The 2025 NBA Finals Thread

[clyde2tw]

The nobodies won with team ball. That's a great story.

 

[BirdGangThing]

If it's any consolation, at least 10 teams are regretting their choice on passing him up - the only pick that makes sense over him is Ant at #1. And time will tell if even that was a mistake.

i'd take ant over haliburton

 

[Finito]

And if they had actually made any effort at ALL to develop Smith, you could've at least made a concession for that. Just the stupidest front office ever under James Jones.

Remember he looked like a baller then Monty was just like nope back to the bench for you.

Looking back there were so many signs Monty just had no clue

 

[Finito]

The nobodies won with team ball. That's a great story.

They aren’t nobodies at all.

 

[Finito]

You know what I didn’t like at all.

They didn’t show the player introductions. It’s like ESPN forgets the players are the stars of the show I don’t want to see your on air talent at that moment

 

[TruColor]

#YesCers

 

[Cheesebeef]

Man ESPN has gone downhill so fast. That’s was a lukewarm production at best for an all time 4th qtr.

Yup. I immediately went there for post-game and within two minutes turned it off.

They’ll rebound once they have the Inside crew there for NBA postgame again.

 

[Russ Smith]

If I had to blame anybody I'd blame the OKC coach he went small down the stretch had both bigs on the bench. There was a couple of plays late in the game where not having a big in there might have played a role.

But honestly i don't think OKC lost it as much as Indiana took it. That 3 by Toppin was huge they were on the ropes until he hit that

 

[Superbone]

If I had to blame anybody I'd blame the OKC coach he went small down the stretch had both bigs on the bench. There was a couple of plays late in the game where not having a big in there might have played a role.

But honestly i don't think OKC lost it as much as Indiana took it. That 3 by Toppin was huge they were on the ropes until he hit that

I agree. It wasn't like game one in NY where the Knicks got complacent and blew it.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I hate James jones

 

[Raindog]

Remember he looked like a baller then Monty was just like nope back to the bench for you.

Looking back there were so many signs Monty just had no clue

Yeah, Monty seemed to mostly be inclined to playing guys he "liked" personally, for whatever reason, over guys who were actually performing. Not that he's the first or last coach to ever be that way, by a long stretch, but it was definitely a sign that he wasn't all that as a coach... as the Pistons later discovered and the Pelicans likely already knew. He clearly let grudges and blatant favoritism affect his coaching decisions, which is a sign of an inferior coach in my book.

 

[elindholm]

And if they had actually made any effort at ALL to develop Smith, you could've at least made a concession for that. Just the stupidest front office ever under James Jones.

There was nothing to develop. The guy was 6' 9" 175 and a total klutz. The only thing that got people interested was that he could make an outside shot once in a while.

 

[elindholm]

I left to move some furniture.

Haven't heard that euphemism before.

 

[Phrazbit]

You know what I didn’t like at all.

They didn’t show the player introductions. It’s like ESPN forgets the players are the stars of the show I don’t want to see your on air talent at that moment

Yep, I loved how the old NBA on NBC would do their pregame chatter but before the game actually started, they'd have Bob Costas do his poetic intro, the NBA on NBC intro would run and then the game announcers would talk for a few moments, basically setting up the in arena intro. Made the games feel so huge.

 

[Phrazbit]

I hate James jones

IMO, Jones has a worse rap here than he deserves, he wasn't a wizard but he wasn't a disaster. However, without question, his biggest mistake was screwing up that draft. Haliburton fell into our lap, after months of people hoping he would, he was right there... everyone thought we'd take him... and Jones got cute.

Maybe it's for the best. If we'd drafted Hali, then tossed him into the Durant trade (which seems likely given our total capitulation in every trade since Ishbia took over), then the pain of watching his evolution would be magnified 10 fold.

 

[BirdGangThing]

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[Chaplin]

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That's pretty impressive, that that doesn't really tell me that the Pacers are good, but that bookmakers are morons.

 

[Finito]

IMO, Jones has a worse rap here than he deserves, he wasn't a wizard but he wasn't a disaster. However, without question, his biggest mistake was screwing up that draft. Haliburton fell into our lap, after months of people hoping he would, he was right there... everyone thought we'd take him... and Jones got cute.

Maybe it's for the best. If we'd drafted Hali, then tossed him into the Durant trade (which seems likely given our total capitulation in every trade since Ishbia took over), then the pain of watching his evolution would be magnified 10 fold.

Oh he deserves that rap he gets. He’s one of the worst GMs I’ve ever seen.

The second you started dangling Ayton in trade rumors you had to pull the trigger but he didn’t he let it fester.

Same with Crowder

He never reigned in Monty and his feelings

Traded away the house for Durant

Traded for the worst contract in sports in Beal

The draft I’d a whole other ball game.

Dude is clueless. Under his watch he took the Suns from a finals team( a team he pretty much inherited) to a team with the highest payroll in history, the only team in the NBA to not make the playoffs, the play in or be in the Lottery lol and we don’t have control of our draft until 2032

Disaster

 

[leclerc]

Holy crap what a game!

And I missed it! Honestly it got a little boring with OKC just winning most of the game and I left to move some furniture.

Moving furniture. That's innuendo, right?

 

[BirdGangThing]

pressure is off the pacers and okc is shell shocked - must win game for the thunder on sunday

 

[Mainstreet]

Yeah, Monty seemed to mostly be inclined to playing guys he "liked" personally, for whatever reason, over guys who were actually performing. Not that he's the first or last coach to ever be that way, by a long stretch, but it was definitely a sign that he wasn't all that as a coach... as the Pistons later discovered and the Pelicans likely already knew. He clearly let grudges and blatant favoritism affect his coaching decisions, which is a sign of an inferior coach in my book.

It's a shame because Monty had built a nice culture with the Suns only to see it unravel.

However, disassembling the Finals team and the 64 win team the following season was not the answer.

I wish the Suns had traded Jae Crowder rather than let him stay home.

 

[Suns_fan69]

That's pretty impressive, that that doesn't really tell me that the Pacers are good, but that bookmakers are morons.

I don't think that's performance against odds, but performance against the win probability tracker in game. From ESPN https://www.espn.com/nba/game/_/gameId/401766122/pacers-thunder

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[Chaplin]

I don't think that's performance against odds, but performance against the win probability tracker in game. From ESPN https://www.espn.com/nba/game/_/gameId/401766122/pacers-thunder

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ESPN Analytics

 

[elindholm]

I don't think that's performance against odds, but performance against the win probability tracker in game. From ESPN https://www.espn.com/nba/game/_/gameId/401766122/pacers-thunder

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It's just based on historical outcomes from that situation. When a team is up by 15 with 9:42 left in the 4th, it wins 97.9% of the time.

 

[Suns_fan69]

It's just based on historical outcomes from that situation. When a team is up by 15 with 9:42 left in the 4th, it wins 97.9% of the time.

Yeah, I'm curious if it's any more sophisticated than that (ie, home vs away, team records, playoffs vs regular season, etc), because there's been a LOT of wins these playoffs against low probability odds.