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NBA Finals

Knicks Take Two

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SAN ANTONIO — There wasn’t a whole lot for the New York Knicks to like about the final six minutes of the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Friday.

Yet despite blowing a late 14-point lead, the Knicks looked up at the scoreboard after the final buzzer and saw that they had somehow done just enough to beat the San Antonio Spurs 105-104.

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The result sends the Knicks home with a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, with Game 3 set for Monday.

An exhausted Jalen Brunson leaned on his teammates after the win and offered up a weak smile. It was his steal with 9.5 seconds to play and subsequent free throw that proved to be the decisive play and point in a slugfest that saw the last team standing prevail.

“We could have folded a few times, but our guys just kept fighting,” New York coach Mike Brown said. “They kept fighting, and you work on connectivity throughout the course of the year for moments like these.

“No matter what run (San Antonio) went on, no matter what time of the game, our guys just kept uplifting one another. It’s an amazing feeling as a coach to know how mentally tough your team is no matter what the situation is in front of them.”

Brunson scored the Knicks’ first five points of the game but then went cold, entering the final quarter with just 13 points on 4-of-16 shooting from the floor.

San Antonio was making the Knicks star guard work for everything, and he was worse for wear, collapsing on the bench during each New York timeout down the stretch while trying to find the energy to help drag his team over the finish line.

“We have to do a good job of staying composed in those situations,” said Brunson, who finished with 20 points and just as many bruises. “Not (folding) in situations like that is key to winning games like this. At this stage of the season, things aren’t going to be pretty. It’s going to be ugly. It’s going to be grinded out. It’s simple as that.”

It was not easy. The Spurs were down 97-83 with 6:04 to play before their 14-0 spree, tying the game on Dylan Harper’s floater with 2:59 to play.

San Antonio shoved its way to the lead at 104-102 via a Victor Wembanyama three-point play with 57.3 seconds left. However, Brunson responded, pouring in a fadeaway jumper with 39.3 seconds remaining to level the score.

Brunson then missed a jumper with 13.5 seconds left, and Wembanyama grabbed the rebound. The Spurs star tried to pass to Stephon Castle, but Castle was not ready, and the ball bounced off his back and into Brunson’s waiting hands. Wembanyama fouled Brunson, setting the stage for the go-ahead free throw.

“That’s the most frustrating thing, to throw it away after putting in all this work,” said Wembanyama, who also missed a 20-foot shot in the final seconds. “I messed up. We didn’t play great as a team. We needed to win that game. This game was ours.Games

“But at this point, it’s done. Yes, am I going to regret it? Yes, of course. Am I going to use that to fuel me and to fuel us next game? Absolutely.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said his team needs to bring the same intensity to the whole game as it had in its fourth-quarter comeback. With a young squad in the Finals spotlight for the first time, maturity and the ability to finish continue to be crucial factors.

“We showed tremendous desperation, urgency and competitive response (late in the game),” Johnson said. “We don’t feel like we played well, or up to our standard at least, in the last two games. New York has played very well, and that’s a part of that.

“But we’re going to go into Game 3 — if we play our brand of basketball up to our standard, we’ll be just fine.”

The Spurs might have the NBA’s ascending superstar player as the backbone for a youthful team with a high ceiling. But New York has Brunson, and he, along with a squad that keeps winning, presents a formidable obstacle for San Antonio to overcome.

The Knicks recorded their 13th straight postseason victory, moving them into second place all-time for consecutive playoff wins behind the Golden State Warriors (15 in 2017).

“I don’t know if you could say it was a rough shooting night (for Brunson),” said New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns, who led the team with 21 points and 13 rebounds. “I see ‘Captain Clutch’ doing what he’s always been doing since I got here. When it comes down to winning the game, No. 11 can’t be messed with.”

–Steve Habel, Field Level Media

Brunson Leads Knicks in G-1 of Finals

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SAN ANTONIO — (Staff and Wire Service Report) – New York’s magical guard Jalen Brunson was beaten and battered but not dismayed, and the Knicks star had enough energy to orchestrate a fine George Gervin impersonation with an Iceman-like final quarter in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Spurs icon surely appreciated Brunson’s zest for heroics but the city of San Antonio was stunned over an opening defeat as the red-hot Knicks controlled the final two minutes while prevailing 105-95 on Wednesday night.

