NBA Finals Game 7 Preview

Summary

Episode Summary: NBA Finals Game 7 Preview Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective Release Date: June 22, 2025

In this episode of "Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective," hosts Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps, and special guest Bam Adebayo dive deep into the highly anticipated Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers. Released on June 22, 2025, the episode offers a comprehensive analysis of the teams' performances, historical comparisons, key player roles, coaching strategies, and potential MVP outcomes.

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1. Historical Context of NBA Finals Game 7s

The hosts begin by reflecting on past memorable Game 7s to set the stage for the current Finals matchup.

• Brian Windhorst shares his experience covering Game 7s, mentioning his third Finals Game 7 which was memorable for the Heat-Spurs 2013 series and the Cavs-Warriors 2016 showdown. He notes, “Game seven tends to be slugfests” [02:00].

• Tim Bontemps recalls the 2016 Game 7 as “probably the greatest game ever played” [02:18], highlighting the Cavs' comeback from a 3-1 deficit to win their first title in 50 years.

• Bam Adebayo adds, “it's maybe the best basketball game in history when you throw in all the stakes” [03:54], emphasizing the high-pressure nature of Game 7s.

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2. Current Series Overview: Thunder vs. Pacers

The conversation shifts to the current Finals series, exploring team dynamics and historical precedents.

• Windhorst compares the series to historical matchups, noting the rarity and intensity of Game 7s. He states, “history shows that these game sevens tend to be slugfests” [05:06].

• The hosts discuss the recent performances, with Bam Adebayo pointing out the Pacers' clutch moments led by Tyrese Halberton, likening their run to one of the best underdog championship runs since Rick Carlisle's Mavericks in 2000 [29:33].

• Tim Bontemps emphasizes the unpredictability, mentioning the Thunder's dominance at home with a 10-2 home record in the postseason, including blowout wins like Game 7 against the Nuggets [08:54].

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3. Key Players and Performances

A significant portion of the discussion centers around standout players and their impact on the series.

• T.J. McConnell emerges as a pivotal player for the Pacers. Brian Windhorst highlights his defensive prowess and recent performances, noting, “T.J. McConnell has done that brilliantly” [12:22]. McConnell's ability to control the game is deemed crucial for the Pacers' success.

• Tim Bontemps praises Tyrese Halberton for his clutch performances, stating, “Halberton has hit some of the most iconic shots in recent memory” [08:54].

• The trio also discusses the performances of Shane Gatling and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the Thunder, with Bam Adebayo stressing the need to manage Gatling’s impact: “If you don't do it, you're asking for trouble” [12:27].

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4. Coaching Strategies and Game Planning

The episode delves into the tactical approaches both teams are likely to employ in Game 7.

• Rick Carlisle, coach of the Thunder, is lauded for his strategic adjustments. Windhorst notes his ability to secure “two road Game 7s” and his experience in high-pressure situations [05:03].

• Tim Bontemps discusses Carlisle’s recent strategy of not pressuring the ball full court, allowing the Thunder to set up screens early and manage Shay Gildan-Alexander’s movements: “Rick Carlisle's wrinkle that he threw in was not pressuring full court” [13:24].

• The importance of managing turnovers is highlighted, with Windhorst asserting, “the team that doesn't turn the ball over more is going to win” [10:05].

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5. MVP Considerations

The conversation turns to potential MVP candidates based on the current series' performances.

• Brian Windhorst speculates on MVP possibilities, suggesting that success in Game 7 could elevate players like Shaye Gilgeous-Alexander to MVP status: “this is a vitally important career moment for Shay Gilgeous-Alexander” [32:27].

• Tim Bontemps adds that standout performances in Game 7 will heavily influence MVP decisions, emphasizing that a player’s impact in crucial moments will be key: “whoever has the best game in Game seven probably wins it” [52:03].

• Bam Adebayo humorously mentions that sports writers might be lobbying for T.J. McConnell due to his critical contributions: “one particular short white fella on the panel is already starting to lobby for TJ McConnell” [49:42].

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6. Predictions and Final Insights

As the episode wraps up, the hosts offer their forecasts and final thoughts on the impending Game 7.

• Windhorst admits the unpredictability of the outcome but underscores the significance of defensive strategies and player performances: “if the Pacers win, it would be the most unexpected championship in NBA history” [30:13].

• Bam Adebayo reflects on the pressures faced by the Thunder as favorites, suggesting that the Pacers have a unique opportunity to capitalize on the Thunder's recent struggles: “the Pacers have positioned themselves where the expectations are immense” [38:02].

• Tim Bontemps emphasizes the high stakes and the potential for Game 7 to redefine the legacies of the players and coaches involved: “this would be one of the best individual seasons in the history of the sport” [32:27].

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Notable Quotes

• Tim Bontemps on the 2016 Game 7: “Probably the greatest game ever played” [02:18].
• Bam Adebayo on Pacers' clutch performance: “they have been very happy to be in the fourth quarter in a competitive game” [09:09].
• Brian Windhorst on turnovers: “the team that doesn't turn the ball over more is going to win” [10:05].
• Tim Bontemps on MVP: “whoever has the best game in Game seven probably wins it” [52:03].
• Bam Adebayo on coaching pressure: “they have positioned themselves where the expectations are immense” [38:02].

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Conclusion

This episode provides listeners with an in-depth analysis of the NBA Finals' impending Game 7, blending historical insights with current series dynamics. Through expert commentary from Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps, and Bam Adebayo, the discussion illuminates the critical factors that could determine the championship outcome, including player performances, coaching strategies, and the relentless pursuit of an MVP award. Whether you're a die-hard fan or someone looking to catch up on the Finals' excitement, this episode serves as a comprehensive guide to understanding the high-stakes finale of the 2025 NBA season.

Transcript

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[Brian Windhorst]

Foreign welcome to Hoop Collective podcast. We talk about the NBA, which we are doing on Saturday evening. Joining me from Oklahoma City, we. We couldn't come together at the Tipsy Tiki today. I had to come home for 24 hours. I'll be joining Tim Bontemps in Oklahoma City tomorrow.

[Tim Bontemps]

Hello, everybody.

[Brian Windhorst]

Also in Oklahoma city is Bam McMahon.

[Bam Adebayo]

Howdy, partners. We've got a morning pickup basketball run, so I don't think I'll be making a Tipsy Tiki appearance either tonight.

[Brian Windhorst]

Oh, really? Well, you know, the finals have worn you down when McMahon is passing a Saturday night at the T. At the. At the Tiki.

[Bam Adebayo]

Well, IT department, AKA my strength and conditioning coach, also had a little, a little something to tell me when I went home. Stepped on the scale.

[Brian Windhorst]

So she was looking over your shoulder for that one?

[Bam Adebayo]

Oh, yeah.

[Brian Windhorst]

Oh, my God. All right. Well, it's kind of hard to evaluate health status at the end of a two month playoff run. I'm just going to tell you that. But the big one is tomorrow. Have you guys, how many Game Sevens have you guys covered total?

[Bam Adebayo]

I'd have to think about that one. This playoff run here in okc. Yeah, but not, you know, they're, they're fairly rare beasts.

[Brian Windhorst]

I came on, I've been to two final. I've been, you know, a handful, you know, a dozen or so Game Sevens. But this will be my third finals game seven. I was fortunate to cover Heat spurs in 2013, which that series is always remembered for. Game six because of Ray Allen, of course. But there was an Epic Game 7. There sure was, with LeBron and Duncan going at it down the stretch and, and then 2016, game seven in Oakland, which I know Bontemps was at.

