Game Seven: Fourth Quarter

OKC outscores Indy 34-20 in the third quarter, and the Thunder lead 81 to 68 with one quarter left in the season.

Game Seven: Third Quarter

Here are the key halftime stats:

Indiana:

8-16 from 3-point range (50.0 percent)

8-22 from 2-point range (36.4 percent)

8-13 from the line (61.5 percent)

48 points, 20 rebounds, 9 assists, 8 turnovers

Oklahoma City:

4-18 from 3-point range (22.2 percent)

13-24 from 2-point range (54.2 percent)

9-13 from the line (69.2 percent)

47 points, 22 rebounds, 11 assists, 4 turnovers

As these facts make clear, OKC's inability to make three-point shots -- and the Pacers' red hot outside shooting -- are keeping the Pacers in the game.

Whoever wins this championship will have really earned it.

Game Seven: Second Quarter

After one quarter, OKC leads 25 to 22.  In the first quarter, Tyrese Haliburton led all scorers with nine points -- he was 3/4 from three-point range.

Dean Smith always claimed that an injury doesn't hurt a team in the game where the injury takes place -- it only hurts the team in later games as their opponents adjust.  We'll see what happens tonight.

The Road Ends Here

For the first time in nine years, we will have a Game Seven in the NBA Finals.  Here are the results so far (home team listed first):

June 5:  Oklahoma City 110 - 111 Indiana

June 8:  Oklahoma City 123 - 107 Indiana

June 11:  Indiana 116 - 107 Oklahoma City

June 13:  Indiana 104 - 111 Oklahoma City

June 16:  Oklahoma City 120 - 109 Indiana

June 19:  Indiana 108 - 91 Oklahoma City

I'm not convinced that either of these teams will go down as one of the all-time greats -- although OKC is both very young and very good -- but this series has been very good, and tonight marks a fitting end to the sports year.  LSU wrapped up its eighth College World Series title today, so the NBA is the only title left for the 2024-25 season.

This is only the fifth time in the 21st century that the NBA finals have gone to Game Seven.  Here are the other results (home team listed first):

06/23/05:  San Antonio 81 - 74 Detroit

06/17/10:  Los Angeles 83 - 79 Boston

06/20/13:  Miami 95 - 88 San Antonio

06/19/16:  Golden St. 89 - 93 Cleveland

So we should expect a low-scoring, physical game.  Vegas expects OKC to win by 6 1/2 points in a game with 214 1/2 points scored, which would work out to something like a 111-104 win for the Thunder.  That seems high to me in terms of the total score, but we'll see what happens.

It's always poignant to come to the end of a sports year.  Last year was a leap year, so we had the Olympics to look forward to.  But this year, we will have two months of (mostly) quiet for sports fans, until Texas goes to Ohio State on August 30 to begin the new year.  So I'm hoping for a great game tonight.

Here are the starters:

INDIANA PACERS:

Pascal Siakam, 6' 8", 245 lbs., Power Forward (New Mexico St.)

Aaron Nesmith, 6' 6", 215 lbs., Small Forward (Vanderbilt)

Myles Turner, 6' 11", 250 lbs., Center (Texas)

Andrew Nembhard, 6' 4", 191 lbs., Point Guard (Gonzaga)

Tyrese Haliburton, 6' 5", 185 lbs., Point Guard (Iowa St.)

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER:

Chet Holmgren, 7' 1", 208 lbs., Power Forward (Gonzaga)

Jalen Williams, 6' 5", 211 lbs., Forward (Santa Clara)

Isaiah Hartenstein, 7' 0", 250 lbs., Center (Played in Europe)

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 6' 6", 195 lbs., Point Guard (Kentucky)

Luguentz Dort, 6' 4", 220 lbs., Guard (Arizona St.)

NBA Finals Update

It's been a great finals so far.  Here's what has happened:

Thursday, June 5 (Game 1 in OKC):  Indiana pulled off one of its patented miracle comebacks, with Tyrese Haliburton hitting a shot at the buzzer (well, with 0.3 seconds left) to stun the Thunder in Oklahoma City by the score of 111 to 110.

Sunday, June 8 (Game 2 in OKC):  The Pacers, having already taken Game One and the home court advantage, pretty much conceded Game Two.  The Thunder rolled to an easy 123-107 win.

Wednesday, June 11 (Game 3 in Indy):  This game was a hard-fought battle all the way, but the Pacers again dominated the fourth quarter.  They outscored the Thunder 32-18 in the last frame to win 116 to 107 and take a two games to one lead.

