Spurs Win, Force Game 7 in OKC

Summary

The Athletic NBA Daily – May 29, 2026

Episode Summary: "Spurs Win, Force Game 7 in OKC"

Overview

In this episode, Dave DuFour and NBA analyst Ben break down the San Antonio Spurs’ emphatic Game 6 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, setting up a much-anticipated Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals. The conversation dives deep into key performances, tactical adjustments, what this means for legacies, and looks ahead to Game 7. The second segment covers the NBA’s newly approved lottery reform, sparking debate over its intended (and unintended) consequences.

---

Spurs Dominate to Force Game 7

[01:42–05:30]

Key Discussion Points

• Victor Wembanyama’s Bounce-Back & Legacy Stakes
  • Wemby set the tone early with focus, shot-making, and rim protection.
  • Hosts labeled it "as much a legacy game for Wembanyama as it might be for SGA."

    “Wemby did have a game that really helped push this team and also keep their season alive.” — Ben [02:08]

• Spurs’ Defense & Third-Quarter Surge
  • By the middle of the third quarter, Spurs’ defense "obliterated every single thing that Thunder tried to do."
  • Game felt over by then, reminiscent of Game 4.
• Dylan Harper’s Impactful Return
  • Harper looked healthy; came off the bench for 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists.
  • Provided the drive and ball-handling Spurs missed since his injury.

    “You’re basically adding an All-Star level player back to your team and he was just huge in this game.” — Dave [03:03]

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Role Players Step Up

[03:45–05:30]

Discussion Highlights

• Spurs’ bench, led by Harper and positive minutes from Luke Kornet (+13), was decisive.
• Devin Vassell hit four threes and had a high-energy block on Chet Holmgren.
• Steph Castle’s strong playmaking: 28 assists to 6 turnovers over four games.

  “Harper in a big way being able to also be a third ball handler… has just allowed them to be much, much better in the halfcourt and way better in transition too.” — Ben [04:24]

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Thunder Struggle to Find Answers

[05:30–10:33]

Key Points

• SGA Contained
  • Spurs’ defense continued to single out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, limiting him to 6/18 shooting, 0/5 from three, only 3 free throws, and a game-low -28.

    “The Spurs have done the best job of any team we’ve ever seen at guarding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.” — Dave [07:55]

  • Hosts argue Thunder need a huge SGA scoring night to have any chance in Game 7.
• Stat Spotlight:
  • SGA’s playoff effective field goal percentage has dropped from 60% (regular season) to 41% in this series.

    “That is…the best stat to show you just how effectively the Spurs are guarding him.” — Ben [07:55]

• Thunder’s Role Players Falter
  • Jalen Williams returned but struggled. Caruso didn’t offer his usual spark.
  • Holmgren was "nonexistent" except when Wemby was off the floor. Thunder lacked consistent secondary ball-handling.

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Spurs’ Offensive Evolution

[11:00–12:46]

• Wemby was aggressive from the start—three made threes in Q1, part of a Spurs’ franchise record for made threes in a Q1.
• Spurs’ ball movement and willingness to take open shots outclassed a slow-reacting Thunder defense.
• OKC never created “swing-swing” three opportunities, stalled by Spurs’ defense and indecision (notably Holmgren’s hesitancy).

---

Legacy Game, Series Narrative, and Tactics

[13:32–17:43]

Game 7 Anticipation

• For SGA:

  • “Outside of Game 7 of the NBA Finals, this is the biggest moment in SGA’s career.” — Ben [14:27]
  • Pressure is on SGA to deliver a “statement game.” He's a two-time MVP going for back-to-back titles and needs to prove himself on the biggest stage.

• For Wembanyama:

  • “For Wemby, I kind of feel like it’s house money. …People haven’t turned on Wemby in the same way they’ve turned on SGA.” — Ben [14:27]

• Role Players as Swing Factor:

  • Ben emphasizes that the Thunder’s chances hinge on their role players (Caruso, Wallace, Jalen Williams) hitting shots. If they do, OKC can win. If not, Spurs advance.

