13 Rules: Random NBA Thoughts – NBA Conference Finals

Make sure to listen and add the 13 Rules: NBA Random Thoughts podcast to your list! This week Steve shares his thoughts as the Conference Finals teams are set in the 2024-25 NBA Playoffs.

NBA Conference Finals – Western Conference

• We are two games into the conference finals and it looks like the Oklahoma City Thunder are the best team. Not only is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the best player left in the playoffs but what separates the Thunder from the other teams is their team defense. Right now I think most people would be surprised if the series with Minnesota goes more than five games.
• By the way, I know it’s early and Oklahoma City hasn’t won a title but take a look at their roster and the amount of first round picks they have over the next few years. Not only are they young with players that haven’t yet reached their peaks but they have two first rounders this year, three next year, two more in ’27, only their own in ’28 and two in ’29. Get used to seeing them in big games. The only thing that can atop them is paying everybody.
• The Denver Nuggets are out of the playoffs and it is easy to figure out why. Unless the Nuggets are not afraid of going over the second apron, spend money, and go out and build their bench – they will waste one of the greatest players prime. It’s really simple either build a bench a coach can trust or lose in the playoffs.

NBA Conference Finals – Eastern Conference

• The Pacers are are a team that is unlike any conference finals team we have ever seen. By that I mean the I have no top ten players on their team though, Tyrese Halliburton is good. Their style of play is unusual as they keep coming at you in a relentless manner and they use at least ten guys. This is unusual this deep in the payoffs. Last night using for Tony Bradley, a seldom used big, to try and shut down Mitchell Robinson‘s offensive rebounding was unusual, Team’s coaches this deep in the playoffs usually shorten their rotations to eight at this point.
• A Tom Thibodeau not playing Karl-Anthony Towns for much of the fourth quarter took a lot of courage. Knowing if they lost the second guesses would be all over Thibs, but he still kept Towns on the bench. I have trouble defending with two weak defenders but I kept thinking if you’re the coach you dance with the one who bring you. Towns was a key player and in fact made third team All-NBA. That means he’s a top fifteen player in them league and without Towns’ contributions the Knicks would not have gotten this far in the playoffs, so he should have been on the court.
• The Boston Celtics face a crucial offseason. It’s apparent they have a few options and the decision they reach depends on if they feel Jayson Tatum can return next year. The first option is to run it back with the same team. I don’t see that happening because they’re spending a lot of money for a team that would be lucky to make it to the second round of the playoffs. And their only hope is Tatum miraculously returning. The second option, the likely one, is to try and trade Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Sam Hauser and get under the dreaded 2nd apron. This way they use next year as a reset. The third option is to blow it up and trade Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Holiday and Porzingis.

NBA Conference Finals – Random Thoughts

• It’s not rocket science to figure out but in all four games in this round of the playoffs the team with less turnovers has won.