- 6/16/2025
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00:00NBA action. It is absolutely fantastic. And who would have thought that we'd even get to a game
00:05five, let alone a game six with a possibility for a game number seven, the Indiana Pacers and the
00:10Oklahoma City Thunder going to do battle tonight from OKC. But let's start here now because you
00:16were taking a look at and I really liked it, Joe. We did the show last week and we wound up. It's
00:19like, OK, game this weekend. Let's see what happens. And I really liked the fact that OKC
00:24was in one of those spots like they can't lose tonight. And boy, if you were just reading that
00:29line, minus five and a half, minus six as a favorite towards OKC after losing game number
00:34three in Indianapolis. This is wild. I said, just go with my gut. I like the six and I'm
00:38going to take the under at this point. Watching that game as it played out, I'm like, oh my
00:41goodness, Joe, are the Pacers actually the better team? A furious comeback in the fourth
00:47quarter, which handed OKC not only the win, but the cover and the game stayed under. And
00:52now as we re-rack the series itself at the FanDuel Sportsbook, the Thunder in control again, even
00:58though the series is tied at a minus 520 price and the Pacers as the underdog at four to one.
01:03Give me your thoughts after game number four and now seeing those prices readjust themselves
01:09massively back over to the Thunder. Well, let me just say this, and I've been saying this
01:15from the start. I don't ever remember a situation in an NBA final where one team comes in massively
01:24overvalued, taking on a team that has been massively undervalued in the marketplace and
01:32there's no in-between. This is a series that has always been made for zigzagging because
01:38of that undervaluing with the Pacers. Listen, the problem for me is my feeling watching that
01:44last game was I just watched the Pacers lose the NBA championship when they lost that game
01:50in the final three minutes. That's what it felt like. They had an opportunity to go up
01:55three games to one and essentially stick a dagger in this OKC team. And instead, the
02:02MVP SGA shows up and they had no answer for him. And Scott Foster also showed up. But besides
02:08that, it felt like I watched the end of the Indiana Pacers chase for an NBA title in that
02:14last game. 31-17 fourth quarter close here for the Thunder. You expected that defense to rise
02:21to the occasion and it finally did. Now, obviously, this series cannot end in five games, which will
02:25take place tonight because each one of these teams has two victories. But if we do look at the series
02:29price here on when this series is going to finish, game six is the favorite here, Joe. At a minus 134
02:35price to get to seven games is a plus 110. So again, winner or loser tonight, we're still going to get
02:41another game. Also take a look at this. Do you think that we are going seven or did OKC just say,
02:48all right, we got this game plan now. We're coming home. We'll handle our business. And we've already
02:52shown you we can win in your own building. We'll close you out in six games. Does this go to seven
02:57games, Joe, in your mind? I think it does. But ultimately, that seventh game has got to land back
03:03in OKC. And that's that stacked up against them there. Had they won game four and they had led by
03:12as many as 10 in that game at home, then home court, I think, would have held serve here and they would
03:18have had a chance to close it out in game six. As it is, I think OKC gets this one. I think Indiana can
03:24win game six at home and ultimately game seven at OKC is big advantage. OKC. To be honest, I've really
03:32been enjoying this series. And quite frankly, I was like, man, we can't get a sweep here because
03:35we add into these months. You're like we we cherish like, OK, NBA, please extend your series. NHL,
03:40please extend your series because we're going to have months and months. It feels like of just
03:44Major League Baseball, which I love. But you love the other sports colliding with each other. So now
03:48as we take a look at the NBA finals odds here on the FanDuel Sportsbook, it's Shea Gilgis,
03:53Alexander, the minus 550 price. No surprise. They're heavy favorites in the series. He dropped 35 on the road
03:58in game number four was tremendous there, specifically in the clutch in the fourth
04:02quarter, followed by Pascal Siakam, Tyrese Halliburton, Williams at 36 to one. So looking
04:07at these odd prices here, is it SGA for you where you just take that or still know what? Maybe the
04:12Pacers can come back. Maybe it's Siakam now who moved ahead of Halliburton at nine to one. How do we
04:17look at these odds here as an odds check on the FanDuel Sportsbook? No, it's SGA's to lose, but it's a
04:24popularity contest. And, you know, him winning, he basically saved Oklahoma City season in that
04:31final three minutes of game four. It was all him. There was nobody else involved for OKC. It was
04:37all him. So to me, it's his to lose, but I don't see him losing it anytime soon. Like there were so
04:43many clutch shots made in this series already through four games, but even the crate, like late
04:47in the game, you're down four points. And SGA is not really a three-point shooter by volume, per se.
04:51Knocks down that triple when they were down four points to give life back to them as they sort of
04:56close down the stretch. And that's the sign of a champion. Like you can be up against it here.
05:00And that's what we were waiting on. Number one overall scene in the playoffs, most wins in the
05:03regular season. They should be able to easily move through the Pacers. But I think what you said was
05:07really accurate. One of the, not, not overrated expectations were high for OKC. Nobody was
05:12talking about the pace coming into the NBA playoffs, let alone the NBA finals. And here we are tied up in
05:16that series. We'll look at the game five odds and also another championship series. It's
05:21hour number two right here on the early line coming up next.
