Thunder get eye-opening 2015-16 Warriors comparison before NBA Finals
The post Thunder get eye-opening 2015-16 Warriors comparison before NBA Finals appeared first on ClutchPoints.
The NBA Finals are set to begin this week between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers. The Thunder were the first team to punch their ticket to the finals after in defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games in the Western Conference Finals. The Thunder have been an impressive team all season, and before the start of the NBA Finals, they've drawn comparisons to another great team in the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors.
Advertisement
During a recent episode of 'Run It Back,' FanDuel's NBA themed program, former NBA player Lou Williams detailed why he believes comparisons between this season's Thunder and the 2015-16 Warriors are valid.
'They've had a great year. And they've been able to somewhat fly under the radar because of the expectations that we've had for this team. We expected them to be a good team,' Williams said. 'They've been quietly racking up win after win in the regular season, and have been dominant in the postseason as well. . .that 15-16 Warriors team, they felt like they were unbeatable. . .they've been just as dominant as the 15-16 Warriors group.'
With history as a reminder, that 2015-16 Warriors was in fact beatable as they surrendered a 3-1 series lead in the NBA Finals and were defeated by the Cleveland Cavaliers. But during the regular season, that Warriors team set an NBA record of 73-9, surpassing the Chicago Bulls mark of 72-10 as the best finish in NBA regular season history.
As dominant as the Thunder were in the regular season, they're obviously hoping for a different fate than that of the 2015-16 Warriors, as they prepare for the NBA Finals. But Williams didn't just draw comparisons between that Warriors team and the Thunder. He also suggested that the Thunder could be looked upon very favorably if they win a championship this season.
Advertisement
'You got the Bulls and some of those classic legacy teams in the 90s and the early 2000s,' Williams said. 'If they can finish it, if they can go out and get a championship, they put themselves in that conversation along with the rest of those historic teams.'
Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Thunder and the Pacers is set for Thursday, June 5.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pacers vs. Thunder: Have the Pacers found a blueprint for success against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the NBA Finals?
OKLAHOMA CITY — Rick Carlisle wants to make one thing abundantly clear: The Pacers are not looking for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to go off. 'We are not looking to get Shai going,' he said Saturday on the eve of Game 2 of the 2025 NBA Finals. 'That doesn't make any sense.' Advertisement That stands to reason! If the other team's best player has the ball a ton, and is doing a lot with it, it's reasonable to assume that it would be a bad thing for your defense. Here's the thing, though: • In the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs against the Pacers, Donovan Mitchell wound up averaging 34.2 points on 25 field goal attempts per game, finishing a mammoth 41% of the Cavaliers' offensive possessions with a shot attempt, foul drawn or turnover — a usage rate more than 10% higher than it had been against Miami the previous round. (Injuries to Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and De'Andre Hunter played a role there.) In a possibly related story: Only one other Cleveland player (Mobley) averaged more than 15 points per game in the series, and a Cavaliers team whose league-leading offense assaulted the record books all season long scored just 109.6 points per 100 possessions in Mitchell's minutes in the conference semifinals — same as the 25th-ranked Toronto Raptors managed during the regular season. The Pacers drummed Cleveland out of the playoffs in five games. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points in Game 1, but it wasn't enough. (Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images) (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / Reuters) • In the Eastern Conference finals against the Pacers, Jalen Brunson went off, averaging 30.7 points on 20.8 field goal attempts per game, finishing 34.4% of the Knicks' offensive possessions with a shot attempt, foul drawn or turnover — a usage rate nearly 5% higher than it had been against Boston the previous round. Advertisement In a possibly related story: Only one other New York player (Karl-Anthony Towns) averaged more than 18 points per game in the series, and a Knicks team that ranked fifth in the NBA in offensive efficiency during the regular season scored just 114.3 points-per-100 in Brunson's minutes in the conference finals — a league-average scoring rate. The Pacers drummed New York out of the playoffs in six. • And hey, sure, given your druthers, you'd certainly prefer that the NBA's reigning Most Valuable Player not score 30-plus points on you — as Gilgeous-Alexander did on Thursday, pouring in 38 to lead the