Oddball w/ Amin Elhassan & Izzy Gutierrez

The Pacers beat the Thunder in a thrilling Game 1 of the NBA Finals. In OKC everyone wears the stadium shirts and sings Titanium by Sia. The arena was loud, but their excitement died down when Tyrese Haliburton hit the game winner. Cason Wallace and Lu Dort did everything they could on defense to keep Haliburton in the Dorture Chamber. Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin were unsung heroes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander needed help but Chet Holmgren was not productive and the Thunder couldn’t convert on their turnovers. All that and Iciest Play of the week! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We made it to the NBA Finals! The Thunder take on the Pacers (aka Thunder Lite) in what Izzy and Amin predict will be a tight, fast-paced clash of styles series. Everything the Pacers can do, the Thunder can do better. The only time the Pacers have a glimmer of hope is when it comes to coaching and pace of play. The biggest question is, who should guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? Everybody? The Thunder have already climbed the biggest mountain, beating Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets, so the Pacers should be an easier hill to climb. Plus, we break down the week's biggest Headlines!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The largest domino hanging over the NBA offseason is Giannis Antetokounmpo, the biggest, sexiest, star on the trade block. Is Milwaukee really prepared to let him go? Stephen A. Smith says the Knicks should make a deal, but would the Greek Freak fit alongside Jalen Brunson? The Heat could hypothetically trade for him, but lately Miami has been all bark and no bite. And are these Raptors rumors real? Would Toronto really trade roller skating legend Scottie Barnes? All the Giannis speculation you can handle on today's episode of Oddball. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The New York Knicks lost in the Eastern Conference Finals and they left us with more questions than answers. Here on Oddball we ask, What’s Knixt? Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson don’t work well together. KAT was not defensively strong. And Brunson is not a happy passer. Can the Knicks run it back with the same lineup? Tom Thibodeau took the Knicks the farthest they have been in 25 years, but is he worth another year? Who could be the missing piece in the Knicks lineup? Giannis Antetokounmpo? Kevin Durant? LeBron James? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Thunder are moving on and Tony joins Izzy today on today's episode of Oddball! Anthony Edwards is the entire identity of the Timberwolves... is that enough, or do they need to upgrade the talent around him? The Knicks might have just missed their best chance at a title, and we have questions about Jalen Brunson and KAT's long-term potential. New York needs a savior, which the front office has been saying for 50 years... but who could it be? Giannis Antetokounmpo? Zion Williamson? Lebron James? Plus, Izzy and Tony share their All-Conference Finals starting 5. Does anyone on the Knicks deserve to be on it? Then, we play Prop-A-Slot and talk about farting on planes (thanks Isaiah Thomas).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tyrese Haliburton is lighting up the Knicks and his stats are impressive, but even he agrees we are cherry picking. Does he belong in conversations with the best point guards of all time? Jalen Brunson has been exposed in this series as a defensive and offensive liability. The offense should flow through Karl-Anthony Towns if the Knicks expect to get a pride win in front of their home crowd. The Knicks can’t build around two defensive liabilities, so the only answer for New York is... more Mitchell Robinson? Or maybe they can just blame the refs. Plus, the famous Akbar Domestique joins Oddball to talk about the artistry of flopping and helps break down our Iciest Play of the Week.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amin was in the building to see Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren combine for 95 points and lead the Thunder to a 128-126 Game 4 victory over the Timberwolves. Something about being right just feels so... right! Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle couldn't get their offense going. Is it a matter of aggression, or are they not being put in a position to succeed? Either way, the flop hurts a little extra when Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and the rest of the Minnesota roster played well enough to win. Plus, how to litigate fouling up 3, this week's Iciest Play, and a lesson in media literacy brought to you by ESPN and LeBron James. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the first time in 25 years, the Knicks won an ECF game. Karl-Anthony Towns played like garbage in the first three quarters, but then he put up 20 points in the fourth. Has any other NBA player redeemed themselves in a single quarter like KAT did? Tom Thibodeau is being hailed as the Knicks savior for finally using his bench... but would he have done it if KAT and Brunson hadn't gotten into foul trouble? Is Haliburton aura farming? No championship team has lost a playoff game by 40+ points until the Thunder lost to the T-Wolves, so they can’t win a championship… or can they? Plus, we play Hot-Streak and breakdown the surprises and snubs of the recently announced All-NBA teams.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a thrilling game one, Tyrese Haliburton hit Reggie Miller's choke celebration and the Pacers beat the Knicks. Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart were not the best versions of themselves. Aaron Nesmith played great, making a bunch of threes with such high stakes, but let’s not pretend he was defended well by OG Anunoby. The Knicks are known to give up threes, while Boston couldn’t capitalize, Indiana did. Game 2 is a must-win for the Knicks. Plus, Larry David cam for the Pacers' fourth quarter comeback! You might think Haliburton’s buzzer beater is our Iciest Play of the Week, but we have another play we think is icier. Then, we play Prop-A-Slot! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Thunder beat the Timberwolves and all anyone wants to talk about are free throws. Here on Oddball we think everyone, including Chris Finch, needs to stop complaining. The concept of fouling isn’t new. If this was a regular season game, would Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have gotten more calls? Anthony Edwards needs to step up and can get the T-wolves a win if he takes more shots. Michael Malone takes a dig at Nikola Jokic, but SGA is the real MVP. Plus, we play Hot Streak, reveal some never-before-seen photos of SGA, and discover Amin has a distant cousin who is a Russian NBA prospect!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices