2024-25 NBA Season Discussion

[GSP]

Nesmith getting destroyed these finals after looking so good on D against Knicks may be the difference for Indy.

OKC are like a worse Jordans Bulls with the SG/SF stars, so I think they can be ruled out of GOAT discussions.

Worse relative to era but probably beat the bulls 9 times out of 10 in a time machine argument (as would most 2010's and later champions not exactly a fair comparision admittedly)

Also the combination of regular season dominance + average title team playoff record (if they finish off indiana in 6) is up there or above half of bulls title runs

If okc finishes off pacers (this finals is far from over) they would be up there as a one-off with teams like 92 or 97 chicago imo

Yeah but Jordan and Pippen are better than SGA and JDub and Grant/Rodman are better than any of OKC's other players so even if you like the bottom of OKC's roster better (96/97 Bulls depth is also elite) I have a hard time seeing that gap being made up

Horace/Rodman over Chet isnt clear at all.........specially Rodman. 96 okay i can see why but def not 97/98. Obviously Mj is way above Sga and Jdub actually is getting closer to Scottie than many realize. Not the defender but one of the premier wing defenders his own right, well rounded game and hes a more skilled scorer for sure specially in halfcourt. I dunno if Scottie ever had a playoff run scoring as well as Jalen has this postseason he def never did anything in the finals like Jdub has

[Dr Positivity]

History of coming back from 2-1 in finals, but not 2-0

2022 Warriors over Celtics

2015 Warriors over Cavaliers

2013 Heat over Spurs

2011 Mavericks over Heat

1984 Celtics over Lakers

1978 Bullets over Sonics

1962 Celtics over Lakers

1957 Celtics over Hawks

[falcolombardi]

History of coming back from 2-1 in finals, but not 2-0

2022 Warriors over Celtics

2015 Warriors over Cavaliers

2013 Heat over Spurs

2011 Mavericks over Heat

1984 Celtics over Lakers

1978 Bullets over Sonics

1962 Celtics over Lakers

1957 Celtics over Hawks

Dont almost all od these have hca for the team coming back 1-2

[Reardonwd]

How do we go about explaining this Haliburton performance? It’s not an exaggeration to say that’s the worst Finals game ever played by an All-NBA player. Zero made shots as the primary ball handler across 34 minutes.

It’s definitely a bad one and will be remembered horrendously, but he hurt his calf and would thus be really hampered. My guess is perversely, if he doesn’t play game 6 it will soften the blow in game 5, and if he does, it goes down as an all time disaster.

[Reardonwd]

Gonna be weird when they win the title and all the discourse is “Okay cool but he’s not Jordan”

Prolly b/c of all the glazing we had to hear during the whole season and the historical company and convos ppl were putting him in including Mj. I mean there were threads here made about it too

I mean, 26 year old dominates the league, wins scoring title and league mvp and finals mvp as a 2 guard who makes midrangers and is an elite defender, why is that an offensive comp?

[Dr Positivity]

History of coming back from 2-1 in finals, but not 2-0

2022 Warriors over Celtics

2015 Warriors over Cavaliers

2013 Heat over Spurs

2011 Mavericks over Heat

1984 Celtics over Lakers

1978 Bullets over Sonics

1962 Celtics over Lakers

1957 Celtics over Hawks

Dont almost all od these have hca for the team coming back 1-2

Mavs come back without HCA, 78 is weird 1-2-2-1-1, so Washington had 2 of the first 3 games, but Seattle had game 7.

[Junoobi]

Siakam has truly been the best player for the pacers this series ,no shade to Hali. Just the more consistent player. Rick Carlisle has finally utilised his post ups more against the thunder's set defence when the game gets tight. I'd like to see what he has in store for game 7

[IlikeSHAIguys]

Yes. Love game sevens. Not nervous at all!

[GSP]

Sgas legacy on the line game 7. Would be one of the worst finals losses ever if they collapse at home after the season and hype he had.

[eminence]

Will be cheering for the Pacers hard on Sunday.

Has a chance to be the biggest NBA underdog story ever.

1 more game.

[AEnigma]

It has been over fifty years since a Game 7 in the Finals was decided by double digits.

[Doctor MJ]

Will be cheering for the Pacers hard on Sunday.

Has a chance to be the biggest NBA underdog story ever.

1 more game.

Indeed, and it really feels more like the best team winning despite not having the best player just because they've already figured out how they need to function together and fill in the gaps.

Amazing if they can do it.

[tsherkin]

Will be cheering for the Pacers hard on Sunday.

Has a chance to be the biggest NBA underdog story ever.

1 more game.

Indeed, and it really feels more like the best team winning despite not having the best player just because they've already figured out how they need to function together and fill in the gaps.

Amazing if they can do it.

100% cheering for the Pacers on Sunday!

This has been a great series, man. It's always good times seeing great basketball. Both teams have been awesome to watch.