[Tim Bontemps]

Probably the greatest game ever played.

[Brian Windhorst]

You know, I don't know about the greatest game ever played, but certainly an incredible moment in NBA history. And the three pointer that Kyrie made, I mean, my memory is more of, you know, the block happened so fast. You couldn't process it. For me, I couldn't process how good of a play it was in real time. You really didn't appreciate it until you Saw the replay, the. The Kyrie Irving shot you knew in real time was an absolute dagger that was potentially historic. In the moment when you.

[Tim Bontemps]

When you factor in the stakes of that game with the Cavs coming back from down 3 1, with LeBron bringing a title to Cleveland for the first time in a half century, winning a title away from the Big three in Miami, the way that game was played, the fact that the 73 WI warriors did not win the title, the fact that there was not one word said about the officiating crew of Danny Crawford, Duke callahan and Monty McCutcheon, who's now running the officials, and that I. What I think is unquestionably the best officiated game ever. Like, those guys did an unbelievable job in that game with a ton of stakes and pressure on the line and.

[Bam Adebayo]

Best officiated game ever. This guy. Hey, my God.

[Tim Bontemps]

Listen, I've. I've talked about it before. I don't think there's any. That was. That was. Being in the arena for that big man, that was the most intense game I've ever attended. And they. There was not one peep about the refs from anybody the whole time. And to see that warriors team not win at home the way the Cavs won, the way that game was played, I do think it was the best game. I think certainly the best game I've ever been at.

[Bam Adebayo]

It's maybe the best basketball game in history when you throw in all the stakes and all that stuff. I'm just saying the refereeing's pretty far down the list of reasons why that game will be remembered.

[Tim Bontemps]

Well, I'm not saying it's remembered for that. I'm just. It. It just was. Those guys did a hell of a job. It was just. It was. It was about as perfect a game, in my opinion, as you could have from start to finish. It's just incredible theater all the way to the very last buzzer.

[Brian Windhorst]

So. And you remember that game, I believe, was 93, 89.

[Tim Bontemps]

Yes, it was.

[Brian Windhorst]

There was a whole stretch in the fourth quarter where nobody scored. Kyrie broke a long drought of scoring in 2013. It was 95, 88, the heat over the Spurs. There was a couple of baskets, a couple of free throws late to stretch it out, because it was still very much a game in the last minute.

[Tim Bontemps]

Last finals game where a team broke 100 was in the 80s, right?

[Brian Windhorst]

Right.

[Tim Bontemps]

Game seven.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yes. And so I was going to go back. The one before that was 2010, where the Lakers beat the Celtics 83, 79.

[Tim Bontemps]

Just an absolutely disgusting Game the Lakers shot.

[Brian Windhorst]

The Lakers won and shot 32%.

[Tim Bontemps]

Kobe had, he was 6 for 24. Right, right.

[Brian Windhorst]

That's right, 6 for 24.

[Tim Bontemps]

Horrific. Just a horrific offensive game on both sides.

[Brian Windhorst]

So now those were, obviously it was a different era of possessions. So you know, it's really not 100% comparable. But history, modern history shows that these game sevens tend to be slugfests. And in those series, other than the 2016 series, there was less travel, there's more travel, although these cities not that far apart. But in terms of like picking up and moving, everybody is worn out, everybody is emotional, tight, everybody is feeling it. You're just at the end of, you know, everything has been exhausted. The preparation has been exhausted. You're mentally exhausted, you're physically exhausted. Your coaches are exhausted, your trainers are exhausted, your fans and your family are exhausted. You, you just, you tend to have these games that are, you know, obviously these games are all close. They wouldn't get to game seven unless they were close. And so, you know, the today's 83, 79 might end up being, you know, 106, 102, you know, but you know, that might be something, you know, what we known, what we know from history is that is it can be done. I will say this, McMahon. I noticed, I was looking when I was reviewing the stuff for this game. Rick Carlisle has won two road game sevens in his career as a coach. One was last year in the garden with the Pacers. Teeny asterisks on that one because the injuries that the Knicks had, Pacers still played great and were ready for that game. And then in 2005 when he was with the Pacers, I believe they beat the Celtics, which was a slugfest series. If you remember that series, Paul Pierce got like elbowed in the head of one of the games and he showed up at the post game press conference with exaggerated bandage on his head like he was Wile E. Coyote in a wheelchair. No, there was no, the wheelchair hadn't happened yet. We didn't know about the Paul Pierce wheelchair. If he had thought, if he had thought about it, he would have.

[Bam Adebayo]

And his britches must have been clean.

[Brian Windhorst]

His britches. So I guess what I'm saying bon temps is I'm not expecting beautiful, high scoring, free flowing basketball Sunday. Of course I can't predict what will happen. I wouldn't begin to. But I'm talking about the way the modern era of game seven says has looked.

[Tim Bontemps]

No, I mean, look, history would tell you this is going to be a late and Close game. And if it's a late and close game and the Indiana paces are involved, they're going to feel pretty good about their chances. You know, look, J. Gilles Alexander's had some monster moments in the clutch in the playoffs and certainly the Thunder will feel good if they've got him with the ball in his hands late with a chance to win the game. But we saw the Pacers steal game one in that fashion. We've seen the Pacers steal a game in each series throughout these playoffs. Tyrese Halberton has hit some of the most iconic shots in recent memory in these playoffs in late and close situations on the road, beating the Cavs and the Knicks and the Thunder all on the road, all with game winning shots in the final seconds of the game. So, you know, history would tell you that, you know, for as much as this series has mirrored the Denver series, and that's been talked about a lot, basically every game has been virtually identical to how the Denver series went. Game 7 of the Denver series ended with the Thunder winning here in Oklahoma City by a billion points in Game seven and running the Nuggets off the court. Not saying that's not possible tomorrow or today, I guess for when this records in Game 7, the Thunder have led 141 of the 144 minutes here in Oklahoma City. The series has generally been dominated by the home team in these games. Certainly could see them winning comfortably. But the expectation I think should be going into it, that it's going to be one that goes into the fourth quarter, a competitive game. And you know, the Pacers, all serious all playoffs long, have been very happy to be in the fourth quarter in a competitive game and use their depth and pressure and Tyrese Halberton shotmaking to find ways to win games. And if they're able to do that in this game seven Sunday night, they'll feel pretty good about their chances of pulling it out in the end.

[Bam Adebayo]

Yes, the history is game sevens in the finals are tight. We'll see it, we'll see about this one. I agree 100%. If it's close late, big advantage to the Pacers. Even though we all saw what Shakeless Alexander did the last time. It was a, you know, a, a good game, you know, a clutch situation. The Pacers have been the best clutch, one of the best. This is one of the best clutch runs that we've seen at least in recent memory by Tyrese Halberton, by the Pacers as a whole. But the Thunder tend to mop the floor with their Opponents at Paycom center, you know, Jackson just put it in the chat. They're plus 247 at home this postseason. That is the best margin by any team at home in any postseason. Okay, they're 10 and two at home. The two losses were both collapses. They had double figure leads in both those losses, including obviously game one here. And then the, you know, they've got two. They've had two chances to eliminate opponents. One, you mentioned game seven against the Nuggets, a 32 point blowout. The other was game five against the Wolves, a 30 point blowout. Certainly not going to predict a 30 plus point blowout. But it's going to be one hell of an atmosphere. And the Pacers aren't just playing the five guys on the floor. They're. They're playing, you know, playing against 20,000 people wearing the freebie T shirts too.