Thunder in Game 1. If he's going to, though, you'd probably like those points to come as inefficiently as possible. Say, on 30 shot attempts — tied for the third-highest total of his career. And probably while soaking up a ton of possessions. Like, for example, a 37.1% usage rate — the third-highest mark of his playoff career. And maybe even while dominating the ball to a greater degree than usual. For instance, a total time of possession of 8.8 minutes — up more than two minutes from the regular season, and more than one minute from the first three rounds. In a possibly related story: Only one other Oklahoma City player (Jalen Williams) scored more than 15 points in Game 1, and a Thunder offense that scored a scorching 122.4 points per 100 possessions with Gilgeous-Alexander on the floor during the regular season, and 116.2 points-per-100 with SGA at the controls through the first three rounds of the postseason, scored just 104.7 points-per-100 in the MVP's minutes in Game 1 — a sub-Wizardian rate of offensive inefficiency that would've ranked dead last in the NBA during the regular season. Advertisement Oh, and the Pacers won the game. How the Pacers played SGA in Game 1 OK, so maybe 'give the best guy on the team as many shots as he can handle' isn't exactly Indiana's double-secret defensive game plan. As blueprints for success go, though, 'force that player to make a ton of tough 2-point shots, keep anyone else from getting off, and when possible, funnel touches and shots to less-threatening options' — like, for example, by having rangy power forwards Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin cross-match against Thunder guard Luguentz Dort, sag way off of him to play more aggressive help defense, and then live with him taking dare-you 3s when the ball finds him … well, that wouldn't be the worst one ever constructed against a team that relies so heavily on its elite top option. Advertisement The Pacers threw a ton at Gilgeous-Alexander in Game 1. The MVP saw a heavy dose of Canadian national teammate Andrew Nembhard as his primary defender, with Siakam, Aaron Nesmith and Bennedict Mathurin also pulling shifts. Indiana was also aggressive in showing help in the gaps on Gilgeous-Alexander's isolations and drives, and 'next-ing' his pick-and-rolls — having the defender who's nearest to the play switch over onto SGA as he drives, with his initial defender switching back onto SGA's now-uncovered teammate — to try to corral him in the two-man game. 'He's the MVP of our league, so you're not going to shut a guy like that down,' Pacers guard T.J. McConnell said Saturday. 'He's a special talent. It's just about making things as difficult as possible and trying to tire him out and wear him down. Credit to everyone that guarded him. They played a part in trying to do that. Obviously, he had a phenomenal game, but it's a collective effort.' That effort extends to the defensive end of the floor: The Pacers went 7-for-12 in Game 1 on plays where Gilgeous-Alexander was the closest defender, according to NBA Advanced Stats. As they did to Brunson last round, Indiana at times looked to target Gilgeous-Alexander — putting him into action, leveraging size mismatches on switches, attacking him in isolation — to ensure that he wouldn't get the benefit of a breather when he didn't have the ball: 'I think that's what we're trying to do: just make him work on both ends,' McConnell said. 'I mean, he's a great player. And you know, when great players play a lot of minutes, it can kind of get into their legs. Obviously, I'm not sure we saw a lot of that — he had 38 points. But it's a process thing.' Advertisement Indiana will continue trusting that process, betting that the deposits they put in early will pay off with compound interest late. The Game 1 effort already paid some dividends, though, by influencing Gilgeous-Alexander to put the onus largely on himself. He passed out of just two of his 27 drives — emblematic of an outing that saw him call his own number more frequently than usual. 'I always try to be aggressive and I never, like, predetermine it,' Gilgeous-Alexander said Saturday. 'I always just let the game tell me what to do. So I guess last game, I felt more often than not I had a shot or a play that I could attack on more than in the past, and that's just the way it went.' Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 41 passes per game during the regular season and 46 per game through the first three rounds of the playoffs. In Game 1, though? Just 38. SGA wasn't alone in playing less frequently off the pass, though: After averaging 270.7 passes per game in the regular season, and 256.6 during the first three rounds, Oklahoma City threw a shockingly low 207 passes in Game 1, leading to a season-low 13 assists. Advertisement 'The same thing will happen in Game 2,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'I will read the defense, and I will play off my feeling and my instincts, and if it's calling for me to shoot or if it's calling me to pass, that's what I will decide to do.' SGA will need help in Game 2 The key for the Thunder? If the game's calling for Gilgeous-Alexander to pass — if, after