ATL - Bane to Orlando for 4 FRP+

[VooDoo7]

Crowds matter.

[blazza18]

I made a comment during the game mentioning I didn't think their crowd was great lmao

[stellation]

I made a comment during the game mentioning I didn't think their crowd was great lmao

Yet then, Mr Carlisle, you seem to have backtracked that in the post game interview.

We're on to you.

[buckboy]

Well, I got this series wrong.

This can still easily go 7. Think OKC splits these two in Indy.

Agreed, but I thought OKC would destroy them.

Too young to be a "destroy" anyone in the finals.

[MikeIsGood]

Well, I got this series wrong.

This can still easily go 7. Think OKC splits these two in Indy.

Agreed, but I thought OKC would destroy them.

Too young to be a "destroy" anyone in the finals.

I don't even think that highly of OKC and I was still with you. I don't know why I continue to let myself be surprised by Indiana, I guess.

OKC doesn't consistently have the horses on offense to keep up if they can't slow down Indiana. They honestly didn't even slow them down too much in Game 2 - they instead buried them with great three point shooting off the bench. They can't rely on 11 threes from their bench regularly, though. They need to rely on their defense, and it's not going how I thought it would.

[VooDoo7]

I made a comment during the game mentioning I didn't think their crowd was great lmao

Really? They were very loud and into it. Even the "refs you suck" chant was super loud. Oh, and they wore their damn shirts.

[j_hilge444]

I made a comment during the game mentioning I didn't think their crowd was great lmao

Really? They were very loud and into it. Even the "refs you suck" chant was super loud. Oh, and they wore their damn shirts.

To be fair, their shirts are much cooler than another deer head fear the deer oversized tee in a new color.

[Profound23]

I made a comment during the game mentioning I didn't think their crowd was great lmao

Really? They were very loud and into it. Even the "refs you suck" chant was super loud. Oh, and they wore their damn shirts.

To be fair, their shirts are much cooler than another deer head fear the deer oversized tee in a new color.

Oversized? Are you like 100 lbs?

I'm usually about 6'0" 180 lbs and those shirts are always very snug on me. I always thought the reason nobody wears them is because the average midwestern male can't fit them. Maybe it's because I have always preferred oversized shirts.

[Profound23]

Have any of you been able to put your hate to the side and just enjoy the Finals?

Small market teams, great defense on both sides, teams sharing the ball and finding the open man. Embrace it!

[ReasonablySober]

Have any of you been able to put your hate to the side and just enjoy the Finals?

Small market teams, great defense on both sides, teams sharing the ball and finding the open man. Embrace it!

Yea, I've been enjoying the playoffs throughout. Typically I stop watching after the Bucks are eliminated, but I didn't expect them to do anything anyway.

[MickeyDavis]

It's been a decent playoff year. The play-in games were busts. Round 1 had 2 game 7's which were fun. Second round had 1 game 7. The Finals have been good so far.

[JimmyTheKid]

Have any of you been able to put your hate to the side and just enjoy the Finals?

Small market teams, great defense on both sides, teams sharing the ball and finding the open man. Embrace it!

I've been a Hali fan forever so its been easy for me. The Pacers play a brand of basketball that every NBA team should emulate. Not only is it aesthetically pleasing, but as a father of three young hoopers there are so many quality lessons to take from these games. Ball movement. Defensive intensity and execution. Insane shot making. Little to no hero ball. Zero quit. Yeah, Shai crumpling to the floor every time he's grazed gets really, REALLY old, but overall this is some elite basketball.

[Ron Swanson]

Pacers haven't even gotten a great game from Siakam yet and it's not like they've been shooting the lights out from three either. Idk man, OKC could still easily come back and win this series, but it feels like destiny at this point if the Pacers are just gonna find a way to win every close game no matter how much they're down entering the 4th quarter. Just an incredible amount of fortune combined with masterful execution in every clutch moment. This is officially even more baffling than the 2023 Heat run because at least that squad was straight up beating teams (until they ran up against Denver) for 48-minutes. Nobody seems to be able to close these guys out.

[ReasonablySober]

The thing I haven't seen enough talk about is how young the Thunder are relative to virtually every other Finals champion ever. Only the 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers would be younger. That's before you account for 21 year old Cason Wallace getting starter minutes ahead of Hartenstein. I know Indiana isn't exactly old either, but their only really young guy is Mathurin. Age and experience is why I picked Indiana in this series.

[emunney]

If it works to take the pressure off, you roll with it, obviously, but seeing Pacers quotes about how they're playing with house money makes me feel like they maybe don't understand that it's very possible none of them will ever play in another Finals. Which, again, maybe is a good thing to not understand until later.

[emunney]

Want to point out to the SRS heads out there that we had a higher SRS than Indy this year. Pacers SRS was 6th in the East (Detroit also a pinch higher). Their close game mojo is just aberrant. Not saying it's a fluke, but it's certainly an outlier.

[CharityStripe34]

Can't take anything away from Indiana's crazy playoff run, they're sharing the ball and relentless on both sides. They have a discernable identity and everyone has bought in. And a good coach to boot. Although it's ridiculous to brush aside the absolutely INSANE amount of crazy, YOLO shot-making they've been doing ever since the playoffs started.

[Profound23]

Have any of you been able to put your hate to the side and just enjoy the Finals?

Small market teams, great defense on both sides, teams sharing the ball and finding the open man. Embrace it!

I've been a Hali fan forever so its been easy for me. The Pacers play a brand of basketball that every NBA team should emulate. Not only is it aesthetically pleasing, but as a father of three young hoopers there are so many quality lessons to take from these games. Ball movement. Defensive intensity and execution. Insane shot making. Little to no hero ball. Zero quit. Yeah, Shai crumpling to the floor every time he's grazed gets really, REALLY old, but overall this is some elite basketball.

Let's be honest, Hali spent the entire season and most of the playoffs FT hunting. Ironically he doesn't have one FTA in the Finals and that's part of the reason they're up 2-1.....he stopped flopping and just played ball.

[CJTURT]

Can't take anything away from Indiana's crazy playoff run, they're sharing the ball and relentless on both sides. They have a discernable identity and everyone has bought in. And a good coach to boot. Although it's ridiculous to brush aside the absolutely INSANE amount of crazy, YOLO shot-making they've been doing ever since the playoffs started.

So essentially, they have everything that we don’t have right now …. Ugh

[dbrodz7]

Crowds matter.

Our finals crowds were just fine I don't think this is the round to b*tch about it. And I agree with you on our crowd in general.