Chet Holmgren reflects on being in Minnesota to face Timberwolves in West Finals
Chet Holmgren reflects on being in Minnesota to face Timberwolves in West Finals
All eyes will be on Chet Holmgren. As the Oklahoma City Thunder travel to face the Minnesota Timberwolves for Games 3 and 4 of the Western Conference Finals, the seven-footer's homecoming is an underrated storyline that has reached the surface with the series changing locations.
Everybody knows how proud Holmgren is of his roots. He grew up in Minneapolis and went to prestigious Minnehaha Academy for high school. Back home for the next three days, the 23-year-old's ticket request line is likely longer than his wingspan.
At the Thunder's shootaround before a pivotal Game 3 that will determine the direction of this series, Holmgren reflected on all the times he walked by Target Center as he frequented downtown Minneapolis.
'I used to go under the Life Time underneath this building every single day after school," Holmgren said. "I passed a lot of these buildings on my way here every day.'
Holmgren reflected on his high school days. He mentioned his gym meetups were visited by former overseas players. Even the Memphis Grizzlies pulled up once.
'Jerry Stackhouse and them were in there," Holmgren said. "He was bombing all the shots.'
It'll be a busy pregame for Holmgren. But once the ball tips off for Games 3 and 4, he'll shift his focus to the Thunder and hope to add to their 2-0 series lead over the Timberwolves.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
NBA Finals ratings: Pacers-Thunder thriller posts worst Game 1 numbers since league's COVID-19 downturn
The concerns about the small-market NBA Finals didn't prevent the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder from delivering a classic in Game 1. They do, however, seem to have impacted ratings as expected. Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals averaged a 4.7 rating and 8.91 million viewers on ABC, making it the least-watched Game 1 of the Nielsen meter era (since 1988) outside of the league's COVID-19-fueled ratings nadir in 2020 and 2021, according to Sports Media Watch. Advertisement Those numbers are an 18% ratings decline and 19% viewership decline from last year's NBA Finals opener in which the Boston Celtics faced the Dallas Mavericks. The decline would have been worse had Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers not launched a furious comeback in the final minutes to stun the Thunder. Those numbers seemingly vindicate what many have said about a clash between teams from the 25th and 47th largest markets in the Nielsen rankings, with Oklahoma City's mayor bristling at those concerns ahead of the game. No matter how many people watched, Game 1 of Pacers-Thunder was a fun one. (Photo by Kyle Terada - Pool/Getty Images) (Pool via Getty Images) Of course, it's also important to maintain perspective about how much ratings matter. Sure, the NBA would love if 100% of households were tuning into its signature event, but the league just finalized $76 billion in television deals for the next 11 season. While ratings are down, the league extracts value from many other areas. Your favorite team will be fine. Your favorite player will be fine. Advertisement NBA's PR team also pointed to some positives, such as the broadcast reaching 11 million viewers by the time Haliburton made his game-winning shot with 0.3 seconds left, strong viewership among the 18-to-34-year-old demographic and a record number of views on social media. The Pacers' win could aid ratings down the line, as many viewers might not have tuned in due to how lopsided the series was perceived to be. The Thunder opened as a -800 favorite to win their first title in OKC, the best odds since the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors. The Thunder have been so dominant this season that even down 1-0, they are still -350 favorites to win it all. They aren't unstoppable, though, and plenty of fans could be interested in either a comeback or one of the biggest upsets in NBA Finals history.
