Latest news with #DanDevine
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pacers-Thunder Game 7 predictions! Who will win the 2025 NBA Finals and be crowned champion on Sunday?
It all comes down to this for the Pacers and the Thunder: Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday (8 ET, ABC). Winner will be crowned the 2025 champion. Will the Thunder finish off one of the greatest seasons in NBA history? Or will the Pacers complete one of the most unexpected postseason runs of all time? Our writers weigh in on Game 7 and make their predictions. 1. Use 7 words to describe these NBA Finals. Ben Rohrbach: Highly competitive basketball for two rabid fanbases. This series may not be for everyone, or for anyone who bought into the small-market criticism of it, but for those who love the sport — and, man, do they love basketball in Indiana and Oklahoma City — you cannot help but respect how hard these teams play. Advertisement Tom Haberstroh: Basketball does not get better than this. The level of hooping is a coach's dream as well as a fan's dream. It may not be a TV partner's dream matchup, but these two teams are putting legacies and bodies equally on the line. Dan Devine: A thrilling, exhausting, illuminating showcase for the sport. (That's eight, but if we don't count the articles, it's only six. Devine skirts a word count yet again.) Nineteen days ago, damn near everyone just knew that the Thunder would win this series. Now, after a three-week rollercoaster ride of buzzer-beaters, bounce-backs and beatdowns — of adjustments, adjustments to the adjustments, and adjustments to the adjustments TO the adjustments — all we know for sure is that the Pacers are a hell of a lot better than most people realized, that their all-gas-no-brakes two-way play style is an incredible weapon, and that reaching the pinnacle requires post-graduate real-time problem-solving … even if everyone just knew the chip was yours for the taking. Hours before Game 7, I feel like all I know is that I don't know nothing. And that's fine. Advertisement Vincent Goodwill: A harbinger for the future of basketball. It feels big now, especially if you're in it, but it will feel bigger down the line when the NBA's sea change really takes hold. The breakneck pace, the young stars making a name for themselves. Who knows if either will be back, but it is a signal of the terms these games will be played by in the coming years. 2. What, if anything, have we learned from these Finals so far? Goodwill: That we don't know as much as we thought we did. That coaching matters. That the connective tissue of heartbreak and year-to-year continuity means more than we believed it could. That there could very well be no run-away-and-hide dynasties in the league's future, because the competition is too thick for anyone to truly dominate — and that youth can mature faster than we thought possible. Devine: That, as we recently discussed on The Big Number, the future of the NBA is going to be a spin on pace-and-space — namely, being able to cover as much space as possible, as quickly as possible, for as long as possible. Advertisement The Pacers and Thunder have made the argument for bumping a 'Big 5' league up by at least a couple of contributors — to be able to run 10, 11, 12 deep during the regular season to keep your stars fresher for May and June, and to be able to play a style that applies maximum pressure on opponents for the full 48 minutes, with more players emptying the tank in shorter stints before coming out for a rest. Stars still matter, of course … but so does everyone else. And if you don't have the Everyone Else, you won't survive 82 games and four rounds — especially against teams that do. Haberstroh: Never, ever count out the Indiana Pacers. Their ability to level up and play to their opponent (and often above it) will be the thing that I'll remember most about these Finals. Every inch, every point is being earned on the battlefield. It's as if they think the 13 players who voted Tyrese Haliburton as most overrated are all on the opposing roster. Every game. Rohrbach: We have learned what it takes to build a team in the era of the second apron. Gone is the three-star model, or even the superstar tandem, and in its place are true teams. Both the Thunder and the Pacers are built around one superstar, a complementary fringe All-NBA talent and well-paid, talented depth. 