Thunder-Pacers Finals pick & KAT’s fit with New York Knicks under fire | NBA | FIRST THINGS FIRST

Thunder-Pacers Finals pick & KAT’s fit with New York Knicks under fire | NBA | FIRST THINGS FIRST

OKC, one of the largest betting favorites in NBA Finals history. And every team with better odds, won the championship. But 2004 Lakers, who had the same odds, did get upset by the defensive-minded Pistons. So, Brew, you’ve rolled with Indie. Dusty, did we get that decision-making music in? Thank you. One of your many hometowns. Yes. And throughout the playoffs, you have yelled Naptown. You even brought in baby pictures to prove that you were actually from the folks Indianapolis. We went to Indianapolis. We made social videos of you saying, “Welcome back.” And you invited us to your elementary school if we wanted to look around your old stomping grounds. St. Luke’s. Who do you got in this final? Well, I’m glad you didn’t use the word betray. No, I didn’t because that is way too strong of a word. Yeah, especially cuz I mean you picked against Indiana in round two. What do you pick for the Cavs? Well, it’s when the Cavs were healthy. The fir The thing is we have to remember why I’m on the show. It’s not because I’m creative, even though I am. That’s true. It’s not because I’m easy on the eyes, even though I’ve been told, you know. It’s not because I’m funny as all get out. That’s true. Even though I am. That’s true, too. I am on the show because of cogent analysis. All right. So, I have to be objective in what I see as I predict this series. And because of that, I’ve been fretting this pit for a couple of weeks. But then my buddy, the great Nick Wright, oh, showed me a couple weeks ago, there’s a loophole. No, in the bylaws. This is I didn’t know it was admissible. I didn’t know it was legal, but Nick showed me you can actually pick one team and root for the other. Before you give your So, because Wait, wait, wait. Before you give your pick, can I just give you can I one plea here before you go? The audience doesn’t understand that concept. But also, here’s the other thing before you go, Drew. You’ve picked against Oklahoma City repeatedly. You picked Minnesota to beat them. And you picked They’ve proven themselves. They proved themselves against Denver. They proved themselves against What about how good Show D show how good Indiana’s been since January 1. Bru taught me this graphic. I know. I know. Bruce showed me this. But I’ve got to be the two best records. All right. Let me tomato tomato. as you try to shoot down your loophole you showed us last week. I am picking Put it on, bro. The Oklahoma City Thunder in six games, but I am rooting for pulling for with all my heart and soul. In the words of Nick Wright, I hope I’m wrong because I bleed knock down work. But you’re going down. This doesn’t work. This does not work. It’s just the truth. It worked for him. It didn’t work. It did not work. I mean, you let him do it. I tried not to. I had conversations with him privately and I said, “Hey, you know, it’s just anecdotal, but we do listen to the comments because we work for you. It’s not the other way around. We’re they’re the they’re the customers. We’re providing the product. Okay. And the a comment that we always get is, you know, I was watching the game. I couldn’t wait to see somebody, you know, basically eat it. When the Chiefs are wrong, he has to eat it. We can’t be like, I can’t wait to see what they say cuz Brew was halfway right. You’re right either way. Halfway right. Yes, you’re right. Both ways. What if he now says, I’ll pick the patients, but I hope I’m wrong. He might say that. He said it last series. Doesn’t work. I’m sorry, H. You should have shot it down. This is on the producers. You let it go. You let it go. You laughed at it. You played it. I thought it was horrible. I thought it was bad television. I said on air. It was a loophole. I I checked the bylaws. It was in there. It also was a series when I said it that we didn’t have a real emotional stake to. I didn’t say it before the Super Bowl. I didn’t say it before. You thought the Chiefs were going to win the Super Bowl where I was like my hometown team. I just don’t like the matchup, but I hope I’m wrong. Listen, I should take precedent. Mhm. My my head, as you said in the earlier, or my heart. I agree. Your head should take precedent. The point I am making that I was trying to make there is is it’d be one thing if your upstart hometown Pacers ran into this team that you believed all year was a juggernaut believe but you have you have doubted OKC throughout but here