NBA TODAY | “Rockets, KD are BIGGEST challenge for Thunder to repeat as NBA Champs” – Udonis Haslem

NBA TODAY | “Rockets, KD are BIGGEST challenge for Thunder to repeat as NBA Champs” – Udonis Haslem

Hi everybody, I’m Vanessa Richardson in for Malikica Andrews. We’ve got Ramona Shelurn, Mark Spears, Udonis Hasslam joins us remotely. You got any fun plans, summer plans, Mark? Last day of NBA today for the summer. No, I’m going to go see Michael Eaves going to the University of Kentucky Hall of Fame. That is awesome. He’s got me going to Lexington, Kentucky on my off season. That I didn’t That’s great. That’s a very worthy reason. Ramona, any I’m getting away for a long weekend. Good. Good. Love that. Beach. I can’t go too far with two little ones. Udonis, I would ask you, but you’re in Miami, so I feel like every every day for you. Exactly. It’s always vacation. It’s the last day of summer for us here at NBA today. And we have a pack show. So, let’s kick kick things off with the reigning champions, the NBA uh the Thunder. Of course, Shay is the reigning league MVP, but he will take on some notable former MVPs as the Thunder look to defend their title. So, it’s all going to start on ring night against KD, the first Thunder player to win MVP for the franchise. After that, SGA will square off with James Harden and the Clippers on November 4th. Harden, of course, became MVP after being traded away from the Thunder. And James is the last Americanb born player to win the award way back in 2018. We’ve got a treat on November 11th, 11-11, baby, Make a Wish. That’s when we’ll see SGA and the Thunder take on Steph Curry and the Warriors. Curry is a two-time MVP and the only player to ever win the award unanimously back in 2016. The next night, OKC will clash with the Lakers and their former fourtime MVP, LeBron James. LeBron has gotten the better of the head-to-head matchups with SGA in their careers, winning 10 of the first 16 meetings. Then, the first clash of the season between SGA and Joker comes on February 1st. Yeah, Ramona is ready for that one. Long time the first one. The top two finishers in last year’s race will meet four times down the stretch of the season. So OKC is fresh off 68 wins and their first title as a group heading into next season. Most expect them at the top top of the league and their schedule actually could help. OKC has the sixth easiest schedule heading into next season. So we’re going to go to UD, somebody who knows a thing or two about winning back-to-back titles. You did it with the Heat. What do you think is going to be the biggest challenge facing OKC as they try to run it back? I think this team has matured beyond their years. They’ve shown that in the past. So, I think they’ll be ready when they step into arenas and they’ll be prepared. But, I think what they’re going to get from other teams is going to be different. Every single team in the NBA is going to be gunning for you. Every single night you walk in, that is going to be the other teams, the opposing teams championship game that particular night. I just remember defending our championship and there was so many games that we were down in the fourth quarter against, you know, teams that weren’t as good as us, that weren’t uh didn’t have the talent that we had, didn’t have the experience that we had, but there were so many games that in the fourth quarter we had to pull those games out down the stretch. I mean, I specifically remember being down 27 points going into the fourth quarter against Cleveland and having to come back and pull that game out every single night. You’re going to get every team’s best effort. So, for me, I think that’s going to help them in the long run because they will be battle tested throughout the whole season going into the playoffs. Hopefully, they can stay healthy, but starting out the season, everybody’s going to give their maximum effort when OKC comes to town. It really is going to be the uh proverbial target on the back for the reigning champions if they want to go back to back for sure. Ramona, what say you? Look, I’m not worried about them at all. I I feel like when I was around them this year, they reminded me a lot of those Warriors in 2015 where they went and won a title and then they won 73 games the next year. Like this OKC team is young. They are still getting better. Last year, I know they avoided major injuries outside of Chad Homegrren and that was one of the reasons they won 68 games. But I I think they can win more games. I I think they sh Alexander led the league in scoring last year. He also would have led the league in swinging if you just counted his first three quarters. Okay, up until the last week of the season and that fell off a little bit, but that’s when they sat him. But he he’s still getting better. Chad Hungren still getting better. JDub still has a higher ceiling. This team, they’re still young. They’re hungry. They’re they’re not even as good as they’re going to be. And they already won 68 games. Nothing would surprise me in terms of them in the regular season because they don’t even play that many minutes. Shay averaged 34 minutes