← The Herd with Colin Cowherd
The Herd with Colin Cowherd
Hoops Tonight - LIVE: PACERS-THUNDER FINALS GAME 6 REACTION: Haliburton & Siakam force Game 7 w/ BIG win over SGA & J-Dub
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iHeart Podcast
This is an iheart Podcast.
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Ryan Seacrest
Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. It's Oral Care Month, which means you can earn four times points on all your favorite oral care brands. Now through July 15th. Shop in store or online for items like Colgate Toothpaste, Listerine Mouthwash, Crest Mouthwash or Toothpaste Sensodyne Toothpaste, hello, Toothpaste or Gum Flossers and earn four times points. Points can be redeemed for future discounts on gas or groceries. Offer ends July 15th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Albertsons or safeway.com for more details.
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Unknown Host of Absolute
I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes, but there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1 Taser Incorporated.
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Dan Flores
I get right back there and it's bad.
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Unknown Host of Absolute
Listen to Absolute Season 1 Taser incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Dan Flores
Why is a soap opera western like Yellowstone so wildly successful? The American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6, where we'll delve into stories of the west and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today.
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Listen to the American west with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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iHeart Podcast
The OGs of uncensored motherhood are back and better than ever. I'm Erica. And I'm Mila and we're the hosts of the Good Moms Bad Choices Podcast brought to you by the Black Effect Podcast Network every Wednesday. Yeah, we're moms, but not your mommy. Historically, men talk too much and women have quietly listened. And all that stops here. If you like witty women, then this is your tribe. Listen to the Good Mom's Bad Choices podcast every Wednesday on the Black Effect podcast network, the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or where you go to find your podcast.
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Ryan Seacrest
The Volume.
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Dan Flores
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That's code hoops for new customers to get $300 in bonus bets. If your bet wins when you bet five bucks only on DraftKings, the crown is yours. Gambling problem. Call 1-800-GAMBLER in New York. Call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY to 467-369 in Connecticut. Help is available for problem gambling. Call 880-878-97777 or visit ccpg.org Please play responsibly on behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Kansas. 21 plus. Age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario. Bet must win to receive reward. Minimum minus 500 odds. Required bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, see dkng.co/audio all right, welcome to Hoops Tonight here at the Volume. Happy Thursday, everybody. Hope all of you guys are having a great week. Well, the best NBA finals since the 2022 series between the warriors and the Celtics continues to give as the Pacers tonight beat the shit out of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Their most impressive performance on several levels as they tie the series at three. We have Game seven on Sunday. I I'm going to be getting into tonight's game from a bunch of different angles. Talk about some specific things to look for in Game 7 on Sunday. Some things that need to go right for Indiana if they're going to have a chance to win that game. The the reality of the test, this final test that Oklahoma City has presented to every opponent to this point that no one's been able to solve, which we'll get into at the tail end of the show today. The Los Angeles Lakers got sold since Game 5 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. I'm yet to talk at all about that, so we're going to have a little bit of a breakdown. Just kind of for those of you guys who haven't been paying too close of attention, just break down to some of the details that are going on in that transaction, some of the ways it's going to change things for the Lakers moving forward. So a little bit of Lakers talk at the tail end of the show. Then when we're done there, we're going to take some questions from the chat. So subscribe to the channel, drop your questions in the chat. Jackson's going to come on the show. We'll take 10, 15 minutes worth of questions. And then when we wrap up here on YouTube tonight, we're headed over to Playback. That's Playback TV slash Hoops. Tonight. We're going to be taking callers just hanging out. It's like a kind of an informal basketball hour. It's a ton of fun. We've been doing it throughout this entire postseason. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend you guys go check it out. You guys know the drill before we get started, subscribe to the Hoops Tonight YouTube channel so you don't miss any more of our videos. Follow me on Twitter at_jason lt so you guys don't miss show announcements. Don't forget about our podcast feed wherever you podcasts on the Hoops Tonight. It's also super helpful if you leave a rating and a review on that front. Jackson's doing great work on our social media feeds, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. And then last but not least, keep dropping those mailbag questions in the chat for the tail end of the show. All right, let's talk some basketball. So the flow of playoff series has always been super fascinating to me. I was doing a radio hit in South Carolina on Wednesday with a buddy of mine named Richmond Weaver, and we were discussing the realities of the difference between single elimination and a playoff series. There is this kind of pathway that takes place, right? There's this learning phase at the beginning of the series. You're feeling each other out, right? You're finding out which guys do the best job, guarding which guys, which actions work, which actions don't work. Can we capitalize on this mismatch? Can we prevent them from capitalizing on that mismatch? It's all of this feeling out, right? And then usually by about Game four, both teams have figured out their best coverages that work and their best actions that they can run to try to score. When things slow down and from that point forward in the series, everything switches to execution. There's no magic adjustment you can make. There's no sort of like dynamic change in your approach that can shift the outcome. It just Comes down to your guys doing their best ability to execute the specific game plan that you've landed on by that you know. Game three, Game four part of the series and one of the biggest problems for Indiana in this series has been their inability to establish anything that is consistently effective in the half court. Like when things really bogged down for them on offense, they don't really have a reliable action. I'd argue their most reliable action at