3 From Deep

June 2, 2025

June 2, 2025

What a week for sports fans.

The Edmonton Oilers are the standard bearers for Canada as they take the home ice advantage into their rematch with the 2 time defending Stanley Cup Champions Florida Panthers. This matchup takes on extra significance with President Trump’s bizarre 51st state ramblings and all Canadian sports fans would like nothing more than to stick it to the Donmeister with the Cup coming back to the Great White North.

The NBA Finals are a glorious example of the desired parity in the league with not 1 but 2 small market teams who have outflanked the big boys with all of their glitz and glamor that resulted in, well, nothing to show for their bright lights.

Let’s go ‘3 from Deep!’

The Eastern Conference Finals was a contest between 2 likeable teams from different worlds.

The Knicks (and Lakers) are the prime examples of big city hype and major market expectations. But, unlike the Lakers, the Knicks last won an NBA Championship back in the time of plaid and cuffed bell bottoms. This Knicks team is a gritty group led by 2 unique talents that do not look or play like the stereotypic high flying, uber athletic NBA player.
KAT is big, relatively slow and seems to lumber more than run. His coming of age in the playoffs was inspiring as he was tough minded, played through pain and injury and combined old and new school skills to come closer to the potential fans have always believed he possessed. His attacking the basket along with his 3 point threat and a very effective back to the basket game was refreshing in a bruising way.
Jalen Brunson is a true joy to watch. He plays as well horizontally as any modern era star. He beats his defenders with a crafty combination of skills and a ‘level of compete’ that is truly unique. Andrew Nemhard’s Game 6 defense was as effective as anyone who tried guarding Brunson. Honestly, the air finally went out of the Knicks balloon.
Honorable Mention is the play of Raptor alumni, O.G. Anunobi. He was tough on both sides of the ball and was a key factor in the Knicks being almost, but not quite, good enough.
The Indiana Pacers made it to the NBA Finals in a wild west fashion. Tyrese Haliburton was the engine but sometimes sputtered in key situations. His relentless energy and multi-faceted game seemed to find the right answer at the right time even with laying a couple eggs in both losses.
Pascal Siakim (you may add this to your reasons to cry in your beer, Raptors fans) brings his championship experience to the mix. This was a big reason the Pacers made the deal to get Pascal and talk about paying dividends. IF Indiana hopes to compete with OKC, he is going to have to be able to be effective.
Honorable Mention goes to Canadian Ryan Nembhard not because he had a particularly good ECF but because he had a defensive performance in Game 6 that truly rattled the usually unflappable Brunson. And, lo and behold, his shot returned in the 4th quarter as he hit some key buckets.

The Western Conference Finals between the Timberwolves and Thunder ended with a dull thud. The Thunder ran the Wolves off the court in Game 5 sending the canines back to the Twin Cities with some serious considerations on how to approach the offseason.

The Thunder are the clear favorites going into the Finals. SGA has been dominant. Williams was outstanding as was Holmgren. Lu Dort was all over Anthony Edwards in Game 5. The deservedly praised Thunder bench was up to the task.
So, it is just a ‘fait accompli’ right? Well, not so fast. Consider the following:

This was the exact thinking process when the Pacers were going to face the Cavs. Similar record to the Thunder in the regular season, rolling the junior college talent level Miami Heat in the first round. Outcome? Cavs wilted.
But there’s more: In the 2024 playoffs, the Pacers had the Celtics on the ropes in 2 of their losses before the Shamrocks found their footing and disposed of the pests while going on to win the NBA Championship.
Rick Carlisle is a Hall of Fame coach who has molded this team into one of the best in the league over the last 50 games of the season.
Indiana does not play like anyone else in the NBA. They run, run and run some more. They share the ball. They value all shots, not just the 3.
Are the Pacers OKC Light? Not a bad comparison. Can defenders like Nembhard and Nesmith disrupt SGA’s dominance by making him a bit more uncomfortable than he has been to this point?

So the bottom line is: OKC is picked by every pundit to win in 5 or 6. This includes me BUT Indiana is a surprising group. We will see how the matchups shake out once the Finals get into full swing on Thursday.

3. The WNBA is, well, just not as exciting as when Caitlin Clark isn’t playing!

Viewership is down, game excitement is flat. Until CC returns, expect more of the same. Does this mean there is something wrong with the WNBA? Yes and no. Superstars always drive viewership numbers. A PGA event with or without Tiger back in the day for example. But where the WNBA has failed epically is in their immaturity on how to manage the image of the league. Too much focus on too many negative personalities and jealous social media postings has undermined the early part of the season. I sincerely hope that this will change over the course of the season so the WNBA and women’s basketball can continue to grow in a positive way. Remember, do not kill the goose that lays the golden egg.

Ben Golliver from the Washington Post and I will be releasing a ‘Deep Dive’ edition on Wednesday where we lay the table for the NBA Finals.

Join Ryan and me on Saturday from 10am-noon on The Basketball Show on Edmonton’s Sports1440 and online on sports1440.ca. We will be discussing the Singers and CEBL, the 2025 Hoop City3x3 Basketball Festival and, of course, all your NBA Finals updates.

In loving memory of my son, Ben, please take care and always be kind to each other – we never know what others are dealing with in their lives.

Have a great week on and off the court!

Yours in Basketball,

Paul