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Brunson scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and the Knicks overcame a 14-point third-quarter deficit to win their 12th consecutive playoff game, tied for the second-longest postseason streak in league history.

“Jalen was MVP in the second half,” New York coach Mike Brown said. “He was huge for us. He did what MVP candidates are supposed to do. He carried us home and we put the ball in his hands and he got it done for us down the stretch.”

Brunson had a rough time during the first half as he injured his right knee in the first quarter and his left ankle in the second.

Per the knee injury, Harrison Barnes of the Spurs and Landry Shamet of the Knicks were battling for position after a missed free throw and Barnes fell directly into Brunson’s knee with 1:27 remaining.

Brunson departed for the locker room and returned with 8:03 left in the second quarter. Two minutes later, Brunson hurt his ankle on a driving basket.

“When I saw him walk back to the bench, it was a relief feeling,” Knicks teammate Karl-Anthony Towns said of Brunson.

Brunson was just 7-of-22 shooting entering the final stanza before finding his groove. He hit 5 of 9 shots in the fourth.

“I think it starts with my confidence. It comes with my work ethic,” Brunson said of bouncing back. “I think most importantly, knowing we’re on the road, and knowing my teammates have my back, I think that’s the biggest thing in an environment like this. The trust they have in me and the trust I have in them, it’s got us to this point.”

The Spurs had few answers over the final 12 minutes when it came to slowing Brunson.

“He’s an elite player,” Spurs star Victor Wembanyama said of Brunson. “We’re going to have many more chances. It’s the first-to-four series. We’re going to have time to work on it.”

New York closed the game with 11 straight points while playing in its first NBA Finals game since 1999.

Towns contributed 18 points and 12 rebounds and Josh Hart was solid all-around with 15 rebounds, six assists, four steals and three points for the Knicks.

OG Anunoby produced 12 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter for the Knicks, who committed no turnovers in the final period. San Antonio gave the ball away five times over the final 12 minutes while shooting 28.6% (6 of 21) and being outscored 29-19.

Wembanyama registered 26 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots but made just 6 of 21 field-goal attempts.

“He missed a few shots early,” San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson said of the star Frenchman. “We got to him moving in space toward the rim.”

Stephon Castle had 17 points and eight rebounds, Julian Champagnie added 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Dylan Harper had 16 points off the bench.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Friday night at San Antonio.

Shamet scored 13 points off the bench for New York, which shot 41.5% from the field, including 11 of 36 (30.6%) from 3-point range.

The Spurs connected on 36% of their field-goal attempts and were 11 of 43 (25.6%) from behind the arc.

Brunson scored eight straight points, including a driving hoop with 6:08 left to give the Knicks a 94-86 advantage. Wembanyama responded with eight points during a 9-0 run as the Spurs moved ahead 95-94 with 2:16 to play.

San Antonio wouldn’t score again, and Brunson drained a corner trey to put the Knicks back ahead with 1:50 left.

Mikal Bridges made two free throws, Brunson hit a jumper and Anunoby sank four consecutive free throws to seal it.

“Obviously, we’ve been down in a series before,” Wembanyama said. “Never in the Finals, obviously. But I’m not kicking myself about anything, really. I’m not worried the slightest.”

San Antonio led by seven at the break before scoring 10 of the first 13 points in the third quarter to take a 65-51 lead on Harper’s basket.

The Knicks responded with a 20-6 burst and knotted the score at 71 on Brunson’s jumper with 2:01 remaining in the third.

Knicks backup center Mitchell Robinson (broken right pinkie) played 13 minutes and had two points and six rebounds.

Champagnie had 15 points on five 3-pointers as the Spurs led 55-48 at the half. Brunson logged 11 in the half for New York.

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | May 24

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MLB, NFL, NHL and NBA trophies (Photo by T. Peter Lyons/Digital Sports Desk)

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

HOUSTON – Welcome to the entertainment and revenue producing portion of Digital Sports Desk and PGA Tour Brunch. It’s a pleasure to toss out a whole new discussion on some of sports greatest happenings.

It’s been in fashion – of late – to discuss the “best” sports by virtue of their Playoffs. Yes … it gets written in the papers and discussed on the sports radio talk shows every single year, even though it’s impossible to determine a definitive answer.