this point in the series it like slow down half court basketball has literally just been T.J. mcConnell driving at smaller Oklahoma City guards. He's the one guy in a Pacers jersey who's been able to consistently gouge the OKC defense in the half court, collapse them, create spot up opportunities and layups for himself and then Siakam can get to a little right shoulder fade but he's not able to get all the way to the rim. He in the half court very much. But TJ's really the only guy who can gouge them in that way on the other side of the floor like Shay and J Dub have been able to pretty consistently get into the teeth of the defense for Indiana. Now whether or not they process correctly when they get there, make kickouts, things along those lines that has kind of shifted from game to game. Shane J Dub, both were rough again tonight, but that is the dynamic at play in the series is one thing slow down in the half court. Oklahoma City's athleticism can really become a problem for Indiana. But Indiana all season long has had an engine, an engine that generates offense outside of the half court. When they defend and when they get stops and when they force turnovers, they can get out and run and when they get out and run they have a lot more advantage situations, meaning where you have an easy kick out or an easy drop off to a guy who's unguarded and is going to have a defender sprinting out at him. And I would argue if you wanted to point to one thing about this Pacers team where they're clear, clearly better than okc. One thing that like if we're putting green check marks underneath each team, as in who's got the strength in this matchup. If there's one thing that the Pacers are clearly better at, it's their aggregate offensive skill down the roster. When the Pacers have advantages, they can pass through those advantages and finish plays at a higher level than okc. That's their advantage. That's the push and pull of this series. When Indiana can get stops, they can usually get out in Transition. When they get out in transition, they have the advantages they need to succeed. They start to catch a rhythm, a bunch of guys get going and they can get really tough to beat, right? But if they can struggle to get stops, if they struggle to get out in transition, even as recently as the fourth quarter of game five, we've seen them have serious problems just getting past that initial layer of Oklahoma City's defense. We talked about it in, we talked about it in our show after game five. It kind of had this weird optical dynamic in the half court where for the Pacers it kind of feels like a bunch of dribble handoffs and interchanges out above the break, but no one's turning the corner, no one's getting downhill, or if they do, someone finally messes up for Oklahoma City and they get some rim pressure at some point later in the possession for Oklahoma City, they pretty consistently gouge into the, into the teeth of Indiana's defense in that half court setting, right? So that's the dynamic. If Indiana has to dribble up against OKCs like set half court defense, it's going to be a problem. I thought Indiana's defense was fantastic from the jump tonight and that allowed them to avoid that half court situation for the majority of the night. And it really starts with Nemhard and Nismith. I thought Aaron Neesmith had his best game of the series defensively by far. He struggled consistently in the J Dub matchup. He's been bullied, he's been undisciplined on Shea, picking up silly fouls here and there. This was his best game, navigating screens, keeping the ball in front. Nemhard has done a great job in the entire series, but that's where it starts, at the point of attack. This is the biggest push and pull in all NBA games. We talked about this with Colin the other day. In the same way that in the NFL there's line play that kind of dictates every possession. If you're, if your offensive line can't get a push, your run game's not going to work. And if your offensive line can't stop the rush, you're not going to have any time for your quarterback to throw or no time for your receivers to get open. It's like this unseen thing that takes place right in front of our eyes that gets misconstrued and we're always just looking at completion percentages and blaming quarterbacks and doing all that sort of stuff when it's clearly the line that is controlling the dynamic. Of the game. Similarly, in basketball, that is the dynamic that swings everything in the game. If you get bludgeoned at the point of attack, everyone's got a hard help. If everyone's got a hard help, all of a sudden there's easy kickout reads. If there's easy kickout reads, any NBA player is going to find a rhythm. And in this series, when Shea has gotten through the first layer of the defense and made those kickouts early and often in the game, like game two and game five, the Thunder have been able to knock down shots and they've been in really good shape. But if you can start to flatten out those drives and make it a little bit harder for them to get those hard dribble penetration moments, all of a sudden your off ball guys can do more digging down and recovering kind of stunting at the ball rather than fully committing to the ball, all of a sudden those kickouts turn from wide open threes to rushed threes or other opportunities for the gap between Indiana and Oklahoma City's off ball processing and off ball play finishing to manifest itself. And on many occasions in the series when the Pacers have really dug in defensively at home, they've been able to play Oklahoma City into some really rough shooting games. But that's where it starts. When Oklahoma City gets 18 unguarded catch and shoot threes like they did in game five because Shay and J Dub are just consistently beating the man in front of them and making the kickouts, that's where it becomes really, really difficult to win that tug of war. And I thought NE Smith and Nemhardt in particular just did an incredible job tonight from there. I thought the Pacers had their best game of the series in terms of help and recover situations. Constantly stunting and digging at ball handlers, showing help and getting out to shooters. That's how it causes turnovers. Very simple fact is that if you hard drive and everyone collapses, it's pretty easy to make those kick out reads. But if you are on the defender, if the defender's got you on his hip and he's staying attached and the guys that are off ball instead of hard helping are staying in the passing lane, that's where turnovers happen. Or when the ball handler is dribbling against one guy, but he doesn't have him fully beat, so he doesn't see because he's engaged in hand fighting and trying to fight through the contact, that second defender comes over and that guy ends up turning the ball over. That happened like three or four times tonight. Where the second defender came from behind when the guy wasn't looking and they were unable to like see it coming and ended up giving up a turnover. 