June 5, 2025 • 10 mins
Tim Alcorn "The Voice of the Cavs" joined Todd on Thursday to preview the NBA Finals and discuss what's happening with the Cavaliers.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The NBA Finals tips off tonight. Finally, seems like we
had an off season between now and the last game. Nonetheless,
it will be Oklahoma City hosting Indiana. Should have been
the Cavaliers. Tim Alcorn right.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Well, some of the sting, and believe me, it still hurts,
but some of the sting is taken away by the
fact that the Pacers didn't make the NBA Finals. Listen,
no fluke that they're playing Oklahoma City. They were playing
great basketball down the stretch, dusted Milwaukee in five, took
care of us, and five took out the Knicks and six.
(00:38):
So they're twelve and four in the playoffs. But yeah,
it would be nice to be working this weekend.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
I'll say that Tim Alcorn the voice of the Cavaliers.
With us and with the Calves bowing out early in
the playoffs after posting the best record in the East,
the second best record in the NBA overall. Of course,
there as much angst in of hands, gnashing of teeth,
and calls for overthrowing the government and revolution of course
(01:06):
by Calvs fans. I'm sure cooler heads will prevail, but
I gotta imagine there is some inward looking thoughts with
the organization and seeing if there's a move or two
they could make, or players they want to investigate acquiring
or trading. So it's a reflective time right now.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
I would think, yeah, all of the above are true.
You're exactly right. Listen, when you win sixty four games,
that's a monumental accomplishment, number one seed in the East.
But they didn't get it done in the postseason. Now,
Kobe Altman, the president of basketball operations, that in his
postseason press conference, which he admitted came far too early,
(01:48):
that he wants to keep this core for Garland Mitchell,
Mobley Allen, he wants to keep them together. He still
thinks there's an opportunity for them to win a championship. Now,
how the flip side is, well, then how did you
lose in the second round in five games? As I said,
don't take anything away from Indiana. They're in the finals.
But he'll look at this and if there is a
(02:12):
deal to be had, I'm sure he'll look at that
very very seriously. They've got a couple of free agents.
They may lose Sam Merril Ti Jerome, so the roster
that we saw in Game five against Indiana won't necessarily
be the same that goes to training camp in late
September early October.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Tim when you look back on the matchup with Indiana
in particular, was there one part of the game you
think that doomed the Cavaliers that more than another. In
other words, you know some teams are not quote unquote
built for the playoffs or something like this. What's the
post mortem, if you will, from the Indiana series and
how can making a trade or something really change that
(02:55):
for the better?
Speaker 2 (02:57):
I think Kenny said it best immediately following the game.
He said, listen, we're just not mentally as tough as
we need to be. We need to get tougher in
that aspect of the game. That's making small plays that
can tilt a playoff game one way or the other,
and being honed in every second. That's why it's a
(03:20):
pressure cooker, because one possession or two can change the
entire dynamic of a series. We saw that in Game
two against Indiana, where a seven point we just disappeared
in the last minutes and it was all because of
mental airrors on the floor. And Game two will haunt
them throughout the postseason and throughout the off season. You
(03:41):
just you can't let that one get away, and the
Cavs did so. I think the mental aspect of the game,
I think the pace that Indiana set it was unrelenting
and the Calves didn't measure up to that, or did
the Knicks. It just wears you down. And the injuries
played a part. They weren't the excuse. I'm not saying that,
(04:04):
but they played a part. And without DG the first
couple of games and DeAndre Hunter nursing that thumb, it
played a part. But I think they'll look at everything
in sotality and say, we're not that far off, but
what is that next step? Get us over that hump?
