Cowboys' Pickens Reveals Creativity Trick ‘Others Don't Do'
Cowboys' Pickens Reveals Creativity Trick 'Others Don't Do' originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
FRISCO - Our truth about "creativity'' in playcalling?
If your team moves the ball, scores a touchdown and wins the game, it's "creative.''
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When it doesn't do those three things? It's "boring'' and "vanilla'' and coaches get fired.
But ... there is a game within a game when it comes to offensive design, and Dallas Cowboys receiver George Pickens is speaking out about the advantages to coach Brian Schottenheimer putting something into Dallas' gameplan that "a lot of coaches don't do.''
'A lot of motions, a lot of things that give you an indicator on what the defense is doing before you say hike,' Pickens said on Wednesday in describing a Cowboys advantage. 'A lot of coaches don't do that.'
Previous Cowboys offenses under head coaches and coordinators from Jason Garrett to Kellen Moore and Mike McCarthy were often criticized for their - you guessed it - lack of creativity. Our view all along was that, for example ...
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- In the three straight 12-win campaigns under McCarthy ...
- During QB Dak Prescott finishing second in MVP voting ...
- With CeeDee Lamb making four straight Pro Bowls ...
- With Ezekiel Elliott winning two NFL rushing titles ...
Somebody around here must've been doing something right.
But if "Schotty'' believes that a foundational feature of Dallas' offensive identity is about motion and deception and "creativity''? And if Pickens, who comes here in a trade from the Steelers to join Lamb as an elite receiving duo, is a believer?
"Belief'' and trust are half the battle.
The truth is, motion (and option routes and other "creative'' tools) can sometimes be confusing to an offense, too; it wasn't that long ago that Lamb and his receiving buddies were being ripped for being poor route-runners.
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But now? Lamb is an NFL trend-setter.
'Most definitely,'' Pickens said. "I've played (with) a lot of other receivers, but he plays a little more of everything, so it kind of affects a lot of stuff in a good way. ... A lot of guys can't do that ... a lot of No. 1 guys just kind of play where the coaches got them playing. But he plays everything."
Schotty has said he wants to be "multiple.'' And Prescott is in Year 10 at the helm, so he should have a mastery of it all.
So, in the end, "creativity'' is fun.
But not as fun as winning games.
Related: Cowboys' Trevon Diggs Trade Rumors Cool With 'Positive Signs' Update
Related: Stephen A. Smith Asks for Prayers for Cowboys Icon Deion Sanders
Want more Cowboys? Jump into the Fish Report!
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
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New York Post
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- New York Post
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finally plays like NBA's MVP at perfect time for Thunder
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hadn't had an MVP moment in these NBA Finals, hadn't grabbed hold of a game and seized it in winning time. That changed Friday night, when the Pacers had Game 4 in their hands and he ripped it away — along with home-court advantage in these NBA Finals — thanks to one of the best endgame performances in the last half-century. Advertisement With Oklahoma City trailing by four with 2:59 left, Gilgeous-Alexander had 11 of his 35 points down the stretch. It's the most in the last three minutes of a Finals tilt in 50 years and carried the Thunder to a 111-104, come-from-behind victory in a game they absolutely had to have. 'We knew it when we woke up this morning; 3-1 is a lot different than 2-2 going back home. We played with desperation to end the game, and that's why we won,' Gilgeous-Alexander said in a postgame TV interview. 'We got to try to maintain the same desperation going into Game 5, Game 6, whatever it may be.'