Tactical Adjustments

• Spurs used more empty-side pick-and-roll to isolate Wemby and the ball-handler, leading to higher-quality looks.
• Dave notes, "If the Spurs hit shots, that’s it." [17:10]

---

Standout Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On SGA’s Playoff Woes:

  “They’ve made those shots—not tough—impossible for him to make. To me, that’s the big swing.” — Ben [07:55]

• On Holmgren’s Reluctance:

  “When the ball finds Chet, he just doesn’t have that split-second decision making… it was a pretty egregious spot to not shoot the three.” — Dave [12:26]

• On Legacy Stakes:

  “The best way to shut people up is to go out and play and dominate. You’re the MVP of this league, right?” — Ben [14:27]

---

NBA Draft Lottery Reform: Rules, Reactions, and Ramifications

[22:06–31:19]

New System Overview

• All 16 non-playoff teams included in the lottery.
• Bottom three teams (“relegation zone”) have a worse chance at a top pick (5.4%) compared to other non-playoff teams (8.1%).
• Teams can’t win the #1 pick in consecutive years or a top-5 pick three years in a row.
• Relegated teams can’t fall lower than #12.
• More restrictions on pick protections in trades.
• All picks now televised live.

Critical Reactions

• Ben: “That’s such a great, nice way of saying tanking.” [22:23]
• Both hosts find the system convoluted and potentially counterproductive.
• Ben points out the “Goldilocks zone” may now be the new target—teams will aim for mediocrity to maximize lottery odds instead of being outright terrible.

  “They haven’t eliminated tanking, they’ve just created a sweet spot for tanking where now you have to be in the middle.” — Ben [27:09]

• Concerns raised for small-market teams:

  “Your worst teams need a crack at talent. Free agency in the NBA does not exist.” — Dave [26:35]

• Only the Grizzlies voted against the change, likely because it restricts their only realistic path to contending (drafting).
• Potential for new loopholes and mediocre teams accumulating incentives.

---

Notable Quotes on Lottery Reform

• “Of all the problems the NBA needs to solve, tanking is somewhere like 6, 7 on the list before I get there. Number one would be flopping and officiating.” — Dave [30:24]
• “If they had just done that [stricter fines] instead of changing the entire lottery odds, I feel like more teams would respond to this.” — Ben [29:54]
• “This is yet again another tool taken out of the toolbox for the smaller market teams.” — Dave [28:28]

---

Looking Ahead

[31:20–32:13]

• Dave will go live after Game 7, promising further reaction.
• Ben is sticking with Thunder in seven due to experience and home-court, but acknowledges “Spurs have been pretty far and away the best player in this series” (Wemby).
• "Game seven. I’m excited." — Dave [31:29]

---

Timestamps—Key Segments

• Game 6 recap, Wemby & Harper impact: [01:42–05:30]
• OKC’s struggles, SGA defense: [05:30–10:33]
• Swing factors & role players: [10:33–14:27]
• Legacy & Game 7 stakes: [13:32–17:43]
• NBA Draft lottery reform explained & debated: [22:06–31:19]

---

Episode Tone & Style

The conversation is direct, basketball nerdy, full of sharp analysis, and lively debate. Both hosts balance stats with anecdotal game-watching insight, and don’t shy from calling out player struggles or league decision-making.

---

Final Word

This episode offers a can’t-miss breakdown of Spurs-Thunder Game 6 and the broader implications for the Western Conference, plus a spirited discussion on the controversial new draft lottery changes. With Game 7 looming, legacies and franchise futures hang in the balance—a theme captured throughout the discussion.

Transcript

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[Dave DeFore]

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily for May 29, 2026. I'm Dave DeFore here with Esperaheny. Coming up, the spurs get a big win and that means we're going to the two best words in sports. S Game seven. Good morning everybody. What is up ass? How about those spurs, man?

