Hour 2: On Guard

First Take

ESPN Radio

Sports

4.2 • 5.5K Ratings

🗓️ 2 June 2025

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Stephen A. Smith, Monica McNutt and Jay Williams preview the upcoming NBA Finals between the Pacers and Thunder! The crew goes in depth with the guard matchup and how key guards will be in determining this series Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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0:31.8	Good day. One back to first take coming you live from above the Heineken River Deck at Pier 17.
0:37.2	Look, everyone enjoying the good weather.
0:39.0	The circle line right there.
0:42.6	SGA playing like an MVP.
0:46.5	The Oklahoma City Thunder are going back to the NBA finals.
0:50.9	Albert.
0:51.9	A free and run.
0:57.0	For the first time in 25 years, are going to the NBA Finals.
1:00.0	We're right that.
1:05.0	We can't wait for this one to go down starting this Thursday on ABC as the finals features the two hottest teams in 2025.
1:12.4	The Pacers were 10 and 15 to start the season but turned it around as they're 46 and 18 since
1:17.6	January and that trails only the Thunder who went 53 and 13. Monica, what is going to be the biggest determining factor in these finals?
1:30.3	Oh man.
1:31.3	So I think the thunder are going to take care of business this one, but I'm going to throw in the wrinkle of coaching on this one to make it interesting.
1:40.3	I think on paper, okay, season a different class. We've seen that all season long, so that's not just a slight against the paper, the Pacers.
1:48.0	They are in a different class, but I do wonder if Rick Carlisle will have the opportunity to close that gap just a little bit, Molly,
1:55.0	in terms of his experience, having won a title in the league, having coached in plenty of playoff games, and there's still being a little bit of new territory for Mark Dagnall.
2:04.7	So, yeah, that's one thing that I'm watching, some of the X's and O's and some of the maneuvers from the first chair on the sideline.
2:12.5	I love that point, Monica, because you have a guy in Dagno that I think is pretty innovative
2:19.1	with how he plays offense.
	...

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