Best of The Week on The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon

Published Jun 21, 2025, 1:00 PM

Jason and Mike break down the crazy NBA Finals heading into game 7, the NHL Final back to back winners, and so much more!

Thanks for listening to the best of The Jason Smith Show with Mike Carmen podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight from ten pm to two am Eastern seven to eleven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us live every night on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.

This is the best of the Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon on Fox Sports Radio.

Hello, Welcome in side Happy Monday, The Jason Smith Show with my bass friend Mike Harmonyo live from the Fox Sports Radio studios. For over forty years, tire Rack's been helping customers find the right tires for how what, where they drive. Shipped fast and free, backed by free Road, has protection with convenient installation options like mobile tire Installation tire Act dot Com. He is the way tire buying should be.

Well.

Here we are, beginning of the second half, Game five of the NBA Finals, Oklahoma City, with a fifty nine forty five lead over the Pacers. We got show Heyo Tani taking them out for the first time in almost two years. Coming up in about ten minutes. We got a lot of stuff we got tonight here on the show, and I'll give.

You one prop bet already.

Yeah, I might go show hey o Tani more strike He's pitching an inning more strikeouts than Tyre's Halliburton has points.

Whooo, I don't know if that prop bet got put up on the map.

Right now, I'm even, and the game I haven't started. I'm even right now because Tyre's Halliburton has not scored in the first half of this game again, a fifty nine to forty five lead Oklahoma City, and the big story Tyre's Halliburton, who missed a couple of minutes a little bit of calf tightness, had his calf retaped or or looked out in the locker room, came back out, he still was not able to score. He didn't look good before he got hurt. He didn't look after he got hurt. I'm telling you, he's got so much Anthony Edwards in him where he just goes ghost for long periods of time in multiple playoff games and series, no matter what it is. I feel like, would it be better if the thunder were all wearing Knicks jerseys because you were motivated for the majority of that series. I feel like, really, do you really need he really needs motivation right this Sometimes he just goes absolutely space ghost on everybody.

Seemed like a best of three scenario. You know, all those words like legend, legacy and whatever else we do and ascribe those as quickly as we do. Haliburton was getting a lot of love, right We started to see the poison pens coming out, going maybe we have a new villain, a guy that embraces the hate, you know, embrace debate, embrace the hate, all of those kind of fun things. And then you have an effort here. And he didn't look right early in the game. Wasn't moving very well defensively, a step slow, looked like he was dragging his leg a little bit, goes out, gets taped up, has the bandage on. Then he's on the sideline and you get the camera shot of him putting the towelo his face as if he's in anguished. He's anguished, and then he gets back out and once again he's he's less than less than ideal in terms of his attacking on offense and sliding on d but he's played seventeen minutes, so it becomes the all right, excuses and all of that. You're still on the court. I can only evaluate what's there.

No look, and here's the thing is that he didn't look good before, he didn't look good after, right, That's the whole thing. And the fact is, yes, seventeen minutes, if he couldn't go, if it was impossible him to go, he would be sitting out because this is you don't want to say it's a free game for the for the Pacers, but okay, if he was really a danger of exacerbating his injury, getting hurt and then missing the rest of the finals, the Pacers would sit him down and say, you know what, we got three days between games. We're not playing again until July seventeenth. We're gonna sit you down and then we're gonna be ready to go and we get back it. Maybe we can, we can, we can. You can sneak this one out here, and you never know, we may get a big night for McConnell off the bench and Matheren could start hitting shots and clearly this is a game. It looks like Oklahoma City should be up more than they are the way they've been dominant. But still the pacers find a way hit a three now and again and stay involved and stay close. But if it was really bad, he would not be in the game. But he's out there and he's given it a go two to three times. How many times a guy to come out of the locker room, come out and play and sit down and play and sit down. If it was really really bad, they would pull him out of the game and say, you know what, this is going to be a night where we try to do it without you, and we keep you right and get you ready for game six back home.

Yeah, we know cavstrains can escalate quickly into other things too, right, So that's the other part you're talking pain threshold, but also to your point about exacerbating it and creating an issue not only for the rest of these finals, but something that potentially becomes a long stand. I mean, how many guys have we seen that are already off of our Bingo cards for twenty twenty five twenty six based on in he sustained in the playoffs, We're already had an all star lineup full of guys as we go, so playing through and trying, but the offense has been sputtering, but he's playing. So Rick Carlisle and company, you're tied best of three. I know you don't want to go down, but you are going back home for game six. You got a couple of days that you get him into intense treatment, but he's still still working. So our poison pens to use that term again, are going to be out you play. I evaluate you on what you're able to do. Because you didn't tap out right, you haven't gone to the locker room for good, and you're not done. So now you're a detriment to your team. We have to evaluate you just as a negative instead of an injured player.

