00:00The Thunder are minus 750 to win the NBA championship.
00:03There are some hypothetical prices out there.
00:05If they were to play the Pacers at minus 770.
00:08If they were to play the Knicks, then maybe around minus 600 or 700 is what we would anticipate the number being.
00:16So I think then we just start with this run up to the finals, J.Y.
00:22And the conversations now, you know, OKC, an all-time team, an all-time season.
00:27How do you feel about the Thunder 12 wins in as they hope to get to 16?
00:33I think the best thing that got that happened to the Oklahoma City Thunder, honestly, Kevin, is a Denver Nuggets series because they were put at stress, right?
00:43They were put in situations where they lost home court in game number one.
00:48They lost a tight game and game number three in which they, you know, SGA kind of got a little crazy.
00:54They didn't get the ball to Jalen Williams, right?
00:56So they got pushed.
00:59And at some point when you're that team, Kevin, that gets over the hump, you got to be pushed.
01:04And it usually is by a team that won a championship.
01:08But we're used to that happening in the conference finals or the NBA finals and not in the semifinals.
01:15I also think, and I talked about this before when we started the playoffs, that I thought that the pathway for Minnesota was to the Western Conference finals.
01:25But then I thought they were going to run into the Thunder and they were going to run into problems.
01:29And that's exactly what happened.
01:31And I think they're the first team, if I'm not mistaken, Kevin, to get to the NBA finals with 80 wins.
01:37I think I saw some of that are 80-something wins.
01:40And part of that is because, obviously, first round, seven games.
01:43It used to be first round, five games.
01:45So that can take away a team or two just that one extra win.
01:49But they can do everything that you can do and better.
01:55If you look at, you know, Indiana, what are they based off of?
01:59Speed, transition, offensive, diverse, you know, play.
02:05I think Oklahoma City is better than that.
02:06You think about the Knicks.
02:08The Knicks are more of a try to grind you out defensively.
02:11I think Oklahoma City is better than that.
02:13So they do what you do better than you.
02:17And then when you don't do better, they do better than you as well.
02:21And that is why, Tom, they have looked the way they've done.
02:25And that's why they are a huge favorite to take out the Pacers or the Knicks in the NBA finals.
02:31Yeah, we've been in studio doing the show for weeks and weeks at this point.
02:35And what did we say during the OKC Denver series?
02:38They couldn't win close games, right?
02:40We talked about the fact that OKC either won in a blowout or they lost close games.
02:43They rectified that.
02:45And to your point, Coach, of what they do and they do better than everyone else,
02:49they also have more pieces to throw.
02:51At everyone else.
02:52And we talked about this a little bit pre-show, who would the Thunder rather play?
02:55Frankly, I think they would rather play the Knicks because I just don't think the Knicks,
03:00A, have the offense to keep up with them or the depth.
03:03Like that's what it really comes down to.
03:04So when push comes to shove, the Thunder defense we can equate to being,
03:08or I should say the Knicks defense is good enough to hang with the Thunder defense.
03:12But at a certain point, the Knicks offense will not hang with the Thunder offense.
03:16So when push comes to shove, you can match them on defense.
03:18OK, the defense will always be there.
03:20The offense may be inconsistent on a time-to-time basis.
03:22It may struggle at times versus a hypothetical matchup against the Knicks.
03:26But the defense are equal.
03:27Therefore, we're going to see the offense from the Thunder push ahead at a certain point.
03:31That's just the way I look at it.
03:32Are not equal.
03:33The Thunder's defense is in another planet.
03:37But I'm saying there are times that the Knicks defense could hang with the Thunder defense.
03:41But at a certain point, that Thunder offense is way better than the Knicks.
03:45I agree.
03:46And listen, I think it's stylistically what team has given them the most stress.
03:57Teams that can score.
03:58Pacers can score consistently.
04:00The Knicks can't score 120 consistently.
04:01But I think the thing that when you play against a team, and I have thought about this, when you have gone against situations coaching where we've played against teams that are far more talented than us, far deeper than us.
04:13Because I have to shorten the game, meaning possession-wise, and I've got to make it as much as I can of a street fight.
04:23Even though knowing, Kevin, I'm going to lose the street fight most nights.
04:27Because the team that does that better is New York, if that is game five.
04:37I'm not talking, because you can't think that they're going to play like they did game one, game two, down 20 against Boston, and come back.
04:46You have to play with the lead and muck the game up and make it extremely physical for you to take them out.
04:52So, can I see Indiana doing it?
04:55I can see Indiana trying to outrun them.
04:57I just don't think that's going to matter to OKC, because I think they'll do enough to neutralize the break and take advantage.
05:04I think the Knicks pose a little bit of a harder test because of the fact that they may try to shorten the game and make it more physical.