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

What a game from them. What a bounce back effort from Victor Wembanyama who out the gate you saw a level of focus and just the shot making and protection and all that stuff that we've come to know him for. You know this we, we talked about this a lot over the last couple days like legacies on the line and I know that can end up being a little cliche, but Wemby did have a game that really helped push this team and also keep their season alive. So yes, this was in my opinion as much a legacy game for Wembanyama as it might be for sga. But we'll, we'll talk about that on

[Dave DeFore]

yeah, we'll get to SGA in A minute. The spurs win. 118. 91. This. This game really wasn't. By the middle of the third quarter, the spurs defense just absolutely obliterated every single thing that Thunder tried to do. It looked like game four.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Yep.

[Dave DeFore]

Cut and dry. They had way more energy. And the biggest game changer. Look, we, we're going to talk about Wimy being more aggressive, but I actually think that the biggest game changer is Dylan Harper. Dylan Harper looked healthy coming off the bench. He had 18 points, six rebounds, which is one of the, the hallmarks to his game is that he's able to hit the glass. Got four assists. But the way he was able to attack, he was able to get two feet in the paint again, which we did not see in like since basically he, he hurt that and you're. Basically you're adding an all star level player back to your team and he, he was just, he was huge in this game.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

So I kind of want to say that we tied in terms of our little debate that we had last time, which, which was like, is it going to be the role players or is it going to be the stars? Right. Because I feel like, I feel like the spurs role players really pulled through.

[Dave DeFore]

Absolutely. Their bench was finally one. You know what I mean? Like the bench actually won them a game. Luke Cornett, those minutes like were finally positive. Plus 13. Again, the, the Harper effect. Yep.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Absolutely. It's the Harper effect. And honestly I thought it was the, the combination of Harper, Devin Vassell being able to knock down four threes. He had that incredible block against Chet Holmgren.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Started talking trash. Like, not a lot of people know that when Devin Vassell first got into the league, he was known for his defense. And then he turned into a very good offensive player. But like that combination at the point of attack between him and. And Castle, by the way, Castle, this is worth noting. I think this is actually something important for him if I can pull it up quickly enough. Steph Castle over the last four games has 28 assists to six turnovers. He's doing a really good job of taking care of the ball and that has stopped the, the Thunder from being able to get out and transition more often. It's taken away a source of offense for them. So the spurs being able to take care of the ball and Harper in a big way being able to also be a third ball handler for them has just allowed them to be much, much better in the half court and way better in transition too. You see OKC's transition, like transition offense. Look A little bit clunky today. I think that was partially because the spurs transition D was incredible. That's spearheaded by Dylan Harper and Steph Castle. Those guys getting back at the point of attack.

[Dave DeFore]

Also a lot fewer free throws which worked to the spurs advantage. They were able to play fast the whole time. And, and look, when Harper gives you a performance like that off the bench, it covers when for the dearon Fox one for nine that you get. Not that Fox really, he just didn't hit shots. He actually had a pretty good game.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Yeah, I don't think it didn't seem like a loud bad game for Fox. I agree.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, yeah, just a bad shooting night. But let's go to Wimy. He comes out of the gate. He has three made threes in the first quarter. Part of the spurs, they set a play by play e record that's going back to 1997. That's the most threes in the first quarter since, since then. And I mean look, if you're going to hit eight threes in the first quarter, you got a good shot at winning. And I actually think that the Thunder did a good job of staying in this game. In the, in the first half. They were within striking distance by the time we got to halftime, but they never really seemed to be able to get the offense going. Shea did have that one on one ISO shot over Wemby, but it was a nice shot. Yeah, it was a really nice shot. I actually think it's something that they maybe should have tried to get to a little bit more and allow the, you know, essentially bring Wemby away from the defense and maybe you could get something inside. But overall Shay just did not have a good night. Only get to the free throw line three times. Was 6 of 18 shooting. Oh of 5 from 3. He was a game low minus 28. I mean he was out there for, for the big run, especially in that third quarter. And you know, we talked about this a little bit on the show yesterday. I felt like Shay needed to come in and have a big game. I'm not worried about legacy, I'm worried about them winning. Right. We can have the legacy talk whenever, but I think in order for the Thunder to win, they need Shay to have a big game. And I mean 35 plus maybe 40 as we're looking ahead to game seven because no one else is able to make the defense collapse the way that Shay does. And even though they're, they're all over him, I mean they are throwing two at him constantly every single time. Shay does Try to drive. There's a helper coming. Someone's swatting at the ball. I'm not sure exactly what you could do outside of maybe get him off the ball a little bit, maybe you run him off some. Some screens to try to just free him up. But the. The spurs have done the best job of any team we've ever seen at guarding Shay. Gil just Alexander, and he's got to figure that out.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

