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Fox Sports
28 minutes ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
For Pacers and Thunder, there's no looking back now. All eyes are only on Game 7 in the NBA Finals
Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Game 6 of the NBA Finals had been over for only about 10 or 15 minutes, and the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder were turning the page. What happened over the previous couple of hours in Indianapolis had already been deemed irrelevant. The only thing on their minds: Game 7. 'A privilege,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. 'A great privilege,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. A back-and-forth title matchup — Indiana led 1-0 and 2-1, Oklahoma City led 3-2 — will end on Sunday night with an ultimate game, the first winner-take-all contest in the NBA Finals since 2016. It'll be Pacers at Thunder, one team getting the Larry O'Brien Trophy when it is over, the other left to head into the offseason wondering how they let the chance slip away. 'We have one game for everything, for everything we've worked for, and so do they,' Thunder guard and reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'The better team Sunday will win.' History favors the home team in these moments: 15 of the previous 19 Game 7s in the NBA Finals were won by the club playing on its own court. The Thunder played a Game 7 at home earlier in these playoffs and won by 32, blowing out Denver to reach the Western Conference finals. Indiana's most recent Game 7 was at Madison Square Garden in last season's Eastern Conference semifinals; the Pacers blew out New York by 21 in that game. All-time, home teams are 112-38 in Game 7s (excluding the 2-2 record 'home' teams had in the bubble in the 2020 playoffs, when everything was played in Lake Buena Vista, Florida). But in recent years, home sweet home has been replaced by road sweet road; visiting teams have won nine of the last 14 Game 7s played since 2021. 'It's exciting, man. It's so, so, exciting,' Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton said. 'As a basketball fan, there's nothing like a Game 7. There's nothing like a Game 7 in the NBA Finals. Dreamed of being in this situation my whole life. So, to be here is really exciting. Really exciting for our group. What happened in the past doesn't matter. What happened today doesn't matter. It's all about one game and approaching that the right way." The fact that Haliburton is playing at all right now is a story in itself. He looked good as new in Game 6 even with a strained right calf, something that he's needed around-the-clock treatment on this week. The Pacers haven't had to coax him into it; Haliburton's own family is offering up constant reminders that he needs to be working on his leg. 'My family has been on me,' Haliburton said. 'If they call me, they are like, 'Are you doing treatment right now?' ... My family has been holding me accountable.' There's a lot of accountability going on among the Thunder right now as well. A different kind, of course. They were massive favorites going into Game 6 — +3000 odds to win the series, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. That means a $100 bet on the Thunder would have returned a whopping $103 or so if they had won the game and clinched the title. A 36-9 run by Indiana turned a one-point lead early in the second quarter into a full-fledged blowout early in the third. And with that, a Thunder team that finished with the best record in the NBA this season now has zero room for error. Win on Sunday, and all ends well for Oklahoma City. Lose on Sunday, and they'll go down in history as one of the best regular-season teams that failed to win a title. 'If they had won by one, they would have probably walked out of this game with confidence,' Thunder guard Jalen Williams said of the Pacers before leaving Indy's arena for the final time this season. 'That's what makes them a good team. That's what makes us a good team. ... They're going to go into Game 7 confident, and so are we.' The Thunder flew home after the game on Thursday night. The Pacers were flying to Oklahoma City on Friday afternoon. They'll spend some time looking at film, then go through the final practices — which won't be much more than glorified walk-throughs — of the season on Saturday. And then, Game 7. For everything. 'I think we played to exhaustion,' Pacers guard T.J. McConnell said after Game 6. 'But we have to do it again on Sunday.' ___ AP NBA: recommended
Hamilton Spectator
30 minutes ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
For Pacers and Thunder, there's no looking back now. All eyes are only on Game 7 in the NBA Finals
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Game 6 of the NBA Finals had been over for only about 10 or 15 minutes, and the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder were turning the page. What happened over the previous couple of hours in Indianapolis had already been deemed irrelevant. The only thing on their minds: Game 7. 'A privilege,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. 'A great privilege,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. A back-and-forth title matchup — Indiana led 1-0 and 2-1, Oklahoma City led 3-2 — will end on Sunday night with an ultimate game, the first winner-take-all contest in the NBA Finals since 2016. It'll be Pacers at Thunder, one team getting the Larry O'Brien Trophy when it is over, the other left to head into the offseason wondering how they let the chance slip away. 