How Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers put all NBA Finals pressure on Thunder
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This is just a great date for some good, nostalgic basketball names. Happy birthdays to Jrue Holiday (35), Sergio Rodriguez (39), Ray McCallum (34), Earl Watson (46), Antawn Jamison (49), Lee Mayberry (55), Jason Caffey (52), Kerry Kittles (51) and Rory Sparrow (67). I feel like I just opened up a pack of basketball cards.
This is why they're (W)Indiana Pacers!
If before Game 3, I told you the Thunder would make 46.8 percent of their shots, 45.5 percent of their 3-pointers, get to the free-throw line 30 times, out-rebound the Pacers by six and get a combined 70 points on 24-of-53 shooting (45.2 percent) from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, you'd probably feel pretty good about them going up 2-1 in the series. And yet, the Thunder fell to the Pacers 116-107 on the road because the Pacers were able to give the Thunder a taste of their own medicine.
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All season and postseason long, the Thunder have made their opponents' lives miserable by forcing turnovers and giving the stress of quick points coming the other way off those turnovers. But that's what happened to them in Game 3. The Pacers were the aggressors in the turnover department, forcing 19 of those mistakes by OKC and turning it into 21 points. Indiana turned it over 14 times and kept it to 14 points allowed off those turnovers. And it was the Pacers' star guard who set the tone early and often in leading his team to victory.
Tyrese Haliburton took a lot of criticism after Game 2. He wasn't as aggressive as people wanted. The one bit of solace was he got going late in the blowout loss, which could have been a tactic by Rick Carlisle to just get his star guard going a little bit to carry into the next game at home. Whatever it was, it worked. Haliburton was great in Game 3, totaling 22 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. He generated 25 points off those 11 assists. He was the star Indiana needed him to be.
There were three big keys to grabbing this victory in Game 3 at home:
Now, the Pacers have maintained the home-court advantage through three games, after stealing it in Game 1 in OKC. But now it's time for the Panic Meter: 🚨🚨🚨🚨 for OKC. The Thunder can't go down 3-1. Game 4 is Friday night.
Do the Pelicans have their draft-day answer?
🤔 Go big? Maybe the Pelicans need to just draft a big man. Khaman Maluach is huge. Check out Sam Vecenie's new mock for more!
🏀 Not so easy? Haliburton being more aggressive isn't so simple here. Watch the breakdown.
🏀 Another surgery. Jaylen Brown had an operation on his right knee, but he should be fine by training camp.
⚽ Jimmy Goals? A group based in the United States is attempting to buy Crystal Palace. Jimmy Butler is a part of this group.
🎧 Tuning in. Today's 'NBA Daily' discusses the coaching advantage Rick Carlisle has in the NBA Finals.
The story of the greatest players in NBA history. In 100 riveting profiles, top basketball writers justify their selections and uncover the history of the NBA in the process.
The story of the greatest players in NBA history.
What are the Knicks doing right now?
I'll be honest. I didn't expect to be talking this much, this often about the Knicks' coaching search. I figured we'd talk about Tom Thibodeau being fired and then have news of Jason Kidd being a target. From there, I figured we'd just kind of wait and see what else happens after a few days or maybe even a week. But the Knicks coaching search has taken a truly bizarre turn that is not only quite unusual, but it also has many of us convinced they never had an actual plan.
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Just to recap: Thibodeau took the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference finals in 25 years. The Knicks fired him a few days after they were eliminated by the Pacers. We quickly started hearing about Mavericks coach Jason Kidd being a guy they wanted to hire. It would require permission from the Mavericks to speak to him, convincing him to take the job, and then negotiating a trade with Dallas to get him to New York.
The Mavs denied permission for the Knicks to even speak to Kidd. It doesn't stop there. The Knicks have also been denied permission to speak to Ime Udoka by the Rockets and Chris Finch by the Timberwolves. ESPN also reported they were denied speaking to Quin Snyder by the Hawks. K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network also reported the Knicks were denied by the Bulls to speak to Billy Donovan. Sometimes, in a coaching search, you might get a team asking to speak to one coach under contract. More often than not, you're seeing teams asking for permission to speak to assistant coaches under contract.
The Knicks asking permission for possibly five head coaches currently under contract is ridiculous. I guess there's the idea of 'If you don't ask, you don't get' at play here. And if you can deal with rejection, then it's not a horrible thing. It also shows the fan base that this team really didn't have a plan when Thibs was fired. They just wanted him gone.
Where does Durant fit best?
