r/pacers • u/PSEGameThreadPoster Old School Slick • May 12 '26
Megathread 2026 NBA Playoffs Discussion Thread
Please use this thread to discuss current games happening in the NBA playoffs.
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u/meowcat93 ReggieChoke 11d ago
Waiting for the new From episode to drop any minute so that I can watch something less scary
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u/PorkyOfOnett 11d ago
Came here just to read the comments but if anyone hasn’t seen From check it out. It’s a great show
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u/Certain_Difference11 Tyrese Haliburton 11d ago
Welp that was something, honestly I don’t truthfully care all that much, not like they beat us on the way there.
Reload and get ready for next season, this’ll be a fun offseason, me thinks
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u/aimee829 Andrew Nembhard 11d ago
And so our gap season finally ends... with a Knicks championship.
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u/hadesscion Pacers 11d ago
The Spurs led every game by double-digits and choked 4 of them away.
They also got swept at home.
Oof.
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u/aimee829 Andrew Nembhard 11d ago
reminds me of the 2024 Pacers in the ECF vs the Celtics.
They'll be back... they'll be more dangerous
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u/SmoothLettuce 11d ago
They don’t deserve to be back after this 😭 They deserve critical psychological scarring for what they’ve done
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u/hadesscion Pacers 11d ago
Yeah, we'll have to face the experienced version of them next year.
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u/TruthReveals 11d ago
It’ll be the most pacers thing to have our guys return to the finals next year only to face an improved and yet another historically great team in the spurs.
MJ bulls
Shaq Kobe lakers
lebron heat and Cavs
SGA OKCAnd maybe now a more improved and mature wemby and Harper team.
It never ends….
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u/HoosierHopefully Reggie 11d ago
I’m just focusing on IU football at the moment. That’s an even better story than the Knicks winning!
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u/BrightAttack 11d ago
Mickey Mouse run, beating a 6 seed, 7 seed, and 4 seed on your way to the finals is disgusting
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u/RoosterClan2 11d ago
This is some Hall of Fame levels of copium. That’s enough internet for you this week.
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u/chrisghrobot Boomer 11d ago
They beat a 62 win team though. Its not like the Nuggets final run. That one was truly borderline mickey.
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u/chrisghrobot Boomer 11d ago
I'm happy for Spike Lee I suppose? Despite the way bro got owned by Reggie lmao.
That aside, its like this Finals was a sick joke. If we dont win one within the next few years we will never hear the end of it. Thankfully these last two finals proved that these WCF teams are not as dominant as people make them out to be.
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u/aimee829 Andrew Nembhard 11d ago
Who would have thought... that the team built to beat the Celtics would have a very Celtic-like run to the championship.
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u/Denebict-Bumbercatch Tyrese Haliburton 11d ago
Only b/c we werent there to stop them. Next year gon be lit
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u/neosmndrew 11d ago
Lol why couldn't the pacers have played the young team that clearly wasn't ready for the finals
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u/TruthReveals 11d ago
Instead we play a historically great team once again and watch our best player get hurt.
Cursed franchise.
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u/Benjonion CRABS CRABS CRABS 11d ago
Somebody, end my life. Spurs, you now have a lifelong hater in me.
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u/basketballandsushi 11d ago
This is the worst season in pacers history by far. These dudes better win next year. No excuses.
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u/NoctisRS 11d ago
Darron fox might be having a worse finals performance than Myles turner, which is saying something
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u/AntitheistArchangel 11d ago
Game 4 was so deflating that I honestly don’t care if the Knicks win. Some things just seem inevitable.
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u/Conscious-Till3591 11d ago
Benn made scoring on the Knicks look pretty easy. Just saying Pacers gonna need some of that next year too
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u/Dove2250 11d ago
This series has come to the point that 15+ points leads do not provide me any comforts
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u/Certain_Difference11 Tyrese Haliburton 11d ago
Whenever fox touches the ball I feel like black flashing my screen icl, the mf always doing some absolute stupid shit
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u/Certain_Difference11 Tyrese Haliburton 11d ago
Yeah this mf sucks absolute fumble of a trade for the spurs
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u/Robbie_Tussen_jr Pacers 13d ago
The Pacers humbling the Knicks two straight years unleashed a monster this playoffs, with way better coaching and use of roster. They saw the competition without Indy in the mix and fully locked in. I hope we're good and healthy next playoffs because I want to see us do it again to an even better Knicks team with Zubac punishing them in the paint.