Friday, June 13 (Game 4 in Indy):  This game was the Big One.  If the Pacers win this game, they go up three-one and can close out the series at home in Game 6.  And the Pacers led 87-80 going into the last quarter.  But this time, the Thunder turned the tables on Indy.  Down the stretch, Shea Gilgeous-Alexander (who finished with 35 points) dominated the game in a way no one else has been able to do against the Pacers.  Behind SGA, the Thunder roared back to win 111 to 104.

So the series is tied at two games apiece, and Indy has to win one more game in OKC to take the title.  If the Pacers had won Game Four, I think they would have coasted in Game Five and then closed it out in Game Six.  But now Game Five is a must-win for both teams -- OKC cannot afford to lose at home, and Indy will not want to come back to Oklahoma for Game Seven.  I'm pretty sure that whoever wins tonight will be the NBA Champion for 2024-25, so this is the Game to Watch.  In the meantime, I give credit to both teams for three really good games.

NBA Update

This has been a pretty good series so far.  Indiana pulled off yet another amazing comeback on the road in Game One, storming back in the last two minutes to beat Oklahoma City 111 to 110.  Then the Pacers conceded Game Two, with OKC rolling to an easy 123-107 win.  But of course, the Pacers have no intention of conceding Game Three back in Indiana.  With 6:05 left in the second quarter, the Pacers and the Thunder are tied at 42.

NBA Update

In recent years, it has been noticeable how the energy seems to drain out of the NBA playoffs in the later rounds.  Somehow the NBA has managed to combine a situation where we have a different champion every year with a situation where we never seem to have close series in the end.

In the Western Conference, the T-Wolves were never competitive with OKC.  The Thunder conceded Game Three, which was a blowout, but OKC won the other four games without too much trouble to win the series in five.

In the Eastern Conference, the Pacers won two thrillers in New York to open the series, and the Knicks could never get off their back foot after that.  The Pacers closed them out in six.

So now we have the Thunder and the Pacers for all the marbles.  Neither team has won the NBA title before.  The Thunder are overwhelming favorites -- the odds on OKC to win the title are now -750, compared to +525 for the Pacers.  I will be surprised if the Pacers can win two games in the series.

The sports year is coming to an end.  Paris-Saint Germain won the championship of European Club Soccer yesterday, which means that the NBA, the Softball College World Series, and the College World Series are the only big trophies yet to be handed out.  Last year was an election/Olympics year, so we've been pretty much going full blast since September 2023.  I have enjoyed this all enormously, but I'm looking forward to quiet months in July and August.

NBA Update

The quarter-finals are finished, and they look like this:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

(1) Cleveland 1 - 4 (4) Indiana

(2) Boston 2 - 4 (3) New York

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

(1) Oklahoma City 4 - 3 (4) Denver

(6) Minnesota 4 - 1 (7) Golden St.

Here are the last five NBA Champions:

2020:  L.A. Lakers

2021:  Milwaukee

2022:  Golden St.

2023:  Denver

2024:  Boston

All these teams have been eliminated, so we will have a new champion for the sixth season in a row.  The last time that happened was between 1975 and 1980, when the champions looked like this:

1975:  Golden St.

1976:  Boston

1977:  Portland

1978:  Washington

1979:  Seattle

1980:  L.A. Lakers

What's interesting about that list is that the Trail Blazers, Bullets, and SuperSonics each won their only title during that period.  Of the four teams left in this year's playoffs, three of them -- Indiana, Oklahoma City, and Minnesota -- have never won the title.  So we're just in one of those eras.

NBA Update

Last night, the Knicks beat Boston 121-113, to pick up their biggest win since the days of Pat Riley.  And then Minnesota beat Golden State 117-110.  So after four games, the quarterfinals look like this:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Cleveland 1 - 3 (4) Indiana

(2) Boston 1 - 3 (3) New York

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Oklahoma City 2 - 2 (4) Denver

(6) Minnesota 3 - 1 (7) Golden St.

Here are the latest odds to win the conference:

New York:  +115

Indiana:  +210

Cleveland:  +410

Boston:  +850

Oklahoma City:  -195

Minnesota:  +240

Denver:  +850

Golden St:  +8000

It's important to understand that Jayson Tatum and Steph Curry are both injured, and that helps to explain why Boston and Golden State are probably done for the year.