21 turnovers for the Thunder tonight, 19 points off of him. The Pacers got out in transition all throughout the game. 22 fast break points. When we get to the mailbag at the tail end of the show, I'll pull up on Synergy, the full blown like transition numbers. But it just their defense allowed them to operate with advantages most of the night and as a result of that a bunch of guys were able to catch a rhythm and they looked fantastic and that's how you end up with six dudes in double figures and lots of people contributing in all these various different ways. Pascal was great all night. He's been great in the entire series. I think if the series ends today and if the series ends on Sunday and the Pacers win, you probably got to vote Pascal Siakam for Finals MVP with how consistent he's been with his production. Nismit his best game of the series in my opinion in terms of two way play. I thought he was awesome on defense in this game. Andrew Nemhardt early aggression in this game knocking down that big corner three again this is if there's something you're going to look at as an area of optimism looking forward in the series for the Pacers. N Smith and Nehard were like completely in the upside down after game five. Niece Smith had two or three nasty turnovers down the stretch, had kind of lost control of his shot. Niece Smith has been getting cooked defensively all series and hasn't been able to knock down shots. Those two guys go 5 for 11 from 3 tonight and have their best defensive game of the series. That is a huge bit of positive momentum that you're carrying into game seven. Obi Toppin who has been has had all sorts of of of blitzes of scoring in this series. Big time catch and shoot threes in tonight's game. TJ McConnell who's consistently, like I mentioned earlier, been the best guy on the Pacers at gouging Oklahoma City's defense, which has caused all sorts of positives. They're plus 10 again tonight in his 24 minutes. They there that is the push and pull and that's what we have to look for for game seven as we look into game seven. Which team's going to control that tug of war? No team has been able to conquer one specific demon with Oklahoma City so far, which is that when the series is hanging in the balance in the big pivotal games, nobody can score on them. So for instance, you're going to go down two. Oh. At home, that's series over. It's just too much to overcome that. You got to win Game two. They strangle the Pacers in that game. Game four Pacers have a lead going into the fourth quarter. I think they were up seven. They strangle the life out of the Pacers. They literally can't score down the stretch. Even in Game 5. Like the Pacers go on a run. Siakam gets an offensive rebound, hits a 3 off the left wing. It's 95 to 93. Looks like they're right there. All of a sudden, Oklahoma City tightens the screws and the Pacers turn the ball over four consecutive possessions. And it's not just the Pacers. You go back to Minnesota. Exact same thing happened in game four of that series. You go back to Denver in game four and in game five and in game seven of that series, they have strangled the life out of the team. They've had their moments where they look bad. Minnesota beat the shit out of Oklahoma City in game three. Denver had a several controlling. They had a big controlling win in Game 3 and another one in Game 6. Memphis with, with, without, like before John Morant got injured, was beating the shit out of Oklahoma City at home in game three. Like, they've shown their cracks. They're a young team. They struggle on the road, they've had their issues, but ultimately, when everything is actually on the line, when their back is truly against the wall, it's like that meme with the dude sitting back with the controller and then he leans forward when it's go time. Like Oklahoma City tightens the screws and everyone falls apart. That is the challenge. No, no. If Indiana is going to win in game seven, that's the demon they have to conquer right out the gates. They have to not turn the ball over. They have to get the ball through Oklahoma City's defense. They have to knock down the shots that are available to them. We talked about Neesmith and Nemhard getting going tonight. That's huge. Miles Turner's another big guy I have my eye on. He keeps getting wide open threes in this series and he just can't hit them. And I talked about before the series that he was one of the biggest swing factors, specifically because his ability to be on the other side of switches against guards in the post and because of pick and pop and Chet's willingness to help at the rim and Isaiah's willingness to Help at the rim. He's going to get catch and shoot looks and he's got to knock him down. That's the step on that side of the floor. But Indiana has a pathway to avoid that and that's by getting stops. And so Indiana has to in that game, contain the ball, force kickouts to mediocre shooters for contested shots, not for open shots. They need to force long rebounds and turnovers and get out and transition as much as possible in order to avoid that half court setting. Again. It's not a good sign that in game five when you had a chance that you turned the ball over four consecutive times, all against the first two layers of Oklahoma City's defense, like just on ball pressure and high post entry denial and stuff like that, that is, that is something that they cannot afford to do in game seven. If they do that in game seven, they're dead on arrival and they're going to get blown out. But if they can contain the ball, if they can force misses and turnovers, if they can get out in transition, that is their best chance. And for Oklahoma City, it's the same thing that they did down the stretch in these key moments. If they can tighten the screws on this Indiana defense, they can force turnovers, they can get out and transition. Because again, as we talked about, if Oklahoma City has a weakness, it's that their offense can be a little shaky. You can shake the foundation of Oklahoma City's offense. They had just 35 points in the second and third quarters tonight and so for them that's their breaking point. But they also have a turnover to transition element to their game and in the big spots they've been able to get to that part of their game and close teams out big time. In game seven against Denver, like get game seven against Denver, they just decided they weren't going to let Jokic catch the ball and it and it just completely decomposed for Denver. Right. So that's going to going to be the tug of war in game seven. The danger for Oklahoma City and letting a game like this happen where they get their butts kicked as it gives rhythm and confidence to the Pacers. They have a real pathway to get it done. Very, very excited for game seven. Not sure if Colin's going to be with us for game seven, but we will certainly have a live show after the final buzzer there. I'm looking forward to that.
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Ryan Seacrest
Blending Vice's signature dynamic storytelling with the high octane world of sports, Vice Sports brings an exciting and diverse range of.
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Dan Flores
Programming that goes beyond the game.
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Ryan Seacrest
From action packed live events to gripping behind the scenes documentaries to hard hitting investigative pieces and in depth profiles of athletes, coaches, teams, Vice Sports captures the raw energy, drama and passion that makes sports truly unforgettable. Catch live events and other exclusive sports programs Only on Vice TV. Go to Vicetv.com to find your cable channel.