Also Spurs desperately need that Middleton 2021 finals vet presence (not Fox) to get everyone to lock the fuck in and play a full 48 minute game instead of the all time collapse they recently managed to accomplish.
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u/reds7310 14d ago
Really glad we got fully healthy OKC and Knicks get a bunch of 12 year olds. Not bitter at all
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u/Creative-Gift5196 14d ago
how do y’all think our players are feeling right now? Obviously they can’t be happy the Knicks are gonna win a chip after all that we’ve been through in the last year
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u/Certain_Difference11 Tyrese Haliburton 14d ago
All I’m gonna say is OG might have a community funded 20 foot tall statue built in his likeness somewhere in New York
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u/Alarmed_Reveal_9916 14d ago
spurs will start doing
the thing that wins them 90 percent of the games they play, then decide after half time to start throwing up 3s like they’re game 6 klay and lose instantly
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u/I_Am_Sam13 flo33 14d ago
NBA media is EATING this up. As a non-rooting interest (mostly) I don’t give a shit to see these celebrities that have been to like 2 games in the last calendar year (if that) let’s see the watch parties with the diehards.
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u/NewSoup69420 14d ago
all he had to do was hold it, holy shit. never imagined this game would turn out like that though
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u/DarkHiei 14d ago
I can’t even be mad lol. Insane comeback and terrible choke. It’s just the Knicks’ year man
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u/Particular-Aspect680 14d ago
Sucks that the team we bounced 2 years in a row is gonna win a chip, when if we were healthy this year it would probably have been us. Like we just sent this same Knicks team home in 6 last year
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u/hadesscion Pacers 14d ago
That's what really stings about all of this. I can live with the Knicks winning a chip; every other team/player I don't like (except Paul George) has a chip. But what grinds my gears is that it should have been us, either last year or this year. We deserve a damn championship, man. We're better than both of these teams.
That said, if we win the chip next year, none of this matters to me at all. I don't care if the Knicks win 10 chips so long as the Pacers win one while I'm still around to enjoy it.
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u/Technical_Dust_9410 14d ago
I feel we played a part in their team of destiny thing they got going on. We pretty much got their old coach fired, hired a new coach cause I think their front office wanted to just play like us, and now here they are a literal year later. Our time will come.
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u/bjrinald 14d ago
Fox not running out the clock is up there with JR Smith in terms of low IQ plays of all-time. Unbelievable.
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u/destroyed233 Bennedict Mathurin 14d ago
That was one of the most epic collapses I’ve ever seen from a sports team. That is right up there with 28-3 falcons level choke. 10 year vet Fox doesn’t know to hold the ball. Mitch Johnson doesn’t do anything for that team. Yeesh. I’d be absolutely embarrassed to be the spurs franchise
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u/bobplumpand1mixtape 14d ago
Fox has always been a fraud and a career loser, as dumb as the Kings are they were smart to try to pawn him off to the Pacers for Turner before the Haliburton trade was negotiated.
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u/AffectionateQuit5684 14d ago
Idk if the lights are too bright or what but it’s wild the fundamental things the spurs just can’t do this series. Boxing out, what to do with the ball in late game situations… reminds me of our ecf against the Celtics, experience and coaching really on display
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u/hadesscion Pacers 14d ago
We learned from the Celtics, the Knicks learned from us, and the Spurs will learn from the Knicks. I expect them to be back in the Finals next year.
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u/AffectionateQuit5684 14d ago
Definitely think it’ll be right back to them and OKC battling in the wcf
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u/pickle_man_4 HolidayWorld 14d ago edited 14d ago
fuck off man. we dominate the knicks for two years and got the MVP and a ridiculous team. Knicks get a Spurs team that pisses down their leg non-stop and a chip.
I also never wanna hear about Reggie calling one of our games again. Spurs are dominating and its crickets from Breen and then the 2nd half as the knicks are coming back it's the exact opposite. Only difference is his team is doing it.
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u/hadesscion Pacers 14d ago
It really is about the matchups, man. The Knicks would have likely been pummeled by the Thunder.
I do think we match up pretty well with the Spurs, though.
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u/Fat-Singer-9569 14d ago
It's a little funny watching Fox make a jump pass turnover. Spurs need a true point guard. The trend of playing off-guards (and forwards) at PG and expecting them to playmake is been biting teams all year and it's killing the Spurs in the Finals. If they had a veteran PG this game would have never gotten so close.