So we'll keep you posting on this. I mean, obviously we are keeping an eye on it. It's a eleven point lead now for Oklahoma City, early in the third quarter. A lot of basketball to go here. Meanwhile, what we are getting set for in about three minutes is the first appearance of show Hey Otani on a pitcher's mound in nearly two years. A story breaks late last night following the the Dodgers game. Hey, guess what, Show Hey's back tomorrow. Wait, not in a week, No back tomorrow, but seriously, yes, he's back tomorrow. Probably gonna go an inning. I don't I don't believe he's gonna go any more than that as the Dodgers kind of get him back in and clearly with all the injuries going on with their rotation, not a moment too soon for show. Hey, But you know, seeing all the prop bets that are out there for show, hit what's it gonna be? I mean, I'm gonna take the under on all of them. I mean, I'll take the over on on more more strikeouts for Otani than points for Halliburton. But I will go under what's it one and a half because he's not gonna go more than If I thought he would go more than an inning, I would say, okay, but I'm pretty sure, hey, going inning, don't go crazy, and we're gonna have a plan, right, that's all the Dodgers want to have a plan, and.

It's got well, let you go.

Let's go, because then if he gets in trouble in the middle of the second inning, or he'd he throws a lot of pitches, they'll want to make a move. It's gonna be one inning. So I'm gonna go it one and a half for strikeouts. I'm gonna go under.

Yeah, it's even going under for walks under for everything except for point shimmer Halbert, how about to record one or more strikeouts and to hit a home run plus two?

Okay, so more than one strikeout and a home run? Yeah, or one strike out on a home run one plus one? You just got to get at least one, okay, So one strike out, one strike out on a home run, okay, okay, so if you strike if he strikes out one and he hits a home run, how about.

To go three up, three down in the first. Oh, that that's a good one. I like that. It's of course he's going three up, three plus one fifty. What kind of question was that?

Mike and a long drive? Da Look at this, I can't believe it. Three straight home runs to start the game off?

Oshi, all right, to allow an earn run, it's at a half a run plus one eighty five?

Oh, I'll go oh yeah, yeah, yeah, to not to not allow I'm going I'm no, I'm going.

To go back to my last answer.

It's apodres, right, So you're going minus two eighty minus too eighty for no runs, yes, all right, hits giving up one and a half hits no under unders ninety. It's already been already been addressed. We're full Belichick. Yeah, it's already been addressed. We're already been addressed. Yeah, all sorts of fun props that come up. You know, it's also a nice convenient thing. Roki Sasaki probably isn't gonna pitch again the rest of the year.

TONI gotto, TONI, let's go.

I just got a text for a friend of mine who got so excited that they were going to the game tonight. Right, so excited. They got tickets to the game tonight. They're so excited. It's it's a husband and wife, really good friends of ours. They're so excited to go. And I said, leave extra early. We always cause they go to a lot of Dodger games. I go, no, but I'm serious, because tonight, because of Otani, you want to get these only gonna pitch in the first end.

Don't worry, We're gonna leave early. I go. I'm telling you, it's gonna be like a playoff game. It's not.

It's not your garden Varia Dodger Potter game. I know the traffic is lighter because now school is out in La. Traffic is lighter with school. But I get and she's a teacher, and they're both teachers, and I'm like, but leave way early. I'm telling you because you're gonna miss Otani. No, no, no, weird lived time. I just got a text. Wow, parking is worse than the freeway. And Otani is about to throw his first pitch of the game. I'm like, what do you want too? I told you to leave early. I told you to live. There was a bobblehead day. Yes, I had all these things early. They opened the gates an extra hour early.

We were watching video when when he went out to do his warm ups and stretch. Uh. The ovation that he had from the crowd already inside the ball ballpark, Uh and rolling through I mean, just an incredible announcement right last night into this morning, and the anticipation tickets if you waited so like you had. This is one of those you're a day trader. I'm liked, you must tell your future. You know your pumpkin futures before Halloween at about six thirty to get so, about a half hour, forty minutes before first pitch, get In had gotten down to sixty four dollars.

Now you look about four hours prior.

We're into a couple hundred bucks for that the top tier, like you're looking at about two hundred and two fifty all the way down to six sixty four bucks. So if you were able to white knuckle it and wait for something to become more available, and you battled the parking.

And that's the thing.

See a night like that, I that's what I don't mind white knuckling. Like I'm not gonna white knuckle a playoff game.

I'm not gonna know.