[Brian Windhorst]

The Pacers, okay, I really wish I had better analysis than this. I think the team that doesn't turn the ball over more is going to win. Because while you can look at certain things and there's certain variances you're going to have with three point shooting, you know, if one team gets red hot from three, you know, that tends to defeat a lot of stuff. What is often was really told the tale of this, this series is who doesn't give the ball away. And especially because it's so important for the two teams the way they want to play. And I think over the course of the series, Indiana has really tried to give some of Oklahoma City some of their medicine back by really picking at the ball and really looking to, you know, that's one of the things that the Thunder do so well is, you know, you look away from them, their guys tend to sneak in and start to look how they can get in your way, how they can stuff step in your way. T.J. mcConnell does that brilliantly, has always done that. But you, you just see them as they, as Shay and stuff starts going into the lane. They're just picking at his handle, picking at his handle. He had eight turnovers in Game 6, the most he's ever had in a game. You know, one of the big differences from, from the rest of the series to game six and something I think that I'm sure that the Thunder have worked on a lot. Rick Carlisle's wrinkle that he threw in was not pressuring full court, which has been a Pacers trademark throughout the playoffs. It was one of the things that they did early in the series that they felt wore SGA down The Thunder at one point, you know, had Jalen Williams basically bring the ball up the floor a lot more to try to alleviate some of that burden. Shay got free access right into the half court throughout the entire game six. And then what they would did frequently, I think it was 12 or 14 times when he would get into the action, they would double team him.

[Bam Adebayo]

Yep.

[Brian Windhorst]

And it led him to commit eight turnovers. And Nemhardt, Andrew Nemhardt was guarding him on five of those eight turnovers. It wasn't always him that got the credit for the turnover because there was double teams coming and he threw passes that got batted, he got this pocket picked and et cetera. But Nemhardt was very effective at, you know, waiting for him in the half court. I think the stat was that in the series they were averaging, picking him up was, I think it was 20 fewer, 20ft back. Can't remember.

[Bam Adebayo]

Yeah, it was like 39ft compared to 59ft.

[Brian Windhorst]

Right. So they had been picking him up 60ft from the basket, which is midway in the backcourt, and. And they were picking him up basically.

[Bam Adebayo]

A couple steps over half court.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah. And I think one of the reasons that they did that was because they wanted to set up the double teams a little bit more. They didn't want to get into the switches as easily because, you know, they were probably going to go after Halliburton. The other thing is when the, with the Pacers pressuring the ball in the backcourt, it enabled the Thunder to set screens really, really high up.

[Bam Adebayo]

Yeah.

[Brian Windhorst]

Far away from the basket. And that enabled Shea to get ahead of steam going. And, and so that was a, an interesting change. Now, just because they did that in game six doesn't mean that's what they'll do in game seven. But Shea openly admitted after the game that that wasn't something that he was really preparing for and that was a curveball. So.

[Bam Adebayo]

No, and, and listen, the Pacers lipped the Thunder's biggest strength on its head in that game. The Thunder literally led the league in turnovers forced and fewest turnovers committed throughout the regular season and then have ratcheted that up even more during the playoffs. Little stats Williams work Here they are +116 in the playoffs as far as turnover margin since the the ABA NBA merger in 77. The next best turnover margin during the postseason is plus 79 by the Raptors championship team. Now that was plus 126 before game six. So, you know, I mean like historically dominant in winning the turnover battle and the Pacers lipped that completely on his head. And in Game 6, when Shay was extraordinarily sloppy with the ball, you know, 21 turnovers as a team by Oklahoma City, eight by Shea, you know, matching the most in any playoff game or, I'm sorry, any finals game over the last 40 years. And OKC wasn't able to create any kind of havoc on the defensive end. Every time, like, you look at the one common thread, probably two common thread. No, I don't. No, the one common thread from every single OKC blowout win, whole bunch of turnovers forced, whole bunch of points off them. I was going to say the other one was, you know, Shay lighting it up, but he had 15 points when they beat the, the Grizzlies by 51 in the, in the playoff opener. And so, you know, we'll see. I. I agree with you. It's. It's real simple. But probably the team that wins a turnover battle is going to hoist a trophy and have a parade.

[Tim Bontemps]

Well, and, and when you look at that, right, a lot of turnovers comes down to poise and, and, you know, discipline and focus. And, you know, coming into this game, obviously there's pressure on both teams in a Game 7 to win the title, but I think there's little doubt that there's more pressure on the Thunder, who are the massive favorites. They're playing at home. They're supposed to win this game. They're supposed to win the series. They are coming off this horrendous performance in game six, where they got the doors absolutely blown off. And as great as the crowd is here in Oklahoma City, and it is a great crowd, as good as any in the league, if the team gets off to a slow start in the first quarter, everybody here is going to start to completely freak out and go, holy cow, are they really not going to do this and not win this series? And the beginning of the game in particular, I think it's vital for Oklahoma City to get off to a good start and try to get some open air and get out in front and sort of let everybody relax. And on the other side, it's equally vital for the Pacers to hit some early shots, get out to an early lead and cause everybody to start thinking, because if they can do that and get the Thunder on their back foot like they did in Game 6, even though the Thunder got out to that quick 102 lead, Pacers immediately came back. They got back out in front of, hit some shots, got going, got feeling good, and then all of a sudden the Thunder were kind of reeling and couldn't ever really recover. The longer this game can stay close and the Pacers can hang around, the tighter everybody involved on the Thunder side is going to get. And for a team that's shown they have no problem coming back, and they are, they're perfectly comfortable playing in late and close situations, the longer that tension builds. I think that's a big potential advantage for Indiana as this game seven goes on.

[Bam Adebayo]

More Hoop Collective podcast after this Picture.

[Brian Windhorst]

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[Brian Windhorst]

All right, let me give you trivia time. We haven't done this in a while.

[Bam Adebayo]

Wizard of the quiz.

[Brian Windhorst]

Wizard of the quiz.

[Bam Adebayo]

And now to present today's trivia question, the wiz of the quiz, Brian Windhorst.

[Brian Windhorst]

So T.J. mcConnell, who is, is he the Pacers number one half court weapon right now?

[Tim Bontemps]

I mean it, it might be. The Pacers are just a confounded team.

[Brian Windhorst]

They are confounded. That was a good one.

[Tim Bontemps]

He has, he has had a heck of a series. By the way, going on the set after game six was a very cool thing to went on the set. If people didn't see, you can go find online. He, he went out and started talking Isaiah Thomas and I think Steve Smith was there in the crew for NBA TV after the game when TJ was on set and it was, it was a fun little thing to see a guy that clearly proud and excited about his kid playing in Game 7 of the NBA finals.

[Brian Windhorst]

He was very proud. He was very proud and excited. And he was still very much of a coach because TJ has talked about how hard his dad was on him.

[Bam Adebayo]

Yeah, yeah.

[Brian Windhorst]

And if any of us had fathers who were hard on us over sports, they can, they can appreciate this. You can tell it would. Was wore TG out a lot in his life. So man, man was bringing up a.

[Bam Adebayo]

State championship game loss. My goodness.

[Tim Bontemps]

The first thing he said was well, he missed those two free.

[Bam Adebayo]

Free throw. Oh yes.