05:24Hour number one down, hour number two up, hour number three to go. It's how we roll here on a
05:29Monday morning of the early line. Donnie Wright sat here along with Joe Raniere. The topics
05:33absolutely fantastic. And it seems to get better and better as we go. And also,
05:38since we are a social media show here, Joe Raniere, anything that pops up on the timeline,
05:41a massive trade that goes down, we'll give that information certainly to you live. So the energy
05:47after like the topics that we discussed, the NBA trades, Major League Baseball trades starting to
05:52chip away at the NBA finals, the Stanley Cup finals here, a Major League Baseball schedule today on a
05:58Monday just keeps popping here, Joe. It's what we do. Listen, if it ain't broke, let's not fix it,
06:04right? Let's keep rolling as we need as many games as possible, except in the NHL before it's nothing
06:12but baseball here, Donnie. Oh, and by the way, let me ask you this question too, because we're
06:16going to talk in just a few moments about the Stanley Cup. Would this not be again, the most
06:20painful loss? Like I, and I do respect Canada here. They love hockey, but also like, I don't think
06:26Toronto fans like, Hey man, I really hope Edmonton takes this down or Calgary fans like, wouldn't it
06:30be great for Canada when an Edmonton broke through again? But the fact that Canada hasn't won a Stanley
06:35Cup since 1993 on the doorstep again, Connor McDavid and the boys home ice advantage, things were
06:42looking so good. And now they're about to get closed out Joe to a team and set like South Florida
06:47doesn't need a championship in hockey again, do they? I mean, come on now, be honest. We don't
06:50need that down there. Oh yes, we do. Absolutely. We do just to prove a point, Donnie, where everyone's
06:59stuck in a fork and there's no way you can repeat as a Stanley Cup champion. All right. Let me know how
07:05that works out for you. Yep. We'll get to the Stanley Cup in just a moment, but again, setting the table
07:09for game number five tonight in OKC, 8.30 PM tip time tonight. What were we used to in the first
07:15two games, Joe? Roughly double digit spreads, right? For OKC switches over to four and a half to six is
07:20there once we get back to Indiana. So let's get back to the algorithm. Why? The opening number at
07:25the FanDuel Sportsbook here in New Jersey for this game was nine and a half. You know where it sits this
07:29morning, Joe? The same at nine and a half, a total here in New Jersey on FanDuel opened up at 223.
07:34That is shifted higher. 224 and a half at FanDuel. Some other outlets, Joe, up to 225. But let's start
07:41with the side itself. Nine and a half, about where we saw it in games one and two, warranted. And also,
07:46how do you think about that? What do you think about that line?
07:50It's kind of interesting, right? Because we saw that and we know they are a different team on the road
07:58than they are at home. They have been an immovable force at home. And they were, what,
08:04four and a half, five-point favorites on the road. Now, all of a sudden, this is ballooned up. Would
08:10it shock you if this goes to 10? It wouldn't shock me if this goes to double digits. But,
08:16you know, as you play a team, Donnie, in a series like this, each team gets to know the other
08:21a little bit better, a little bit better. And all of a sudden, points are harder to come by,
08:27which I think the total to me is the interesting thing here, where we started at, what, 230 when
08:33this series started? And now, all of a sudden, we're just crashing with the total here. And it
08:38makes sense because you're not faking each other out anymore. Both these teams know exactly what to
08:44expect. I think it'll be a good game. I wouldn't be running to the window to lay that amount of points
08:49here. But I get why they are that big a favorite here in this one. Yeah, we'll take some time also
08:55later in the show to handicap this game more. But let me ask you this question, because this was
08:59popping up before we even got to game number four. Like, the expectations on what game number five
09:03would be, right? So the thought process behind it, if Indiana stole, once again, as an underdog on
09:08their home court, went up three to one, most of us were thinking like an Oklahoma City Thunder 50-point
09:13blowout win in game number five on their home court. Like, we have to win this game. It's at home.
09:17And then you see the Pacers like, okay, well, if we lose this game, we should have game six
09:20in our own building. Does your thought process change at all with Oklahoma City getting the
09:25victory in game number four and still that high number? Does it make you more advantageous,
09:28like just on the number to take OKC? Or maybe people leaving the Pacers for dead. Now's the time,
09:34once again, to take them with double digits. Well, we talk about it, Donnie, right? We talk about it
09:39often in football. Like, you don't want a team to lose a game twice, right? And sometimes that's what
09:47happens in professional sports. And I think that's the biggest fear of Rick Carlisle and the Pacers is
09:52that they know what they let slip away in that game for at home. Do they lose that game twice?
10:01And that's going to be the big question here tonight. But I like Carlisle. I think he's much
10:07better and much more suited for this spot to handle this team and get them ready. You know,
10:13we're at game five, Donnie. Why are we laying nearly double digits with anybody with two teams
10:18that have already proven one is extremely undervalued and we continue to overvalue the
10:25other? I think at this point, throw it all out. These teams know what's coming. May the best team
10:30number three is on deck. Two hours down, one hour to go. The information, the hot topics,
10:35they never stop. It's what we do on the early line here at Sonny Wrightside. It's Joe Ranieri. And it
10:39feels like we are just getting started. Why? Because we do have championship action tonight.
10:45The NBA finals game number five for Oklahoma City. We have a large contingent of guests coming on to
10:50break it down with us, Joe. The energy still high. The vibe still high. The energy still ready to go.
10:56Can't, uh, can't wait. This week could, uh, amount to the end of the NHL and NBA season
11:05earlier rather than later. Uh, but, uh, something tells me one of these two series might eventually
11:11make it to seven games. Exactly. I mean, that's what we like to see. We want to see some energy.
11:17We want to see that action tonight and away we go. But as you know, at this time of the show,
11:21Joe, like the hot topics I told you, they will continue, but we love to reach out to the people
11:26and find out what they're actually digging on in our fade, the public poll. And as it goes
11:30at sports grid, the question that was asked today, Joe, what is the best bet for game five
11:36of the NBA finals for options, giving the thunder minus nine and a half, the Pacers getting nine
11:42and a half or the over two 24 and a half or the under two 24 and a half. Which way did you go today
11:49in this poll? Is it thunders? Is it Pacers? Is it overs? Is it unders? Where are we going?
11:55Uh, to me, this is a nine and a half is a big ask for a Oklahoma city team that yes, has been very
12:05good at home throughout the playoffs, but you're playing the same team here. Now in a game five,
12:11the NBA finals, everybody knows everybody's tendencies. Rick Carlisle have them ready to go.
12:17I don't know that the Pacers win, but asking OKC to run away with this game in a game five,
12:24they've already beaten you on your court. They're not going to be intimidated. I would take the points
12:29in this one. I'm telling you, like I, and I asked you this question too, because sometimes you see
12:34like how games end up, like I really liked OKC and midway through that game, the fourth one, like man,
12:40what an idiot. Like I actually laid the six points here, just reading the line and ended up winning in my
12:44favorites. They won by seven points. But my thought process was if the Pacers had gotten or
12:49won that game to go up three, one, like the Pacers minus plus 15 and a half, I wouldn't even have
12:54blinked at, but I actually like the Pacers now, Joe, in this game with the nine and a half, like
12:59the expectations are yes. OKC is supposed to win this game, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Pacers
13:03hang around and you just have to hang around within 10 points. So I went with the 47.4% of the people.
