Hour 2 – Pacers Are a Team of Destiny

Published Jun 12, 2025, 6:12 AM

The guys react to the Indiana Pacers taking a 2-1 Finals lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Doc Rivers is going to be the last one standing and be the next head coach of the Knicks. And Jason explains that Kevin Durant is not the missing piece for these 6-10 contenders who think he is.

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Hello, Welcome in side hour too the Jason Smith Show with my bes friend Mike Harmon. Our best of podcast goes up right after the show is over. Don't forget you miss any of our big content tonight. Right after our show ends, just search Jason Smith and Mike Harmon wherever you get your podcasts from. Follow rate us, give us five stars. We'll love you forever and ever and ever again. Wherever you get your podcasts from. Right after the show is over, just search Jason Smith and Mike Harmon wherever you get your podcast from. Uh. Thank you for all of your support. Mike and I love putting this content out for you every single night. Well, here we are with two and a half left to go in the fourth quarter, and it is a one ten one oh two lead for the Pacers over the Thunder. They finally started hitting a couple of threes and it looked like it could have been lights out for the Thunder after a big turnover Tyre's Halliburton breaking down court, it's an eight point lead. A hoop would make it ten with just over two minutes left to go, and Alex Caruso absolutely picks Tyre's Halliburton's pocket at mid court. He picks up the ball, goes in for the layup. They're looking at it right now to see if it is a flagrant foul because he was kind of tomahawked from behind. This could not only just cut it to a six point lead, but it could be even closer than that. So you go in this This possession is absolutely huge because this was it could have been ten points and that's it right like it's over, okay, and instead now it could wind up being a five point game when it's all said and done, off of what goes on, depending on how this has ruled off this position. There was no attempt at the ball, No, it's it's a two hand chop over the top on Caruso trying to grab both arms and Andy and he grabs it, grabs him around the groin too, like he gets the shot like like that, like I gotta think that's gonna that's gonna be the call there. Look, that would be the and the bonus. Look Nee Smith comes back and he tries to make the play and I you know, you panic a little bit because it's an eight point lead, Like okay, you know Halliburton turns it over and they go in for the layup, all right, but you got to not make a bad play worse. And that's what Neie Smith did by going in. Clearly, you could do it with one hand, go in and try to Anthony arm. But when you go in, both hands over the top, over both of Caruso's shoulders, like I don't think you have any choice but to make that make the ground be absolutely shocked. If this wasn't ruled unintentional, I mean, and creates chaos, right, that's that's against the extra shot. As you said, the arm extended all the way down. That that's just not right. He did it get wrong. Now you wonder because so far tonight the calls have not been going the thunder way. And I'm not saying that this is something that no, No, not what I'm saying, are you What what I'm saying is that is that you look at you look at a situation which SGA has been to the free throw line six times, right, and they they just showed he had a turnaround jumper where he got he got clubbed on the court, you know, and and they didn't blow the whistle. He winds up hitting the jumper. So this is a game in which he doesn't get to the free throw line, uh, you know, more than six times. So okay, they're already not getting it. And Frostburg's telling me right now, somehow they're not calling that a flagrant foul. I don't understand how that's not going wowed. I mean, look, maybe the NBA wants the Pacers to win this game because it's like, hey, it looks like it could wind up being a series. I don't know, but uh, that's incredible. That really is incredible. That's not a flagrant fowl. That really is Well it's funny, right because we're in the studio obviously, show on, so no audio for us, and there was no real reaction from the crowd one way or another. Like I really can't tell if you said hey, bet which way you think this is being called? As the official is literally in the camera giving the explanation, like all the people behind him. There's no reaction, no cheering, no booing, no nothing like, well that was that was widd very crazy. But Cruso gets the line, hits both shots, and we're back to game action. But that that's not intentional with some of the what we've seen over the course of the playoffs, like they've allowed a lot of physicality, don't get me wrong, But then you've had a number of these reviews like, oh yeah, that's intentional. It's like really and this one it seems clear as day and doesn't get the call, you know, just like in uh in in the in the Thunderbolts asterisks where at the end sorry spoiler where some might know it as the New Adventures exactly where where where you see this? Uh you know, hey, oh wait wait they're the Thunderbolts. They're the new Avengers. Okay, great, like like like Tony Brothers has become like the new Extender, you know, like true, I mean, look, you need more than one, you got you gotta have an extra, you know, the