- 6/23/2025
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00:00The two best words in sports and for the first time since 2016 we could utter them for the NBA
00:06finals game seven last night in Oklahoma City between the Thunder and this Pacers team not
00:13expected to be on this stage not expected to force a seventh and decisive winner take all game of the
00:20championship set and yet that's where Indiana was inside the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City
00:27the Thunder seeking its first NBA championship in 17 years in OKC Indiana seeking its first
00:35ever Larry O'Brien trophy in nearly half a century as an NBA franchise and early on DRS
00:42it was a bout back and forth both ways but ultimately in the second half the Thunder as
00:50Indiana was desperately missing Tyrese Halliburton in game seven marred by the early injury in the
00:56opening quarter Oklahoma City prevails a win of 14 points in the third quarter to ultimately win
01:03by 12 103 91 the Thunder bring an NBA championship for the first time ever to OKC they cover as a
01:12seven point home favorite in game seven a total of 215 and a hook stays well under the NBA's best team
01:20all season long ends on top of the association the pinnacle as an NBA champion absolutely and also
01:28understand this 68 wins this is why you play hard the entire way through to get home court advantage
01:34which rose to the occasion twice in the NBA playoffs for OKC Denver game number seven where was that
01:40wasn't an elevation it was in OKC winner by OKC game number seven it wasn't in Indiana where that place
01:46would have been buzzing as well it was in OKC winner OKC and an NBA champion here and you rode the
01:52coattails there of SGA all season long was he fantastic in that performance yesterday no eight
01:57of 27 from the floor but still got to the free throw line 11 of 12 there on conversions 29 total
02:02points a plus 11 there been asking for Chet Holmgren to step up 18 and eight in a decisive game number
02:08seven you love to see it a couple guys off the bench with double digits here but we'd be remiss to say
02:12how did this game play out it would have been way different to me if Tyrese Halliburton does play the
02:17entirety of that game it wasn't as if like OKC I'm coming in the game number seven I know my calf hurts
02:22I'm 0 for 7 to start the game in the first quarter then I get injured so OKC maybe DJ McConnell is going
02:27to be best just to play the entire way through but Tyrese Halliburton's jeep clutch gene was already
02:32engaged with dropping multiple long three-point shots there in the first quarter alone it's a shame that
02:38he got injured because it did change the momentum but again I credit Indiana won the second
02:42quarter and had the lead at halftime but you can't ask for like an all-NBA all-star selection
02:47to not be there against a better overall team on the road into game number seven and expect a victory
02:52things happen there it's a shame it did but OKC was the better team and they won this series
02:57two things can be true DRS often in life but certainly in sports the tenor of the game completely
03:04changed as Tyrese Halliburton with about five minutes left in the opening quarter crumbled to the floor
03:10the replay immediately you saw the reverberation up his right calf we all know if you're watching
03:16sports you don't have to be a doctor to understand that's an Achilles injury and a significant one at
03:22that you can see the emotion on Hallie's face as he was on the floor being tended to by the training
03:28staff for Indiana and his teammates out for the remainder of the game and as we fear more than
03:34likely most if not all of the 2025-26 NBA season his teammates understood it was going to be a huge
03:42burden but this Pacers team that has defied expectation and the odds makers in the entirety
03:48of this playoff run had a one-point lead at the break DRS over the Oklahoma City Thunder in OKC the
03:57Pacers of course 10 outright wins as an underdog in 17 total games booked as a dog throughout this
04:05playoff run matching the Miami Heat from a few years ago as the most straight up wins booked as
04:10an underdog in a single NBA postseason in history but also as I said two things can live in this dichotomy
04:17the game changed without Tyrese Halliburton but the best team all season long in the association
04:23the home favorites of seven points in game seven earning the ability to win an NBA championship on
04:30their home floor the Oklahoma City Thunder prevailed and they will be immortalized 84 total wins this
04:36year one of four NBA teams in a single season that can say that in history of the association and
04:43you talked about home court advantage OKC in this postseason 11 and 2 straight up at home 10 and 3
04:49against the spread booked as at least a seven point favorite in all 13 home games throughout this
04:55playoff run that ends with an NBA championship in game seven yeah exactly that's what you fight for
05:01that's what this team was striving for and also building towards a winner and the question marks always
05:05came up like okay they won 68 games in the regular season they've never had the playoff pressure like
05:10they're going to have this year and passed it going away each and every round including being tested
05:14by Denver and also the NBA Pacers in the finals here loved what I saw this team and so many times we
05:20talk about man this team's never going to get over the hump this could be their last chance the
05:24questions that will bring up the rest of this show are where is that window at because it's wide open
05:29right now with a young team heading in still have the financial concerns no financial constraints
05:33where oh we can't afford other players that keep this group intact it'll be interesting to see
05:37where they go but celebration here in an NBA championship for a team that really did it
05:42the right way they did have a couple seasons where you know tanking is one of those words
05:46where it's like okay we don't want to win more than like nine or ten games like the Philadelphia 76ers
05:50but they were tanking all along making smart moves adding draft capital but making the right selections
05:55in the draft and making the right trades here like Shea Gildress Alexander to add to the team and as I
06:00said tons of draft picks tons of capital in the future let's see if they even spend it on another
06:05veteran player here to bring in and sort of fortify this young team even further it's a fun team to
