Rylan Stiles
Appearances
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
I think that this is going to be how the series goes, where the Thunder are better off with just one center on the floor at a time. The Thunder can also throw their small ball lineup out there, which is Caruso and Kinrich, and see if anything sticks with that and scale up Dub and scale up Caruso.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
That's helped them in the past, but I do think that at the end of the day, they'll be better off with just one center on the floor at a time.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
I think it's so interesting. I would probably, in the double big lineups, I would probably have Hartenstein on him and just hope that the length of Hartenstein can contest the threes and kind of make up for the ground he has to concede by positioning himself a bit further off of the three-point line to make up for drives, opportunities and post-ups from Turner.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
But in the single big lineups, I could see it being Chet and having Dub scale up to defend Siakam. And then kind of it's a seamless fit from there. You have Dort,
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
auf Halliburton, du hast Kaysen als das Mittelfeld-Type von Luck, du hast SGA, du hast Nimhardt und du hast eine bessere Idee, wie alles perfekt passt, weshalb ich denke, dass die East Point, dass sie eine Menge single big Coverage haben werden müssen, aber für ihre Haupt-Start-Line-Up, erste Possession, morgen, heute Abend, denke ich, dass es Chet wird, er wird Chet.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
I think that the Pascal assignment will be Caruso, Dub, those two guys primarily.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
Yeah, well, I mean, I'm an undefeated upwards head coach. So if Rick wants to cut me a check, I'd be more than happy to win the club and get a quarter zip going. But I think that if you are the Pacers, it has to be, of course, ball security and sticking to that identity of the Pacers. But you have to have the five out spacing as your shell.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
You have to have Halliburton making a quick decision to hit Siakam on the short roll and then.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
Siakam ist mein X-Factor, weil wenn er einen klaren Catchpoint bekommt und den Thunder in den Post auf ihn handelt, was sie in den letzten zwei Jahren gemacht haben, und dann den extra Pass in den Slot oder in den Corner macht, dann wird es weit open Shot nach weit open Shot sein und gegen einen historisch großartigen Defense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
That's kind of all you can do is trust the shot quality and trust the open looks. And even if it's not the exact guys who you would prefer to have shooting, you at least prefer the shot quality versus trying to force anything else. But obviously, if Halliburton can get going as an individual score, that would be huge.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
But just looking at the design sets and designed ways in which that you can attack this team, that would be it. It's kind of using their advantages, which is swarming in ball pressure to make them disadvantages against OKC.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
Ich bin super gespannt, hier zu sein. Ich erfreue mich wirklich, dass ihr mich hier habt. Ich liebe das Show. Ich bin gespannt, was ich über das Show hören werde, das dieses Jahr zusammengefasst wird. Und ich habe seitdem gelesen. That's awesome, man.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
But that's kind of about it, which is why it's kind of leaning so much toward Oklahoma City, because who would Halliburton call to the ball and want to have an isolation attempt against his Thunder team? So you're going to have to rely on the others and you need the others to have big games, which to Indiana's credit, they've had a lot of big games from their rotational players.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
Yeah, I'll give you the prediction. I think it's Thunder in six. I think that the five and the four is a bit to discrediting of the Pacers. I think that the three point shot is the great equalizer. And there's going to be a couple of games where there's just nothing the Thunder could have done. They are going to lose that game because of how hot in the end is.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
I look back to like that Minnesota game four, which could have pushed the Minnesota series to a six game series. You got 20 points from everybody not named Julius Randall and Anthony Edwards. And I trust that Siakam and Halliburton will play at least a little bit better than Julius Randall and Anthony Edwards did. That's a very low bar to clear.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
And that will get them a couple of wins when their other players step up. But of course, the Thunder have been the best team in basketball all season long. So it'll eventually go their way, which is why you play the seven game series. I think it will be Thunder in six, though.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
Yeah, I love Elvis. This poster right here is all of his album covers ever. I have a few of his movie posters like Roustabout, which is my favorite Elvis movie. I have a Girl Happy, Love a Little, Love a Little. And then I have a President Reagan poster here, too, for some reason. But I do just love Elvis. I think Elvis is great. I've seen 25 of his 33 movies to this point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
Oh, my favorite Elvis song, I would have to say, is probably, this is a very tough one, it's like picking your favorite child. This is harder than the OKC prediction right here.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