NBA Update

OK, so I've been traveling, which is why this update is delayed.  The First Round of the playoffs was relatively predictable -- except for Golden State's win on the road in Game Seven.  Here are the results from the first round:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

(1) Cleveland 4 - 0 (8) Miami

(4) Indiana 4 - 1 (5) Milwaukee

(3) New York 4 - 2 (6) Detroit

(2) Boston 4 - 1 (7) Orlando

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

(1) Oklahoma City 4 - 0 (8) Memphis

(4) Denver 4 - 3 (5) L.A. Clippers

(3) L.A. Lakers 1 - 4 (6) Minnesota

(2) Houston 3 - 4 (7) Golden St.

And that set up the following quarter-finals:

(1) Cleveland v. (4) Indiana

(2) Boston v. (3) New York

(1) Oklahoma City v. (4) Denver

(6) Minnesota v. (7) Golden St.

Now on paper, this looked to be pretty straightforward.  Cleveland and Boston would advance.  Denver is probably the only team in the West that could challenge OKC.  And it would be fun to watch the aged Warriors take on Minnesota, even if it was only for a few games.

But then the games started, and things got nuts (home teams listed first):

05/04:  Cleveland 112 - 121 Indiana

05/05:  Boston 105 - 108 New York (OT)

05/05:  Oklahoma City 119 - 121 Denver

05/06:  Cleveland 119 - 120 Indiana

05/06:  Minnesota 88 - 99 Golden St.

05/07:  Boston 90 - 91 New York

05/07:  Oklahoma City 149 - 106 Denver

The first six quarterfinal games were all won by the road team.  Four of those games were decided by three points are less, and they all went to the road team.  One game went to overtime, and it was won by the road team.  I would be willing to bet that in the entire history of the NBA, there has never been a season where road teams won six games in a row in the quarterfinals.  And it's even wilder than it looks on paper -- the Knicks, for example, won back-to-back games in the Boston Garden where they trailed by 20 points.  For second time in these playoffs, Indiana won a game where they trailed by seven points with less than 50 seconds left.  Crazy, wonderful stuff.

So now the quarterfinals look like this:

(1) Cleveland 0 - 2 (4) Indiana

(2) Boston 0 - 2 (3) New York

(1) Oklahoma City 1 - 1 (4) Denver

(6) Minnesota 0 - 1 (7) Golden St.

But the gamblers haven't completely abandoned the top seeds.  Here are the current odds to win the Eastern Conference:

Boston:  +155

New York:  +300

Indiana:  +350

Cleveland:  +350

And here are the odds to win the West:

Oklahoma City:  -195

Minnesota:  +390

Denver:  +700

Golden St:  +1100

The next two weeks probably can't compare with this week, but they should be very entertaining.

NBA Update

So we are going through one of those forgettable periods in NBA history, where there are no great teams and you have a different champion every year.   Here are the NBA Finals since COVID:

2020:  L.A. Lakers 4, Miami 2

2021:  Milwaukee 4, Phoenix 2

2022:  Golden St. 4, Boston 2

2023:  Denver 4, Miami 1

2024:  Boston 4, Dallas 1

But that may finally be about to change.  Here are the current odds to win the NBA title this year:

Oklahoma City:  +180

Boston:  +190

Cleveland:  +600

L.A. Lakers:  +1100

So, it seems very likely that the Celtics will reach the final for the third time in four years, and they have a good chance to repeat as champions.  If so, they will be the first repeat winner since the Warriors repeated in 2017 and 2018.

Here are the matchups for the first round:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

(1) Cleveland (64-18) v. (8) Miami (37-45)

(4) Indiana (50-32) v. (5) Milwaukee (48-34)

(3) New York (51-31) v. (6) Detroit (44-38)

(2) Boston (61-21) v. (7) Orlando (41-41)

As you can see from the above, the oddsmakers have made the Celtics heavy favorites here.  I probably won't pay attention until the Eastern Conference finals, and then only if the Celtics draw the Cavs.

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

(1) Oklahoma City (68-14) v. (8) Memphis (48-34)

(4) Denver (50-32) v. (5) L.A. Clippers (50-32)

(3) L.A. Lakers (50-32) v. (6) Minnesota (49-33)

(2) Houston (52-30) v. (7) Golden St. (48-34)

Luka Doncic led Dallas to the NBA Finals last year, but this year -- as NBA teams often seem to do -- the Mavericks committed seppuku by giving Doncic to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis.  This publication loves Anthony Davis, but he's 31 years old and unfortunately he may never be healthy again.  So the Mavs are out of it, and LeBron has a running mate to help him make a run.  We will keep an eye on the LeBron's to see if they can get to the Western Conference final.  But the bookmakers have the Thunder as an overwhelming favorite to win the West, and they are probably right.

