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5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
June 3, 2025
All Hands OKC: How the Thunder’s bench boosts their historic defense
Full Rotation: Inside Indy’s balanced attack and what makes it so dangerous
Daigneault’s Rise: A young coach, a young core and their evolution as one
Been Here Before: Rick Carlisle’s journey back to the NBA Finals
Unforgettable Moments: Mitch Richmond’s Final(s) shot – 14 years in the making
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Just two more sleeps…
Game 1 of the NBA Finals presented by YouTube TV tips off Thursday (8:30 ET, ABC) as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder host Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers in OKC.
The Way Of SGA: Go inside the Kia MVP’s campaign in the season finale of Pass The Rock, including a look at how after getting cut from his ninth-grade basketball team, Gilgeous-Alexander used that as fuel to motivate him to become one of the league’s best.
Chasing History: Coming today in the NBA App, get an all-access pass to the Conference Finals, as the Pacers and Thunder punched their ticket to the NBA Finals. Includes a special look at the journeys of OKC’s defensive stopper Alex Caruso and Indiana’s Pascal Siakam, the ECF Finals MVP. Narrated by Jamal Crawford.
1. ALL HANDS: HOW OKC’S BENCH BOOSTS ITS HISTORIC DEFENSE
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Tyrese Haliburton. Jalen Williams. Pascal Siakam. Chet Holmgren.
You know the stars of this year’s Finals, but what’s driven both the Thunder and Pacers to the doorstep of a title isn’t just their top talent – it’s their depth.
- Depth Perception: This is the first Finals since 2000 where both teams enter the series with nine players averaging 10+ minutes across 14+ Playoff games
And how each team utilizes its bench reflects its identity – starting with OKC’s relentless defense.
Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images
The Thunder don’t just swarm. They multiply. Seven of the top 10 players in DefRtg this postseason are Thunder, including their entire starting 5 of SGA, Williams, Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Lu Dort.
- Even Scarier? The top two players in DefRtg this postseason come off OKC’s bench – Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso
- Big Moments, Bigger Impact: Wallace and Caruso have stepped up when it matters most — including OKC’s Game 7 win over Denver, where they posted the two highest plus-minus marks among all players
- “They’ve been great,” said Williams on Caruso and Wallace. “They’ve hit big shots. They’ve done a lot of little stuff that people don’t know about … it just speaks to what type of players they are – and that’s why they’re here.”
Collective Chaos: What makes OKC’s defense devastating isn’t just the depth — it’s that a drop-off doesn’t exist. There’s no reset when the reserves enter. Just more disruption for opponents to solve.
- Swarming Presence: OKC’s 170+ steals and 80+ blocks through the first three series of a Playoff run mark the first time anyone’s done that in 30+ years
- Seamless Pressure: 77 of its 172 steals have come from its reserves (44.8%) – tied for the most bench steals in a single postseason since they were first tracked in 1973-74
- Bread & Butter: Those steals have helped fuel 380 points off turnovers for the Thunder this postseason – the most of any team entering the Finals in the play-by-play era
- Winning Results: OKC’s bench owns a Playoff-best +67 point differential. That impact shows up individually, too, as three of OKC’s top six players in Playoff plus-minus are reserves – Wallace (2), Caruso (5) and Aaron Wiggins (6)
The Secret? Cohesion and a total commitment to making winning plays — no matter who’s on the floor.
OKC walls off Anthony Edwards’ drive but sends two to the corner, leaving him open off-ball. Caruso recognizes the over-rotation and works back to contest, leading to a miss. Wallace then sells out for the board, tipping the ball off Nickeil Alexander-Walker for possession.
“Guys are connected at the hip everywhere we go,” said SGA on Monday. “But above all we prioritize winning and enjoy each other’s company … It’s just the personnel of this basketball team.”
2. FULL ROTATION: INSIDE INDY’S BALANCED ATTACK
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Like OKC, Indiana thrives by playing as one. But where the Thunder overwhelm opponents with collective defense — creating opportunities for the Thunder’s also-elite offense — the Pacers’ signature has been their flowing offensive harmony.
That harmony has entered historic territory, as Indy is just the third team ever to make the Finals averaging 115+ ppg in the Playoffs without a single scorer averaging more than 22.
- 1985 Lakers: 131.2 ppg | James Worthy (20.5)
- 1961 Celtics: 120.4 ppg | Bill Russell (20.6)
- 2025 Pacers: 117.4 ppg | Pascal Siakam (21.1)
94-feet with Indy: Zero dribbles. Three passes. Two points.
Like Clockwork: While Siakam leads Indy in scoring and Haliburton sets the tempo, the Pacers’ offense ticks like a finely tuned watch — every player a gear in motion, each essential to making it go. The result? An attack that doesn’t just run, but flows.
- Pace: Indy ranks third in pace this postseason and is one of just two Playoff teams averaging more than 285 passes per game, at 314.3
- Space: That tempo and ball movement has resulted in a Playoff-best 27.4% “wide open” shot frequency – where the closest defender is 6+ feet away
- Bullseye: That includes a 23.6% wide open frequency from 3, where six Pacers are shooting over 40% this postseason – tying the 2017 Cavs for the most by any team entering the Finals in NBA history (min. 20 3PA)
That blend of selflessness and shotmaking has produced scoring from every corner.
- Sharing The Wealth: Indy’s entire starting 5 is averaging 12+ ppg, from Siakam and Haliburton (18.8) to Myles Turner (15.2), Aaron Nesmith (14.1) and Andrew Nembhard (12.8)
- The Second Unit? Just as steady, as it ranks first in total Playoff bench points, led by Bennedict Mathurin (10.4), Obi Toppin (8.7) and T.J. McConnell (8.4)
- “The buy in from our whole group is huge,” said Haliburton. “Our bench guys come in and bring more energy.”