Avengers aren't available. No, that is true. That is true. That is true. Yeah, yeah, you know you're right, right, I mean right to stay with the Thunderbolts theme. I mean they might not be available other battles. The Avengers not coming us. Scott Foster is not coming. You need Julie Luis Rafe is saying, Scott Foster is not coming. Okay, he is not coming to this game, right, just just we might be able to get her to put some vocals to that. Can you do me a favorite jo? Like you regret that Scott for what are you talking about? Sure you're gonna pay me? Yeah? All right, then I'll say I don't care. All right, I'll say that's fine, that's absolutely fine. Well, I mean, is she on a cameo or any of those services? Hey? Could you read these lines for me? What's it for? Is it for commercial purposes? Baby? My goodness? So again one ten one four, Uh, Indiana with the lead and the thunder with the basketball SGA just put up a really bad force jumper that was off by a lot boy. It cut like the back iron side of the rim Pacers go pace. They go down the floor for a layup, and it's a one to twelve one oh four lead for Indiana with a minute nine left to go, and it looks like, barring disaster, it's the Pacers taking Game three of the NBA Fund and the Thunder due to the Pacers what we've seen them do so many times. I was trying to get away from the word do uh. But that was just an awful effort defensively by Sga too, because he's back on Nismith and just watch watches him walk to the rim. But this is this is when we when we talked about this last night and I said, how do I see this series right? And there's there was a you know, the big push from from experts and analysts were well, the Thunder really figured figured it out in game two and boy they should be up two games to none and now they know what the Pacer are doing. No, this is a series again. The series is going seven right because each team is gonna have their nights where they can impose their will on the game. And so far tonight the Pacers are imposing their will on the game, mainly because Benedict Mathern is still scoring twenty five a game off the bench. I mean, look, the guy's got a gun. He's got twenty five tonight, he's nine out of twelve. He's keeping them in this game on a night where they can't hit any threes. They've hit nine threes tonight and somehow he's kept them in the game and they have the lead. Like this is just how it's going to go. Now, this is a game the PACER's playing at home. We told you their bench was gonna play better at home. Obviously they would play better in Game three, and that is clearly the case because you got twenty five from Matherin, you got ten and five assists from TJ McConnell, eight and six from Obi Topping, clearly out playing the entire bench of the Thunder. Right, But now this next game. We watched the Thunder adjust from game one to game two. They will adjust here. It's not gonna be another day where SGA gets the free throw line six times. I'm sure they'll impose their will on the game. In game four, we're gonna be tied going back to Oklahoma City and it's gonna go seven Like this is This is not a series where it's, oh, hey, the Pacers are gonna be able to throw the hammer down on the Thunder or vice versa. That's not. Just watching the first two games, you can tell that's not how it's going to go. Thunder sloppy with the basketball tonight in Indiana making them pay, which makes up for the lack of three point acumen. Today, we've seen some very curious decision making on some of these late offensive possessions by SGA that we've chronicled along the way. But for the Pacers, you know, the key for the the McConnell line. He's got ten points, he's got five steals, right, so create a havoc taking away possessions, making the most of free throws more or less a wash at this point in the game. But when we talk about the bench, it's the mathering game, right, because they were doing this early early ont of the game. It's like the bench scoring is this, Like, yeah, it's all mathern. Okay, Now you know top and had that big flush. You heard MONSI play it before, right, So now you know he's gotten involved and you're looking at a total of forty seven points from the bench. They got thirty nine going back to game one, right, in addition to the six of nine shooting from three point range when Okac went broke the bench did come to play that game and obi top and was great from the three point arc there. Now you're looking at at a Pacer squad and Halliburton, you know, he's up over twenty points on the game, but he's really affected it in so many ways. He had that terrible turnover and we're talking about whether it should have been an intentional foul, but assists, rebounds and controlling pace of play all night long. Uh So one twelve, one oh five, the Thunder have the basketball after a missed free throw with thirty five seconds left to go, and yes it's the matherin game. Right, we've seen Halliburton series against and look, you want to go through and talk about this because you want to talk about the the biggest players that the Pacers have had the entire playoff. Right, Siaka has been really good. He's had a couple of games Halliburton obviously getting all the attention, but he's had games where he has looked ordinary. But like, if you say, what, what's the biggest juice that is that that has hit this team, this is that Matthick who's had been a really good, you know, really good bench guy, and you have aged sixteen points a game, which is terrific. But he has been otherworldly off the bench in this playoffs, right, He's had like seven or eight games where it's like, dude, you can't stop the guy right like that. You know. Usually, you know, you want you want your bench to come out and be able to contribute, but you're not expecting one player to get incredibly hot, not in a finals game, not not deep in the playoffs, when hey, we're playing you night after night, you know, and when you're one out of eighty two, Hey, guys comes off the bench. Hey, we're not we're not into you know. Obviously we're working on Halliburton and Siakam. Matherin's a guy that, hey, we're not really good planning for him. He can have big games. You do that during the season, but in the playoffs when when now you're game planning for Okay, when he comes in, we have to do X, Y and Z. The fact that he can still have these games is insane and like he's the he's the X factor when you say, how do the Pacers get this far? And how then he be able to be on the cusp of a two to one lead in the finals and beating the Knicks, because yeah, as great heroics as Halliburton has had, it's it's Mathron. When when you have a guy like what can you do when you say, Okay, we've done enough to hold the Stars down as best as we can. Right, Siakam hasn't taken over. Halliburton hasn't taken over. This is a game we have to win instead. Nope, Bennett Mathron off the bench for twenty five points like that, Like that's just such backbreaking stuff. Man, Like he needs to be getting way more attention than he should. Sixth pick in the twenty twenty two draft, averaging about sixteen points per game for his career. So you look at what he's been as a consistent contributor. The thing I like about him and we watched it, you know, last series as well, Like he's not afraid to get into it. Right, he's a scorer, but he's an agitator. And he's one of those guys that becomes a fan favorite if he's your guy and the guy that you hate seeing check in if he's the opponent. Oh yeah, yeah, right, it's not just oh, you know, their second unit. As a guy that can score, it's like No, this guy will also go and he'll have the hard fall. He'll play you tight on d and he's gonna smile at you the whole way. Yeah. I mean, really, the the Pacers bench, the Pacers rotation has been absolutely perfect. I didn't think they could keep it up in the NBA Finals. I didn't think they win more than one game, and here they are about to take game their second game of the series, take a two games to one lead and really put the Thunder in a must win or basically the series is over type deal for Game four goes into that final year of his rookie deal after these final finals end. You know, I talk about a guy who's making himself a lot of money, right, restricted free agency and all that fun stuff. But what he's showing in these playoffs and now into the finals, three point acumen and toughness and all of that is on display. And for the Pacers, we talked about it very and chronicled even before the Knick series was just how they had heroes stepping up. Haliburton doing his base right, you want you called for more and tonight he gave you the scoring to go with it. Right. He's a rebound shy of a triple double. But seeing all the ancillary players come up big. Yeah, I mean look wait time after time, look you know, but but for a guy like math and it's like, yes, we saw him be this big scorer in Arizona, right, he was really good. Right, It's not like all of a sudden, who is this guy? Like, no, he was terrific in Arizona. And now you know, you're joining this Pacers team that has a lot of guys. Right, we got dudes, right, we got dudes that did that need the ball and take shut and he's still able to do this Like this is this is one of the most stunning, you know, individual performances just because of the numbers the ship. It's not like, hey, I'm averaging twelve a game off the bench or sixty. Hey guess what you know? No, this is like instead of sixteen, it's you got to keep it to sixteen. Like when he's at twenty five twenty eight, like what can you do? Right? Like that spurt ability that that second quarter was ridiculous, right, Like what do you have? What do you have twenty four and twelve minutes against the Knicks? I mean, come on, I mean it's it's that's insane. So here we are the Indiana Pacers are seconds away from a two games to one lead in the NBA Finals. We break it down coming up next. Right here, Jason and Mike. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. From searching online to asking your friends and family, there's lots of ways to look for jobs. But what if you'd done What if you had one team like the Pacers that can help you find the right role. That's where Express Employment Professionals comes in. Your local Express Employment Professionals office is your one connection to endless job opportunities. With just one application, they can help you find a job at a company that fits your needs. So visit Expresspros dot com and as always, Express never charges job seekers of fee. Express knows when companies are hiring, offers benefits and competitive pay, and in just one interview, they're prepared to present you to multiple companies that fit your needs. 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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.

Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with My best friend Mike Harmon. Be sure to check out the Fox Sports Radio YouTube channel. Just search Fox Sports Radio on YouTube. You'll see a whole bunch of video highlights from our shows. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss our very best Fox Sports Radio videos on YouTube. Well, the Pacers win it over the Thunder one sixteen to one oh seven, and they take a two games to one lead in the NBA Finals and the team that goes up to one wins the NBA Finals eighty one percent of the time. Eighty one percent, Terrell Owens Andre Reid eighty one? Yeah, was he eighty or eighty one? Eighty one percent of the time. Now, two big things coming off this game. We just watched the Pacers beat the Thunder and a game in which the Pacers didn't do their A and B things really well, which is hit threes and get superstar games from their star players, but it doesn't matter. They were still able to win. Benedick mathern off the bench with twenty seven points. TJ McConnell had ten and five, right Obi Toppin had eight and seven. They're eight to no. Now with Caitlin Clark in attendance at games, that's a big deal. She showed up and you knew you were in trouble. Here's the first one that gets us to the bigger point, right. The first one is I kind of said this half kiddingly last week, but now it really you look at this again, eighty one percent chance to win the finals. Doesn't it look like the Pacers are a team of destiny This entire NBA Playoffs, the comebacks in the first round against the Bucks, the second round blowing out the Cavs, the way they did that incredible series with the Knicks and the greatest comeback in the history of the NBA, and Halliburton making the choke sign, and Halliburton's dad getting banned from games because he stood in front of Giannis and was mocking him and trolling him. Then he gets to come back to the games, and they still find ways to hit shots and win, and the small market team, feel good story. Like last week it was eh, yeah, but now it feels like, oh, we've been missing it all along. They look like a team of destiny. Whatever they need, they're gonna get. Hey. Good game from Haliburt tonight? Really good game? Was he over the top dominant?

No?

Really good game from Siakam tonight? Was he over the top dominant? No? But hey doesn't matter because you had Matherin off the bench for twenty seven points. It feels like anything they want when they need to, they get it, and it doesn't matter who they play. They should have probably lost to the Bucks, doesn't matter if Bucks where the Bucks were hamstrung, but they still need a big comebacks they want, not the better team against the Calves Caves, better regular season team doesn't matter. They beat the Calves, Knick's higher seed, more excitement, better starting five, doesn't matter. They wind up winning this thunder best team in the NBA, Stars everywhere, perfectly a place team when it comes to how it's constructed, doesn't matter. Up two games to one, they find a way even when they don't have an A plus night like they seem like a team of destiny. Destiny destinies I don't know if you're supposed to pluralize it or not. The team team of deston Team of Destiny, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. The Indiana Pacers are the team of Destiny. Yeah, I was just thinking maybe we need a different word, because clearly that got co opted shortly after we said it. But all of that to say, it has been a magical run, no question about it. In terms of balance and definition, right, steal a little from Arnold Schwarzenegger and pumping iron. I'm at at it right. Always work for balance and definition and finding guys off the bench. And this is where we talked about the team depth coming into the series, to give them a little better than the what minus seven hundred I believe were the series odds for the Thunder coming in. I mean I got it to six. Looks like I could be wrong. It could be six going the other way. But then it wasn't going to be a walk over by any by any in any way, shape or form. Just the team's too good, too creative and fast paced. Right, they're gonna make you pay. And we watched it tonight. You look at Shay Gilgers, Alexander playing a little bit recklessly with the basketball. He ends up with six turnovers. I think that was a career playoff high. You look at Alex Cruso, who's been money for them off the bench. He's minus fifteen and got worked in time and again, and you just watch all these secondary players show up and it's not to it's just saying your headliners are Siakam, your leading scorer in the regular season, and Halliburton, who filled the stat sheet in every category today. But you got the huge bench contribution in the second quarter. What you got out of Matherin and McConnell was just ridiculous, and that helped carry you towards this victory. When you got a great start from Chat On the other side, you got three point acumen from lou Dort, didn't matter. They took care of your turnovers and turned them into points, something that both teams have struggled doing earlier in the series. Jason Smith Mike Harmon Life from the Fox Sports Radio Studios. Now the big reason because now the thunder have gone from Boy, they're a fun story. I hate the Knicks, so hey, I'm glad they beat the Knicks. Boy, Halliburton's kind of fun now it's whoa. This team is on the cusp of winning the NBA title, right, this team's on the cut and kind of playing off the team of Desney. Thing a little bit is that when we talk and really Halliburton is at the forefront of this, right, but it gets much bigger than him. Right. You want to hey, listen, I'll tell you take this and use this in conversations with your friends to mark because I'm sure're gonna see it on TV and on the radio. Uh. Halliburton has been a player who feeds off of the you overlook me, you overrate me, right, that'll the thirteen sell said he was the most overrated player. Moncey Bolanos is buying T shirt. He's probably hit. Bonzi bought like ten of those Halliburton T shirts. She's got the next decade. Overrate this, right, And Halliburton's been at the forefront of that. Right. He's been of Hey, you know what I am. When when you when you overlook me or you think I'm not great, that's motivation for me. And I talked about how you'll listen when you're truly one of the greats, you gotta do it every game, right, You can't just hey, now I'm motivating right now, You got to give it to me every game. But overall, why are the Pacers this good? Right? Why are the pick? They're a fifty win team, they get into the playoffs, and all of a sudden they play like they have a chip on their shoulder because, you know why, because most of their players do. Right, you'd want to talk about a team that's filled with guys that have been overlooked or not getting the attention they deserve. Right, you have Halliburton, right, who was drafted by the Kings, gets traded to the Pacers, and he had a pretty good first year and a half of Sacramento. But then he gets traded the Pacers. All of a sudden, he blossoms right, scores six more points a game, and now he's an all NBA type player back to back years, completely overlooked. Pascal siakam right, Okay, Saka was a really good player, but well, Kawhi Leonard is better and Fred Van Vliet was better. Siaka was kind of a glue guy. Hey, really talented, No guess what overlooked his career. Look at where he is right now and he plays He's playing like Peek Kevin Durant over the course of right, do you have Matherin of course coming off the bench, who you know, he's playing for a big contract someplace else where I can go and be a starter. Right, This is Mattherin being motivated because hey, I'm overlooked. I should be a starter somewhere in the TJ. McConnell's been overlooked his entire career. And I play like I'm the guy in the pickup game that you absolutely hate because my motor always goes and I treat you with disdain and you are the most hated player. Just seeing TJ McConnell dribble the ball on the court, you hate him, right, But oh we said that going back to the fort long before he vanquished your Knicks. But he's everything you want in a player like that. It's everything you want in McConnell, who comes in and his motor is at a million. Obi Toppin right, overlooked by the Knicks. Well, I hey, first round pick came in. The Knicks you know, brought him along really slow. But then it was what are we gonna do because we have Julius Randall playing your position. Obi Toppin never got the chance to play enough minutes. Overlooked goes to the pacers, Right, these are these are their most These are some of their most important guys who are here that that are that are that are able to play and are able to succeed. Right, And then you have guys like Nee Smith and and and I can't say his name because of the three less times hard right, but I mean like and and even even the still miracle from last year. But now, but you have a guy like Miles Turner who's played his entire career in Indiana, right, and he's came in, Hey, he could might maybe he could be the next superstar player. But instead he's been a nice thirteen to fifteen point a game guy for his career. But still, hey, now I am here in the spotlight for the first time in the finals. And even though he has a bad game, it seems like he always hits a three at some point in the game. That makes no sense, right, But you know that's to a lesser extent. But you look at some of the guys who just talked about, they've all been overlooked, they've all been overrated or all, Yay, maybe you're not as great as we think you are, and they all feed off of that. I look at a team that when I see the Pacers play, they are hungrier than the other team on the court at all times. And it doesn't matter, Hey, Halliburton and Siakam come out of the game, doesn't