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Player grades: SGA has legacy moment in Thunder's 111-104 Game 4 win over Pacers
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Both teams went back and forth in the second frame. Things got a little feisty from both sides. Obi Toppin and Lu Dort each received a flagrant foul. We've reached the point in the series where both sides are sick of each other. Multiply that by tenfold with a championship on the line. The Thunder scored 23 points as both offenses were muddied down. The Pacers held a 60-57 halftime lead. Expect another tight finish. Likely similar to Game 1. If you're OKC, you have to feel decent about your odds, considering how unnoteworthy Gilgeous-Alexander was to start. Surely he'd be due. Out of the break, the Pacers flustered the Thunder. They made one of the greatest teams ever look like a JV squad. Everything that made them special was taken away. The Pacers scored just 27 points in the third frame, but the way they did it demoralized everybody in OKC. Toppin looked on the cusp of being another role player who'll forever haunt Thunder fans' dreams. Back-to-back 3-pointers put the Pacers up by 80-72 with a little over four minutes left in the frame. A 24-second shot-clock violation and an eight-second backcourt violation within seconds of each other made everything boil over for OKC. The Thunder exited the third quarter in an 87-80 deficit. It was now or never. Have a monster fourth quarter and bring life back to your championship aspirations. Lose a rare second straight game and be on the verge of an all-time upset. No big deal. Just all of the high-pressure stakes you could imagine fall on their shoulders. It didn't take the Thunder long to prove to the rest of the world the moment wasn't too big for them. Chet Holmgren converted on two straight buckets off second-chance looks. Alex Caruso then tied the game up at 89 points apiece with a little over eight minutes left. Brand new ball game. While 48 other states absolutely loved to see an NBA Finals game come down to the wire, Oklahoma and Indiana residents likely reached dangerous levels of heartbeats per second with their anxiety levels through the roof. Heck, they likely couldn't even feel their fingertips. After the Pacers took a 101-97 lead with a little under four minutes left, that's when Gilgeous-Alexander stamped his biggest legacy moment of his career. Battling through full-court presses and ball-denials, the MVP winner took the Pacers to work. Gilgeous-Alexander drove to the basket. Received the whistle. Next possession, nailed a stepback 3-pointer. Then he drilled his patented baseline jumper. All of the MVP's best scoring moves were fully displayed. Countless hours spent in the gym finally paid off at the biggest stage. Fighting pseudo-elimination, Gilgeous-Alexander shushed the Pacers' crowd. He scored 15 points in the fourth quarter alone. The Thunder finished the final three minutes in a 12-1 run. After struggling to contain Indiana, their league-best defense shut them down in the season's biggest moment. All the Pacers could do was hope they'd enjoy more unreal shot-making late. Nope. Tyrese Haliburton's scoring limitations were exposed. The Pacers tried to hunt out Holmgren at the perimeter but were denied each time. Pascal Siakam couldn't do much. Indiana's role players regressed. As Pacers fans filed out, the Thunder won the fourth quarter with a 31-17 scoring advantage. Holy crap. Talk about a moment. They saved their championship aspirations and are back behind the driver's wheel. They needed to gut out this Game 4 win and did despite several moments where it didn't look like it'd happen. The Thunder shot 47% from the field and went 3-of-16 (18.8%) from 3. They shot 34-of-38 on free throws. They had 11 assists on 37 baskets. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points. Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with an efficient 35 points. Williams once again stepped up with 27 points. Holmgren had a 14-point double-double. Caruso scored 20 points off the bench again. Meanwhile, the Pacers shot 43% from the field and went 11-of-36 (30.6%) from 3. They shot 25-of-33 on free throws. They had 21 assists on 34 baskets. Five Pacers players scored double-digit points. Haliburton was held to 18 points and seven assists. Siakam had 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Toppin went off for 17 points and seven rebounds. Myles Turner had 12 points and Nembhard tallied 10 points. It wasn't the prettiest win, but you never apologize for them. Especially in the NBA Finals. Gilgeous-Alexander showed once again why he's one of the greatest scorers ever. He stepped up when the Thunder needed him to. Williams and Holmgren also excelled in their roles in this must-win scenario. Now the series heads back to OKC with all the momentum on its side. Let's look at Thunder player grades: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus On a step-back 3-pointer and baseline mid-range jumper, Gilgeous-Alexander somehow put the Thunder ahead of the Pacers for the final time. It's only right he used two of his best weapons in a now-or-never situation. Like Batman's Batarang, the MVP winner went to his favorites in the two biggest possessions of his basketball life. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 35 points on 12-of-24 shooting and three rebounds. He shot 1-of-4 from 3 and went 10-of-10 on free throws. He also had three steals and one block. The Pacers may need to go back to the drawing board. Their full-court press gimmick had a short shelf life. Gilgeous-Alexander swatted away every Pacers defender thrown at him. The MVP winner got to his sweet spots in the mid-range. When he didn't, he drove to the basket and went to the free-throw line. After an awful 12-point first half, Gilgeous-Alexander turned it up in the latter two quarters. He scored 23 points and 15 in the fourth quarter. The Pacers could only shake their head in frustration. The raucous Indiana crowd slowly quieted before they were muted. An endless amount of digital ink will be spilled over Gilgeous-Alexander's Game 4 performance. Down 2-1 on the road, he joins all-time basketball pantheons like LeBron James and Stephen Curry for this backs-against-the-wall scenario. He showed once again why he could be well on his way to being viewed as those future Hall-of-Famers. For now, though, if the Thunder win the championship, this Game 4 performance will likely be remembered as the pivot point. 26 years of hard work and raw talent led to this point. Two more wins and Gilgeous-Alexander will be the consensus greatest player in the OKC franchise history. Fourth quarter battling 😤 — OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) June 14, 2025 DID YOU SEE THIS ⁉️ — OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) June 14, 2025 Jalen Williams: A-plus After the Thunder turned it over on an inconsequential inbound pass, Williams launched off the court and prevented Bennedict Mathurin from making the final seconds more interesting. The 24-year-old jumped too high, too quickly. He broke his fall by hanging on the rim, but still fell to his side. The foul showed how badly Williams wanted this one. The box score also showed that. He finished with 27 points on 8-of-18 shooting, seven rebounds and three assists. He shot 0-of-3 from 3 and went 11-of-11 on free throws. As Gilgeous-Alexander needed some time to figure out Indiana, Williams kept the Thunder afloat. He scored 16 points in the first half. The 24-year-old sliced through the Pacers' defense. He was relentless on his drives and went to the free-throw line plenty of times once again. That was always the next step in Williams' progression as a scorer. He could hit on difficult mid-range jumpers, but a steady stream of free throws was a more stable source of points income. At the NBA's biggest stage, he's mastered the art of drawing contact. Such a unique career trajectory that gets overshadowed by Gilgeous-Alexander's improbable ascension. The Thunder have seen Williams blossom in front of their eyes. Last year's playoff woes feel like a distant memory. The All-NBA talent has proven time and time again throughout these playoffs that he could step up when needed. No better example than Game 4 as Gilgeous-Alexander finally took over in the fourth quarter. Smooth with it 🕺 — OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) June 14, 2025 Keep stacking, keep working 💼 — OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) June 14, 2025 Right to the rim 💨 — OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) June 14, 2025 Chet Holmgren: A-plus Matched up against Haliburton, Holmgren wouldn't budge. Go right. He went right. Go left. He shifted his feet left. After a couple of dribble moves failed to create separation, Indiana's best player settled for a rush fadeaway 3-pointer that was airballed. Holmgren did his best 2016 Kevin Love impersonation. The Pacers hunted the switch but couldn't capitalize. They learned their lesson the hard way that you can't simply expect the seven-footer to not be agile enough to dance with perimeter scorers. Holmgren finished with 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting, 15 rebounds and one assist. He shot 0-of-1 from 3 and 6-of-6 on free throws. He also had one block and one steal. Everybody who stepped on the floor played a role in the Thunder's season-saving fourth quarter. For Holmgren, it was two big-time second-chance buckets off Gilgeous-Alexander's outside misses. They helped OKC stay within striking distance. And then obviously, the defense speaks for itself. It's what made him one of the best defensive prospects ever. He's an all-time rim protector. Being pushed up as the power forward after Isaiah Hartenstein re-entered the starting lineup didn't mess with his mojo. But several perimeter defensive stops highlighted some of Holmgren's