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OKLAHOMA CITY — As experience between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers was a storyline throughout the NBA Finals, Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams deemed the shifted focus towards Mark Daigneault and Rick Carlisle unnecessary ahead of Game 7. Daigneault is one win away from his first championship. His five years of experience include winning the NBA Coach of the Year award last season.
Then, he led the franchise to a record 68 regular-season wins before guiding the Thunder to their first NBA Finals appearance in 13 years. At the same time, with over 35 years of coaching experience, one championship (2011), and an NBA Coach of the Year award (2012) to his name, Carlisle is undoubtedly the seasoned veteran between the two. Still, Daigneault’s impressive track record of guiding the Thunder back on track after losses in the postseason is undefeated.
For that, and the trust his All-Star forward has in not only himself but his teammates, too, Williams isn’t concerned over Game 7’s coaching matchup between Thunder’s coach Mark Daigneault and Pacers’ Rick Carlisle.
“I’m not too worried about the experience there, obviously. Rick is another great, probably Hall of Fame coach. I think Mark’s also getting better at coaching against him like the same way we would, as we get deeper into this run,” Williams said. “I feel like just from a playoffs’ lack of deep finals experience, as we’re as deep into the Finals as you could get with Game 7. So, I’m never worried about Mark and what’s going on with him.
“At the end of the day, Mark’s not gonna have to make shots on Sunday. So, it’s more about how we can carry out his game plan, and do that,” Williams concluded.
As the Pacers proved in Thursday’s win in Game 6, it’s going to take the Thunder’s utmost effort, as both teams are one step from capturing their respective franchise’s first NBA title.
Jalen Williams on Thunder’s mindset in Game 6 vs. Pacers
Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams addressed his team’s mindset after Game 6, explaining it wasn’t the issue in his team’s first opportunity to clinch an NBA championship. Instead, it was the Thunder’s poor execution that led to a 108-91 loss, setting the Pacers up for an opportunity to win it all.
“I think we had the right mindset coming into it,” Williams said. “I think there was different things that we didn’t do in the game that hurt us. Closing out in the Finals is different from a playoff game because it’s the end of the season.”
Now, the NBA’s 2024-25 campaign comes down to a final matchup, winner-takes-all.
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How NBA Executives Feel About Josh Giddey's Upcoming Bulls Contract
Last season, Josh Giddey took a big leap after being traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder. With the Chicago Bulls, the Australian point guard was instrumental in getting them to the Play-In Tournament, going 39-43. The No. 10 seed was somewhat expected, but the record was better than people anticipated. Giddey averaged 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game, taking his offense to another level. His shooting splits improved as well, and his overall leap has resulted in the 22-year-old asking for big money amid restricted free agency. Still unsigned, Giddey is reportedly desiring at least $8 million more than what the Bulls are currently offering. In a recent article from Fred Katz and Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic, NBA executives gave their thoughts on what they think Giddey is worth and the overall contract dispute. One executive believed $100 million over four years was fair. “Giddey is the anomaly because he might be good enough to be a four-year player,” the executive said. “Nobody wants to go with long-term contracts because everybody wants this idea of flexibility. You wanna have the ability to (say), ‘You know what? My team’s not very good. Let’s pivot.’” Some other executives proposed three-year deals, ranging from $54 million to $75 million in total money. Cap space around the NBA has become extremely limited, and Chicago may not be willing to make such a long-term commitment to the former lottery pick. One person polled cited the Patrick Williams contract as a reference point for the Bulls. “Chicago gave (Williams) five years, $90 million with a player option,” the executive said. “He didn’t show much and got that deal entirely based on them drafting him top five and (his) perceived potential.”
Yankees’ Max Fried Makes Feelings Clear Before Trade Deadline
The New York Yankees acquired several talented veterans after superstar outfielder Juan Soto walked in free agency this past offseason, with southpaw pitcher Max Fried (12-4, 2.62 ERA) chief among them. They signed the latter player to an eight-year, $218 million contract, and he's given them their money's worth thus far. Fried leads New York's pitching staff in wins and ERA. The 31-year-old is also tied for third in baseball in wins, is 11th in ERA, and is 11th with a 1.03 WHIP. Still, the Yankees could use pitching help, given that ace Gerrit Cole is out for the year after getting Tommy John surgery, and 2024 AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil will make his first start of the season on Sunday. Fried was asked after Tuesday's bout with the Tampa Bay Rays if he's anxious to see what New York does ahead of Thursday's Trade Deadline, via SNY. "You've just got to take care of business every day," he said. "That's not something that we can control...We have baseball games to win." The Yankees did just that on Tuesday, beating the Rays 7-5 in a comeback effort. Fried earned his 12th win after allowing four runs (two earned) in 6.2 innings to go with nine strikeouts and two walks. The veteran also tossed a career-high 111 pitches. Over the last few days, the Yankees acquired third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies and fellow third baseman Amed Rosario from the Washington Nationals. They also traded pitcher Carlos Carrasco to the Atlanta Braves for a player to be named later or cash. New York will face Tampa Bay again on Wednesday and Thursday.
Oilers to Acquire a Top-Tier Goalie. An Official Trade Offer Is on the Table in a Blockbuster Deal
NHL players who will send their GM a 'thank you' card next summer
While it's possible a few moves will still occur in NHL free agency, most of the major wheeling and dealing is on pause. Here's a look at five players who will benefit the most this season from moves made by their general managers: New York Rangers right defenseman Adam Fox Fox was one of the top-producing defenseman in the league last season despite a revolving door of defensive partners next to him at five-on-five. To aid him, the Rangers signed Vladislav Gavrikov (seven years, $49M) with apparent goal of giving Fox the best defensive partner of his career. Gavrikov (6-foot-3, 220 pounds) was one of the best defensive defenseman in the league last season on the best regular-season defensive team (Los Angeles). If paired with Gavrikov, Fox could get increased minutes if the former King takes the toughest matchups. If split up, Fox will get the luxury of being matched against inferior opponents while Gavrikov takes the hardest minutes. Either way, that's a win for the former Norris Trophy winner. Carolina's wingers We're cheating a little bit here but with good reason. It's not really exactly where Carolina's new high-priced winger Nikolaj Ehlers (six years, $8.5 million AAV) will play — Carolina is likely to play him more often at five-on-five than he played in Winnipeg, where he was ninth in time-on-ice per game last season among forwards. Ehlers is an elite puck transporter who helped the Jets outscore opponents 100-55 at five-on-five the past two seasons, so at least one of Andrei Svechnikov, Seth Jarvis or Logan Stankoven will benefit from him. Montreal Canadiens right defenseman Lane Hutson Hutson (5-foot-9 and 162 pounds) will always have doubters because of his size. But some players transcend size, as Hutson did in an outstanding 60-assist rookie season in 2024-25. The Canadiens know that, in the right role, Hutson can do serious damage in creating offense at five-on-five and on the power play. Acquiring Noah Dobson, a 6-foot-4 right-handed-shot defenseman, will allow the Habs to keep Hutson in the ideal role. Dobson, playing a full season under HC Patrick Roy for the New York Islanders, put up his best career defensive metrics in high-danger chances against per 60 minutes (9.66) and expected goals against (2.29) in 70 or more games, according to Natural Stat Trick. Vegas Golden Knights Mark Stone Winger Mitch Marner's arrival could potentially give Stone a chance to take fewer shifts, play more games and be healthier come playoff time, when the Knights need his brand of two-way hockey to make up for Marner's history of playoff troubles. Stone, who has battled back problems for years, is 33 and on the back-nine of his career. The arrival of Marner has the potential to stretch out the effectiveness of the latter stages of his career. St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas Thomas has quietly become one of the more effective No. 1 centers in the league. His back-to-back 80-plus-point seasons are driven primarily by his speed and skill as a setup man. In free agency, St. Louis added centers Pius Suter and Nick Bjugstad. Bjugstad should be able to take harder matchups at five-on-five. Suter, meanwhile, proved to be an effective penalty killer in Vancouver last season. That should allow Thomas to spend fewer minutes on the penalty kill, where he had the worst expected goals against per 60 rate (10.84, per Natural Stat Trick) of any Blues penalty killer to play at least 20 minutes on the PK last season.
The 'Most game-winning drives by an NFL quarterback' quiz
Once again, the Cleveland Browns are facing an…interesting situation in their quarterback room. With Deshaun Watson out of the picture for at least 2025 due to an achilles injury, the Browns brought in grizzled veteran Joe Flacco and former first-round pick Kenny Pickett before drafting Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. With Pickett suffering a hamstring injury in training camp, it sounds like Flacco will get the majority of first-team reps going forward. Flacco is 40 years old and entering his 18th NFL season, and while his numbers with the Colts in 2024 weren’t great, he showed he can still run an offense and perform in the clutch. Which brings us to today’s quiz. Flacco started six games for Indianapolis, engineering two game-winning drives. With that being said, how many of the quarterbacks in NFL history with at least 25 career game-winning drives can you name in five minutes? Good luck! Did you like this quiz? Are there any quizzes you’d like to see us make in the future? Let us know your thoughts at quizzes@yardbarker.com, and make sure to subscribe to our Quiz of the Day Newsletter for daily quizzes sent right to your email!
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