Latest news with #LarryO'BrienTrophy
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tyrese Haliburton warm-up video will excite Pacers fans before Game 6
The post Tyrese Haliburton warm-up video will excite Pacers fans before Game 6 appeared first on ClutchPoints. Tyrese Haliburton raised concerns ahead of Game 6 of the NBA Finals. The versatile Haliburton gingerly left the Paycom Center court with a calf injury in Game 5. Indiana Pacers fans, however, are now breathing out relief and excitement. Advertisement Haliburton dressed up in a practice uniform inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse. He's seen draining 10 consecutive baskets. But more promising for Pacers fans? 'Hali' showed no signs of pain in his calf. Haliburton remains on the questionable side for the Thursday night contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Indiana is down 3-2 after falling to the Thunder back on Monday. Haliburton and the Pacers must win to keep any further chance of winning the Larry O'Brien Trophy — a first for the franchise. A victory forces the seventh and deciding game in Oklahoma City on Sunday. Will Tyrese Haliburton start for Pacers in critical contest? Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Spots The warm-up shooting session is a promising sign that Haliburton will be a full go. Even his head coach Rick Carlisle didn't believe his star would sit. Carlisle believed after Game 5 that Haliburton would be in action for Thursday. Advertisement But is he indeed a full go ahead of the pulsating showdown with the Pacers' season on the line? ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania revealed Haliburton's approach. 'Tyrese Haliburton has every intention of playing tonight,' Charania said to the Pat McAfee Show. 'He's fully intending to be out there tonight.' By playing, Carlisle likely won't force his triple-double threat to come off the bench. Haliburton always hands Indiana its best chance of winning when he's on the floor. He's proved it during the Eastern Conference Finals and in the two NBA Finals wins over OKC. His health isn't the x-factor versus the Thunder, however. Indiana's defense, especially against Jalen Williams, will need to come in handy to have any chance of extending the series one more game. Advertisement Related: Doctors share tough Tyrese Haliburton injury outlook beyond NBA Finals Related: Alex Caruso gets 100% real on his Thunder role
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Thunder most to blame for loss to Pacers in NBA Finals Game 6
The post Thunder most to blame for loss to Pacers in NBA Finals Game 6 appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Oklahoma City Thunder entered Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Thursday, hoping to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy as NBA Champions. Not only did they not win the game, but the Thunder were soundly beaten in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, 108-91. Even that final score is not truly indicative of how one-sided the game was. Advertisement The Pacers led by between 20 and 30 points throughout the entire second half. It was not until starters were pulled late in the fourth quarter that the Thunder made the score look respectable. Early on, things were going Oklahoma City's way. They jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead, with the defense swarming. But that changed quickly as the Pacers began moving the ball. That also coincided with the Thunder turning the ball over time and again. But we'll get to that. For the purposes of this article, we are going to visit the three Thunder players most to blame for the Game 6 blowout loss. Thunder Most to Blame for NBA Finals Game 6 Loss Chet Holmgren The first culprit for OKC is their big man, Chet Holmgren. He flat-out played terribly in Game 6, racking up 24 of the most meaningless minutes you will ever see from someone his size. Advertisement In the first quarter, Holmgren was consistently fed the ball in the paint. The 7-foot-1 center was consistently made a fool of down low by smaller defenders from the Pacers. He finished the game with four points on 2-for-9 from the floor. He turned the ball over twice, missed all three shots from beyond the arc, and looked lost at times. Through six NBA Finals games, the Thunder big man is shooting 35 percent from the field and 12 percent from downtown. Basketball fans have rarely ever seen his combination of size, athleticism, and shooting. But once again, it was made painfully clear that until Holmgren can put on some muscle (and therefore weight), he will never live up to his potential. Alex Caruso I put Alex Caruso on this list for two reasons: He was an unmitigated disaster on both ends, and he represents a poor effort from the Thunder bench. Advertisement If you just look at the box score, you might think Oklahoma City's bench came to play Thursday night. Nothing could be further from the truth. Almost all of their scoring came when the game was out of hand in the final stanza. Caruso, particularly though, woof. He played 22 minutes, finished with zero points, and had a plus/minus of -33. Only Jalen Williams' -40 was worse. The clock clearly struck midnight on this pumpkin. The Thunder's Game 4 hero was abused defensively seemingly every time down the court. It wasn't even Pacers starters doing it to him, either. But hey, in the NBA Playoffs, the bench typically doesn't show up on the road. That brings us to the biggest problem on Thursday night. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Oklahoma City's best player led the team in scoring with 21 points. They weren't even terribly inefficient either, sinking 7-for-15. Yet, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would be the first to tell you he did not play well. Advertisement During the regular season, he shot better than 37 percent from three, attempting more than five per game. But that number has dropped drastically, and he only attempted one in Game 6, missing it. He also tied a playoff career-high with eight turnovers. That also tied an NBA Finals Game 6 record, per Stat Muse. Several times, he found himself in no man's land. Instead of passing out of double teams, SGA tried forcing it. He also had his pocket picked by Andrew Nembhard a few times. The Pacers thrived on Thursday night off of turnovers, turning 21 of them into 19 points. Indiana loves to run, and turning the ball over sets the stage for that to happen. Advertisement Knowing bench and role players do not typically win road playoff games, it is incumbent upon the team's stars to bring it. Gilgeous-Alexander did not do that. Now, the second youngest finals team in NBA history will host a Game 7 for all of the marbles. Related: Thunder fans call fake news on Tyrese Haliburton injury Related: Thunder's NBA Finals vs. Pacers eerily similar to Nuggets series
San Francisco Chronicle
4 hours ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Inside the numbers: Pacers, Thunder set to play Game 7 for NBA title on Sunday night
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — For the 20th time, there will be a Game 7 in the NBA Finals. Indiana will play at Oklahoma City on Sunday night in the final game of the season, with the winner getting the Larry O'Brien Trophy. Home teams are 15-4 in Game 7 of the finals, but a road team — Cleveland, over Golden State — won the most recent of those games in 2016. A look inside some numbers surrounding this matchup: Odds are, nobody's scoring 40 There have been only two 40-point scoring performances in Game 7 of the NBA Finals — and both came in losing efforts. Jerry West scored 42 points in Game 7 of the 1969 series, but the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics in Bill Russell's final game. And Elgin Baylor scored 41 points in Game 7 in 1962 — another Lakers-Celtics matchup — but Boston prevailed in that one as well. Bob Pettit had the third-highest scoring total in a Game 7. He had 39 for the St. Louis Hawks against the Celtics in 1957 ... and Boston won that game as well. The highest-scoring Game 7s in a winning effort? Those would be by Boston's Tom Heinsohn in that 1957 game against St. Louis and Miami's LeBron James in the 2013 series against San Antonio. Both had 37; Heinsohn's was a double-overtime game, James got his in regulation. And no team might break 100, either Yes, these are high-scoring teams. Oklahoma City was No. 4 in points per game in the regular season (120.5 per game) and Indiana was No. 7 (117.4). The Thunder are second in that category in the playoffs (115.2), just ahead of No. 3 Indiana (115.1). In Game 7, that might not matter much. No team has reached 100 points in Game 7 of the NBA Finals since 1988. Or even topped 95 points, for that matter. The last five Game 7s: — 2016, Cleveland 93, Golden State 89 — 2013, Miami 95, San Antonio 88 — 2010, Los Angeles Lakers 83, Boston 79 — 2005, San Antonio 81, Detroit 74 — 1994, Houston 90, New York 84 The last finals Game 7 to see someone hit the century mark was when the Lakers beat the Pistons 108-105 in 1988. Expect a close one The average margin of victory in Game 7 of an NBA Finals: 6.9 points. Each of the last eight such games have been decided by single digits. Only four have been double-digit wins: Boston over St. Louis by 19 in 1960, Minneapolis over New York by 17 in 1952, Boston over Milwaukee by 15 in 1974 and New York over the Los Angeles Lakers by 14 in 1970. The closest Game 7 in the finals was Syracuse beating Fort Wayne 92-91 in 1955. That was one of six finals Game 7s decided by three points or less. By seed The Thunder are the 22nd No. 1 seed to play in Game 7 of an NBA Finals. Their 21 predecessors on that list are 12-9 in the ultimate game; seven of those games have been ones where both teams entered the playoffs as No. 1 seeds. The Pacers are the fourth No. 4 seed to make Game 7 of the title round. Their three predecessors went 1-2 (Boston beat the Lakers in 1969, Seattle lost to Washington in 1978 and the Celtics lost to the Lakers in 2010). Game 7 experience It'll be the fourth Game 7 for Indiana forwards Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner. Siakam's teams have gone 2-1 in Game 7s, Turner's have gone 1-2. Indiana's Aaron Nesmith is 2-0 in the pair of Game 7s in which he has played, with Indiana winning at New York last year and Boston beating Milwaukee in 2022. Both of those wins were in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league's reigning MVP, has averaged 27 points in two previous Game 7s. Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton scored 26 points in his lone Game 7 to this point. No player on either side has previously been part of a Game 7 in the NBA Finals. New for some refs, too The NBA doesn't announce referee assignments until game day, so it won't be known until Sunday morning who the three-person crew is for Game 7. This much is certain: for at least two of the referees, it'll be the first time on the Game 7 finals stage. Scott Foster — who would seem a likely pick this year — worked Game 7 of the finals in 2013 alongside Dan Crawford and Monty McCutchen, and Game 7 of the title series in 2010 with Dan Crawford and Joe Crawford. The most recent Game 7 of the finals was in 2016 and the crew for that game was Dan Crawford, McCutchen and Mike Callahan. ___
5 hours ago
- Sport
Inside the numbers: Pacers, Thunder set to play Game 7 for NBA title on Sunday night
OKLAHOMA CITY -- For the 20th time, there will be a Game 7 in the NBA Finals. Indiana will play at Oklahoma City on Sunday night in the final game of the season, with the winner getting the Larry O'Brien Trophy. Home teams are 15-4 in Game 7 of the finals, but a road team — Cleveland, over Golden State — won the most recent of those games in 2016. A look inside some numbers surrounding this matchup: There have been only two 40-point scoring performances in Game 7 of the NBA Finals — and both came in losing efforts. Jerry West scored 42 points in Game 7 of the 1969 series, but the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics in Bill Russell's final game. And Elgin Baylor scored 41 points in Game 7 in 1962 — another Lakers-Celtics matchup — but Boston prevailed in that one as well. Bob Pettit had the third-highest scoring total in a Game 7. He had 39 for the St. Louis Hawks against the Celtics in 1957 ... and Boston won that game as well. The highest-scoring Game 7s in a winning effort? Those would be by Boston's Tom Heinsohn in that 1957 game against St. Louis and Miami's LeBron James in the 2013 series against San Antonio. Both had 37; Heinsohn's was a double-overtime game, James got his in regulation. Yes, these are high-scoring teams. Oklahoma City was No. 4 in points per game in the regular season (120.5 per game) and Indiana was No. 7 (117.4). The Thunder are second in that category in the playoffs (115.2), just ahead of No. 3 Indiana (115.1). In Game 7, that might not matter much. No team has reached 100 points in Game 7 of the NBA Finals since 1988. Or even topped 95 points, for that matter. The last five Game 7s: — 2016, Cleveland 93, Golden State 89 — 2013, Miami 95, San Antonio 88 — 2010, Los Angeles Lakers 83, Boston 79 — 2005, San Antonio 81, Detroit 74 — 1994, Houston 90, New York 84 The last finals Game 7 to see someone hit the century mark was when the Lakers beat the Pistons 108-105 in 1988. The average margin of victory in Game 7 of an NBA Finals: 6.9 points. Each of the last eight such games have been decided by single digits. Only four have been double-digit wins: Boston over St. Louis by 19 in 1960, Minneapolis over New York by 17 in 1952, Boston over Milwaukee by 15 in 1974 and New York over the Los Angeles Lakers by 14 in 1970. The closest Game 7 in the finals was Syracuse beating Fort Wayne 92-91 in 1955. That was one of six finals Game 7s decided by three points or less. The Thunder are the 22nd No. 1 seed to play in Game 7 of an NBA Finals. Their 21 predecessors on that list are 12-9 in the ultimate game; seven of those games have been ones where both teams entered the playoffs as No. 1 seeds. The Pacers are the fourth No. 4 seed to make Game 7 of the title round. Their three predecessors went 1-2 (Boston beat the Lakers in 1969, Seattle lost to Washington in 1978 and the Celtics lost to the Lakers in 2010). It'll be the fourth Game 7 for Indiana forwards Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner. Siakam's teams have gone 2-1 in Game 7s, Turner's have gone 1-2. Indiana's Aaron Nesmith is 2-0 in the pair of Game 7s in which he has played, with Indiana winning at New York last year and Boston beating Milwaukee in 2022. Both of those wins were in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league's reigning MVP, has averaged 27 points in two previous Game 7s. Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton scored 26 points in his lone Game 7 to this point. No player on either side has previously been part of a Game 7 in the NBA Finals. The NBA doesn't announce referee assignments until game day, so it won't be known until Sunday morning who the three-person crew is for Game 7. This much is certain: for at least two of the referees, it'll be the first time on the Game 7 finals stage. Scott Foster — who would seem a likely pick this year — worked Game 7 of the finals in 2013 alongside Dan Crawford and Monty McCutchen, and Game 7 of the title series in 2010 with Dan Crawford and Joe Crawford. The most recent Game 7 of the finals was in 2016 and the crew for that game was Dan Crawford, McCutchen and Mike Callahan.