[Brian Windhorst]

And TJ. TJ I mean here's TJ just had like the moment of his life. And TJ's like, of course. And like, I mean, on one hand, it's a joke. He's saying, of course.

[Tim Bontemps]

But you can see the PTSD on his face from that immediately.

[Brian Windhorst]

But at the same time, he was very clear how proud he was of his son.

[Bam Adebayo]

But, you know, and his daughter in the WNBA.

[Brian Windhorst]

Real talk. TJ McConnell has got to be at the top of the Thunder prep list for this game. Like. Like when they.

[Bam Adebayo]

It's interesting because he is going right at Case and Wallace, and Case and Wallace is a hell of a defender. I didn't think there was anybody in the league who was shorter than Case and Wallace who'd be able to just go at him and score over him. But T.J. mcConnell has done that.

[Tim Bontemps]

It's truly remarkable what he's done.

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, he's the subject of the wizard of the quiz.

[Bam Adebayo]

Oh, let's. Let's Wizard. So, tj, I just want to point out that Bon Tips intentionally snubbed Jared Greenberg, who's, you know, very sensitive, but go on.

[Brian Windhorst]

Okay.

[Tim Bontemps]

Yes, clearly, of our pal, Jared is the best.

[Brian Windhorst]

So he had 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals in that game.

[Bam Adebayo]

12, nine, six and four. Okay.

[Brian Windhorst]

The second bench player in finals history.

[Bam Adebayo]

12, nine, six, and have at least 10.

[Brian Windhorst]

Five, five and four. Now there's been a wild bench place. We've had 10.

[Tim Bontemps]

Quite it. This is quite a. This is quite a stat.

[Bam Adebayo]

I mean, this is.

[Brian Windhorst]

I will give you a hint.

[Bam Adebayo]

Okay.

[Brian Windhorst]

One. Many, many rings.

[Tim Bontemps]

Robert Cooper.

[Bam Adebayo]

Michael Cooper.

[Brian Windhorst]

Wow, that's.

[Bam Adebayo]

I mean, that, that.

[Brian Windhorst]

No, he already got it. He got it.

[Bam Adebayo]

Robert. Yeah. Michael Coop. Because I was thinking.

[Tim Bontemps]

You were wrong. You were wrong. It was Mike. It was Robert Ory. Robert or Michael Cooper?

[Brian Windhorst]

Robert Ory. No, Cooper is a good guess.

[Bam Adebayo]

Oh, damn.

[Tim Bontemps]

Cooper is a good guess. But yes.

[Bam Adebayo]

Oh, wow. Cooper was a great guy. I was ready to take a victory lap. Dan. You were.

[Brian Windhorst]

You were taking one.

[Bam Adebayo]

Oh, because I was a showtime.

[Brian Windhorst]

Cooper might not have had five assists. I wonder how many assists he averaged in this.

[Bam Adebayo]

True. Yeah. Because the.

[Tim Bontemps]

When you say many rings. When you say many rings.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah, I. I might. I should have just said, you know, a great.

[Tim Bontemps]

Which team did he do it for? The Rockets or the spurs or the lake?

[Brian Windhorst]

2005. It was 2005. So that would have been the spurs late in his career like that. You wouldn't have thought he was. Been active enough to be getting steals back then. Let's see how many in his playoffs career. Let's see how many assists Cooper average.

[Bam Adebayo]

Well, Listen, Cooper won five rings too.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah, there was a couple years where he averaged over five assists, so he probably just. They do four steals.

[Tim Bontemps]

It's a good gasping man.

[Brian Windhorst]

No, it was an excellent. Yes, it was.

[Bam Adebayo]

Pretty proud. Tbh.

[Brian Windhorst]

The point I'm trying to make here is. Well, by the way, Michael Cooper is a hall of Famer. Robert Ori is known as one of the great big game players of all time. Big shot Bob.

[Tim Bontemps]

And good company to be in.

[Brian Windhorst]

We're talking about T.J. mcConnell.

[Bam Adebayo]

Oh, oh, wait. Finals, Noah. Never mind. Go on. I was gonna say Cooper missed it by one assist once, but that wasn't a finals game. Go on. My bad.

[Brian Windhorst]

All right. It was a good. We're not. We're.

[Bam Adebayo]

We're.

[Brian Windhorst]

We're. We're nodding to you. Good job. We're not. You know, you don't have to verify your guests.

[Bam Adebayo]

I'm. I'm proud. I'm proud.

[Brian Windhorst]

I'm bad at trivia. I'm really bad at trivia. But Robert or I actually, Robert Ori's. I actually, I never get the trivia that Hembo. Paul Hembekides does on get up. And I just. I'm just not good at trivia.

[Tim Bontemps]

And did you get that question right the other day?

[Brian Windhorst]

I did.

[Tim Bontemps]

Oh, did you guess Robert Ori?

[Brian Windhorst]

I did.

[Tim Bontemps]

I got it right at the airport. I didn't see what the answer was, but I saw that the question, which was LeBron James is one of two players to win two game sevens on the road. Was it two finals game sevens or two game sevens?

[Brian Windhorst]

Two finals finals game sevens.

[Bam Adebayo]

Yeah.

[Brian Windhorst]

So the key is he has to play in them.

[Tim Bontemps]

Play in the game, Right?

[Brian Windhorst]

Yes.

[Tim Bontemps]

And I thought. My thought was Robert Horry, because I thought of 94 when the Rockets beat the Knicks and then, oh, five when the spurs beat the Pistons. But I never saw the answer. I actually meant to ask you what the answer was.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah, I did. I did get it right. I just. I figured because LeBron had done it with two different teams, it's gotta. There hasn't been that many game sevens and the game sevens haven't been won. I mean, because you think about like in my lifetime, has there has a team won two finals game sevens like the Lakers? Have they won? I think maybe they've won two. They think they won the road. No, there's only been four that have.

[Bam Adebayo]

Won them on the road, period.

[Brian Windhorst]

Right.

[Bam Adebayo]

What is it? 15 and 4? The home team's 15 and 4 in finals game sevens.

[Tim Bontemps]

So.

[Bam Adebayo]

Although that's a pretty short list.

[Tim Bontemps]

Well, and I think, I think those are the four. I think those are the four. Those four games are the four where the home team. The home team lost.

[Brian Windhorst]

Bonus question. Do you know who the player who was on two finals road winning game sevens? He didn't play in the games. But do you know the player who was on. Who was on the team?

[Tim Bontemps]

Oh, Kendrick Perk. No, not Perkins.

[Brian Windhorst]

That's a decent guess.

[Bam Adebayo]

Like Chuck Nevitt.

[Tim Bontemps]

Chuck Nevit.

[Bam Adebayo]

I don't even know Bob Pettit now. You guys don't remember Chuck Nevitt?

[Brian Windhorst]

I do not. Sorry.

[Bam Adebayo]

Chuck Nevitt was a. He was.

[Tim Bontemps]

I know who Chuck Nevitt is.

[Bam Adebayo]

He was known as the human victory cigar. He was seven foot.

[Tim Bontemps]

Wild.

[Bam Adebayo]

Yes, it's a wild guess for the Lakers.

[Tim Bontemps]

Who is, who is the answer?

[Brian Windhorst]

James Jones.

[Tim Bontemps]

Oh, James Jones.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah.

[Tim Bontemps]

13 and 13 and 16, right? Yeah.

[Bam Adebayo]

Now what is he like? He's the senior advisor, I believe for the Phoenix Suns. One of those experts who wouldn't let ISHPM be hands on.

[Tim Bontemps]

You know, it's. I was, I was, I was going back while you were talking earlier, Brian, to see how many game sevens I've been at and including the bubble, this will be the 16th one I've been at. But setting aside the bubble where there were four and obviously that's a neutral site in them. Just to your point about how game sevens have sort of evened out over time, I've been at 11 of them and the road team's won eight of them, which in it over the history of the Sport, it's like 75% of the time the home team has won and it's not, I think it's like 50% since, but it's, it's a lot more than it used to be.

[Brian Windhorst]

I'm not someone who cheapens what happened in the bubble. I think that was a unique challenge that was extremely stressful for a lot of ways. I don't think the game 7 stats can apply because.

[Tim Bontemps]

Yeah, well, no, it was a bus.

[Brian Windhorst]

Ride from the hotel.

[Tim Bontemps]

He's saying the rest of them of the 11 that were not part of the bubble. Yeah, the road team won eight of the 11.

[Brian Windhorst]

So yeah, so there's a bunch of.

[Tim Bontemps]

Stats how that's happened lately.

[Brian Windhorst]

There's a bunch of stats out there about how many teams won game six in the finals and then one game seven, you have to wipe almost all those away because in the 2, 3, 2 situation versus a 2, 211 1, it's, it's completely different. Having said that, obviously the last time we had A game seven, the team, team, the one. Game six also won Game seven.

[Bam Adebayo]

I also think that taking Bond, Tim, to take your personal experience and draw conclusions, I'm just telling you, if you're covering a game seven, that means that home team, you've been in that home team city for like several days and probably have sucked the soul out of the city. So it really weakens the home court of the.

[Tim Bontemps]

I'm just saying if you go through and look, you just, you go through and look, there's been a lot of, there's been a lot of road teams that have, that have won these games in recent years.

[Bam Adebayo]

If, and hey, man, if the Pacers, if the Pacers pull this off, it is capping the ultimate underdog championship run to pull off a game seven in this building with this home court advantage when they were, what were they, like minus 750 underdogs coming in the series.

[Tim Bontemps]

This isn't LeBron James. Even though it was the, the 73 win warriors. This would not be LeBron James. James and Kyrie Irving and Kevin love beating the 73 win Warriors.

[Bam Adebayo]

And, and, and that one was a huge underdog because of the opponent, right? And because the opponent, you know, just had one, two, two in a row. The 70th, you know, the, the, the historic 73 wins and all that. Putting that aside, this would be the best underdog run since Rick Carlile's Mavericks in 2000.

[Tim Bontemps]

I mean, it'd be the most, it'd be the most unexpected championship in NBA history, full stop. There's really not, I don't think there's even a close second.

[Brian Windhorst]

I mean there's, I think there's been a couple of teams who've won three series where they were without home court advantage. That's happened a couple of times, I think. But you know, they would have beaten two 60 win teams, you know, to win a game seven on the road. I mean, God, they've won a lot of road games in this, in this playoffs.

[Bam Adebayo]

Like, what were they, 16 and 18 at one point this season? Yeah, they're under.500 damn near halfway into the season. And, and I don't, like, I don't think there's a fluke factor here. There is a, like I said that, like, I don't know if we're ever going to see another string of game winning shots or game tying shots in the final seconds that we've seen Halberton put together. But I mean, what a, what a remarkable run by the Pacers. And I, again, there's been Some good fortune. I, I don't think it's a fluky run. And the, the other thing I think that the Pacers have proven that probably nobody would have thought is as fast as they play, you know, as. As, you know, like, they were not a very good defensive team at all last year. They certainly, I certainly thought of them as a finesse team. Man, they're tough. I mean, they got some tough, tough dudes. A list that starts with Andrew Nimbard.

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, there was a good stat that came out after game six that they've had eight different players score over 200 points in the playoffs.

[Bam Adebayo]

Yeah.

[Brian Windhorst]

So, you know, one of the ways that you get it done on the road, whether it's game seven or wherever in the playoffs, is that you're resilient. And they have a lot of different guys that can do stuff for them, including T.J. mcConnell. But, like, controlling T.J. mcConnell is a big part of the Thunder game plan. Like, like, it's just, you got to do it. If you don't do it, you're, you're, you're asking for trouble. This is absolutely a vitally important career moment for Shay Gildas Alexander. He is in position to deliver a championship in a spot where he plays a good game and it's a lifetime. It's a career. You know, obviously it would.

[Tim Bontemps]

It would be one of the best individual seasons in the history of the sport, and this would be one of the best team seasons in the history of the Sport. Be the 5th most wins to win a title ever, and with a record point differential, with a chance to build on this going forward and have a potentially, you know, at least potentially a dynastic type run, depending on how things break. And for Shay, we've talked about it since the start of the series, he's one of four guys, I think it's to win a scoring title, MVP in the championship in the same season. The other three guys are Shaq, Michael Jordan and Kareem. Well, he would have.

[Bam Adebayo]

Eleven hadn't done it yet.

[Tim Bontemps]

No, if he does it, I'm saying, like, it's in the event that he wins that he's on that list. He's one of. He'd become one of 11 guys to win MVP and Finals MVP in the same season. All of those dudes are inner circle hall of Famers. The worst of them, quote unquote, is Willis Reed. Like, it's one of the more, you know, his 1970s most iconic moments in the history of the league.

[Bam Adebayo]

Like, I think it's eight guys who've done it 11 times.

[Tim Bontemps]

I think it's a list of 10 guys total. The, the, it's, it's just, it's rarefied air that he would be in on many fronts, but it requires one more really good performance against the team that has been, you know, the definition of a giant slayer in these playoffs and has been in the series, including, you know, in games three and six, making him as. Look as uncomfortable on the ball as I've ever seen him, to the point where he's had the most turnovers in those two playoff games that we've.

[Brian Windhorst]

You can talk about what a win means, and that's all true, but, you know, hold on.

[Bam Adebayo]

Willis, Reed, Kareem Abdul, Jabbar Newell, center. Then Moses Malone, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Jordan again, I'm still only 5. Akeem at 6. Jordan again, still 6. Jordan again, still 6. Tim Duncan, LeBron and LeBron, that's the list. Listen, and if he falls short, if they don't finish the job, what it means is this. He's going to have to block out deafening noise until he wins one or unless he wins one. Because it's like, listen, when it's going.

[Tim Bontemps]

To be like where the warriors lost, it's the same kind of situation.

[Bam Adebayo]

No, because they'd already won one. It's like, it'd be like when LeBron lost in 2011. Not when LeBron lost the first time, but when LeBron lost in 2011, when he was, you know, on a team that was the clear cut favorites. Right. And Wendy, you, you obviously covered that up close. Like the world was on LeBron's neck.

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, they were on his neck because he had switched teams and still lost. It was.

[Bam Adebayo]

And it's, it's a little different just because also Shea has not, you know, he was not the chosen one on a sprint.

[Brian Windhorst]

Right.

[Bam Adebayo]

But I think let's try to cover at 16. But like people are, people are looking for reasons to. Or at least some people to knock okc. And it's like you talked about a lot. They were not a very strongly respected 68 win team.

[Brian Windhorst]

Correct.

[Tim Bontemps]

Why? It's why I think. It's why I think the comparison, even though they were a bit of a, it was a bit of a higher profile thing is 2016.

[Brian Windhorst]

Personally, I don't know because people have.

