June 18, 2025
Last week, I delved into the hockey-basketball playoff connection. Both series were tightly contested, filled with drama and delightful playoff uncertainty through the first four games in each. The tides may have shifted in uniquely parallel ways. There is much to discuss so let’s go ‘3 From Deep’:
1. The Florida Panthers have repeated as Stanley Cup champions on home ice in the second of two dominant performances against the Edmonton Oilers. ‘Always a bridesmaid, never a bride’ pops to mind after watching one team clearly take the upper hand in what was a competitive and dynamic series throughout the first four games. But, as often happens over a seven-game series, the better team breaks through the incredible, overachieving efforts of the less talented foe and pulls away in the end to hoist the trophy again.
Is that what we are seeing unfold in the NBA Finals? It seems so. Teams figure each other out over the course of consecutive games, but strengths and weaknesses also start to emerge in decisive ways. Game 1 was a shocker when the miraculous Tyrese Haliburton hit his famous fourth game-winning playoff shot with .3 seconds to go, giving the Pacers the only lead of the evening. The Thunder righted the ship in Game 2, and Indiana put together an incredible, high-energy effort to decisively win Game 3 and take a 2-1 series lead.
The haunting tale for Pacer fans that will carry on for generations (Woulda – Shoulda – Coulda) was the squandering of a manageable lead in Game 4 resulting in a loss that is nearly impossible to recover from when you let the more talented team come back and steal the win to tie the series 2-2 heading back to tornado-prone Oklahoma City. To take this analogy a step further, the storm inside the Paycom Center was led by Jalen Williams’ coming-of-age party, which culminated in a flawless 40-point performance. Imagine this, if you will: SGA’s stat line was 31 points,10 assists, 4 blocks, and 2 steals, breaking MJ’s and LeBron’s record of most 30+ point performances in the playoffs, and he was the second-best player on the court! Williams is 23; SGA 26.
The Pacer story has taken a disappointing turn. Tyrese is hurt, but even before the aggravation of a leg injury early in Game 5, he was clearly bothered and limited by the defense of Lu Dort, Alex Caruso, and the historic defense that Coach Mark Daigneault and his staff have implemented; more on this in Point 3. The play of Pascal Siakim and the firefly electric performances of T. J. McConnell have been the high points for the Pacers, but the gradual wearing down of the team against the relentless Thunder defensive assault makes a Thunder victory in Game 6 seem highly likely. Can the Pacers do it? As in the case of the Oilers, of course, they can if they find the same Game 3 gear and if the Thunder are a little less efficient. It seems, though, that talent, ability, and fatigue have set the table in favor of the Thunder.
2. The WNBA was uplifted again because of the return of Caitlin Clark to the Indian Fever lineup after a five-game hiatus while treating a quad injury. She hit three 30-foot-plus 3-pointers in the first half and led the Fever with 32 points as they toppled the undefeated New York Liberty. The CC Effect on the WNBA? Ratings dropped by over 50% for the Fever; attendance was down dramatically. Ratings across the league, while better than in the pre-Clark era, also dropped, and attendance and TV ratings all lag unless CC is playing. Is this unfair? Does this FACT merit the dour commentary and jealousy that is clearly on display by players, coaches, and commentators? The answer to both is ABSOLUTELY NOT! As many have stated, the WNBA is going through EXACTLY what the NBA went through with Magic & Bird and MJ, as their mere presence with their skill and competitive spirit inspired people to want to watch a flailing league. It is Tiger Woods and golf; the ratings were always dramatically lower if Tiger either wasn’t playing or not in title contention at a tour stop. The most current comparison is that Caitlin is to women’s basketball as Steph Curry is to men’s. Both have opened the portal into new realms we never thought possible in terms of shooting range, variety, and creativity. Were there great players before? Are there great players now? Of course, but they are not galvanizing and electrifying. This is lightning in a bottle that must be captured and built on. These are Mozart Moments, but, unlike Wolfgang, we have the opportunity to enjoy them NOW.
3. This leads me to my final tirade: The crappy job being done by officials in both the NBA and WNBA and the worse job being done by both respective leagues in allowing the inconsistencies to exist under the guise of how hard their job is. Some crystal-clear examples of grotesque, perplexing, and inexcusable officiating:
- The Cailin Clark melee in last night’s Fever-Sun game. Clark gets poked in the eye, confronts the defender, and then is shoved to the ground. Clearly, an ejection is in order. Nope. Not in the WNBA. A flagrant is assessed, and Clark is given a technical, as well. Horrible. Demeaning to the league. A clear demonstration of the semi-trailer full of bad, missed, and biased officiating in the league.
- The now-famous, or more correctly ascribed, infamous push-off by SGA on Nesmith at a critical juncture in Game 4. What is the standard for an offensive foul? The arm of the offensive player raises up, makes contact with the defender and creates an advantage. Did that happen? YES. Shay then does a 3-step shuffle move, as he was off balance due to his push-off, to gather himself and, as he does with deadly regularity, hits a critical baseline fadeaway. The official, Scott Foster, is nicknamed ‘The Extender’ because of his presence in many NBA games where interesting calls and outcomes seem to routinely take place. The NBA circled the wagons on this. The review showed it was a correct non-call. Indiana coach Rick Carlisle leapt to Foster’s defense. My conclusion: It was botched and the visual evidence stands up at both game speed and slow motion that it should have been an easy offensive foul call.
- This leads to my final point on officiating in both upper-echelon leagues: Is the play too fast, are the players too good? If so, how will this be addressed in the offseason? More training? Add a 4th official? Improve the replay protocols and allow more challenges to take place? Or can the officials strive to be more consistent and balanced in how the games are called? Here is my beef with the NBA Finals: a) SGA gets way too many calls and he hooks, initiates non-impact contact and flails and flops. He is a more sophisticated version of James Harden. I am not trying to demean SGA’s MVP greatness but many players in the league do not get the calls he gets. b) OKC’s defense is relentless and physical. They expect to have fouls called. But there have been far too many physical plays both on-ball and off-ball by the Thunder defense that are let go. Shoving Haliburton to the ground to get the ball is a foul. Grabbing is a foul, especially when done with unrestricted regularity. I am all for more physical defense. I don’t mind the arm bar. But hacking, clutching, grabbing, and flopping have to be dealt with fairly and consistently. I am not a conspiracy theorist but a pattern of behavior realist, if there is such a thing!
I hope you will join Ryan Deed and me for ‘The Basketball Show’ live every Saturday from 10 am to noon MST on Sports1440 in Edmonton and sports1440.ca across Canada. Our shows are all on your favorite podcast provider, as well.
In honor of my son, Ben, please treat each other with kindness, as we don’t know what people are dealing with in their lives.
Have a great week and enjoy Game 6. Next year, Oiler Fans!
Yours in basketball,
Paul
Paul Sir is the creator and host of ‘The Basketball Show’ which has been on the air since 2016 in Edmonton. He is the founder and CEO of the 3×3 Basketball Association, dedicated to the growth and development of the Olympic sport of 3×3 ( 3x3ba.ca ). He is the Director of the Hoop City3x3 Basketball Festival which will be held at the Ice Palace in West Edmonton Mall from July 31st to August 3rd. He is the color commentator for the Edmonton Stingers CEBL team. You can contact Paul at paulsir3x3@gmail.com.
