Shaq & Kenny React to Thunder Game 2 Win vs. Pacers | 2025 NBA Finals

Shaq & Kenny React to Thunder Game 2 Win vs. Pacers | 2025 NBA Finals

welcome to game time live at the finals presented by YouTube TV We got the champs with us Shaquille O’Neal Kenny the Jet Smith and Isaiah Thomas And you know Shaq you added a new word to the vernacular in our pregame show the super others I got to start with a stat about those guys Aaron Wiggins and Alex Caruso combined to outscore Tyrese Hallebertton and Pascal Seyakum Those super brothers stepped up tonight for OKC This is what you call a total team effort You know I’ve been saying for the you know past two games that you know Shay Gilchus you know with uh JDub and Chad u Jay Dub has 19 Chad has I think 15 or whatever held them under 20 but then Caruso super other and then the other kid Wiggins 18 total team effort they played but we knew they was going to respond this way They played well Both teams played hard but now OKC got their momentum back Now now we have a series Uh you know I was scared for OKC because usually you know when when you’re upset when you feel you let a game get away you put the game away early And the fact that in the first quarter it was close and the second quarter was close they they didn’t pull away to like the early mid third quarters But uh now we have a series total team effort from OKC Now can they do that on a road Because we’ve been saying and we know from experience everybody plays well at home Can Wiggins get 18 Can Caruso hit 20 Can they shoot 50 48.8% from the field on the road So now it’s 1-1 Uh Indiana stole one I’m just glad it’s not the old format that 232 Yeah Remember that format that 232 Yeah So now we have a series Uh I won’t even be watching cuz after this I’m dishing Oh shut up I don’t even I don’t even want to hear I’m going to be in the Bahamas They have TVs in the ABC is also on the ocean Yeah Yeah you do Satellite But you know down in the ocean So Zeke go ahead You you finish up because I know you No no I I was I was just going to echo what what Shaq was saying how you know they came out and and they got you know what they got one two three four they got five people in double figures but the most important thing that I saw tonight was on the offensive side for OKC Shay was definitely a distributor tonight Even though he even though he got 34 points but he got 34 points on 21 shots as a as compared to last game he gets 30 points on 30 shots you know and that allows Homegr to get in the game That allows Jay Will to get into the game That allows everyone else to get into the game And not only with his 34 points he got eight assists with those 34 points So as a offensive juggernaut that’s what he was tonight not just in scoring but also in distributing and making sure that his others super others got a chance to play I I 100% agree with both of you You know having Chad be much more involved as he walks over to our set and you you know having multiple guys I I I said this to Chris upstairs I said I think this team is good enough Minnesota check There it is Well we we we’ll let we we’ll get that to that point but we got a star of the game sitting in on us right now You know they got to go to Indiana and win too Yeah Yeah They got Looking back at game two here’s the highlight Jayd Dove finding SGA in the corner and the Thunder came out connecting from outside up by five Andrew Nimhard you know those corner threes were good for the Pacers early and often Z you know Indiana this is what they like to do And I I thought OKC did a good job of not only pressuring but you know taking those easy shots away And I thought Chad coming out being aggressive in the first quarter You know not only establishing himself as an offensive player but giving SGA the the freedom to let him know that okay you got you got me with you tonight and I’m ready to play and I’m ready to go nine points in the first quarter Shaq you asked him He had six points in all of game one You know all great players have the same battle Never had two bad games in a row So I asked him how you slept You know where were you thinking about I knew for a fact you know cuz like Kenny said he was the man in high school He was the man in Gonzaga So I knew he had uh you know aggression come to play hard on his mind And listen he played well And I commend him for his answers He’s a guy that wants to be the man but because he’s playing next to the man he has to take two steps back So I commend him for his answer cuz I would have been like listen I’m getting mine I’m getting I know I’m playing with this guy Well you play with you play with Anthony Hardway you play with Kobe Bryant you play with D Wayade guys who have been supposedly the second guy and they’re like we going to take it from you tonight Jack Exactly No and I and I just like to say all them guys they were the second guy Shaq was the first guy Okay Thank you sir No No that’s real talk Thunder go on a 19-2 run to build a 23point lead But Kenny unlike game one the Thunder really never let up It never got under 13 points that lead because they passed the basketball There it is right Example of that They they didn’t hold on to it an extra second I thought they were a little antsy and a little fidgety in game one When they got steals or they got conversions they didn’t really got get everyone involved It it it showed in the assist totals I don’t know what they were tonight They had to be at least close to double because of what they were doing offensively The steals getting into the lane getting into passing frustrating the almost unfrustable But the funny thing about this game even though they got to the big league you still have to watch out with Indiana So you know even though they got away you know Indiana kept fighting and kept fighting and then of course you know the last six seven minutes they you know said “Oo that’s how you baptize.” Amile Turner bringing the thunder Oo baptized in the eternal