In a panel‑style reaction to Game 3 of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Draymond Green, Baron Davis, and Metta World Peace dissect the game’s key moments and broader strategic themes. Green opens by lamenting what he perceives as a drop in preparation and focus compared to his own Finals experiences, citing TJ McConnell’s two crucial steals as evidence of Indiana’s heightened hustle and discipline. Davis and Metta echo this, praising the Pacers’ ability to capitalize on opponent mistakes and contrasting it with the Thunder’s more lax, talent‑driven approach. The conversation shifts to the importance of defensive specialists—Lindsey Hunter and Mike James—and how their pressure disrupts offensive flow, especially when teams are forced to start possessions at half‑court. They discuss press‑break tactics, half‑court offensive starts, and the influence of veteran coaches like Rick Carlisle and Phil Jackson on modern game plans. Green also asserts that media, not players, holds the real power in shaping NBA narratives, and he highlights the undervalued role of players such as Alex Caruso, J Dub, and others in OKC’s success. Metta reveals his aspiration to become a head coach, using the discussion to showcase his tactical insights. Throughout, the panel emphasizes preparation, hustle, defensive pressure, and the nuanced role of media and role players in determining championship outcomes.
Chapters
So when I look at this game, game 3, I want to ask you two guys a question or something because, and I'll ask you two this, both of y'all this question because I think for me personally, the one thing I never want to become is I don't want to become one of these grumpy older guys that played the game before. And I feel like I'm hating on the younger guys. I never want to become that. So in saying that, when I watch this game, when I watch these NBA Finals, I'm like, yo, I don't feel like this is the level of preparation. This is the level of like, like dialed in. Is that like when I played in the Finals? I don't feel like they do that. And the reason I feel like Like when you look at a specific thing, I'll point to a very specific thing of why I say that. I feel like when I was coming through the NBA Finals and I had to win the NBA Finals, and this could be my coach, like again, I think my coach is the greatest ever. Maybe he not, that's for everybody else to debate. But I think my coach is the greatest coach ever. TJ McConnell getting a sneak back steal would never happen. Like, we're so dialed in on that one thing in this game plan that there's no way TJ McConnell gonna hop off the guy he's going to to get the steal. And I watched him get two of those tonight and I couldn't believe it because I'm like, yo. Right.
This is— That, that's what changed the game.
This is NBA Finals.
That lights your chest warm up.
There's no way you can get this steal in the NBA Finals. And you got that steal.
You can't be on that hustle rush.
No, and you got that steal on Tuesday, November 10th, 2024. And now we're in the Finals in 2025 and you get that steal. So I ask you guys the question as two guys who's played this game, I'm still in it, but as two guys who played this game, like, do y'all feel the same way about this NBA Finals as you have about previous ones?
I would actually say I have been extremely impressed watching these whole entire playoffs. Like, I am fucking loving the playoffs.
Yeah.
I'm loving the finals. The games are good. It's good basketball. It may be, it may not be, you know, per— like two teams playing at the ultimate perfection, but like it is good basketball. And that TJ McConnell still, The second one, that changes the momentum. And so Draymond Green, you and I talked about this in the beginning of the year, that OKC, they will take a couple plays off mentally.
Mm-hmm.
Just 'cause they're young, just 'cause they have more talent, and shit like that comes back to haunt you. You up for— Right, you don't get the offensive rebound, they score 2. Then you in a rush to throw the ball nowhere. This kid steals the ball, lays the ball up, ties score. Halliburton come back, hit a 3. The whole momentum, you never recover. You never recover. So carelessness, right, is hopefully something that, and as you watch championships, you see, teams that may lose on a fluke, going all the way back to Detroit Pistons when Larry Bird stole the ball. Shit like that happens, right?
Mm-hmm.
The teams that win make those moments happen. And that's what Indiana is doing different than OKC. OKC may take a playoff, may make a lackadaisical pass because they have that, they have kind of like a real nonchalant, charisma. Yes, they do. And like that nonchalant charisma also, that shit can play against you where it's like, oh, don't shit affect me, but I don't care. But it's like you can't shake your shit out. You can't shake yourself, you can't shake yourself out of it. You know, that's where my hiccup is. And TJ McConnell, he is the essence of what Indiana basketball is. That's playing hard, that's taking advantage of every mistake, right? And being first to the action.
