Was Dolan or Rose behind Thibodeau's firing?
Tim MacMahon joins Dan Patrick to preview the 2025 NBA Finals between the Pacers and Thunder, analyze the reasons why the Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau, share his thoughts on Adam Silver's new All-Star Game format and more.
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USA Today
41 minutes ago
- USA Today
JJ Redick saw Tyrese Haliburton's potential three years ago
JJ Redick saw Tyrese Haliburton's potential three years ago Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers has been a rising star for some time now, but over the last several weeks, he has become perhaps as dangerous a player as there is in the NBA. During the regular season, there were quite a few people who thought he was overrated, and he wasn't even named to this year's All-Star team. But he has exploded during the playoffs and hit a number of clutch and game-winning shots, including the dagger he nailed just before time expired in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday. Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick may have seen at least some of this coming. In February 2022, when the Sacramento Kings traded Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers along with Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson for Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday and Jeremy Lamb, Redick said point-blank that Haliburton was the best player on the Kings. "This is some form of malpractice on the Kings' part," Redick said of the trade. "... Tyrese Haliburton has been the best player on that team. ... He was determined to turn things around and be part of that rebuild in Sacramento. I know he's shocked right now, but they traded away their best player." The Kings took Haliburton with the No. 12 pick in the 2020 draft, and at the time, he was starting in their backcourt alongside De'Aaron Fox. Fox was putting up much better scoring numbers, and to this day, he has continued to average more points than Haliburton, but Haliburton has been the better 3-point shooter, passer and facilitator. Haliburton led the NBA in assists per game last season, and he now has Indiana just three wins away from an NBA championship. Meanwhile, Sacramento made the playoffs in 2023 as the third seed in the Western Conference but has failed to reach the playoffs in both of the last two seasons.
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chiefs DL coach Joe Cullen is impressed by rookie linemen: 'They have great motors'
During his press conference on Wednesday, Kansas City Chiefs defensive line coach Joe Cullen praised the work of two rookie defensive linemen so far at OTAs. "Well, the two are really good. I mean, when you study the draft and our scouting staff, led by our general manager, Brett Veach," said Cullen, "they do a great job, and they were guys that we identified and had opportunities to really get around and bring them in for a visit, Zoom with them. They both love football, and they're both football junkies, and they're really good players." Advertisement The Chiefs added the two defensive standouts, selecting Tennessee's Omarr Norman-Lott in the second round with the 63rd pick and Louisville's Ashton Gillotte in the third round with the 66th pick. "Well, they have great motors; they're powerful, explosive, and sudden. And both of them at their school, where they're represented, great in their role," said Cullen, "When you look at Omarr (Norman-Lott), when you broke down his snaps this past year, he led the NCAA and pass rush win ratio by interior tackles. And then Ashton (Gillotte) played all over the place. He played end and inside. '4i' was powerful. He was explosive when he went back to his junior year. Before his sophomore year, he had 11 and a half sacks. He was playing more on the edge. This year, they moved them inside a little bit. It's a '4i' kind of like Felix (Anudike-Uzomah) did when he was at K-State. So both those guys are going to bring great energy to the room, and they're doing that now." During his last season at Louisville, Gillotte earned Second-team All-ACC honors. He led the Cardinals with 10 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks and started 12 games with 43 total tackles. Norman-Lott recorded 44 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, and one fumble recovery in his two seasons at Tennessee. This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Kansas City Chiefs DL coach Joe Cullen is impressed by rookie linemen
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
2025 NBA Finals: Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers Make Extraordinary Routine