I thought the basketball stuff was very easy, but Just Pretend, it's a very underrated number on his less famous country album, so I would say Just Pretend.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
It's been wild to see them grow into the team that everyone kind of danced around them being, once they went and traded for Alex Caruso, once they went and signed Isaiah Hardenstein, they were looked upon as the favorites in the West.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
But if I told you that whenever Chet breaks his hip on November 10th, that they'd still be the favorites in the West at the end of it, whenever they've won 68 games now, I don't think anybody would have thought that, because at that time they didn't have a single big man healthy. So the ride of the season, I think, might get lost nationally of what all this team had to go through
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
Die 68 Wins, weil im Juli 68 Wins war ein bisschen viel, aber 60 Wins in der einen Szene war nicht eine Strecke überhaupt. Aber um 68 zu erreichen, mit allem, was sie mitgearbeitet haben, hat es wirklich beeindruckend gewesen, dass dieses Team zusammenkommt und durch eine gewisse Schwierigkeit kämpft.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
Yeah, there's certainly way more engagement, way more attentiveness to the Thunder this season around the city. And of course, they're starting to build back their global brand that they once had. But around the city specifically, I think that it's just a better understanding of it all now, because in 2012, everything was so new. You just thought you were expected to win at that point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
und wie jung diese NBA-Audienz war, weil das große Problem war, dass Dallas, die Mavericks, ein Team war, die Leute folgten, ich folgte ihnen, bevor die Thunder hier war, aber viele Leute ignorierten die NBA komplett, es war mehr eine College-Stadt und so, als 2012 passiert ist, oh, das ist, was du in der NBA tust, du gewinnst Spiele und du gehst in die Finals, es ist alles Spaß und Freude und
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
Und jetzt, dass du die andere Seite der Bildung gesehen hast, so zu sagen, mit dieser Stadt, ist es eine größere Anerkennung für dieses Team. Es ist ein besserer Verständnis, wie schwierig das war und wie nicht garantiert es ist. Selbst wenn du es in dieser Saison sahst, als Chet Splatter auf dem Boden, ich referiere es wieder, du hättest es nie gedacht, dass es so gut für sie geht.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
post that happening and it's and they've been able to do it so i think that there's a more a higher level of engagement from the fan base but also a higher level of awareness understanding of appreciation what they're watching since it's not their first time and it's not so new to them it feels like you know with such a short tank right let's call it what it was it was a tank but it was a short one it was a very fast turnaround and rebuild after coming off the years of greatness i mean you have three hall of famers when you when you arrive to town pretty much and that's epic
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
Yeah, I don't think that that concern ever truly gained traction because of Sam Preston, because of what you have in place.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
But had you seen a different front office in place where you didn't have that same certainty of that they're going to figure this thing out, there would have been that concern because it's quick that you would be discarded, I think, if you were to turn this into a 5-, 6-, 7-year rebuild. But instead, it ends up being a true 2-year rebuild.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
And they couldn't have picked a better time where you weren't even allowed to have fans in the stands for their first season. und dann in der zweiten Saison hattest du eine Verzweiflung von Fans da draußen und jetzt sind sie wieder da.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
Sobald die Fans wieder da sind, sind sie wieder im Spiel und in der Post-Saison und du siehst diese junge Mannschaft wachsen und ich denke, dass die Thunder die richtige Art und Weise gemacht haben, um ihre Fanbase zu halten, wo sie es sehr offensichtlich gemacht haben, weil sie nicht richtig sagen konnten, dass sie tanken, aber
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
How many GMs will take out an op-ed in the Oklahoman and go into such great detail of what exactly Sam's looking to do, the exact players he's wanting to find and the exact team he wants to build and then to watch as this team got built and you realize how much it's not a happy accident. These players fit that exact archetype that he wrote about in 2019 and it's come to fruition now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
usher out the paul george and russell westbrook era with that spunky fun chris paul team towards like okay this isn't all bad and then it did get all bad but again the fans weren't allowed in the stand so like the the swiftness of the rebuild certainly helped also you know you not being too hot right now helps a little bit too but like there could have been an alternate universe where you would have had to do a lot of uh rebuilding of your community much less your team had this spiraled on but it didn't
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
Well, I think that all we can do is take the players' words for it and they all say the right things and say what it means to them of like Che after winning Game 5 and winning his first conference finals and going to his first finals. He says that it was important to him and he had extra motivation to be able to do this in front of his home crowd and give them what they deserve.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