06:10watch here and we'll see where that lands in the future but they are the NBA champions and by the
06:14way this was no fluke the expectations were they came out of nowhere they were the best team all
06:18season long it felt like in the NBA no doubt about it DRS one of four teams in the history of the
06:24association to enter the NBA finals already accumulating 80 wins along with the 2015-16 Golden State
06:31Warriors the 95-96 Bulls the 96-97 Bulls and now the 24-25 Oklahoma City Thunder who end with 84 wins
06:41again one of four teams in the history of the NBA to ever be able to claim that and if we go back to
06:47the stats not the most efficient night from the floor for Shea Gildress Alexander but 12 dimes 29 and
06:5312 in a highly important game the NBA MVP performing as such Jalen Williams 20 points Jet Holmgren 18-8
07:01and maybe most importantly a defensive force down low five blocks that's the young core that's the
07:08young big three if you will in OKC we'll continue to recap the end of the NBA finals and hear from
07:15Shea Gildress Alexander all that up next the Oklahoma City Thunder are an NBA champion for the first time in
07:2117 years in OKC the Thunder bring home a Larry O'Brien trophy culminating a historic season for the
07:29team for this franchise and of course for the NBA MVP Shea Gildress Alexander who won finals MVP last
07:38night as well let's hear from SGA on what it means to bring that Larry O'Brien trophy to Oklahoma City
07:44feels amazing so much weight off my shoulders so much stress relieved like no matter what like you go into every
07:56night wanting to win and sometimes it just doesn't go your way and tonight could have been one of those nights
08:01but we found a way I'm so proud of this group I wouldn't have rather done it with any other group in the world
08:07it feels good to be a champion
08:09Shea Gildress Alexander becomes the 11th player in NBA history to win the regular season MVP award
08:16and the finals MVP award in the same season and I believe the first to also add in a conference finals
08:24MVP trophy to that mantle as well of course those started just a few years ago here's SGA
08:31not just a championship but a historic season for him and his team it's hard to believe that I'm
08:38I'm part of that group it's hard to even fathom that I'm that type of basketball player sometimes
08:44as a kid you dream and every kid dreams but you don't ever really know if it's going to come true and
08:52I'm just glad and happy that my dreams have been able to come true and that's a thank you to everyone
08:58that's been in my corner that's helped me get here I wouldn't be able to come without them they know
09:02exactly who they are so yeah it's a win for the family
09:0529 points DRS in 12 dimes a playoff high for Shea Gildress Alexander in his career
09:14in the all-important game number seven last night of course won the NBA finals MVP the regular season
09:21MVP award led the NBA in scoring that being the scoring title and adds an NBA championship to the
09:27resume there are four players in NBA history to do that in the same season Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
09:33Shaquille O'Neal Michael Jordan four times and now Shea Gildress Alexander
09:38Shea Gildress Alexander bringing up a lot of memories for me like seeing you finally get to
09:44the pinnacle of your sport there that was me in February of 2018 when the Philadelphia Eagles won
09:48the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots so I feel exactly what he's feeling like you know what
09:52life doesn't get better than this MVP awards you know real fine you love that stuff you had a great
09:58regular season you get to the Western Conference Finals you get the MVP you get the championship
10:01and the MVP it's almost like you've sort of arrived here now we all knew he was a great basketball
10:06player he's making tens of millions of dollars but if you are a professional basketball player
10:11what's the pinnacle if he retires right now was an NBA champion and an MVP I did it all right now
10:16and he's still young in his prime in his career so many players of his capability would kill to be in
10:22that position here and already achieve all your genes at that young age here and yet OKC is just
10:27the opening of what they could possibly do you feel good for those guys because you know sometimes like
10:32hey you know the guys plays it off in the media not a nice guy like SGA just seems like a great guy
10:36great family guy every time the microphone is there says the right things at all time and building up
10:41in OKC to a championship man he is at the pinnacle already of his career that's got to feel good
10:46yeah DRS for this young core you really appreciate what they have done two years ago they were sub 500
10:5340 and 42 last NBA season the one seed in the Western Conference but ousted in six games in the second
11:01round our question for Oklahoma City by far the best team throughout the entirety of the NBA regular
11:08season was what would that playoff experience be like would they learn from the lumps of a year ago
11:14and then capitalize on this stage and this opportunity a couple of chinks perhaps in the
11:19armor throughout the playoff run but of course when it mattered most two game sevens in fact on their
11:25home floor may prevail they win by double digits 11 and two straight up at home inside the paycom center
11:31in this playoff run 10 and three against the spread booked as at least in a seven point favorite
11:38in all 13 of those home playoff games the margin at home by the way 19.9 points per game including
11:46those two tight home losses in OKC we'll talk about the thunder what the future looks like in Oklahoma
11:53City how that future has already been realized by Sam Presti for the NBA's youngest team and what it
12:00means moving forward but again DRS to start our next segment we'll highlight Indiana give the Pacers
12:06their flowers as well throughout a magical run that came up just short in game seven and of course
12:12without their best player in Tyrese Halliburton who played through that screen calf in game number six it
12:19was questionable if he would even play in that sixth game inside Indianapolis he does he excels he plays
12:26in game seven and gets injured early in the opening quarter we tie a bow on game seven in this NBA season
12:33on the other side of the break right here on the early line history immortalized last night in
12:39Oklahoma City in a winner take all decisive game seven just our fifth since 1994 in NBA finals the
