Jalen Williams was minus 40, got outscored by 40 points when he was on the court. That is the worst plus minus in the 40 year history of plus minus."

• Iman Shumpert [04:12]:
  "I truly think that this is why he is trying to birth himself as a superstar, a rock star at the least."

• Iman Shumpert [23:15]:
  "First help, second help rotation, sending a man to the weak side corner. Indiana did it all today."

• Brian Windhorst [30:43]:
  "Somebody in the locker room needs to say something because their mental approach to this game was not acceptable."

• Iman Shumpert [25:04]:
  "I didn't expect that type of win. That was very convincing. That showed a lot of pride."

---

7. Conclusion and Looking Ahead to Game 7

As the podcast wraps up, the hosts express a mix of surprise at Indiana's performance and confidence in OKC's ability to rebound. They emphasize the unpredictable nature of Game 7 and the importance of strategic adjustments.

Brian Windhorst [32:38]:
"Thank you to Bon Temps. Thank you to Shumpert. Thank you to our producers. Thank you for watching. Listen to Hoop Collective. We'll talk to you before game seven."

Iman Shumpert [32:40]:
"We'll see you at Oak Room."

The episode sets the stage for an intense Game 7, promising further analysis and insights in the upcoming episode.

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Key Takeaways

• Indiana's Dominance: Indiana showcased a commanding performance in Game 6, particularly through aggressive defense and exploiting turnovers.

• Tyrese Halliburton's Crucial Role: Despite injury concerns, Halliburton delivered a significant performance, underscoring his importance to OKC’s strategy.

• Jalen Williams' Unprecedented Performance: Williams' -40 plus/minus was a historic low, raising concerns about his impact on the game.

• Mental Toughness: The psychological battle between teams plays a crucial role, with Indiana maintaining composure and OKC needing to address complacency.

• Game 7 Outlook: While Indiana has momentum, OKC's resilience and ability to adapt will be critical in the decisive game.

This comprehensive analysis provides listeners with in-depth insights into Game 6's dynamics and sets up anticipation for the upcoming Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

Transcript

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[Brian Windhorst]

Hello and welcome to the Hoop Collective podcast. We talk about the NBA, which we're doing on the court here at Gainbridge Fieldhouse after game seven. Shump Iman Shumpert, NBA champion there was. They practiced today on this court to be having a trophy ceremony right now. Yeah, they're all set for it. Tyrese Halliburton was cleared to play like an hour before the game and he had an injury that some people thought he would miss. You know, lots of time with was in the regular season. And what we ended up getting was far and away the most surprising game of this finals where Indiana totally, totally dominated this game. After the first like five minutes.

[Iman Shumpert]

Yeah, it took him a second to get rolling. But again, we knew that was coming where it's like the crowd gets into it. I just knew the early push of the crowd. What I wasn't ready for was the T.J. mcConnell Show.

[Brian Windhorst]

Holy man.

[Iman Shumpert]

It was the extra rebounds, the random steals, even the getting in people's faces, the screaming for the crowd. He did everything that we were talking about, needed to be done. You talk about a guy like Obi Toppin shooting the ball this well with that much confidence back against the wall. Like we did a lot of congratulating okc, I think before the game and just talking about, you know, the tremendous effect they've had in the last couple of games. But to see this response from Indiana and to see that minus 40 next to Jalen.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah, so Jalen Williams was minus 40, got outscored by 40 points when he was on the court. That is the worst plus minus in the 40 year history of plus minus. We don't have anything in the finals. We don't have anything on record.

[Iman Shumpert]

I wouldn't expect for him to lay an egg, that was, that was a shocker. But again, that's one of the guys that we talked about. If he doesn't go well, if it doesn't go well for him, it's hard to see OKC you know, moving the way they move. To see a guy like Shai have eight turnovers, it's hard to see them advance past that. It's like this is a guy that you're used to taking care of the ball, getting us a good shot. If he doesn't get a good shot for himself, exhausting the dribble to a late shot clock, still being able to make great decisions. We saw him search a little bit today. He took a little bit of the James Harden playbook searching for fouls to get to the free throw line.

