Shaq talks to the NBA at NBA Final Matchup and TNT
Shaquille O’Neal will take part in the sport seriously and talk about the NBA and the “power moves” of his upcoming Netflix Docu series.
Seriously sports
Two teams now play in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
I met one instantly. Indiana defeated Oklahoma City 108-91 in Game 6 on Thursday, June 19th.
And so, the Indiana Pacers are still alive, the Thunder is denied the NBA Championship, and the NBA Finals heads to Game 7, a history-designed game.
The Pacers have never won an NBA championship, and the Thunder is the first to win since moving from Seattle to Oklahoma City in 2008.
This series before and after is defined by turnover, 3-point shooting, step-ups and lack of momentum from one game to the next.
The winners and losers of Game 6 between Thunder and Pacers are:
Thunder-Pacers Game 6 Winner
Pacers swarm and suffocate in defense
Indiana looked almost like thunder in defense. Oklahoma City posted a top-ranked NBA defense in the regular season, using active hands to deflect passes, force turnovers, quickly and decisively rotate, preventing appearance and keeping it offensive along the periphery.
The Pacers have driven lightning to 21 sales, providing ample transition opportunities. Indiana swiped 16 steels – compared to just four by Oklahoma City. In fact, the Pacers generated more steals than the Thunder had assists (14). Indiana actually dialed the pressure on Kurtle and relied on early in the series, so they chose to suffocate OKC with intention on the half court.
TJ McConnell, Obi Toppin and Pacers Bench shine again
One of the Pacers’ stats in this NBA final was bench points. The Indiana state bench outscored Oklahoma City in five of its six games so far. And Thursday night’s 48-37 advantage didn’t show the big picture given the Thunder pulled the starter at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
TJ McConnell is an exception and a source of consistent sparks and positive plays. He is the most efficient pacer in the half court set, and his efforts are infectious. He was first tracked in 1970-71, so he recorded 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals, marking for the first time when the bench player recorded these numbers in the NBA Finals game. Forward Obitopin, who developed a stable knockdown jumper, added 20 points and 6 rebounds. When the bench of the pacer plays like this, they are difficult to beat.
Indiana spreads wealth
Pacers all have a series, so they spread the ball and the whole team was bigger than the parts. They reached double digits on scoring to six players. Indiana is now the first team in NBA postseason history to score at least 200 points in one playoff history: Pascal Siakam (456), Tyrees Halliburton (390), Miles Turner (311), Aaron Nesmith (288), Andrew Nenbird (272), Benedict Maturin (219), Obspin (219), Andrew Nenbird (272) (202).
Thunder-Pacers Game 6 Loser
Lightning spin
The Thunder had 21 turnovers, leading to 19 pace points. It couldn’t happen, and it was the second time in the series. The Thunder had 25 turnovers in Game 1 loss. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander committed a career-high eight turnovers.
He had more spins than field goal (7).
“They didn’t put pressure on the full court like they did, which led to more sales. I wasn’t expecting that,” Gilgaus Alexander said. “But whatever it was, they did it right. … They were definitely low on the pickup. I’m not sure. I think some of them are careless, unfocused, not engaged.”
Thunder Offense
Thunder’s sales led to inconsistency violations where they could not find a rhythm. Oklahoma City shot 41.9% from the field and 26.7% with three pointers, with only 14 assists on 31 field goals. The ball’s movement was not there, the shooting wasn’t there, and it was the second time in 22 playoff games where the Thunder scored under 100 points.
The Thunder Starter was 13-1 with a 3-pointer, with Chetholmgren scoring just four points in a 9-2 shooting, with Alex Caruso not scoring.
Thunder Bench
The third unit of Oklahoma City, Isaiah Joe, Jaylin Williams, Ajay Mitchell, Dillon Jones and Osmane Dien, played well during the mop-up, making the final score cruel to less cruel.
However, Oklahoma City’s scores from the second unit were limited. Caruso, Aaron Wiggins, Cason Wallace and Kenrich Williams scored 10 points in a 12-12 shooting. Indiana’s main reserves scored 41 points.
Sports fans who haven’t seen it
This is an incredible series with a compelling swing from game to game. Both teams are star, deep, hard-working and well-coached. That was true at the start of the playoffs and remained true throughout the six games of the final. There are all the basketball elements that fans want. Includes Game 7.