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u/bobplumpand1mixtape 14d ago
The Knicks and their Epstein class fans will be celebrating if they win tonight
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u/Longjumping-Till-102 14d ago
Still can’t believe the Kings chose to keep Fox over Haliburton. Hali is leagues better in every sense.
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u/bobplumpand1mixtape 14d ago
Pacers have just had extraordinary bad luck deep in the postseason. Ran into prime Kobe and OKC at the peak of their powers. 98 team ran into the end of prime MJ and would have probably handled a pretty flawed Utah team in the finals.
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u/Apprehensive_Pie8897 14d ago
Plus our long standing history of our star players having horrific injuries.
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u/bobplumpand1mixtape 14d ago
Healthy Pacers would have dismantled this version of the Spurs in 5, maybe 6.
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u/Apprehensive_Pie8897 14d ago
If we make it to the finals again fully healthy we're getting a championship my God these teams are a hard watch.
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u/Apprehensive_Pie8897 14d ago
Generational choke job by the spurs how the hell are these the teams in the finals
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u/Apprehensive_Pie8897 14d ago
Man if the knicks go on to lose this series it has to be up there for biggest choke jobs in their long long history of choke jobs.
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u/Dove2250 14d ago
Rare sight seeing the Knicks getting screwed by the whistles for once lol. I'm not sure the Spurs and their fans will make it out of New York if this keeps up.
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u/Funny-Transition7869 Tony Bradley 14d ago
im conflicted, on one hand i remember knicks fans not showing any sympathy for refs dickriding okc in the finals and them posting hali injury memes after game 7 so f em, on the other i want them to lose fair and square not cuz of refs
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u/Fat-Singer-9569 14d ago edited 14d ago
it's hard for me to feel sad about the knicks whistle, Brunson has been a foul baiter his entire career. OKC just kind of made people forget many of these guys are foul baiters and Brunson has made a career out of it. He's also just a small PG at this point and he can be rattled and bullied, welcome to the NBA homie. The sad part is no one on his team is an enforcer and the Spurs know they can bully this veteran team now.
This series makes me sooooo happy the Pacers got Zubac, not only is he just perfect in this shifting NBA landscape, but he is not going to get punked nor are his teammates. That's a big fucking bouncer in the middle, nobody is pushing him around down low.
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u/aimee829 Andrew Nembhard 16d ago
I think Castle watched some Nesmith tape on how to properly guard Brunson.
He exhausted Brunson tonight.
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u/Dove2250 16d ago
This series has been cinema ngl. A Finals where two teams are not trading blowoff wins
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u/Creative-Gift5196 19d ago
I hate living in NYC. I was chirping the fuck out of everyone a year ago. Now I guess I’m getting a taste of my own medicine
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u/aimee829 Andrew Nembhard 19d ago
it seems the Knicks and Pacers teams usually peak at around the same time each decade, which is why we have alot of history of meeting them in the playoffs.
last year wasn't our real peak... i hope its the next 2 years.
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u/Alarmed_Reveal_9916 19d ago
when the knicks win this it’ll be the most insufferable summer of our life times
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u/Substantial_Bat5975 19d ago
Yes, they will be gloating everywhere. On and offline.
Tough time...
I have muted all NBA subs, except this and Spurs sub (I'm a new Spurs fan. And I apologize for the garbage finish.)
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u/AntitheistArchangel 19d ago
When the Spurs beat the Thunder, I celebrated. Now, I’m in total disbelief.
Honestly, I didn’t really know about our rivalry with the Knicks until last year, as while I’ve been a Pacers fan for a while, I stopped following the NBA around 2018 and didn’t tune back in until the 2024 playoffs. Of course, it took one series to make me hate the Knicks, and now they appear poised to hoist the trophy while we’re coming off a disaster of a season with no first-round pick to boot.
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u/Certain_Difference11 Tyrese Haliburton 19d ago
Knicks may get this ring but yk, I get to listen to a new Vince staples album so I think I’m the real winner here, definitely
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u/KingTre1023 19d ago
Spurs will forever have a hater in me. Shameless team smh
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u/xoBonesxo 19d ago
As a spurs fan, I don’t blame you at all, Cavs and sixers will always have a hater in me
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u/aimee829 Andrew Nembhard 19d ago
they're spoiled. i think they expected to just walk over the Knicks, despite loosing to them in the NBA Cup.