But but this, okay, I'll do that. I'll wait, I'll wait and see. Oh, I'll wait time. But I will also make sure I leave early. I'll also make.

Sure that fair just outside the stadium, right outside of tickety and I was entry way.

And I even I even put down playing Solitaire to check and make sure they were gonna get to the game in time. I mean, I got, I got with Otani, I got the NBA Finals, I got my Solitaire game.

I got a lot of time. It's a lot of things going on, a lot of yes. I mean, that's why I was gonna start running down.

I had forty five other alternate prop bets so you could finish that game and see if you can you can clear your board.

I just found out you had to alternate red black, red black red. But I just found that out. You have to alternate red black. You can't just go unless you play Spider Solitaire. But I'm not ready for that. I'm not ready for it because I think that's a whole different thing. I want to make sure Spider Pig Spider pick show. Hao Tani is one batter down and it's one batter on base. Otani was hitting ninety eight uh to the first batter, Fernando Tatis Junior, who dunks one in front of Andy Pohes in center field.

Five. Tatise is on board with a leadoff single. Again.

Otani hit ninety eight on two fastballs, a couple of pitches borderline. Looked like he might have got squeezed a little bit on however, well it was they looked like.

It's actually Scott Foster is your guys didn't give it any He's extending lay himself out.

Yeah he is. Uh, he is extending this this.

Uh.

And now Otani has thrown a wild pitch trying to throw a in the It looked like it might have no not a hit by pitch for a second been hit by pitch, but it wasn't. Tatis is able to get to second. So now all of a sudden, Luis Araya is batting with a runner and scoring position, and uh Otani seven pitches in, he's already in trouble, all right.

I mean Mary Hart is incensed, very upset. Yes, a lot of us.

I mean, look, you see it. It looks like it feels like a playoff game. What's happening right now with Shoeotani pitching for the first time.

For the first pitch, And I'm telling me this is.

All part of what's good because I've said this from the beginning with Otani, right, I've said this from the beginning. Eventually the Dodge are going to make him a closer.

You can't.

You can't put him out there expecting that he's going to pitch and be a starter every fifth day for a season. His arm has already been lown out twice. He's over thirty. He's not gonna do it, and you can't do you just can't do it.

Now.

Oh so we have him start and roll the gain? Yeah, okay, that's great. You want to start the game, be it opener?

Of it. But is that what you really want him for?

Do you want to throw an arm in the bullpen and lock down the ninth inning and talk about the juice and the excitement that hits the ballpark and hits the team. If Otani is trying to close out a game, now, you don't just put him right out there and close, right, I get that right. You don't put them right out there to close. But here you go, one inning to start the game, okay, eventually be one inning to finish the game.

Well, that's where tanis start on the return against the hated Padres and a big home slate home occurrence here against the NBA Finals and get the crowd juiced and then yeah, you gotta work it back. Look, they're going to be active come the deadline. There's no question. You keep telling me. Arms are coming back. Arms are coming back. And it's good to see him out on the mound. But there's a lot of work to do with this roster yet.

Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.

Well, the Cup is in the building, and I gotta think we're twenty minutes away from the Panthers going back to back. They lead the Oilers three nothing, Sam Ryan Hard two goals, Matthew could Chuck with a goal. This is what the Panthers do every time they need to Could Chuck scores, Ryan Hart scores.

They've just been a machine.

For the last two years, and in twenty minutes a game time, they're gonna be hoisting the Stanley Cup skinner.

That's kind of what the announcers were doing on that third goal. Doesn't bother to get the glove up, not screened. Should have had a clean look at it. I don't know that I've ever heard a broadcast team on a final call ever a vic arrat a player like that, Like they went on for about ten minutes of how horridly he'd let his teammates down, and how they needed him already down to nothing to come up with a big effort, and how poor.

That one, Like, wow, here he's dead, he's already dead.

My god, you don't think that guy you watched him just put his head down.

He was like Superman.

He could have bored holes into the ice with the way he felt in the moment and then the call, it's like, hey, let's play that back for him. That's the part where he died right there, right here, Watch me make Gretzky's head bleed right here.

See again, right here, here's the replay right here, you know.

And the funny thing is right like, you know, I go on with with our guys in Edmonton, you know once in a while. And I went on with them in advance of this game, and we were talking about it and then and and you know, I said, okay, you know, hey, you know outside er, you know, how do you how do you look at things? You know, because obviously at Edmonton they're they're so wrapped up. And I said, well, I said, you need to score the first goal of the game once in a while. And yeah, yeah, no, I know, I know. And I said, and honestly, I the the goali, the goal the goalie situation right now. I think Bill Ranford might be your best shot, or maybe dress up McDavid and put him in goal.