Speaker 1 (04:21):
As you alluded to, Tim Halcorn, the voice of the
Cavaliers with us as the NBA Finals tips off tonight,
you know, you talk about the mental toughness, and I
get it, you know, I see what they're saying, and
it's a legitimate point. But sometimes that just comes with maturity,
which comes with time, and you hope that this is
a lesson learned rather than overreacting and changing a bunch
(04:43):
of personnel. Maybe guys like Mobley and Allen are a
little more hardened now, right.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Yes, and certainly back to Kobe Altman season ending press
conference where he said, Listen, Denver stuck with jokicch in
that group four or five, six years until they finally
cracked through Boston, stuck with Brown and Tatum. It didn't
happen in the first few years. And so he thinks,
(05:11):
as you just alluded to, the team is going to
learn from these hard experiences, and they're hard. That game
five loss, Man, that was a bitter pill, Todd, but
you have to learn from it, and you have to
look at that video and say, man, a play here,
a play there. If we had just been a little
mentally tougher, a little more focused, would that have tilted
(05:31):
the game our way? So it comes through experience. There's
absolutely no doubt about that.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Tim Alcorn, the voice of the Cavaliers, is with us,
and as we look to the NBA Finals, of course,
the Cavs are very much more familiar with the Pacers
having played them. I think what nine times combined from
the season and the playoffs where you only saw Oka
see a couple of times. Who do you are how
do you think Indiana can pull what I guess would
(05:57):
be called an upset? Right? They're pretty sick substantial upset
by the oddsmakers here, But give me a case for
Indiana winning this series.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Well, I do think Oklahoma Sydney will win it. They
have just played phenomenal basketball all season long and they
deserve to be the favorite. But Todd, as you well know,
it can be high school, it can be college. Sometimes
it's the hot team going into a series, going into
the NBA Finals, and Indiana is just on a roll
right now. I don't think they'll be intimidated by the
(06:31):
crowd at OKC, which can be daunting to say the
very least. I think they'll come up with some different
schemes as far as Shay is concerned, the league's MVP
and just a scoring machine. I think Rick Carlile is
underrated as an NBA coach, and he's brilliant. He now
becomes the fourth coach in NBA history to take two
(06:54):
different teams to the finals. That speaks volumes, and of
course he won a championship in Dallas. I think this
will be a chess match between Rick Carlisle and Mark Dagnall.
But in the end, I just think Okayse has too
much firepower.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Yeah, and a lot of people are feeling that way.
But you're right, I think Indiana they're kind of playing
with house money. They're feeling it, they're hot, they're the
team with nothing to lose. So I got a feeling
this is going to be a longer series than everybody
would think. And I certainly don't have an NBA expertise,
but it just feels like Indiana is not going to
(07:31):
go down without landing a few punches here. Another, of course,
big story in the NBA tim the Knicks thanked Tom
Thibodeau for making them relevant again by sending him packing.
You know, it's a dog eat dog business out here,
But what are you hearing about the Knicks making the change.
(07:51):
Was it just the fact that they finally got good
and couldn't win in the playoffs or his time just
kind of run out there? They think another guy could
take him to the next level. What are you saying there?
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Well, as the now late great George Wentz who played
Norman cheers a dog eat dog and I'm eating milk
bone underwear, I mean Tom Thibodeau. Tom Thibodeau, as you said, Hey,
thanks buddy for getting us to the Eastern Conference finals. Now,
Tom Thibodeau is a guy that's kind of locked in
(08:25):
as far as how he coaches and how he strategizes.
The lack of bench play during the course of the year,
and listen, sometimes it's the players that kind of ruled
the roost. And I'm sure a lot of players got
in Leon Rose's head, the president of the New York Knicks,
and said, you know, we're not sure about this guy.
(08:47):
And when you got Kat and Brunson and those type
of players that are chewing on your ear, I think
that forced Leon Rose's hand and he was he was
going to make that change to appease the players. And listen,
Tom Thibodeau is a great coach and it's unfortunate that
it ended that way for him, but his resume speaks
for itself well.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
The final thing to talk about with Tim Alcorn, the
voice of the Cavaliers, the officiating lineup has been announced
for the finals and local guy Tyler Ford, the Allen
East grad, is going to get a game or two.
He's among the referees for the finals here.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
I love it. Every time the Cavaliers had a game
this year with Tyler on it, I would always say,
without jail from the Lima area and of course our
affiliate w IMA. I just think that's great for your area.
And he's a very good official. He's been an alternate
in the NBA Finals the past couple of years, but
(09:48):
to get the official call up now, to be working
some games in the NBA Finals, that's the highest honor
that an NBA official can achieve. So great job, Tyler Ford.
I'm sure the entire Lina area is very very proud
of him.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
Absolutely, and Tim Alcorn, the voice of the Calves. We
will visit again here in the offseason. Things will start
happening over the next month or two once the finals
are done, and we certainly hope the Cavaliers will be
a factor again next season, and we look forward to
hearing from you soon.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Tatus talk to you. Before you know it, a drink
will roll around and we'll be talking about twenty five, twenty.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
Six, no doubt about it. Thanks Tim, Thank you,
The NBA Finals tips off tonight. Finally, seems like we
had an off season between now and the last game. Nonetheless,
it will be Oklahoma City hosting Indiana. Should have been
the Cavaliers. Tim Alcorn right.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Well, some of the sting, and believe me, it still hurts,
but some of the sting is taken away by the
fact that the Pacers didn't make the NBA Finals. Listen,
no fluke that they're playing Oklahoma City. They were playing
great basketball down the stretch, dusted Milwaukee in five, took
care of us, and five took out the Knicks and six.
(00:38):
So they're twelve and four in the playoffs. But yeah,
it would be nice to be working this weekend.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
I'll say that Tim Alcorn the voice of the Cavaliers.
With us and with the Calves bowing out early in
the playoffs after posting the best record in the East,
the second best record in the NBA overall. Of course,
there as much angst in of hands, gnashing of teeth,
and calls for overthrowing the government and revolution of course
(01:06):
by Calvs fans. I'm sure cooler heads will prevail, but
I gotta imagine there is some inward looking thoughts with
the organization and seeing if there's a move or two
they could make, or players they want to investigate acquiring
or trading. So it's a reflective time right now.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
I would think, yeah, all of the above are true.
You're exactly right. Listen, when you win sixty four games,
that's a monumental accomplishment, number one seed in the East.
But they didn't get it done in the postseason. Now,
Kobe Altman, the president of basketball operations, that in his
postseason press conference, which he admitted came far too early,
(01:48):
that he wants to keep this core for Garland Mitchell,
Mobley Allen, he wants to keep them together. He still
thinks there's an opportunity for them to win a championship. Now,
how the flip side is, well, then how did you
lose in the second round in five games? As I said,
don't take anything away from Indiana. They're in the finals.
But he'll look at this and if there is a
(02:12):
deal to be had, I'm sure he'll look at that
very very seriously. They've got a couple of free agents.
They may lose Sam Merril Ti Jerome, so the roster
that we saw in Game five against Indiana won't necessarily
be the same that goes to training camp in late
September early October.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Tim when you look back on the matchup with Indiana
in particular, was there one part of the game you
think that doomed the Cavaliers that more than another. In
other words, you know some teams are not quote unquote
built for the playoffs or something like this. What's the
post mortem, if you will, from the Indiana series and
how can making a trade or something really change that
(02:55):
for the better?
Speaker 2 (02:57):
I think Kenny said it best immediately following the game.
He said, listen, we're just not mentally as tough as
we need to be. We need to get tougher in
that aspect of the game. That's making small plays that
can tilt a playoff game one way or the other,
and being honed in every second. That's why it's a
(03:20):
pressure cooker, because one possession or two can change the
entire dynamic of a series. We saw that in Game
two against Indiana, where a seven point we just disappeared
in the last minutes and it was all because of
mental airrors on the floor. And Game two will haunt
them throughout the postseason and throughout the off season. You
(03:41):
just you can't let that one get away, and the
Cavs did so. I think the mental aspect of the game,
I think the pace that Indiana set it was unrelenting
and the Calves didn't measure up to that, or did
the Knicks. It just wears you down. And the injuries
played a part. They weren't the excuse. I'm not saying that,
(04:04):
but they played a part. And without DG the first
couple of games and DeAndre Hunter nursing that thumb, it
played a part. But I think they'll look at everything
in sotality and say, we're not that far off, but
what is that next step? Get us over that hump?