In the local paper, a columnist listed her best to worst as:

  • NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs
  • The NCAA Tournament … a.k.a. “March Madness”
  • The NFL Playoffs (including the Super Bowl)
  • MLB Postseason
  • The NBA Playoffs (including the NBA Finals)
  • World Cup (soccer) and MLS

That’s one writer’s opinion and its a worthy list.

But just after the column ran, on Monday, May 18, the San Antonio Spurs victory over Oklahoma City in 2-OTs of the NBA Western Conference finals game became Exhibit 1-A that the list written up in the Globe was flawed – the NBA Playoffs far exceed the NCAA’s.

Another key factor in list making, a lot of sports were overlooked, including College Football and its National Championship coming from the CFP Playoffs. That’s been a welcome addition to the postseason smorgasbord

While the annual PGA TOUR FedEx Cup Playoffs aren’t great, the even equivalent to the Playoffs are golf’s Majors – never mind the Ryder Cup. Those golf outings can be pretty exciting. Same thing with tennis, as a five set tie-break to win the U.S. Open in front of a raucous crowd in Flushing Meadow can be amongst the greatest things in sport.

What about horse racing? The Breeders’ Cup is like having seven World Series games on one afternoon. But, maybe, the better comparison is the Kentucky Derby – known as the greatest two minutes in sports. Go ahead and Google “Affirmed” and “Alydar”and tell everyone who will listen that those races aren’t on a list of the greatest and most exciting moments in sports.

Now – full disclosure – I do think that a Game 7 “sudden death” overtime of the NHL Stanley Cup Final is the most exciting thing sports has to offer. So a high five to our local columnist, Tara Sullivan of the Boston Globe.

SPEAKING OF SUDDEN DEATH: The term “Sudden Death” is quite a descriptive phrase to say what has to be said to decide a playoff game or, in some cases, a series or championship. It’s brutal. The pressure is off-the-charts. But, upon further review, here’s a dozen of other very descriptive terms from the world of sports that each carry some weight.

  1. The Suicide Squeeze
  2. The Blitz
  3. Crackback Block
  4. Student Body right
  5. The Two Minute Warning
  6. The Baltimore chop
  7. Defensive indifference
  8. The NHL’s “Original Six”
  9. The alley-oop
  10. One of the great, descriptive monikers to pay proper respect to one of – if not the – greatest rivalies in sports is “El Classico.” Real Madrid and F.C. Barcelona stop the entire nation of Spain when they face each other (at least) twice a year.
  11. As “classic” as “El Classico” sounds in this category of greatness, the MLS might have one moniker just as wonderful. When the LA Galaxy face LAFC in a rivalry for all of Los Angeles to see, the matchup is referred to as “El Traffico.” – Beat that!

Darkness on the Edge of Causeway

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The house is dark. The Garden’s ghostlight is on, but Bruce Springsteen is coming. The Celtics were up three-games-to-one against a Philadelphia 76ers team that hadn’t beaten the Boston in a NBA Playoff series since Billy Cunningham coached a 1982 Sixers’ team, and the Cs blew it. The hometown team– once invincible in Game 7s – has left the TD Garden dark. The Sixers moved on to meet the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals and were mowed down by a superior team. The Knicks will face Cleveland for the right to play in the NBA Finals.

The Celtics “Owe Us One.”

The Boston Globe Sports Section of May 3 told the Story (Boston Globe)

But, it gets worse.

The TD Garden was witness to a suspect Boston Bruins team losing to the once-lowly Buffalo Sabres a night before the Celtics were sent to see St. Peter. The Sabres hadn’t won a Stanley Cup playoff series in 19 years, while the Sixers hadn’t beaten the Celtics in the playoffs since 1982, a mere 44 years. The Sabres lost to Montreal who are now playing Carolina for right to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

It’s understandable how the Bs lost, but how could the Celtics collapse in such epic fashion?

Let us count the ways:

o Live by chucking 3s; Die by chucking 3s: In their four losses to Philadelphia, the Boston Celtics shot 49-for-191, or 25.7%.