[Brian Windhorst]

And.

[Iman Shumpert]

And you saw a lot of those. No calls happen. Being on the road, sometimes, you know your star. It is up to him to go up there and get us to the free throw line, make sure everybody calms down, get us all on one page. But when those things don't go well and these guys are willing to turn it into points that fast, they didn't have to manufacture a lot of offense. Cause they did a lot of running today.

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, yeah, so. So a big thing was turnovers. I really thought that. Well, I'm start. I'm going to stop right there. I'm going to start over.

[Iman Shumpert]

Let's do it.

[Brian Windhorst]

Tyrese Halliburton, we weren't sure he was going to be able to play more than five minutes in this game. And if he was being bothered by that calf, I did not notice it. So I don't know what treatment he had. I don't know what adrenaline he had. I don't know if it was gamesmanship, because obviously he looked bad.

[Iman Shumpert]

A prayer.

[Brian Windhorst]

He looked terrible in game five, Right? He looked really bad. I don't know. I don't. I can't tell you what it was.

[Iman Shumpert]

The will to win. I truly think that this is why he is trying to birth himself as a superstar, a rock star at the least. This is the stuff that people do. You watched Isaiah Thomas do it. That foot looking like it's going to fall off. I don't care. Let it fall off.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah. So he had. He had. He was plus 25.

[Iman Shumpert]

Jesus.

[Brian Windhorst]

Which just illustrates how important he was when he's out there. He scored 14 points and had five assists. By his standards, that wasn't like dominant, but he had three threes and he didn't look like he was being hampered by it at all.

[Iman Shumpert]

Yeah.

[Brian Windhorst]

And so in other words, they didn't have a weak link, you know, and game five had a weak link with him out there.

[Iman Shumpert]

He had a play that impressed me. He got a deflection. I believe they threw him, an outlet, and he had to backpedal to catch the ball. Backpedal, caught the ball, went forward, and then made that pass between two, did a sort of look away. And in the middle of it, I'm thinking, like, if there's. If you're going to blow it out, that's the play. You know what I mean? And he threw some pizzazz on it. I just. The more and more he did it, even when he went into the cameras, he didn't really go gingerly. No, you're right.

[Brian Windhorst]

Early in the first quarter, he looked like he was. He grimaced a little bit, and I thought, oh, he's. It's bothering him. But he didn't. It didn't maintain that way. He looked much better.

[Iman Shumpert]

He looked like he warmed up to it. I don't know if he just adjusted to the pain or. Again, whatever, Indiana, whatever y' all are doing over there in that training room, like, just write a book, whatever you gotta do, send it out to the rest of the league. Cause that's what guys need. Like, whatever his relationship is with that training staff, whatever he's doing at home, that's being a professional, making sure that you can show up for your team.

[Brian Windhorst]

He said before the game, he was like, I had some very hard conversations with. I mean, he didn't say who, but I assume the training staff, the team doctors, like, you know, you could play on this and risk it, but he. You know, he made it sound like it was not an easy decision. But then he came out here and.

[Iman Shumpert]

He didn't play like it was.

[Brian Windhorst]

He played unafraid.

[Iman Shumpert]

He did. And it's encouraging to see that if you're going into a Game seven, he.

[Brian Windhorst]

Gets two more days off to rest it.

[Iman Shumpert]

And this is the effect of both teams, right? Where it's like, after each game that somebody wins, it's hard to see the other team bouncing back, and then they bounce back. Game seven. This might be the best ball game of the. Of the series. Well, it has to be. But.

[Brian Windhorst]

So let me ask you this before we talk any more about the game. You were part of a. Of a team that won a huge. That won game six at home nine years ago, right? This week. Well, nine years ago today was game seven. But you guys won. In 2016, you won game six really big, and you went back on the road. What was the mindset after you guys won Game six?