It feels like Kevin Durant will definitely get away from the Suns this summer. We just don't know where or what it looks like to get rid of him. Durant had a great season when he was on the court. He put up 26 points, six rebounds, 4.2 assists and had 52.7/43.0/83.9 splits. The problem is the soon-to-be 37-year-old played in only 62 games. Since missing a full season with the Achilles' tear in 2019-20, Durant has missed 37, 27, 35, seven and 20 games, respectively. That's a lot of games.
He also makes $54.7 million next season, which is both a hard number to deal and an expiring contract. Technically, he could walk if he doesn't like your situation. Or he could potentially influence his next team to agree to a two-year, $122 million extension. It's worth it if he plays healthy enough seasons, but that hasn't happened lately.
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On Wednesday, ESPN reported that Durant and his business partner are sifting through trade scenarios. The five potential partners named were the Heat, Knicks, Rockets, Timberwolves and Spurs. These are five pretty intriguing destinations, so let's see how a potential trade could be structured. (PLEASE NOTE, AGGREGATORS: THESE ARE VAGUE IDEAS OF TRADES AND NOT TRADE REPORTS. DO NOT MAKE TRADE GRAPHICS OR PHOTOSHOPS FOR THESE.).
Knicks: The framework of the deal is essentially a Karl-Anthony Towns for Kevin Durant swap. But it's not that simple because the second apron penalties and restrictions make it a very difficult salary-matching endeavor. A third team would need to be involved to work around some salaries. I actually don't think this solves either team's issues. With that being said, Phoenix would pair Devin Booker with his best friend. KD for KAT means the Knicks can't have Mitchell Robinson get hurt.
Heat: With Booker and Bradley Beal on the roster, the Suns don't need – nor probably want – Tyler Herro. So, I guess the framework of a deal looks like Andrew Wiggins, Duncan Robinson and Jaime Jaquez Jr. with a 2030 or 2032 first-round pick attached to it. Maybe that's worth two firsts, but I'd be hard-pressed to see that happened for KD at his age and availability. The Suns shouldn't want to do anything without Kel'el Ware involved, but I'm guessing Miami says no to that. Would this be enough to get Miami back toward the top of an East with a crumbling Boston, broken Milwaukee and whatever Cleveland is?
Rockets: I'm assuming Jabari Smith Jr. is not available in this exercise. Amen Thompson obviously isn't. But you have to get some contracts into the mix to get the numbers to match. Jalen Green (they don't need him), Reed Sheppard (potential bust) and Jock Landale makes the contracts work, although that's not much of a haul. What about giving Phoenix their 2027 and 2029 picks back too? This is a no-brainer for Houston. Phoenix can probably do better, though.
Spurs: The Spurs don't even have to give up the No. 2 pick in a potential trade. They could probably get away with Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes and Malaki Branham to make the contracts work, and then throw in their 2026 and 2028 first-round picks. Maybe this year's No. 14 too. They have more valuable picks from other teams coming in, so their own picks can be moved easily. I don't hate this trade for both teams, but you have to be concerned a little with both Victor Wembanyama and Durant's health in recent years.
Wolves: Minnesota would need Julius Randle and Naz Reid to pick up their player options so they can be moved to Phoenix in a trade. A deal would also have to include Rob Dillingham to make the contracts work. The Wolves don't really have picks they can add here. I'm not quite sure why Phoenix does this, but maybe they just want Anthony Edwards to be happy?