  • Game 5 (April 28): Shot 28.2% (11-of-39) from three in a 113-97 home loss.
  • Game 6 (April 30): Shot 29.3% (12-of-41) from three in a 106-93 loss in Philadelphia.
  • Game 7 (May 2): Shot 26.5% (13-of-49) from three in a 109-100 series-clinching loss at home.

o Nick Nurse, the head coach of the Sixers and a champ when he coached at every level, including an NBA Finals title with the Toronto Raptors, can flat-out coach. Yes, he was graced with a resurgence from one-time NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid, but Nurse guided the Sixers masterfully. Expected NBA Coach of the Year, Joe Mazulla of the Celtics, was out-coached.

o Face facts: A starting five of: Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Ron Harper Jr., Luka Garza, and Baylor Scheierman could not cut it in a decisive NBA Playoff game. That group will never be compared to Danny Ainge, Dennis Johnson, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. The team of Celtics so many NBA pundits expected for 2025-26 finally showed up. The absence of true “bigs” caught up with the team of green. Remember Al Horford? He was pretty good.

Two Boston pro teams were whooped on their home turf. They’re gone by May 2 and only Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band can bring life to the backstreets of the West End (May 24th), because on Saturday night, it seemed you could hear the whole damn city crying. Springsteen might say, “Blame it on the lies that killed us, blame it on the truth that ran us down.”

The truth was the fact the Celtics could not endure a full season without their best player, Jayson Tatum.

While Tatum orchestrated a miraculous (and quick) return from the devastating right Achilles’ injury he suffered in the 2025 NBA Playoffs, and performed quite well from his March 6 return to active duty right on through to an incredible Game 3 shooting performance against the Sixers in Philadelphia, a sore left knee and discomfort that forced him to leave Game 6, also ruled him out just hours before Game 7.

Nine years into his NBA career, the 28-year-old Tatum is feeling the effects of 729 NBA regular season and playoff games.

Boston’s wonderkid GM, Brad Stevens, cannot be blamed for inactivity.

Stevens was faced with a choice of trading one of his “Big Two” of Tatum or Jaylen Brown, and possibly dismantling the 2024 NBA championship team somewhere short of a total rebuild. Instead, being faced with an aging Celtics team and a double secret probation by far exceeding the NBA’s agreed upon maximum team salary zones – the Cs – via Stevens’ surgical strike on salaries – dipped under both the First and Second Aprons of the NBA’s salary cap structure by reducing the team payroll for the 2025-26 season to a mere $187,885,254.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, the New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors are all over $200 million and face limitations in their wheeling and dealing. Stevens and the Celtics do not.

The cost (saving) came when the Celtics jettisoned veteran bigs Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis. Both players contributed mightily in the 2024 NBA Finals with Porzingis’ astonishing Game 1 performance which won the most important game of the series at Boston. If you remember, with Porzingis coming off the bench for just the second time in his career and playing in his first game (June 6) since he had sustained a calf injury in late April, Porzingis scored 20 points, including 18 in the first half, and added six rebounds and three blocks as the Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks 107-89 to send a statement to the Texans.

Horford provided even more. The veteran center was an influential presence in the locker room, an intangible for NBA teams destined for good things to come, for chemistry, for facing and conquering adversity, and for winning championships. Horford was the whole package, plus, he hit three-pointer after three-pointer, drawing opposing centers away from the basket and allowing Tatum and Brown to operate inside.

Horford was traded to the Golden State Warriors in September 2025, signing a multi-year deal, and continuing into his 19th NBA season.

Boston’s other cost-saving move was to send multi-talented guard Jrue Holiday and his $32.4 million contract to the NBA outskirts of Portland, Oregon (not Maine). Holiday was another veteran, positive influence and key contributor to the 2024 championship, especially on the defensive end of the basketball court.

All of those moves put together allowed the Celtics to avoid the NBA’s punitive luxury taxes. The more stable payroll paved the way for new ownership as the franchise was sold by the longtime ownership group headed by Wyc Grousbeck for a then-record $6.1 billion. The new group, led by Bill Chisholm, paid an amazing amount of cash considering Grousbeck bought the team for $360 million in 2002. Brad Stevens should be a longtime fixture in the Celtics’ front office, at the top of basketball operations.

A look over to the Fens, just past the Longwood Medical Center, and the prognosis isn’t much better. The Red Sox are floundering in the AL East basement. The offense is anemic and the middle relievers count runs against, ERA and Whip as though they were all MIT graduates. The brown paper bags are making a fashion statement and Jason Veritek’s wife is pouring on the sarcastic quips aimed at Sox GM, head of baseball Craig Breslow. Veritek “is being re-assigned” within the organization after Breslow leveled the coaching staff, including manager Alex Cora. There’s no AC and no DC in the Sox bats. No static at all.

