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Jun 17, 2025
Best of A Numbers Game | June 17, 2025
Best of A Numbers Game | June 17, 2025
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Transcript
0:01
The numbers told the story, they always do. It's one of those idiots who believe in analytics. This is a Numbers Game with Gil Alexander on VSiN. Good Tuesday morning to you.
0:10
It is a Numbers Game at VSiN, the sports betting network, VSiN.com, Game Plus, iHeartRadio, YouTube TV, and of course Sirius XM Channel 158. It's Gil Alexander. This is Kelly Biddle, everybody. Yeah.
0:21
Producer number nine. So much more than a producer. Uh, how you doing? You good? I'm good, man. How you doing? Oh, I'm very well. You rec- recovering okay? I'm good, man. I'm good. All right. I'm just making sure.
0:32
All right, we won't get into it. [laughs] Kelly's doing okay.
0:35
Uh, on the show today, Drew Dincic will join us from both the Deep Dive and Bet The Edge podcast at NBC Sports Talk NBA finals with him, of course, and to see if he has any grass court tennis, uh, in multiple venues today, both on the men's and ladies' side.
0:48
I will be returning to tennis here later this week. I g- I've stayed out long enough. What did I stay out for, a week and a half? We're w- we're at Nottingham. We're in London on the men's side. And Hal- Hallie? Hall?
1:00
Hallie. Hallie. [laughs] Hallie. Um, we'll do that with Drew a little later on the show. Jake Hahn, Stanley Cup Final Game 6 tonight.
1:09
We are at the reckoning, the day of reckoning, uh, perhaps in both hockey and National Basketball Association. Mark Borchardt from an undisclosed location in the desert on Major League Baseball.
1:19
Also, uh, where will Kevin Durant play next? Where will Giannis play next? There are markets that you can bet on.
1:26
I don't know how m- how much you can get down on these markets, but nonetheless, you can put a couple, uh, couple shekels on it. Yes? I, I think Durant, this happens this week, Gil.
1:36
I think this happens in the next few days. It's down to three teams, right? It's heating up. It's heating up, yeah. Oh, pun, no pun intended. Yeah, no pun intended. No. Why would he go to the Heat, by the way?
1:45
I don't think he will. Yeah. We'll get to it next segment. All right. I'm sorry. But I think there are, uh- Jumped the gun. Uh- Yeah, we're narrowing down the list though. That's for sure. Yeah.
1:51
Uh, NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP talk as well here, uh, on the show because we gotta get into that here with one or two games left. Is it, i- is there now some doubt as to who could win this given which team wins?
2:06
And I'm talking about OKC and Jalen Williams. I'm talking about what the Indiana side of it, what does that mean to your betting? Uh, we'll get into that a little bit later on.
2:13
As far as the game last night, game number five of the NBA finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder take a three to two lead as they take down the Pacers. And in a Plinko finish, a complete Plinko finish.
2:27
I know the last game, I know game four came down to the last possession, but I w- I would argue that was not Plinko.
2:32
That was just Indiana, uh, losing the money for folks who bet on them in just the most ridiculous fashion. I would say that's the bad beat. Yeah. Last night was complete Plinko to me.
2:42
I, you had no idea where this was gonna land. It was up and down. It ends up with the Pacers having the ball down 11. The close was nine or nine and a half, whatever you got the number at, right?
2:54
Uh, and then the, uh, the Pacers, they threw the ball away.
2:57
I love that you're start- [laughs] I love that you're starting right there 'cause it, we talk about, like, y- you frame it so well with the monthly wins of, like, these teams have no idea. Yes. You know what I mean?
3:06
No clue. The people are cheering things on. We're in back to back games now where Benedikt Mathur has been like- Ah... the spread guy. The villain. Yeah, the spread villain if you bet on the Pacers.
3:16
And, like, I don't know about you, like, I didn't bet it, but I played it in the contest, played it in the contest for a Killer Sports contest. Yeah. So it's nine and a half there when I w- it audit.
3:23
And I'm like, "Here it is, Mathur with the ball, with the chance," and just drives it into nothingness and turns it over. Nothing. Turns it over. And you're like, "All right. Thanks, Benedikt."
3:30
And then the, uh, the Thunder dribble the ball out.
3:33
If, if you missed this game last night, I mean, it did get interesting f- first of all, uh, Thunder took a, at the, at most an 18 point lead, 56 to 38 with 2:29 left in the second quarter.
3:45
Uh, the Pacers had a TJ McConnell quarter for the ages. He had a great game three, of course, did McConnell. Uh, we call that the TJ McConnell game, but then last night he was brilliant again.
