Stephen A. Smith is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Executive Producer, host of ESPN's First Take, and co-host of NBA Countdown.
🏆 NBA Finals Recap
- Champions: Oklahoma City Thunder win the 2024–2025 NBA Championship in Game 7 over the Indiana Pacers.
- MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA)
- 29 points, 12 assists, 1 turnover in Game 7
- Joins elite company as MVP, scoring champ, and NBA champion in the same season
- Thunder’s Core:
- Jalen Williams (J-Dub), Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso, Isaiah Hartenstein
- Deep bench with Wiggins and Wallace
- Second-youngest championship team in NBA history
💔 Tyrese Haliburton Injury
- Suffered an Achilles injury in Game 7
- Was off to a hot start before going down
- Emotional moment as he greeted teammates on crutches post-game
- His absence shifted the momentum of the game and series
🏀 Indiana Pacers’ Future
- Despite the loss, the Pacers showed promise:
- Bennedict Mathurin, Myles Turner, and others showed flashes
- TJ McConnell praised for his gritty performance—nearly MVP-worthy if Pacers had won
- Haliburton’s injury likely sidelines him for the 2025–2026 season
🚑 Injury Crisis in the NBA
- Major stars out for next season:
- Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles)
- Jayson Tatum (Achilles)
- Damian Lillard (Achilles)
- Kyrie Irving (ACL)
- Raises concerns about the toll of modern pace-of-play on players’ bodies
- JJ Redick’s comments on modern wear-and-tear vs. old-school physicality are echoed
🔁 Blockbuster Trade: Kevin Durant to Houston Rockets
- Trade Details:
- KD to Houston
- Phoenix receives: Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, 2025 #10 pick, five second-round picks
- Houston’s New Core:
- KD joins Fred VanVleet, Alperen Şengün, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr.
- Rockets now seen as legit contenders in the West
🔥 Phoenix Suns Fallout
- KD’s age (36) and contract limited trade return
- Suns now focused on offloading Bradley Beal, who has a no-trade clause
- Beal’s value has plummeted—team may pay him to stay home
🧠 Stephen A’s Takeaways
- OKC is the team to beat, but Houston is coming
- KD still elite: 27 PPG, 50/39/88 shooting splits
- Miami Heat missed a huge opportunity by not pursuing KD harder
- Pat Riley may need to step back and let Erik Spoelstra take over full control
Support the show: http://www.youtube.com/@stephenasmith
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Host
Stephen A. Smith
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.