Forbes
2 hours ago
- Forbes
Thunder's Early Playoff Tests Now Provide Poise And Preparation In NBA Finals Against Pacers
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - JUNE 05: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder warms up ... More prior to a game against the Indiana Pacers in Game One of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center on June 05, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by) In what was an improbable collapse by the Oklahoma City Thunder late in a game that felt in control the entire time, Paycom Center went silent upon Tyrese Haliburton hitting a midrange jumper to take the lead with 0.3 seconds remaining in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. That gave the Indiana Pacers their first lead of the entire game, which was all it took to shock the world and take the 1-0 series lead. But this wasn't the first time Paycom Center experienced a gut punch to kick off a series. In fact, the way that Game 1 of the NBA Finals concluded on Thursday night felt eerily similar to Game 1 of the Thunder's second-round series against the Denver Nuggets. Both contests were ones in which Oklahoma City held what felt like a very safe lead late in the game, only to result in a Thunder loss on a shot in the final seconds. In hindsight, that Denver heartbreaker was the best thing to ever happen to the Thunder. Not only did it expedite Oklahoma City's young roster's growth and maturity in a postseason setting, but it also now serves as an invaluable experience that will help the Thunder potentially bounce back and ultimately win an NBA Championship. Now, OKC knows exactly what it feels like to drop a series opener at home — especially a heartbreaking one — and understands it's not time to panic. The Thunder should still feel very good about its chances to win Game 2 and even up the series before it pivots to Indiana for Games 3 and 4. After the Thunder's Game 1 loss against the Nuggets, a dominant 43-point lead came right after in Game 2. While there's no expectation that Oklahoma City comes out and throws that powerful of a punch on Sunday against the Pacers, there is a sense that it may be an impressive showing from the Thunder. All season long, and even in the playoffs, OKC has been among the best at bouncing back from adversity. Furthermore, the Thunder has been phenomenal at home in the postseason, with the only two losses at Paycom Center thus far being this pair of last-second defeats. The Pacers will be tough to beat at home, where they will presumably shoot very well from the floor and put together back-to-back quality offensive performances. But in the meantime, it's all about evening up the series at 1-1. Game 2 is a pivotal one for the Thunder. If it's a tied series heading into Game 3, this will essentially become a five-game series and a clean slate. But going down 0-2 with a pair of road games ahead could be detrimental. The first team to four wins in this series will hoist the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, and the Pacers have already earned one victory. Game 3 will tip off on Sunday at 7:00 p.m. CT at Paycom Center. From there, Game 3 will take place on Wednesday before Game 4 on Friday, both at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
NBA fans miss Finals eye candy on court. Where is the logo?
NBA fans miss Finals eye candy on court. Where is the logo? Show Caption Hide Caption Pacers and Thunder NBA Finals is better than it's 'small-market' billing USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt breaks down the star-studded NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder. Sports Pulse OKLAHOMA CITY — As Game 1 of the NBA Finals began at Paycom Center, discerning fans on social media asked: 'Why aren't there NBA Finals logos on the court?' For the most part – there are two exceptions – the NBA has not placed Finals logos on the court since the 2014 Finals. Some fans clamored to see a court that matched the magnitude of the event – meaning they didn't want to see a court that was no different than a regular-season game. It was pointed out that the league's NBA Cup court has logos on it for the in-season tournament. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver took note of the comments and explained. MORE: Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton prove haters wrong. They're no fluke. MORE: Pacers' thrilling comeback win in Game 1 explained in 17 crazy stats 'I saw it on social media, as you did,' Silver told a small group of reporters at an NBA Cares event at the Boys and Girls Club of Oklahoma County on Friday, June 6. 'I saw the contrast with the (NBA) Cup. In the case of the Cup, of course, we have the opportunity to plan well in advance and to design a specific neutral court for a Cup championship game, and the teams design their own Cup courts. It actually takes a significant amount of time to create new courts in terms of how they're painted, et cetera.' The logos on the Thunder court were painted a while ago, and there are Finals logos on the basket stanchions at the Thunder's arena. He said the league will revisit the topic. Why aren't there NBA Finals logos or Finals trophy logos on the court? Silver also explained that beyond the time required to paint the logos, there is a perceived safety issue. 'One of the reasons we moved away from the logos on the courts is – whether it was perception or reality – there was a sense that maybe the logos added some slipperiness to the court, and it was a change sort of on the court that was coming just at the time of the Finals," Silver said. 'And again, maybe it's for superstitious reasons or just a sense from teams that we shouldn't be changing things around such important competition. That's largely why we stopped putting the logos on the court. But when I saw that suggestion on social media, maybe there's a way around it. I hadn't thought all that much about it until I saw it.' Silver seemed to like the idea of at least seeing what can be done to make the court look special. "I'm nostalgic as well for certain things. And also, I think for a media-driven culture, whether it's people watching live or seeing those images on social media, it's nice when you're looking back on highlights and they stand out because you see that trophy logo or some other indication that it's a special event. So we'll look at it." What do other pro sports leagues do with logos at big events? For Super Bowl 59 in February, the NFL had its standard logo at midfield and had its Super Bowl logos on both sides of the 50-yard line. The NHL regularly has its Stanley Cup logo on the ice. MLB had its World Series logos on the field in 2024, but outside of the third- and first-base lines. The WNBA did not have a Finals logo on the court in 2024. Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt
