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🏀 Good morning to all, but especially to …
THE INDIANA PACERS
The pace has officially been set in the Eastern Conference, and no one could keep up. In fact, no one came close. The Pacers are headed to the NBA Finals to face the Thunder after dispatching the Knicks, 125-108, in Game 6 Saturday. It’s Indiana’s first Finals appearance since 2000.
Tyrese Haliburton responded from a shockingly quiet Game 5 with 21 points and 13 assists. But it was series MVP Pascal Siakam’s 31 points that led the way for Indiana, which got double-digit points from seven players.
Indiana, much like Oklahoma City, has the stars. After being voted “most overrated” by his fellow NBA players, Haliburton has been sending messages all postseason. Siakam — who already has an NBA title on his resume — is a wonderfully skilled, smooth scorer who gets his buckets in all sorts of ways and took it to New York’s best defenders.
But how about Andrew Nembhard, who pestered Jalen Brunson and finished with 14 points, eight assists and six steals? Or Aaron Nesmith, who defended Brunson effectively all series? Or Myles Turner, headed to the Finals after years of being in trade rumors? Or Obi Toppin, who had 18 points off the bench to eliminate his former team?
They certainly aren’t the biggest markets in the Finals, but it’s a tremendous matchup with stars, depth and smart, detail-oriented, well-coached teams. I’m tired of the TV ratings talk. If you like basketball, you’ll watch this series, and you’ll enjoy it.
Jasmyn Wimbish has three early storylines for the Finals, which begin Thursday.
Wimbish: “We saw Jalen Williams play like the All-Star he is against the Timberwolves, but in the second round against the Nuggets he struggled to be an efficient offensive threat. The Thunder can turn to someone like Chet Holmgren to pick things up if Williams is struggling … All five of Indiana’s stars average double-digit points, and it’s the third-highest scoring bench unit in the postseason. The Pacers have proven pretty much everyone wrong in this run to the Finals.”
😁 Honorable mentions
LeBron James reflected on his first season with Luka Dončić.
Here’s why a Kevin Durant-to-Timberwolves deal could actually happen this offseason.
Scottie Scheffler won the Memorial, his third win in his last four starts. He’s the first person to go back-to-back at the event since Tiger Woods (1999-2001), and he made a lot of money doing so.
Josh Allen and Hailee Steinfeld got married.
Russell Wilson is a big fan of Malik Nabers.
Dan Campbell is excited to face the Lions’ tough 2025 schedule.
The Eagles and 49ers are finalizing a deal to send Bryce Huff to San Francisco
The USWNT beat China, 3-0.
Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul are the first American men to reach the French Open quarterfinals since Andre Agassi in 2003.
Jose Resendiz upset Caleb Plant.
NAIA program LSU Shreveport (59-0) completed the first undefeated season in college baseball history.
Happy retirement, Josh Harrison!
Michigan State is getting a new athletic director.
Ryan Blaney won the Cracker Barrel 400.
🏀 And not such a good morning for …
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THE NEW YORK KNICKS
This is the closest the Knicks got to the NBA Finals since 1999, but their loss to the Pacers showed they still have a ways to go. Sam Quinn examines what’s next for New York, including its one major flaw.
Quinn: “The Knicks were predictably terrible without either of their two All-NBA players on the court. When Brunson played without Karl-Anthony Towns, the offense was great enough to support a weak defense. When Towns played without Brunson, the defense was great enough to support a weak offense. When they played together, however, a good offense couldn’t bolster a weak defense. … The concept of surrounding Towns and Brunson with elite wings just didn’t hold up.”
Towns’ defensive issues even became a source of frustration during the season.
Then there’s the Tom Thibodeau question. He has plenty of internal support, but Sam says firing him might get the Knicks to the next level.
😨 Not so honorable mentions
Jake Oettinger said being pulled minutes into Game 5 was “embarrassing.”
Vanderbilt became the first No. 1 seed to not reach the regional final since the current format began in 1999.
Folarin Balogun (ankle) is among several players out of USMNT training camp.
🏈 Post-June 1 cut, trade candidates, plus biggest needs for contenders
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It’s June — holy cow, time flies! — and while it’s mostly quiet on the NFL calendar, June 2 is not.
After June 1, expensive veterans become less expensive to move on from, as teams can spread the dead money from their departure over two years, rather than just one. Since 2006, teams have been able to designate up to two players as post-June 1 cuts — Aaron Rodgers is one such example this year — so June 1 is now more important symbolically and financially than anything else.
Traded players, however, can’t be designated as post-June 1 cuts. That’s why today opens up a world of possibilities for players such as Kirk Cousins, Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey, who headline Cody Benjamin’s top cut and trade candidates as we move past June 1. He also has landing spots and predictions for those players, too.
That’s only part of what makes post-June 1 so interesting. After June 1, signings don’t impact the compensatory pick formula, so another wave of player movement will be upon us. Cody assessed biggest remaining needs for contenders, including …
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