fire So the assist totals you’re talking about Kenny 25 assists for OKC in this one after 13 assists a season low in game one Big difference 100% And there it is You know Zeke when everyone touches it it’s easier to like even if I don’t shoot the basketball Chris but I touch it in a possession when the next time I give it gives me energy And now when I do catch it it’s not like a foreign object It doesn’t feel like a square It feels like a a circle and I can catch it and shoot it And so you have to get people involved Shay did a much better job getting off the basketball early in transition Caruso with 20 Jay Will with 19 Wigs 18 Hogram 15 early a lot in the first half This was a total team effort and and I thought that was the key you know Shay came out and not only got his teammates involved but he was able to keep himself involved And you know that goes with the the 21 shot attempt again as opposed to 30 And letting letting Chad get involved early knowing that SGA can come back and get his I think he let others get involved He let Jay Will get involved and then he start to insert himself into the game But I thought uh SGA did a a great job of reading the game tonight and only taking 21 shots again as opposed to 30 shots the other night Different game different story for the Oklahoma City Thunder You see their field goal percentage up by 10 assists plus 12 And then points off of turnovers Even though they forced 10 less turnovers they scored three more points and also won the rebounding battle the Oklahoma City Thunder They even the series at one to one But you know Jet one of the things that we noticed about the Pacers and their ability to score the corner threes in this series shooting 53% when they shoot the corner threes Every other three just 32% I agree But tonight was a human nature game Mhm They they they were content in terms of the the one thing that you can’t say is like it’s hard to measure passion enthusiasm and effort But I can measure that they didn’t sprint to the spots as fast tonight as they did the other night They didn’t pick up aggressively defensively I can show you on the tape I’m like well the other day you did this Today you were you were arms length The other day you were here So there was a little bit of contentment you know you got two or three days of being in this city and I I didn’t know which way it would go but I I thought also that there was a contentment when tonight for the Indiana Pacers And now on game three they kind of saving that adrenaline and that anxiety and everything else for game three That’s what it felt like from an from someone who’s played and guys who have played we looked at and go that’s what it looks like because when you start on the road if you win the first game you’re successful Yeah Now if you win two you’re super successful But I have to agree with Kenny They were satisfied with that game one win Listen they played hard the first you know first quarter second quarter third quarter it started to slip away and it was like you know what we got this one But as again now it’s a series They’re going to go because listen OKC play well but I rather see them with their big three play well Like you know you still held Jub and Chet under 20 which is good Now can the other guys get off on the road like they did So you know game three um Indiana’s gonna be pumped Their fans gonna be pumped They’re gonna be playing with like Kitty said adrenaline and energy So and this is what I was going to say Zeke and you could see if I make sense to you cuz when we played these guys in the final we were able to win game one in their place you know and the only way we win game two is they had to self-destruct If they had come ready to play we probably couldn’t have won game two But they had a self-destruction moment Tell me I self-destruct again And then we put this camera on it one more time You already said it twice Say it again You allowed seven threes I can’t say it again A guy and a guy But don’t use the word self-destruct You already said it twice Say I had to do something that say it one more Say it one more time If you don’t get that big elbow off would you agree though to lose I ain’t in that I didn’t know I didn’t know that You’re on an island by yourself Kenny I I don’t I think if they don’t miss those free throws in game one and they come in a different energy it would have been almost impossible to beat him in game two In the words of Eddie Murphy what he said to Martin Lawrence say something else about my daddy watch No I I I think I think the you know going into game three right Uh can Indiana go home and play good basketball but not necessarily have to depend on the emotions of the fans and you know all the all the energy that will be in the building That could be a distraction for OKC But can Indiana play good basketball at home And if Indiana plays good at home game three and game four you know you could you OKC would have to come back here and win game five to extend the series And uh I look at Indiana right now and I look at OKC both of them have a dilemma right The bigs played well tonight They rebounded the basketball Can he play his bigs on the road And will we know Indiana will shoot better on the road However will OKC’s defense and rebounding travel Oh defense travels now And it normally does Defense travels However those super others right in Indiana probably will be super But the key for Indiana at home no mistakes super focused Everybody has to play well Superstars definitely got to play well And the others when you get your opportunity take advantage of the opportunities and play well If they can have that that supreme effort like Isaiah said that’ll force OKC to have to play well

NBA TV GameTime crew Shaq, Kenny Smith, Isiah Thomas, and Chris Miles break down the Oklahoma City Thunder’s win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the 2025 NBA Finals.

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