Colin Cowherd REACTS to Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals Game 5: Why SGA & OKC are SPECIAL | THE HERD

Colin Cowherd REACTS to Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals Game 5: Why SGA & OKC are SPECIAL | THE HERD

j-mack and I joining you you know J-Mack sometimes as a young broadcaster you don’t pay the respect that certain teams and players so richly deserve and I’m watching OKC last night and this is a very good You follow the NBA draft it’s a very domestic draft it is a very good draft people are speculating there is 12 to 14 players in this draft that could be at some point an an all-star like it’s a it’s one of our better drafts in a while okc has the first pick out of the lottery they got two picks in this first round and they may have five of the top 30 defenders in the NBA right now two guys who made the alldefensive team but you got to be honest Jac i know they’re not aesthetically pleasing but they’re an alltime defense yeah well there’s a reason I’ve got a different facial hair look this morning Colin that’s because I’ve been going into witness protection because I’ve been bashing these guys all season and now they’re going to be the champs that’s what I have to do well let’s do I think the series is over okay it’s going back to Indie but I think it’s over with Hallebertton’s injury but once again when a historically great defense meets a fast-paced or dynamic offense the defense usually prevails times a flat circle history repeats itself it could be the bad boy Pistons yep they kept beating MJ it could be Bellich’s defense in New England beating the uh greatest show on turf it could be a sab dynasty time after time dominating a great offense the truth is the Pacers have the league leading pace and they look at times completely out of sorts overwhelmed by this relentless defense which again may have five of the top 30 defenders in the league it’s got a Seattle Seahawks Legion of Boone feel where it’s like fast and relentless and well coached and twitchy and aggressive go ask Payton and Manning about it even when Brady beat him in the Super Bowl it was a defensive interception the Patriots game plan was catch it and go forward do not run side to side or they’ll strip you of the ball or tackle you for a loss that’s how much the Seahawks defense was in Brady and Pton Manning’s head um in Hallebertton’s injury that’s like the one way to beat him hallelbertton’s pace his quirky herkyjerky style it can be hard to defend he moves the ball so well he’s hurt now so we spend so much time in basketball discussing offense kd and the Splash Brothers no those teams had the best defense in the league michael Jordan’s Bulls MJ Rodman and Pippen first team AllNNBA defense multiple times the Kansas City Chiefs wide receiving core has been a mess the last two years the run game sometimes disappears last time they won a Super Bowl yeah Spag’s defense was number two in the NFL and that’s why the Lions died not Jared Goff they couldn’t stop anybody they were all beat up yeah I know SGA doesn’t dunk a lot and you don’t know much about Jaylen Williams but there’s a reason James Harden Dominique Wilkins Melo and Allen Iverson have no titles you got to make stops too yeah yeah Iverson stole a lot of balls yeah he cheated on passing lanes but in the end he didn’t guard anybody oklahoma’s city’s offense especially on the road can disappear at times it can be a little hit and miss it’s very young young young players don’t play as well on the road if SGA is not getting to the free throw line then a lot of time that O that Thunder offense on the road it can have bad quarters but here’s what travels well defense and the Indiana Pacers are 0 and7 in the playoffs when they score under 110 points yep that’s the series and without Hallebertton good luck so defense is not just about uh steals it’s not just about blocks it’s like um defense is like two factor authentication it’s just tedious and aggravating and it makes you work a little harder and it really is annoying and that’s really the defense for Oklahoma City the ball pressure on the perimeter meaning if you do get past him you’re offbalance there’s always a body on you and then Homegrren is a great rim protector so like he didn’t have a great offensive series but he can defend you on the wing at 72 or he can defend you at the basket even when you try to get putbacks off block shots those can get blocked last night I think OKC had 14 blocks but it’s not just about blocks and steals it is the constant pressure the minute you take it over half court they make it constantly uncomfortable and in the end it’s switchable it’s twitchy guys can guard you outside all the way down the floor they can block a shot at the rim and SGA their best offensive player notices we were very disruptive defensively kind of had them on their heels was pressuring and we because of that had like felt three or four steals in a row then we were able to get run get get out and run get easy baskets but uh yeah it always starts defensively for us yes defense first when historically great defenses meet fast-paced or dynamic offenses often the result is this and even when you do have all-time great offenses the Randy Moss Patriots they didn’t win a Super Bowl they did the defense wasn’t as good and the KD Warriors they were great defensively iggy at one point got an MVP of the finals um I want to talk about Jaylen Williams so I have been on this kick for multiple years about Jaylen Williams not Jaylen Williams but on this kick is that the NBA has tried to marginalize college basketball for years and I think it’s a huge mistake where are all the G-League stars in this final where’s Scoot Henderson anybody seen Jonathan Kaminga jaylen Williams small college military parents three years grinding his butt off not seeking a shorter route or a quick buck college basketball’s got better coaching major March Madness environments packed houses TV pressure i’m going to show our TV audience this look at the last 6 years of Jaylen Williams basketball journey look at these numbers santa Clara 7 then 11 points then 18 then to the NBA 14 19 21 no shortcuts gradual improvement he’s got the touch that tells you he spent so long in the gym he can score in transition he can hit a three he’s got mid-range but it’s that beautiful touch around the basket with his enormous length that’s time in the gym and there’ll be a point at some point and I think Adam Silver is now realizing it that the NBA will treat college basketball like the NFL’s always treated college football as an adversary as an ally the coaching’s intense the environments are intense you come into the NFL you’ve played in Blackburg or Tuscaloosa you’ve played in Austin or Norman Oklahoma or Madison Wisconsin or Athens Georgia you played in front of 100,000 people on a Saturday night it’s been intimidating you ain’t getting that in the G- League you’re not getting big-time coaching in the G-League look at this finals look at Jaylen Williams is just what this finals is all about jaylen Williams Tyrese Hallebertton Nemhart Alex Caruso TJ McConnell Pascal Seakum Nmith Obie Toppen a lot of guys who spent multiple years in college grinding oh yeah there’s a oneanddone guy here or there not a lot of G-Leaguers not a lot of G-leaguers when I watched Jaylen Williams last night dude that he that dude has grinded his way to being an offensive machine he didn’t just get 40 56% from the floor only had one turnover super efficient i mean that that is what it takes to be great hallebertton was overlooked jaylen Williams goes to Santa Clara i’m not saying SGA shouldn’t be a one and done or a Miles Turner some of these guys you know they’re just they’re just like prodigies but Oklahoma City may not be a riveting team but I respect the hell out of them the culture the coaching the grind you listen offense is fun defense is work oklahoma City plays defense like a hardcoached college team and here’s Jaylen Williams a 40 spot last night every time you play in the finals it’s the biggest game of your life you know what I mean so I think that’s given me a little more comfort and just like playing hard and playing aggressive um I think I just understand the opportunity that we have and I just try and play as hard as I can and then whatever happens after that is is where the chips fall but I’d be lying if I said I could imagine doing what I did tonight but I definitely could have seen myself here a long time ago i just didn’t think it would happen this fast and I didn’t think it would be with a group of guys that you know I truly am like grateful to be around to play this level of defense the Seahawks may have fallen apart later and pointed fingers the Seahawks culture maybe didn’t last forever but generally to be a great defensive team it’s teamwork it’s chemistry it’s coaching you’ve got to all be tied together by a string you have to believe in the same thing it’s why I criticize guys like Luca i’m like dude it can’t just be about getting buckets you got to defend on the other end or else it it tears at the fabric because defense is all about effort and work nobody’s born a great defensive player there are people that are born long and a good genetics they’re long and they can be athletic and they’ve got like you know the right hips to be a corner uh you know but defense nobody comes out of the womb all NBA first team defense that is effort there have been great bigs who were defenders small players who were great defenders i mean Alex Caruso that is effort to be a defender like Alex Caruso he’s guarding guys seven inches taller that is effort and Jaylen Williams on both end i watch Oklahoma City man i respect that culture those are workers even SGA’s game he not jumping over you he not dunking over you that’s just years in the gym jmack it is time you paid a little respect wow to the Thunder wow colin I got to say bravo that is a great take on Jaylen Williams i’m not gonna lie the audience couldn’t see it but when you said “I want to talk about Jaylen Williams.” I honestly rolled my eyes like “Oh what what is he the best number two in the league.” Colin that’s a great take because you’re spot on this guy when he came out of college I remember he was drafted 12th overall and there was a guy sitting there who just won MVP of the Final Four o Abbaji from Kansas and I’m like why are they taking this guy over Abbaji who who just won the MVP of the Final Four and Oklahoma City saw something in him you’re right he stuck around in college slow growth colin that’s a great take i I totally agree with you and I wonder if you look at this draft coming up are we going to see more guys instead of hey let’s just grab a freshman is there a junior or senior who can help us win in the next like two years well I think what you’re seeing between Hallebertton and Seakum and Jaylen Williams and SGA you know what I’m seeing maturity i’m see these are really focused mature teams and it’s impressive i’m like I don’t care what the TV ratings are like all I know is when I watch this final I see committed athletes that are coachable that work their butt off um I don’t want to talk about Scott Foster i want to talk about the defense and the pacing and the maturity and the effort there are a lot of good basketball players when I watch When I watch SGA when I watch Jaylen Williams I you can see the time in the gym to have Jaylen Williams touch he He can shoot at three he’s got a mid-range game he’s still He’s got handles he’s got beautiful touch dude you don’t that that again that’s in the gym that is work because remember the one and done guys ben Matherin had one good showing otherwise he’s been kind of all over the place and I’m not bashing Chad Homegrren he was terrible last night i think like four for 15 shooting another one and done guy and I’m I’m not blasting them but they don’t have the maturity to consistently show up the way some of these other veterans have that’s a That’s Listen that’s one of your better takes this summer Colin well done oh I really appreciate I didn’t know we had a leaderboard on that but I do appreciate

Colin Cowherd reacts to Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers. Colin breaks down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder’s win over Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers and explains what makes OKC so special.

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