And like like they kind of blew that off.

They were like, well, there's a lot of mistakes and a lot of break downs going on, and I think that's what it is.

With Edmonton, and.

I go, yeah, okay, I get that, you know, and I understand that, but I'm like outsider. When you have two goalies and neither of them are confident, neither them are playing well, how many games you're really gonna win?

Right? Like?

I mean, you know they're going back and forth, but you know between the two and they go back to Skinner tonight and obviously that hasn't worked so far.

And it's by me. I don't know what you expect.

When when neither goalie is playing well and you have changed goalie. Anytime you have to change goalies more than once in a playoff, Okay, it's good because you're playing, but it's bad because that series you're not gonna win. Like they've now, it's been like three times we're going Skinner, then we go back, then we go back to Scriper and and that's just never gonna work. And you can see it now. The Oilers are not playing with confidence. Defensively, you could tell Skinner's not playing with confidence, none of them the goalie wise in this series. The Panthers that's been out everything, the Oilers, and especially when when you want to sit there and throw the puck in front of the net and there's not a lot of activity and it's pretty easy for Ryan Hart or Kachuck to come in and just you know, dumped the buck in the net. That's a really bad recipe right there.

Well, just watching you know, the first periods, obviously getting out to fast starts, but defensively, you know, it's like when we're watching the NBA Finals and throughout the playoffs, right you go back to your nick squad, what was the hallmark? Well, I kind of reached for the ball, but I didn't move my feet. Defensively, it seems like Edmonton's doing a lot of that as well, trying to get the poke check, thinking that they're gonna get the big breakout opportunity and instead they're giving up shots on goal and big rushes. And look, Skinner's not played well. They've had a couple of other opportunities where they let him down and walked into where he's at least kept it at bay a little bit, but overall just not matching the the overall effort of the Florida Panthers. And this one looks like it's it's baked man that we get to see the Cup tonight and then maybe tomorrow the Larry O'Brien, and then it becomes all about Rember.

Another day. We've got a few more the game. Sorry, yeah, that's Thursday. That's Thursday right now, it's Thursday. They might push that to Saturday.

If they made that that, I don't know that that's gonna actually be a game they played.

They may push out another.

Would that help Hallim Burton and the narratives around him or I don't know, although it's just another couple of days of Kevin Durant speculation or or what have you.

Well, here's the thing, like, if Caitlyn Clark plays, I think they might push the game. Oh hey wait, wait the Fever play. Yeah, people in Indiana aren't gonna watch that. They're gonna okay, yeah, let's we have to play in a non fever day. That's where the finals are right now. Are the Fever playing? We have to schedule around the Fever. Then people are gonna watch Yeah. No, I mean look, I was just laughing.

I was watching a case opening of a new Marvel product and they came out with this cool die cut thing that has like the Wolverine clause going through it.

We saw some of that in.

The Fever game tonight, pup around the face, in the face, look at this cut I've got here.

I know by the way, Katelyn Clark again tonight, twenty points tonight for the Fever did not play a ton of minutes, twenty nine minutes because the Fever had this game in hand against Connecticut's son. So she goes twenty and six, four out of six from three point range. And I'll tell you what do you want to talk about the difference in Caitlyn Clark this season? The biggest difference that I have seen. Obviously, she's stronger.

People want to talk about that, and I get it, and I understand, right, you want to talk about how strong she is, how strong she looks. That's going to obviously, that's going to help her and help her get to the rack and help.

But the biggest thing that I have seen so far is that he in the hoop as well. Is that good? And when she shoots from three she makes a lot of them. She's only had a couple of games shot part. You were right, but like three points. She was a volume three point shooter last year, right, And she's always been She's always taken a lot of threes, but in college, okay makes a fair amount of them. Right, I had a pretty good but last year she was a volume three point shooter. That's the one thing I could take away, say, okay, that's one thing she got.

To improve from year one to year two. Is it.

You can't just go, you know, you can't shoot fifteen he's a game and go four for fifteen. Right, you have to have a better percentage from three, And so far she's had that, Right, She's she's eleven of twenty from three point range, and she's come back from injury. She had a couple of big games before she got hurt as well. So that's been the biggest thing. And now that she's making threes, like, look out, like, like, what are you gonna do? Because before you can at least sag off of her if she's you know, I'll give you the threes, because yeah, I'll give you the one miracle one that you make from the logo if you're gonna miss the next six, right, Like, I'm okay with that. But now if she's hitting them from three, suddenly, defensively she's got more of the floor to operate on.