OKLAHOMA CITY – There were 2.5 seconds left on the clock in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals, and the entire Indiana Pacers bench was on their feet. Every member of the Pacers roster and coaching staff, poised and breathless in a big moment, edged closer to the hardwood in unison as the clock ticked down. They knew a celebration was coming. Across the court from them stood Pacers reserve forward Obi Toppin, who had provided enough offensive value throughout the night that head coach Rick Carlisle opted to close the game with him in the lineup. The freakish athlete knocked down five threes in Game 1, and he put his arms up with 2.5 seconds to go with a chance to do it again. He was wide open, and the Pacers trailed by just one point. Moments later, those same arms shot up again. This time, Toppin was celebrating. His teammates on the bench erupted and poured onto the floor. Myles Turner, the Pacers starting center who was replaced by Toppin, was more excited than anyone as he jumped for joy several times. The team, staffers, and coaches were giddy. With 0.3 seconds left to go, their star teammate had done it again. For the fourth time in this playoffs, Tyrese Haliburton had buried a shot that felt like a once-in-a-lifetime event. Toppin knew right away it was going in. 'It's not the first time we've been in that position,' he said enthusiastically at his locker. It was his first-ever NBA Finals victory. 'We trust [Haliburton] With Cason Wallace defending him, Haliburton dribbled to his right. He went all the way from the backcourt to the right wing before splashing in a 21-foot two-point jumper that gave Indiana a 111-110 lead with negligible time left on the clock. It was the Haliburton's 14th points of the game, and it gave his team the scoreboard advantage for the first, and only, time in their Game 1 victory. It capped off a 15-point comeback for the Pacers, who trailed 94-79 with 9:28 left in the game. They looked out of sorts to many. Internally, that's where the blue and gold thrive. Erasing a deficit is their comfort zone. Indiana slashed the deficit from 15 to 11 in 41 seconds. They were down eight one minute later, then down four with six minutes to go. It happened fast, but it's what the Pacers do, even on the biggest stage the sport has to offer. They were finally forcing stops and took advantage on the offensive end. 'To show the resiliency, especially against a great OKC team like that… it's amazing,' Pacers center Thomas Bryant shared. His confidence has returned of late, only adding to the Pacers conviction. He showed it on the floor in Game 1. While the Thunder continued to keep the Pacers away for the next few minutes, even extending their lead to nine with 2:39 to go, Indiana never blinked. With 1:59 remaining, it was a three-point margin. That set up an epic finish as Indiana looked to take their first lead of the entire game. The three-point Thunder lead became one with 49 seconds to go, and the Pacers defense was at its best for two more possessions. That gave them the ball with about seven seconds to go. They had one more shot. With Haliburton on the floor, Toppin handed him the rock while his teammates got out of the way. Haliburton hit perhaps the biggest shots in Pacers franchise history to give Indiana the win, and the lead in the NBA Finals. He was calm during the play, but elated internally. 'I'm obviously confident in my ability and feel like if I can get to that spot, I feel very comfortable there. So yeah, it's a shot I've worked on a million times and I'll work on it a million times more,' Haliburton said postgame with his brand new signature shoes on the table in front of him. 'Just have confidence in that shot.' The Pacers were down 15 points in the fourth quarter because of imprecise play. Multiple players, including backup point guard T.J. McConnell, noted postgame that they have a lot to clean up. McConnell noted that there was a collective lack of satisfaction from the group even in victory. They have to be better in many ways. Indiana's turnovers, in particular, were alarming – they had 19 in the first half and 24 in total. But closing out improbable games is what the Pacers do. It's their thing. Every time, it seems like a miracle. But it's not – especially if it keeps happening. ESPN has a win probability model that updates after various plays throughout the game. When OKC took a 15-point lead, that model gave the Thunder a 97.9% chance to win. Up eight with 2:52 to go, that percentage was 96.4%. Yet they lost. 'We are one step closer,' Turner said, referring to a championship. 'It feels good to get the first [win] underneath your belt because now you have a baseline and you can make adjustments and you do what you got to do.' That swing in win probability is nothing new for the Pacers. In Game 5 against the Milwaukee Bucks, they erased a seven-point deficit late. In Game 2 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, they did so again. Indiana's comeback in Game 1 vs the New York Knicks was historic. This is what the Pacers have made routine. They just find a way to win. In moments when many teams would quit, they don't. It's how they have made once-in-a-lifetime games seem normal. Everyone within the Pacers franchise expected Haliburton would make the final shot Thursday night, and they were right. This time, it was in the NBA Finals. It was the biggest possible stage. But it wasn't too big of a stage for Haliburton, and the Pacers lead 1-0 as a result. It's the first time the blue and gold have ever been ahead in a Finals series. They stole the game, and they need just three wins to become champions for the first time ever. So it's no wonder the Pacers, who knew a celebration was coming with 2.5 seconds to go in the game, were in such a good mood after the win. They are leading in the NBA Finals. James Johnson, the team's 38-year old veteran who has never made it this far in the playoffs, feels better than ever. 'I feel great about us!' he exclaimed postgame. How could he not? What was once miraculous is now customary. The entire Pacers team feels great.