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Zoe Saldana
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Unknown T-Mobile Representative
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Zoe Saldana
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Zoe Saldana
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Zoe Saldana
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Unknown T-Mobile Representative
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Zoe Saldana
Really, I'm fine.
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Dan Flores
It's our best iPhone offer ever. Switch to T Mobile. Get a new iPhone 16 Pro with Apple Intelligence on us. No trade in needed.
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Jason
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Dan Flores
To 800 bucks with 24 monthly bill credits.
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Unknown Host of Absolute
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Dan Flores
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Unknown Host of Absolute
Pay out via virtual prepaid card. Allow 15 days credits end in balance.
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Dan Flores
Due if you pay off early or cancel.
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Ryan Seacrest
Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and safeway now through July 15th. Stock up on all your favorite personal care brands and earn four times points to use on later purchases. For discounts on groceries or gas. Shop in store or online for items like Pantene Shampoo, Old Spice, Total Body Deodorant, Tampax Pearl, Venus Razors, Head and shoulder shampoo, Olay Body Wash and Pantene Conditioner and earn four times points. Hurry before these deals are gone. Offer ends July 15th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.
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Unknown Host of Absolute
I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no.
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Dan Flores
Across the country, cops called this Taser the Revolution.
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Unknown Host of Absolute
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Dan Flores
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Unknown Host of Absolute
From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1 Taser Incorporated.
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Dan Flores
I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really really bad.
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Unknown Host of Absolute
Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2 and 3 on May 21 and episodes 4, 5 and 6 on June 4 ad free at Lava for Good plus on Apple Podcasts.
- [23:58]
Dan Flores
The American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. Hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores and brought to you by Velvet Buck, this podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode I'll be diving into some of the lesser known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian Dr. Randall Williams and best selling author and Meat Eater founder Stephen Rinella.
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I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say when cave people were here. And I'll say it seems like the Ice Age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves.
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So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th where we'll delve into stories of the west and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today.
- [24:50]
Listen to the American west with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We're going to take some mailbag questions on this game, but really quickly, I want to spend a few minutes talking about Genie Buss and the Buss family selling the Lakers for a valuation, a record valuation of $10 billion. Now, from what I understand, and again, this is important for me to disclose, I am far from an expert on this side of the business. I'm a basketball guy. I'm trying to learn about this side of the business. Each year I get a little bit better at it, but it's taken some time. But my rough understanding of it was that the Buss family owned about 66% of the team. This Mark Walter gentleman runs a massive investment firm that owns many things, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, and they already had something like around 2025% of the Lakers. Roughly 50% of that 66% that the buss family owns will be shifting over to Mark Walters. So Mark's group would now own a massive controlling Interest in the Lakers. The Buss family is keeping 15%, which I believe is the mandatory minimum for someone to actually remain governor of the team, which Jeanie Buss will remain for now. And so now the relatively cash poor Buss family cashes in at like $5 billion, if I'm doing my math right. And the Lakers are now effectively owned by Mark Walter. Now, there's some details that are interesting, right? So for instance, Jeannie Buss is continuing to serve as the governor of the team. This is interesting because the Lakers issues don't only come down to money. We're going to talk a lot about money. That's not the only issues. Those aren't the only issues that the Lakers have. They also have a leadership problem. The Lakers have just pulled off the largest valuation in a sale in the history of professional sports. But they are literally run like a small local family business. Talk to anyone who has spent time around the Lakers. There are members of the family and close friends of the family all over the organization. In positions of power, there's no clear decision making hierarchy. If Jeannie stays on as governor and the team continues to operate in that way, it will continue to hold the team back in some way, shape or form. That said, we do have a recent example, a relatively recent example with Mark Cuban after he sold the Mavs, staying on as governor but then eventually being removed from power. My guess is Jeannie is more of a placeholder than anything else and I would imagine that she eventually gets replaced. But before we get to anything with money, this is an aspect that I'm keeping an eye on. Turnover. With executives up high in the organization, Luka Doncic has one year left on his contract before a player option that he'll almost certainly opt out of in pursuit of a new deal. And if you're going to keep Luka around for one more contract, or hopefully for two more contracts, you may have to be willing to fire some people. So, like, if Rob Pelinka isn't up to the task, he fails this summer in building a team around Luka Doncic. You, you cannot afford to wait and lose Luka Doncic in the process. Luka is the future. Things were looking extremely bleak for the Lakers after, like in that middle, early, middle portion of the season when they were struggling. You got an old LeBron, you got an Anthony Davis who's on the decline. They didn't have any sort of massive asset trove or anything to fall back on. Luca is the guy that came in through great fortune and has turned around the Prospects for this franchise moving forward. You have to be willing to clean house quickly if incompetence steps in. But by far the biggest aspect to this move and how it will affect the Lakers, at least in the short term, for the next couple of years. Things that we'll notice almost immediately is the change in financial resources available for the team. And I'm not trend, I'm not treading any new ground here. This has been the major talking point in the NBA for over 24 hours now. But the Lakers