But, there’s one thing worse than a dark June at the TD Boston Garden, and that was a dark May. Only Bruce Springsteen’s rock show on May 24th will bring some “glory days” back to Boston.

Bruce Springsteen (file photo)

The memories of 2018 and a club record of 108 wins is long gone. Those were, indeed, the glory days.

And, one thing’s sure of the glory days.

They’ll pass you by.

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: Get this? The Detroit PWHL team named former ice hockey goalkeepeer Manon Rheume as General Manager. Back in 1992, Rheaume became the first woman to appear in an NHL exhibition game when she started in goal for the Tampa Bay Lightning. The great goal scorer Phil Esposito NHL Bruins and Rangers) was the head of hockey ops. It was the first time an entire crowd at an NHL game concentrated 100% of their attention on defense! It was fabuloius (and I can attest, because your fave columnist (and his wife) were there. Rheaume joins the PWHL team after four years with the LA Kings in hockey operations and an 11-year tenure with the Little Caesars AAA hockey programs. … And, for you Pink Panther fans out there, Detroit can answer to the affirmative if asked, “Do you have a Rheaume?”

WWYI doesn’t want to leave anyone hanging after a report. Last week, the column included the fact the Vegas Golden Knights will forfeit a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft after repeated violations of the league’s media relations policies. The NHL’s statement last week left open the possibility of a Golden Knights appeal of the decision. They did appeal, and the NHL shot it down. Fast.

Twin Bill: The NBA announced that the New Orleans Pelicans and the San Antonio Spurs will play regular season games at the Accor Arena in Paris, France, on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2027, and at Co-op Live in Manchester, England, on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2027, as part of the league’s multiyear slate of regular season games in Europe.

The NBA Paris Game 2027 presented by Tissot will mark the 16th game featuring an NBA team in France since 1991 and the league’s sixth regular-season game in Paris. The NBA Manchester Game 2027 will mark the 20th game featuring an NBA team in England since 1993, the league’s second game in Manchester and first regular-season game in the city.

NBA Finals Schedule: In case you’re wondering, these dates are locked.

NBA Finals – All games are scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EDT

The Finals will stat in the West as both OKC and San Antonio have better records than Cleveland and New York.

Game 1: Wednesday, June 3

Game 2: Friday, June 5

Game 3: Monday, June 8

Game 4: Wednesday, June 10

Game 5: Saturday, June 13*

Game 6: Tuesday, June 16*

Game 7: Friday, June 19*

SPEAKING OF THE 2026 NBA Finals: For the historians in the group, this year will mark the 40th year of the league switching from the “NBA World Championship” to “The NBA Finals.” – Cap “F” – and that takes us back to 1986.

At one point in 1983, the NBA went for “Showdown ‘83” as the moniker for the Playoffs and Finals, but everyone – pretty much – just called it The Finals. And, it worked. Loook for a major US publication to do a blow-out feature on this topic.

Thunder Rode to Championship

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OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points, Jalen Williams added 20, and the OKC Thunder became NBA champions by wearing down the Indiana Pacers with a withering defense to pull off a 103-91 win on Sunday night in Game 7.

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The NBA championship is the franchise’s first since moving to Oklahoma City for the 2008-09 season and first since winning the 1979 title as the Seattle SuperSonics.

The Thunder forced 23 Pacers turnovers while committing just eight and outscored Indiana 32-10 off turnovers.

The Pacers, who remain without an NBA title, lost star point guard Tyrese Haliburton to a right leg injury in the first quarter, when he scored nine points.

After turning the ball over eight times in a Game 6 blowout loss on the road in the best-of-seven NBA Finals, point guard Gilgeous-Alexander was much better on Sunday night.

The NBA Most Valuable Player this season, Gilgeous-Alexander finished just 8 of 27 from the floor and 2 of 12 from beyond the arc but had 12 assists and just one turnover.

Indiana trailed by as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter but cut the deficit to 12 with less than five minutes left and 10 with just more than two minutes remaining.

But the Pacers couldn’t get any closer.

Chet Holmgren added 18 points for Oklahoma City.

The Thunder took over in the third quarter, using the same suffocating defense that helped them earn the NBA’s best record at 68-14 and pushed them through their playoff run as the favorite to win the crown.

Oklahoma City scored 18 points off eight Indiana turnovers as it outscored the Pacers 34-20 in the third.

The Thunder, whose offense looked out of sort through much of the first half after struggling in a Game 6 loss, also thrived at the other end of the floor.

Oklahoma City didn’t commit a turnover in the third, and Williams scored nine points in the quarter, including hitting a critical 3-pointer during the stretch that put the Thunder ahead for good.

Gilgeous-Alexander spun in the lane, drawing an “oooh” from the home crowd.

But instead of flipping up a shot, as he has done countless times during his MVP season, Gilgeous-Alexander instead flipped to Williams in the corner.

Oklahoma City’s other All-Star quickly fired up a 3-pointer, which bounced high off the rim before draining through, sending the crowd into a frenzy as the Thunder’s lead stretched to nine after back-to-back-to-back Thunder 3-pointers broke a tie.

It could’ve been worse for the Pacers if not for point guard T.J. McConnell, who scored 12 points in the third, hitting six of Indiana’s eight field goals in the frame.

Indiana’s Haliburton started off hot, hitting three 3-pointers in a little more than five minutes to start the game.

But two minutes later, as the Pacers’ point guard was starting to drive outside of the top of the arc, he came crashing to the court and screamed.

The ball popped out to Alex Caruso, who quickly fired to Gilgeous-Alexander, who found Williams streaking up court for a dunk as Haliburton remained crumpled on the ground with a non-contact injury.

After the play, Haliburton was helped off the court. The Indiana star, who suffered a right calf strain in Game 5 but had been playing through it, couldn’t put weight on his right leg as he was helped to the locker room.

Haliburton did not return with what the Pacers classified as a “right lower leg injury.”

On the ABC broadcast, it was reported Haliburton had suffered a torn Achilles.

Even without Haliburton, though, the Pacers kept the game tight, leading by one at halftime and tying the game early in the third before the Thunder began their onslaught.

Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 24 points off the bench. Pascal Siakam and McConnell added 16 each.

The Thunder became the first team to score 100 or more points in an NBA Finals Game 7 since 1988, when the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Detroit Pistons 108-105.

–Field Level Media

Yes, ‘Cers

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INDIANAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Indiana’s Obi Toppin scored 20 off the bench to lead a balanced offensive effort as the Indiana Pacers evened the NBA Finals with a 108-91 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 on Thursday in the heartland.

The Finals will go to a winner-take-all seventh game for the first time since 2016.

Game 7 is Sunday in Oklahoma City.

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There was little drama Thursday, as Indiana jumped ahead in the first quarter and never relinquished the lead.

Andrew Nembhard added 17 points while Pascal Siakam had 16 points and 13 rebounds to move the Pacers within one win of their first NBA title. Tyrese Haliburton, playing through a calf injury, had 14 points and five assists, and T.J. McConnell contributed 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals.

Indiana forced 21 turnovers.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 21 points, but had a playoff career-worst eight turnovers and just two assists. Jalen Williams, who scored 40 points in Game 5, finished with just 16 points.

Trailing by 30 entering the final quarter, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault pulled his starters, opting to save them for Game 7.

Oklahoma City shot just 8-for-30 (26.7 percent) from beyond the arc — 1-for-11 in the first half.

The Pacers took control in the second quarter, turning the tables on the Thunder.

Oklahoma City won Games 4 and 5 the same way it had plenty of others this season — by turning up the pressure on defense and using that to fuel its offense.

Over the final eight-minutes plus before halftime, Indiana’s defense led the way on a 30-9 run to go into halftime with a 64-42 lead.

The Pacers scored 11 of their 36 second-quarter points off the Thunder’s seven turnovers.

Haliburton, who had struggled early in games for much of the series even before straining his right calf early in Game 5, helped set the defensive tone for Indiana.

In the final minute of the half, Haliburton elevated near the sideline for a steal off a Williams’ pass, then quickly fired to Siakam as he was falling out of bounds.

Siakam finished off the play with an emphatic dunk to stretch the lead to 20, then grabbed a rebound off a Chet Holmgren miss on the other end and buried an 18-footer just before the buzzer to send the Pacers into the locker room with a commanding lead.

Indiana, which committed 23 turnovers in Game 5, had just two first-half turnovers on Thursday.

The Pacers were slow-to-get-started on offense, going nearly four minutes into the game without a field goal and missing their first eight field goals while falling behind 10-2.

But it didn’t take long for Indiana to close the gap, scoring eight consecutive points to tie the game less than a minute after hitting its first field goal.