Hamilton Spectator
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Inside the numbers: Pacers, Thunder set to play Game 7 for NBA title on Sunday night
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — For the 20th time, there will be a Game 7 in the NBA Finals. Indiana will play at Oklahoma City on Sunday night in the final game of the season, with the winner getting the Larry O'Brien Trophy. Home teams are 15-4 in Game 7 of the finals, but a road team — Cleveland, over Golden State — won the most recent of those games in 2016. A look inside some numbers surrounding this matchup: Odds are, nobody's scoring 40 There have been only two 40-point scoring performances in Game 7 of the NBA Finals — and both came in losing efforts. Jerry West scored 42 points in Game 7 of the 1969 series, but the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics in Bill Russell's final game. And Elgin Baylor scored 41 points in Game 7 in 1962 — another Lakers-Celtics matchup — but Boston prevailed in that one as well. Bob Pettit had the third-highest scoring total in a Game 7. He had 39 for the St. Louis Hawks against the Celtics in 1957 ... and Boston won that game as well. The highest-scoring Game 7s in a winning effort? Those would be by Boston's Tom Heinsohn in that 1957 game against St. Louis and Miami's LeBron James in the 2013 series against San Antonio. Both had 37; Heinsohn's was a double-overtime game, James got his in regulation. And no team might break 100, either Yes, these are high-scoring teams. Oklahoma City was No. 4 in points per game in the regular season (120.5 per game) and Indiana was No. 7 (117.4). The Thunder are second in that category in the playoffs (115.2), just ahead of No. 3 Indiana (115.1). In Game 7, that might not matter much. No team has reached 100 points in Game 7 of the NBA Finals since 1988. Or even topped 95 points, for that matter. The last five Game 7s: — 2016, Cleveland 93, Golden State 89 — 2013, Miami 95, San Antonio 88 — 2010, Los Angeles Lakers 83, Boston 79 — 2005, San Antonio 81, Detroit 74 — 1994, Houston 90, New York 84 The last finals Game 7 to see someone hit the century mark was when the Lakers beat the Pistons 108-105 in 1988. Expect a close one The average margin of victory in Game 7 of an NBA Finals: 6.9 points. Each of the last eight such games have been decided by single digits. Only four have been double-digit wins: Boston over St. Louis by 19 in 1960, Minneapolis over New York by 17 in 1952, Boston over Milwaukee by 15 in 1974 and New York over the Los Angeles Lakers by 14 in 1970. The closest Game 7 in the finals was Syracuse beating Fort Wayne 92-91 in 1955. That was one of six finals Game 7s decided by three points or less. By seed The Thunder are the 22nd No. 1 seed to play in Game 7 of an NBA Finals. Their 21 predecessors on that list are 12-9 in the ultimate game; seven of those games have been ones where both teams entered the playoffs as No. 1 seeds. The Pacers are the fourth No. 4 seed to make Game 7 of the title round. Their three predecessors went 1-2 (Boston beat the Lakers in 1969, Seattle lost to Washington in 1978 and the Celtics lost to the Lakers in 2010). Game 7 experience It'll be the fourth Game 7 for Indiana forwards Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner. Siakam's teams have gone 2-1 in Game 7s, Turner's have gone 1-2. Indiana's Aaron Nesmith is 2-0 in the pair of Game 7s in which he has played, with Indiana winning at New York last year and Boston beating Milwaukee in 2022. Both of those wins were in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league's reigning MVP, has averaged 27 points in two previous Game 7s. Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton scored 26 points in his lone Game 7 to this point. No player on either side has previously been part of a Game 7 in the NBA Finals. New for some refs, too The NBA doesn't announce referee assignments until game day, so it won't be known until Sunday morning who the three-person crew is for Game 7. This much is certain: for at least two of the referees, it'll be the first time on the Game 7 finals stage. Scott Foster — who would seem a likely pick this year — worked Game 7 of the finals in 2013 alongside Dan Crawford and Monty McCutchen, and Game 7 of the title series in 2010 with Dan Crawford and Joe Crawford. The most recent Game 7 of the finals was in 2016 and the crew for that game was Dan Crawford, McCutchen and Mike Callahan. Outside of Foster, no referee in this year's pool has been on the floor for a Game 7 in the NBA Finals. ___ AP NBA:
