Latest news with #IsaiahHartenstein
Time of India
2 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
'We'll go out there and hunt ourselves'- Isaiah Hartenstein assures Oklahoma City Thunder's confidence for NBA Championship Finals
With the Oklahoma City Thunder entering the NBA Finals as one of the best teams that performed brilliantly this season, there are heavy expectations from fans. The team performed and ended with a solid 68-14 record and went 12-4 during the playoffs. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Now, all eyes are on how Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder will play out, and how each player will perform. Among the list of players the fans have expectations from, Isaiah Hartenstein is one fans believe could perform well. Isaiah Hartenstein knows what to expect from NBA Championship Finals Oklahoma City Thunder's' solid performer, Isaiah Hartenstein knows what to expect from himself for the NBA Championship Finals. He knows there can be no mistakes, and there can be no excuses. The game has to be played brilliantly and there is no other option left. According to OKC Thunder Wire, Isaiah said, "I think in the playoffs, you always have to prove yourself again. We're not a team that wants anything given to us. We want to go out and conquer, go out and hunt. For us, it doesn't matter what happened before. It doesn't matter even in a playoff series, it doesn't matter what happened before.' Further, he said, 'We're always trying to go out there and try to hunt. Not be the hunted ones. Trying to go out there and hunt ourselves." Jalen Williams ' clear message before the Championship Finals For Oklahoma City Thunder, Jalen Williams is an important and key player who has been pretty strong during the playoffs and has scored at least 20 points a game. He is also brilliant at playing defence. Williams took to Instagram, where he stated what he believed in, now that NBA Championship Finals are coming up. Jalen Williams said, 'your boos don't mean anything to me, I've seen what you people cheer for.' Also Read: Interestingly, Thunder has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading them, Jalen Williams will play an important role.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Isaiah Hartenstein on 2025 NBA Finals mindset: 'We want to go out and conquer'
Isaiah Hartenstein on 2025 NBA Finals mindset: 'We want to go out and conquer' Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Over the last three years, we've seen the Oklahoma City Thunder graduate from the young team that snuck up on contenders to contenders themselves that see opposition circle their date on the calendar well in advance. As the Thunder finished with a historic 68-14 record, that target only grew. But it didn't matter. They continued to be a winning machine. That translated over to the NBA playoffs as a Death Star that destroyed teams left and right en route to a 12-4 postseason record in the West. The Thunder enter the 2025 NBA Finals as the heavy favorite. While the Indiana Pacers have been a cute story these playoffs, most expect a quick series. That said, Isaiah Hartenstein iterated that they can't become complacent. What they did in the previous three rounds won't matter at basketball's biggest stage. "I think in the playoffs, you always have to prove yourself again. We're not a team that wants anything given to us. We want to go out and conquer, go out and hunt. For us, it doesn't matter what happened before. It doesn't matter even in a playoff series, it doesn't matter what happened before," Hartenstein said. "We're always trying to go out there and try to hunt. Not be the hunted ones. Trying to go out there and hunt ourselves." It'll be interesting to see Hartenstein's role in the NBA Finals. While he was never benched, his playing time dwindled against the Minnesota Timberwolves. To the point he didn't even start second halves in favor of smaller lineups with Alex Caruso and Isaiah Joe. The Pacers could force a similar predicament. They like to spray the ball out to the perimeter and have been one of the best outside shooting teams of the playoffs. Against a stretch big like Myles Turner, that could force the Thunder in an awkward situation where the seven-footer might get played off the floor. We'll have to wait and see. While everybody else can call this series over before Game 1 even tips off, the Thunder can't let that enter their mindset. The Pacers made the NBA Finals for a reason, albeit from a worse conference. But OKC will need to leave it all on the floor if it wants to avoid one of the biggest upsets ever.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Thunder star Isaiah Hartenstein warns Indiana Pacers what makes Oklahoma City 'special' ahead of NBA Finals
The Oklahoma City Thunder produced the NBA's best defense throughout the regular season, and have done the same during these playoffs as well. Now, on the league's biggest stage in the NBA Finals, they're ready to show the Pacers why they're 'special' on that end of the court. 'I think our defense is special because we don't have no weak links,' center Isaiah Hartenstein told international media on a Zoom call. 'Because normally teams can kind of go out and hunt one player. We don't really have that that much. 'We're a really together team,' he continued at a different point. 'We support each other. If you're playing a lot of minutes, if you're not playing a lot of minutes. I think that's what makes it special, is we're very supportive of each other. 'And then when it gets on the court, we're always connected defensively, we're connected offensively, we're connected. 'And I think that's what makes it hard to play against us, because no one's ever not on the same same page.' The Thunder - the youngest Finals team since the 1977 Blazers - have seen their national profile rise in this postseason, though the foundations for such a run have been there the entire season. Mark Daigneault's squad led the league with a historically-good 68 regular season wins, have an MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and a swarm of defensive stoppers like Hartenstein, Lu Dort and Alex Caruso. The last two series, though, have been a real statement to the league and its fans. Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and proverbial 'future face of the league' candidate Anthony Edwards were both made to look ordinary at times, and Gilgeous-Alexander came through in big moments. But Hartenstein knows the Pacers will present a fresh set of challenges. 'It's a new series. You have to prove yourself again,' he said. 'And we're not really kind of buying into who's the favorite, not the favorite. We want to go out there starting from 0-0, and you have to prove ourselves.' The Thunder have in fact opened up as extremely lopsided favorites, though the Pacers enter their first Finals since 2000 after making quite an announcement of their own to the league. Tyrese Haliburton - voted the league's 'most overrated player' by his peers not long ago - proved to be anything but, while Pascal Siakam showed the championship pedigree that helped him win a ring with the Raptors in 2019. Indiana showed just how potent their offense was when they gashed the usually-stingy Knicks for 125 points in the Game 6 Eastern Conference Finals clincher (and 130-plus in two other games), and their penchant for pace will be something for OKC to keep an eye on. Hartenstein, for his part, mentioned that the Thunder would need to slow them down and beat them on the boards inside. For the former Knicks star, things have progressed rather quickly since he joined the team in free agency last summer. Jalen Williams, too, has mostly known winning since the team drafted him in 2022, while Chet Holmgren (who missed his true rookie season through injury) has a fairly staggering regular season record of 83-31. Dort, though, was in OKC as the team team barely broke 20 wins per year through 2020-22, and tried to rebuild itself post-Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. As the team's longest tenured player (Gilgeous-Alexander joined him via trade on the same day in July 2019), he can now look at the team's Finals berth through the lens of that journey. 'When I first got here, we all had a vision... and I feel like, you know, we checked a lot of those boxes to get to the point we have today,' Dort said. 'You know, credit to our organization, and coaching staff, and then the players that's been here, it really shaped all of us to get to this point. 'It would mean a lot to get it done, not just for us, but for the city, for the organization. I mean, we just put so much work to this. And now we're so close to the end. So we gotta think about everything, use all that motivation to get it done.' The Thunder will host Game 1 of the Finals on Friday.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Stephen A. Smith Sends Blunt Message About Knicks' NBA Finals Chances
Stephen A. Smith Sends Blunt Message About Knicks' NBA Finals Chances originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Stephen A. Smith might be a New York Knicks' fan, but he's not betting the farm on their title hopes. Advertisement Despite the Knicks staving off elimination with a 111-94 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday, Smith expressed little confidence in their chances should they reach the NBA Finals. 'If they advance, I give them zero chance, zero, of beating the Oklahoma City Thunder,' Smith said Friday on First Take. 'I see those bodies they throw at you, the way Oklahoma City defends, and the Knicks' lack of personnel. That's taken the luster off my championship aspirations.' Oklahoma City has momentum on their side after downing the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games. MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and former Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein have put OKC back in the final as a potential favorite. The Thunder also swept the Knicks during the regular season by a combined 35 points. Smith went on a long rant about the Knicks, but admits that a Finals appearance would be meaningful. Winning it all, however, would require 'divine intervention.' Advertisement Related: HBCU Honored With Exclusive Player Edition Jordan With 80 wins this year, the Thunder are already drawing comparisons to some of the league's greatest teams. Should New York overcome its 3-2 deficit against Indiana, there would be a tough turnaround after a Game 7 matchup. Related: NBA legend and HBCU trailblazer dies at 88 'There is no basketball element, ingredient, snippet, nothing, that makes me believe they can beat Oklahoma City,' Smith said. But this is the NBA playoffs, and surprises do happen. Even when Stephen A. says otherwise. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
NBA fans slam 'worst commentator' of all-time' Doris Burke after bizarre World War II joke live on ESPN
ESPN commentator Doris Burke felt the wrath of the internet on Monday night after fans were left underwhelmed by her performance in the booth for the NBA playoffs. Burke, 60, was on the mic for Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals match-up between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Oklahoma City Thunder, which the latter won to secure a 3-1 series lead. While the game itself was a thriller, some fans claimed their enjoyment was tainted by Burke's commentary, with one particular moment leaving a bad taste. Midway through the game, Burke made a bizarre reference to World War II, when she spoke about the German family history of Isaiah Hartenstein, and French native Rudy Gobert. 'I don't know much about history, but I know the French and German don't like one another,' she began. 'And Rudy says, "Bonjour, Mr Hartenstein! Have a little bit of that left-handed dunk!"' Mike Breen, alongside her in the booth, then jumps in to say: 'What are you trying to start here?' On social media, fans were quick to share their thoughts on Burke's on-air performance, with one writing: 'Doris Burke tonight: 100% Crush on Gobert, 1 WW2 Joke, 134 "Cousin" mentions. WORST COMMENTATOR OF ALL TIME.' Another added: 'SGA clearly got fouled by Rudy Gobert on the arm, but unprofessionally Doris Burke calls SGA a "Free Throw Merchant". There is no way she should be saying this on air, shoutout to RJ [Richard Jefferson] for sticking up and understanding.' A third noted: 'Doris Burke should not have a job as an announcer,' while another said: 'Haven't tweeted in over a year but felt I needed to say how much I hate listening to Doris Burke call these games.' 'I don't know much about history but I know the French and German don't like one another.' - Doris Burke 💀💀💀 — NBACentel (@TheNBACentel) May 27, 2025 Some disagreed, though, with one user coming out in support of the female voice, claiming: 'Doris Burke is a great commentator.' Burke has always been a polarizing voice among sports fans, but ESPN have stuck by her and given her a huge role in this season's NBA playoffs.