3:55
Scored, scored or assisted on 18 of the Pacers 34 third quarter points, and the Pacers chopped away at the lead. Chip, chip, chip, chip. You chip or chop? Eh, they did both. You understand.
4:07
And, uh, it got down all the way. Once the fourth quarter started then, uh, they chopped it down to th- a two point margin from 18 to two, 95-93 Thunder. With 8:30 left, here we go.
4:19
So you chip away and then it w- it got chopped from 18 to two. You chip away- Yeah, yeah, yeah... and then it got chopped. Yeah. Just clarifying. I don't know.
4:26
[laughs] Anyway, from 95-93, again, a two to two series at this point, a two point game, 8:30 left. Well, that was it because after that it was a five to nothing OKC run punctuated by a terrible turnover [clears throat]
4:41
where Wallace stole the ball from Nemhardt, breakaway jam. That made it 100 to 93 in a blink.
4:46
Uh, then at 103-97, OKC goes on another run to bust it open, a seven to nothing run to make, as actually a 10 to nothing run when all was said and done. Four consecutive turnovers by the Pacers.
4:58
The Pacers end this game with 22 turnovers.
5:03
I'm not sure if you're aware of this, Kelly, but if you're turning the ball over 22 times, uh, and the other team is only doing half of that, you're probably not gonna win many basketball games. No, you're not.
5:11
You know what the bigger number is within those turnovers? 15 of them were steals. 15 were steals. Oklahoma City grabbing 15 o- right out of your hands.
5:19
And as great as Siakam was, and he really is, I mean, if the Pacers are to win this, he's probably your MVP. Yeah. He did have six turnovers last night. Mm-hmm.
5:26
Uh, the story down the stretch though, 'cause, 'cause once it got, by the way, once that 10 to nothing run happened and it got to 113 to 97, I mean, think about that.
5:34
From 18 points down to two, and then in a blink back up to 16. They basically traded buckets from there, which led to that last possession where the spread was determined.
5:43
And so here we are, Jay Wi- Jace- Jalen Williams, a 40 point performance, 46 and four, SGA 31, 10 and four blocks. Uh, third straight game by the way for Williams with 26 or more. 26, 27, and 40 now.
5:58
The fifth player, only the fifth player over the last 40 seasons- To score tw- I was pr- a little surprised by this.
6:05
Only the fifth player over the last 40 seasons to score 25 or more points in three straight NBA finals games before the age of 25. Joining, you ready for this? Kyrie, KD, D. Wade, and Shaq.
6:17
You don't even have to say their names. Yeah. So that's the list. Um, anyway, as far as this goes, the, the big, the big thing moving forward. Oh, here's one, by the way.
6:25
Uh, scored, scoring 40-plus points in a finals game, uh, the following players have never done that. Larry Bird never did it, The Dream never did it, The Mailman never did it, Kawhi never did it, and Dirk never did it.
6:38
Never scored 40 in a g- in an NBA finals game. What's the most surprising name on that list to you for this?
6:43
Uh, my initial reaction was Larry Joe Bird, but I'm gonna say A- Hakeem, that Hakeem never got 40 in any of those Rockets finals. Okay. Any of the two. 'Cause I ki- I kinda lean to the two later names, but I don't...
6:55
I guess Kawhi hasn't played in that many finals games. I'll tell you what the least surprising name was, Karl Malone. [laughs] Yeah. That was the easy, easier answer.
7:02
So I was like, I don't, I don't really think he ever got 40. Um, so the, moving forward, so by the way, now game six, obviously potential closeout, potential championship game for OKC.
7:11
They are four and a half point favorites now at Indiana, game six Thursday night. Uh, four and a half point favorites where it stands right now. Could it go down? Well, the markets, they were showing five here.
7:22
Uh, I see some four and a halves. Could it go down further where everybody says, "Well, you know, it's the old must w- the proverbial must-win of all must-win situations"? But here's the problem.
7:31
Tyrese Haliburton last night. I mean, the big headline of the game besides the actual score, Tyrese didn't score his first points until a pair of free throws with 7:07 remaining in the third quarter yesterday. Yep.
7:42
Uh, he finished with four points in 34 minutes. Finished 0 for 6 from the field, took just one attempt after halftime.
7:50
His status moving forward will be a significant storyline because all four points were from the free throw line, this because of what Shams Charania, uh, reported at halftime. Calf tightness.
8:00
Had to leave the game, kept coming back. By the way, McConnell, 18 points, four boards, four assists, two steals in 22 minutes. Haliburton four points in 34 minutes last night.