Watch out yeah, we've talked about how it improved. This roster is than the depth, and there's no there's no let down. Right, we watched in all playoffs where all right, second unit comes in, how much you're gonna give back versus can you build on the lead sustain it? And this fever team depth giving them that opportunity to just sit the other is at some point you gotta put her in bubble wrap because it started off it's like, ah, you know what they're gonna officiate this? Well, that was the most clown show officiating I think I've seen in any sport, going all the way down to youth soccer and softball. Man, you got people raking across the eyes, getting chesty, and then at the end they just decide, ah, the hell with it, let's throw everybody out, Like how is that.

Worse than what you saw before? You let it go?

And again the official in the the broadcasting, just like with the NHL game, like all right, now we're now we're attacking the officials and getting after them during what was an interminable I think seven minute review on a Cunningham.

File, which was well, yeah, it was over the top and.

Two arms coming down as she braced for the giant elbow that was about to be thrown at her by Sheldon, who had already been into it with Caitlyn Clark.

But yeah, it was it was interesting.

And you just watched the Caitlyn Clark lip reading of I can do whatever the blank I want because you can't stop me.

People are this is you know we talk about you know what we talk about. Hey, so and so is on a middle Finger tour this year, right like like they're they're they're amped up, Like Raphael Devers is clearly going to be in a middle Finger tour.

Of the Red Sox right now that he wants to do.

He wants to play wherever.

You wait, what But like certain times you get okay, there's players on middle Finger tours or a team on a middle Finger tour where hey, everybody's you know, nobody liked us, but look at what we're doing in the postseason, right you could say the Pacers are kind of on a middle Finger tour right now, just because people are picking other teams that aren't them to win series where the other teams were all better going in the series.

But like you see that, like you see the middle Finger Tour.

Okay, you get it, because usually that's someone who feels like they've been disrespected, they've been overlooked, and they use that as motivation.

All of this. I'm telling you. We talked about it a little bit last night.

Nobody is ready for the Caitlin Clark middle Finger Tour that she is going to have this season, that she is already out to. And you know that she was just dying inside having to miss those two weeks. She was she was ready, right, Tom ready, I've done everything i need to do to get better this season. I've gotten bigger, I'm hitting my threes. I cannot wait at all. Everybody in this league that says, oh, Kitlyn Clark is overrated or Kitlyn Clark's not the league, and there's other players just as good.

Yeah, you watch right. I always say the line from Billions, the big line. Hate, Hate is an endless amount of inspiration. You can't, you cannot.

It never goes empty, right, Like Bobby says that every everything you if you can get spurred on by hate, it's an endless resource. And this is one of those. There's so many haters out there, like she's got tons of fans, obviously, because look at the way people watch the games. And again we told you she was Magic and Larry of the WNB, and she's both of these players. But boy, she is definitely on one of those Okay, you think I can't do something, you want to, I am gonna make you understand and make you I'm gonna make you quit hating. That's always the biggest thing when you can see a player make a team quit. We made that team quit.

They were done.

She is gonna make people quit hating her, and that's gonna be the tour she is on this season for the fever in the WNBA.

Just watch well other The other part of it is maybe they hate her more and it becomes the I I embrace the villainy.

You don't like my game too bad? Stop me? It becomes villain. You know, you become the anti hero, you become Walter White.

Well she no, but she But thing is, she's so popular, but the haters are so vocal that it almost seems like she's as hated as she is popular, which is not even close. I mean, you look at the ratings, you look at what people are watching the w NBA, and then when she wasn't playing people weren't watching as much, like she's the show, right, But it makes it seem like there's more because oh, everybody gets their news from social media, which, oh, by the way, is a horrible place to get your news from. But whatever and degrees of Sentel's we found out with the last bit of Indiana Fever news in the Indiana in the Indie Star, with the posts that they had to four oh four error it realizing that they'd been got. So it makes it seem like, oh, she has no she does. It's just the people want to hate on Twitter. Look at Twitter's a really difficult place, and social media is a really difficult place as you see going on there every day. But it makes it seem like there's a lot when there really isn't. But it's still fuel for a player, for all players who use stuff like this, Like if Tyre's Halliburton did this, he was motivated like this every game.

My goodness, how good he would be. Oh it's a too soon, too soon for Alerburton. And I'm that Mike. I'm sorry, it's a too soon. I don't know. You want to post something.

See how he responds tomorrow, See if we can get that trending and get him salty. By the way, they are competing in the w NBA Commissioner's Cup. Yes, it is today for that five hundred thousand dollars prize pool and other benefits.

Yeah, tell, and other benefits. You could tell by the by the floor, right, that's it.

Just look at the floor.

No, it's the Commissioner's stuff. It's brought to you by Coinbase. There you go.

I'm telling you nobody is ready for this. For the tour Caitlin Clark, the destruction tour that she is going.

To have this season. Nobody's ready for Miguel either, nobody. Nobody stop him. You can only contain him. No, no, no, you can't. And and a game that the Mets were, uh four to one, and I'm putting that in the win column. Nope.

Oh, Zuna with a double brings in three runs. Mets and the Braves now tied for four in the top of the night.

So he cleared the bases, right, yip be skippy, yay, hooray, Yes yes he did, Yes he did. Yes, Yes, the internet's down. I'm just as that's okay, that's okay. I still look at the standings and see the Mets with a better record the Dodgers. So that's okay. And we also beat the Dodgers more times than you beat us this year, So I'm Mets fan would say that in June. Yes, does that carry over? Okay?

Uh?

It does?

Well.

Listen, it's gonna be just like the NLCS Mets in seven here, Mets in seven in the fall.

That's how it's gonna be. Can you get odds on that?

Now?

I was gonna say, you see what kind of odds you get?

You should go walk into a casino with a pile of money and just say I'd like to bet it on this.

Give me some odds. You can get unbelievable odds on this. Right, The next real bet he makes will be the first, uh sad stop.

You know how much money Harmon has made off of my advice with Betsy's money, those bets he's where he's wearing like Jordan's from nineteen eighty four that he got.

You think the casino cares if it's your idea.

I'm just one number one, my feet aren't wide enough for those Jeordans. So number two, uh and and number three where we've still.

Put the swoosh on sandals.

No, he just you know, you just pull the bottom out so it's instead of the padding, it's just you're right on the sneaker now that the sneaker is really comfortable.

That's what I did see. I got someone to customize these so I could wear them.

Whoa, hey, hey, hey hey, we're not in safe harbor yet, Frost, but we're not there.

Why not? We're not in safe harbor yet. We got to wait a little bit. I can't see coast well, not that, No, you can't. You can say ozuna if you want to.

It's okay, you know what, It's fine, you know what, because we got through the first fifteen minutes, we didn't really mention something that rides with schmock schmivers.

So we're okay with that. We're okay.

Everything is to yes, uh cut, We'll keep you posting again. Third period underway, Florida, nineteen minutes away from the Stanley Cup. They lead the Oilers three to nothing. I'm serious, Bill Ranford and Gold would have been better tonight for Edmonton.

Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven pm Pacific.

Well, we got big sport.

We got four big events going on here the four box for this one right now, two, three, four, Game six of the.

NBA Finals, Gold Cup, United States and Saudi Arabia. We got Caitlin Clark about to tip off, got the Dodgers after all the drama with Ice today about to play. We have we have four, we have we need four big excuse like the final scene of Phantom Menace, all the big four battles going on at once.

I got four big things happen.

This is really exciting because we still have two that the teams may actually show up and play. Thus far, we've got nothing from the Thunder, We've got nothing from the United States. And then we can wait for those other games to see if we actually get efforts on all sides. How about that and that Tyrese Haliburton, All right, is he Metahuman? Did they get him with a tranquilizer dart that you would normally use on an elephant to get him through? Or can we admit that Game five he no showed. Buddy, Buddy, I told you this last night.

Right right now, sixty four to forty two Pacers lead the Thunder at halftime this game is over look two big things from this game now. The first one is I told you after game two it's gonna go seven, and it's gonna go the Pacers win Game three, Thunder win Game four, and then it's going home, home home. What have we seen so far? Pacers won Game three, Thunder one, Game four, home home, and then home for the Thunder. On Sunday, I told you that, really you don't need forget let's Steven Smith play solitaire, just have me and say, listen, here's how the series is gonna go.

Tune back in in game seven and that's good. They're gonna split home home home.

And that's exactly what we saw because look, this is a tonight where the Thunder came in and they said, okay, we'll give it a go for the first quarter. We'll see, but we're okay putting this away and coming back and getting some rest and going back for game seven.

And that's how it's gone.

Right.

The Pacers have been able to control the play despite the fact they're not playing incredibly well. They're still hitting more shots than Oklahoma City, but they are controlling the pace. Yeah, Somewhere in the middle part of the second quarter, the Oklahoma City Thunder decided, Yeah, it's okay. Isaiah Hartenstein's getting out rebounded by TJ McConnell. They're playing sloppy and getting passes, they're getting jumped in passing lanes. This is exactly how I thought tonight was gonna go. They weren't gonna come in and win game six. It was gonna be we'll try for a quarter and if we're up by ten or twelve, then we're gonna keep going. But no, it's not what happened, and the Pacers took the lead and they've just been running away with it ever since.