Here at the Heath Post, our top goal for the NBA would be for the Washington Wizards to become a great power.  Since the Wiz only won 18 games this year, our goal for the playoffs -- as usual -- is to watch a Seventh Game in the NBA Finals.  OKC v. Boston probably gives us the best chance for that matchup, but there hasn't been a Game 7 in the Finals since 2016, so we won't hold our breath.

NBA Wrap-Up

One of the most boring playoffs ever hosted by the NBA has come to an end, and by the end only Celtics fans were still watching.  For the second year in a row, the NBA finals lasted only five games, and most of those games were not interesting (home teams listed first):

06/06/24:  Boston 107 - 89 Dallas

06/09/24:  Boston 105 - 98 Dallas

06/12/24:  Dallas 99 - 106 Boston

06/14/24:  Dallas 122 - 84 Boston

06/17/24:  Boston 106 - 88 Dallas

Remarkably, it has now been eight seasons since the last Game Seven in the NBA Finals.  This year, Boston did not even play a Game Six.  Over four rounds of the playoffs, the Celtics went 16-3 to capture their second title of the post-Larry Bird era.  That has to be one of the most dominant performances of all time.  But of course, last year Denver went 16-4, and this year the Nuggets couldn't make the Conference Final.  So it's too early to judge how great the Celtics really are.

Since COVID hit, we have had five different NBA Champions:

2020:  L.A. Lakers

2021:  Milwaukee

2022:  Golden St.

2023:  Denver

2024:  Boston

I don't think we've seen anything like this since the late 1970's:

1975:  Golden St.

1976:  Boston

1977:  Portland

1978:  Washington

1979:  Seattle

1980:  L.A. Lakers

Of course, that 1980 Lakers team marked the beginning of something new.  All we can do now is wait until next year to see if the Celtics (or the Nuggets) are more than just one-hit wonders.

NBA Update

Well, the drama has really been leaking out of these playoffs.  The Celtics swept the Pacers in the Eastern Conference final, while Dallas hammered the T-Wolves four games to one.  And neither of the first two games of the final had much drama.  Here were the scores (home team listed first):

Boston 107 - 89 Dallas

Boston 105 - 98 Dallas

I stopped watching the first game about halfway through the first quarter.  For Game Two, I tuned in with about three minutes left in the third quarter, and turned it off again with about eight minutes left in the game.

Of course, it's not over yet -- Dallas has two home games coming up.  But if they don't play much better, this season will end soon.

NBA Update

The quarter-finals ended up with three lower-seeded winners, and two teams won Game Sevens on the road.  That's a lot more drama than we usually get at this stage:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

Boston 4 - 1 Cleveland

New York 3 - 4 Indiana

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

Oklahoma City 2 - 4 Dallas

Denver 3 - 4 Minnesota

That was a disappointing outcome for the Nuggets, who had looked like a Super Team until they lost the last two games of their series.  On the other hand, the draw appears to be opening up for Boston.  The odds to win the NBA Championship now look like this:

Boston:  -160

Minnesota:  +280

Dallas:  +500

Indiana:  +2600

NBA Update

Here's the latest from the NBA, where Denver bounced back from losing two games at home to win two games on the road:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

Boston 2 - 1 Cleveland

New York 2 - 2 Indiana

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

Oklahoma City 1 - 2 Dallas

Denver 2 - 2 Minnesota

Here are the latest odds to win the conferences:

Eastern Conference:

Boston:  -600

New York:  +850

Indiana:  +1000

Cleveland:  +5500

Western Conference:

Denver:  +135

Dallas:  +260

Minnesota:  +300

Oklahoma City:  +500

NBA Update

They finished the first round:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

Boston 4 - 1 Miami

Cleveland 4 - 3 Orlando

Milwaukee 2 - 4 Indiana

New York 4 - 2 Philadelphia

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

Oklahoma City 4 - 0 New Orleans

L.A. Clippers 2 - 4 Dallas

Minnesota 4 - 0 Phoenix

Denver 4 - 1 L.A. Lakers

That sets up the following quarterfinals:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

(1) Boston 0 - 0 (4) Cleveland

(2) New York 0 - 0 (6) Indiana

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

(1) Oklahoma City 0 - 0 (5) Dallas
(2) Denver 0 - 1 (3) Minnesota

It's been mostly chalk so far, but the T-Wolves pulled a pretty big upset in Game One against Denver.  As you'll see below, that win scrambled the odds in the Western Conference.