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Los Angeles Times
15 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
The Sports Report: UCLA has an advantage at the Men's College World Series
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If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you'd like to see, email me at To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Forbes
20 minutes ago
- Forbes
Designing Sports Facilities That Support Athletes Holistically
As the Managing Partner of ZGF Architects, Sharron van der Meulen manages a firm of 750 people across seven offices in the U.S. and Canada. Professional and collegiate sports leagues and teams operate at the crossroads of business, entertainment and elite athleticism, putting players in a unique pressure-filled spotlight. Research indicates that as many as 35% of elite athletes report a mental health disorder. However, in recent years, numerous high-profile athletes have come forward to express their need to pause and prioritize their well-being—something that's helping destigmatize the mental health challenges many athletes face. This spotlight has encouraged some teams, leagues and universities to pay attention to the role they play and decipher whether they're doing all they can to support their athletes. Our firm ZGF Architects has designed a variety of sports facilities, so we've encountered many organizations that are ready and willing to look beyond the game day experience. They're recognizing that it is more crucial to support athletes holistically and consider their everyday needs because this can have a greater impact on long-term team performance. But how can the places where athletes train and compete make a difference in individuals' health and well-being—and ultimately in team stability? These are some of the strategies we've seen have an impact, and I encourage sports organizations and developers renovating, expanding or building new facilities to keep them in mind. To reach elite levels of competition, many players have been specializing in a single sport for most of their lives. Years of repetitive motion can increase athletes' risk of injury. This underscores the need for top-tier health and fitness equipment and spaces for personalized training and recovery. It also points to the opportunity to consider each athlete more holistically in order to address the connection between mental and physical health and reduce the pressure of high performance. In addition to spaces for stretching, massage, yoga and aquatics, at ZGF, we've been seeing greater demand for quiet zones for counseling, rest and meditation. Additional amenities becoming more common include full-service dining facilities with in-house chefs and nutritionists. And increasingly, dental and optical services are being included in order to offer athletes stress-free access to comprehensive care. Spaces dedicated to female athletes must address women's unique and complex health needs, including dietary requirements, strength training and ongoing education for our ever-changing bodies. Going beyond the standards, this translates to spaces that are comfortable and private and that acknowledge support and understanding. Throughout all of these spaces, design details should reflect soothing, elevated environments, with low-contrast material palettes and warm textures. I recommend putting a greater emphasis on access to nature through outdoor connections, biophilic design and natural light—including within practice courts and other indoor fitness facilities. Not only can this contribute to stress reduction, but natural light can also help athletes overcome the fatigue associated with frequent travel across time zones. Frequent travel can be a major stressor for elite athletes, which reinforces the need for training and performance centers to convey a sense of home. In many cases, we're designing for young adults who are apart from their families for the first time. As sources of connection and belonging, these facilities become their safe spaces. Design details should feature comfortable furnishings with spaces that are residential in feel and incorporate local, natural materials. A professional team's training center that we worked on in Texas, for example, features a mix of mass timber and local limestone that fits within the context of the location, while another complex in the Pacific Northwest takes inspiration from the surrounding mountains and forests. Playful and inviting lounges encourage athletes to unwind. Indoor-outdoor connections also encourage restorative breaks and connection to outdoor spaces. In many facilities, outdoor spaces offer chances for athletes to connect with the broader community, further expressing the support and enthusiasm that surrounds them. But, with athletes' health and well-being in mind, privacy and security are paramount. This means providing private parking areas, separate entrances and other accommodations that help shield athletes from their celebrity status and reinforce that their safety and well-being are taken seriously. In many sports, performance is said to peak for elite athletes in their mid-to-late 20s or early 30s, which can heighten the pressure to maximize this short career. This also reinforces teams' opportunity—and, to some, obligation—to play a role in protecting athletes' long-term health and in setting them up for success later in life. At both the collegiate and professional levels, we're seeing greater demand for spaces that support academic education, life skills development, post-sports career training, financial planning and more. This is especially pronounced at universities, where student-athletes not only face intense pressure to stay healthy and fit for their sport but also to keep up their grades to maintain scholarships. In the Pacific Northwest, for example, one university we worked with demonstrated its support for these challenges by putting its academic center for student-athletes front and center on campus. Upstairs tutoring and studying spaces, a library and teaching labs are reserved specifically for athletes and feature abundant glass, daylight and an airy sense of openness. Downstairs, with a vibrant backdrop of graphics and art that celebrate past and present student-athletes, the first-floor cafe and community spaces are open to all, nurturing cross-campus connections. On full display, these connections ultimately lay a strong foundation for a well-supported and supportive athletic program. This also signals to others the university's dedication to the success of student-athletes after graduation. At the core of this foundation is an athletes-first approach. Yes, the game day experience matters. Creating a sports venue that engages the community and entertains fans matters. But a team's most significant investment is its players. Even for highly skilled, elite athletes, the pressure to compete at the highest level can take a toll on mental and physical health. But when facilities are designed to nurture mind, body and spirit, everyone wins. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
USA Today
26 minutes ago
- USA Today
What do we know about the Boston Celtics trade talks with other NBA teams?
What do we know about the Boston Celtics trade talks with other NBA teams? What do we know about the Boston Celtics trade talks with other NBA teams so far this offseason? As the 2025 NBA draft draws closer by the day, we are hearing an increasing amount of chatter about what the Celtics front office has been doing on the trade front as they likely look to offload salary ahead of a potentially historic payroll and tax bill. But it is also the time of the league calendar where one can find a lot of rumors about trade plans coming from parties trying to influence the outcome of deals for their own interests, so all things percolating up about Boston's trade plans should be taken with several grains of salt. The folks behind the "NBA Front Office" YouTube channel put together a clip from their show talking over what they have been hearing about the Celtics. Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what they had to say about what we're hearing about Boston trade plans, and plenty more on that front from around the NBA.