Moments later, the Pacers took the lead for the first time and what proved to be for good.

After going without a field goal in Game 5, Haliburton missed his first four shots Thursday before taking a quick feed from Myles Turner off an offensive rebound and burying a 3-pointer with just more than four minutes remaining in the first quarter to put Indiana up 24-17.

The Pacers continued to stretch their lead in the third, holding Oklahoma City to just 18 points.

Indiana’s James Johnson was ejected in the final minute after an altercation with Oklahoma City’s Isaiah Joe.

–Field Level Media

OKC Takes Control of NBA Finals

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OKLAHOMA CITY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – OKC’s Jalen Williams scored 40 and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 31 to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 120-109 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

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The Thunder lead the series 3-2, moving themselves within a game of the franchise’s first NBA title since the team moved to Oklahoma City.

The series resumes Thursday in Indianapolis.

Even without much offensive production from Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers cut what was an 18-point first-half deficit to two on Pascal Siakam’s 3-pointer from the wing with 8:30 remaining.

The Thunder immediately responded, though, with Cason Wallace grabbing the rebound on Williams’ missed layup and flipping it to Lu Dort, who found Williams for a 3-pointer.

Pacers Stun Thunder in OKC

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OKLAHOMA CITY – Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton hit a 21-foot pull-up jumper in the final second on Thursday as the Indiana Pacers completed a stunning comeback for a 111-110 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

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The Pacers hadn’t led in the game until Halliburton drained the shot with 0.3 seconds remaining.

The best-of-seven series resumes with Game 2 in Oklahoma City on Sunday.

Indiana trailed by 15 early in the fourth quarter before chipping away at the Thunder’s lead. Andrew Nembhard and Myles Turner each scored eight points in the period.

The Pacers cut the deficit to one with 48.6 seconds remaining on Pascal Siakam’s putback following a missed 3-point attempt by Nembhard.

After Haliburton’s shot, Oklahoma City tried to lob inside, but Siakam batted it away as time expired to end the game.

Indiana outscored the Thunder 35-25 in the fourth quarter.

Oklahoma City forced plenty of turnovers, especially early. However, the Thunder couldn’t take advantage often enough, scoring just 11 points on Indiana’s 25 giveaways. The Pacers turned the ball over 20 times in the first half alone.

Siakam led the Pacers with 19 points and added 10 rebounds. Obi Toppin had 17 points off the bench, Turner scored 15 and Nembhard had 14. Haliburton finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 to lead the Thunder, shooting 14 of 30 from the field.

Jalen Williams contributed 17 points on 6-of-19 shooting while Chet Holmgren was just 2 of 9 for six points.

Indiana hit 47.6 percent from the floor to Oklahoma City’s 39.8 percent.

Early in the fourth quarter, Indiana was barely hanging on.

The Pacers, down by 13, missed three consecutive shots on one possession.

After the last of those, the Pacers’ T.J. McConnell was inbounding underneath Indiana’s basket and hurriedly heaved the ball to midcourt.

Instead of a teammate being there to receive the inbounds, Williams raced to the ball, catching it on the run and delivering a thunderous dunk to extend Oklahoma City’s lead to a game-high 15 points. The score was 94-79 with 9:42 remaining.

But Indiana wasn’t about to go away.

The Pacers ripped off a 15-4 run to stay within striking distance, and then they surged ahead late.

Oklahoma City hit just one field goal in the final four minutes, giving the Pacers the opening to come back.

–Field Level Media

Pacers Knock Out Knicks

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INDIANAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Indiana’s Pascal Siakam recorded 31 points and three blocked shots and the Pacers are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000 after notching a 125-108 victory over the visiting New York Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night.

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Siakam was voted the Eastern Conference finals MVP. Tyrese Haliburton added 21 points, 13 assists and three steals for fourth-seeded Indiana. Obi Toppin added 18 points off the bench and Andrew Nembhard had 14 points and six steals for the Pacers.

Indiana will face the Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. Game 1 is Thursday in Oklahoma City.

OG Anunoby scored 24 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points and 14 rebounds for third-seeded New York. Jalen Brunson had 19 points and seven assists and Mikal Bridges had 15 points for the Knicks.

Indiana had a 25-10 edge on fastbreak points to finish the series with a dominating 106-48 advantage in that category.