Latest odds to win the Conferences.  I really hope the Western Conference is really as close as the odds indicate:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

Boston:  -260

New York:  +310

Indiana:  +1200

Cleveland:  +2100

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

Minnesota:  +210

Denver:  +230

Oklahoma City:  +290

Dallas:  +330

NBA Update

Here's where things stand as we approach the halfway point of the first round:

Eastern Conference:

Boston 2 - 1 Miami

Cleveland 2 - 2 Orlando

Milwaukee 1 - 3 Indiana

New York 3 - 1 Philadelphia

Western Conference:

Oklahoma City 3 - 0 New Orleans

L.A. Clippers 2 - 2 Dallas

Minnesota 4 - 0 Phoenix

Denver 3 - 1 L.A. Lakers

Here are the latest odds to win the East:

Boston:  -230

New York:  +400

Indiana:  +1200

Cleveland:  +2100

Philadelphia:  +2500

Milwaukee:  +3200

Orlando:  +4600

Miami:  +20000

Here are the latest odds to win the West:

Denver:  -105

Oklahoma City:  +350

Minnesota:  +440

Dallas:  +650

L.A. Clippers:  +1500

L.A. Lakers:  +8000

New Orleans:  +50000

NBA Playoffs Begin

Here are the matchups:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

(1) Boston (64-18) v. (8) Miami (46-36)

(4) Cleveland (48-34) v. (5) Orlando (47-35)

(3) Milwaukee (49-33) v. (6) Indiana (47-35)

(2) New York (50-32) v. (7) Philadelphia (47-35)

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

(1) Oklahoma City (57-25) v. (8) New Orleans (49-33)

(4) L.A. Clippers (57-25) v. (5) Dallas (50-32)

(3) Minnesota (56-26) v. (6) Phoenix (49-33)

(2) Denver (57-25) v. (7) L.A. Lakers (49-33)

According to Vegas, here are the odds to win the Eastern Conference:

Boston:  -250
Philadelphia:  +850

Milwaukee:  +1000

New York:  +1000

Cleveland:  +1900

Indiana:  +2300

Orlando:  +5000

Miami:  +8000

Given those odds, I don't think we're going to pay much attention to the Eastern Conference until the Celtics face a real challenge.

Here are the odds to win the Western Conference:

Denver:  +130

Oklahoma City:  +460

Dallas:  +650

L.A. Clippers:  +700

Minnesota:  +900

Phoenix:  +1000

L.A. Lakers:  +1500

New Orleans:  +6500

Again, I think we'll wait for awhile and see if anyone can give Denver a real contest.  No one could last year.

NBA Update

Our interest in the NBA playoffs waned as we got deeper into the process and it became increasingly obvious that no one could seriously challenge the Nuggets.  Nikola Jokic is the best player in the NBA, and it's easy to forget how dominant a good center can be -- even with modern strategies and rules.  Shaquille O'Neal won four NBA titles, and Tim Duncan won five, and that is no fluke.  This year belonged to Jokic, and after waiting for so many decades, Nuggets fans actually had a very easy time of it:

Denver 4, Minnesota 1

Denver 4, Phoenix 2

Denver 4, L.A. Lakers 0

Denver 4, Miami 1

That's a record of 16-4 against the best the NBA had to offer.  That is dominance.  And a review of the individual series would reveal even more dominance, because Denver had a lot of double-digit wins.  For example, look at the scores from the final (home teams listed first):

06/01:  Denver 104 - 93 Miami

06/04:  Denver 108 - 111 Miami

06/07:  Miami 94 - 109 Denver

06/09:  Miami 95 - 108 Denver

06/12:  Denver 94 - 89 Miami

Think about it like this.  How often could the best team in the SEC go on the road and beat the second best team in back-to-back games by 15 and 13 points?  Not very often.  But that's what Denver did in Games Three and Four of this series.  With all the money on the line, and the championship at stake, Miami couldn't really be competitive on its home floor.

So congratulations to the Nuggets, the new kings of the NBA.  If Jokic stays healthy, they could be up there for a while.

NBA Update

The Heat did what they needed in Denver.  After conceding Game One, an easy 104-93 win for the Nuggets, the Heat rebounded in Game Two.  Down 83-75 going into the last quarter, Miami came charging back for a 111-108 victory.  So the series is tied at one game apiece, with the next two games in Miami.