NBA Season 2024-25

[CelticSooner]

Would a healthy Celtics team have went back2back this year? Or would their shooting selves in the foot/Joe's 3-brick ball mentality hinder them?

C?s might have ran out of gas against this Pacer team. If not most likely heading into a Game 7 as well tonight.

[SparzWizard]

We got game 7. 

I think OKC probably smokes them but anything can happen in one game.  One random shmuck on the fringe of the scouting report goes 6-of-8 from three and now you're going home without any hardware.

Last time a Game 7 was played in the Finals...Kyrie it's time to dance took over Steph Curry and Oracle Arena and ended their 73-9 season

Hope to see Haliburton do that to SGA in front of the OKC crowd!

[DefenseWinsChamps]

All the pressure is on OKC now. Honestly, it has seemed to me that they've played with unwarranted arrogance for a lot of these playoffs. They play like they've won a championship before. They play a bit like the Celtics played at times this season. Shae even smiling and grabbing shoulders of young bench players on the way out of the game last night.

Now they are at home and those random role players for OKC will likely get a boost. But I could definitely see a stiff game from their starters. If their bench gets things going, then maybe the starters will loosen up, but I could see where Shae, Williams, and Holgrem all look tight to begin the game.

It's right there for Indy. They aren't the underdog anymore. It's one game and Indy can win one game against anyone.

[Phantom255x]

If OKC loses this that'd be a MASSIVE choke, and one of the worst in history. Not *the worst* but definitely up there given the season they had, the fact that they had the MVP, and a lot of the statistics they accrued during the season which if you look historically all those teams went on to win a title (including 2024 Boston who were in those historic stat categories as well)

Indiana is also a technically a 4 seed and didn't have HCA this series against OKC either

[Moranis]

We got game 7. 

I think OKC probably smokes them but anything can happen in one game.  One random shmuck on the fringe of the scouting report goes 6-of-8 from three and now you're going home without any hardware.

Last time a Game 7 was played in the Finals...Kyrie it's time to dance took over Steph Curry and Oracle Arena and ended their 73-9 season

Hope to see Haliburton do that to SGA in front of the OKC crowd!

you know what is weird about that game, the leading scorer was not Lebron, it was not Kyrie, and it wasn't Curry or even Klay. Draymond led all scorers with 32. He also had the most rebounds with 15 and added 9 assists.  Lebron had 11 along with 11 boards and 27 points to lead the Cavs. 

[Redz]

We got game 7. 

I think OKC probably smokes them but anything can happen in one game.  One random shmuck on the fringe of the scouting report goes 6-of-8 from three and now you're going home without any hardware.

Last time a Game 7 was played in the Finals...Kyrie it's time to dance took over Steph Curry and Oracle Arena and ended their 73-9 season

Hope to see Haliburton do that to SGA in front of the OKC crowd!

you know what is weird about that game, the leading scorer was not Lebron, it was not Kyrie, and it wasn't Curry or even Klay. Draymond led all scorers with 32. He also had the most rebounds with 15 and added 9 assists.  Lebron had 11 along with 11 boards and 27 points to lead the Cavs.

Kyrie's game winner was the most overrated clutch moment ever.  I've posted about this before and I can't remember the actual stats, but there was a remarkable stretch of a two-team choke job shooting in the last few minutes that but a damper on an incredibly competitive and well played game.  It was something like 9 straight misses before Kyrie made his shot.

[Moranis]

We got game 7. 

I think OKC probably smokes them but anything can happen in one game.  One random shmuck on the fringe of the scouting report goes 6-of-8 from three and now you're going home without any hardware.

Last time a Game 7 was played in the Finals...Kyrie it's time to dance took over Steph Curry and Oracle Arena and ended their 73-9 season

Hope to see Haliburton do that to SGA in front of the OKC crowd!

you know what is weird about that game, the leading scorer was not Lebron, it was not Kyrie, and it wasn't Curry or even Klay. Draymond led all scorers with 32. He also had the most rebounds with 15 and added 9 assists.  Lebron had 11 along with 11 boards and 27 points to lead the Cavs.

Kyrie's game winner was the most overrated clutch moment ever.  I've posted about this before and I can't remember the actual stats, but there was a remarkable stretch of a two-team choke job shooting in the last few minutes that but a damper on an incredibly competitive and well played game.  It was something like 9 straight misses before Kyrie made his shot.

the 4th quarter was not good from either team. Cavs were 6 of 19, which is actually better than Warriors who were 5 of 19. And it was 12 straight misses before that shot. Klay made a basket to tie game at 89 with 4 minutes 39 seconds left.  Each team then missed 6 straight shots, with no fouls or offensive rebounds.  Kyrie hit the 3 with 53 seconds left to go up 92-89. Curry misses another 3, Lebron gets rebound. AI blocks and Irving layup, but kyrie rebounds it and is fouled but no penalty. In bounds goes to Lebron who is fouled misses the first but makes the 2nd and Cavs go up 4 with 11 seconds left.  Curry misses another 3, they get rebound and Speights misses a 3 as time expires.  The Warriors did not score nover the final 4 minutes 38 seconds of game (missing final 9 shots) and the Cavs only scored 4.  It was some of the worst basketball to watch, but was also super suspenseful given the stakes.

[Vermont Green]

Looking at some of the more detailed stats from game 6:

2nd Chance Pts + Pts off TOVs:
IND   33
OKC  19

That is +14 for a stat that OKC generally wins.  In terms of the raw OReb and TOV stats, IND was +7 in ORebs and +10 for TOVs forced.  That is 17 additional possessions.  They ended up with 18 more FGA (OKC had 1 more FTA).  OKC actually shot a better FG% and FT%.  Very uncharacteristic for OKC.

I see that OKC is favored by 8.5 pts in Game 7 (ESPN Bet).  Not sure the basis for that.  Money Line IND is +215.  Although I would favor OKC in this game in OKC (I don't expect a repeat of the TOV disparity), I see this as a much more of a toss up than these betting odds are implying.

[Neurotic Guy]

OKC has HC but Indy has momentum and probably an emotional edge. Indy is deeper and will be relentless and can probably play a bit looser. In a way I think they have less to lose as the unexpected finalist.  OKCs been looking like a likely champion all year and have some pressure to do what they are supposed to do that Indy doesn?t have. 

[Moranis]

OKC has had 2 games this year with a championship on the line and they were their 2 worst games of the year (at least arguably). I dont know how big a something thst is, but it is a something.

[smicker16]

OKC has had 2 games this year with a championship on the line and they were their 2 worst games of the year (at least arguably). I dont know how big a something thst is, but it is a something.

I do think anything can happen in a game 7 but are you having the NBA Cup championship having more value than the game 7 against Denver?

The one elimination game they had in the playoffs was maybe one of their best of the year. Don?t think there is much of a storyline here. Even if they do lose this game it?s because they should have never let it go to 7 to begin with. Not because they can?t win when the stakes are the highest.