I have. This is a stat that I think we should keep an eye on. So SGA's effective field goal percentage, which is basically just jumpers. Right. Like how effective he has been at jump shots. And if you know this, Shay is an incredible jump shooter. This regular season, he shot 60%. He had a 60% effective field goal percentage against the Suns in the first round. That went down to 58% against the Lakers in round two against. That went down to 51% against the spurs in the conference finals. SGA's effective field goal percentage is 41%. It's nearly 20% less than what he's shooting in the regular season. That is, in my opinion, the best stat to show you just how effectively the spurs are guarding him. Because they are making a guy who is. Who has made money, who has become an MVP in this league off of tough shots. They've made those shots not tough. Impossible for him to make it. To me, that's the big swing.

[Dave DeFore]

He's struggling around the rim too, though. Right. He blew the layup in this game. I mean, just at every turn, there is someone on his back. And I just. Again, you got to credit the spurs for what they've been able to do. Jalen Williams, J Dub, he was back. I'm not really sure it was a great idea to have him out there. He gave him less than nothing. I would say. The spurs started to attack him a little bit, and I had to think if this is all he can give you. I'm not sure if you should include him in your game seven game plan or not.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

They went on their biggest runs when he was on the floor. Yeah. And I say that partially because he's so important when he's healthy defensively and when he's not 100%. He's not the guy that's forcing turnovers for you, you know, helping you get out and running, etc. Like, how effective can he truly be? I understand that they need a secondary ball handler. I mean, we just talked about how hard it's been for SGA to get going in this series. They need J Dub they need AJ Mitchell and especially going into game seven, you need some sort of secondary ball handling. That's why I think, you know, I keep coming back to the role players for okc. Like Alex Caruso didn't have that, that type of game that we've seen him have throughout this series. Casen Wallace was good for parts of this game. He had some really great defense, knocked down a couple shots. But Jalen Williams, the other J dub, basically going 0 for 4 in this game from threes. The shot making wasn't there for OKC's role guys. And when they don't have that and they got a pretty ineffective check game where, where Chet looked non existent in this one on both sides of the floor, you're not going to win this game.

[Dave DeFore]

I lost count of how many times check got blocked. I remember the two really emphatic ones, the Vassell and one of the Wemby ones. But it felt like. And maybe there was a third one in there somewhere. Chet it. This has not been a good series for him. He's essentially had the one good game in game five. And the only time you see him looking at the rim or looking to get downhill, moving and being aggressive is when Wemby's not on the court. Massive problem.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

I, I honestly like it. I know it's crazy we're talking about development when we're about to watch game seven of the Western Conference finals. But the two things that I would look for in OKC's development wise is one, Chet needs to be a much more high volume three point shooter. Like he can't take one three, you need him to take at least like four or five to six.

[Dave DeFore]

Less workable, right?

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Exactly. Yeah. It makes it pointless at that point if you're not able to have that stretch. Big option. And then for Shea, I think the other aspect is like he needs to master the pull up three. He was shooting 38% on pull up threes this season. It was the best of his career. It was top 10 in the NBA.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

In the playoffs it's been 30% so it's dropped tremendously. And I think that again, it forces the defense to pinch in on you all of those driving lanes.