3. What is the biggest key for the Thunder in Game 7? Devine: Take care of the ball. Take care of the ball. And then, after that, take care of the ball. The Thunder are 73-18 this season when they don't commit more turnovers than their opponent. When they do cough it up more than the other team, they're … still 10-3, because they've been an incredible team all season. Two of those three losses, though, have come in this series: in Game 3, when Indiana's full-court pressure conspired to minimize the impact of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and hamstring the Oklahoma City offense, and in Game 6, which began to shift on a three-turnover stretch early in the second quarter. Conversely: When the Thunder haven't turned the ball over more often than Indiana, they're 3-1 in this series, with the only loss coming on Haliburton's Game 1 buzzer beater. Control the ball, get shots on goal and limit Indiana's transition opportunities, and OKC dramatically improves its odds of hoisting the Larry O'B. Advertisement Goodwill: OKC's offense hasn't been humming the way we all expected, at least not since Game 2. When they've struggled in this series, it's been that reason. When Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can't get to his spots, or when the shooters aren't hitting from the gravity he creates, they get into trouble. He can't have another eight turnover game on Sunday. 27 assists to 23 turnovers? No bueno. [Pacers-Thunder: 7 eye-popping stats that have defined the Finals] Rohrbach: Will the defense show up? A swarming defense is Oklahoma City's calling card, and it is the best thing any team has got going for it in these playoffs. Lean into that, and the Thunder should be fine. In Game 6, though, the Pacers "played harder than us," said SGA. "And when a team plays harder, they turn the other team over." Haberstroh: They better hope the time-honored axiom, 'Role players play better at home,' comes true on Sunday. Lu Dort, Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso combining for five points in Game 6 is not the stuff of champions. They better defend and capitalize on kickouts in ways that were somehow out of reach in Game 6. 4. What is the biggest key for the Pacers in Game 7? Haberstroh: Continue to limit turnovers. Unbelievably, the Thunder didn't snag a steal until midway through the third quarter in Game 6. At the end of the day, that's what sealed their blowout victory, and possibly their ticket to the Larry O'Brien Trophy. If they can keep the OKC Dobermans at bay, they'll be in good position for their franchise's first NBA championship. Advertisement Rohrbach: If defense is key for OKC, then taking care of the ball is key for Indiana. The Pacers are 10-1 in the playoffs when they turn the ball over 13 times or fewer. They have required two buzzer-beaters, including one in Game 1 of this series, to finish 5-6 when they turn it over 14 times or more. I don't think they want Game 7 to require a buzzer-beater. Or maybe they do. I'm out of the prediction business when it comes to Indy. Goodwill: It's almost the same as the Thunder. Take care of the ball. Especially on the road. Avoid the five-minute Looney Tunes calamity of errors that makes winning in this environment damn near impossible. You can't count on rebounding from that disastrous stretch of Game 1 to steal one on the road. You don't steal Game 7s in the NBA Finals on the road. You don't have to play perfect, but you can't give the game away. The defense will be there. The offense has to be passable. Devine: Keep OKC uncomfortable on offense. After showing the Thunder a steady diet of full-court pressure throughout the series, Indiana dialed it way back in Game 6, preferring instead to meet Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams just inside half court and converge on the ball-handler from there, with hands in the passing lanes, help defenders in the gaps and well-timed double teams sprung from unfamiliar angles. The result was literally Oklahoma City's worst offensive game of the season. Advertisement After a couple of days to digest how the Pacers did it, Oklahoma City will likely come out for Game 7 with some new answers. If an Indiana defense led by assistant coach Jenny Boucek can introduce some new questions, though, the Pacers have a great shot to keep things tight enough to pull off yet another upset. 5. Name an X-factor for Game 7. Rohrbach: 3-point shooting. As Tom mentioned, the old saying goes, "Role players play better at home," and that has been true for the Thunder, whose fans create a true home-court advantage. In the Finals, the Thunder are shooting 39.8% on 32.7 3-point attempts per game at home and 30.9% on 22.7 attempts on the road, a difference of 30 points per game. Seems relevant. [NBA Finals keys and X-factors for Pacers and Thunder] Advertisement Devine: Is T.J. McConnell now too much of a defined, known quantity to be considered an X-factor? If so, let's go with Obi Toppin, an irrepressible live wire on offense whose sprinting in transition and quick trigger from 3-point range fit perfectly with this Pacers team, and whose biggest and best moments of this postseason — 13 points in 14 minutes in Game 4 against Milwaukee, 