[Iman Shumpert]

The pressure that was gonna be in their mind, especially them having us down 3:1. They knew there's no reason for them to even be close, right now, when you start doing that, we call it the mental warfare of the game. When that creeps in. And they had to also play that one game without Draymond Green. We just knew their mental was all over the place. They knew how much pressure they had on themselves to win on their home court. And by that time, we were so lax. Cause we had already played back against the wall. Nobody thinks we have a shot in this series if I'm Indiana. This is the best situation you could be in because we counted you out. A lot of people counted you out. You were the underdogs in the series the whole time. Y' all have now faced elimination. Y' all have had every version of basketball thrown at you, and you've survived it. You had a key injury to a key guy. Now, you can't say they haven't been through the ringer. They've been through plenty.

[Brian Windhorst]

Right?

[Iman Shumpert]

And you know, now they're facing like, this is going to be a hell of a run to talk about if they finish this.

[Brian Windhorst]

So on one hand, the Thunder had this situation. Sechron versus Denver. They had a. It wasn't lopsided, but they had a sort of a convincing loss in Denver. They came back home, get the win at home. But I just want to point out that Indiana last year went on the road to Madison Square Garden and. And beat the Knicks. Now, in that game, Jalen Brunson broke his hand and the Knicks were really wounded and worn out. And the Knicks are not the Thunder. But it's not, you know, India's Indiana team. First off, they've been very good on the road throughout the last two years in the playoffs, Very good on the road in this year's playoffs. And they've won game seven on the road. This group has won game seven on the road. So I think both teams can get on the plane thinking they know what needs to be done.

[Iman Shumpert]

Yeah, Pascal Siakam, too. I know that they took him out. So, you know, he didn't get to run those numbers up as he would have gotten to in a regular season game or another playoff game.

[Brian Windhorst]

He had 13 rebounds, 16 points and 13 rebounds.

[Iman Shumpert]

Exactly. But, you know, usually at the end of games, you finish out with a good 22, 24, because you're shooting free throws. You're still playing. They just. They did their job so early. He got to take a rest.

[Brian Windhorst]

What's the other thing, by the way, real quick, Halliburton only played 23 minutes.

[Iman Shumpert]

Unbelievable.

[Tim Bontemps]

More Hoop Collective podcast after this.

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[Iman Shumpert]

But again, I saw what they were doing. They they left him out there longer than we thought Though I thought it would be way quicker burst than it was. He played a couple eight minute stretches that I was like, I wouldn't have left him. But again, the way he was moving had to be convincing. If you. Rick Carlisle.

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, he said before the game, there's no limitations. On one hand, you're like, well, yeah, there's no limitations because it's, you know, elimination game. On the other hand, they must have watched him move and thought he looked good.

[Iman Shumpert]

Yeah, I've again, Tyrese Halliburton, hell of a professional. Not sure what y' all are doing over there in that locker room, but to be ready to play in this game, to send that message to your team that if I'm going to be y' all leader, you can bet that I'm going to spill all the blood I got to spill. Who wouldn't play for him at this point? And that's what I think you saw. I think you saw a team rally behind their guy, knowing he's wounded, but saying, we're not going to stop TJ McConnell again, my hat goes off to him. You are playing your ass off.

[Brian Windhorst]

He had four steals tonight. In fact, I should bring up, you know, we were freaking out the other night because the Thunderhead 27 stocks steals and blocks.

[Iman Shumpert]

But what was even better, we keep saying this thing where we're like, you know, you don't come in here and don't try and play outside yourself. T.J. mcConnell did something that he doesn't normally do is usually Tyrese Halliburton with the nine rebounds. He went out there and grabbed nine rebounds.

[Brian Windhorst]

He did.

[Iman Shumpert]

He said, you know what? Y' all get one shot and then we gone.

[Brian Windhorst]

That's right. He had nine rebounds, but he had four steals and six assists. But anyway, we talked the other day about 27 blocks and steals for OKC, 21 blocks and steals for Indiana tonight. That's incredible effort and energy defensively. And frankly, the Thunder were just letting them take the ball from them. They look like they were on their heels after the first few minutes. They look like they were on their heels offensively. They were just, you know, this is.

[Iman Shumpert]

The one time they were just.

[Brian Windhorst]

Shay was letting the. I mean, this is Shea playing for a championship and he was just letting the ball being taken from him.