biggest career plays. The Thunder played their best stretch of defense and the 23-year-old anchored it. That's all you can ask for from him. Even if the scoring and shooting numbers can be off. Blocked by Chet 🚫 Assist by Caso 🤝 Bucket by KRich 😮💨 — OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) June 14, 2025 Alex Caruso: A-plus After another stellar performance that added to his playoff riser mythos, Caruso was asked which superhero he relates to. He answered Robin because, of course, he did. The future head coach already has the media cliches down to a tee. Maybe Dick Grayson, though. Or The Incredible Hulk. Caruso finished with 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting and three rebounds. He shot 1-of-2 from 3 and went 5-of-7 on free throws. He also had five steals. After failing to score 20 points once in the regular season, Caruso has done it twice in the NBA Finals. In the season's biggest fourth quarter, the Thunder trusted the 31-year-old to close as the fifth player. The move paid off as it was OKC's turn to have a 20-point bench scorer. But with Caruso, everybody knows his bread and butter is on defense. He was a beast on that end of the floor. Made any comparisons to TJ McConnell look silly. He's a fine ball player, but the 31-year-old can impact the game beyond three anomaly inbound steals. This is why the Thunder traded for Caruso. He was a step ahead of the Pacers' passes. Their pass-happy offense hurt them against him. He had five steals by being a millisecond ahead of Indiana's next move. He continues to add chapters to his legendary playoff run. AC ON BOTH ENDS 🔋 — OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) June 14, 2025 Force the turnover AND score 🗣️@OGandE Power Play of the Game — OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) June 14, 2025 Tough shot, tough finish 😮💨 — OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) June 14, 2025 Highlights:
Yahoo
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Thunder vs. Pacers: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander takes his place in NBA Finals lore as he saves the series and OKC's season
INDIANAPOLIS — The moment was here — everyone playing knew it, everyone in Gainbridge Fieldhouse knew it, and it couldn't be escaped. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said it as much: He knew what would happen if the Oklahoma City Thunder succumbed to these Indiana Pacers, if they fell behind three games to one. Advertisement Maybe he's a steward of history, knowing what Game 4's have looked like in the more recent compelling NBA Finals. Maybe he's not and just knew the score — nearly infinity to one in that 3-1 scenario and how unlikely it would be for this team to come back if they allowed the Pacers to keep growing in confidence after coming home for two games. But he knew the moment was upon us of all, and most importantly, the moment was upon the newly crowned Most Valuable Player. He was gassed, the Pacers' breakneck speed pushing the Thunder to the brink. The whispers of fraud were starting to bubble, and had he withered beneath this pressure and this moment, the bulk of the critique would be headed to him. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shoots as Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard, right, defends during the second half of Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday, June 13, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) 'I knew what it would have looked like if we lost tonight,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'I didn't want to go out not swinging. I didn't want to go out not doing everything I could do in my power, in my control, to try to win the game.' Advertisement Nothing was easy. The ultimate rhythm player was off-key — hounded by fellow Canadian Andrew Nembhard. Gilgeous-Alexander could barely touch the ball without Pacers swiping, swinging and forcing him off his spots and into uncomfortable positions. Superman's cape was ripped, tugged and twisted for the better part of 40 minutes. But Gilgeous-Alexander sensed the opening, especially after the Pacers couldn't completely close the door in the third quarter. He darted through the door of opportunity in the last four minutes. Gilgeous-Alexander added his name to NBA Finals lore Friday night, scoring 15 of his game-high 35 points in the last 3:52 to lead the Thunder to a 111-104 victory to tie this unexpected NBA Finals at two games each. Make that 15 of Oklahoma City's last 16 points, the most by a player in the last five minutes in the NBA Finals since 1971. The Pacers will lament this loss, and should they lose the series, the pseudo-meltdown will be the thing they regret the most — the moment they lost control of a series that was seemingly there for the taking. Advertisement Gilgeous-Alexander's catch-and-shoot 3 that looked true from the moment it left his fingertips — his only make from distance on the evening — cut a four-point lead to one. His step-back jumper once he was freed from the clutches of Nembhard gave the Thunder a 104-103 lead at 2:23 they wouldn't relinquish. 