were famously cheap. The most obviously the most obvious example was the decision to let Alex Caruso walk for an average annual salary of a little over $9 million to the Chicago Bulls. The Lakers had already offered him 6 million. And by the way, this has been laid out by Alex in the past. The Lakers were willing to pay him 6 million a year. Alex came back and was like, hey, the Bulls are going to give me nine. Will you guys match that? And the Lakers literally said no. Which is damning on both fronts because it's damning on the Rob Polinka front because it shows a scary lack of understanding of what wins basketball games in the NBA. And then it's damning on the Bus family front because we're talking about a gap of about $9 million per year in salary between in salary and tax between that $6 million number annually and the $9 million number when you add in luxury tax. That was enough to scare them out of retaining a player that literally started an NBA Finals game for them in 2020. But the Lakers cheapness went far further than just the Caruso deal. They openly disrespected a championship coach in Tyloo when he just asked to be paid like a championship coach and the Buss family offered him entry level coach money. It was insulting and he walked away. They spend far below the top teams in the league on, on stuff like scouting staff, analytics staff, other support staff. That is like a legitimate competitive advantage in this league. I saw a story yesterday about them literally forcing an assistant coach to stay in a different hotel than a player he was working out because they didn't want to spend a little bit more on a hotel room. So this news can be inter can't be interpreted in any way other than a massive positive. Because all indications from Mark Walters group and the way they manage the Dodgers should lead us to believe that the Lakers will finally be a big spending team. That means they won't ever miss out on a hire because the Buss family's ego or unwillingness to Pay market value steps into the equation. They should be a top five luxury tax spending team, which they were not under genie buss. They should undergo a massive investment over the next few off seasons and upgrading their support staff at every level. And they should finally be run like the biggest sports franchise in the world. If you're going to be valued like that, if that's the investment you're in charge of, it needs to be invested in properly. And now I expect them to be. It's not going to happen overnight. Could be a rocky transition, especially with Robin Jeannie still carrying some power. There's a lot of urgency surrounding the situation with Luka. The Lakers desperately need to get a starting center this summer or starting caliber center. They desperately need to anchor LeBron and Luka with a ton of athleticism. If you're going to build a team around Luka, like, I hope he comes into camp in better shape, but he's notoriously a poorly conditioned athlete. Austin Reeves, who's a below average NBA athlete, LeBron James is going to be 41 by the time you reach the playoffs. You've got to anchor them with just a shit ton of athleticism. There is a lot of work that needs to be done over the course of this offseason and next season before the trade deadline. But I am expecting big changes in the overall level of competence within the Lakers in the coming years. I was texting with Logan Swaim, he's a buddy of mine who is the head of content here at the Volume Sports Laker fan. Him and I always are talking to each other throughout the Lakers season. And we were talking today about how or yesterday about how it's kind of a little bittersweet in the sense that like I kind of felt like the LeBron James Anthony Davis era was just, just marred by underachieving efforts from people in the upper levels of the Lakers organization. And there always be a part of me that kind of is like, kind of annoyed that now finally, after LeBron spent like God, how many seasons has it been now, like seven or eight seasons with the Lakers, with how much time he's been with the Lakers, that it took this long for, for the team to sell to somebody with some real financial power. But it is what it is and it's going to be exciting, at least for the Luka era. And you know, if there was any chance, if there's any chance to squeeze a title out of these guys, it was going to happen with some more competent leadership. And this should be the first step in that Direction.
- [33:01]
Zoe Saldana
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Unknown T-Mobile Representative
Thanks. And here's my old phone to trade in.
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Zoe Saldana
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Unknown T-Mobile Representative
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Zoe Saldana
Not right now. @ T Mobile.
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Unknown T-Mobile Representative
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Zoe Saldana
That's okay.
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Unknown T-Mobile Representative
I don't really have much in my purse. Oh, let's see. Hand sanitizer. It's lavender.
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Zoe Saldana
I'm good. Seriously.
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Unknown T-Mobile Representative
Let me check this pocket. Oh, mints.
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Zoe Saldana
Really, I'm fine.
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Unknown T-Mobile Representative
Oh, I have raisins. I'm a mom. Wait, wait one sec. I've got cupcakes in the car.
- [33:37]
Dan Flores
It's our best iPhone offer ever. Switch to T Mobile. Get a new iPhone 16 Pro with Apple intelligence on us. No trade in needed. We'll even pay off your phone up to 800 bucks with 24 monthly bill credits.
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Unknown Host of Absolute
New line 100 plus a month on.
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Dan Flores
Experience beyond Finance Agreement 999.99 and qualifying ported for well qualified plus tax and 10 connection charge.
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Unknown Host of Absolute
Payout via virtual prepaid card. Allow 15 days credits and imbalance due if you pay off earlier.
- [34:00]
Ryan Seacrest
Cancel CT mobile.com Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and safeway now through July 15th. Stock up on all your favorite personal care brands and earn four times points to use on later purchases. For discounts on groceries or gas, shop in store or online for items like Pantene Shampoo, Old Spice, Total Body Deodorant, Tampax Pearl, Venus Razors, Head and shoulder shampoo, Olay body wash and Pantene conditioner. And earn 4 times points. Hurry before these deals are gone. Offer ends July 15th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.
- [34:33]
Unknown Host of Absolute
I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no.
- [34:47]
Dan Flores
Across the country, cops called this Taser the revolution.
- [34:51]
Unknown Host of Absolute
But not everyone was convinced it was that simple.
- [34:54]
Dan Flores
Cops believed everything that Taser told them.
- [34:57]
Unknown Host of Absolute
From Lava for good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolut Season 1 Taser Incorporated.
- [35:13]
Dan Flores
I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad.
- [35:20]
Unknown Host of Absolute
Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1 Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2 and 3 on May 21 and episodes 4, 5 and 6 on June 4 ad free at Lava for Good plus on Apple Podcasts.
