Welcome to Good Take.

Wes Goldberg here, joined by Mike Shear, the author of Basketball Poetry.

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We've got some good takes cooking up.

But, Mike, before we get to that, let's start with tonight's game. Game 6, Spurs Thunder, massive game. The Thunder, one went away from making the NBA finals, the Spurs fighting

to force a game seven here. We're going to get into some of adjustments, some things that we're watching for in this one. But look, after an instant classic in game one, it hasn't quite been to that level in terms of, I think the basketball quality has been really high, but in terms of the drama, it hasn't really been at the level of that double overtime thriller that we started the series with.

Do you think that changes here in game six with everything on the line?

You hope so.

You'd hope that both these things are going to be leaving it out on the table, right? Like no way Oklahoma City wants to spend another game doing this and, you know, with the injuries

they have and just the amount of rest that they're eyeing their counterparts in the east,

the Knicks getting,

you got to think they want to finish the deal tonight. And Santoni is obviously playing for their lives. So like this is the exact kind of situation that should lead to a classic game. We'll see. But to your point, you know what I was thinking about the other day was a series from a long, long time ago where it was Hawks Heat. I want to say it was like 2008. And I don't know, it was a really long time ago where it went seven games and every single game was like a 20 plus point blowout and there was zero like moment to moment drama it hasn't been quite like that in this game like obviously game one was amazing and there have been time like these games had ever felt out of hand until late in the game most of the time but yeah there hasn't quite been that uh exciting like up and down that we haven't seen the heart monitor win probability graphs for too many of these games. Right. The spurs cut it last time to like eight points, I think at the beginning of the fourth quarter. I think it was eight points. And I'm like, are they going to, are they going to do it? And then the thunder kind of pulled away. And that was our, I think, last good chance at getting a dramatic end of one of these games. But I do think that Game 6 is poised to be something special. I think the Spurs have to leave everything. They gotta unload the clip. Like you've gotta force a game seven here. And if you're the Thunder, I do think that there's a lot at stake for the Thunder right now because you want to get some time off before you play this very well-rested and now very healthy Knicks team. You are on your own not healthy. This gives you more time, obviously, to get guys like Jalen Williams and A.J. Mitchell healthy. But look, the NBA finals start June 3rd, no matter what, what I'm be more concerned about if I were the Thunder is actually getting more injured. If we lose one other guy, if Jared McCain tweaks something, if something else happens, like we are starting to look at this at a pretty tough situation against the Knicks. So I think there's a lot of stake for both of these teams. One other big picture question before we get into some things that we're watching for from an exes and O's perspective. Shea Gilgesa Alexander,

the reigning MVP, Victor Webbenyama, who a lot of people are now are saying is now just the best player in the NBA. These are the stars of the Western Conference finals. Game six,

who does this game matter more for? Shea or Wemby? It's Wimby because his case as trying to get the best player in the world crowned, I think rests pretty heavily upon overcoming the Thunder team right now. One of the things I think we've seen is like Wimby's defense is Wimby's defense, right? But offensively, he's just been so up and down.

And that's one of the things that's kind of held them back.

And when I say help him back, I mean, being the second or third best player in the world,

not the first best player.

But it hasn't been Chase's finest series either, but you can't sit here and be like his team

has been at full health.

And, you know, Shay is, being carried by his teammates. It, like, it's the best, these are the two best defense in the league.

Both guys are expected to have a little tougher sledding than usual. And I think, like, it is, it is the challengers, it is on the challenger to take the crown away. And I think winning this series would do that. losing it still leaves it up in the air for whatever excuses you want to make about

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