[Iman Shumpert]

This is the gift and the curse of Shay. Even when we were talking to Coach Cal previously, I can't remember what game that was, but his coach at Kentucky, his coach at Kentucky talking to Coach Cal, he was just being very informative of that. Even Keel thing is, win, lose or draw, it's in the classroom. It's when he goes to talk to his mom after the game or his father after the game. It's a consistent thing. And when I see it, in a game like this, sometimes you need somebody to go for the kill, you know what I mean? So to speak. And I don't think they had that tonight. I think that. That even Keel might have came to shoot them in the footsteps.

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[Brian Windhorst]

So what you're saying is. And the whole team plays this way mostly, but he's the guy who sets the tone.

[Iman Shumpert]

It just trickles down.

[Brian Windhorst]

You don't. You. You. They acted like this was another playoff game, not a chance to win the title.

[Iman Shumpert]

It reminded me of that interview he did, right? Where he's just like, you know, we just got to approach it like another game. Like, I don't think y' all took. I think they took for granted the magnitude of Indiana. Feeling like, we just need to get through this if we can weather this storm. Like, we know our guy will be ready for game seven. Like, we just need to weather this storm. And now seeing that Indiana plays like a group of desperate men. I used to. I had a coach in college, Charleston Young, that Coach Cy. We call him Coach Cy, but he used to always say, Grevious Vasquez played like a desperate man, and that the only way I could beat him was to wait until the end of the game and then play desperate with him. And when you start talking about that level of desperation, you saw it, what, 1 through 9, 1 through 10 for Indiana, and then you watched it trickle down on the other side, like, we're gonna stay chill. Nobody panic. Let's stay chill. And you saw that lead stretch out a little bit more. A little bit more. I think at some point, Shay's gonna have to deliver some sort of emotion to his bench in his locker room and let them know this is real. Like, I know I'm the cool, chill guy, but I need y' all to understand we cannot lose this game.

[Brian Windhorst]

Tim Bontems. Oh, you see, Is his mic on?

[Guest Speaker]

It is. How about that, right?

[Brian Windhorst]

Hello, Mr. Bontems.

[Guest Speaker]

Hello.

[Brian Windhorst]

Joining us. Just coming back from the locker room in the press conferences.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah.

[Brian Windhorst]

Shump was talking about he jump. Just made it. I'll listen to what they said, but Chump made a good point that, you know, the Thunders sort of nature. Shea, sort of nature of like, just be chill and be even. Keel may not have served them necessarily well in the emotions that they needed to play for a championship.

[Guest Speaker]

But yeah, yeah, I mean Chubb would know a lot better than me about that. I just thought that they just got demolished. It was one of those games. I just thought it was remarkable the way that the Pacers were able to just completely dictate the game from the beginning. And I think the craziest thing about the way these games in India have gone is I was looking at the stats during the game. Chico Alexander had never had more than five turnovers in a playoff game before this series. In game three here loss he had six. Tonight a loss, he had eight. Shay Ghost Alexander having eight turnovers in a game is crazy.

[Brian Windhorst]

It's tied for the most turnovers in a finals game I think in 40 years or something like that.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, it's just like for that to happen is just really wild and like I thought we could see a lot of different versions of the game today. I did not think we would see this more Hoop Collective podcast after this.

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[Guest Speaker]

I mean what chump. I don't know if you guys talked about it but do you. Is it when you lose a game like this, like is it easier to sort of wipe it off and go to game seven than if it was a game like game one where you let a lead go late or you have it go down to the last shot with a chance to win the.

[Iman Shumpert]

Title or is it in all mine this game six was taken. So I would say. I would say that when you see a team playing how Indiana's playing and your okc if it's not gonna be Shay, somebody has to deliver the message that the even keel thing I know we usually do that today ain't the day. Yeah like slam a water bottle. Somebody has to inject something into everybody's chest to let them know. Don't let them get to game seven because game seven is. I don't know what it is. Just a magical game.

[Guest Speaker]

Well you know what happened the last time there was a game seven in the NBA Finals show.

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I don't.