why have I doubted them cuz they don’t have any experience right you know who doesn’t have any more experience than them really what Easter garers Pacers have been to the to the playoffs two years, the last two years. This group of Pacers, same as OKC, I mean both of them are under uh experienced. So, their average age is one year more than the Thunder. So, I had to be I had to put on my analysis hat. I did it. It’s not fun. What about Rick Carl? Carlile’s great, but so is Dagno. Can I ask Can I ask I had to put on the analyst hat. Would you rather me come up here and when they go down in I’m gonna give them six games? No. It could be five. I’m gonna give you six. All right. When they go down, you rather me be up here when I I really didn’t believe they could win. Bro, I got to be an you. I You’re right. Can I Before I give my pick, can I ask a Carile question to you? Yes. He’s if they pull this off. Carile who already has under his belt one of the best postseason runs a team has had this century. You know what I mean? Going through the two-time defending champion Lakers, then going through was it OKC the next round? I think it was. Yeah, OKC. And then going through the big three in Miami. It was either OKC or the Spurs on those teams. The Right. That’s what it was Kobe and Pal Harden Russ KD LeBron Dway Bosch it with one superstar in his team that’s 2011 then doing in Indiana if they were to execute one of the biggest come or the biggest comeback tied in finals history it’s an all like two championships with two different teams under those circumstances well he’s obviously a hall of famer even I think without this win was he one of the top 10 coach coaches on that list? No. The 15 on the top 15, unless I’m mistaken, but I don’t believe so. I think if he were to win this series, you could move him, who’s always been or I’ve considered a top five coach, Larry Brown. I think you could move him ahead of Larry Brown. Larry got the one championship with the Pistons. Great upset. Larry had some stumbles throughout his career at times. Carile’s had, you know, dim years here or there, but okay, it’s going to take all his brain power. Drew officially has Thunder in six, maybe five. So, listen, uh, stylistically, I think this should be a fun series to watch. I agree. Number one defense against number one offense. And the best way to neutralize what the Pacers or what the Thunder do is to get out and run, to not let them set their defense. And that’s what Indiana wants to do. However, Thunder runs too. The Thunder run as well, but they the Thunder also fine playing a half court game and the Pacers just want to run. However, this is one that I since the start of round two, I’ve been consistent on. I don’t think anyone can beat Oklahoma City. It’s And I know Wilds didn’t like it. I apologize because maybe I set the template for this. to buy off. I think not only do I agree with Brew’s exact pick, I’ll say OKC and five, maybe six, but five is my pick. Last week I g I had take of the year. I would like to give the audience the bet of the year, which is be careful. In about two weeks time, yeah, you can get a is 36% return on your money good KW. Oh yeah, big time. Okay. OKC minus a game and a half, meaning OKC to winning four, five or six. That’s what it means. You lose the bet if they win in seven or the Pacers win is minus 275 on DraftKings. I’m telling you right now that is now minus 275 is a lot of juice to lay, but I not only do I find it very hard to see how the Pacers can win the series, I find it almost impossible to see how it can go seven. So that’s that’s where I will be placing my money and that’s where I’m at. Looks like I’m the Pacers guy all of a sudden. Didn’t know which way this was going to go. Didn’t have a ton of notes, but I will remember something just that was floating around the internet that I think caught the attention of the Pacers. Do you remember that graphic when it was Cavs Pacers and it was I think it was from ESPN and it was a Cavs straight everyone chose the Cavs. Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Don’t the same arguments apply from Cavs Pacers to Thunder Cavs, excuse me, to Thunder Pacers? Yeah. Better regular season. Great regular season record. Good defense. Oh, they’re all together. One superstar. One real superstar. I think OKC is just better than And they’re healthier than the Cavs. Healthier. They’re healthier than the Cavs were. Okay. I’m taking the Pacers. You’re just taking them just to be a for the show. He’s doing it for the show. I can’t do it. Hubs just asked in my in my ear to do it. I can’t do it. You have to. I’m not ready for it yet. I need to see a half. I’ll do it at halftime. He wants me to yell to do nap town. Do it. I grew up in Connecticut. No, it’s an insult to the Patriots. You can have this and do it with this. That’s still a picture of you. Yeah, but I mean and look, everybody knows I still got love for Nap Town. I mean, I’m just keeping it real like Indianapolis when we went there. Thank you. Hold it up. I’ll do it like the Thunder. That’s You should have put it on me like Thunder. I’m not going to. Uh, Meanwhile, I’m not Then you should do it. Nick’s trying to figure out what to do next year. steady progress under Tibs, but they may have hit a hard ceiling with cat. James L. Edwards and Fred Catz writing in the athletic players and coaches expressed frustration with Town’s defensive habits. Oh, well, you should have watched the Wolves. Uh, less concerned with his talent level and more with his process on that end. Too often, Towns executed incorrect coverages without communicating why he didn’t. After it became a theme, players worried towns didn’t grasp the importance of the matter. All right. So, we’re using this quote to get into a overall conversation on should the Knicks run it back next year. Well, look, if you can get Giannis, obviously you go get Giannis and and Giannis is better than Jaylen Brunson. Everybody understands that. But you need somebody even if Giannis gets there. So, I’m keeping Jaylen. Everybody else is on the board. Durant. We’ll we’ll get to Durant, I guess, a little later. But I run it back and what you hope is Cat, the pain, the criticism makes him work harder defensively. And you talk to him too as the team, you talk like the coaching staff, sit down with him filmwise, get him to execute on defense, put forth the effort, and stop making the silly fouls. And then as I’ve said with Tibs offense getting more mo movement player and ball and try to you got to get Tibs to play the bench more too. So you do those things. We talked about the East. It’s right now it’s the Knicks and Indie and Cleveland will be there but Cleveland has faltered time and time again in the playoffs. like even though they were banged up, they’ve also had these mental just bouts of mental weakness to be honest. And so I think the top two teams in the East even if Giannis stays in Milwaukee right now would be Indie and New York cuz Boston without Tatum. And so with those tweaks, you know, you add a little bit to your bench, but you like Shamck can play as a bench player, Landry Shamck, and and you know, your guy McBride, like they they got guys that can get some minutes during the regular season on the bench and then they’ll be more prepared for the playoffs and your starters will be more rested. So, some of those tweaks and and then they got a shot to come out of these. So, I would be fine with them just running it all back. Obviously, I think Giannis is a separate discussion entirely because to me it is such an obvious no-brainer that if you can add Giannis, you add Giannis, right? The Durant thing is interesting because you can make arguments on both sides. the he and towns. I spent a lot of time on a bunch of different websites, NBA trade machines today because I don’t have access to Bobby Marks directly to ask him how exactly this works. One website kept telling me I’m 200 grand away from making it work and it can’t work. Another one was like trade works. But yeah, I’m going to assume that a KD Carlanthony Towns trade can be consummated in the offseason with some of the restrictions lessen. It is worth contemplating under this prism. Do I think that it is good business to trade a player who’s seven years older than than another AllNBA guy? Typically, I don’t. Do I think that if you’re the Knicks looking at next year as a putting a few extra eggs into next year’s basket when Boston’s off the table? I like this is worthwhile if in conjunction with it we get whomever we get bruise guy Rick Brunson whoever our number one assistant coach motivator guy is to drive over to Mitchell Robinson’s house and be like hey one of the reasons we’re comfortable doing this is because we believe you can play 30 minutes a game because we believe you’re going to come back next year and be a 60% free throw shooter and we are going to start you. You are going to be our starting center. Mitch Robinson who in the past has kind of put out things on social media and not as of late but like I’m not just a rebounder and like you know that he we want to give you that bigger role and we are going to and if you’re Phoenix that’s