12:47Oklahoma City Thunder win an NBA championship for the first time in 17 years in OKC we'll talk about
12:54what the Thunder accomplished this year in terms of history what is next for Oklahoma City because we
13:01often when a team wins a championship immediately ask OK what's next how many more titles can they win
13:08it seems like a realistic possibility for this Thunder organization but before all of that DRS
13:14one more time a hat tip to the Indiana Pacers a team we did not expect to be here really at any juncture
13:21of this NBA season regular season when they got off to a dismal start in the first half of this year
13:27or even throughout this playoff run series underdogs against the Cavaliers against the Knicks in the
13:33Eastern Conference finals and of course a hefty underdog in this championship set plus 500 minus 700 on the
13:43other side for Oklahoma City the second strongest favorite entering the NBA finals since 2014 in the
13:51association our question DRS was not could the Pacers play spoiler and win a Larry O'Brien trophy but would we
13:58even see six games in this series we saw six and then we saw seven the Indiana Pacers won 10 games outright
14:06booked as an underdog in this playoff run tied for the most in a single postseason in NBA history with the Miami heat of
14:15the 2022-23 campaign and of course despite the Pacers being gritty last night it will be remembered
14:23with a large what if of what happened in the first quarter with Tyrese Halliburton going down with an
14:28apparent Achilles injury it would be and also what an unbelievable story if it was 103 to 91 the Indiana
14:34Pacers where Halliburton dropped 29 points in a game number seven on the road to cement his legacy as one of
14:40the better clutch players in NBA history already early in his NBA career but it wasn't meant to be at
14:46that point and I guess the precedent there is Oklahoma City was the better team and you're right Ben
14:50when we lined up this series we were just hoping saying man you know what summer months are coming
14:54can we just enjoy an extra game at least give us five boy if you push it to six that would be absolutely
14:59amazing but if we could get a game number seven on a weekend date which was Sunday that we can all watch
15:04that would be great and again the only thing that marred it was the injury early to Halliburton because
15:08the what ifs then start to happen but also you can't say to yourself well okay see there's an
15:13asterisk because Tyrese Halliburton was there no that's the way sports are players get injured you
15:17rise to the occasion you play games and you see who that winner and loser is and the winner clearly
15:21was the Oklahoma City Thunder but it would have been an unbelievable story to say boy I can't remember
15:25the last time where a team that got so little respect in the regular season as a decent ball club that
15:30won 50 games that was given relatively no chance to get through the Eastern Conference because the
15:35Titans like the Celtics were there and the Cavaliers had such a good season and the ultra talented Knicks
15:39they were an afterthought and to be an afterthought and almost win an NBA championship there's a lot
15:44to look forward to and then you say hey we'll be back and ready to go next year but Tyrese Halliburton
15:49won't so there's so many things to ponder what could have happened but also you do want to give props
15:54to the Pacers if anybody would have said to me forget about the regular season the moment the play all
15:58started hey by the way I got a crystal ball the Pacers are playing for an NBA championship in a game
16:03number seven I said you are out of your mind but that's actually what happened yeah no doubt about
16:09it DRS a sincere thank you to the Pacers for a great postseason and now an NBA finals that we
16:15started wondering all right would we even see a fifth game let alone a sixth game oh small market
16:20mid-market teams when we even get great finals ratings and then we got a spoiler in game one
16:26despite not great television ratings in seven games in an NBA finals in a series we will remember
16:32for quite some time now let's talk about Oklahoma City 84 total wins regular and postseason DRS as I
16:40mentioned one of four teams to ever pull off that feed in NBA history the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors
16:45who had 88 the 95-96 Bulls they had 87 combined and the 96-97 Bulls who also had 84 this Oklahoma City team
16:56was an NBA favorite throughout a good majority of this season and they capitalized on that they made
17:03some history along the way as well so don't just throw in the asterisk because Tyrese Halliburton did
17:10go down early in game number one as I mentioned a home point differential on average of 19.9 points per game
17:19in their 13 plus 259 in total that an NBA record best turnover differential in a single playoffs they
17:27forced a ton from Indiana last night plus 131 in total 19 and 2 all year long DRS following a loss
17:36they bounced back and did so in a big way plus 1247 1,247 points the best overall point differential in a
17:45single season in NBA history and again we anoint a champion and then immediately ask okay so what's
17:52next what about next season this Thunder team was the youngest in the NBA look at the ages of their
17:58starting lineup last night Shea Gildas Alexander the NBA MVP he's 26 Lou Dork the ferocious defender
18:05he's 26 Jalen Williams is only 24 Chet Holmgren is only 23 he had 18 and 8 J-Dub had 20 after a slow
18:15start Isaiah Hartenstein the big offseason acquisition for the Thunder is only 27 the oldest
18:21guy on the team is Alex Caruso and he's just 30 years old and oh by the way Sam Presti the general
18:28manager in Oklahoma City has accumulated 13 first round picks in the next seven NBA draft including two
18:35on Wednesday night this week in the 2025 NBA draft those two picks in the top 24 selections
18:42as well DRS this Thunder team seems as though they will be here for a long time to come
18:47exactly the only question is going to be is you play an OKC not the largest market certainly by any
18:53stretch in the NBA when these guys are young and they're coming up for contract renegotiations
18:58in their contract seasons they are going to get a lot of money that's what happens but you do have
19:02those bird rights as we like to say if you want to pay that payroll with your current guys you can keep