film study, he recognizes that the crowd that Indiana's showing him means some of his teammates are wide open — then they've got to knock 'em down at a much better clip than they did in Game 1. Non-SGA Thunderers shot just 25-for-68 (36.8%) from the field — including a 5-for-19 mark off of Shai's passes — and 8-for-24 (33.3%) from 3-point land on Thursday. Strip out Dort's 5-for-9 outing from beyond the arc, and the rest of Oklahoma City's rotation went just 2-for-15 from deep — the kind of output that's not exactly going to dissuade the Pacers from making Gilgeous-Alexander's teammates prove they can knock down enough shots to make them pay for their defensive approach. That puts the spotlight squarely on Williams, who needed 19 shots to score 17 points in Game 1, and on Chet Holmgren, who spoke Saturday about needing to improve his finishing after going 2-for-8 in the paint in Game 1 against the length and physicality of Turner on the interior. Advertisement 'I think we had a good offensive process,' Williams said after Game 1. 'We got some good shots towards the end … I repped a lot of the shots that I shot tonight — over and over and over again, consistently, throughout my career, this year, the playoffs. All you can do is shoot them and not get scared to shoot them.' Maintaining that mentality isn't easy, especially when you know the opponent is betting that, if they throw everything they've got at stopping your teammate, you won't be able to make them pay for it. But Williams said Saturday that knowing he's Oklahoma City's failsafe Plan B isn't anything new for him, and doesn't come with additional pressure to score every time the ball swings his way. Sometimes, though, the circumstances will demand Williams and Holmgren finish those possessions with a bucket — pulling a contested 3, finishing over Turner or Siakam at the rim, or just playing through contact to get to the foul line. Heady stuff for a 23- and 24-year-old. '[Holmgren] and Dub, specifically, obviously, they have carved out huge roles on our team,' Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. 'They are a huge reason why we're here. They are in an uncommon position for third-year players … and now that they are here, they have to continue to do what they have done all the way through the playoffs, which is go out there, fully compete, learn the lessons, and apply it forward.' Advertisement Williams, for his part, sounds ready to shake off Game 1 and do just that. 'Pressure is a privilege,' Williams said. 'I enjoy being counted on.' The Thunder are counting on him, Holmgren and everyone else to bounce back in a big way. The Pacers are counting on it, too. 'Look, everybody's pattern after a loss is to come more aggressively,' Carlisle said. 'So [Gilgeous-Alexander's] going to be more aggressive. Williams is going to be more aggressive. Chet is going to be more aggressive. Their whole team is going to be even more aggressive defensively. The challenge for us is to be able to match that.' Advertisement If the Pacers can't, they still walk out of Oklahoma City with a split. If they can, though — if they're able to replicate what worked in Game 1 and improve on what didn't — they could find themselves precisely where they've been in every series they've played in this postseason: up 2-0, in complete control, and in position to do something that very few people outside their locker room ever thought could be possible. 'We don't want Shai getting 38 points if we can avoid it,' Carlisle said. 'We don't want him living on the free-throw line. We don't want him getting easy 3s — we don't want him making that 3 at the end of the third quarter. That was a tough shot, but he banged that in. 'We have to make it hard on him.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
John Mellencamp Called Out Pat McAfee For Heckling Ben Stiller At NBA Playoff Game, And He Responded
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: ESPN/Farmer's Aid Pat McAfee already had to hear from Ben Stiller when his rousing speech during the NBA Eastern Conference Finals felt insulting to New York celebrities in attendance, and now he has to hear from a big name from Indiana: John Mellencamp. Despite McAfee hyping up the Indiana Pacers fans as they defeated the New York Knicks in Game 4 of the NBA playoffs, the Hoosier-born singer wasn't a fan of the ESPN commentator's behavior. Advertisement The Indiana Pacers didn't have many celebrity supporters in the building during Game 4, so it's a shame that two of their biggest ones may be at odds. In a statement made two days after McAfee's big speech, Mellencamp released the following on X: The Knicks/Pacers games have been very entertaining for anyone who likes basketball or sports. I attended Game 4 in Indianapolis. 'Hoosier Hospitality' …I was embarrassed when somebody, under whose direction I don't know, called out some of the people who had made the trip from New York to support their team — and in turn, support our team. The audience booed these people. I'd say that was not Hoosier Hospitality. One could only say it's poor, poor sportsmanship. I was not proud to be a Hoosier, and I've lived here my entire life. On behalf of most Hoosiers, I would like to apologize for our poor behavior. I'm sure the Pacers had nothing to do with this smackdown. I'm not sure if I'm reading into it too deeply, but I have to think John Mellencamp using the term "smackdown" had to be a rib at Pat McAfee being a WWE commentator. No doubt, McAfee's wrestling experience led him to give what was reportedly an impromptu speech that was not rehearsed ahead of delivery. It's worth noting that as someone living in Indiana, I've seen many residents collectively confused by the singer's issue with what seemed like a mostly light-hearted diss to Timothée Chalamet and others. Pat McAfee rarely is quiet when it comes to criticism, so it was a given he wasn't going to ignore John Mellencamp's veiled criticism even though it didn't mention him by name. While the ESPN commentator has been known to drop a cryptic message on social media, he wasn't afraid to let people on X know who the singer was talking about in this scathing message: I am 'somebody' Back when there was some talk going back and forth between Pat McAfee and Ben Stiller, I almost suspected it was a subtle build to some future upcoming WWE event we'd see later this year with a Peacock subscription. Now with John Mellencamp in the mix, I'm assuming there were actual hurt feelings about McAfee calling out celebrities at the event. Advertisement More On The NBA Charles Barkley speaks on Inside the NBA Months After Charles Barkley Questioned Inside The NBA's Future On ESPN, The Network's President Weighed In It's just another chapter in the storied rivalry between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks. Both teams have met many times over the years in the playoffs, with plenty of storylines between players and celebrities alike. It's rare two people supporting the same team speak out against each other, though, which is what makes it so bizarre. As the NBA playoffs continue on, be sure to check out the 2025 TV schedule to see what else is coming to television this summer. I know there are some summer shows I can't wait to get into once basketball is over, especially on the streaming side. Starting Five is coming from Netflix and with Tyrese Haliburton from the Pacers on the list of people covered, it should be a great season if they make the NBA finals.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
ABC Cut Away From The NBA Finals With A Minute Left In The Pacers Game, And It's Actually Even More Infuriating Than You'd Guess
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. To me, the best sports movies of all time can't even measure up to the Indiana Pacers' current playoff run, as the team continues to pull off impossible wins that feel reminiscent of the true story behind Hoosiers. Despite that, people still continue to doubt the team, including those in Indiana, as a news station switched away from the game with just a minute to go. Advertisement In what might be one of the most infuriating things to see if you saw the miraculous comeback by the Pacers, who took their first lead of the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder with .3 seconds remaining in the game, a Fort Wayne news station cut away from it in its final minute. Watch the clip, which even mentions a local watch party for the game, below: How this happens, in Indiana no less, after the historical playoff run the Pacers have had is unbelievable. Even setting aside this is the first time the franchise has been to the NBA Finals in 25 years, last night marked the third time that Tyrese Haliburton had won a game in the 2025 playoffs in the final five seconds. It's not just unbelievable, it's something no other player has done in decades: This doesn't even include the game-tying shot he hit at the buzzer against the New York Knicks, which ultimately led to a big feud between Pat McAfee and Ben Stiller, and somehow John Mellencamp even got in the mix. All this to say that this Indiana news station should've known better than to cut away from the game in the final minute. That's because this team is doing things that feel improbable in even the best underdog sports movies. Advertisement More On The NBA undefined In fairness to WPTA Fort Wayne, I noticed they have control of multiple stations, including a CW affiliate in addition to an ABC feed. It's also worth noting that the game abruptly cut back to the Finals in the midst of the news intro. So this could've been an instance where the 11 p.m. news was running on the other channels, and someone mistakenly had it take over the ABC feed. As impressive as it is, the Indiana Pacers are still underdogs to the overwhelming favorite, the Oklahoma City Thunder. This playoff series is about to be cinematic, especially if you have a Netflix subscription. Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton and Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have had the Starting Five Season 2 crew following them all season long. At this point, I think it's almost worth a spinoff series just following these two players, though I'm certainly biased, being from Indiana. The NBA Finals kick off Game 2 on ABC on Sunday, June 8th at 8:00 p.m. ET.