'We have one game for everything, for everything we've worked for, and so do they,' Thunder guard and reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'The better team Sunday will win.' History favors the home team in these moments: 15 of the previous 19 Game 7s in the NBA Finals were won by the club playing on its own court. The Thunder played a Game 7 at home earlier in these playoffs and won by 32, blowing out Denver to reach the Western Conference finals. Indiana's most recent Game 7 was at Madison Square Garden in last season's Eastern Conference semifinals; the Pacers blew out New York by 21 in that game. All-time, home teams are 112-38 in Game 7s (excluding the 2-2 record 'home' teams had in the bubble in the 2020 playoffs, when everything was played in Lake Buena Vista, Florida). But in recent years, home sweet home has been replaced by road sweet road; visiting teams have won nine of the last 14 Game 7s played since 2021. 'It's exciting, man. It's so, so, exciting,' Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton said. 'As a basketball fan, there's nothing like a Game 7. There's nothing like a Game 7 in the NBA Finals. Dreamed of being in this situation my whole life. So, to be here is really exciting. Really exciting for our group. What happened in the past doesn't matter. What happened today doesn't matter. It's all about one game and approaching that the right way.' The fact that Haliburton is playing at all right now is a story in itself. He looked good as new in Game 6 even with a strained right calf, something that he's needed around-the-clock treatment on this week. The Pacers haven't had to coax him into it; Haliburton's own family is offering up constant reminders that he needs to be working on his leg. 'My family has been on me,' Haliburton said. 'If they call me, they are like, 'Are you doing treatment right now?' ... My family has been holding me accountable.' There's a lot of accountability going on among the Thunder right now as well. A different kind, of course. They were massive favorites going into Game 6 — +3000 odds to win the series, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. That means a $100 bet on the Thunder would have returned a whopping $103 or so if they had won the game and clinched the title. A 36-9 run by Indiana turned a one-point lead early in the second quarter into a full-fledged blowout early in the third. And with that, a Thunder team that finished with the best record in the NBA this season now has zero room for error. Win on Sunday, and all ends well for Oklahoma City. Lose on Sunday, and they'll go down in history as one of the best regular-season teams that failed to win a title. 'If they had won by one, they would have probably walked out of this game with confidence,' Thunder guard Jalen Williams said of the Pacers before leaving Indy's arena for the final time this season. 'That's what makes them a good team. That's what makes us a good team. ... They're going to go into Game 7 confident, and so are we.' The Thunder flew home after the game on Thursday night. The Pacers were flying to Oklahoma City on Friday afternoon. They'll spend some time looking at film, then go through the final practices — which won't be much more than glorified walk-throughs — of the season on Saturday. And then, Game 7. For everything. 'I think we played to exhaustion,' Pacers guard T.J. McConnell said after Game 6. 'But we have to do it again on Sunday.' ___ AP NBA:
Winnipeg Free Press
34 minutes ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
For Pacers and Thunder, there's no looking back now. All eyes are only on Game 7 in the NBA Finals
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Game 6 of the NBA Finals had been over for only about 10 or 15 minutes, and the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder were turning the page. What happened over the previous couple of hours in Indianapolis had already been deemed irrelevant. The only thing on their minds: Game 7. 'A privilege,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. 'A great privilege,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. A back-and-forth title matchup — Indiana led 1-0 and 2-1, Oklahoma City led 3-2 — will end on Sunday night with an ultimate game, the first winner-take-all contest in the NBA Finals since 2016. It'll be Pacers at Thunder, one team getting the Larry O'Brien Trophy when it is over, the other left to head into the offseason wondering how they let the chance slip away. 'We have one game for everything, for everything we've worked for, and so do they,' Thunder guard and reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'The better team Sunday will win.' History favors the home team in these moments: 15 of the previous 19 Game 7s in the NBA Finals were won by the club playing on its own court. The Thunder played a Game 7 at home earlier in these playoffs and won by 32, blowing out Denver to reach the Western Conference finals. Indiana's most recent Game 7 was at Madison Square Garden in last season's Eastern Conference semifinals; the Pacers blew out New York by 21 in that game. All-time, home teams are 112-38 in Game 7s (excluding the 2-2 record 'home' teams had in the bubble in the 2020 playoffs, when everything was played in Lake Buena Vista, Florida). But in recent years, home sweet home has been replaced by road sweet road; visiting teams have won nine of the last 14 Game 7s played since 2021. 'It's exciting, man. It's so, so, exciting,' Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton said. 