19:07this team together for a long long time but as we saw in the past the Boston Celtics go hey we got a
19:12championship here we have an unbelievably talented team but a massive high payroll because everybody
19:17got paid the ownership group's like now's my time to get out at this point that's the only thing that
19:22could be a downfall for OKC but as we pointed out with that graphic they're young they're hungry
19:26they're talented and we no longer have to say it's the regular season I want to see how this team
19:32actually provides that strength here in the playoffs as well they're through that so if they're the number
19:36one seed Ben entering into the playoffs next year we don't even have that question the expectations
19:41would be yeah they're going to win it again yep they're a historic team DRS they are a historic
19:47franchise now in Oklahoma City with their first NBA championship in 17 years in that city of course
19:53dating back to their Seattle days in the Northwest second ever NBA championship in that franchise
19:59the first since the Supersonics won in 1979 I'm not sure many in Seattle though we're cheering for
20:05Oklahoma City last night so you have the youngest roster in the NBA the second youngest ever team
20:12to win an NBA championship all the draft capital they have coming up immediately and over the next
20:18five six and seven years we can talk about aprons and all that stuff at a later date for Oklahoma City
20:24right now the present is incredibly bright in the future might seem even brighter and Donnie how about
20:30these odds to be crowned an NBA championship the Easter conference is going to look wacky to start
20:36next season because of the significant injuries Jason Tatum for the Boston Celtics Tyrese Halliburton
20:42for the Indiana Pacers the New York Knicks don't even I didn't miss this in Italy right they don't even
20:47have a new head coach yet and DRS the Cleveland Cavaliers although they are booked as the favorites
20:52currently to win the East they're not going to have Darius Garland for a considerable amount of time
20:57in the 25-26 season so where is Oklahoma City for next year expected a repeat and not expected to be
21:05all that competitive atop the association plus 220 the Cavs are the second best price at 8-1
21:11we'll talk about the Houston Rockets they are tied with the New York Knicks for the third best number
21:15at 9-1 in just a matter of moments yeah it's pretty funny how it works out like they're the 0-1 Lakers all
21:21of a sudden like hey we don't know if they win a championship like oh yeah they're going to win the next
21:24three in a row and it's not going to be close but you're right about this like the Eastern Conference
21:28where it's like boy you are going to get one of those teams which was either the Cavaliers and or
21:32the Celtics you talking about three all-star level players in the Eastern Conference that probably
21:37aren't going to play next year you know that's a major advantage for a young and a healthy Oklahoma City
21:42team plus 270 for the Cavs as the favorites to win the East the Knicks just behind it three to one
21:49we'll talk conference odds all day tomorrow let's talk Kevin Durant in Houston up next
21:55a Sunday for game seven in the NBA the end of the NBA season in 2024-25 of course many fans around the
22:05association look forward to the summer and this week in the offseason we've got the 2025 NBA draft
22:12round one on Wednesday night round number two on Thursday the Cooper flag coronation as we expect
22:19on Wednesday with the Dallas Mavericks picking first overall but of course the RS in the summer
22:24it's free agency in its notable blockbuster deal so on the day of game seven and now one NBA year
22:32a seismic shift in the future landscape we expect in the association starting next season we knew Kevin
22:39Durant would be dealt but to who and exactly when those were the questions we learned yesterday
22:46afternoon Kevin Durant traded by the Phoenix Suns to the Houston Rockets in return the Suns receive
22:52Jalen Green the second overall pick back in 2021 after four years of service in H-Town Dylan Brooks
23:00the 10th overall pick on Wednesday night Houston will make that pick for Phoenix by the way and five
23:07second round selections as well in the years to come Kevin Durant at the age of 36 years old after 17
23:15seasons that he has played in the NBA DRS is now on his way to H-Town he is the newest member of the
23:22Houston Rockets it'll be interesting no doubt about it and I guess this figures they think this is the
23:27missing piece where they can run make a run in a championship when Kevin Durant certainly got Golden
23:32State was a nice piece for a championship to an organization already used the championships and he goes
23:36Golden State they wouldn't win anything without me and then goes I'll just do it in Brooklyn couldn't do
23:41it there get me out of Brooklyn get me to Phoenix I'll do it there with my guy Booker and we'll meet
23:45up we'll have our own big three out here that didn't work as well so now a veteran coming in who wants the
23:51ball each and every time down the court he's got a lot of guys here that he's gonna have to sort of
23:56teach on the fly which I don't think it's a great move I wanted him to go to a ready-made
24:00championship team full of a veteran roster and see if he can ring chase that way not to go to an
24:05organization on the come up that if you just stay the course and also what better blueprint do we
24:09have than just staying the course than okay say right build young build talented get a coach that's
24:15going to maximize it that a good general manager it's going to have a lot of ammunition here and
24:19Houston's like hey you know what we're following that sort of game plan here but now we're just going
24:24to accelerate the process and it's like hey man had to make this move Katie's 31 we'll have it for five
24:28or six years we don't even know what Katie we're getting next year he was good this year don't get me
24:32wrong but I just see this move as this like for me this doesn't make a move it sounds like you know
24:38what this is the final piece to the puzzle and Houston wins it it sounds like Houston's like yeah
24:43this will be fun and I don't think it's going to work out but it was fun like no you had a team that
24:48was on the rise what's the deal here in Houston I hate this move yeah DRS it's interesting right
24:53Kevin Durant has been traded in so many blockbuster deals the last few years in the NBA to the Warriors to