[Brian Windhorst]

I got taste.

[Guest Speaker]

You were in the building for that. I don't like right there. That's what happened right there.

[Iman Shumpert]

I'm shiny. Happens. It's just. I don't know what it is about game seven.

[Guest Speaker]

It's like road team did pretty well in that game in a crazy environment against an all time great team.

[Brian Windhorst]

Historically game seven have gone heavily to the home team except for the last like decade. In the last decade road teams are basically 500 in game seven. I'm not sure why that's happening. The other thing is I really don't want to deal with Indiana in a game seven this particular team.

[Iman Shumpert]

Especially when I had them down. When I had them down, I had them even early on because they were. They were at about 30, what was it? 31, 33. I believe it was 31, 33, something like that. When you feel the game first start slipping. I thought that Jalen Williams, I think he showed his age today. Just. You know what I'm saying? Like we expect especially coming off that 40 point game, you expect him to know how to just pack people up all the time now. And you also expect him to do that next to an MVP that demands the ball, demands touches. And today was one of them. He was in no man's land. He wasn't really playing particularly well. SGA didn't really play particularly well.

[Guest Speaker]

This were on their back. They were just on the back foot the whole game. Like they have the first four minutes of the game. They're up 10 to 2. They're flying around. Chet's getting to the rim. Jalen Williams dunking the ball. Carlisle's calling timeout. Right. It was then like 78 to 40 or 68 to 30 over the next three and a two and a half quarters. Like it was just an absolute.

[Brian Windhorst]

I felt like they started taking out of rhythm three pointers, like they were just taking three pointers.

[Guest Speaker]

They were out of rhythm with everything. They're out there. They were drip. They had flank five turnovers in the first quarter. They were losing the ball. They weren't getting into offense. Like they just completely fell apart.

[Iman Shumpert]

First help, second help rotation, sending a man to the weak side corner. Indiana did it all today. Their defense looked a lot like OKC's defense. They all mirrored the ball. And when I say mirror the ball, that's a pass gets made to the top of the key. You're watching five guys close out toward it and then take two steps back toward their man. Seeing that over and over and over, you already know in your mind there's no driving lane available. So you're going to catch it in your triple threat and survey rather than catch it and go for a quick blow by. I just felt like like you said, OKC was on their heels. They usually have their foot on the gas. They did not do it at all today.

[Brian Windhorst]

So yeah, so There was an 11 between the end of the second quarter and into the third quarter because they didn't score for the first. OKC didn't score for the first five minutes of the third quarter. There was 11 possessions where they did not score between the second quarter and the third. They went oh of 10 in that stretch with a couple of Turnovers. They went 0 of 5 on threes. And that's where they. That's where the game was totally lost.

[Iman Shumpert]

And when OB Toppins start going nuts.

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, how about the. The signature play from this game was the no look pass that. Yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

At the end of the first half.

[Brian Windhorst]

Siakam dunked basically and put Jalen Williams on the floor.

[Guest Speaker]

Huge game from Pascal.

[Brian Windhorst]

That was the moment.

[Guest Speaker]

Another.

[Iman Shumpert]

Unbelievable.

[Guest Speaker]

Another. Another game Pascal.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah, no look pass.

[Iman Shumpert]

But that's what I meant about just that home crowd getting behind. That's all you need. You need one of those plays. And he gave us a couple of threes. I told you, I just needed two threes and a pass. Something like that. Going into a timeout. The fade out on espn, screaming to the crowd a little bit.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah, I mean, everything. They had two buzzer beaters today.

[Iman Shumpert]

Oh, my Lord.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah. I mean, look, to your point about the game seven with the mustache.

[Iman Shumpert]

Yeah, I saw the mustache celebration.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, I mean, to your point about the game seven, Brian, the problem that the Thunder, like, look, the Thunder obviously have dominated the games in OKC. They've had 141, 144 minutes there. The Pacers have largely dominated the games here. Both teams got kind of a cheap win on the other team's court.

[Brian Windhorst]

Cheap. But they come back when.