[Dave DeFore]

He's not just the makes, it's the takes. Because what, what he really wants to do is get the defense to, to sweat him. Yeah, constantly. And when you look at the starting lineup, Hartenstein, Holmgren and Lou Dort are non shooters that I'm half or nine for Ludor.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Yeah, exactly.

[Dave DeFore]

Partenstein doesn't Space the floor to three. He doesn't look at the basket out there and home. I mean, Chet really just doesn't want to shoot. He, he, that load up is so slow. He wants to move the ball. And it's part of why one of the. And this is another big problem for the Thunder. They never get those swing, swing threes against the Spurs.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

And part of that is resets every single time.

[Dave DeFore]

Exactly. They're really slow on the perimeter. And when Chet, when the ball finds Chet, he just doesn't quite have that, that split second decision making. He passed up an open three in this game. And I like they'll call this out when they go back and look at the film, but it was a pretty egregious spot to not shoot the three because everyone wants to get them open.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

You have to shoot that ball like that. Especially when it's like you said swing, swing and it's coming to you. You have to be 100 prepared to shoot that ball. This is also why Alex Caruso and Kayson Wallace are so important to this team, because of the bench guys. Those guys know how to play, make connective passes. They know how to make the hockey assist. And so they're like, they're conducive to a good offense. Generally for them in the half court, when those guys are knocking down their shots, they look incredible. That's what happened in game five. I just keeps coming down to shot making for OKC versus shot making and defense for the spurs and I. Game seven is going to be incredible. It's going to be awesome. I can't wait. It's just what happens at this point.

[Dave DeFore]

What is the difference now? We're at legacy game territory.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Yes.

[Dave DeFore]

We're at Wemby legacy game territory. We're at Shea legacy game territory. Like we'll talk about. And again, it's about winning. It's not really so much about losing. Someone's going to lose in every series against two great teams when you've got great players. But the winner of this, I mean, which a lot of people feel like is the de facto finals. The Knicks are.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

No, I think that's changed a little bit.

[Dave DeFore]

It has changed. The Knicks have changed that narrative quite a bit. But I do think that this is a legacy game. You know, Shea goes Alexander, the two time mvp, they're going for the back to back championship. This is Wemby's first opportunity to go and snatch some glory. Yeah. What are you looking for in game seven? Like how does, how does game seven swing? In a way that we haven't seen.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

I would argue that outside of Game 7 of the NBA Finals, this is the biggest moment in SGA's career because this is everything. You know, there is so much conversation around you as a player, how you play, how unethical versus ethical it is. And we don't need to get into that again. We've done it a million times. But there is so much fan debate about you as a player and how you play basketball. The best way to shut people up is to go out and play and dominate. You're the MVP of this league, right. You are one of the best players in the world. This is the biggest stage possible. I mean, there's at times there's like 10 million people watching these games. You have to go out and show that you are rightfully the two time mvp, rightfully the guy that's going to lead these guys to a championship, et cetera, et cetera. And then for Wemby, I kind of feel like it's house money. Dave. I don't know how I feel like, you know, you've gotten to this point. Fox is injured and I know OKC fans right now are telling me Jalen Williams is injured, A.J. mitchell is injured, but Wemby hasn't. People haven't turned on Wemby in the same way that they've turned on sga. And I think that adds more stakes to this game specifically for Shay, than it does Wemby.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Just because you got to win, he has to prove that he's actually the guy.

[Dave DeFore]

I wouldn't put it above the game seven of the finals where they win the.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

It's not above game seven of the finals. It's.

[Dave DeFore]

I will say, I will say this. I mean, it's a massive game, right?

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

It's win or go home and it's one game away from the finals. But when you've had a series like Shay has had, Wemby's had performances, I mean, I think the first half of this game where he scores 22 points, you know, he has a couple blocks, he hits those, those big threes. Those are statements.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Yep.

