to be fair, this is the OKC strategem that they’ve basically been allowed to perform the entire season and nobody to this point has realized they can do it too.
I think the OKC strategem has been “what if we have a team full of good to great players”. Everybody noticed that OKC had these players before the playoffs started. Nobody was like “you know who’s low key incredible? Aaron Nesmith”.
What I’m saying is that the OKC perimeter defenders - and they have a parade of good ones (Jay-dub, Wallace, Dort, Caruso, Shai probably the worst of the group and he’s still good) are also very aggressive/physical and have been all year. You can find an endless stream of coaches complaining about how physical they are.
Nesmith and Nembhard have always been regarded as strong defenders - playing aggressively has been on the table for them (I appreciate your argument that playing 32 minutes and not 42 minutes may improve their intensity level)
I would be pretty surprised if OKC was playing anywhere near as physical in the regular season as the Pacers have been in the playoffs but I fully admit I have no idea how to know if that’s true. I just know the playoffs have been refereed way differently than, I dk, the last decade of playoffs and certainly this regular season.
And it’s my suspicion that Carlisle has done the best job of maxing that.
Also, like, the Pacers haven’t even played incredible D this playoffs. They’ve been incredible on O and they’ve game planned their opponents very well and then yeah they have this effort maxxing boost that so far is really working. It’s mostly playing out on O but there were obvious D effects last night where they eventually wore down SGA.
What a game of basketball
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Barring a miracle, we’re looking at a 2-2 series.
Ben Mathurin is going to sit and think long and hard after this one
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Orlando are apparently the favorites for Poole, no joke. Michigan Magic aside, I kinda love that fit 
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Scott Foster sucked bad but this game was unreal
The effort level, the defensive quality, how HARD everything was. The sport at its pinnacle, A+
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I think the physicality allowed this year in the playoffs has largely been a breath of fresh air
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My older son who doesn’t follow the NBA at all was in the room last night when we had the game on for a while and said, “If even I know who Scott Foster is as a ref then he shouldn’t be getting finals games.”
Detroit has a BIG 3 team this year. Jeremy Pargo, Darnell Jackson and Iso Joe. George Gervin is coach the other players are no household names.
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I saw Iso Joe in person as a Piston. He only lasted the preseason.
Associating the Big 3 teams with specific cities always strikes me as weird. It’s a tour, so it’s not as if the teams are located in a city. It doesn’t look like any of these guys are from Detroit. Joe Johnson played 1 professional season for the Pistons I guess? Iceman is from Detroit?
Of course other than Joe I’m not sure who these guys are. Jeremy Pargo tickled a hint of recognition but then I realized that was his brother.
Idk
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3 guys making over 100 mil a yr Suggs/Bane/Wagner
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The salary thing is interesting but I do like the fit. The Magic needed a shooter and Bane is one of the better ones.
Soon to be four making $140+ if they keep everyone
Is Suggs/Bane/Paolo/Franz even conference-finals good
Rough to be that pricey with 0 top 15 (20?) players
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Mmmmm, yes, of course
Washington has the right to swap its 2026 1st round pick, protected for selections 9-30, for Phoenix’s 2026 1st round pick; Orlando then has the right to swap its 2026 1st round pick for the less favorable of the Phoenix pick and the Washington pick if conveyable; Memphis then has the right to swap its 2026 1st round pick for the least / less favorable of the Phoenix pick, the Washington pick if conveyable and the Orlando pick and Charlotte will receive the least favorable of these; if the Washington pick is not conveyable, then the obligation to Washington will be extinguished and Orlando will instead have the right to swap its pick for the Phoenix pick (via Phoenix to Charlotte) [Indiana-Phoenix-
Washington, 6/23/2023; Orlando-Phoenix, 7/17/2023; Brooklyn-Memphis-Phoenix, 2/8/2024; Charlotte-Phoenix, 2/62025]
If you can make sense of this, the spectre of Wilt Chamberlain rises from the grave and dates your enemy’s daughter
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Clear as mud
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