[Guest Speaker]

Well, but I'm saying the Pacers dominated game four and lost. The Thunder dominated game one and lost. And that's why it's not three, three for the home team so far. Right. So if you're okay, so you go home, you feel good about that, hey, we're going to be at our home and home environment. Our defense is going to be revved up to your point. They might be kind of a flat team, but the energy in that place is unbelievable. That'll lift them up, right? The defense will get going, but the paces are a team that can hit a ton of threes. And the Thunder are a team that can get really, really cold from three. And if their other guys are not hitting threes, a lot of the time it's just Jalen Williams and Shea, just Alexander and not a lot else. If you get in one game like this, you have some guys get hot, Obi toppin gets hot, McConnell does his thing. All of a sudden you could be in a situation where you're down 10 in the third quarter and you're trying to manufacture offense and there might not be enough there. So, you know, it's. To your point about these Pacers, Brian, they have been a team that made everybody uncomfortable all playoffs. They did it today and, you know, it certainly wouldn't be surprising if they won't do it again on Sunday.

[Iman Shumpert]

Hard to say they won't do it again. Especially playing in the.

[Brian Windhorst]

Did you have any when you were in there listening to anything today?

[Guest Speaker]

I mean, I wanted to hear what Mark Dagnall had to say and I mean, it was exactly what you would expect. I mean, you know, we didn't the. We had an uncharacteristic game. Pacers took it to us. Not much to say about it. Everybody was bad. I mean, the Thunder are who they are in every way. Right. They're going to say it's no big deal, it's one game, we're going to come back. They're going to. They're not going to blow up to your point, whether you want them to go smash stuff around or not. They're just not going to do that. They're going to do their business, they're going to get on the plane, they're going to go home, they're going to start working and they're going to show up on Sunday. And you know, it wasn't like anybody was going to come in and say anything otherwise. But, you know, they have been made to feel a lot more uncomfortable than I ever thought the Pacers could do to them in this series. And like I said, those turnovers from Shay, I think are just the most emblematic thing for a guy who's always taking care of the ball. The Pacers have done a remarkable job of getting him off kilter in these games in okc. You're a great defensive player. What have they. What do you think they've done that's caused him so much trouble?

[Iman Shumpert]

I don't think that they did as much to cause him trouble in this game that they did in other games. Right. But I think that this game, especially when it started trying to get out of reach, I think Shea searched for the foul.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah.

[Iman Shumpert]

Like.

[Guest Speaker]

Which he'll do sometimes without a doubt.

[Iman Shumpert]

But he usually does it after he's got a rhythm. This was the first time he was using the foul to get a rhythm and that's why I brought up James Harden. There's times that I see James get in trouble when it comes to the playoffs because he'll start the game too early. Where you playing the game for fouls and.

[Guest Speaker]

And you're not getting as many of.

[Iman Shumpert]

Those calls, you're not going to get as many of those calls. But unless you're cooking in the playoffs, they not going to stop the show.

[Guest Speaker]

Right.

[Iman Shumpert]

Like we not the show's going to go on. But if you're cooking, then you're more lenient to that whistle. I don't think SGA ever got cooking, so it was tough for the Western to even get blown for him.

[Brian Windhorst]

What do we think's gonna happen in game seven? Chump.

[Guest Speaker]

We got Chup. You're the one with the ring.

[Iman Shumpert]

Honestly, man, I, I'm more focused Indiana. I'm more focused on going home to get some more clothes. I gotta wear a full suit to illumination game. I didn't think you brought the. You brought the a fly looking suit shot. I didn't think this was going seven, especially with Tyrese being questionable. Again, hats off to him being a professional, making sure he's getting enough rest treatment, making sure that he's communicating with his doctors and his training staff to make sure that he can go. Hats off to TJ McConnell. OB Toppin. Like, I didn't expect y' all to come. If I expected a win, I didn't expect that type of win. That was very convincing. That showed a lot of pride. That showed a lot to y' all City and you guys should feel really good going into game seven. The game's up for grabs. I still would have to say okc.

[Guest Speaker]

Just cause historically, Brian and don't not make a prediction.

[Iman Shumpert]

They historically don't lose twice in a RO.

[Brian Windhorst]

OKCs been favored every game.

[Iman Shumpert]

They're at home.

[Brian Windhorst]

They're going to be favored. You know, I, I would just say this. The Pacers didn't shoot the ball hot tonight. They had a few stretches where they made some shots, but they didn't shoot the ball hot. They shot 41%. They shot. They were. And when they went to garbage time, they were shooting like 41%.

[Iman Shumpert]

It's amazing.

[Brian Windhorst]

So they, they, you know, they can still shoot hot. That's. That's what I would say.

[Iman Shumpert]

You look at these, these stats and I, I know that OKC plays well at home. I just. Indiana just finds so many ways to make themselves dangerous. And it's. I was joking around earlier, every time Jalen Williams caught the ball and saying that was the danger. But seeing Tyrese Halliburton not hobble on that foot, continue to play like that, even though we're thinking in our minds that's gone, that'll be gone for the game. And then seeing These other guys step in and play as if he's not on the court. I'm not one to downplay mental warfare. That would bother me. You know what I mean? We are going to see how tough OKC is mentally because facing a game 7 which are back to the wall.

[Brian Windhorst]

At home, if I was, I don't know what they'll say publicly, but somebody in the locker room needs to say something because their mental approach to this game was not acceptable.

[Guest Speaker]

I mean, look, they. I mean, look, I'm not going to go that far. I mean, they. Come on, they listen. I mean, not going to say the mental approach.

[Iman Shumpert]

They keep saying it's another game.

[Guest Speaker]

Well, listen, they played an awful game and they got smoked. If they lose at home in game seven and they lose the season, then.

[Iman Shumpert]

You'Re going to say that the mentality needs to change.

[Guest Speaker]

Well, I mean, then we can look back on how it went.

[Brian Windhorst]

They were trying to win a championship tonight.

[Guest Speaker]

I mean, I understand that they, they played horrible day. I'm not going to say they were good. I just like, look, I always think when you say things like the mental approach isn't right. It's like people approach it the same way.

[Brian Windhorst]

They may be different on Sunday, but tonight they were.

[Skims Advertiser]

It was not.

[Guest Speaker]

It got absolutely demolished. The Pacers. The Pacers took them out of their game from the beginning and they. They killed them. I mean, look, as far as me, I think the Thunder winning Game seven, this, like I said earlier, the home team in this series has dominated just about every game. The Thunder have been far, far better than the Pacers in okc. The Pacers have not really looked like they could do much of anything. They had a couple late comebacks to make the games tight in a couple of them, but it wasn't like either one of them. You felt like the Thunder had done anything but take full control of the game. And look, the Thunder have the best player. He has stepped up in every spot.

[Brian Windhorst]

That's exactly true.

[Guest Speaker]

This series has completely mirrored the Denver series. In each game, it's gone exactly the same. Give away Game one, dominate game two, lose game three, all the way through game seven against Nikola Jokic, the best player on the planet. The Thunder went out and won by a million points. And yes, Aaron Gordon was hurt. Yes, all that stuff. But I think they're going to take care of business on Saturday.

[Brian Windhorst]

All right, we got to wrap up. I'm sorry. Thank you for.

[Iman Shumpert]

I just want to say before we get off, plus, their bench didn't play well at all. We're not used to OKC's bench, Joe. And nothing. It was terrible.

[Brian Windhorst]

Thank you to Bon Temps. Thank you to Shumpert. Thank you to our producers. Thank you for watching. Listen to Hoop Collective. We'll talk to you before game seven.

[Iman Shumpert]

We'll see you at Oak Room.

[Brian Windhorst]

Oh.

[Iman Shumpert]

In 1979, the first words spoken on ESPN weren't just an announcement. If you're a fan, they were a sports pro. Prophecy what you'll see in the next minutes, hours and days to follow.

[Guest Speaker]

Glad you're with us tonight. May convince you you've gone to sports heaven.

[Iman Shumpert]

And right now, you're standing on the edge of tomorrow. This fall, the next era of ESPN begins. Sports forever.