the best you’re going to get for Durant. A guy who fits Booker’s timeline. They were teammates you know they’re buddies. They were teammates at Kentucky. Um you know what I mean? Uh Ishbia does not want to rip it down. Maybe he should, but he doesn’t want to. That I think that would be I I think Phoenix would be winning that trade, but I think the Knicks might be better for next season. And so that’s something that I especially when the alternative is Towns who’s on the books for like 61 million in a couple years and extension eligible this summer. That’s a contract that Minnesota was afraid of. So you get out of the way of that. I you keep your athletic wings. I think that is something you don’t like that I’m not trading Carl Anthony Towns for Durant at 37. Durant remember 37 in September. Injuryprone himself. He’s more injuryprone than Carl Anthony Town. He got injured in the layup line a couple years ago. I mean that’s a fact. I know. But and then Mitchell Robinson is injuryprone as well. I’m supposed to count on him. He’s never healthy. Hold on. Can I Can I There’s no way. And And Nick, even even in best case scenario, if that team were to win the East, which will be wide open, they win at all. Maybe that’s not the East is not nearly as good as the West. I understand, but we don’t we don’t know. I mean, once you get there, yeah, you got a chance. But that I look I I I have I just at this point banking on Kevin Durant to leave like I love him there with Brunson and Towns. Well that but him instead of Towns he doesn’t improve my defense. Oh no I think your defense he’s a little better than Towns defenses by your center becoming Mitchell Robinson full time and Durant out there. Can I can I push because I am I was not prepared for you to not like it because it’s typical Knicks. Look at how many superstars they brought here past their prime. Agreed. But Durant’s still an excellent player. He scores the Hold on. But that’s that’s what he does. He Same with Towns. That’s all Towns rebounds. Okay. Towns rebounds. The And Towns scores inside which I could draw fouls on the opponent. Durant just going to shoot jumpers. The reason I thought you would like it was because in one of the more controversial moments in this show’s recent history, you said the Mavs should consider trading Anthony Davis for Durant. And I said that was an insane trade from the Mavs perspective. We did a whole press conference about it. There had to be somebody else. It was Durant and Kyrie. It it was because they have Cooper flag. It was because they have Cooper flag now and it was a whole thing like they like. So I don’t I don’t know that that was exact but but even so that’s still a threesome. Like I love Durant and I love Durant in New York with Towns and Brunson. I don’t think that’s just Brunson and KD. No, I No, but I mean you So, so you value so you but but you would but you value towns more than the combination of OG and bridges because let’s just say I don’t even think that trade mathwise would work. But if I said, okay, trade Durant for OG and Bridges, then you can’t guard anybody. Then now you can’t guard anybody. But are you a Tibs team now? You’re not guarding anybody. I think I I I you have three now all a sudden Tibs has three guys who aren’t great defenders. I still got Hart. Durant’s a decent defender. I’m just saying he’s not much of an upgrade over towns. Okay. It would be an issue. Don’t if they if they trade I said Drew, don’t you think you’d pick the Knicks to win the East? Not necessarily. No. I mean the day after if we if we were like, “Hey, who do we think’s in the best position?” We are We are susceptible to that. We are a little recency bias. I’ve you know I just think it’s it’s all his obviously Kevin Durant’s been a better player than Carl Anthony Towns his age his injury history and then banking on Mitchell Robinson who’s it’s feel like every year of his career he’s been hurt and out for half the season at least. Thanks for watching. Subscribe here to get more from the show and to check out clips from other shows on FS1.

Nick Wright, Kevin Wildes, and Chris Broussard debate their Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers NBA Finals picks and weigh in on the growing concerns surrounding Karl-Anthony Towns’ fit with the New York Knicks. Are the Knicks making the right move by sticking with Towns, or is it time to move on?

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Thunder-Pacers Finals pick & KAT’s fit with New York Knicks under fire | NBA | FIRST THINGS FIRST
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