[Dave DeFore]

He had that game one 41 points, 22 rebounds. I mean, those are statements. And Shea hasn't made a statement in this series. And I think that game seven, he's going to have to for the Thunder to win.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

I just, I'm going to be honest with you, and I say this as a person who really enjoys watching SGA play. I don't know how he will be able to respond with the way that the spurs are defending him and have defended him all series. I just showed you the effective field goal percentage. I don't know what the solution is like if they haven't solved it and made life easier for SGA up until this point, how are they going to do it in a game seven where things are even harder. Like the possession battle is even worse and the shots. And the space is. Is even smaller for him to get shots up. I just, I don't necessarily.

[Dave DeFore]

If the spurs hit shots, that's it.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

I think again, I keep coming back to the role players. If it's. If the Thunder roll players have shown up in multiple games now. Game three in San Antonio, Game five in okc. If those guys, the Carusos and Case and Wallace's and Jalen Williams of the world. If those guys knock down their shots, I think OKC wins this series. On the other side, if they don't hit those shots, it's over. I, I think it's as simple as that. I just, I struggle to see a. And again, there's no adjustment coming. There's no.

[Dave DeFore]

Although the spurs did. The spurs were. They did make a little bit of an adjustment. They did more. Best way to describe it. It's like empty side pick and roll. So essentially they got the ball. So it was just wimy and a ball handler and so that he could screen and roll. They did. They weren't able to. To cut him off from the paint. That was so one little tactical adjustment that actually worked huge. But a lot of it was they made so many shots that it didn't really matter. Exactly. And I, I mean, I'm looking ahead to game seven. I was. I, I didn't know if the spurs were going to have juice for game six with how bad they looked.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Game this was over.

[Dave DeFore]

I said it looked like it. Right. I mean Wemby leaves without doing media. We get our first kind of complaining from the spurs talking about officiating and it just didn't look good. They looked awful. And then you see him win the game last night and it looks like game four all over again. They. But maybe a little bit more of a steely reserve than like a smirk. Like they felt like they had figured something out in game four. I think game six, they, they bounced back. I think the spurs are going to win this. I think the spurs are going to the finals.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

I picked the Thunder and seven to start this series. I'm sticking with the Thunder and seven. And I really just think it comes down to what things that you have mentioned over the last couple days, which is the Thunder are more experienced. They've been here and they know. I think their rotation, their role players will have a better idea of what game seven at home means versus the spurs guys. And that just means a couple more made shots. That's the, that's the margin for me. I, I really don't want to discount how incredible the spurs have been guarding sga. Like, we're not having these conversations if those guys aren't making life miserable for him, you know, and it just, it's made it to the point where Wemby has been pretty far and away the best player in this series. Now it's on the Thunder guys to kind of lift up Shay and help him in this moment. That's. That's the way I look at this thing.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah. Healthy Dylan Harper makes a huge difference.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

It.

[Dave DeFore]

Absolutely. If the spurs can keep attacking the paint.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

I just. I mean, Harper in game one on the road, right? That was. That was huge. If you get that in game seven, you're right. Spurs win. It's over.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah. All right, guys, stick around. After the break, we're going to talk about the league's new lottery reform and how it's going to just create all sorts of new problems that we never even thought of.

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[Dave DeFore]

Okay guys, so yesterday the NBA board of governors approved a new NBA draft lottery system designed to eliminate incentives for teams to prioritize their position in the draft over winning games. Wow. That is directly from the press release.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

So that's such a great, nice way of saying tanking.

[Dave DeFore]

The marketing department really put in the hours on that one. Let's kind of briefly go over this. It's the, it's the same lottery reform that we've talked about previously. Essentially all 16 teams would be drawn in the lottery. The, the bottom three teams. This is like. This is the big controversy is that the bottom three teams wind up with a worse chance at getting a top three pick. Yeah.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

The relegation zone as they've been calling it.