Speaker 1 (04:21):
As you alluded to, Tim Halcorn, the voice of the
Cavaliers with us as the NBA Finals tips off tonight,
you know, you talk about the mental toughness, and I
get it, you know, I see what they're saying, and
it's a legitimate point. But sometimes that just comes with maturity,
which comes with time, and you hope that this is
a lesson learned rather than overreacting and changing a bunch
(04:43):
of personnel. Maybe guys like Mobley and Allen are a
little more hardened now, right.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Yes, and certainly back to Kobe Altman season ending press
conference where he said, Listen, Denver stuck with jokicch in
that group four or five, six years until they finally
cracked through Boston, stuck with Brown and Tatum. It didn't
happen in the first few years. And so he thinks,
(05:11):
as you just alluded to, the team is going to
learn from these hard experiences, and they're hard. That game
five loss, Man, that was a bitter pill, Todd, but
you have to learn from it, and you have to
look at that video and say, man, a play here,
a play there. If we had just been a little
mentally tougher, a little more focused, would that have tilted
(05:31):
the game our way? So it comes through experience. There's
absolutely no doubt about that.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Tim Alcorn, the voice of the Cavaliers, is with us,
and as we look to the NBA Finals, of course,
the Cavs are very much more familiar with the Pacers
having played them. I think what nine times combined from
the season and the playoffs where you only saw Oka
see a couple of times. Who do you are how
do you think Indiana can pull what I guess would
(05:57):
be called an upset? Right? They're pretty sick substantial upset
by the oddsmakers here, But give me a case for
Indiana winning this series.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Well, I do think Oklahoma Sydney will win it. They
have just played phenomenal basketball all season long and they
deserve to be the favorite. But Todd, as you well know,
it can be high school, it can be college. Sometimes
it's the hot team going into a series, going into
the NBA Finals, and Indiana is just on a roll
right now. I don't think they'll be intimidated by the
(06:31):
crowd at OKC, which can be daunting to say the
very least. I think they'll come up with some different
schemes as far as Shay is concerned, the league's MVP
and just a scoring machine. I think Rick Carlile is
underrated as an NBA coach, and he's brilliant. He now
becomes the fourth coach in NBA history to take two
(06:54):
different teams to the finals. That speaks volumes, and of
course he won a championship in Dallas. I think this
will be a chess match between Rick Carlisle and Mark Dagnall.
But in the end, I just think Okayse has too
much firepower.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Yeah, and a lot of people are feeling that way.
But you're right, I think Indiana they're kind of playing
with house money. They're feeling it, they're hot, they're the
team with nothing to lose. So I got a feeling
this is going to be a longer series than everybody
would think. And I certainly don't have an NBA expertise,
but it just feels like Indiana is not going to
(07:31):
go down without landing a few punches here. Another, of course,
big story in the NBA tim the Knicks thanked Tom
Thibodeau for making them relevant again by sending him packing.
You know, it's a dog eat dog business out here,
But what are you hearing about the Knicks making the change.
(07:51):
Was it just the fact that they finally got good
and couldn't win in the playoffs or his time just
kind of run out there? They think another guy could
take him to the next level. What are you saying there?
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Well, as the now late great George Wentz who played
Norman cheers a dog eat dog and I'm eating milk
bone underwear, I mean Tom Thibodeau. Tom Thibodeau, as you said, Hey,
thanks buddy for getting us to the Eastern Conference finals. Now,
Tom Thibodeau is a guy that's kind of locked in
(08:25):
as far as how he coaches and how he strategizes.
The lack of bench play during the course of the year,
and listen, sometimes it's the players that kind of ruled
the roost. And I'm sure a lot of players got
in Leon Rose's head, the president of the New York Knicks,
and said, you know, we're not sure about this guy.
(08:47):
And when you got Kat and Brunson and those type
of players that are chewing on your ear, I think
that forced Leon Rose's hand and he was he was
going to make that change to appease the players. And listen,
Tom Thibodeau is a great coach and it's unfortunate that
it ended that way for him, but his resume speaks
for itself well.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
The final thing to talk about with Tim Alcorn, the
voice of the Cavaliers, the officiating lineup has been announced
for the finals and local guy Tyler Ford, the Allen
East grad, is going to get a game or two.
He's among the referees for the finals here.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
I love it. Every time the Cavaliers had a game
this year with Tyler on it, I would always say,
without jail from the Lima area and of course our
affiliate w IMA. I just think that's great for your area.
And he's a very good official. He's been an alternate
in the NBA Finals the past couple of years, but
(09:48):
to get the official call up now, to be working
some games in the NBA Finals, that's the highest honor
that an NBA official can achieve. So great job, Tyler Ford.
I'm sure the entire Lina area is very very proud
of him.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
Absolutely, and Tim Alcorn, the voice of the Calves. We
will visit again here in the offseason. Things will start
happening over the next month or two once the finals
are done, and we certainly hope the Cavaliers will be
a factor again next season, and we look forward to
hearing from you soon.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Tatus talk to you. Before you know it, a drink
will roll around and we'll be talking about twenty five, twenty.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
Six, no doubt about it. Thanks Tim, Thank you,
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