[Tim Bontemps]

Clowned that team ever since they didn't win, even though they, and then they got Durant, obviously they won after that. But that, that team, you know, they, they got made fun of that whole summer and beyond for not winning. That series and not winning that title. And there's a lot of at stake here.

[Brian Windhorst]

There's a lot of people who just didn't believe in the Thunder and they, and they thought there's a belief from people that Shea is being crowned too early. There's a lot of people, you know, maybe not a lot, but there's definitely. I mean, I was just talking to somebody on a plane on my flight at Oklahoma Indiana the other day who was like, I just want you to. I just want you to know, with all due respect, you got the MVP wrong. He was like, he's like, you have an MVP vote. I go, yep. He goes, you vote for Shea? I go, yep. He goes, we got it wrong.

[Bam Adebayo]

Okay, who was it supposed to be?

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, he was arguing for Jokic.

[Tim Bontemps]

So again, I think the comparisons, if you go back to 2016, yes, they'd won the title the year before, but they played the Cavs in the Finals. The Cavs had the injuries to Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. Right. The warriors win the title. There are all these people that said, you know, they would have lost if the Cavs were healthy. They then play the next year, they get to the finals, they're up 3, 1, they lose the series. Like it. Their people were like, oh, these guys wouldn't have won either one then. Like it. I think the LeBron thing was such a unique situation where he was like public enemy number one across the world for people that. I don't know if you can quite compare it to that, but.

[Bam Adebayo]

Right.

[Tim Bontemps]

That, that 2016 team, when they didn't win, it turned into all the same stuff. These guys aren't that good. They're overrated. You guys think Steph is better than he is, all that kind of stuff. And it took a while for that to change. And for some people, it took all the way till 2022 when they won without Durant for.

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, that's what Steph was saying when Stephen was, you know, when he had the cigar or whatever, when he had the MVP Finals trophy. What did he say? Well, he said, what are they going to say now? Yeah, that was a real. I mean, the man already was a two time MVP and a three time.

[Tim Bontemps]

Champion and, and the greatest shooter of all time. Of all time.

[Brian Windhorst]

And, and what are they going to say now? Because he still felt that.

[Tim Bontemps]

And that was six. And that was six years later.

[Bam Adebayo]

And, and look, the, I would say, unfortunate reality of the, the modern NBA and the modern media and social media, which, those are two different things. But simple fact is the better you are the bigger the target when you don't accomplish the ultimate goal. And Shea is the MVP of the league. And you know we've discussed all the the chances he has to put himself in just the most exclusive exclusive historical company possible and anything short of that I'm sure he's going to consider to be he would consider to be a major disappointment and it it will be portrayed is that it like the the Pacers in some way. And look this like the pace there's not nobody's gonna have any moral victories right. But the Pacers are playing in some ways with house money here because nobody nobody expect no question even even as recently as a month ago nobody expected them to be here and you know they've overachieved and Oklahoma City for being as young as they are for being pretty damn fresh out of a rebuild like a credit to them and credit to Shea, you know Presti and you know the other Dagon off the other guys who are involved here. But they've position themselves where the expectations are immense. Not only right now, but really for this this era that is just beginning.

[Tim Bontemps]

Yeah well and it's also like this isn't a matchup between the Thunder and a like last year's 65 win Celtics team. Right. Like you said coming into the series they were supposed to win. They were massive favorites. They blew game one at home. Like they they laid a complete egg in game six on the road. Right. Like if they don't win the series it's not it's as much going to be about The Thunder. The 68 win team. The team that has been doubted by people all season didn't get it done as much as is that the Pacers stunned the world and like I said, probably won the most unexpected title in the history of the sport.

[Bam Adebayo]

More Hoop Collective podcast after this Going.

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[Brian Windhorst]

What you'll see in the next minutes, hours and days to Follow.

[Bam Adebayo]

Glad you're with us tonight.

[Brian Windhorst]

May convince you you've gone to sports heaven and right now you're standing on the edge of tomorrow.

[Experian Ad Voice]

This fall, the next era of ESPN begins sports forever.

[Brian Windhorst]

Let's add another one to that. Let's talk about Chet Holmgren real quick. Now there have been stretches in this series where Chet has been masterful on defense, specifically in games 4 and 5, which is where the Thunder took control of the series with him switching out defensively. The things that they ask him to do when he's able to do are remarkable.

[Tim Bontemps]

He's guarded Miles Turner a lot. Miles Turner's done nothing on offense in the series.

[Brian Windhorst]

Right. But, but Chad Holmgren is a guy who's going to be getting $200 million contract in the next month.

[Bam Adebayo]

He's going to, I can't imagine him not getting a max extension.

[Tim Bontemps]

Well, it's either going to be a max or awfully close, which is a ton.

[Bam Adebayo]

Well, I was gonna say potentially even being maxed with max escalators.

[Brian Windhorst]

And I'm not even arguing. I'm, I'm, you know, you guys know how I feel about Chet. I'm just saying like the fallout if you don't win here. You know, he's, he's 2 of 17 on three in this series. In the last two games, he's 6 of 24 overall.

[Tim Bontemps]

He's a seven footer shooting 35% from the field.

[Bam Adebayo]

Well, and, and, and, and here's. I really felt like last year and obviously I covered the, the Thunder in the second round last year and Chet played every single game last year and I felt like by the time the second round rolled around he didn't have his legs. And when he doesn't have his legs, his, his three looks like a dart. It is as flat as his butt. Just. And you know, it's looked flat a lot in this series and this is a different type. He missed 50 games and was bedridden for much of that time. There's no way he can be in peak condition. And you know, and, and it's, it's been a two month.

[Brian Windhorst]

I understand that nobody's in peak condition.

[Bam Adebayo]

Yeah. But I'm saying I thought the IT.

[Brian Windhorst]

Department flagged your condition.

[Bam Adebayo]

Well, listen, I, I was four or seven from three point range in the last pickup.

[Tim Bontemps]

All of, all of that is true about chat and all of it will not matter if they don't win. It's just the way it is.

[Bam Adebayo]

I'm saying like I'm, I can give you reasons why I think like, and also his physique is just a problem. Like, he's, you know, he's gotten challenges with that physique to, to hold up on the NBA grind just of a postseason, much less a full season. I think the deeper you get in the playoffs with him, the tougher it is for him to knock down his shot, because I just don't know that he's got the lift. Well, let me ask you this. If you're Rick Carlisle and Jenny Busek and you know, you're scheming, do you want to. Do you want to see Chet knock one down before you really close out strong on him?

[Tim Bontemps]

I mean, I. I would probably just be closing out strong on him because I don't want him to start feeling good if I can avoid it. Like, I don't have any reason. Like, I don't. They typically tend to play towards trying to limit as many threes as they can, and they've done a good job of it in this series, so I suspect that's what they'll do. But, yeah, I wouldn't. If I was the Pacers, I would not want anybody on the Thunder to start feeling good in this game. If I could avoid it. I wouldn't be giving up their shots to people be like they're walking in with the pressure on them, and the longer you could keep the pressure on them and have them not feeling good. Like, I thought one of the bigger moments in game five was Case and Wallace, who had been awful offensively through the first four games, nailing two big three pointers in the first quarter. And immediately you could see this, like, truckload of bricks come off him. And all of a sudden he's back to flying around and looking like Casen Wallace again. And suddenly is. Is back doing a lot of the stuff that he was doing all season for him, as opposed to a guy who was clearly in his head going, man, I really got to have a shot go down. So I want. I wouldn't want chat to get going in this game either, if I could avoid it.

[Bam Adebayo]

I will say pressure is, you know, like, obviously there's pressure here. And like, the, the analysis of pressure is kind of, you know, media narrative type of thing. Like, we. We don't know what's in these guys heads, but I did get a C in community college psychology, so I'm fairly well qualified for this. I do think there's a different sort of pressure on the Pacers. It's not the pressure of expectations. It's on the pressure of, hey, I'm not saying the Pacers never get another shot at this, but boy, the odds of, of Tyrese Halberton and the Pacers getting back on this stage, getting back in this position are obviously dramatically lower than the odds of the Thunder getting back to the Finals. Like, I think the Finals are going to make multiple. I'm sorry, the Thunder are going to make multiple finals runs and I don't know if that's. I, I wouldn't bet make that same wager on the Pacers. So, you know, I don't know.

[Tim Bontemps]

I think the pace you can, you.

[Bam Adebayo]

Can psychoanalyze next season is.

[Tim Bontemps]

Well, yeah, I think the pace is going to. Next season is the favorites to win the east.

[Bam Adebayo]

So not, not as heavily as the Thunder will be favored in the West.

[Tim Bontemps]

Sure, sure.

[Bam Adebayo]

I'm just saying we can psychoanalyze pressure a lot of different ways.

[Tim Bontemps]

Sure, sure. No question.

[Bam Adebayo]

You probably didn't even get it. You probably didn't even pass a psychology class. By the way, Rick Carlisle was a psychology major at Virginia, which I used to give him too much credit for. I would always think there's some kind of like psychology play in all his little like interactions. And then I came to realize that in some cases he's just kind of weird.

[Brian Windhorst]

I knew that wasn't going to end.

[Tim Bontemps]

With you like praising him with a nice comment.

[Bam Adebayo]

He's kind of weird.

[Tim Bontemps]

Never end with a nice comment.

[Bam Adebayo]

No, he is kind of weird.

[Tim Bontemps]

Says something you two have in common.

[Bam Adebayo]

Yes, listen, that is true. Rick today, what he was asked about kind of the meaning, the meaningful nature of like his history with the Pacers franchise and all that. Joe Varden. Who Wendy kicks his ass all the time in golf.

[Brian Windhorst]

Not anymore.

[Bam Adebayo]

He asked.

[Brian Windhorst]

All the guy does is play golf. He now he kicks my butt because he plays 12 times a week.

[Bam Adebayo]

Anyways, one of the things Rick said was, you know, he, now's not a time where he wants to get caught up in warm fuzzies. And I was like, I didn't know that was ever a challenge for Rick. But hey, again though, Rick's position to. He's already pulled off one of the great all time finals upsets in the history of the game and he, his fingerprints were all over that. He's a went away from doing the same thing with a completely different team, a completely different franchise and his fingerprints are all over it. The man's brilliant.

[Tim Bontemps]

I think this is a bigger upset than that one. And I, I mean to me, if they, if they pull this series off, I mean one of the things we haven't talked about at all is, you know, the hall of Fame. There's all sorts of things you can talk about with the hall of Fame about, you know, coaches and who gets in.

[Brian Windhorst]

And I think he's already a Hall of Fame coach.

[Bam Adebayo]

I think he's a Hall of Famer.

[Tim Bontemps]

He's a Hall of Fame coach in resume right now. But the hall of Fame is a weird. Has weird processes and there's 10,000 college coaches in and very few NBA coaches in. So my only thing is, I think if he wins this game tomorrow, any question about whether he actually gets in or not, he deserves to now, but whether he gets in or not, I think that ends. If they can get this win Sunday night against Oklahoma City.

[Brian Windhorst]

And you.

[Bam Adebayo]

By the way, you know what else? If they win tomorrow night, Pascal Siakam's in his prime now, but he'd be putting together a bit of a hole.

[Brian Windhorst]

I agree. I, I agree. I. So little behind the curtain here. There's a, you know, Sports center wants to have like a montage and essay ready to go for when the champions, when the champion wins. And, you know, they don't cut. They don't come together in five minutes. You gotta, you know, just like the one Shining Moment is edited 99% of the way before the championship game of the NCAA tournament because they got to play it right after. So I have written and voiced essays on both Pacers and Thunder winning the championship. And obviously, I don't know what happened in Game seven, but I make the case, you know, not even knowing what Siaka would have done in Game 7, that if he win or if they.

[Bam Adebayo]

Win, I bet she plays pretty damn well.

[Brian Windhorst]

Right. You know, so that's one of the things I considered was I was putting that together because he's had some big moments in this series. This is a guy, you know, it's.

[Tim Bontemps]

Not, I mean, it's.

[Brian Windhorst]

I don't.

[Tim Bontemps]

It's hard. Like, I don't. I mean, it's. I think it'd be pretty hard to not give it to him if, if he plays even remotely well in Game seven.

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, by the way, if the Pacers win right now, who's. If the. On the Pacers side, who's the leading player for mvp?

[Tim Bontemps]

Well, that's what I was saying. I don't know.

[Bam Adebayo]

I don't know what the panel is, but I know there one particular short white fella on the panel is already starting to lobby for TJ McConnell. You know, so he's got like the, the. Does McConnell like Springsteen he's got like this. You know, the sports writers do have warm fuzzies towards McConnell. I can tell you that right now. I don't know. He's saying short.

[Tim Bontemps]

With this short white joke about Varden. Is that who we're talking about or we.

[Bam Adebayo]

I didn't name. I didn't name. Varn's already taken enough shots here because Wendy brags about kicking his butt in golf so often.

[Brian Windhorst]

I do. He. He owns me now.

[Bam Adebayo]

That's not what I tell him.

[Tim Bontemps]

I. I had for a preview for Sunday, I had to write who the MVP candidates were. I think on the Thunder side, there's only one real candidate. And then on the Pacer side, I think there's some combination of three. Siakam, if Tyrese Halberton has a big game, I think he could win. His stats have been pretty lackluster. He obviously had the horrible game in game five. He was okay in game six. Six.

[Bam Adebayo]

I mean, he did the game winning shot in the opener. That was kind of important.

[Tim Bontemps]

No, he did, but his stats, the first two games, he's had one really good game in the series and he's been pretty blah otherwise. And then like I wrote that McAdle is a. Like he actually could have a chance if he has a huge game in game seven. Like, he, he has had some remarkable performances off the bench. And some of that is because like the stats across the board for the Pacers, there's just not. Yeah, there's a lot of parody, obvious superlative candidate. But I mean, Siakam is averaging five or six more points in Halliburton. He's leading. He's first or second in almost every stat. I. If he has a good game in Game 7, it would probably take a pretty sensational Halliburton for performance for him to not win.

[Brian Windhorst]

Here's the thing about Halliburton. I don't know what's going on with that calf. He looked darn. He looked darn good in game six. And it makes you wonder pretty good.

[Tim Bontemps]

On that pass to Pascal for that dunk.

[Brian Windhorst]

Oh my God. It was a great play. Makes you wonder about. Makes you wonder a little bit more about how Game 5 played out. What do you want me to say?

[Bam Adebayo]

Elaborate. That's what I want.

[Tim Bontemps]

Well, and it's hard. It's. I mean, look, it's going to be hard to win Finals mvp, even if they win with an over six and four points in the game in the series. But look, if he comes out and has 25 and 12 and they win, then you know, I mean, that's the thing. Like, it's sort of sitting there for somebody to get with a great Game seven.