'As a basketball fan, there's nothing like a Game 7. There's nothing like a Game 7 in the NBA Finals. Dreamed of being in this situation my whole life. So, to be here is really exciting. Really exciting for our group. What happened in the past doesn't matter. What happened today doesn't matter. It's all about one game and approaching that the right way.' The fact that Haliburton is playing at all right now is a story in itself. He looked good as new in Game 6 even with a strained right calf, something that he's needed around-the-clock treatment on this week. The Pacers haven't had to coax him into it; Haliburton's own family is offering up constant reminders that he needs to be working on his leg. 'My family has been on me,' Haliburton said. 'If they call me, they are like, 'Are you doing treatment right now?' … My family has been holding me accountable.' There's a lot of accountability going on among the Thunder right now as well. A different kind, of course. They were massive favorites going into Game 6 — +3000 odds to win the series, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. That means a $100 bet on the Thunder would have returned a whopping $103 or so if they had won the game and clinched the title. A 36-9 run by Indiana turned a one-point lead early in the second quarter into a full-fledged blowout early in the third. And with that, a Thunder team that finished with the best record in the NBA this season now has zero room for error. Win on Sunday, and all ends well for Oklahoma City. Lose on Sunday, and they'll go down in history as one of the best regular-season teams that failed to win a title. 'If they had won by one, they would have probably walked out of this game with confidence,' Thunder guard Jalen Williams said of the Pacers before leaving Indy's arena for the final time this season. 'That's what makes them a good team. That's what makes us a good team. … They're going to go into Game 7 confident, and so are we.' Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. The Thunder flew home after the game on Thursday night. The Pacers were flying to Oklahoma City on Friday afternoon. They'll spend some time looking at film, then go through the final practices — which won't be much more than glorified walk-throughs — of the season on Saturday. And then, Game 7. For everything. 'I think we played to exhaustion,' Pacers guard T.J. McConnell said after Game 6. 'But we have to do it again on Sunday.' ___ AP NBA:
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
How does the Desmond Bane trade from the Grizzlies to the Magic affect the Boston Celtics?
How does the Desmond Bane trade from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Orlando Magic affect the Boston Celtics, if at all? The Magic ponied up four first round draft picks, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Cole Anthony to secure Bane to their roster as they mushed their chips in to make a run at the 2026 NBA Finals in what is looking like a down season for Boston while star Celtics forward Jayson Tatum recovers from a torn Achilles tendon injury. Does this move change the order of the NBA's Eastern Conference for the 2025-26 NBA season? What about in future seasons? Was the move an overpay, or did it make sense given the market and the assets going out in the deal? Advertisement The hosts of the CLNS Media "The Big Three NBA" podcast, A. Sherrod Blakely, Gary Washburn, and Kwani Lunis took some time on a recent episode of their show to talk the trade and its impact over. Check it out below! 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: How does the Desmond Bane trade to the Magic affect the Celtics?
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liberty get crucial injury update on 2024 WNBA Finals standout for Sun clash
The post Liberty get crucial injury update on 2024 WNBA Finals standout for Sun clash appeared first on ClutchPoints. The New York Liberty are off to a near-franchise record start as the top team in the Eastern Conference with a record of 6-0 to begin the regular season. After dealing with a brief injury scare to starting center Jonquel Jones, the Liberty got her back in the lineup during their win against the Washington Mystics on Friday. But the Liberty might still be short-handed against the Connecticut Sun with the latest injury update on backup center Nyara Sabally. Advertisement Nyara Sabally is officially listed as questionable on the Liberty's injury report for the team's upcoming game against the Sun, as per Underdog WNBA. Sabally suited up in the first two games of the season for the Liberty, but has been sidelined since then. She is listed with a knee injury. In the two games that Sabally played this season, she came off the bench at just about ten minutes per game. She was averaging 4.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals with splits of 50 percent shooting from the field and 100 percent shooting from the free-throw line. The No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft by the Liberty, Sabally emerged last season as a key reserve during the team's championship run. In the playoffs, Sabally played in nine games in a little over ten minutes off the bench. She averaged 4.4 points and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 54.2 percent from the field and 87.5 percent shooting from the free-throw line. In the deciding Game 5 of the WNBA Finals, Sabally came through a huge way for the Liberty. She finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, one steal and one blocked shot in 17 minutes. She shot 5-of-7 from the field and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line. With Sabally sidelined for the time being, the Liberty have used reserve bigs Kennedy Burke and Isabelle Harrison. Burke was on the team last season while Harrison was signed as a free agent this past offseason.