13:10So technically, Joe, I'm not fading the public. And I went with the Pacers squad. Yes, sirs,
13:16as we like to say. Yeah, I, and it would not shock me too, Donnie. I'll throw in a, a, a,
13:24a right in here as a choice. I would look at the Thunder in the first half as well, because at home,
13:32they tend to get out early. They tend to get leads. And then usually the Pacers on the road,
13:39they're the team that makes the adjustments and then comes back in the second half. If it ain't
13:44broke, I'm not fixing that script because that seems to be exactly what we're getting every game
13:48here with the Pacers on the road. Last game, Joe, game number four, actually like the OKC minus the
13:54six that hit and also like the under, quite frankly, it wasn't for that fourth quarter. I shouldn't hit
13:58either one of those bets, but it is a four quarter game. Both of those came through. I want to ask you
14:02a question about the over under tonight, two 24 and a half, 16.1% of the vote. So 10% of the vote said
14:08under, how do you feel? Because I, it's almost like, you know, the way the scripts usually play
14:13out for me, higher scoring games to begin championship series, lower scoring games,
14:17because why every single possession matters. How do you feel about the total tonight in that two 24
14:22and a half? I, I, again, it was, it makes sense that we're starting to get lower totals. We hope we
14:31started in game one with what? Two 30, two 31. Yeah. Now we're getting down all the way to two 23 and a
14:37half to 24. The problem is we're also getting a ton of free throws here, Donnie. Are we not? I mean,
14:43they are living at the line OKC and the absolute death to an over, uh, is the free, uh, to an under
14:51rather is the free throw line. And it could be a lot of fouling and a lot of extra points going. I
14:57think we've kind of hit the bottom here. I think the over is a better look. Yeah. It's, I can't wait
15:04for it to play out because again, this is one of those series coming into it. Most people thought
15:07it would be a quick series over in five, maybe six games. Now we could be looking at a game number
15:12seven, but can OKC get surprised once again on their home court by the Pacers, which we saw in
15:18the first two games of this series, something to watch. But of course it always tips in the favor of
15:22how do the superstars play SGA told you he needed a big game in game number four. He had a big game with
15:2835 points. He's listed once again with his points prop, Joe 34 and a half assist prop six and a half
15:34rebound prop five and a half Tyrese Halliburton. Once again, the starter, I should say for that
15:39offense for the Pacers, when he gets going from three point range, everybody else feeds off it.
15:44He's sitting at 16 and a half for his points prop, his assist number eight and a half and a
15:47rebounds profit four and a half. I'll start you here with SGA 35. We always can pencil him in,
15:53right? He'll be in the thirties. It feels like does he get over 35 points in this game and hit that
15:57number. What do you think? Uh, it's very, I wouldn't bet against it because he seems to be
16:04the guy and, uh, you know, I, I would have thought I'd like this number a little bit lower 32 and a
16:10half, maybe 33 and a half, but, uh, 34 and a half Donnie. If it comes down to it again in the fourth
16:17quarter, who do you think is going to handle the ball? Who do you think is going to play ISO basketball
16:21and win it for him? Kind of hard to go against them. Not to mention he's the guy that's going to the
16:26free throw line 15 times in a game. So kind of hard to bet against it. How about the wing men
16:32tonight too? Cause we always look at the superstars and rightfully so SGA is going to shoot 20 plus
16:36times. He's going to get to the line. He needs to be the catalyst as he's been all season long as the
16:40MVP of the NBA, Tyrese Halliburton. We talked about him as well. Got to get going, but how about
16:45Pascal Siakam? Love the guy's game. His points prop in this game listed at 18 and a half. You take a look
16:49at Williams here for OKC 22 and a half. I always like to say the secondary guys, it's not, it's not
16:55fair to call Siakam a secondary guy to Tyrese Halliburton. Cause quite frankly, you see the points prop
17:00there. It's higher for Siakam, but outside of SGA, I always feel the wing men play better at home and
17:05feed off the energy levels of those environments. But Williams has been good, particularly in that
17:10last game. How do we feel about Siakam and Williams coming into this pivotal game number five tonight?
17:15Well, listen, Siakam has not been efficient at all. However, what he has been doing is getting
17:23to the free throw line a lot more. He's averaging about seven or eight free throw attempts in these
17:28finals. He's also scored at least 19 points in three of the four games. And you're right. They're
17:33going to need him to show up in a big way here tonight. I think there's some value going over the
17:3818 and a half points with Siakam here tonight. I can see him getting 20 or more. Somebody's got to
17:44step up. Like again, when you are the underdog in a game, you can't have status quo like, Hey,
17:48Siakam got 19 and Halliburton chipped in for 17. Somebody has to be that guy that says, this is my
17:54game. 32 points, 33 points, like double the point outcome. Because again, you're not the favorites
17:59where everybody can just play average. You're the underdog and it decided underdog of close to
18:04double digits here. So the others in this game, as we like to say, Miles Turner, Andrew Nembhardt,
18:09Aaron Neesmith, Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso, Lou Dort in this point, because when Lou Dort's open,
18:14and not in foul trouble, he knocks down three point shots. He's listed at eight and a half now
18:18on his home court. How do you feel about some of these other guys listed here as opposed to the
18:22top plate guys or the superstars? Yeah. Well, I mean, you know, a home game, right? So your role
18:29players are always going to play better at home, Donnie, right? But how much more is Alex Caruso going
18:34to do here? Really? At some point, Alex Caruso is going to turn into Alex Caruso. He's not going to be
18:41shooting 50% from behind the arc and the field the entire series. And if he does, you know,
18:49hey, more power to him. But I'd be thinking Caruso is coming back down to reality at some point and has
18:56less a scoring role in this one. Yeah. How do we make it that, by the way? Like Caruso never gets
19:0120 and all of a sudden the NBA finals, like I'm the guy out here, the man, the myth, the legend playing
19:06great defense and great offense at the same time. I feel like he sort of saves OKC at times,
19:10which is crazy to think about. I look for like Chad Holmgren, Alex Caruso, Lou Doerr, but doesn't
19:16it just feel again, Joe, you just look at SGA and be like, would it surprise you? 38 points,
19:22six rebounds, five assists, and just an absolutely dominant performance to take control of the series
19:27on his home court. Yeah, it would not shock me at all. However, you know, that 34 and a half points
19:34as I'm looking, I think he's only hit this number once, if I'm not mistaken here. He's only gone over
19:40this once. So he's more than capable of dropping 50. We need a coach to help us out in the NBA finals,
19:47and we got a coach coming up next. Oh, who doesn't love a good finals game? Boy, we've gotten four of
19:53them so far. Who would have thought that we'd have a series tied at two with a pivotal game five
19:59in Oklahoma City? Well, that's absolutely what we have here. And you know what? I'm Donnie right
20:04side. You've seen Joe Ranieri. Now we bring in the coach, James Young, here for some extra analysis
20:10on a pivotal game number five tonight from OKC. Coach, how are we feeling tonight? We're getting
20:15exactly what we wanted, entertainment at its finest. And, you know, it's great to be on with you,
20:21Donnie, as always. And when the series started, people worried about ratings and all that stuff.