And that he mentioned that after the Game 7 in Denver, One thing that stuck out then was like, it'd be unfair for us to let this season end for the fans, because they are the ones who are out here every day. We cannot let this season end for them. And so they always have treated the fan base as if it's a huge deal. So I think we have to believe them and say that it is, because J-Dub is right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
If they could get off work whenever this team is flying out of cities, like whenever they're flying out to Indiana at whatever time they're going to fly out, 3 p.m. or whatever on a Tuesday, they'd be out there sending them off like they're going to state. And they always are going to welcome them home, no matter how late it is.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
I mean, they stood through a downpour the other day to welcome them home at the airport like that. That stuff is unique to OKC and I thought that Jada made a great point to also point out. It goes deeper than just that into like now that they're stars. They did that whenever they lost the play-in tournament. They do that at the draft intro pressers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
We all know that like these teams will draft players on Thursday and then fly them in Saturday and have a press conference. I Outside of those hotels where those press comments are at, whenever these guys haven't done anything for the franchise yet, they're out there supporting them and trying to love on them and get autographs and stuff like that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
So I think that that embrace is different because of what this market is, where there is no other pro sports team. There is no other main attraction besides OU football, which is also not 100% of the state. It's most of the state, but some people like OSU. So it's like this is the thing where everyone across the entire state loves and wraps their arms around.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
in the final i think that there's two surprises one on each end of the floor for the thunder how does indiana defend sga and then how did the thunder defend the pacers and the thunder's defense of the pacers like i think a lot of people just throw that historically great defense line out there and kind of use that as their preview of the series yes they're historically great and this third defense is awesome and i'm not going to be the one to question how good they are but
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
what's been their their one thing that they do let up because mark's been open and honest about how in the modern nba it's impossible to take everything away these players are too good for two straight years they've conceded wide open corner threes and if the pacers can keep the turnovers down which is a great stat that they're the best turnover keeping team if they keep those down and i really trust halbert as a playmaker but also i think it's underrated a little bit is when he gets the ball out of his hands
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
I like a lot of the Pacers as secondary playmakers to keep the ball moving and then break down some rotations on top of the rotations that you willingly surrender to the corners. In the end, I can get red hot from three.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
And does that force a young head coach first time in this setting to completely change what's been his identity and this team's identity for two seasons and stay home on those guys and shift how they defend? Ja, genau. with that same format by Denver. They didn't get burned with that same format by Minnesota.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
So will they get burned this time against Indiana, who's been shooting the ball from three better than those two teams have by a long shot in this postseason? And then how the Pacers defend the SGA with all the different ways where Carlisle can approach it, with the different ways that he's approached it this season against guys.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
I don't think you can just treat him like Donovan Mitchell and just tell him to knock himself out and go score as much as he wants, because he's much better than Donovan Mitchell. But by that same token... Do you cross-match Miles Turner onto Lou Dort and just say, if Lou Dort kills us and if he's our P.J. Washington, we'll live with it? Or, you know, and leave him at the rim?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
Do you put Tress Nimhardt on him? How much do you want to help? I think that ideally, if I was Rick Carlisle, I'd keep Turner at the rim and just, if Lou Dort wins the finals, then it was never meant to be. I would keep Halliburton in the deep corner and then have our three best defenders, Nimhardt being point of attack on Shea, and then our other two best defenders, like a...
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
nie smith and a siakam on the slots to kind of dig in and gap on shay whenever he tries to get to the elbow and i have the pickup point be lower i would not pick shay up anywhere before he gets to the free throw and extended area i think that you saw minnesota in the tale of that series yeah their big win in game three they picked them up much lower why they didn't do it besides game three and like why they didn't do it outside of game three i'll never know honestly you cannot pick shay up too high
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Finals Game 1 Preview
Yeah, I can see this being a situation like the Minnesota series where the Thunder start double bigs every game. That's their starting lineup. But I think when the final buzzer sounds and you review the minutes and the rotation, their starting lineup in minutes played was actually Chet Holmgren at the five by himself. So the double bigs were starters in name only.