25:00the next to the Suns and now to the Rockets does it lose a little bit of its luster for a guy that
25:05will turn 37 in September before the next NBA campaign gets started he has played 17 NBA seasons
25:12technically has been in the NBA for 18 years of course sat out 2019-20 after tearing his Achilles
25:19for the Warriors of course in the NBA finals to end out 2019 he has still been an all-star all 15 years
25:28following his second year in the association last season in Phoenix he averaged 26.6 points per game
25:35he has still been averaging 26 points per game in each of the last seven years that he has played since
25:402017-18 even at this older age and his veteran status if you will the easy money sniper continues to get
25:48it done offensively I do think it's interesting right I kind of agree with you the Rockets were the
25:55two seed in the Western Conference 52 and 30 throughout this regular season in 24-25 they were
26:01like your playoff team to start the Rockets referendum could the two seed not booked as a
26:06favorite against the seven seed in the opening round with home floor advantage even stand the
26:11test of time they played seven games against Golden State ultimately coming out on the losing end
26:17clearly in Houston though they think Kevin Durant even at 37 in disposing of Jalen Green and Dylan Brooks
26:24that pair him alongside Alperen Shingun and Amen Thompson they have a team tailor-made and ready-made
26:31at this moment to win an NBA championship and the odds makers kind of agree again there's a large
26:37disparity a large distinction from the Thunder and all 29 other teams in the NBA and that includes the
26:44Houston Rockets at a 9-1 price but Houston DRS does have the second best number out of any team
26:49from the Western Conference only behind the Thunder but also understand this which which I agree with
26:55like in the immediate short term the Houston Rockets are a better team than where they were let's just say
27:00yesterday before we heard the trade went down but the question is what is your window what is that swing
27:05that you want is it all right we're young right now we have a six seven eight year window we can really
27:10put things together maybe make a run and win at least one NBA championship you now go okay our window
27:15is two years now because once Kevin Durant is old and granted you're going to pay a lot of money in
27:20that extension form as well what's the future now great Reed Shepard Kirtown that turned out to be a
27:25great player that guy was nailed to the bench last year I'm in Thompson I like what I see
27:28Shingun's a very good player Fred being fleet only 31 years old when I say only that means he's still
27:33going to be in the midst of his prime but once Kevin Durant starts to age out if he gets injured
27:37like you're done as a franchise like that's it so the expectations now have ramped up to Houston
27:42in the middle because like we have to get a championship in the next two years and I'm
27:46telling you right now they're not getting a championship in the next two years so I'm not
27:50saying it's a failure because unless we're just in the time of championship or bust which I always
27:54like to view things as will they be competitive yes but I just thought you saw what OKC did and said
28:00we're on that mirror train good head coach can stick with the franchise for a long time good young
28:05talented core add on as we go with players alike like you know 22 23 24 25 years old and you ramp it
28:12up and go late 30s and go okay we're going to take down what OKC is in the midst maybe of their own
28:17dynasty at this point in the same conference DRS we saw some reshuffling in the last year and a half
28:23perhaps in the NBA but certainly in the Western Conference of the teams that were favored to win
28:28a championship or a conference crowd as well and it almost kind of seemed like the Houston Rockets
28:34were on that ascending path through a young core listen I'm not in the NBA weeds enough as a talent
28:40evaluator to truly understand the consensus around Jalen Green he averaged 21 points per game this
28:47past year in his fourth season in the NBA I kind of thought he was on the come up I kind of get the
28:52feeling that reading things yesterday people think overall he has a pretty cap ceiling and is maybe not
28:58that guy to lead a franchise we'll see what this means for Phoenix again the Rockets did open up with a
29:0515 to 1 price to win the NBA championship last week they're now 9 to 1 Kevin Durant a market mover
29:11still for at least $6 it's NBA draft week Wednesday next live right here on this Monday morning on the
29:19early line on sports grid the NBA season is now through and a new NBA champion has been crowned for
29:26the first time in 17 years in Oklahoma City the thunderstorm through the association bringing
29:32a Larry O'Brien trophy to OKC for the first time ever and our coach J.Y. James Young is here to
29:40recap it all game number seven last night the entirety of the game a tenor that was changed after the
29:46Tyrese Halliburton injury in the opening quarter but how OKC prevailed in that second half namely the
29:52third quarter to cut down the nets as an NBA champ J.Y. as always we appreciate the time thanks for
29:58being here to start off a new week on T.E.L. congratulations to the Thunder but Ben most
30:04importantly welcome back thank you very much J.Y. excited to be with you in studio in person
30:10on Wednesday for our NBA draft show we'll get to that throughout the coming days all right J.Y. the
30:17two best words in sports for the first time in nearly a decade in the NBA finals game seven the
30:22Thunder a seven point home favorite a total of 215 and a half and OKC wins by double digits covering
30:30on its home floor and becoming an NBA champion for the first time in 17 years in the state of Oklahoma
30:37for this franchise 103 91 DRS and I discussed this earlier J.Y. the dichotomy of a game seven last
30:45night a historic stage in the NBA point blank to begin in a competitive game early on but of course
30:52the entire atmosphere of the game changed with about five minutes remaining in the first quarter
30:57and Tyrese Halliburton going down with that significant and devastating Achilles injury but
31:04ultimately the Thunder who were the best team in the NBA all year long expected to win an NBA
31:08championship ultimately do that prevailing in the second half you were live with Kevin Walsh last
31:14night watching all of game number seven what was your reaction to what we saw out its entirety an OKC