Three point game.

After one quarter, Indiana with the lead, you see McConnell, who's playing like he's six' ten and plastic man at, times it seems with the passing lanes what he's able to, do and then doubled up in the second. Quarter thirty six, seventeen your final their tail of the. Tape three point makes for The pacers in the first, half as opposed to one by Your Oklahoma City thunder Again Tyrese haliburton diving out of bounds to save balls. Whatever, AGAIN i have to ask the question because everybody was quick to defend him and and and rub his shoulders and tell him how great he. Was, meanwhile you Mentioned STEVEN A. Smith you saw them the human shield he used in the. Pregame, Right, LOOK.

I have a daughter. Too, ah you can't come at.

ME i have a. Daughter and here she, is see you, know bottom of the deck kind of move right. There they're both playing. Solitaire they're they're playing, there playing that race. Solitaire whereas that when you RaSE the when you race whoever finishes, first like you do that if you can finish within three minutes or two and a half minutes and you do, that that the race, Solitaire like that's kind of fun a, ready go and.

Go but, yeah it's what speed? Solitaire, uh that's WHAT i said it. Was you said.

Speed, NO i said it was race like you're racing like you're racing. Solitaire that's what it. Is but there's there's solitaire and then there's that.

One that's WHAT i. Meant that's that. True, yeah what'd you THINK i? Meant were gonna say? Something oh?

Controversial, now let's say it was, racing, racing racing to get it, Done that's WHAT i.

Explained you just need to be race here they, were or Speed. Solitaire you need the race Like Brad pitt IN f.

One, Sure, Hey Brad PITT f, one go see it in the biggest ring Possible june twenty. Seven but, look the last couple of, nights what what what do we? Say we talked About Tyrese, haliburton the. Injury the impact of the injury On halliburton's game grossly, exaggerated AND i kind of felt weird talking about the last couple. Nights i'm, like this is just WHAT i. SEE i, MEAN i don't doubt that his calf has dinged up a little, bit but, boy we got so much publicly about his injury after one of the WORST Nba finals games you could possibly. Have where he's someone that listens to what is said about him all the. Time he knows what has.

Said he.

Disagreed you saw it during during the. Playoffs, oh people say this and they say, this and they say. This his game is all about confidence and there's games where he doesn't show up For so what were They what were The pacers worried? ABOUT i am sure coming off that horrible, game for, boy we can't afford another bad game like this For Tyreese, haliburton how do we defend? It, oh the next day from shams run next, day, boom we get the we get the. Report, Hey mri coming dealing with a strain cap right, away early in the. Morning, hey dealing with a strained. Caf, oh, okay, Okay. Mri M mariah is. Fine he practiced. Yesterday, uh he's playing. Tonight he looks. Fine halliburton tonight for The pacers has twelve points and four. Assists we were fed that injury simply to put take the pressure off of.

Him so for two.

Days, haliburton who is someone who listens to what is said about again all the. Time he's someone that needs that level of. Confidence and The pacers, Decided i'm, sure, hey we're gonna give. Him we're gonna Help matt a little bit here by getting this out there because that will hopefully stem the criticism of him and the bad.

Game, well you can't rip. Them he he's he's.

Hurt he's played thirty four, minutes he played in game five thirty four minutes he played. Again fraud that's been, perpetrated eighteen minutes that he said he's had tonight so. FAR i told you this is what it, was, id this is what it. Was he's gonna play in game. Six he's, fine he's moving. Fine this was simply done to give him a, bailout so it wasn't two days Of, Wow halliburton's terrible and how does he deal with? This they wanted to find a way to make an excuse for him so we could come back and everybody and all the critics would back off, him so you wouldn't see as much criticism of him when you WATCHED espn Or fox or tuned in and Watch colin in the morning Or dan or whatever it. Was you wanted to make sure that that was that was not gonna be a thing that affected him going into this. Game and congratulations because it's worked and the paces are up by twenty two as we start the second.

Half that's why we have to talk things into. EXISTENCE i, mean that's what we do. HERE i mean it is a day for doing. That so we were watching this. SQUAD i NEED i need the thunder to give some sort of effort, though because otherwise what AM i gonna?

Watch? MAN i had to watch The dodgers And padres and hope we.

Got we got Pod Padres we're gonna Have Kaitlin clark in a few. Minutes we GOT usmnt the second half in a scoreless game Against Saudi ARABIA.

A half assed through that first first? Half how many water breaks did we? Get did we get some orange? Slices while it was like it was youth soccer because of the weather In atlanta that there were a lot of there there there's a couple of guys.