The Pacers shot 54.1 percent from the field, including a solid 17 of 33 from 3-point range (51.5 percent). Myles Turner and reserve Thomas Bryant had 11 points apiece and Aaron Nesmith added 10 for the Pacers.

New York made 47.7 percent of its shots and was 9 of 32 (28.1 percent) from behind the arc. Landry Shamet had 12 points on four treys off the bench.

New York trailed by 15 entering the final quarter but a basket by Towns and two in a row by Anunoby pulled the Knicks within 92-83 with 10:15 remaining.

Haliburton then took over as he scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the final stanza.

The Pacers pushed the lead back to 14 on a basket by Nembhard with 8:26 left.

CELTICS TAKE 18th NBA CHAMPIONSHIP

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Celtics’ Defense Closes Out Dallas, 106-88, to Earn Title

BOSTON – (Staff Report) – As NBA Commissioner Adam Silver performed his most important job function of the year 2024, he was able to say something to the Boston Celtics’ team, its management and fans that has never been stated to any team in the history of the League.

Said Silver as he presented the iconic gold Larry O’Brien Trophy, “this is for the Celtics’ NBA record 18th championship.”

No other NBA franchise can say that!

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The Celtics closed-out the 2024 NBA Finals with a 106-88 defensive masterpiece to take the Finals in five games. Surprisingly, the game and the title were decided in the very first quarter as Boston held Dallas’ five-time All-NBA forward Luka Doncic to five points while shutting down Mavericks All-Star point guard, Kyrie Irving,  to zero points and one assist as Boston established a 28-18 lead. A lead they’d never relinquish.

Boston countered with a balanced first quarter score sheet with guard Jrue Holiday and forward Jaylen Brown leading the Celtics with six points, each, while guard Derrick White added five points, NBA All-Star Jayson Tatum had four points, three rebounds and four assists and veteran center Al Horford added three points with his patented and reliable long distance shooting.

The balanced scoring set the tone, and Boston’s team defense held Doncic to single figures (nine points) in the first half. He finished with 28 points on 12-for-25 shooting, including a low 2-for-9 from long distance. Irving finished with 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting with 3-of-9 from three-point land.

Boston increased its lead to 26 points (61-35) at the half and coasted to victory as Dallas shots fell short and both teams’ energy level dropped from utter exhaustion.  Throughout the game, there were no lead changes and no ties.

Brown finished Game 5 with a solid 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists, but struggled from the field, shooting 7-of-23.

Oft-injured center Kristaps Porzingis was able to give his team effort of 16 minutes of playing time, contributing five points and rebound, much to the delight of the 19,158 sold out TD Garden crowd.

Developing Story …

 

 

 

 

Celtics Jump On Mavs in Game 1

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – There were two key questions coming into Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals.

  1. Would the Boston Celtics come out primed and well rested or flat after a nine day layoff resulting from a 4-0 sweep of the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals?
  2. Would Celtics’ center Kristaps Porzingis be healthy and effective after a month long injury hiatus resulting from a strained calf?

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The answers for the Celtics became evident in the very first quarter of this championship series as the Celtics jumped out to a 37-20 advantage and Porzingis led the way with 16 points on 4-of-5 FG shooting, including 1-of-2 from three-point land, 2-of-2 from the line. Porzingis also grabbed three rebounds and blocked two important Dallas shots in the first quarter to set the defensive tone Boston thrived on throughout their league-leading regular season and 12-2 march to the Finals.

The final score of Boston 107, Dallas 89 further answered tho0se questions.

Dallas All-NBA star Luka Doncic slugged it out and managed to score 30 points on 12-of-26 field goal shooting, including a horrid 4-of-12 from 3-point range and sub par 2-of-5 from the free throw line.

Porzingis played 7:17 of the first quarter, looked agile and worked pain free, posting up his defenders, passing well, running the pick and roll and sprinting the length of the floor to hit the defensive boards. The effort allowed Boston to cruise to a 63-42 halftime lead and establish control over the game, allowing only flurries of the Mavericks’ high powered offense to surface.

Boston two All-Stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum scored 22 and 16 points, respectively. Tatum led the Celtics with 11 rebounds. Boston had a narrow 47-43 edge on the boards and an impressive 32-20 advantage on bench scoring, much to the credit of Porzingis’ 20-point effort.

Winning Game 1 in the NBA Finals gives the Celtics a 70% chance of taking the best-of-seven game series which resumes this Sunday on the same TD Garden court.