31:22ending as a champ well first things first Tyrese Halliburton was on his way to I think having a monster
31:29game Ben hit his first three threes looked really comfortable uh and then right literally Ben what
31:36I was saying well if I'm Mark Dagonal I gotta get the ball out of his hands and I'm looking at the
31:41assist market with Tyrese then goes to injury and and for you know we talk about this a lot on the early
31:49line and every show I've been on is when a team loses a star player how they how they can rally you know
31:57usually it's like you find the day before right it's all about playing that first game they play
32:02really really well then it's just it's the game two that you get worried about when you come back to
32:06earth what you had here was a team in Indiana that really relied on their defense and their three-point
32:13shot they were out scoring uh OKC uh by 12 points at the three-point line at the break everything else
32:21Ben was lined up perfectly fine for Indiana they were mucking the game up they were making it half
32:27court basketball and they were surviving but that halftime happened and that was my biggest concern
32:33Ben was at halftime Oklahoma City is going to look around and say we we got to turn up defensively
32:40and that's what they did turning up the defense hitting big threes SGA hitting a three Luthor hitting a
32:45three I think shot it so high one ball went up three balls came down and one of them came in the basket
32:49right Chet hits a three right so they have four threes but early in that second half and away they
32:54went and I I want to give a a shout out to Chief Dave McConnell who was literally put the entire the
33:03smallest guy on the floor put Indiana on his back but you can't go from eight minutes and 32 seconds of
33:11the third quarter until seven minutes of the fourth and have him be the only person that
33:19scored at that point Oklahoma City saw what was going on they turned up their defense forced a
33:25ton of turnovers and away they went to a 12-point win it's amazing and you watch that play out too
33:32last night just the anticipation and also how Tyrese Halliburton has been so big in so many big moments
33:37in this playoff run for the Indiana Pacers the first seven minutes of the game coach knocks down
33:41three triples and deep triples they are saying you know what I'm in the building I'm ready to play
33:45and then you see the bench performance 40 total points at a TJ McConnell Benedict Mathering here
33:51but then I look coach Obi Toppin 21 minutes zero points Miles Turner 24 minutes six points in that
33:58game Aaron Neesmith three points you needed other players to step up but also looking at that game
34:02coach tell me how good OKC's defense was 91 points for the Pacers in the biggest moments here OKC really
34:08cramped down here once Halliburton went out and that and Donnie to be honest with you that's OKC's MO
34:15is they lean on their defense until they make a run and it's usually in that second half the only
34:21time I really remember the big run happening OKC was that two three minute burst at the end of game
34:27end of the second quarter of game seven versus Denver that 15 to 2 run they get you and they start
34:32to turn you over but at the end of the day Indiana became incredibly easy to guard because of the
34:39lack of playmakers to even get them into offense and listen as great as TJ McConnell was he was
34:47throwing the ball all over the gym now it's partially due to the fact that he had to do way too much and
34:53there wasn't that other guard uh then it was over top I the best bet the easiest bet of all time was
35:01over topping under 10 and a half points why because that guy is a walking turnover at times and he does
35:10some of the wildest stuff and I mean listen Rick Carla every time Rick Carly put him in the game
35:16Donnie he couldn't get him out fast enough that's how much he was hurting that team but leaning on your
35:22defense that's what OKC does and at the end of the day even though he was uh I think two of 11 from
35:27three SGA from two his ability to create and then not run in the third quarter was just too much for
35:34Indiana to overcome yeah it certainly was JY they started off that third quarter on a 20 to 10 run
35:40they won the third quarter by 14 points and from that point OKC had kind of instituted its impressive
35:47dominance in that second half 21 turnovers forced last night by the Thunder against the Pacers plus
35:54131 that was the turnover differential in favor of the Thunder throughout this playoff run culminating
36:01in a championship the best ever in a single postseason run in NBA history you mentioned it
36:07JY 2 of 12 last night from beyond the arc for the NBA MVP and now finals MVP and Shea Gildas Alexander
36:13not his most efficient scoring night 8 of 27 from the floor but still finished with 29 points in a
36:19playoff career best for SGA 12 dimes as well but then you look at Jalen Williams slow start still poured
36:26in 20 points 18 and 8 out of Chet Holmgren and a defensive force down low five blocks a difference
36:33maker on that side of the floor last night our question JY entering this postseason in the NBA finals
36:39could this young core led by the MVP and Shea along with Jada and Chet would they rise to the occasion
36:47they did last night what did this young trio in Oklahoma City prove to you in game seven
36:53that they are here they've arrived and with the 29 draft picks that Sam Presti has at its disposal
37:02the 16.7 million dollars away from the first apron and 9.1 million dollar tax base they have going
37:08to next year they may not be going anywhere for a while they've set the bar on what is to be expected
37:16and as we have knocked Sam Presti for years to say when is it going to turn where is it going to turn
37:21it's here they're good they're young they're athletic they're dangerous and with their season
37:28they had been I don't even know if they've hit their peak yet and that's the scary part
37:33yeah it's good times you're looking at okay seeing what the future is going to hold for them but coach
37:38I've been asking this entire playoff run give me a Chet Holmgren's experience here you take a look at
37:42Chet 18 8 and 5 thank you showing up in a big moment here Chet Holmgren my goodness
37:49oh and Kevin and I were cursing out Mark Dagon on the second quarter first quarter because we didn't know
37:54what the substitution pattern is but him and Jalen Williams those I know hit threes those two were the