a game last year. They their starting five is average about 30 minutes a game. That was middle of the They’re so deep. It doesn’t have to be Shay carrying them every night. Yep. Yeah, I agree. Mark Spear’s biggest challenge for OKC. You know, I don’t know if there was an NBA treat team that drank less champagne and beer. They didn’t know how to open the bottle locker room. And they didn’t like the beer. JDub did not like the taste of beer. I don’t either. That was the first time you ever drank. I’m a wine guy. Kendall Jackson, you know, stuff like that. That fits. That fits you. Um, but do they have a hangover? Right? Like when they come back to Oklahoma City, are they feeling themselves? I’m a champ now. You know, people might have assistance suddenly helping them that they didn’t have before. Doors are open that weren’t open before. As UD said, that target is on your back. You know, there was not a team I thought in the NBA last season that loved each other, had better camaraderie, put their arms around each other more, was less selfish than this team, right? Um, and it all starts with SGA and I I think he’s going to make sure it’s right. He’s a quiet leader. He’ll get everybody on the same page. But they had a shorter off season get in that ring. I mean, you can’t help but feel yourself a little bit. So, let let’s let let’s see how they, you know, how they come back to Oklahoma City. It’ll be interesting to see for sure. All right, moving on to a team that’s in a much different position. Philadelphia 76ers, where after a 24 and 58 season, injury questions loom large at the start of the season for their stars Joel Embiid and Paul George. Here’s head coach Nick Nurse on where things stand for his all-star big man as training camp approaches. I’m not sure. I know I know things all the news is positive. Um I know he’s working very very hard. Um, and I think, um, things look good. Whether he’s ready for training camp or not, I think I think there’s maybe a lot more decisions than that to make before we get there. Um, but, you know, our main thing is that he’s healthy to play and play to his, you know, near his capabilities cuz, you know, he’s awesome. No doubt about that. He is, he is. When he’s on the floor, any night he’s out there, we got a chance to win, which is amazing. And, uh, we just want to make sure and get him healthy. So, the 76ers will be one of the teams with the most back-tobacks uh back-to-back games next season. That’s key with Joel Embiid’s availability. The 2023 MVP has not played in any back-to- back games since early 2024. So, we know he’s probably not going to play in back-to-back games again. And Ramona, I want to go to you on this because Nick Nurse, one of my favorite things about him is he’s just kind of the eternal optimist, right? So, he always sounds very positive. But what say you about this Philadelphia 76ers team? It seems like it’s always about health with them. By the way, you want to know what the record was in backtobacks last year? Was it two and 13? Not good. Um I look I think Nick Nurse is managing expectations there. I think um everybody’s been waiting to see what Joel Embiid is going to look like after he took that long layoff and then had the surgery and he’s coming back. There was a big long article by uh ESPN about a month ago where he talked about everything he’s been through in his life and his career. And we’re at that point now where you don’t need to talk anymore. We just need to see it. We just need to see him out there. And I think Nick Nurse is giving him some space in order to get back on the court whenever that may be. Whether it’s the start of training camp, whether it’s the middle of it. Um, but I’ll say this, all the videos I see, all the word I get out of Philly is that Tyrese Maxi and McCain and the younger guys and VJ Edgecom, they’ve all been in the gym all summer long. And these guys, Embiid, Paul George, missed a lot of time last year. that young group, they they may not wait. They may not be able to wait. They might go the the youth movement route as they say. So, when you take inventory of the situation, Mark, what direction should Philly go? Um, if I’m Nick Nurse, you got to lean on who’s there. You know, I I just spent a lot of time over the last two months with Greg Odin, and when you see people that their bodies have failed them, you sadly can’t count on them, even though they’re extremely talented. Such as the case unfortunately with Joel. So, such as the case with PG, unfortunately. So, what do you do, Nick Nurse? You lean on your guards. You have a wealth of guards, and I’m going to just rattle them off. Maxi, a healthy McCain, a resigned Grimes, uh, rookie of the year candidate. I’m going to call it now. VJ Edgecomb, Eric Gordon is back, Kyle Lowry, and don’t forget starter Kelly Ubé. There’s a riches of guards that go there. Go a three-g guard lineup. I think that’s their best bet to be competitive, so play fast. Yes. Yeah. All right. Coming up on NBA Today, we’ve got a lot to get to.

NBA TODAY | “Rockets, Kevin Durant are biggest challenge for Thunder to repeat as NBA Championship” – Udonis Haslem