'I relish those moments, love the moments, good or bad,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'When I was a kid shooting at my driveway, I'd count down the clock for those moments. Now I get to live it. It's a blessing, it's fun, and I relish it.' Game 4's in the last 15 years have produced performances that have validated premier stars — Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Dirk Nowitzki stamped themselves in adverse circumstances. Curry's 2022 showing at the Boston Garden shut up his critics and Celtics fans — buoying the Warriors to their last title. Advertisement Antetokounmpo's defensive play the year before, blocking Deandre Ayton against improbable odds on a gimpy leg, was the catalyst for the Bucks to complete their comeback against Phoenix. Nowitzki was saddled with the flu in the 2011 Finals, and being playfully mocked by Dwyane Wade and LeBron James wasn't received very kindly, and he battled through. Each of those performances tied the series and pulled their teams from the brink. The Thunder were under no delusions, which of course is easier to say in the backdrop of a win. 'Our season is kind of on the line,' Thunder forward Jalen Williams said. Advertisement The Thunder gathered themselves in the last four minutes, in that final quarter — doing just enough in the third to not get knocked out. Pascal Siakam was putting some touches on a Finals MVP performance, and the Pacers made every corner three available while the Thunder couldn't hit anything and weren't moving the ball like they'd been doing for the last eight months. 'I just thought we showed great will in the game. I thought we really hung in there in the third,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. 'I thought that was the key to the game. They really had the wind to their back. We had some deflating plays. It was an easy game to give up on. We kept it in striking distance, eight, 10, then able to close it in the fourth.' When the moment is at hand, the stats don't matter as much, the details truly become hazy through time. All we knew was the Thunder were being tested in ways they weren't even in the second round against Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets. They advanced, but this series is a post-graduate course with Rick Carlisle on the other side, the master teacher who's taking away so many of the things that have become hallmarks of Oklahoma City's dominant campaign. Advertisement Maybe the Thunder weren't ready. They've grown, but they hadn't had real, extensive playoff heartbreak. Denver had some disappointments before breaking through. Boston had more than its share, as well as Milwaukee. That's been the path of recent champions, with very little exception. That's how the Thunder looked — bewildered for the most part of the night and ready to break. Gilgeous-Alexander didn't look like an MVP but a bystander — although there's a beauty in watching Williams play de facto point guard because no one would let Gilgeous-Alexander out of sight, and Chet Holmgren elevating his game on both ends with timely offensive scores and critical stops when the Pacers tried to hunt him. And Alex Caruso shined as the vet with a championship ring doing the little things. Championships are won in the margins, even before you get to the moment. Advertisement "Just didn't quit. We haven't really had to show it a lot this year, with the success we had in the regular season,' Williams said. 'We've had a lot of ups and downs during the playoffs. We've just learned from those experiences. That is something Mark is really big on us, every game you should be able to learn, then the next game you should be able to apply something and get better at it. That's what we're trying to do every time.' The Thunder still needed their closer to bring closure to this gam and reset the table for the rest of this series. 'When you're on the road like that, it's just you. That's your unit,' Daigneault said. 'Those guys did a great job staying in it because that was a hard game, a hard game for us. We could just not get a lot going, especially the third. Just to hang in there just kind of showed who we are.' Advertisement And the MVP showed who he is. He fouled out Aaron Nesmith and had just enough breathing room to become breathtaking. It feels like the NBA Finals have turned, almost violently in the last 48 hours. 'Winning, especially this time of the season, it comes down to the moments,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'It's going to come down to late game. Every team is good. There's rarely going to be a blowout. It comes down to the moments and who is willing to make winning plays on both ends of the floor.' He made them, so they made them. More than winning, the Thunder survived — and advanced back home, back in control.