Yeah, you know, I mean, to TJ McConnell's point, and I'm gonna answer Draymond's question also, but I was at game 5 in Indiana, one of those games. They came out, they were shooting a bunch of threes. TJ came into the game, started driving the ball into the teeth of the defense, and changed the whole game, by the way, right? Which they then came back and won. If TJ didn't do that, they would've lost that game. You know, you always need that player that see like, oh, we're shooting too many threes. I gotta come in here and do something different, start penetrating, you know? And then you look at last year with Indiana, you know, without those injuries, maybe they lose, but they was making the same mistakes that OKC is making this year. The difference is, They kept going, they kept advancing, and then they gained that experience. So now you got an OKC team who, yeah, they do a lot of things well. They got a lot of great individual talent, a lot of great role players, but you know, they're not prepped in every single, the little areas. They're not prepped in it. Like you said, Draymond Green, how are you getting those two steals? Well, Phil Jackson, you know, press break is a part of the, the press break is a part of the offense. Yeah. Right. You look at what happened even at Milwaukee, and I don't even want to give away too much. I'm trying to be a head coach soon, so I'm like trying to— oh, but I try to keep a little bit for myself. But it's true. How are you not prepped?
You know, what a press break, bro. That is like basketball one-on-one.
It is one-on-one. It is the most, you know, it's important. And sometimes you don't go through it. You get into these playoffs, especially with the game being being more physical, BD, to your point, like I'm enjoying this shit. This is, I'm enjoying the playoffs. Like it was incredible this year, but as physical as it is, you gotta be ready to break the press. 'Cause guys is touching you now, you know what I mean? And they're not prepared. You gotta sprint to get open. Like you gotta work to get open. You can't be, like you said, lackadaisical. Nah, it ain't working. That's not working in the finals. And Rick Carlisle, this is right in Rick Carlisle's sweet spot.
Yeah. He was—
He played in the soft era, sort of a soft era. He went through all those eras and you telling me now they saying you could touch? Oh, this is Rick Carlisle's sweet spot right here.
And the thing that Indiana is doing, they're making you start your offense at half court.
They doing what the Pistons does.
Yeah.
Doing what Lindsey Hunter, who's one of the greatest point guard defenders in the history, like this guy was—
Man, he was a harasser. He was a bona fide harasser. Incredible.
You're not getting into your offense until—
All day. All day, he harassed me.
Lindsey Hunter, this is what Carlisle was doing. If the Pistons didn't have Lindsey Hunter, man, we win that series.
So you think someone at the— because again, we live in a world where people have their own opinions, where the media— I think the media control the NBA, by the way, just so we're clear. I, I— players, there, there's this common misconception of players have the power in the NBA. I personally think the media has the power in the NBA. Like, I think that's who controls the NBA. But are you saying that you think, because I actually, a couple days ago, I spoke about how I think is Alex Caruso is the most important player, third most important player. Obviously Shay, obviously J Dub, but I think Alex Caruso, Yeah. Is the third most important player on OKC's team. And Ron, I'm hearing you say Lindsey Hunter. Do you think a guy like Lindsey Hunter is that important to winning the championship?
Man, I wish Lindsey Hunter, you can't have Lindsey Hunter and Mike James on the same team. It was really difficult. These guys was harassing us. I mean, we couldn't get the ball. It was really difficult because yeah, Jamal Tinsley's incredible, What you talking about? When you play against these guys, they send in Mike James, then they send in Lindsey, then they send in Mike James, then they send in Lindsey. You're not getting into your offense until 13 seconds. I didn't package at that point in time.
At half court. At half court. Yeah.
Please take Lindsey Hunter off the court. Please don't put him in the game and we're going to be okay. Just one Mike James. You can't have— and Lindsey was a little bit better than Mike, even though Mike was more athletic. But Lindsey was a scientist when it comes to, you know, putting pressure in the backcourt, and that's what the Pacers got.
Yeah, it's, it's, it's the— it's Draymond Green, it's the disruptor, right? And you are one of those disruptors. Like, when you think about somebody who just completely disrupts your offense, and that can be picking somebody up full court, making them— making your point guard pass the ball close to the half-court ring is disgusting for a point guard. And if you can, and if you watch Indiana, OKC get across half-court, they run in pick and rolls at the half-court line.
Mm-hmm.
Just to try and get some space. New York did it the same way with Brunson. Brunson is damn near using the half-court line as another pick. And so if, if, if your defense can extend that far all game, then when it comes down to the clutch and now you gotta play in a tight space, you can't— ain't nothing open. You can shrink the floor and you can still cover ground because they can't— they don't see space. They can only see spacing from half court, which is terrible. You don't never wanna start your your offense at half court.
No, that's a fact. I think, I think when we look at those type of guys like TJ McConnell, for instance, to your point, he's doing the same thing. When you look at those type of guys, you just, when it comes to the NBA, yes, everyone is talented. Yes, everyone is skilled, all these things.