38:00key in the third quarter man we caught it for at least 15 16 points played really well in that third
38:06quarter to open the game up but Chet defensively at the rim oh my lord it was a problem Chet Holmgren
38:13only 23 years old not of legal drinking age for all that many years the only wrong he had last night
38:19they were celebrating with the Michelob Ultras in the locker room and in his post-game press conference
38:23called it Michelob Ultra but he'll find that I am sure for Chet Holmgren I know JY's looking forward
38:32to some Michelob Ultras this summer we'll talk about OKC's season in the history they made next
38:38the Oklahoma City Thunder are an NBA champion now as we expected throughout a good majority of this season
38:45the Thunder capitalize on game seven in their own home arena inside the Paycom Center 11 and 2
38:53at home straight up throughout this postseason and championship run 10 and 3 against the spread of
39:00course JY the overall atmosphere of last night's game changed with the injury to Tyrese Hallibur but
39:06OKC was a seven point favorite for game seven they cover winning by 12 their home differential an average
39:13home margin of nine point and 19.9 points per game throughout this playoff run best we have ever
39:19seen in a single NBA postseason and Oklahoma City now becomes one of four NBA teams ever one of three
39:26NBA champs ever to win at least 84 total regular season and postseason games in a single NBA campaign
39:35when you look back on what Oklahoma City accomplished last night winning that Larry O'Brien trophy
39:40how will you describe this season for the Thunder the beginning of a dynasty you know when you when
39:47you look at this team especially after they got knocked out of the playoffs last year you looked at them
39:52and they said they had to get a little grit they had to get a little toughness and they went and got that
39:57and getting Caruso and Hartenstein to kind of help fortify the backcourt and the frontcourt
40:02you know obviously Caruso coming in bad hitting two big threes as soon as he got in the game I think
40:08his over three-point props that one and a half at plus money Hartenstein struggled a little bit
40:12they ran a couple of pick and rolls decided to flip it from the right side to the left side
40:16kind of got him going a little bit and the defensive force that he did he was it's just the beginning
40:22Ben and you just look at a team with you know these guys at such a young age and you know Chet's got
40:29a team option who's a team option Jayla Williams team option case I lost team option hey man they're
40:36all coming back all of them and then you have to look at what's coming up the pipe starting with
40:42that first first round traffic they got via trade through Miami so they are a team that has really
40:49arrived and and now they have set the bar the bar has been set we thought it was Boston last year
40:55I know the Tatum injury impacts them but in the Western Conference you got to figure that they
40:59are the bar now and teams have to go up and play them so you need to think about when you're a team
41:05like Indiana you need to have big guards like the little guard 6-1 dynamo backcourt like I don't think
41:12Cleveland would be a good matchup for them if they play the finals next year because Garland and Mitchell
41:16are too small you need bigger guards to defend you got to be able to play multiple styles and you got
41:21to match your defensive intensity which is increasingly going to be difficult next year
41:25and also rising at the right time for OKC like you know the Golden State Warriors aging out of that
41:31dynasty that they had Houston made a big move here which we'll get to with Kevin Durant you take a look
41:35at the Lakers but LeBron James is aging it does seem like it's the time now for OKC and also it does
41:40date back to that 2019 trade when Paul George like oh no you're going to trade Paul George what's next
41:44for OKC well they get SGA five first round picks and two pick swaps here to get them and you get the
41:50MVP like the Thunder Preston has made all the right decisions but the future 26 years old in your prime
41:56when you take a look at SGA the sky is the limit now like he's already at the pinnacle coach and he's
42:01just getting into the prime of his career how does Lloyd I have a question how does Lawrence Frank still
42:08have a job with the Clippers like after that trade like I would be an ostrich I would stick my head in the
42:13sand and you'll never see me again after that trade but with that young roster you know Donnie it's going to
42:20be about health right can they stay healthy um do egos come into play the one thing I saw about SGA
42:28that I saw so great is I saw a guy that's a superstar that seemed humble right I remember I saw a couple
42:35of times on Caruso was yelling at an official last three minutes he's like yo relax calm down like to me
42:40that's why I look at SGA it's the most best part about him is not his game but his mental makeup he seems
42:48to be uh you know doesn't get flustered same thing with Jalen Williams Scott Van Pelt interviews him
42:54last night I'm looking at this kid saying this guy dropped a 40 piece in the finals and he acted like
42:59he had five points that's probably the most impressive thing about the team not their age
43:04but their their maturity in relation to how young they really are and they still have 13 first round
43:11picks in the next seven drafts they just won an NBA championship and will have two selections in the
43:18top 24 come Wednesday night of this immediate 2025 NBA draft including one from the Clippers
43:24and that Paul George trade at 24th overall let's talk about Shea Gilder just Alexander JY the 11th player
43:32ever in the history of the NBA to win the finals and regular season MVP in the same season now the fourth
43:39player ever in the history of the association alongside Kareem Shaq and MJ who did so four times
43:46to win MVP scoring title NBA title in the same season is Shea Gilder just Alexander James Young
43:55the best player in the NBA at this current moment whoo yeah I'm going there it's even it's him and Joker
44:04and I think he may have supplanted it because of Ben and watching the series closely it's not just his
44:10ability to score and pass and rebound it's ability to defend is on a on another level listen they have
44:19Lou Dort they have other guys they have Crusoe but if those two weren't on on that team you can say the