- [35:41]
Dan Flores
The American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. Hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores and brought to you by Velvet Buck, this podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode I'll be diving into some of the lesser known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian Dr. Randall Williams and best selling author and Meat Eater founder Stephen Rinella.
- [36:12]
I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say when cave people. And I'll say, it seems like the Ice Age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves.
- [36:22]
So join me starting Tuesday, May 6, where we'll delve into stories of the west and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today.
- [36:33]
Listen to the American west with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, let's bring Jackson on. We're gonna take some questions from the chat.
- [36:46]
Jason
Let's do it. First question hey Jason, we've seen enough of TJ McConnell to know it's not a fluke anymore. But why is it still so hard for the Thunder to adjust when he comes in the game? How are they not ready for this?
- [36:59]
Dan Flores
Well, it's the same. It's the same. It's not about being ready. It's the same thing that it's the same thing that Indiana's dealing with on the other end of the floor with Shai and with J Dub. The reality is, is that T.J. mcConnell can beat the man in front of him one on one. That that is the singular thing that can break an NBA defense and elite NBA defense. And on the other end of the floor, like the Pacers have been a very good defense for the last like, you know, four or five months. And they've been doing it in large part by containing the ball. And they can't contain the ball against these guys like they Shay and J Dub can consistently get into the tee of the defense. There's no scheme. We talked about this in the show. There's no like magical schematic adjustment. It's about sliding your damn feet and Keeping your chest in front of the ball. And TJ has a superpower. Like, I think TJ Is one of the most underrated athletes in the league. He is a very powerful guard with a ton of straight line speed and the ability to change direction with some basic moves and counter moves that make him very, very difficult to handle. And like, his individual greatness is breaking the Oklahoma City defense and he's going to need to do it again on Sunday.
- [37:58]
Jason
Yeah, I feel like we're reaching the point where he is straight up been over the course of the series the second most impactful offensive player for the Pacers. I mean, Siakam is obviously, I think at this point the Finals MVP if the Pacers were to win.
- [38:12]
Dan Flores
But.
- [38:12]
Jason
And it's, and that's sort of part of the Pacers magic. It's much more an aggregate, you know, collection of talent on both ends of the floor. You know, Nemhard and Nism, they're doing a lot of work defensively, but it does feel like McConnell has been their second best offensive player this series.
- [38:24]
Dan Flores
Yeah, you can't give him Finals MVP if Indiana wins because his minutes have been too low and like Siakam has just been on the floor more, doing more. But like, yeah, I would argue if, if like, say that the game was tied and there's seven seconds left and they're coming out of a timeout, I would be strongly encouraged to put TJ in the game and run a one four low like, like, or like a four out, one in and have him attack off the wing. Like he is a problem for Oklahoma City because he's too big and fast and strong for Oklahoma City's guards, which is crazy. But that's just like he is consistently getting past his man. It's crazy.
- [38:59]
Jason
It's so crazy. Especially when we've talked all season about how many unbelievable defenders they're putting out. They put Alex Caruso on him today. Alice Carus, who were like, he is the world beating defensive skeleton key right now after the Jokic performance. They're like guard TJ McConnell crazy. Anyway, speaking of the Denver series, the Denver starters, when they had a Game 7 against the Thunder, Denver starters got off to a good start, but as soon as their bench came in, it was basically over. While the Pacers bench is exponentially better thoughts on that sort of heading dynamic heading into Game seven of the Finals.
- [39:30]
Dan Flores
So it's complicated because if you remember, Oklahoma City's bench came in the game too. And one of those guys happened to be Alex Crusoe. And that guy decided he was going to front the post against Nikola Jokic and Nicole Jokic was out there during the start of the. The Thunder onslaught that occurred there towards the end of the first quarter. Now, yes, there was a joke. It's less group in the start of the second quarter that just completely decomposed. But the. It's. It to me, it's. It's the bench for Indiana, to me, doesn't make as much of a difference in terms of, like, traditional bench starter dynamics because Carlisle is just going to go with who's playing well. What I mean by that is, like, there have been multiple stretches in this series where it's like a key. Like, oh, it's the late second quarter and this is usually a starting group, but we've got TJ McConnell and Ben Shepard on the floor. You know, stuff like that. So, like, to me, Carlisle is going to pick the dudes that he thinks are playing the best in that moment to be out on the floor. To me, it's when Oklahoma City starts to leverage, like when they start with Hartenstein and Chet, they're a little bit slower. They're not as good with their ball pressure. When they bring in case on Wallace, when they bring in Alex Caruso, when they really start swarming and pressuring like crazy, it's just about Oklahoma City not soiling themselves the way they did. They had eight turnovers in the fourth quarter of Game 5. And that's what you got to be prepared for, is Oklahoma City is going to bring just the most hellacious defensive punch that you can possibly imagine in Game seven. And they have to not get rattled. And to me, an easy way to counter that is they've got to bring their hellacious defensive punch and they got to try to rattle Oklahoma City's offense enough to get out in transition.
- [41:01]
Jason
It'll be really interesting to see if they start Caruso or not. Like they started in the second half today. They've done that times in the playoff series, in the playoffs. It'll be interesting if they start him to start the game.
- [41:10]
Dan Flores
I would. I would. It's not fuck around time anymore. Like, you were officially in single elimination territory and the trophy, you could lose the trophy. You got to start your best five. And Crusoe is clearly their best. Their best fifth guy in the series, I think. Yeah.
- [41:24]
Jason
Next question. If OKC loses, would you consider it a big choke job or would you. I guess a better way to phrase it is would you think of it more as a big choke job from OKC or as A sort of superhuman, valiant effort from the Pacers front. It's obviously a combination of those.