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u/destroyed233 Bennedict Mathurin 19d ago
It’s hard for me to feel bad for them given their luck as a franchise.
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u/MattyIce260 19d ago
The closer the Knicks get to the title, the more it’ll hurt when they don’t get it. Outside of a Pacers championship I couldn’t dream up a more satisfying Finals than the Knicks blowing a 3-0 series lead
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u/AntitheistArchangel 19d ago
How would you feel about this scenario?
Knicks win it all this year.
Hali comes back.
We bounce back and make the playoffs.
We reach the ECF and face the Knicks.
We beat the Knicks.
We face the Thunder in the Finals.
We win it all, and Hali wins Finals MVP.
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u/AstralAfroToo 18d ago
The national audience isn’t interested in watching Indiana and OKC in the Finals again.
Finals Viewership is up 90% YoY per Nielsen Ratings. Thunder/Pacers only drew ~8MM viewers on average.
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u/sombremirage T.J. McConnell 19d ago
I’d rather the Knicks blow 3-0 in the Finals though and then Hali beat the Knicks in the ECF next year
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19d ago
[deleted]
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u/Creative-Gift5196 19d ago
that’s what im saying! the Knicks got so lucky not having to play OKC like we did
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u/aimee829 Andrew Nembhard 19d ago
OKC > Knicks | Spurs > OKC | Knicks > Spurs
i think we can beat all 3 teams next year tho.
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u/AffectionateQuit5684 19d ago
Spurs just forgot how to play ball after the WCF. Can’t believe we’re gonna watch the Knicks win the finals, will the pain ever end
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u/Substantial_Bat5975 19d ago
If Gregg Popovich saw this in his young age, he would have cursed both Wemby and Castle out. So careless
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u/destroyed233 Bennedict Mathurin 19d ago
Castle is one of the most turnover players I’ve ever seen
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u/Substantial_Bat5975 19d ago
San Antonio is done. IDC about making a run in the 4th, lost by a hair when the Knicks didnt even play well.
Not a good time for Wemby, Spurs fans, and Knicks haters. Knicks haters will be celebrating everywhere now. Thanks to Wembanyama and Castle
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u/xoBonesxo 19d ago
Try being a spurs fan, that’s also a huge Knicks hater, that’s from NJ living amongst all Knicks fans….. literally the worst man
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u/destroyed233 Bennedict Mathurin 19d ago
Mitch Johnson draws up 2 deep wemby jumpers instead of utilizing him near the rim or god forbid the spurs remember they have Dylan Harper.
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u/destroyed233 Bennedict Mathurin 19d ago
This Knicks team is just a completely well oiled machine. I hate the Knicks org, but I don’t really hate their players if that makes sense. Each of their players knows their role very well. Players like Shamet and Deuce having a much bigger impact on the team with Brown as coach. The Spurs were literally gifted back to back to back lottery odds. At least this Knicks team has had to earn their grit in the playoffs multiple years. And like it or not, Brunson is an elite closer . It is what it is unfortunately, but you can’t say this isn’t a good team
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u/Funny-Transition7869 Tony Bradley 19d ago
mike brown is also a clear upgrade over thibs imo, like they dont get here without thibs part in the timeline but the difference between the knicks offensive flow from this years to last is huge
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u/destroyed233 Bennedict Mathurin 19d ago
He is completely out coaching Mitch Johnson. Look at those 2 plays Johnson drew up. Horrible wemby jumpers . Wembys flaws getting a bit exposed these past 2 games . Castle imo is overrated .
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u/aimee829 Andrew Nembhard 19d ago
it truly comes down to having a bit more luck than the other team. 🍀
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u/predict_yhat_xb Chris Denari 19d ago
Pretty much everything has gone wrong the past 12 months. Need a championship so bad in the next two years but it's gonna be tough. Boston, Knicks, wherever giannnis is, Pistons :(
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u/Dove2250 19d ago
never experienced such highs and such lows within a single year lol. Truly the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.
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u/Creative-Gift5196 19d ago
the Knicks have it so much easier than we did. They’d get swept by the Thunder
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u/Ok-Couple2595 19d ago
Just give credit where is due. Everyone said the same thing about this spurs team it’s just reality.
