Spencer Wagen / 1600 ESPN
If you haven’t been paying attention to the playoffs, you’ve missed a lot. The drama between the NBA Finals and the NHL’s Stanley Cup Final over the last several weeks has been some of the best action that I can remember and has definitely been must-see TV, even for the casual fan of both sports.
Let’s start with the NBA, where the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers have battled through a back-and-forth series. These two teams entered the finals with the best records in basketball since Jan. 1, the Thunder at 53-13 and the Pacers at 46-18, so it’s no surprise that we’ve seen high-level basketball all series.
In Game 1, the Pacers led for just three-tenths of a second, but it was the most important three-tenths, after Tyrese Haliburton made the go-ahead basket with that much time left in the fourth quarter to stun the Thunder and the nation.
Oklahoma City then turned in a dominant performance to win Game 2, the Pacers used a fourth quarter rally to win Game 3, before the Thunder returned the favor in Game 4.
In Game 5 on Monday night, the Pacers pulled within two points with just over eight minutes to play in the game, but clutch shooting by the Thunder and their relentless defense helped them stop the charge. OKC is now on the verge of their first NBA title.
Haliburton had one of his worst games as a pro on Monday, scoring just four points, not making a shot for the first time in a game in the regular season or playoffs. The Pacers go as Haliburton goes this postseason, as he averages 20 points and 10 assists in each of their wins, but just 13 points and six assists in their losses. A calf strain severely limited his performance in Game 5 and, despite the injury concern ahead of game 6, Haliburton played and made an impact in the Pacers’ rout of the Thunder to force a game 7 on Sunday.
With how good this NBA Finals series has been, I find it funny (and quite ridiculous, frankly) that some out there are saying they’re not watching or they don’t care about the finals because there are two small market teams competing and the Lakers, Celtics, Knicks or some other big market team isn’t in the mix. Yes, TV ratings are down for the series compared to last year, but ratings aren’t everything. Is it good competition? Are there interesting storylines? Are there highlight moments that people will remember? My answer to all three questions is “yes,” and I think those matter more in the bigger picture.
Over in the hockey world, the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row, with a dominant 5-1 win in Game 6 on Tuesday night. This series provided some drama early with three of the first four games going to overtime, but Florida turned in dominant performances in Games 3, 5 and 6 to keep the cup in their possession.
Sam Reinhart of the Panthers was the hero in Game 6, scoring four of the Panthers’ five goals in the series-deciding game. Florida’s Brad Marchand deserves a ton of praise for his performance in the series, scoring six goals in six games with two game winners. In total, the former Boston Bruin had 10 goals and 10 assists in 23 games.
For Edmonton, it’s another disappointing finish for a team that has two of the best players in the sport in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on their roster. Falling short of winning the cup for the second straight season no doubt leaves a sour taste in their mouths and certainly doesn’t silence the doubters who question their legacy.
Overall, this year’s playoffs have been fun to watch and provided great theater — which is a perfect way to wrap up the 2024-25 sports season.
Spencer Wagen is the host of “Spencer on Sports,” weekdays from 4-6 p.m. on 1600 ESPN. You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @SWOnTheRadio.