matter because here comes Topping, here comes McConnell, here comes Matherin, and they they pick up that they kick into that next year when they come on the court. Okay, great, and they they keep playing, They keep reving that engine at the top and when the fourth quarter comes, every buddy's fresh because they play rotation. So it's not like, boy Halliburton looks like Brunton at the end where he's dribbling up the ball, it looks like a fifty five year old man because he's been playing heavy minutes the whole game. No, they are there at the end and they're all fresh because everybody contributes. They are just hungrier. The overlooked players are always hungrier. And this is a perfect moment in time where the Pacers have all of these players at one time and you're seeing it right now. Yeah, I think to pull it back just to that next level is then you look at Rick Carlisle. I don't know that Adam Silver wants to hear this because I know he's been doing his media rounds so that it's like it's showing again your regular season. We shouldn't really read a whole lot into it, and there's a lot of basketball to be played. I'm not vanquishing the Thunder, but we're encapsulating things where we stand in this moment. The eighty one percent likelihood of finishing again, the Thunder came into the series minus seven hundred favorites. You should triple underscore that as you will. But the Rick Carlisle appreciation post and recognizing again it's all about pacing and being ready for your second season. Right. While they finished in the middle of the pack as far as playoff teams go for the Eastern Conference, they've had the best record other than the Thunder since the first of January, Right, So fifty wins doesn't matter, right, Look what happened with Cleveland, Ah a lot of wins. Nobody cares you go home, you play hard, you finish. So it's something we've been talking about a little bit behind the scenes, right in terms of load management and all those other things. In terms of pulling the strings. When we look at Rick Carlile, maybe there's a greater appreciation for the coach he is coming out of this run, win, loser, draw, whatever this series ends up at this point, and what he's been able to do with this roster, whatever the motivation is. Externally, Yeah, Halliburton's had plenty of things and bulletin board material and thought pieces off TV and sports talk radio and in the blogg Is sphere that we seen, but being able to know when to insert macom right when we need that energy matherin, all right, go get it right, it's now your time and just keep shooting right. And he's he's been highly efficient in his minutes. But to trust that you're going to be able to spell where there's not the anxious moment. How many times do we see say your knicks. Brunson's there like he's he's waiting for the bell to ring, like all right, let me back in, let me come on, tag me back in already, whereas Haliburton's just sitting down waiting. It's like, all right, you ready, Yeah, it's your time, go back in. Like there's a it's a more measured approach versus break glass in case of emergency. Well yeah, hey, we we were lying. Look and Jalen Brunson is a bigger superstar. But but the Pacers, they have a numerous guys that can make trust of that balance. Halliburton is the big one, but it doesn't matter. The end of the game. Could be Siakam, it could be Halliburton does is great at getting his own shot, even in tight covered so that's why you default to him, Jalen. That's why the Knicks to fault to Jalen Brunston. But Brunson's not giving the ball up like Halliburton. Give it up to Siakam, give it up to Nen Bark, give it up to to Nismith, give it up to to anybody, right, Matt, I'd be happy if Mathern's taking the final shot of it. Give it off to We're gonna keep going on. I mean, he's mad, but it's there's a there's a difference. You see that everybody wants the ball, right, Everybody wants the ball, right, look Sga wants the ball, right, Chet wants the ball. Everybody wants the ball. But I see, I don't see that absolute blood in your eye, hungriness at give me the ball. Then I'm seeing from the pacers, and again it's a big moment in time for them because clearly, look as time goes on, Obie Toppin's gonna want a big contract. He wants to start somewhere. Matherin's gonna want a big contract, start somewhere. All these things are gonna have to happen. But right now they have that great mix of a great rotation that we can go eight to nine deep and that pace of play doesn't change at all. There's no hey, we hope to steal a couple of minutes right Like to use the Knicks for an example, when Brunson goes to the bench, the Knicks hope, hey, can we steal or four minutes and keep the score the way it is still, let's keep where it is. Where the pacers they change, it's like, hey, McConnell and Toppin and Matheren committed and say let's push this lead out. It's almost like like the Warriors in the very beginning of their dynasty, where hey, you feel like you're getting a breather when Stephan Clay go to the bench, but no, here comes Sean Livingston and and iguidala and suddenly it's Hey, their bench comes in and a twelve point lead. When the when the starters come back in, Oh, it's a sixteen point lead. Like this is what that reminds me of, And it's the their absolute hunger and they're playing at that pad. This is a perfect moment in time for them, for the way this team has been put together. And I give Rick Carlyle a lot of a lot of credit. In fact, I can't believe in the postgame press conference James Dolan's not going to be there asking Rick Carlyle, Hey, do you want to leave me become my head coach? Now? Is that James Dolan in the beard and glasses? No, it's not mean he starts playing harmonica. He's wearing a trench coat like a boom box over his head with some song. I expect that to happen. Hey, Rick, do you want to come? Do you want to come coach the next next year? Really? I mean, I mean, I know, come the finals and when they're the next to deny the request, right, yeah, I mean, hey, I know you're down to one, but hey, we got okay, I will wait, We'll wait. Okay, that's fine. We'll wait a little bit. We'll wait little bit. It's okay, It's okay. I mean, look, and even Rick Carlile when you want to talk about guys who have been overlooked, Like Rick carl has been a great coach entire career. But Rick Carlile's that you know? Did you mentioned Rick Carlile's name when its name of great coach in the NBA? No, we talk about Kerr and we talk about Spolstra and Jason Kidd's gotten a lot of run the last week games. You talk about Greg Popovic, But does Rick Carlyle get a lot of run? Known? He's been a great idea is a long time right, alright? He is a champion. Is a guy with a lot of fifty win seasons under his belt. I mean there's a lot, there's a lot to there's a lot to say for putting a bunch of talented guys together who are overlooked. And you can buy in for that, right, You can't buy in for a long period of time, Like that's not a four or five year buy in. It's more of a moment in time. But that's all the Pacers care about right now, is this moment in time right, and then you find the next batch of guys. If you have that run of continuity and Carlisle still getting after it, you go find the next batch of guys that have been discarded and are disgrundled and get them to play the same way. Exit out about a Fresco exit swollen down the Jason Smith Show with my best friend Mike Harmon. Time got to find out what's trending in the wide rule of sports with someone who's been called the Obie Top in a Fox Sports Radio She can dunk?

What's that brand?

Fisher Price?

A Fisher Price? Yeah, I was like, what's the toy brand? Yeah? I can definitely don't want you dunk on a six foot rim? Maybe fe okay, you can jump. I can't jump.

I can jump.

I've never, I've never. You know, I don't know at least the mini basketball, whether we're there the controls there for the full Yeah, yeah, I think honestly, Yeah, five and a half foot rim.

Let's do it. Then at that I'm going, you know, under my leg and doing a.

Sixty with a slam dunk contest. That's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying. Yeah, going to a courtyard near you. Oh, let's do it.

Let's do it.

It's like Kenny sky Walker, just between your legs exactly, helicopter dunch, show.

That or a little maybe, you know, Vince Carter put my whole elbow in it. I could do all those things.

Okay, let's do it. Let's do it.

I'm gonna basically perform as well as the Pacers did in the fourth quarter against the Thunder in Game three of the NBA Finals. You know, Thunder were up going into the fourth quarter, not by a lot, but they were up with five or six points or something like that. But the Pacers ended up outscoring them thirty two to eighteen to win Game three. Indiana takes a two to one series lead. Uh. Pacers also protected the ball way better than they did and especially in Game one, only thirteen turnovers while OKC the TV had eighteen turnovers. ESPN has seventeen turnovers. But yeah, a lot of turnovers for OKAC in this one. Other NBA news, the Sons and Kevin Durant, along with his reps, have begin talks and moving him out of Phoenix this offseason. Some of the teams that could be possible destinations Rockets, Spurs, Timberwolves. He and the Necks. Hey, the Knicks.

Looking for a coach, maybe.

Everybody.

Maybe they get KD and he can be a coach too. At the same time, you.

Think he would say no to that. He would say, yeah, let's go, let's get contract Ray.

So they're still looking for a coach, but they've been denied permission to speak to Bulls head coach, MAVs head coach, and Hawk's head coach, so they're still looking. Celtics guard Jalen Brown had author Scopprick surgery on his knee, but he's expected to be ready by the start of training camp. In Major League Baseball, one game that was still going on and it is still Giants on top of the Rockies ten to seven. It is the bottom of the ninth inning in Colorado and the Rockies have a man on first base, but they are down to their final out. The Astros all over the White Sox ten to two was the final score. The Twins outscore the Rangers six to two. The Yankees defeated the Royal six to three. Aaron Judge with home run number twenty five on the season. The Mets shut up the Nationals five zero. They have a record of forty four and twenty four, and it edges the Tigers, who have a record of forty four and twenty five. They lost today to the Orioles ten to one.

It edges them for what, Monci. It edges the Tigers out for what.

For the best record in base one? Ah record in base fine.

Just beat the Padres in San Diego five to two. Back to you, guys, play you runch MONSI, Jason Smith, Mike Harmon live from the tire rack dot Com Studios. Coming up next, we stick with the NBA. Yes, still more breakdown of what we saw from the Thunder and the and the Pacers tonight. But straight ahead, there is one player who has now unanimously been named as this is the guy that's gonna solve all your problems next year. He's not tell you why. Jason and Mike Fox call the Bucks four Doc, Just call the box for Doc.