20 points in 20 minutes in Game 4 against Cleveland, 18 points in 25 minutes in Game 6 against New York, 17 points with five 3-pointers in Game 1 against OKC, 20 points in 23 minutes in Thursday's Game 6 — have all come in massive Pacers wins. In a Game 7, every possession feels magnified, and every make feels like it counts for double. If Toppin can get free and get hot, those makes could be absolute backbreakers for the Thunder — and just the shot of adrenaline the Pacers need to get across the finish line. Goodwill: Maybe Obi Toppin has also been so consistent through this series he no longer qualifies as an X-factor, but that's who could make this game very interesting. He was shaky early in Game 1 with turnovers, but even then he was hitting shots. It doesn't seem like the Thunder have an athlete that can go up with him consistently, especially in those second- and third-quarter stints that have changed the game's complexion. Either he or Nembhard has to make the OKC defense pay with shooting or the paths to winning will be limited. Advertisement Haberstroh: The officiating. If the referees call a tight game, advantage Pacers. If they let 'em play, edge goes to OKC. Statistically, Scott Foster calls the tightest game of any official in the NBA, so we'll see if he returns this series after working Game 4. None of the officials who worked the last Finals Game 7, in 2016, are still in the referee corp. It might be Foster's assignment. 6. Game 7 prediction! Pacers or Thunder — who wins it all? Goodwill: Thunder. Only because you can't change your pick, and because you rarely see Game 7s be won on the road, 2016 notwithstanding. Unless the moment gets too big for them, they've been the best team since October. They must do it now. Devine: Thunder. I've picked them at every step along the way — before the season, before the playoffs, before this series — and they've still got home-court advantage and the MVP. I'll stick with them … and be roughly zero percent surprised if the Pacers, once again, make picking against them look foolish. Advertisement Rohrbach: Thunder. They are the better team, or at least I have been saying that all series long, and rather than admit that the Pacers are just as good as the Thunder, why not try to prove myself right one more time? Haberstroh: I'll go Pacers. I picked OKC in 5, so I clearly underestimated Indiana's fighting spirit. I won't make that mistake again. Rick Carlisle seems to have Mark Daigneault on the ropes as indicated by the Thunder — the No. 1 overall seed that won 68 games! — continuing to change their starting lineups in the series like they're the underdogs. 7. Who will win Finals MVP? Haberstroh: Pascal Siakam. His Raptors closed out on the road in the 2019 Finals and he largely drove that effort with 26 points and 10 rebounds in the clincher in the Bay. Six years later, he seems poised to do it again, with 19.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and four assist averages in the series. He's been as steady as they come. Advertisement Rohrbach: T.J. McConnell. Just kidding. It's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and then everyone else. Goodwill: Shai Gilegous-Alexander. There was a path for Jalen Williams, but it seems more unlikely unless he puts up a 40-ball. SGA has to take the lead here, both in action and emotion. Devine: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. When in doubt, go with the MVP to finish the job.
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Does Boston Celtics guard Derrick White have more trade value in the NBA than Jaylen Brown?
Does Boston Celtics point guard Derrick White have more trade value in the NBA than Jaylen Brown does? At least one national league analyst believes that this is the case due to the ability of the University of Colorado alum to fit into pretty much any sort of roster and contribute to winning on both ends of the court. And there is also the contract of both players to consider. While Brown may hit higher heights when healthy than White is able to on a regular basis, he also makes nearly twice what the Colorado native does per year -- and has a better injury history as well. The analyst in question, Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports, recently sat down with the hosts of the CLNS Media "Celtics Beat" podcast, Adam Kaufman and Evan Valenti, to talk it over. Advertisement Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what they had to say about why White might actually have more trade value around the league. If you enjoy this pod, check out the "How Bout Them Celtics," "First to the Floor," and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network: This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Does Derrick White have more trade value than Jaylen Brown?
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Pacers-Thunder is (almost) the most unlikely NBA Finals ever
Why Pacers-Thunder is (almost) the most unlikely NBA Finals ever Yahoo Sports contributing NBA writer Tom Haberstroh and NBA writer Dan Devine discuss the unlikely paths for Indiana and Oklahoma City to make this year's championship series — and look at the minuscule odds that bookmakers had for this matchup coming into the season. View more Video Transcript This week's big number, Dan is 1%. Advertisement As in, that is the likelihood that we would have seen a Pacers, Thunder, NBA finals based on where they were preseason and how Vegas and bet MGM saw the whole landscape, the title contender landscape. 99% of the time, this doesn't happen, but we got that 1% and you're asking yourself, has there been an NBA Finals matchup that was this unlikely, a 1% chance. Based on preseason odds. And the answer is that this is one of the biggest long shot NBA Finals matchups we've seen in a very long time. The only one that we've had, Dan, that can best this, believe it or not, is the 2022 NBA Finals matchup of the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics. Advertisement So, according to sports Um, in 2022, Dan, Boston was coming off a 500 season. Brad Stevens is out, he moves upstairs to the front office. This guy Emi Udoka takes over for this, this team. Kemba Walker's out. They traded him for an old Al Horford. What are the chances that Al Horford can, can still have enough juice left to run to the NBA finals and maybe win a championship for them. Yeah, there was a lot of skepticism about that Boston Celtics team. They were listed at + 2000 to win the East in 2022 before the season. That was the sixth shortest odds behind the favorite, of course, Brooklyn, behind Milwaukee, Philly, Miami, and Atlanta, also more likely to make the NBA Finals preseason in 2022. Advertisement And then on the other side, the Golden State Warriors. Like they were two years removed from being like one of the worst teams in the. NBA getting the James Wiseman pick and they were not expected to be the favorite coming out of the Western Conference. So outside that, that had like a 0.9% chance rather than a 1, like solid 1% chance. So this is a matchup that we wouldn't have expected, but kind of likely in some senses of what these two teams can do and what they've proven. This is a really interesting finals.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
"The BEST DEFENSE I have ever seen!" - How OKC is so SUFFOCATING
Tom Haberstroh and Dan Devine have uncovered the jaw-dropping truth: the Oklahoma City Thunder now possess "the best defense in Playoff history." The guys explain what OKC is doing to make things so uncomfortable for their opponents, and how the juggernaut defense likely won't be solved any time soon. (1:05) - Is the Thunder defense best in postseason history? (10:05) - Numbers behind Thunder's suffocating defense (15:20) - Live-ball turnovers forced by Thunder defense (19:10) - How Thunder stifled Anthony Edwards (22:40) - Thunder shut down Wolves' corner threes (28:10) - How will SGA's MVP win be remembered? 🖥️
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
"The BEST DEFENSE I have ever seen!" - How OKC is so SUFFOCATING
Tom Haberstroh and Dan Devine have uncovered the jaw-dropping truth: the Oklahoma City Thunder now possess "the best defense in Playoff history." The guys explain what OKC is doing to make things so uncomfortable for their opponents, and how the juggernaut defense likely won't be solved any time soon. Advertisement (1:05) - Is the Thunder defense best in postseason history? (10:05) - Numbers behind Thunder's suffocating defense (15:20) - Live-ball turnovers forced by Thunder defense (19:10) - How Thunder stifled Anthony Edwards (22:40) - Thunder shut down Wolves' corner threes (28:10) - How will SGA's MVP win be remembered? OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - MARCH 27: Luguentz Dort #5 of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder slap hands after a play during the fourth quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Paycom Center on March 27, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by) (Photo by) 🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts
