The NBA Finals
The ratings may not reflect it but this has been an interesting NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder & the Indiana Pacers. The series has been a back and forth affair so it should come as no surprise that the series is tied 2-2 with the pivotal Game 5 set for Monday night.
Each game has presented an unique story. Game 1 saw the Pacers walk the Thunder down from a 15-point deficit to get a Tyrese Haliburton last second game winner. Game 2 featured the Thunder building a 20-point 2nd quarter lead and wear down the Pacers for a 16-point win. Game 3 was a game of runs. OKC built an early 10-point lead only for the Pacers to walk them down again and eventually outscore OKC 32-18 in the 4th quarter en route to a 9-point win.
Friday night was easily the most dramatic game of the series to date. A back and forth affair between the two seemingly started to favor the Pacers going into the 4th quarter before OKC walked down the Pacers and outscored them 31-17 in the 4th quarter for a 7-point win and a series tie.
With the pivotal Game 5 in Oklamhoma City, both teams have taken each other’s best punch and been able to counter punch. Both teams’ stars have also come up big during this series:
Although I picked OKC to win this series they will need more consistency from Chet Holgrem to offset the Pacers having 6 players in double figures scoring. For the Pacers they can’t afford to continue to have slower starts in the 1st half despite their ability all playoff series long to walk teams down. That strategy is one I still don’t believe will carry them to an NBA title. Tyrese Haliburton also has to be a bit more aggressive if the Pacers want to win their 1st ever title.
The Sky May Be Falling
The Chicago Sky entered this season after inexplicably getting rid of head coach Teresa Witherspoon after just one season. The other head scratching move was not bringing back guard Chennedy Carter.
While they weren’t expected to be a playoff team this year, the Sky were expected to make another step toward returning to playoff contention. They drafted Haley Van Lith and it was expected for forward Angel Reese and center Kamilla Cardoso to gel and be the foundation for this team.
Losing veteran guard Courtney Vandersloot to a knee injury for the season was a serious blow to their already thin offensive ability. With Vandersloot out, Ariel Atkins has emerged as the team’s leading scorer at just 12.9ppg on 42.5% shooting. Despite Angel Reese leading the league in rebounding at 11.9rpg, she is averaging just 10.4ppg on 35.7% shooting. Both of those offensive averages are below her rookie season numbers. Kamilla Cardoso missed some time last season but she doesn’t appear to not be imposing her will down low. Cardoso is averaging just 10.5 while only getting 9 shots per game. Van Lith has looked lost with some people wondering if she’ll make it in the WNBA. She’s averaging just 5.3ppg this season.
The Sky rank 2nd to last in scoring(75.6ppg), give up the 3rd most points at 87.0ppg, have the 3rd worst shooting percentage at 40.5%, the 3rd worst 3-pt shooting percentage at 30.0%, lead the league in turnovers at 18.1 per game, their team +/- is the 2nd worst at -11.4 and they are second to last in the league in both offensive(94.4) and defensive rating(109.2).
Sky head coach Tyler Marsh recently spoke about the team’s offensive struggles:
"I think there's two areas offensively where accountability can be had: turnovers and our movement."
— Courtside with Karli Bell (@CourtsideKB) June 13, 2025
Tyler Marsh was asked about when does accountability lead to offensive execution before tonight's game against the Atlanta Dream. pic.twitter.com/ua1Tj5kgCi
Marsh must find a way to use Reese’s athleticism and Cardoso’s size to create more offensive opportunities from the inside. If they’re able to do that it could give way to open shots for Atkins and other players. If not, the Sky could be in the search for another head coach that can best maximize the talents of Reese, Cardozo and Van Lith.
Final Nuggets
- The White Sox are 23-49 and have the 2nd worst record in baseball. They’ve scored the 4th fewest runs this season, the league’s worst BA and OPS, the 2nd worst slugging percentage and the 4th worst OBP. The only good news about this season are the new alternate uniforms and news of White Sox Chairman eventually selling controlling interest of the White Sox to billionaire Justin Ishbia – maybe.
- Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant is looking to leave the Valley of the Sun and three teams have emerged as suitors – the Miami Heat, the Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs. While those may be Durant’s list of teams he would like to be traded for, the Suns still hold the keys to trade him to whoever presents the best offer.
- ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news on a blockbuster NBA trade with the Grizzlies sending Desmond Bane to the Magic for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks and one first-round pick swap:
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