Tramping all, right stop the, game he needs. Help we're. Indoors, no, well it's still. Hot it's still. Hot extra water.

Breaks it's if it's, indoors it's always sixty, eight it's still it's still it's always sunny In philadelphia. Too but With, helibert and it was funny because earlier today it became the, well you, know if if it was any other kind of time of, year he wouldn't. Go but this is a multi week. Injury but if he can, walk he's gonna. Play it's like it's a multi week. Injury he's in a he's in a surgical unit having that work on right. Now, uh he's he's not playing in AN nba, game and certainly not to the level of minutes to the effort just a couple of days later from the no show effort we saw in, game so good godspeed for THE. Nba it's also good news because it looks like they get Their game, seven So Adam silver wins. Again he gets The lakers sale, yesterday and now you get, this so extra bonus time for THE, nba which will take us right up into the draft.

Talk, yeah, no it's.

PERFECT i, mean a couple of those guys might actually show up for a workout that they're supposed to.

DO i don't, KNOW i don't.

Know they need to show up and say you don't want to work out for that, team and the team still saying we're still thinking about drafting you ABOUT i think all those things could.

HAPPEN i think it's fine, now but, LOOK i mean when you break down.

The halliburton, STORY i, mean it sounds weird to say that a team is making an excuse for a guy so we could avoid. Criticism but that's exactly what it looks, like, RIGHT i, mean, yeah multi week injury during the regular, hit really multi week, injury multi week injury.

Teams do this all the. Time this one goes rises above the. Level isn't that the language we use on flagrant falls rise to the level of whatever term you want to use to close that. Off but, yeah he's flying around like he's in game one of a regular.

SEASON i mean it TOOK i will say. This the first couple of, minutes it did look like. It it did look like he was kind of a step, slow AND i, thought, okay let's see how he's really affected. Here but it, more it just looks like he need some time to get into the, game because you, know he started, out he missed a couple of shots. Early he missed him, long you, know so it's not like he was he was really, struggling so you know when you miss your shots. Along, okay he's coming, out he's jacked, up he's hyped. Up BUT i, thought, okay maybe a little bit here in the beginning he's affected by. It but now the way the game is, going it feels like he just needed time to get, going because now it looks he looks like he's had he needed to rest playing.

Right just kidding he.

Now sometimes some guys get into games different, ways And halliburton is no. Different where sometimes they can dominate from the, start sometimes they need five minutes to see how things are going to, go how he's.

Going to be, defended and you and the.

War the way this game went, on it was, okay he just needed a couple of minutes to get, going and now here come The. Pacers and it clearly looks like this injury was not that he's not, hurt Because i'm sure he, is but this was overhyped because, Hey haliburton can't deal with the criticism between.

Games we need to have him as confident as he can. Be so that's why we have what we, have and that clearly looks like what it. IS i can't fault a good strategy with most, things but in a sporting world where we talk about betting lines and that tenuous relationship that we have with all of, that the money as it flows from betting syndicates and the advertising behind home plate or on the scoreboards or whatever, else injuries are something you shouldn't be dancing with quite the same.

Way, EGOS i guess would be an extension of. That so here we have what we.

Do tonight plus twenty seven fourteen, points four, assists couple of and a, rebound two steals For. Halliburton tonight big Effort, hey we getting, games and so everybody wins unless you get a furious. Comeback but it doesn't look like the thunder are gonna mount much of an effort in that.

Regard oh, no, no, no, no they're they're. Done they're Not they're not gonna go. Crag they're.

Done twenty Two at a half, TIME tj McConnell is out Rebounding Isaiah hartstein.

UNDERNEATH i, mean come, on he went. Next, nick he remembered his. Heritage WHEN i saw.

That play in the first, HALF i said that this is the moment where you, know the thunder of quit where it's the two of them battling for a, rebound and it looks like when when when you're battling with your older brother who's like four years older than. You he happens to be you, know when your brother is six two and you're five to, five and he's just like grabbing the ball up and you're you're jumping and trying to grab, it and and he's feeling real lazy because he Knows i'm told me to get the ball all the. Time except McConnell just wouldn't, stop wouldn't, stop wouldn't, stop gets in the spot where he was able to jar the ball loose and grab the. Rebound that was the MOMENT i knew the thunder. Done they've put this away For. Sunday the energizer bunny attitude of. McConnell he's become a folk, Hero. Sonny that's.

Good so we we get a rise of a new hero in THESE Nba. Finals but, yeah twenty four point burial eight minutes remaining in the third

The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon

Jason Smith and Mike Harmon bring their extensive experience in sports talk entertainment to late ni 
Social links
Follow podcast
Recent clips
Browse 8,440 clip(s)