20:26We've actually got really good basketball. We've got competitive games down the stretch. And I keep
20:32wondering, you know, when does Oklahoma City step up in their spot and play the way they're capable of?
20:38We've saw the defense do it, not necessarily the offense besides J-Dub and obviously SGA. So
20:44pivotal game five tonight. I do not think there is a chance that Indiana wins this series if they lose
20:52tonight. They literally have to win it because I don't just I don't see them winning a game seven
20:57in Oklahoma City. We take a look here, coach, too, because when you say to yourself like it's up to
21:03them to sell us, which that's the thought point I had. Games one or two, invite me in. Boom. You got
21:09Indiana to win one of those games on the road. Everybody should be invested in a series because
21:12it's a lot of fun to watch. But now we take a look at the gamescape, right? First two games in
21:17Oklahoma City, you did get a win by the Pacers, but heavy lines, right? Double digits in a sense.
21:21Nine and a half up to 11 and a half in game number two. Game number five now back in Oklahoma City after
21:26a great performance in the fourth quarter by SGA and OKC. Now we're seeing close to double digits again,
21:32coach, at minus nine and a half. The total is at 224. We'll get to that in a moment. But when you see
21:37that close to double digits again, after we've known and we've shown that the Pacers can hang
21:42around, is that too many points for you? Or are we just expecting a whitewashing here in OKC? Easy
21:48victory by those Thunder. I actually think, you know, Indian has a really good job of coming out
21:54of the blocks hot, particularly on the road. I think OKC is a team that they could turn it on.
22:00It's playing with fire, but they could turn it on at any point. Yeah, I think the line is too high
22:05at nine and a half for me to take Oklahoma City. To me, this is a live play. I like Oklahoma City
22:10to win the game, but I'm going to let Indiana get into the game, get moving, get that second
22:15unit going with Obi Toppin, with Ben McMathrin, with TJ McConnell. Let that line get down. And if
22:20I can get it down to under two baskets, I can get it to a five and a half, four and a half
22:25in game. Then I'll jump on it because now I get the five and then we go from there.
22:29Hmm. What about the total, Coach? Because we watched Indiana score 93 points through three
22:37quarters and then managed just 17 in the fourth. It feels like because of that fourth quarter,
22:44they went completely cold. Now we're down to 223 and a half, 224. The pace will be there. The
22:51free throws will be there. Is there any reason not to look at the over here? Oh, I'm Joe. I'm
22:56squarely on the over tonight. I'm squarely on the over tonight. I think this game sales
23:01over at it is, is, you know, the pace will be there. You also look at a game in which
23:10Oklahoma City, I think had like 11 assists on like 37 field goals, like something that's
23:15incredibly wild. Like they got into a one-on-one contest and they won because literally, you know,
23:22Mark Dagonal was like, SJ, please God, go save us in the last six minutes. Don't pass
23:27the ball. We don't do anything else. Just go through it every time. So to me, because
23:31the last two games have gone under, I think Indiana is going to want to try and make them
23:35run. I think the game sales over. I think it goes over 230 tonight.
23:40We'd love to see that here. So more points, the merrier here. You're taking a look at prop
23:44bets, which you hope obviously with a higher scoring game, a better chance to hit those
23:47props. And we started the prop bets right at the top here, top shelf, baby. That's
23:52Halliburton 16 and a half is his points prop. That's a minus one 25 price live here, juiced
23:57here towards the over. Shea Gilgis, Alexander 34 and a half points here at a minus one 14
24:02price. If we look at those two top dogs right now, coach Halliburton and SGA, who would get
24:08your money tonight on maybe an over or an under? Well, I think that I can't really touch
24:15either over on the, cause I think it's so tight to me. I'm looking at the assist market
24:19as she had zero assists in game four zero. I'm saying someone else is going to have to
24:27beat me tonight. So that, that's six and a half assists. I love Donnie. Or if you want
24:32to go over, you know, I guess it would be 11 and a half or 12 and a half, uh, uh, rebound
24:36assists. That's what I would look at. I think you get maybe not the point at SGA, but you get
24:41more of an all around performance because the other part is Donnie, you know, this
24:46really well, both the guys do the role players shoot better at home. So to me, if I get a
24:55better performance on the chat, Lou Dort, who goes over under his threes now should go
25:00over cause he's back at home, right? You get some of those other guys that get knocked down
25:04shots. I think that assist prop or rebounds plus assist, uh, for SGA is what I'm looking at
25:10tonight. Those role players to me, I think the key for Indiana to stay within this coach
25:17and to have a chance to win it is see Occam's gotta be see Occam, uh, 18 and a half, I think
25:23was his point total here tonight. And if we're looking at an over, he needs at least 20 or
25:28more. I think here in order to catapult this Pacers team, what are you thinking? Well, here's
25:34the thing, Joe, if Halliburton goes under 20 points, can Indiana win? Because yes, because
25:39the other guys can, they won't see, I can go under 20. No chance. One of the best things I like
25:45tonight. Uh, I like talking about, I want fast starts at Indiana, very slow starts for some of
25:50these guys. I like over four and a half points for Halliburton and Siakam. They get me nine plus
25:57and Fandle gives me a 10 plus points for those two in the first quarter. I'm jumping on it because
26:02those two have to carry the load early on. And if we are taking a look again, top shelf
26:08guys, wingmen here, there are other guys that are going to need to perform and take a look
26:11at Alex Caruso. He's listed at a 10 and a half. And my guy's got two 20 point games in
26:15the NBA finals. And that's not his game here. If we're looking at some of the other players
26:19to try to get down and say, this guy could step up in a big moment. Who might that be for
26:23your coach? Oh, you know where I'm going? I'm going to do it every day, twice on this
26:30Monday. Hey, three ball. Hey, listen to that three ball park. I mean, eight and a half.
26:34You can take your choice. You need to go over three point props where you know what I am
26:37with, uh, the, the lead, the series and three, four props at five to one bounce back performance.
26:42He alternates hot, cold, hot, cold. That means tonight he's hot. Yeah. Somebody's got to play
26:48better. And coach, I absolutely subscribe to that theory. Your bench players and your B level
26:52players play absolutely better at home and feed off that home crowd. Why? Because they're used
26:56to playing at home in front of that home crowd. Somebody's going to step up tonight. Who's it
27:00going to be? A Pacer side B player? Is it going to be OKC's B player? Is it Alex Caruso again?
27:05We'll certainly find that out. But trades in the NBA? We're not even done this season yet.
27:09Let's have coach break it down next to us. Ah, rocking and rolling on the early line.
27:14Donnie Wright said here, Joe Ranieri, and also the coach, James Young here. By the way,
27:18we're all mature men on the network. You know what I love about mature men on the network? We come to work.
27:22We don't worry about sniffles. We put our work in here. We get after it. We talk NBA finals.
27:27We're here during the NBA finals. And anybody who's an NBA finals fan who doesn't work the NBA finals,
27:32come on, are they really a fan at this point? Now, you'll find out later in the day what that
27:36riddle actually means. But coach, we have you here for a reason. The finals are tonight. You'll be down
27:42on the finals. But how are we making trades here? He said, what do we mean making trades? Is Kevin Durant
27:46gone? Not yet here. How about this? Jam Cerrani reports. The Memphis Grizzlies are trading Desmond
27:51Bain to the Orlando Magic for KCP. Cole Anthony. Four unprotected first-round picks. One first-round
27:59pick swap. Unbelievable. On the move. Bain to Orlando. We got some offense, coach. We got offense.
28:06What in the Mikel Bridges trade do we have going on here giving up the first-round picks? Guys,
28:14let's be honest. When you look at Orlando, they have officially put their chips to the center of the
28:19table. Why, folks? Because of the Tatum injury makes the East completely, completely wide open.
28:24Knicks may make a move. Cleveland maybe was a little bit more overrated than we thought.
28:28Maybe people still don't believe in Indiana. Milwaukee doesn't have Dame, right? We don't
28:32know what the Sixers. So it makes sense for Orlando to put their chips to the center of the table.
28:37It also makes sense with the fact that Orlando struggles tremendously, tremendously on the three-point
28:43line. So you get one of the best shooters in the world in Desmond Bain. What it also does is it takes
28:48the pressure off of an injured Jalen Suggs and let him be that disrupter defensively and that point
28:55guard they need. Not someone's got to score a ton of points. So now if you look at that lineup of Suggs,
29:00Bain, Wagner, Banqueiro, and Wendell Carter Jr., you have a, I'll be honest, you have a young,
29:07formidable starting five. Now their bench takes a hit with someone like Cole Anthony, but you figure
29:13with Anthony Black, with the other Wagner coming back, you, maybe you have other pieces there.
29:18So Orlando puts their chips to the center of the table. Now, when you talk about unprotected first
29:22round picks, I want people to understand it. This, they're praying that this is not like, uh,
29:27Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets when it was unprotected. He ended up, I think,
29:32with some combination of a thick Brown and or Tatum. If you're Orlando and you think you're
29:38going to be a top 10 team in the NBA for years to come, that's picks 21 through 30. You can live
29:45with that. What you hope is you don't suck going to the lottery and now it's unprotected picks
29:51become something else. Well, from Memphis's standpoint, I'm actually kind of shocked because,
29:59uh, I thought Bain and John Morant would, uh, along with Jared Jackson Jr. Kind of would have
30:04been that core coach moving forward. Uh, cause he is the ultimate Swiss army knife, but what is
30:10Memphis doing here? I mean, three out of the last five years, you're out in the first round in the
30:15playoffs. You, you fired Taylor Jenkins. He's on his way to be the Knicks head coach. You and I both
30:21know it coach. Uh, so what in the world, where does Memphis go from here?
30:25There's another move coming. Someone else is getting moved because you got to also realize
30:31the fact that Jalen Wells got really hurt at the end of the year. We don't know when he's coming
30:34back. Right. And Zach is already out for next year already because here we go. Big man foot
30:40problems is a Sam Bowie 2.0. We don't know. Most of you don't know who Sam Bowie is because you're
30:46too young. Go do your research kids during a commercial break. But when you, when you get to
30:51the bottom of it is, I think there's another move. I think Jaron Jackson Jr. is going to be moved next.
30:57I think they're looking at this as we made our move. We tried, we competed, we're blowing it up.
31:04We're starting over with Ja, Zedie when he gets back in the year, Wells. And then if we can go get
31:10someone else, I think it's time that I think we look at this team blowing it up. They won't trade
31:16Ja because Ja can't give you enough back because of the fact that he's been injured or his legal
31:20problems or he's fighting or guns or what, I don't know what the hell this boy is doing,
31:25but he's not doing stuff that's good. Jaron Jackson Jr. because of his ability as a stretch
31:29four, stretch five should net you more back. Maybe the guy that gets moved is Jaron Jackson Jr. next.
31:36Now we talk to look at the NBA, like in most sports, like, man, you're giving up all first
31:39round pick. What is up with the NBA that basically says every franchise, like, we don't care if we have
31:43a first round pick until 2050. Four unprotected first round picks and a pick swap here. And I think
31:50we're all in agreement as well. It's like, yeah, that's a good move for Orlando. They actually
31:53got a player because the four picks that are probably be in the mid twenties, they probably
31:57won't stick around or basically G league guys. The NBA is evolution of we just got to trade
32:01first round picks and how many we have get them out of town. Yeah. I just think it's because
32:06of the fact of you're drafting one and then guys, these guys are not ready to play. So these
32:10guys are projects. I don't think you'll value draft picks Donnie until the NBA makes you
32:17be older, more developed to come in the NBA. That's the problem. They're not going that
32:21way. They may be going younger.
32:24Yeah. Interesting times here in the NBA. And that's not even the biggest trade at least
32:27trade proposal. Kevin Durant. Where's he going? Let's get the coach's input next right here
32:33in the early line.
32:34Turn the heat up on the early line. Why? Because we've got NDA finals game number five tonight,
32:39a pivotal game. Can we get another upset victory with the Indiana Pacers here? Or are we going
32:43to get a, okay, we're up three to two. It's time to close the door in game number six for
32:47OKC. But before we get to that game tonight, and before we get to some Kevin Durant talk,
32:52I want to ask you this question. Like, how are we making trades in the NBA and the season
32:58isn't over yet? Well, how's this happening?
33:01I have no idea. I don't remember trades like this happening. Like literally during the fall.
33:07Yeah. It's one of the things like, what is it? Like NBA Central? Like when I saw the tweet,
33:13I'm like, this has got to be fake. This has got to be fake, right? Like no one's making a trade
33:18like during the middle of the NBA finals, let alone for Desmond Bain. But to me, it's just a wild
33:24time in the NBA. Listen, it's going to be crazy. Guys are going to get moved. I don't think Durant's
33:29going to be the last guy. There could be others. We talked about Jaron Jackson Jr. The Knicks are going
33:33to do something. Philadelphia wants to unload, obviously, Paul George. There's going to be
33:39moves going left and right. I just think Donnie just got started a little bit earlier than normal.
33:44Now, here we go. What are we waiting on right now? It's Kevin Durant. That's the move that
33:49we're waiting on. Kevin Durant, not a free agent, but it's been known for a while. Kevin Durant is
33:52going to be moved out of Phoenix. Sham Sharani had a tweet that said the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs,
33:57and Houston Rockets are 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant's preferred trade destinations out of Phoenix.
34:03sources tell ESPN. Those across the NBA have made aware in recent days that those are the three
34:08teams that Kevin Durant would like to commit to long-term. If we look at Kevin Durant getting
34:13out of Phoenix, Coach, like there are a couple teams involved that he likes, but I don't care
34:17what he likes, Coach. Where do you like Kevin Durant, and what do you think his next destination
34:23should be? And it's funny because Mark Stein, who used to work at ESPN, just reported just now. I saw
34:28that the Suns are not committed to sending him to those three landing spots of Miami, Houston,
34:35and San Antonio. Basically, what it means is the Suns are going to try and get whatever the hell they
34:40can for him because they have really no draft capital, and they're a team that's really stuck
34:44going nowhere. So to me, you have to think about teams in the East and the West that are
34:50one, they think one player away from making a move. Number one, I hate to say it, it's New York.
34:59Rich Kleiman is his agent. They want him for the Knicks for forever. Now, the rumor running around
35:05here in New York is the reason why New York is on Kevin Durant's list is the Knicks are turning
35:09around telling that they don't want to be part of the sweepstakes. That could be a negotiating tactic
35:14by New York. The interesting one that's come out as of late is Minnesota. Why? Because if you give
35:23them another bona fide sniper like Kevin Durant to go with Ant-Man, that is as lethal as a one-two scoring
35:30punch you have in the NBA. It also goes to the fact of how Kevin Durant is idolized by Ant-Man and
35:40his relationship that he has with him. So I think it makes sense. But to me, if I am, if I'm Matt
35:46Ispia, I'm sending him out of the West. I'm sending him East. I mean, but hey, hello, what you got over
35:54there? RJ Barrett and Drapix? No, go ahead. I'm sending you to Siberia because all Kevin Durant has done
36:00has dictated everywhere he's gone. And it hasn't worked out for him except for Golden State. Oh,
36:08by the way, a Golden State that he could have went back to during this year, but he blocked the trade
36:12because he wanted to go back there and be the running man again for Steph Curry. I don't know.
36:17All I know is that Kevin Durant's going to get moved. The Suns want to get a lot. But let's be honest,
36:22Donnie, on a $51 million expiring contract for a guy that's 36 and can't play a full season,
36:26you're not going to get the return that you think you're going to get.
36:32But I also don't think, Coach, that Durant's wants are going to come into play at this at all. I mean,
36:39he is not a lifelong Phoenix Suns. They owe him nothing here. So to me, they're going to do what's
36:46best for the Phoenix Suns. And whether Durant likes it or not, it's not their problem. You just got
36:51to wash your hands of them, don't you? Yes. And I think what the reason why I think
36:56you're seeing that report by Mark Stein come out there is basically Matt Ishpia is saying,
37:02we got to get more teams in the mix. We got to get more teams in the mix because we got to drive up
37:07the return. So if you look at these odds right now that are on FanDuel for Kevin Durant, let's take
37:14them one by one by one, okay? Number one, if you're Houston, you do have the young players that you
37:21can move. Maybe center it around someone like Jabari Smith, right? And a team that is second
37:28in the Western Conference last year, maybe you think that's the jump. The problem is I think
37:33Houston is just getting into their window now. So I don't know if I want to give up a ton.