[Dave DeFore]

Teams can't pick. They cannot receive the number one pick two consecutive years. They can't receive a top five pick in three consecutive years. Relegated teams can't pick lower than 12. So you have one of the three worst records. You're. You're in bad shape there. You can't Protect picks top 12 through top 15 in trades which again, the NBA loves to have rules. And let's see, let me look at the percentages here because so yeah, I do think that this is maybe the more interesting thing. The three worst records get a 5.4% chance.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Yes.

[Dave DeFore]

the top pick.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Yeah. Yeah. And then the remaining team. So there's seven teams that are not in the play in but not in the bottom three. And so the, the non play in teams and the, the, the ones who are not the worst three teams in either conference. Seven teams get an 8.1% chance at the number one pick. That's the best.

[Dave DeFore]

That's so totally clear. S. I'm so sorry, I can't find. I can't imagine a scenario where fans are not going to be just riveted trying to pay attention to.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

By the way, this will be televised. This. They they are going to finally televise this. The whole.

[Dave DeFore]

Well, they're going to draw every pick that they're going to draw to me is one of the things that's pretty interesting about it.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

I don't know.

[Dave DeFore]

Again, tanking is a problem. Sort of.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

It was an egregious issue in the 2526 season because the top four picks in this year's draft are franchise altering picks. And frankly the Thunder were running away with things. I mean it just really looked like the Thunder were going to be the team to beat for a few years. Of course discounted seven and a half foot tall alien that's sent to the planet to destroy.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

By the way, the Spurs. Spurs are matching what the Thunder have done. Why? How? Because they got Steph Castle via the draft. Wembanyama via the draft, Dylan Harper via the draft. So like top five picks really do help in this scenario to rebuild in a massive way. I, I've mentioned this. You guys can go watch the video that I, we made over at the Athletic where I, I basically detailed how counterintuitive this idea is. Because the point of the NBA draft in my opinion is to get the teams that are bad or are, you know, genuinely don't have enough talent. The talent they need to build and be competitive in the NBA. Now of course, has that been gamified? Absolutely, it has. What the solution is to that. I'm not necessarily sure if this is the right solution. I'm also curious what the ramifications are just moving forward because as you probably have seen, Memphis traded Jaren Jackson Jr. For a package that included a 2027 first that could theoretically be the number one pick. And now they can't necessarily get that because they have a top five pick in this draft. So it's just, it's kind of convoluted. I understand why the Grizzlies were the only team that didn't vote for this motion to pass. It was 29 to 1. The Grizzlies were the only team that said we're not doing this.

[Dave DeFore]

Maybe they're the only ones that actually read through the entire proposal is what I'm thinking.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

You know, the funny thing is the Grizzlies are great at drafting too. So they probably are like, hey, we'll take the eighth pick and still pick the guy. But yeah, that's, it's. I think it's counterintuitive and honestly, your

[Dave DeFore]

worst teams, your worst teams need a crack at talent. Free agency in the NBA does not exist.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Not anymore.

[Dave DeFore]

No and if you're a small market team, you have no shot at getting talent outside of through the draft. And whether that's a top five pick or the number one pick, that's where the talent is.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Typically the, the Kings, you know, you could, you could talk all you want about the Kings this year. They genuinely tried to win games and

[Dave DeFore]

if they've done this next year, they have no shot at one of these top picks.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Yeah, or, or, or a harder shot. It's much more difficult for them to land one of these top picks. The, the other aspect to this is like they haven't eliminated tanking, they've just created a sweet spot for tanking where now you have to be in the middle versus being all the way at the bottom. And so are we going to see teams start the season out losing a bunch of games and then try and win out of that relegation?