- [41:40]
Dan Flores
Yeah, it's, you know, on its face. Very Simply, if a -700 favorite before a series loses, it can't be anything other than a giant choke job. Especially when you look back to what happened at the end of game one, when you had a substantial lead and you end up blowing that game. I. I think it's a little bit more complicated for me because everyone on the roster is so young. So, for instance, like, let's. Let's use the most iconic choke job in the history of the NBA, the 2011 Heat. Like, they had vets on the roster. Yeah, it was a clunky, clunky roster, and they hadn't really figured out how to, like, space the floor, and they were playing two bigs, and LeBron was playing the three. And it wasn't. It wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination. But what happened in that series is LeBron decomposed and Dirk hit a level that was crazy, and it ended up leading to one of the biggest upsets. Shay has had his downs in this series, but he's also had some massive ups, and I think Shea's been particularly good in the pivotal moments. You lose game two, you lose the series. He was awesome. You lose the final minutes of game four, you lose the series. He was awesome. You lose the. You lose game five, you lose the series. He was awesome. So, like, to Shay's credit, he hasn't had, like, that type of thing. To me, what's happening in this series on the Oklahoma City front is more testament to just the stuff I've been preaching about all season. Every time I've talked about Thunder all season, I've said the same damn things every damn time, which is, they have this obvious upside. The metrics are there. Everything looks great. All of your conventional wisdom would lead you to believe this is the NBA champion, but there are a bunch of kids relative to NBA players, relative to other NBA championship teams in NBA history. NBA history tells us this team loses. They have overcome that to this point. But to me, their inconsistencies and their inability to kind of, like, play to their potential, so to speak, because, like, they should have beat Indiana in five or six games. They should have beat Denver in five games, and they didn't. They beat Denver in seven, and they're in danger of potentially losing to Indiana in seven. And to me, that's come down to their inexperience. And what it. All of the. The downsides the things that have happened, it's been consistent. Like what is Oklahoma City looked like when they're bad Shays chucking shots or the guy, the role players are not able to knock down the open shots that are available. They get super, super sweaty, palmed on offense and they can't score. And that ends up being the difference. And that's happened to them periodically throughout the season at various points. And none of it matters if they hoist the trophy, go in on Sunday, no one's going to care. But like, the threat was always there. This Oklahoma City team was beatable and they were beatable because of their youth. And I do think that that has shown at various points in this postseason.
- [44:29]
Jason
To that point, we have another question. The Thunder officially are going to be four and five on the road in this playoff run now they're going to have a losing playoff record during their playoff run. This has happened before in NBA history. Wouldn't be the first time a champion has a losing playoff record. But it doesn't happen that often would. And that certainly speaks to their youth. Would that if they, on the flip side of this sort of conversation, talk about if the Patriots win, if the Thunder win in Game 7, would that losing playoff record be a blemish as we think about them as one of their. We talked a lot during the regular season. Is this one of the great teams in NBA history? Would that be a blemish to you, to you for their playoff run?
- [45:05]
Dan Flores
I wouldn't call it a blemish. To me it's. It's. Especially for a team that's one of the great teams. It is always a little clunky in that first playoff run, your first like really deep playoff run. So for instance, like even for Boston in 2022, for example, which I would qualify as their first big playoff run, right? Theoretically. Not because they had other conference finals runs. But let's just, let's focus in on. On that one in particular. Like, you have the shakiness against Milwaukee, you have the shakiness against Golden State, and you end up eventually losing against Golden State. Like typically in those first few runs, a lot of your youth shows, your inconsistencies show. I've been saying all year, this is the year to beat Oklahoma City. Because all. All that's going to happen is Chet's going to get better and J Dub's going to get better. And I think even Shea has learned a lot of valuable lessons in this series. And there's been these obvious, like, differences in approach from Shay and his good games and in his bad games throughout this entire playoff run. And like, like any young basketball player, he, that he's just taking in data and he's learning and he's going to learn how to like repeat the stuff that works and avoid the stuff that doesn't. And so to me, like in the same way that we look back on the warriors, even though they were shaking in 2015, you know, they fall down 2:1 to Memphis. They, I think they were down. They were down 2:1 to Memphis, they were down 2:1 to Cleveland. I think that was the only two series they trailed in. But like they, it didn't look like the most dominant playoff run for a team that won what, 67 regular season games the way they did. Right? So like, I mean they won one fewer game than Oklahoma City did. Right. And what that look, what do we, what do we look back at? Is that that team as we look at that as the young warriors, that was the one they stole, right? Like that was the one that like, I think a lot of people think like if the Cavs were healthy, like maybe that ends up being a different series, that one maybe. But later on, as they got older, as they got more experience, it's like all of a sudden they were the team that was beating the 68 or 65 win rockets and beating the, the more, the more electric regular season teams because all of a sudden they were the savvy vets who had been in all these big moments and they're just more comfortable in those spots. And so to me, I think we'll look back like if Oklahoma City wins on Sunday, which I believe they will. If Oklahoma City wins on Sunday, it's just going to be their first title. And yeah, if they have a dominant one after, like if they go back next year and they go 16 and three, no one's going to care that they had a tough playoff run in, in, in 2025 is all. As is always the case, you can legitimize your success with repeated titles. Celtics fans will always cling to the 2024 title as one of the as is as like an all time great team. But if you're going to convince the masses of anything, it's multiple titles and that is ultimately the unassailable thing that OKC needs to accomplish.