[Peregrine01]

The key for the Pacers has been TJ McConnell all along

[Texas Chuck]

Sgas legacy on the line game 7. Would be one of the worst finals losses ever if they collapse at home after the season and hype he had.

This desperate need to define a career on one game has always been weird to me. And you would have to be not paying attention to the series to think that would be one of the worst Finals losses of all time.

Too many of you decide games on paper and disrespect the guys actually in the arena. If the Pacers pull the upset on Sunday they will 100% be a worthy champion. And no SGA doesn't need to retire in shame nor does OKC need to hang their heads.

[itsxtray]

Sgas legacy on the line game 7. Would be one of the worst finals losses ever if they collapse at home after the season and hype he had.

This desperate need to define a career on one game has always been weird to me. And you would have to be not paying attention to the series to think that would be one of the worst Finals losses of all time.

Too many of you decide games on paper and disrespect the guys actually in the arena. If the Pacers pull the upset on Sunday they will 100% be a worthy champion. And no SGA doesn't need to retire in shame nor does OKC need to hang their heads.

This, no players legacy is ever on the line based on any single game, it's a ridiculous notion on its face.

[lessthanjake]

Would be such an immense achievement if the Pacers win the title. The Thunder winning 68 games and setting the SRS record doesn’t even really do justice to how good they are, since they really weren’t a very healthy team in the regular season and are healthy in the playoffs. Others might disagree, but I honestly don’t think a team this good has ever lost.

I think it would also really be indicative of the benefit of depth these days. The Thunder are incredibly deep too, but if the Pacers win the Finals it will really be on the back of depth. Haliburton and Siakam are both genuinely star players, but neither one is a very top-tier superstar. And even if we considered Haliburton to be one, he is dealing with injury in the Finals. It’s depth (and good coaching) that is keeping the Pacers even with the Thunder.

This really isn’t something we see much in the NBA. Teams built on depth without a major superstar (or at least not a healthy one) virtually never win the title. It can happen. The 2004 Pistons were a good example (though that was more about strength of the starting lineup, rather than being really deep). And maybe the Pacers have just hit lightning in a bottle and this isn’t indicative of a real trend/shift. But I wonder if it is.

I have a theory that the rules and whatnot have shifted enough towards offense that you may not *need* a major superstar to reliably break down playoff defenses anymore. Once you expand the amount of players that can actually do well against playoff defenses, depth starts to become a lot more valuable. I also wonder if the game has become fast enough (not just in pace, but also in distance covered on rotations and stuff) that depth is more important now because you need a longer rotation to not have guys be exhausted in the playoffs. This isn’t a distinguishing point between the Pacers and Thunder, since they both have long rotations, but it’s probably a good reason these two are the teams that are left.

[Cavsfansince84]

Sgas legacy on the line game 7. Would be one of the worst finals losses ever if they collapse at home after the season and hype he had.

This desperate need to define a career on one game has always been weird to me. And you would have to be not paying attention to the series to think that would be one of the worst Finals losses of all time.

Too many of you decide games on paper and disrespect the guys actually in the arena. If the Pacers pull the upset on Sunday they will 100% be a worthy champion. And no SGA doesn't need to retire in shame nor does OKC need to hang their heads.

This, no players legacy is ever on the line based on any single game, it's a ridiculous notion on its face.

I agree that with regard to SGA its ridiculous but I think there are times where it can almost be true. Like if the Jazz had forced a game 7 in 97 or 98 it would have been that kind of game for Karl given what he stood to gain by winning and getting a ring before he retired. Not in the sense that losing erases what he'd done the previous 15 years but also with Ewing in 94. Had he gone out and got 30/15 and they win the ring he is remembered very differently based on that one game imo.

[Special_Puppy]

Sgas legacy on the line game 7. Would be one of the worst finals losses ever if they collapse at home after the season and hype he had.

This desperate need to define a career on one game has always been weird to me. And you would have to be not paying attention to the series to think that would be one of the worst Finals losses of all time.

Too many of you decide games on paper and disrespect the guys actually in the arena. If the Pacers pull the upset on Sunday they will 100% be a worthy champion. And no SGA doesn't need to retire in shame nor does OKC need to hang their heads.

The Thunder losing would be biggest finals failure in NBA history given the overwhelming talent advantage they have over the Pacers (as reflected in their regular and post-season track record as well as the advanced stats). It would be the biggest upset ever in terms of net rating (and yes I know the Pacers look better if you weigh the start of the season less)

[Texas Chuck]

again games not played on paper. matchups make fights. It wasn't the biggest upset of all-time when We Believe beat the 67 win Mavs either. Not for those who understood both the mid-season trade that them playing much better than an 8th seed and the fact that they went 4-0 against Dallas in the regular season.

Regular season and playoff losses for Dallas against the Warriors: 8
Regular season losses against the other 28 teams: 11

Pacers giving the Thunder a tough series is because of great coaching and execution. And these games are never played on paper.