[Dave DeFore]

Essentially try to be in the Goldilocks zone of winning and losing. I wonder if we don't see more veteran buyout guys. Hey, Russell Westbrook, by the way, seems to me like if you want to take. Now Russell Westbrook is your starting point.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Chris Middleton.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, yeah, just some guys that, that will play hard every single night, which is going to win you 30 games. That's really, that's the sweet spot.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

That's the sweet spot. You have to win 30 games now. Congratulations, everybody. Instead of winning 22 games, it's 30 games. I, the other aspect to this is I could go on for days. But the one thing that I think will, will be very interesting is what the value of a first round pick is now.

[Dave DeFore]

Right.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Because with the more flattened odds are teams going to be less willing to trade their first round picks or more of a crapshoot.

[Dave DeFore]

Right. So it's almost kind of, it's a little bit like this. Pacers trade for Zubach.

[Babbel Advertiser]

Exactly.

[Dave DeFore]

You think about the, the Clippers for them. Hey, this is, this is a great gamble for us. We get Matherin, we, we save some money and we get this potential pick. It's the mystery box. So it could go both ways. But to your point, this is yet again another tool taken out of the toolbox for the smaller market teams that, you know, trading away their firsts. Yeah, that's a way that they get players. And so I'm curious to see how the talent distribution goes. You know, Memphis is a team that's their only hope, is drafting. It is their only hope to have a team. And you look at what just happened, they had drafted extremely well and it fell apart. And so now they're starting this process all over again. I don't blame them for voting against it. I'm surprised Brooklyn didn't vote against it. Like, what are they doing?

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

What is.

[Dave DeFore]

What are the Brooklyn Nets think they're going to do? Who's signing there?

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

I don't know, John. Maybe they trade for Jaw at this point.

[Dave DeFore]

Maybe that they might have to. I mean, you know, their only choice is bring in talent. They don't have enough. They don't have enough to not be bottom three next year.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

So they got to get someone. Russell Westbrook, come on down. I mean, sure.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Yeah. It.

[Dave DeFore]

It creates. Look, the, the. The unforeseen circumstances part. Like, we. Obviously, we don't know yet, but I think there's some obvious ones, and that

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

one is very obvious ones.

[Dave DeFore]

Like the Sacramento Kings, to me, is a great example. They did try to be good. They were awful.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

And they would be punished for that.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Also, the other aspect to this, like, it's been reported that now Adam Silver will have more power in fining and laying down the law when it comes to tanking and losing games. Like a $10 million fines, removing lottery odds, et cetera. If they had just done that instead of changing the entire lottery odds, I feel like more teams would respond to this. I really do think it would have been. I still been a better effort.

[Dave DeFore]

Of all the problems at the end NBA needs to solve, tanking is somewhere like 6, 7 on the list before I get there. Number one would be flopping and officiating. I would say start there. Start with the quality of the actual viewing experience for the fan at home, and then worry about officiating the lottery odds. I mean, you could easily just throw every team in the lottery and that solves the problem.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Look, I expect every single one of you now to watch the Nets Kings game in February.

[Dave DeFore]

We're gonna do a watch party for that game.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

This is what you guys wanted.

[Dave DeFore]

Go ahead and put it on the calendars. No, this is. I don't know. It just. Again, the, the. I understand that it is a problem. We talk about it as a problem.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Yes.

[Dave DeFore]

And it affects the outcome of the season because teams wind up playing a bunch of tanking teams and you can stack wins that way. So there is an issue. It's just not the biggest one.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Yeah, yeah, I agree.

[Dave DeFore]

All right, we're on to game 7s.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

No more draft.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

This tanking time. We're over.

[Dave DeFore]

We're done with this draft lottery reform stuff.

[Ben (NBA Analyst)]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

Game seven. I'm excited. I'M gonna go live after game seven, hopefully with some friends. We'll see who who's around on a Saturday night. I think Andrew Schlect will be in the building. We'll see. Maybe I can recruit some other folks to come hang out for Esperahenny I'm Dave Dufour, this is Ben the NBA Daily thanks for waking up with us. Thanks for listening. Make sure you hit the subscribe or follow button so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed it, drop a like leave a rating or let us know in the comments. Thank you guys for waking up with us.

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