[Bam Adebayo]

I don't think it'd be hard for Halliburton because when you're evaluating most valuable player in a series, like, you can look at series stats, impact in the four games they won is what's important. Like the values in the games that you won, the losses. It doesn't matter if you lose by a thousand or by one.

[Brian Windhorst]

That's true. That's a fair point. Sure, that's a fair point.

[Tim Bontemps]

I mean, it's not.

[Brian Windhorst]

It's.

[Tim Bontemps]

I certainly don't think it's a. I just said I think three people can win.

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, I don't think. I don't think the Thunder are going to win unless Shay plays really well.

[Bam Adebayo]

Yeah.

[Brian Windhorst]

To ice up the MVP if he wins. If the Pacers win, the way Game seven goes down will largely determine how the vote might go.

[Tim Bontemps]

I would say whoever has the best game in Game seven probably wins it.

[Bam Adebayo]

It should be said statistically, Jalen Williams has had the second best series of anybody on either team. But the MVP would be the mvp. If OKC finishes job I have actually.

[Brian Windhorst]

Never had, and I don't think I have this year. They would have. They would have asked me already, I think. I've never had a Finals MVP vote, and I'm not looking for it. It's, you know, people come after you.

[Tim Bontemps]

They just know you don't like to make predictions or.

[Bam Adebayo]

Well, you don't want to get confronted by some.

[Brian Windhorst]

I have no problem saying what happened after. I watch what happens. It's before. That's, you know.

[Bam Adebayo]

Did anybody confront you about any awards decisions on your flight, last flight from OKC to Indy?

[Brian Windhorst]

No.

[Bam Adebayo]

Oh, they didn't. How was that flight? You connect?

[Brian Windhorst]

It was fine. It was on time. That was what's.

[Bam Adebayo]

Oh, okay.

[Brian Windhorst]

So rare.

[Bam Adebayo]

That's good. That's good.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah. So rare to be on time these days. All right, well, I think that's where we're going to wrap it up. No idea what's. How this. Tomorrow is going to play out. I'm looking forward.

[Tim Bontemps]

I have two ideas.

[Brian Windhorst]

Good for you.

[Bam Adebayo]

What's the line?

[Brian Windhorst]

I think it started at seven and a half and went to six and a half. I don't know what it is at this exact moment.

[Bam Adebayo]

Interesting.

[Brian Windhorst]

I should remind everybody that coming up here, I think it's three weeks from today.

[Bam Adebayo]

Oh, yes.

[Tim Bontemps]

Well, wait.

[Brian Windhorst]

Three weeks from today?

[Tim Bontemps]

Three weeks from today.

[Brian Windhorst]

I'm not in an. I'm not in an emotional space to think about the live pod right now. I'm not going to lie to you, dude.

[Bam Adebayo]

We got to go right to draft.

[Brian Windhorst]

I know the reason I came home, Real talk is because of game seven, I have to go immediately to New York on Monday and for the draft for next week. And Bon Temps. Bon Temps is covering the draft of Barclays Center. McMahon, you're going to be there for Cooper flag, right?

[Bam Adebayo]

I will be on Cooper Flag of Palooza. We've got a Nico Harris press conference. Those always tend to be. Yeah, in, in Dallas, a Nico Harrison presser on Wednesday. Those always tend to be informative and entertaining. And I assume the press conference before or after? After. After.

[Brian Windhorst]

Okay.

[Bam Adebayo]

They'll bring, they'll bring cooperation flagged down. I assume the next day. So you know, Thursday, all kinds of pressers going.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah, that'll, you know, you'll be busy. Dallas. We thought, we thought Dallas might be a little busier this postseason, but.

[Bam Adebayo]

Well, I'll be, I'll be going to summer league practices, which I'll be honest with you fellas, I don't remember the last time I did that.

[Brian Windhorst]

We need blow. We're going to need blow by blow Cooper flag coverage throughout all the summer league.

[Bam Adebayo]

You'll get it for the first two games. Unless. I don't know, we might. We'll see when the schedule comes out. What if like there. I think there's a decent chance that Cooper flag will be playing prime time on that Saturday night. And if so, I'll be a little bit busy with this live show, fellas.

[Brian Windhorst]

Well, we're not. The live show isn't really in prime time. It's at 6 o' clock local time at the Brad Garrett Comedy Club at MGM grand. And you can get tickets for it at hooplive.eventbrite.com oh, we might be the.

[Bam Adebayo]

Warm up for the Cooper.

[Brian Windhorst]

Come over there, we'll warm you up and you can go over and watch the. Even though the Lakers don't have a first round pick, I'm sure they'll have them play the Lakers.

[Bam Adebayo]

Bronnie versus Cooper. Who would you rather build around?

[Brian Windhorst]

I think it's a good chance it'll be Dylan Harper vs Cooper flag on that prime time game.

[Bam Adebayo]

No, that, that's for the. It opens on the 10th. Summer League opens on the 10th.

[Brian Windhorst]

Oh, okay.

[Bam Adebayo]

Well, yeah, and then we're. A couple days. I'm saying. I bet you they'll.

[Tim Bontemps]

I'm guessing, I'm guessing it Saturday as well. I'm guessing it Won't be that, but we will. We will see.

[Brian Windhorst]

All right. We'll see.

[Tim Bontemps]

I would guess it'll be the Rutgers guys against in the Duke guys in the two games would be my guess.

[Bam Adebayo]

Oh, look at Bon Tim trying to do a little programming for the NBA.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah, well, I mean, I will say this. We're gonna have Jonathan. We're hoping to have Jonathan Gavoni on the next pot or so. He's got con knipple for Duke going way up the board. He. He was on our show a few months ago and comparing him to Klay Thompson and. And he's gone up.

[Bam Adebayo]

Interesting.

[Brian Windhorst]

And.

[Bam Adebayo]

And Ace Bailey is a bit of a enigma.

[Tim Bontemps]

Well, between. Yeah, between a draft that's wide open from three on and with all the other stuff that's going on, you know, whether or not Kevin Durant gets traded and, you know, all these other teams that don't have salary cap space that are looking to make moves and a lot of teams with multiple draft picks looking to move around. I think Wednesday night in particular is going to be awfully interesting and there's going to be a whole lot to talk about.

[Brian Windhorst]

Yeah.

[Bam Adebayo]

Not wide open from two on.

[Tim Bontemps]

Well, no, for like the first two picks are pretty clear.

[Bam Adebayo]

Oh, I see. Yeah.

[Tim Bontemps]

Three on. It's sort of the eye of the beholder after that.

[Brian Windhorst]

2, 2 First off picks have already been traded and when you talk to league executives, they think there's five, six or seven or so more in play. Doesn't mean they'll be traded, but there's several in play, including, you know, one or two in the top 10, which you don't often see top 10 picks moved. Yeah, but. All right, but first, game seven. Thank you to Jackson for putting all this together and being on the road with us for the last three weeks.

[Tim Bontemps]

Yep.

[Brian Windhorst]

Thank you to Bontemps, thank you to McMahon. Thank you for listening and watching. The Hoop Collective will be talking to you after game seven with Iman Shumpert and Tim Bontems, and then it'll be draft time.

[Bam Adebayo]

I plan on crashing that game 7 post pod party and adios amigos.

[Brian Windhorst]

Until then, you'll be welcomed.