44:25SJ to me is a a first team all NBA defender as great as Nicole Jokic is you can't say that about him but
44:34because of his age because of the fact that this is a a a guard dominated league right by an ability
44:39to have the ball in your hands and to control everything from the point of attack offensively
44:45and defensively after that performance I thank god if he would hit those threes in the fourth quarter
44:51he would have 40 last night with his eyes closed right now the best player in the NBA I'm gonna say
44:57based off his performance in the finals is SGA he is not the NBA far the NBA MVP favorite for next
45:06year that's Nicole Jokic to win trophy number four in what would be the last six seasons but he's not
45:12all that far behind the Oklahoma City Thunder though JY a very very very very very very very short favorite
45:19to already win a second consecutive Larry OB trophy next year plus 220 the second best place the
45:28Cleveland Cavaliers at eight to one nearly quadruple OKC's number to get to the other 29 teams around the
45:36association the Knicks at nine to one and there are the Houston Rockets also now tied for the third best
45:43second best out of the Western Conference at plus 900 why because Kevin Durant now plays his basketball
45:51in H-Town the big move of Sunday to start off the NBA summer JY's reaction next a very big day around
46:01the NBA yesterday game seven in Oklahoma City the Thunder crowned an NBA champion for the first time in
46:0717 seasons in OKC and before game seven even got tipped JY during Sunday afternoon a blockbuster
46:16deal in the NBA we expected it to happen sometime soon maybe even prior to the draft it does yesterday
46:24Kevin Durant is now dealt to the Houston Rockets the Suns and the Rockets agreeing to a trade KD at the
46:30age of 36 turns 37 in September now makes his way to H-Town in return to the Valley Jalen Green Dylan Brooks
46:39the 10th overall pick on Wednesday night in five second round selections as well we can talk about
46:45who won this deal what it all means for both franchises but of course JY let's focus on Houston a team that
46:52was 52 and 30 last season number two seed in the Western Conference a promising young core making its way
47:00up and now they make the move for Kevin Durant why did Houston make this deal and will it ultimately
47:08be successful in making the Rockets a true contender you know when you think about this deal as compared
47:14to what I thought Orlando did getting Desmond Bain I don't think Orlando is a championship team yet
47:22they're getting there I think Houston looked at this and said we're one score away from being a title
47:28being a championship team a team that won 57 games and went and went way over their win total
47:34Emi Adoka could have been uh coach of the year and they had the assets Ben to go and move it here is
47:40the amazing thing I think Houston needs to get a lot of credit Ben for playing this perfectly why they
47:48waited they waited San Antonio nope they didn't want him Minnesota KD didn't want to go there Miami didn't have the
47:58you know the assets to probably go get them right and then New York didn't want so if you're Houston
48:05you're sitting back saying all right we'll wait for you to come to us and the big sticking point was
48:11keeping Jabari Smith and out of the deal which I you know I guess makes sense but Jalen Green who's a
48:18who's a dynamic scorer Ben who was awful in the playoffs except for game two this is a good move
48:25for a team now that now could put a man Thompson assert you know merged last year KD and shouldn't
48:31good in the front court got to re-side Fred VanVleet and then it's either Reed Shepard or Cam Whitmore in the
48:37backcourt and then the other one is to sell along with Tori Eason and a sneaky good move bringing back
48:42Stephen Adams and a three-year 39 million dollar deal if Oklahoma City is one then two right now
48:50has to be Houston but if we do look at Houston though because I don't like the deal overall
48:56in the immediate coach I said at the beginning of the show that I do think it makes Houston a
48:59better team nobody's going to argue that but you just watch the way Oklahoma City built their team
49:03and I felt like if there was an A team out west it was OKC but that B team was the Houston Rockets
49:09sort of found those coattails building with a very good young head coach that can be there for a
49:13decade plus building with a young organization say we're going to learn how to win like Fred VanVleet's
49:17like the old man on the hill he's 31 years old adding Kevin Durant really shakes the dynamics up where
49:22I thought that if you just stayed the course you might be able to battle OKC over the next couple
49:27years but for me now coach it feels like this is like a two to three year window for Houston
49:32and then we're starting over again I think they're going to be able to do both if you really think
49:37about Atari Easton 24 uh Fred VanVleet's a little bit older Shane Good 22 Shepard 20 Jabari Smith 22
49:45Tate 29 Thompson 22 Whitmore 20 they're still young so I think there's I think there's an able
49:53dying by not giving up on Jabari Smith I think there is a way that they can play both they can win now
50:01and then what Katie's done in a couple of years Jabari Smith slides to that power forward spot I think
50:06because if they didn't give up Jabari I think they played it perfectly in regards to win now
50:11and win later now he will be 37 years old that is Kevin Durant in September before the start of next
50:19NBA season it'll be nearly two decades for KD in the association and yet for the last seven JY
50:27including last season he is still averaging at least 26 points per game so I'll ask you point blank will the
50:34Houston Rockets be competing for a western conference crown in 2025-26 absolutely this team
50:41is loaded and they have arguably one of the top three coaches in the NBA and email doker
50:47all right that's a pretty good answer makes it pretty short and sweet
50:51JY I asked you point blank you delivered point blank that's how we do it by the way Wednesday night the
50:57NBA draft show round number one JY and myself in a new and improved studio in New York City also Kevin
51:06Walsh and Tom Vecchio out in our New Jersey headquarters as well I think you you'll probably be here on
51:13Wednesday I would assume to talk about the NBA draft so we're praying away to them and our number three
51:19yes
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