The Shot Clock Pod - NBA 2024-25 Playoffs Finals IND 1-0

Untitled project from SquadCast === [00:00:00] jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Alright, it's time to talk basketball. The NBA finals are on and we're here to talk about it and more. I'm Jose Salviati Editor and thePeachBasket.net. He's Steve Purciello, longtime educator, vice principal, high school basketball coach and athletic director. And this is the Shock Clock Pod. The best 15 minutes of NBA random thoughts online. If this is your first time listening, welcome. We're glad you found us. This podcast was born out of the content of Steve's 13 Rules, random b, a Thoughts articles. He publishes them weekly. Steve and I have exactly 15 minutes to discuss what's on his mind around the NBA today. We'll discuss his latest 13 rules, random B, a thoughts article where he shares his thoughts as the NBA playoffs continue in the 20 24 25 NBA season as the NBA finals. Again, are set and off to a crazy start and we'll talk about game one, I'm sure. But before we get started, just wanna call out again that and forgive me the last couple weeks, I didn't do this, but one of our very own creators, John Camacho, has written a book. It's pretty cool. It's available now on Amazon. You can just [00:01:00] search for sports Chaos. You'll find it. It explores the reasons behind expert business, legal, and moral decisions with a blurb on the Luca Dante trade, which in my mind's eyes, the epitome of sports chaos. So make sure you Google. Or check on Amazon for sports chaos and give it a read. It's pretty cool. All right, Steve, are you ready to talk basketball? steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: I am ready. jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Let's do it. All right, I'm gonna start the timer now. All right, so let's talk a little bit about game one. You said this week that the Pacers after that game won, which was incredible, might be a team of destiny if I'm a Pacers fan, that both excites me. And terrifies me. Because you just, you don't know what could that be? The kiss of death? So blame devil's advocate, right? Didn't the patients just get lucky in game one? They were getting beat, right? They were. 99% of that game was all the thunder. And then, the balls just stopped going in [00:02:00] for that team. And patients got lucky with a final shot that was advocating it. Did they just get lucky? I. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: Sometimes in sports, luck is more important than anything else. I'm gonna go People, not many people are my age that are listening, but I'm gonna go back to baseball. In 1969, there was a MET team that the year before might have won 70 games. They got on a roll and they won the whole thing and they beat the Orioles in five, I believe, in the World Series. The Orioles had people like Frank Robinson, who's a Hall of Famer, Brooks Robinson, another Hall of Famer, pitchers McNally, and Palmer Hall of Famer, just littered with great players, the Orioles, Mets, went out and beat him the World Series in five, after coming from behind the Cubs during the regular season to win the league championship. But they also beat the Cincinnati Reds. That's [00:03:00] when Pete Rose had a fight with Bud Harrelson. But to win that, now if you looked at that, met Team Seaver was there and he's a Hall of Famer, but not many others. I don't think there was another hall of Famer on that team. And it just, Tommy Agee and guys like that just played miraculously great. Baseball, in sports teams get on a roll and unexplainable is my point. jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Yeah. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: Oklahoma. Oklahoma City played terribly. They shot poorly. They really didn't have a good game, and the ironic thing is, two weeks ago I wrote about the turnovers and about less turnovers wins Oklahoma Oklahoma City had 18 less turnovers. jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: right, steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: this? How do you figure this? You begin to think something's crazy here and is Be like a destiny type situation? That's what led me to write about that because jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: yeah. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: again, I think Oklahoma City's a better team, but I don't know if that matters. jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Yeah it's weird because that, [00:04:00] that, that has always been the thing in the NBAI. You, I think with a seven game series, the better team is gonna win. You've got one game. It's not always the best team that wins. Think Villanova, Georgetown, I. Right when it's a one-off anything can happen. But in seven game series, the best team is supposed to win. So I, I don't know, man. I just, thinking back at that game, it was so wild. And one of the thing about the turnovers, 19 turnovers they had in the first half. It was, I think, six in the second. So the Pacers figured it out, right? They figured out how to protect the ball, and they did a much better job. Or either that or the thunder slowed down. I really, I gotta give credit to the thumb, I mean to the pacers, but I don't know, man, can they keep doing this? You can't live on the edge and expect it, expect that kind of result every single time. You just can't. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: And jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: That's. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: Oklahoma City didn't score off. a team jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Yeah. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: And that didn't happen. There's so many little factors, they didn't shoot real [00:05:00] well. They didn't, nothing really went well. And they were right there. And you're right. And by the way I mentioned about the Mets. I'll give you the converse is what about 20 years ago when Philadelphia with Iversson. Won the first game in the finals against the Lakers and everybody was like, oh my God, how, what's going on here? The Lakers went back and they stormed and beat him in four straight after that. Again, anything's on the table. But this is this is crazy. I going back I thought the Knicks were better than the Pacers. I thought, jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: That wild, right? Isn't that wild? Yeah. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: That would be a pretty even series. So jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: No, it's crazy. The way this has played out is crazy. In 1991, the Lakers took, and Magic, magic Johnson's kind of final hurrah. He took game one against the Michael Jordan's Bulls, and then the Bulls just said, forget this. Won the next four. It matters of course, but you gotta win four. Alright let's move [00:06:00] on. Let's talk about Tyree Halliburton, 'cause we've talked about him before. Is he a superstar? Is he a really good player? Right now I think we settled on he's a good player. He is not yet a superstar 'cause he gotta do it consistently. And even in game one. He'll, it'll be for forever remembered as his shot, but he did not have a great game overall. But something very interesting about Tyree, Halliburton, you called out in your article, he's had four game time or game winning shots in the final five seconds, including overtime. And these playoffs in these playoffs, he's had five in his career. That's mind boggling. So that isn't luck. Clearly, he's a clutch player when the game's on the line, you want the ball in his hands. So has this changed your opinion? Is he, has he gone from good to superstar or is he still in the good, great category? steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: He's a very good player. But what I'll say, jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: I, steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: When he gets down. Better yet, the Kotch gene let's talk about jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: yeah. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: I think, he's a very good player and, but I think also he's got you [00:07:00] wish a lot of people have his, the ability when it counts to come up big. jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Yeah. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: That's, Larry Bird had that. That, that's not something a lot of people walk jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Right. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: And he's got that. I will say, and I don't want the Jalen Brunson fans getting all upset, but I would say he's the most clutch player in the league. jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Yeah. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: And just look at the results in the last couple weeks. jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Yeah. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: That's the best jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Yeah. Yeah. If you could do, if you could do that over right. And count the playoffs, I don't think there's any doubt Tyrese Halliburton would win that award. I don't think there's any doubt, but it's a regular season of award, so Jalen Brunson earned it. But yeah, if you take into account what he's done in the playoffs, come on. Clutch Player of the Year. Tyrese, Halliburton, steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: I jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: no doubt. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: he's the best, like a superstar. Go back to the fourth quarter of that game before that jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Yeah. Yeah. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: Andrew Emhart was the guy that carried them. jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Yeah, steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: mind was working 'cause of, in the first half, Oklahoma's defense was so good that [00:08:00] I was jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: dude. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: the only way they're gonna beat them is throw the ball to sea, aka, in the post and eliminate a lot of passing and Dr. Dribble drives. They didn't do that, but that 'cause I just figured anytime you went into the paint with the ball, they were taken it away and they were playing the passing lanes very well, jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Yeah. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: the second half they figured it out. jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Yeah. Yeah, they did. Yeah. I watched the first half and I thought, there's no way this continues. There's no way that Indiana patients have a chance. This defense is unbelievable. It was just world class something. They figured it out. So anyway, it's gonna be fun. Listen, as basketball fans, we love watching two great teams battle it out. The Cinderella against the team that won 60 plus games. You and I were loving this. Overall, this was a dud. And you wrote about this, right? You wrote about the possible buyer's remorse on the part of A-B-C-E-S-P-N that paid 2.6 billion per year. Hey, for the TV rights game, one the least, [00:09:00] watched since 1988, outside of the COVID years. Now it's not because this was bad basketball. This was one of the best game ones. B, a history. I don't know. I watched 'em all, but that was a phenomenal game against two great teams, but it's two small market teams. And now we've got this parody collective bargaining agreement. You wrote about it. So is this parody hurting the NBA overall? I, steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: I don't think they intended see two teams that are small market being in the finals, jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: yeah. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: the second apron forcing teams to trade people and he, here's the shame of it, if you've drafted two great players and they're combined making 70% of the cap. You're gonna probably be in the second above the second apron. And the shame of it is if you drafted them, you're gonna probably have to make a decision on one of them. when I say that, I'm thinking Boston Celtics would down the road, maybe not next year this year, but Jaylen Brown down the road gonna be [00:10:00] gone. so what, because you drafted. Got a player. You have to. So as a fan. That's disappointing. jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Yeah. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: or you have a very good team and your team now is over the second apron, you're restricted, so you have to break that team up so it'll keep parody. But if it continues where teams like this let's face it, Indiana and Oklahoma City the whole NBA family, they've got probably the least amount of fans. So the people are gonna be glued to their TV aren't gonna be a great deal. Now, the NBA just signed or made a deal for over 7 billion. All the TV contracts a year and A-B-C-E-S-P-N, which is the same thing. They're paying 2.6 billion a year and they're jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Come on. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: a low rated possible finals that. That's not good. That's just jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Yeah. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: situation. And [00:11:00] maybe in four years the contract I think is se is seven years. So maybe in six, seven years the price goes down, but still it's not a good thing. jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Yeah. Yeah, we gotta hope that, basketball fans saw, game one or heard about game one and maybe they tune in for game two, right? 'cause if you missed it, it was phenomenal basketball. Phenomenal basketball. And I hope you guys watch game two. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: what the, by the way's, game Sunday wouldn't dare a game because. people are not home generally, so they're trying to schedule it so it's nights they're home. jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Yeah. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: And that's another I guess factor or whatever in trying to draw more ratings. jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Yeah. Yeah. Let's see what game two does in terms of ratings. I think it's gonna be a another good game, which will probably start the same way as game one. We'll just see if Indiana has another magic shot in them. Let's talk about a team that's outside looking in a team that the NBA [00:12:00] would've liked to have been in the finals because they have probably more fans than the Pacers in the Knicks combined. No offense. New York Knicks. I think I said the paces in the Knicks, the paces in the in the thunder. Yeah. But we're talking about the New York Knicks. Who do you think ends up leading the New York Knicks? Who unceremoniously let their coach go? You saw the writing on the wall months ago with Tiv when they were building the team that really didn't fit his personality came to pass. He's gone. Who is going to be the leader? The coach of the Knicks in the 20 25, 26 NBA season? Who do you think? steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: Before we go there, let's just explain something to you. If you were going to make a controversial move, like firing the coach that got you to the conference finals, you should have had somebody in mind right out, right off the bat. jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Yeah. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: What the Knicks did, they first talked about you. Doka. Houston's not gonna let 'em go. jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Sure. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: talking kid. I know there's no great Love Dallas and [00:13:00] the next, going back to the Brunson and all the other stuff. So I don't know Dallas, I don't know how much they love kid. And I know kid was disappointed. He wasn't about Luca jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Right. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: was never really a big fan of Luca. He got annoyed about his ethics with referees and all but the point being. If kid, if the Dallas will not allow him to even get involved in this, where do the next turn? Do they have an idea? Rumor was Chris Finch was next. Come on. Minnesota's not gonna let him go. So where are we going here and what exactly are we doing? And the sad thing and I think I wrote this, the Knicks got away from that dysfunctional label. This is as dysfunctional as possible. It really it reeks of just silliness and each day something else comes out. Today I read that Dolan, the owner had [00:14:00] meetings with the players, with Leon Rose, the general manager next to him. But Dolan asked the questions. So the inti intimation was like were trying, Dolan didn't want tib. He didn't like him Looking, and in fact, one of the players that's not been identified said if he came back, he really wasn't, didn't wanna play, didn't wanna play for tips. So Evidently, and again, player empowerment, where players are saying what they want and management's doing it, more importantly it, it just dysfunction it, it smells a dysfunction. jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Yeah. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: I I hate to see it 'cause I thought the Knicks were starting to figure things out and they the last thing I'll say on that, if this was Dolan's doing, Leon Rose has got a decision to make in the next couple months, does he walk away or not? Because he's the one who put all this together and did a great job. jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Yeah, I checked the odds on [00:15:00] favorite 'cause you can bet on anything in this day and age and the odds on favorite. No surprise to me, Michael Malone. Denver Nuggets coach. He's, that's, this is a guy who's won it all. By all accounts he's well liked. I think what went sour for him in Denver was the fact that he didn't get along with the gm who was also fired at the same time. I, if I'm a Knicks fan, I like that name. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: I don't, I think if the Knicks get in a position where they get turned down a few more times, they'll go to Malone. But if you really think about it. similar to Tibs in a lot of ways, and his personality greats on people after a while, That's, Tom Thibodaux. So I don't know if that's a jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Yeah. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: as much as I think that would be a move where we gotta save face and we gotta hire somebody with a good reputation. jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Right. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: Who else is there? Vogel or Boin? Holzer, and Boin. Holzer. I think he's gonna be, I don't know if he'll ever coach again as a head coach and [00:16:00] Vogel, I'm sure he is living on a beach, well in the Lakers right now, you know jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Buder ISS on the list. He is fourth favorite. But second is an interesting name. Who I hadn't admit, I had to look it up. Johnny. Johnny Bryant? Yeah. Johnny Bryant. Associate head coach of the the Cavs. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: He was with the Knicks. He was with the Knicks, with He went to the calves. That, that's everybody's favorite to back up quarterback. You always think that what you have on the bench is better than what you have. jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Sure. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: I read some Nick fans saying that, why aren't they using Huck Porte, who's a backup center? Making like $2 million. Are you serious? jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Yeah. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: are people? So you always like the backup. You always like the backup. And Johnny Bryant is, and supposedly Johnny Bryant has a good relationship with a lot of Nick players. 'cause he was there two years ago. So that's it. But now if the Knicks did that, how bad would they look going? A team. Team that they believe is gonna win a ch could win a [00:17:00] championship. a guy with no experience. jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Yeah. steve_1_06-08-2025_123352: similar, I guess to what the Celtic. jose_1_06-08-2025_093348: Sure. Yeah. And it worked out okay for the Celtics. But yeah, we'll see interesting times in New York, but let's keep the focus where it should be on game two. That's tonight. I. And we're gonna talk about it and game three next week. You heard our buzzer go off, we talked over. It's what we do. We like to keep it around 15 minutes-ish. But thank you for listening. Thank you for watching. Make sure to read Steve's entire 13 rules, random NBA Thoughts article. We'll link it wherever you are at listening or watching this to get more thoughts on the 20 24 25 NBA season as the playoffs continue. Join us next week as Steve shares his thoughts as the finals. We talked about it, game two and three. We'll be here to talk about it. And of course, please consider subscribing, liking, sharing, all that stuff matters, and it means the world to us. Thank you. We'll see you next week on the Shop Clock Pod, the best 15 minutes of NBA random thoughts online anywhere. Thanks, Steve.