- [47:57]
Jason
Last question before we go over to playback. You sort of just touched on it, but DraftKings has the Thunder as an 8 1/2 point favorite in game 7. How would you lean that?
- [48:07]
Dan Flores
I. Yeah, I would bet I would take Oklahoma City and the spread. I think Oklahoma City's going to win big. I think Oklahoma's. I think Oklahoma City will be celebrating the championship the entire fourth quarter. For the record I got. I hope that doesn't happen. And this extends beyond like, hoping for an interesting thing for the job. I've talked about this on the show before, but like, just speaking authentically as a basketball fan, I like this Pacers team more. I think they play a more likable brand of basketball. I think they're more fun to watch and I'm actively rooting for them just as a basketball fan. And so I don't want that to happen on Sunday. I want Indiana to win. But I, I believe in this Oklahoma City defense. I believe that they can reach a level that is transcendent compared to even other great NBA defenses in the history of the league. So I think Oklahoma City. I think Oklahoma City controls Sunday throughout and it's relatively boring, which is not what I'm hoping for. But again, that's what I think will happen. What's your guess? If you had to guess, you're more optimistic. So why don't you pitch the case? Let's hear it.
- [49:13]
Jason
I mean, I think I do feel like the spread is kind of an interesting number at 8 and a half because I. It does feel like the Thunder have a very good chance to win by 15. 12 to 15. It also, and it feels like if the Pacers are going to win, I don't think they're winning by eight. You know what I mean? Like, I don't think that that number is going to come into play all that much. I feel like it's either going to be a Thunder Cruz or a Pacers like three to four point win. But I don't know. I mean, I think today's game is, is a, is a bad time to have a true stinker, you know, like, it definitely feels like something a veteran team would do more than a young team, maybe like punta game. But you know, you're not punting any games in the NBA Finals, right? Like, this is. It's the NBA Finals time you have a chance to close out on the road. There's no. And the Pacers building the kind of confidence. The Nemhardt and Nismith offensive performances tonight are definitely really, um. You know, it's a sign of. It's a positive sign for the Pacers. I don't. I think that if I was going to. Had to pick and I had to make a pick, I would pick the Thunder and I would Pick them to win by 11, probably. But I do feel like the Pacers winning is. Is very within the realm of possibility.
- [50:17]
Dan Flores
Despite all the Thunder factors, it's absolutely on the table. Couldn't agree more. It's just. It to me is very clearly the less likely outcome. And it, the. The weird thing is it's. It's a fucking eternity until Sunday. Like, this schedule has been so bizarre. I was joking with my W, I was like, this is the longest season we've worked because we had the, we had the warriors series in 2022 that went six games, but then we've had back to back five game finals. Like, we're working deep into the month of June. We're going on the. What is it? The 22nd, right? So like it's. And it's like it's just another all. Like every, every sequence has felt the same to me. Where like on that second full day off after the finals, I'm like, I cannot believe there's not a game tonight. Like, we're waiting again. We're doing this tomorrow night. And so, like, it's an eternity to wait. And like, if there's one other thing to cling to if you're a Pacers fan, game sevens are notoriously nerve wracking. So there's a certain element to where, like, you can hope that Oklahoma City succumbs to that a little bit. The only thing that always worries me in a situation like that is there's one thing that is dependably consistent every single night, no matter what, when a team is playing hard. And that's defense. And that's the calling card for this Oklahoma City team. And that's what makes them the safer bet. That's why they're the safer bet. But that doesn't mean that Indiana can't win. All right, guys, that's all we have for tonight. As always, we sincerely appreciate you guys for supporting us and supporting the show. Remember, we're heading over to playback, so Playback TV slash Hoops. Tonight we'll be taking callers and just hanging out and talking hoops for about an hour. We'll see you guys over there. What's up, guys? As always, I appreciate you for listening to and supporting Hoops tonight. It would actually be really helpful for us if you guys would take a second and leave a rating and a review. As always, I appreciate you guys supporting us, but if you could take a minute to do that, I'd really appreciate it. The volume.
- [52:09]
Ryan Seacrest
Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and safeway. Now through July 15th. Stock up on all your favorite personal care brands and earn four Times points to use on later purchases. For discounts on groceries or gas. Shop in store or online for items like Pantene Shampoo, Old Spice, Total Body Deodorant, Tampax Pearl Venus Razors, Head and Shoulder Shampoo, Olay Body Wash and Pantene conditioner, and earn 4 times points. Hurry before these deals are gone. Offer ends July 15th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.
- [52:39]
Unknown Host of Absolute
I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always, always be no. This is Absolute Season 1 Taser Incorporated.
- [52:56]
Dan Flores
I get right back there and it's bad.
- [52:59]
Unknown Host of Absolute
Listen to Absolute Season 1 Taser incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [53:09]
Dan Flores
Why is a soap opera western like Yellowstone so wildly successful? The American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6, where we'll delve into stories of the west and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today.
- [53:32]
Listen to the American west with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [53:39]
iHeart Podcast
The OGs of uncensored motherhood are back and badder than ever. I'm Erica. And I'm Mila, and we're the hosts of the Good Moms Bad Choices Podcast brought to you by the Black Effect Podcast Network every Wednesday. Yeah, we're moms, but not your mommy. Historically, men talk too much and women have quietly listened. And all that stops here. If you like witty women, then this is your try. Listen to the Good Moms Bad Choices Podcast every Wednesday on the Black Effect podcast network, the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you go to find your podcast. This is an iHeart podcast.