37:38Next, you have San Antonio at 23 to 1. Well, let's be honest, guys. Like when you look at San Antonio,
37:44even with Kevin Durant, Victor Webanyama, and Stephon Castle, are you sure that team is going to make a move
37:50in the West? I don't think so. So it makes sense for San Antonio to hold on to that, especially if
37:55they want that pick of Dylan Harper or wherever that number two pick, whether it's Dylan Harper
37:59or Ace Bailey. Then there's Miami. We've been waiting, Joe, and waiting and waiting and waiting
38:07for Pat Riley to make a move. Do you include someone like a Khalil Ware in the trade to try and
38:13entice them? I don't know what other kind of assets you got because if you're going to go get Kevin
38:19Durant, you got a match of money, you're probably moving Tyler Hero. Would I want to trade Tyler
38:23Hero at his age versus Kevin Durant at his age? The answer is no. So you got to find teams that
38:29have a combination of draft picks and bad contracts that could work to kind of facilitate a trade
38:35of Kevin Durant unless it's a three-way trade. And I think that's probably the most likely outcome.
38:43But coach, what are we actually getting out of Kevin Durant? Like we're not getting the OKC
38:46original Kevin Durant here. OK, we're going to have him for seven, eight years. We can build
38:50around him. Like it just feels like this is one of those guys where you have to take as the extra
38:54piece of the puzzle. But it's also not, hey, you know what? I'm Aaron Rodgers. I'll sign for $10
38:59million. Like he is going to get a crazy amount of money in an extension. So from the new team coming
39:03forward, what are the expectations on Kevin Durant playing a full season and certainly being one of the
39:08best players still in the NBA? Well, that's what you're going to hope for. But I'm not sold on him being able
39:14to be healthy for a full season, Donnie. Let's be brutally honest with it because he hasn't shown
39:19it as of late. So to me, you got to put him in a situation where he is a 1A, 1B. So that can take
39:27the mantle and be your top scorer or the turnaround and be the number two scorer at times. And here's
39:33the thing. He's got to be in a system where there's spacing around, where it's catch shot,
39:39catch one dribble, pull up. That's why you look at New York with Brunson.
39:43And that's intriguing because New York needs someone that's going to bail him out like
39:47shot clock when Jalen Brunson over dribbles. Now you can say it's going to be different now with a
39:52new coach, but getting him in a point guard, if you look at Kevin Durant and you look at where he's
39:58been and he's been the most successful, right? Kyrie, Steph, Westbrook. Dominant point guards that can
40:06score, but that can give him the ball where it's one dribble, pull up or a straight shot and you can't
40:11load up on him. I mean, I'm still trying to get over the whole idea of how in the world this is
40:20going to work at 37. He's going to want, what, a two-year extension, three years? What are we
40:26getting from Kevin Durant at 38, 39 years old? That's the even bigger question, coach, is it just
40:33there's no winners here? Kevin Durant may have his options that he wants to go to, but the reality
40:40is this is his final goal. And I don't know that there's a championship in his future. Do you?
40:46I don't think so. And that's why when you go make a trade, you got to be a team that is in the window
40:51now. Like now's your window. It's next year or two. That's why I don't, I think San Antonio or Miami
41:00or Houston makes sense. Two of those teams are in, not even in the window yet. The other one is way
41:05past the window. That's why a team like New York just makes sense because they're in the window.
41:11It's a wide open East. And if they think they get Durant and they get them healthy enough,
41:15that could be enough to take them over the top. Coach, you're going to be live and in charge
41:20tonight. Yeah. By the way, let the people know, coach. We always want everybody to the Sixers here.
41:24Let the people know, coach, where you're at tonight. And also, what can we expect? Pacers,
41:28Thunder, go ahead. Let them know. I'm going to be on 8 to 8.30 tonight. Kevin Walsh.
41:32Look at who? Kevin Walsh. What's how this guy is looking tonight? Kevin Walsh.
41:43Wow. Look at that. Oh, look at poor baby.
41:50Oh, I love it, man. It never ends on the early line, people. More action coming up next.
41:55The fun, the guest. It never ends here. It's the early line. It's a Monday edition. And boy,
42:00has it been action packed here. Donnie right side, Joe Neri. Now we welcome in Tom Vecchio
42:04to get some expert advice on what we can anticipate in both the NBA tonight and also tomorrow night's
42:10NHL action. Now normally I'd be bringing Tom in to say, hey, what do you think about Shoyotani
42:14pitching for the first time in 663 days? Uh-uh. Not today, Tom. We're talking NBA. We're talking NHL.
42:21How are we feeling today? I'm feeling great. We should actually start off with the fact that
42:25Nick Pavetta yesterday over four and a half strikeouts. Just wasn't over four and a half.
42:30You were on the under. I was on the over. He ended with nine, doubling up his prop.
42:34And the Padres came away with the win at plus 110. Let's move on to tonight's slate.
42:39Look at that. Home run yesterday for Tom Vecchio. Pitching Pavetta jumps on the bandwagon,
42:43fades me, and comes away with the victory. But tonight, are we fading? Are we laying? Are we taking?
42:47That's the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Game number five from OKC tonight.
42:53The side opened up at nine and a half. Still sits. Nine and a half. The total opened up at 223.
42:59Now sits 224 and a half as a live number tonight. Let's start there. Game five, Pacers Thunder.
43:06What do we think about the spread itself, Tom? Once again, in OKC and just about double digits.
43:12You know, it seems like a bit much. I want to buy into the fact that the Pacers have surprised a lot
43:16of people. And, you know, if it moves to 10 points, I will absolutely take the Pacers.
43:19I understand the argument to take the Thunder. The fact that they won by seven points in the
43:24most recent game, and they shot atrocious from three-point range, three of 16. So even if they
43:29shot, nailed a few more, right, they would be, oh, they won by 10, 12, 14 points, whatever it might
43:34be. So I can understand the reasoning to take the Thunder at that sub-10 points. But man, if we get a
43:4010-point line from the Pacers, I will certainly be looking to that. They have exceeded expectations.
