The 2025 NBA Finals Thread

[Crimson Warrior]

wow

 

[Cheesebeef]

wow

better put that champagne on ice, Crimson. We got a Game 7 on Sunday for the whole enchilada. Nothing better in sports!

 

[Finito]

This Pacers team just won’t die.

 

[TJ]

People are finally realizing that TJ McConnell belongs in the GOAT conversation

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[Mainstreet]

People are finally realizing that TJ McConnell belongs in the GOAT conversation

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McConnell sure provides a dose of energy for the Pacers.

I mentioned previously in another game, it looks like he has gotten quicker if that is possible.

He has always been a good shooter and playmaker.

 

[Cheesebeef]

People are finally realizing that TJ McConnell belongs in the GOAT conversation

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lol… I’ve definitely thought of you once or twice, basking in his well-deserved glory during this season.

 

[Cheesebeef]

People are finally realizing that TJ McConnell belongs in the GOAT conversation

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Man… if we coulda traded Ayton for Turner and TJ that off-season he signed the MAX, we might have actually had a shot at winning that year pre or post KD trade.

 

[Finito]

Man… if we coulda traded Ayton for Turner and TJ that off-season he signed the MAX, we might have actually had a shot at winning that year pre or post KD trade.

Nope.

Talent alone isn’t enough. We didn’t have a system set to develop and nurture talent. Monty probably would have buried Turner on the bench when he wasn’t rebounding. Monty couldn’t get out of his own way.

Indy has developed both those guys to absolute peak play. They know what they do well and what they don’t do well and they are ok with that.

 

[Phrazbit]

I’m not discounting it. It hurt the team but Giannis wasn’t nursing anything when he scored 42/15 in Game 2 and even without Saric and we handled them with relative ease again. Losing one okay bench big shouldn’t have led to a back door 0-4 sweep. That happened because CP3 fell off a cliff and Booker was hit, miss or unbelievably got himself in terrible foul trouble before I believe he fouled out of a huge game 4.

Without Saric as a backup to Ayton, we had to rely on Frank and he was definitely not up to it. And it affected more than just Giannis' line. When Ayton wasn't in the game, we had nobody who could guard Giannis at all. I will say that our need to double team was extremely greater once Saric was no longer able to play. That left other guys open more often, and Jrue in particular picked us apart.

There are countless factors, as there are in any close series. But Giannis getting healthy helped the bucks, Saric going down, who was the leader of our 2nd unit, which had been a monster all throughout the playoffs getting hurt certainly didn't help, and Booker straining his hamstring in game 3 and playing hurt the rest of the series if an obvious issue.

We also found out later that CP3 was playing the finals with torn tendons in his right hand after Pat Beverly undercut him in the western finals.

The Suns have never been strong when it comes to luck.

Games 4, 5 and 6 all came down to a few plays... we were pretty damn close.

Series in 93 is much the same. CC breaks his ankle in garbage time vs Seattle in game 7, Barkley wrecks his elbow and plays hurt for most of the series, our losses are decided by a couple decisive moments, all of which break against us.

Being a Suns fan is brutal. Those are just a couple finals moments (we lost that triple overtime against Boston as well). You've also got almost every Nash series having something brutal go against us (Bell's calf, JJ's face, Amare's eye, Metta world war's miraculous tip in of Kobe's air ball, Tim Donahey) you've got the injuries and the blown leads in the mid 90s vs Houston.

It's far worse to be the fan off a good team that can't get over the hump that being a fan of a trash franchise. The Suns have tormented me over and over, like 6 or 7 different SEASONS where I thought we might win a title... the Cards meanwhile, they've given me about 3 minutes where I thought we had a realistic chance at glory.

 

[Phrazbit]

Man… if we coulda traded Ayton for Turner and TJ that off-season he signed the MAX, we might have actually had a shot at winning that year pre or post KD trade.

Agreed.

Between that and not drafting Haliburton, the Suns bad choices basically built this Pacer team.

However, from what I've seen of Ishbia, I think him ruining the franchise through hubris and impacients was probably inevitable. Like... if Haliburton is on our roster he probably just gets tossed into the KD fiasco... maybe we keep a pick swap instead.

 

[95pro]

Agreed.

Between that and not drafting Haliburton, the Suns bad choices basically built this Pacer team.

However, from what I've seen of Ishbia, I think him ruining the franchise through hubris and impacients was probably inevitable. Like... if Haliburton is on our roster he probably just gets tossed into the KD fiasco... maybe we keep a pick swap instead.

And they still got Stix too along with Hali lol

 

[elindholm]

It's far worse to be the fan off a good team that can't get over the hump that being a fan of a trash franchise.

Well our lives are now easier with Ishbia in charge, so there's that.

 

[Mainstreet]

And they still got Stix too along with Hali lol

And the Suns traded Stix because they didn't need a center… oh wait… now they do.

 

[BirdGangThing]

Well our lives are now easier with Ishbia in charge, so there's that.

i hope he stays the **** away from the mercury

 

[Mainstreet]

i hope he stays the **** away from the mercury

Yeah, I need to starting watching more of their games.

 

[Mainstreet]

Maybe Monique Akoa Makani can be the Suns point guard.

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[Finito]

I was watching Bomani today and honestly I had no idea Myles Turner has been so bad this series until he mentioned how bad he’s been. Last night finished 1-9 with 3 points and 4 rebounds and his 3 point shooting that’s supposed to be strength he’s like 5/25. He was talking about how Chet has also no showed at times

Obi Toppin has been the best big man in the series.

 

[Ronin]

Thunder vs. Pacers NBA Finals: 'We sucked' — OKC at a loss for how it performed with a chance to claim the title

Game 6 was quite literally the Thunder's worst offensive effort of the season. And the other end was no better.

sports.yahoo.com

 

[Ronin]

NBA Finals odds: Thunder open as big Game 7 favorites despite ugly Game 6 loss to Pacers

Indiana's massive run in the second quarter decided the game Thursday night.

sports.yahoo.com

 

[Ronin]

The Drake Curse strikes again: Rapper's $800K bet on Thunder goes bust in NBA Finals Game 6

Drake is the second rap mogul to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars on the Thunder in the 2025 NBA Finals.

sports.yahoo.com

 

[95pro]

I was watching Bomani today and honestly I had no idea Myles Turner has been so bad this series until he mentioned how bad he’s been. Last night finished 1-9 with 3 points and 4 rebounds and his 3 point shooting that’s supposed to be strength he’s like 5/25. He was talking about how Chet has also no showed at times

Obi Toppin has been the best big man in the series.

It’s a grind. Toppin is more fresh. But still there are two days between games now. Maybe the bigs are just neutralizing each other out.

 

[angel_ofthe_south]

Whatever happens, the NBA is better because the Finals were played by two non-superteams. Building superteams is lazy. Their owners let another team do the hard work of developing players...then they steal the players. They are the NBA equivalent of conglomerates in the business world.

 

[Crimson Warrior]

omg this game today. I'm sick nervous.

IND playing great and fearless on the road too.

 

[BirdGangThing]

omg this game today. I'm sick nervous.

IND playing great and fearless on the road too.

such a good series - i thought okc might be done when they went down 2-1 and i absolutely thought the pacers were done when hali was getting mri's

 

[Hoop Head]

I'm shocked we're at game 7 especially when you look at the team's health and Haliburton is the only significant injury.


I think OKC needs this win more for their future than Indiana does. More pressure on OKC. Hope we get an all timer today.