Dylan Buell/Getty Images | Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Right On Time: Like Haliburton, Indy’s role players have delivered in big-time spots – most recently in the East Finals, where the Pacers needed a total team effort to knock off the Knicks.
- Game 1: Nesmith hit a Playoff-record six 3s in the 4th quarter to erase a 17-point deficit and stun the Knicks in OT
- Game 4: Mathurin dropped 20 points in 12 minutes before Toppin splashed the dagger 3 with 46 seconds left to go up 3-1
- Game 6: The Pacers’ entire starting 5 scored in double figures while shooting over 50% from the field – a feat that’s only been achieved three times in a Conference Finals game in the last 30 years
Now, Indy will face another team loaded with depth – with the NBA title on the line.
- “It’s two teams that have similar structures and slightly different styles,” said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle on the Finals.”It has the makings of a great series.”
3. DAIGNEAULT’S RISE: MATCHING OKC’S ENERGY, MOLDING ITS IDENTITY
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In 1977, a vibrant 24-year-old center named Bill Walton led the Portland Trail Blazers to their first NBA title.
The Blazers’ average age was just 25.03, making them the youngest team in the shot clock era to reach the Finals.
The second-youngest? The 2025 Thunder, with an average age of 25.60.
- “They’re such a fun team,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault after winning the West. “It’s just an unbelievable experience every day to show up and be around them…”
- “Energy is a resource and they bring energy to the environment, to each other and we all benefit from that … I’m able to coach my best because of this group of players.”
Daigneault himself is just 40 years old, making him the third-youngest active coach in the NBA.
And like his team, he’s grown into this moment.
Daigneault joined OKC in 2014 and spent five seasons leading its G League affiliate team before being named the Thunder’s head coach in 2020.
Since then, OKC has taken off – increasing its win total each year, capped by back-to-back historic seasons.
- In 2023-24, Daigneault earned NBA Coach of the Year as the Thunder tallied a 57-25 record, becoming the youngest team in NBA history to earn a No. 1 seed
- In 2024-25, OKC increased its win total by 11 for a franchise-record 68 victories, before reaching its first Finals since 2012
- “It’s cool watching a coach evolve with us,” said Jalen Williams on Daigneault last week. “He’s been able to understand us over the years … so there’s a really cool trust…
- “His relationship with every single player is unique, and I think that’s what makes him very special.”
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Teams often take on the personality of their head coach. With Daigneault at the helm, that means playing with an edge and disciplined aggression.
- “He’s really competitive,” said Williams on Daigneault. “He’s competitive with coaching. He’s competitive with X’s and O’s, and we as players feel that and feed off that.”
That fire pairs perfectly with OKC’s young energy, which shines every night from blanketing opponents to ‘toweling’ interviewers after wins – a tradition that wrapped Daigneault up after winning the West Finals.
- “They are idiots,” Daigneault joked under a sea of towels. “They are competitive, and most of all they are team first – they embody everything it means to be a team.”
4. BEEN HERE BEFORE: RICK CARLISLE RETURNS TO THE NBA FINALS
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The Pacers’ head coach owns the 11th-most victories in NBA history (993), topping the win count for the Dallas Mavericks (555) and trailing only Slick Leonard for Indy (338).
Over 23 NBA seasons, Rick Carlisle has evolved from one of the game’s preeminent defensive minds to an offensive maestro.
Carlisle is an NBA lifer. He played five seasons in the Association, winning the 1986 NBA title with the Celtics, then climbed his way through the assistant ranks to become a head coach for the first time in 2001 with the Pistons.
- Bursting Onto The Season: Carlisle won 50 games in each of his two seasons with Detroit, winning NBA Coach of the Year in 2002
- Launching A HOF: Ben Wallace became a star under Carlisle, winning his first accolade as the 2002 Defensive Player of the Year
Carlisle joined the Pacers in 2003, serving as Indy’s head coach for four seasons, which included a trip to the East Finals in 2004.
- Style Of The Time: Carlisle brought a defensive focus to Indy in his first run, as his teams ranked in the top-10 on that end in three of his four campaigns
He then became the head man in Dallas in 2008, guiding the Mavs to the 2011 NBA title, as they knocked off the Heat in six games.
- A Tactician: Carlisle made a major adjustment to swing the Finals by featuring guard JJ Barea, who averaged 16 points over 27 minutes in the Mavs’ Game 5 and 6 wins after averaging just 5 points in 18 minutes in the series
- “I love Rick,” Dirk Nowitzki said later on his championship coach. “His basketball knowledge was out of this world.”
Rick returned to the Pacers in 2021, perfecting a free-flowing offense around Haliburton and Siakam.
- In The Clutch: Indiana had the best OffRtg in the 2023 Playoffs and is second this year
- “We have faith in coach’s rotations, trust in what he sees out there,” said Haliburton.
- “Uninterrupted belief in my abilities,” Myles Turner added of Carlisle. “He just lets me go out there and do my thing. I think psychologically, me and him, we align.”
Back Again: Carlisle is now the 10th coach to lead two NBA franchises to the Finals. With four more wins, he’d become the first to lead two teams to their first-ever championships.
- “If your desire in life is to lead and to teach, NBA head coaching is the ultimate crucible,” Carlisle said earlier this season, reflecting on his career
- “At times, my teams have been at the forefront of evolution. At times, we’ve had to adjust with the game. But one thing you learn is you must be open to change.”