43:44The fact that we have seen a lot of people saying, oh, 4-0, 4-1. No, we're looking at a
43:48best-case scenario for the Thunder at this point, winning the Series 4-2. So give me the points
43:52with the Thunder. Excuse me, give me the points with the Pacers. And honestly, this game is
43:56going to be falling under again and again. Too many points have been scored. And if we see it
43:59start off, the live line jumped to 238.5 in the first quarter of the most recent game.
44:04It ends with, what, 215 points combined, whatever that was for the most recent game. Give me live
44:09unders tonight. You know what it is? It's kind of crazy, Tom, because it's, we keep, now that
44:17they're back, they won that game, Oklahoma City. Now we're back to, oh, yeah, they're double digits
44:22better than the Pacers. We're talking about a game five, not a game one, not a game. There is nothing
44:28Oklahoma City is going to throw at the Pacers that's going to shock them. They're not going to bully
44:33the Pacers. They know what's coming here, right? So it just seems like, may the best five or six
44:39guys win the game, and that's all it's going to come down to. It really does. Like, this is the
44:44point in Series that we always see. It's like, again, you're not going to be shocked by anything
44:48that the Pacers or the Thunder do. It's minor adjustments here and there. And the discrepancy
44:52between Rick Carlisle and Mark Dagnall has been pretty apparent. The Thunder are changing their
44:57starting lineup. Surprised me coming into the Series, what they're doing, taking Hartenstein out of the
45:01starting lineup. So again, it's going to be minor adjustments. I don't think the Thunder are 10
45:04points better compared to the Pacers. Again, if you want to convince yourself, they're like,
45:09oh, they shot terribly and they could have covered by more. Sure, but that's not the route that I'm
45:13going. I think the Thunder may cover the first quarter, but the Pacers are still alive to keep
45:18this game close. Let's take a look here at some props here tonight. And of course, looking at the top,
45:23as we did with Coach, we'll do it yourself as well. It's SGA and it's Halliburton. 16 and a half points
45:27for Tyrese Halliburton. This is points prop. SGA is 34 and a half. So two
45:31part question. Tell me about these two superstars. And also, Tom, maybe a way that you're looking on
45:36some other players here to possibly fade on a big night in the NBA. Yeah, SGA's prop is too high.
45:42I think we can all agree with this, like 32, 33. Now we're up to 34. So we have the total dropping.
45:47Remember, this year is open about 228, 228 and a half. Now we're down to 224, which also means that
45:52the Thunder team total is dropping. And now SGA's prop is increasing. So we need him to score a higher
45:57percentage of points as the total continues to drop. That's just not what I'm expecting.
46:02Can he get to his normal 28, 30? But to him see him pushing to 35, I mean, that game would have to be
46:07flying over at a certain point and or no one else is scoring on the Thunder. So I can't see him going
46:11to 35 when this game would be falling under, which is what I'm going to be seeing. I think Halliburton's
46:16line should be where it is. I will say if he starts off really slow, as we have seen him at times,
46:19a live total of 13 and a half, 14 and a half would be much more enticing. But let's turn to some
46:24role players. OB topping for the Pacers. I like him under 10 and a half points. It is sitting at
46:29minus one 30, minus one 35, seven of 12 in the most recent game. That is the second most field
46:34go attempt he's had, not just in this entire series, but in the entire playoffs overall and
46:38shooting over 50%. I can't take a player that is exceeding efficiency and volume to do that two
46:44games in a row. Hmm. Doesn't it feel like Tom, like the Pacers are actually wearing down the
46:52Oklahoma City Thunder. It feels like, you know what I mean? It just because they've never been
46:58pushed, like they're being pushed by the Spacers team. Do we trust Chad Holmgren to have another
47:04big game? Because it feels like all 165 pounds of them might be wearing down here a little bit.
47:10It might be. Honestly, when it comes to role players, would it be, what is, what do we see for
47:16Caruso? If we know his prop off the top of my head? 20 plus. 20 plus, baby. That's what we see.
47:21I mean, listen, his prop is still 10 and a half for points. It is just a little bit minus one 20
47:26on the over, but honestly, if there would be a player that I would trust, I think it would be
47:30realistically, it'd be Williams, but I don't want to bet the 22 and a half line. Like, I'm sure
47:35if I had to trust one player, it would be Jalen Williams from a basketball standpoint, but from a
47:40betting prop perspective, Caruso is the most interesting. Like, we need some juice off the bench,
47:44and he's got to be that guy. He kind of has been all serious. Don't give me Holmgren. Don't give
47:49me Jalen Williams. Give me Caruso off the bench for the Thunder. I mean, take a look at that last
47:53game, like having a minus six ticket here in my pocket for OKC. Absolutely stole that. They should
47:58have lost that game outright heading into the fourth quarter, but they really played clutch. They played
48:02great defensive time. Let's resize this series up here because I always thought regardless, it was
48:06going to be OKC, but boy, I've been impressed with the paces at every step of the way and so close
48:10having a 3-1 advantage, but now it's 2-2. Oklahoma City, a minus 520 price live here to win this
48:17series. The Pacers plus 400. Any buy-in options on the Pacers at this point? Because I got to tell
48:22you, I do like the point tonight with the Pacers, but I don't think they can get over the hump. Is
48:26the price point there enough to possibly get you the hump or maybe take a piece of the Pacers?
48:31Honestly, if you have no action on the series, you don't have any futures, whatever it might be,
48:35the fun answer is to take the Pacers on the series price, not the money line tonight, just because
48:40you're getting a better number, right? You're getting plus 400 compared to plus 320. It's not
48:43a massive differential, but you can look at it like, oh, listen, if the Pacers do happen to win
48:47tonight's game, then you have a lot of flexibility heading into a home court game in game six. You
48:52could hedge out, do whatever it might be, take the other side and come out. It's still in a good
48:56spot. So if you have no action, Pacers are fun right now. There it is, man. Talk about fun. What a fun
49:01show it's been so far at this point. And guess what? Joe Ranieri and Tom Beck, you're going to take
49:05you home in the next segment as I head over to a solo edition of Moneyline on the radio.
49:10What a time in sports. What a time to be on the grid. The boys will carry you home. Me? Yeah. I'm out of here.
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