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๐Good morning to everyone, but especially…
Indiana Pacers
We get the best two words in sports – Game 7 – And few teams deserve to force a team. Pacer Removed in the shaking 108-91 rule thunder. Oklahoma City took the starter and then took a 30-fourth after a 30-minute lead.
Usually this is where I put important statistics, but last night’s performance transcended statistics. I mean this wholeheartedly: what should you do if you don’t have any support interest? do not have Do you enjoy what the Pacers do?
- Tyreese Halliburton Playing historically poor game 5 and doubting it in game 6 Calf tension. After a slow start, he found a rhythm and finished with 14 points and five assists in just 23 minutes. See how he leads the attack with precision, calmness and joy.
- Pascal Miss He had 16 points and 13 rebounds. He is a very smooth scorer, so you rarely understand how much he is. Watch him continue to use his size and versatility.
- Please see how difficult it is Andrew Nenbard (17 points) Aaron Nesmith (10 points) Working on both ends, navigate the screen tirelessly, recovering and building a body against Oklahoma City’s best athletes, then sprinting to the other side.
- Please see how Obitoppin When he plays with confidence, the flowers can bloom. He finished with a team high 20 points.
But more than anything, look TJ McConnell. He was knocked off all Eastern Conference castoffs, like Nesmith and Toppin, due to many weaknesses. But he, like everyone on this roster, found a way to flourish. His strengths have deteriorated in Indy. He scored 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals. He is the third player who does it from the bench in a playoff game. He got rebounds against people taller than him. The series had stretches, where he was the best player on the floor.
Perhaps, as Brad Botkin writes, he can become a hard charging bull, as he doesn’t have to get off the bench and play the starter minutes every night. But that asks for a question: If this guy is so effective, why can’t all the backup guards play like this?
- Botkin: โIt’s enough to say McConnell is at work, and imagine a guy who hasn’t even drafted for decades hasn’t signed up on the MVP board in the finals.
Like McConnell, Pacer is the ultimate loserwrote Sam Quinn.
OK, this is LoveFest. The key to this was Indiana just 10 spins (after a whopping 23 in Game 5), forcing a turnover for Oklahoma City of 21. On top of that, 11 offensive rebounds have made Pacer try 18 shots over lightning. James Herbert investigated How Indiana ruled OKC.
Don’t forget: we are all winners too. This is the first NBA Finals Game 7 since 2016. I can’t wait for Sunday.
๐ Honorable mention
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๐ And it’s not that good morning…
Oklahoma City Thunder
As good as lightning is – and they are historically good – they go through some terrible rough patches. At 22 at halftime, their defense finally got locked in… but it took me over five minutes to score points in the third quarter.
- Shy Gilgaus Alexander There are eight turnovers and some trends in which the pacers show all series.
- Chet Holmgren He scored four points in a 9-2 shooting, often appearing to be lost offensively.
- Oklahoma City was three-thirds to 20 from the third quarter.
- The bench was over three-quarters from 31-6.
That’s bad enough, but they violated Indiana as well. rebound. For loose balls. For a little more details. After 15 blocks and 12 steels in Game 5, they only managed four in Game 6 each.
Thunder can deny all this with a game 7 victory and there is reason to believe they will. They are 18-2 this season (regular season and playoffs) after their defeat. They are incredible at home. But the opportunity for them to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy was disappointing, with the performance, effort and attention to detail.
old not such an honorable mention
๐NFL Quarterback Tier: Two NFC East Stars join “Big Four” at the top
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The quarterbacks of debate are stories as old as eras…or at least as old as the past quarter century.
Most people will agree that there is a clear top 4: Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow. But in him 2025 NFL Quarterback tierCody Benjamin has two more in Tier 1: Transendent Talents.
- Benjamin: “Jalen hurts – Men only get results. Whether he uses a timely downfield lob for his playmaker or a sturdy situational lashing, Eagles Set the tone with a strange calm. … Jayden Daniels – Smooth cruisers and bulging cruisers rip through the cracks on the ground. He also couldn’t flapping his wings under bright lights, and took a troop of veterinarians to the Super Bowl gateway. โ
After these six, Tier 2: Borderline Stars has nine players, and four more players are Tier 3: Promising Leads.
Next are six players, “Tier 4: Volatile Veterans,” including one player who jumps.
- Benjamin: “Trevor Lawrence – Four years after taking first place overall, Lawrence is Under pressure Justify Jaguar“A lucrative investment in his services. He has sharp arms and flashy young wideouts. Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunterbut hopefully a new coach Liam Cohen It can also help him make sharper decisions. โ
Cody’s rights mean there is plenty of pressure. I think Lawrence is just too talented to fail. Finally It is equipped with a sound infrastructure.
Top 10 moments under family ownership of Rakers Bass
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With the bus family sale Lakers In Mark WalterI’ve already seen it Winners and losers. But what about the past? After all, the Bass Family owned the team for nearly half a century and overseen 11 titles. Brian Deard ranked 10 Best Moments for the Lakers Under the Bass Familyand No. 1 is…
- Dado: “The Lakers finally defeated the Celtics in 1985 – To make the Lakers’ victory even sweeter is the fact that the series-packed game took place at Boston Garden, and was called the “Memorial Day Massacre,” a Celtics’ blow-off victory in Game 1. … Kareem Abdul Jabberafter his inactive Game 1 performance, he was called Old and Over the Hill by many, and returned in vengeance in Game 2, earning 30 points and collecting 17 rebounds. The then 38-year-old won the final MVP after scoring 29 points in a 111-100 victory that won the Lakers series. โ
weeled what we’re seeing this weekend
Friday
โพ Cubs’ MarinersMLB Network at 2:20pm
โพ Yankees’ Oriole7:05pm on MLB Network
โพ Dodgers’ citizens10:10pm on MLB Network
Saturday
๐ Mbadala Sale Grand Prix1pm on CBS
โพ Rays’ Tiger12:10pm on MLB Network
๐ Mercury in the sky1pm on ABC
โพ Pirates RangerFS1 at 4:05pm
โพ Game 1: Coastal Carolina vs. LSU7pm on ESPN
โพ Phillies’ Mets or Padres royalsFox at 7:15pm
๐ Sparks with Lynx8pm on NBA TV
โพ Dodgers’ citizens10:10pm on MLB Network
Sunday
๐ BIG 3: Second week game1pm on CBS
โพ Pirates RangerMLB Network at 1:35pm
โพ Game 2: Coastal Carolina vs. LSU2:30pm on ABC
๐ Fever at Ace3pm on ESPN
โพ Phillies’ Mets7pm on ESPN
โฝ USMNT vs Haiti7pm on Fox
๐ Freedom in the Storm7pm on NBA TV
๐ Game 7: Thunder’s Pacers (3-3 in the series Thailand)8pm on ABC