2025 NBA FINALS: #1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs #4 Indiana Pacers (Series tied 1-1)

[Slacktard]

Thunder gonna be the 2001 Lakers. Lose game 1 and then win the next 4. Haliburton's game 1 shot is his AI stepping over Ty Lue moment for the runner-ups.

[KP Duty]

The refs need to clean up the hand checks in the offseason. You can’t call the game a normal way during the regular season and then allow hand checks in the playoffs. It gives the defender a big advantage and also gives a physical defensive team like the Pistons an edge. You can allow physicality but you can’t change the rules.

No hand checks, no holding of offensive players and an emphasis on continuity of the rules from regular season to the playoffs. That is what the refs need to address in the offseason.

But they’ve been calling it this way for OKC all year. How else can they manufacture the “greatest defense of all time” and try to start up silvers next hopeful dynasty

Totally dude! I saw a pic on ISG where one of the refs had a Thunder tattoo on his right butt cheek. Probably not the only one!

[KP Duty]

The refs need to clean up the hand checks in the offseason. You can’t call the game a normal way during the regular season and then allow hand checks in the playoffs. It gives the defender a big advantage and also gives a physical defensive team like the Pistons an edge. You can allow physicality but you can’t change the rules.

No hand checks, no holding of offensive players and an emphasis on continuity of the rules from regular season to the playoffs. That is what the refs need to address in the offseason.

But they’ve been calling it this way for OKC all year. How else can they manufacture the “greatest defense of all time” and try to start up silvers next hopeful dynasty

Totally dude! I saw a pic on ISG where one of the refs had a Thunder tattoo on his right butt cheek. Probably not the only one!

[rolling_91]

The refs need to clean up the hand checks in the offseason. You can’t call the game a normal way during the regular season and then allow hand checks in the playoffs. It gives the defender a big advantage and also gives a physical defensive team like the Pistons an edge. You can allow physicality but you can’t change the rules.

No hand checks, no holding of offensive players and an emphasis on continuity of the rules from regular season to the playoffs. That is what the refs need to address in the offseason.

But they’ve been calling it this way for OKC all year. How else can they manufacture the “greatest defense of all time” and try to start up silvers next hopeful dynasty

Well I don’t quite agree. They did get away with a lot but it wasn’t really the hand checks, it was more the reaching and fouling on steal attempts. That’s different. I would say that Dort hand checks but not all the time. That’s the tricky part of it. Smart coaches teach players to do it sometimes in certain ways so they get away with it. Refs need to draw a straight line and enforce it

[RB34]

Little forearm

[ImmortalD24]

This finals is a ratings nightmare.

[KP Duty]

The refs need to clean up the hand checks in the offseason. You can’t call the game a normal way during the regular season and then allow hand checks in the playoffs. It gives the defender a big advantage and also gives a physical defensive team like the Pistons an edge. You can allow physicality but you can’t change the rules.

No hand checks, no holding of offensive players and an emphasis on continuity of the rules from regular season to the playoffs. That is what the refs need to address in the offseason.

But they’ve been calling it this way for OKC all year. How else can they manufacture the “greatest defense of all time” and try to start up silvers next hopeful dynasty

Totally dude! I saw a pic on ISG where one of the refs had a Thunder tattoo on his right butt cheek. Probably not the only one!

[Tim_Hardawayy]

Anyone complaining about calls here isn’t a serious person

I always feel better when it happens though. When the losers start complaining about officiating, it means OKC is dominating.

You get used to it. Funny story, people who weren't around might not remember but Wade didn't get that much ref complaining even during the 2006 Finals. It was after the fact, first with Bill Simmons starting to question it, and then Kobe fans going on a crusade to crush him (because finally a player had a clear argument over Kobe, and he had an incredibly rabid fanbase online at that time) when it became a thing.

The 2006 Finals had only a bit of ref complaining (most of it was that final call at end of game 5). But the next season, every game thread was full of Kobe fans giving live updates on Wade free throw attempts in regular season games, it was incredibly obnoxious. I'm not sure why SGA got the hate earlier, but if I had to guess its because of Harden taking free throw merchant to a new level, and SGA isn't near as bad as James but he scarred a lot of people.

[MoneyTalks41890]

The refs need to clean up the hand checks in the offseason. You can’t call the game a normal way during the regular season and then allow hand checks in the playoffs. It gives the defender a big advantage and also gives a physical defensive team like the Pistons an edge. You can allow physicality but you can’t change the rules.

No hand checks, no holding of offensive players and an emphasis on continuity of the rules from regular season to the playoffs. That is what the refs need to address in the offseason.

But they’ve been calling it this way for OKC all year. How else can they manufacture the “greatest defense of all time” and try to start up silvers next hopeful dynasty

Totally dude! I saw a pic on ISG where one of the refs had a Thunder tattoo on his right butt cheek. Probably not the only one!

It’s cooler looking in person

[mfletcher4177]

Or you don't know basketball. I've played and coached. One team is allowed to be more physical than the other. That's all.

I love this retort, like you have a monopoly on basketball knowledge that no one else on a basketball forum has

I am not comparing basketball knowledge. I would assume most on RealGM have basketball knowledge. Fouls are fouls. Call them them the same. Simple concept of basketball. The next time Lu Dort throws himself to the floor trying to go over a screen, I am going to hit you up and see what your thoughts are.

RIGHT THERE! SGA FOUL lol. That was a foul the way these two teams have been playing?

[azcatz11]

Anyone here seen See No Evil? Crazy movie

No spoilers. It's on my list.

It’s definitely worth seeing. And I would never drop a spoiler bomb

[___Rand___]

NBA - THIS IS BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD. NO NOT IN THE COOL WAY!

Read on Twitter

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Nascar hood lmao

Read on Twitter

lol. They can do better. For christ's sake.

[jehosafats]

SGA knows where he is at all times on the floor, whereas someone like Tatum is a shoegazer.

[BrianInPhilly]

Mathurin is just playing terrible. I don't get it. He's doing nothing out there - tentative offensively, barely bending his knees defensively and just committing obvious reach in fouls.

[thelead]

Mathurin is a bucket but what else does he provide?

[Tim_Hardawayy]

No late game heroics, but SGA basically won this game in 3 quarters so he didn't have to, that deserves credit. Very impressive.

[sp6r=underrated]

OKC isn't the Knicks this is over but having the game at 10-13 rather than 30 matters.

[Nuntius]

Rick throwing the white towel. It's Furphy time.

[jehosafats]

Game was over when Indy gave up 3 OREBs and a 3pter in the beginning of the 4th quarter. It's a wrap.

[Chuck Everett]

Nightmare game from Toppin.