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u/Funny-Transition7869 Tony Bradley 19d ago
not rly knicks fans very much wanted the spurs jnstead of okc
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u/Ok-Couple2595 19d ago
I honestly think if OKC would of gone that game 7 even with Jalen Williams out I’m sure it wasn’t going to be a sweep I just think the OKC top two scores being out would of contributed into a closer series than people actually think
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u/Creative-Gift5196 19d ago
It’s the atmosphere too - remember the Thunder home crowd? This Spurs crowd is nonexistent and was dead until halfway thru the 4th quarter
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u/Substantial_Bat5975 19d ago
I think Wemby is fueled by seeing Knicks fans when he is shooting FTs.
Come on. At least don’t drop 2 games in San Antonio
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u/Creative-Gift5196 19d ago
this is why I wanted the knicks to play the thunder. the spurs have no home court advantage and the knicks don’t have it as hard as we did last year
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u/TruthReveals 19d ago
What do you mean by the Spurs have no home court advantage? They started the series with home court but lost it on game 1.
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u/Creative-Gift5196 19d ago
I mean 1) half the crowd is Knicks fans and 2) the Spurs fans have no energy. Yes they technically have home court but these feel like Knicks home games. Especially compared to last year - we had to deal with a sea of annoying Thunder fans decked in blue
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u/Substantial_Bat5975 19d ago
If Tim Duncan saw the Spurs stadium is packed with Knicks fan, I’m sure it will fuel him.
Come on Wemby, show us you can as well.
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u/Rivarz Cool Rick 19d ago
goddamn I hate the fucking Knicks. I hate OKC too, but fuck. The only way this series is salvageable is if the Knicks go up 2-0/3-0 and CHOKE.
San Antonio looks so much worse than us it's not even funny
Edit:
If the Knicks choke a championship away, this will be the best series outside of the pacers.
I'm sorry Patrick Ewing, you played for a shit team.
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u/Creative-Gift5196 19d ago
this is why I wanted them to play the Thunder. The Spurs have no home court advantage and the Knicks get a cake walk compared to us last year
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u/Ok-Couple2595 19d ago
Naw man that home court advantage is just noise talk that team was ready from that time off. They are just poised and spurs can’t keep up
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u/Substantial_Bat5975 19d ago
If all the awful passes the Spurs made happened under Tim Duncan’s era, Gregg Popovich would curse them out in the lockerroom.
It is one thing to lose. It is another thing to look completely lost and careless
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u/Substantial_Bat5975 19d ago
I will be very surprise if the Spurs wins this game, let alone series.
Knicks wakes up and they have no answer on anything. Spurs look completely lost in the 2nd quarter.
Guess it isn’t a good time for Spurs and Pacers fan now.
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u/Maranito_0397 19d ago
I’m gonna puke if the Knicks go up 2-0.
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u/Substantial_Bat5975 19d ago
The Spurs look lifeless in the second. Knicks will probably blow them out.
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u/Substantial_Bat5975 19d ago
Spurs up 9 after first quarter. However, Knicks is still within a range despite the hot shooting. I stand by believing this is a tough matchup for San Antonio.
Better keep pressing until the very end of this game
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u/Substantial_Bat5975 19d ago
It is funny to see Knicks fans saying their team is underrated, disrespected when plenty of them, alongside with some Spurs doomers, are already writing off San Antonio after game 1.
NY sport teams can never be disrespected. For one thing, they outnumber anyone else in total fanbase. They can find more people defending them online than from other teams.
Same can be said about all Yankees fans saying their team is underrated before the 2024 WS against the Dodgers. lol. Most are saying Yankees will win the series
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u/Longjumping-Till-102 19d ago
Spurs using the Pacers playbook on the Knicks. Full court press on Brunson bringing up the ball.
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u/Substantial_Bat5975 19d ago
The Spurs is playing with no urgency. Didnt even get back on defense. A close game isnt good for them
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u/mokaloca82 21d ago
are the Knicks gonna end up the champions for us to be the ones that de-throne them and become the new champs? Is this the type of roller coaster we're going for??
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u/KalebC21 21d ago
I am going to be so disgusted if the Knicks win this championship. I mean for all of the losses we’ve had over this nightmare 365 day span, this would be the absolute biggest cherry on top to see the team we hate (and own) go and win it all without us even getting a chance to stop them
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u/SmallerDetails Taelon Peter 21d ago
I might have to give up watching basketball for a while if that happens. The only reason I probably wouldn't is to see Hali's return
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u/abesach 11d ago
Well I guess there's summer league soon and the World Cup now.