Tag: Cason Wallace
NBA Finals: T.J. McConnell and the Pacers are a match made in underdog heaven
One of my most vivid memories of covering the NBA is watching T.J. McConnell shoot 3-pointers in an off-site practice gym. It was 2018 and the 76ers were in Miami playing the Heat in the first round of the playoffs. I was there to interview then-Sixers coach Brett Brown, but I found myself more interested…
NBA Finals: How ‘terrific’ Tyrese Haliburton found perfect balance between scoring and passing in Game 3 win
In the modern NBA where a team’s “point guard” is often just their best scorer, Tyrese Haliburton is a throwback to what the position has traditionally been. He is the ultimate pass-first player, so much so that he threw more passes (5,453) than anyone else in the league this season. Haliburton’s vision and ability to…
NBA Finals: Pacers have one simple path to upsetting Thunder, and the math didn’t add up in Game 2
Miracle comebacks don’t happen for one reason alone. But if you were to point to a single number that most defined the Indiana Pacers‘ against-all-odds 111-110 Game 1 NBA Finals win, which required a 15-point fourth quarter rally, 18 would tell you a lot. That was the number of 3-pointers the Pacers hit, six more…
2025 NBA Finals: Can Thunder bounce back in Game 2? Three keys for OKC after stunning loss to Pacers
The Oklahoma City Thunder were the better basketball team for about 45 minutes of Game 1 in the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers. Through the entire first half, the Thunder executed with elite precision, showing on the grandest of NBA stages why this team was heavily favored to be crowned champions. The defense was…
NBA Finals: Pacers found their offense after a disastrous start to Game 1, now it’s OKC’s turn to do the same
The Indiana Pacers spent several days leading up to the NBA Finals preparing for the Oklahoma City Thunder’s ultra-aggressive defense. None of that seemed to matter when they had to experience it for themselves. In the first half of Game 1 on Thursday, the Pacers turned the ball over 20 times. This was a historically…