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

Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with My best friend Mike Harmon. We get back in the Game three of the NBA Finals coming up in ten minutes, A fearless bold prediction for Game four, after we just watched the Pacers take Game three, two games to one lead. Winner of Game three, people go to one. You win the finals eighty one percent of the time. Eighty eighty one. But how about that big bull prediction ten minutes away. Meanwhile, look, there's three stories in the NBA all going on. Concurrently, you have the NBA Finals, the Nicks incredibly embarrassing search for a head coach that continues to show you there's no such thing as rock bottom. We hit the floor and we continue to dig, and with free agency trades coming up around the corner, Kevin Durant apparently is going to solve everybody's problem. Right, no matter what your team is, and whatever the composition is, he's the guy, right, it doesn't matter. Today we saw the story break that Kevin Durant and the Suns are weighing trade options right. Teams that potentially are interested in Kevin Durant include the Rockets, the Spurs, the Heat, the Timberwolves, the Knicks. Also, according to Sean Stranias, several other suitors made inquiries on Durant the past seven to ten days. Okay, Now I want to tap the brakes on this for a second, because I look, I'm clearly clearly the Knicks are gonna wind up with with Kevin Durant. So, okay, I saw him shopped into a pistage jersey or hey, Piston, why not, right, Pisson? Is he to score like that or what? I don't understand the all the the sudden belief that Kevin Durant can help all these teams to a title like this is not twenty nineteen, Okay, this is gonna be a thirty seven year old Kevin do thirty seven in a row, who was still a terrific scorer. Right, Kevin does still terrific scorer, still a good enough defender. Okay, But how do you think suddenly you're gonna PLoP him on your team and suddenly you're going to win. Kevin Durant hasn't been a difference maker in six years. Six years. Last time was a difference maker was with the Warriors, then blew out his achilles, went to Brooklyn. Was he a difference maker there?

No?

And he had great players he played with, right, didn't work out? It was him and it was Harden and it was Simmons and it was Kyrie. Didn't work. Okay, I go to Phoenix, Guess what, you got great players there, you got Booker, and now you bring in Bradley Beale. Guess what. They couldn't do anything either. So it's not like he went to teams that he's their lone star and I can't lift them because it's just me. He was on teams with other stars. Did they have any playoff success. I don't know why people suddenly think, just because he potentially wants out of Phoenix, that he's going to be a big difference maker. I don't understand. I don't get I guess he is a terrific scorer. He is still a terrific player. But he's played on teams with really good talent the last six years and they haven't gone anywhere. But suddenly he's gonna show up in Houston and San Antonio and Miami or the Knicks in Minnesota and they're gonna be great because KD is there. I'm sorry, I've seen it. He's a guy that gets his points, he gets his numbers, he gets his stats right. It's kind of like Lebron James up until when when when the Lakers traded for Luca Hey, Lebron gets his, But is he leading the Lakers anywhere? No, he wasn't. And KD KD gets his, but is he leading teams anywhere? He's not. But just because KD wants out something, he's really any team could have had him when he went to the w went to the Suns and was like, yeah, I don't know about it. But now suddenly a couple of years later and he's older. Yes, Kevin Durant's the guy. I'm sorry. KD is still a terrific scorer, right, great player his entire career. But I'm looking at my team. I want to take that next level jump, and all these teams I just talked about want to take that next level jump. Right, The Rockets want to become a title contender, the Knicks one to become an NBA Finals winner. So do the Tea Wolves. Kevin Durant's that guy. I'm sorry, he's not. I what last six years I've watched he doesn't raise teams level of play enough to do it. But even he circle back a couple of years ago, right, even in Brooklyn, they won at a pretty decent clip when he played, looking at two thirds of their games, What does it matter when you're playing over one hundred games on the year. How many is he missing? Is he ready for prime time? And what's it take to bring him in at this point in terms of roster composition where you're going, Would it be intriguing to watch him with San Antonio and the rozah Ghoul Wemby, Hell yeah, Taron Fox and what they've assembled there, Vassal, I mean, you've got a pretty good squad that's been put together. Sure, I'd love to watch it, but does it win? I don't know how many of those guys are available for a full season and going through the rigors of the Western Conference? Right if he goes to New York intriguing? What's that roster composition look like? How many games am I getting out of him? All of these things? No matter what? Like that's the the ultimate question. Hey, what's he looking like in April and May? What's that roster look like in April? Yeah? I mean, look, yeah, you worry about his help, But I'm just saying, just if he's healthy, let's save he's out. What does he done? How does he he hasn't fit in with any team to take them anywhere. Right Like he get he gets his points. That's what he does. He gets his points at this point. That's what he does in his career. Is Hee a guy willing to come in and be like a fourth or fifth option to where you've got team depth. I don't know, like Indiana or O Casey. No, I mean really, but everybody thinks suddenly, oh, Kevin Durants the guy. Go get Kevin Ray. Yeah, okay, good luck he's good for us, though, good luck. It's grat He's always been blunt. You don't like it, He's great. No, you don't like it. Don't watch Exit about a Fresca exit swollen dome. Jason Smith Mike Carman live from the Fox Sports Radio Studios. Coming up next, a Big Bowl prediction for Game four and boy are we going bold? That's next. Jason and Mike, you're listening

The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon

Jason Smith and Mike Harmon bring their extensive experience in sports talk entertainment to late ni 
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