8:10
Um, Siakam, by the way, 28, 6, 5, three steals, two blocks in addition to those six turnovers, so he was great. But anyway, Haliburton's the biggest story here moving forward. What, what can the Pacers get out of him?
8:23
What do you expect to get out of him? And do you feel like if, if the market moves this shorter, they're like, "Well, the Pacers have," I mean, it's the ultimate must-win, right? By the way, total 224 and a half.
8:34
Then do you jump on OKC? I will tell you this as a guy who has made l- good money on the Pacers up until the last two games, I'm kinda out of this the rest of the way. Yeah, this is, um...
8:43
Well, I, look, I think the Haliburton stuff's really tough to, to figure out, right? This is... It, it's how injured is he, right? I, I think there is something that he, he's clearly playing through.
8:53
Um, I believe we have sound from Haliburton. Actually, we could play this. He, he discussed it after the game last night, kind of where he, where he's at and what he's feeling like right now. Or not.
9:04
I mean, it's the NBA finals. It's the finals, man. Uh, I've worked my whole life to be here, and, uh, I wanna be out there to compete. Um, you know, help my teammates any way I can.
9:13
Um, you know, I was not great tonight by any means, but, uh, you know, it's not really a thought of mine to, to, to not play here. You know, if I, if I can, uh, you know, walk, then, then I wanna play.
9:26
So, um, you know, they understand that, and, uh, you know, it is what it is, and, uh, you know, gotta be ready to go for game six.
9:33
And im- and imagine being Rick Carlisle in this situation where you're like, "Okay, what, where, how are we better off?" A hampered, to the extent that he's hampered- Right...
9:40
Haliburton, even as a decoi- uh, ef- decoy, I mean, w- we're getting to the point where it's like that's not even...
9:45
It's like can we get enough out of Haliburton that that's better than full-strength McConnell at this point?
9:49
Well, and that, and this is where it goes back to what we've talked about so many times during this playoffs where I think there, I, I think there is this, sorry if I get annoying with this, but I think there's this misconception of the type of player that Tyrese Haliburton is.
10:00
I don't really know that he works as a decoy all that well, you know? Yeah. He's, we're not talking about a legendary three-point shooter or- No... something like that, that you can hide him in a corner.
10:08
And when TJ McConnell's playing that well, I, it's something you kinda have to consider. But at the same time, if you're Rick Carlisle, like, you gotta go down with the guy who brought you here, right?
10:17
Like, you are not here if it is not for Tyrese Haliburton magic throughout the playoffs. So I, I mean, it is the big question heading into, h- heading into game six, Gil.
10:27
Um, I mean, it, it's easy for me to say this now, but this is kinda what I thought going into game four, right?
10:32
We talked about betting the series prices or the game lines in game four, and that's where I said I was gonna make my last kinda final stand with the Thunder. I would bet them game four.
10:40
I thought they'd be able to come back and win game five, but I thought it was very likely that the Pacers could go on and win game six.
10:46
Kinda like you just said, though, I think I'm just on the sidelines re- the rest of the way because if this is... I'm not going to back the Pacers in game six when his status is so up in the air.
10:55
And I think both teams at this point, both teams for what it's worth, can say to themselves, "We should be outta here. We should've won this in five." Hm. OKC could say that 'cause they gacked game one.
11:05
Indiana can say that. They were up 10 late third quarter, you know, in game four with lots of chances to increase that lead. Gacked that game, forget about the f- the cover. And then last night down two, right?
11:16
They're still to eight minutes and 30 seconds. They're, "Well, if we just had a better eight minutes and 30 seconds, this would be over." Uh, it is where it is, right?
11:23
3-2 in favor of OKC, probably where it should be given all that. But, uh, yeah, I, I've, those last two losses betting the Pacers were enough of a take it on the chin thing. Yeah.
11:34
Last night being the ultimate point where I'm like, "Okay, cool. I'm good." I, it would still be Pacers or nothing for me in game six. Yeah. But- But yeah... give it a couple days. Let's see. That's right.
11:42
Um, we'll talk about the MVP and how it relates to how your bets should fall a little later on. Let's talk some hockey, let's talk some baseball.
11:50
[upbeat music] A numbers game on VSiN, the sports betting network.
12:01
Unmatched transparency with records updated daily, AI betting analysis, real-time global betting information, and alerts directly from the pros. Where's all that? At sharpplays.com. Invite you to check it out.
12:13
Have you checked it out yet, Kelly? I have. Yes. All right. Reminder that this show is powered by K.I. Betting Analysis. Not, not quite as good. K.I. Betting Analysis? Yeah, Kelly Intelligence. Oh, Kelly Intelligence.
12:24
That's right. It's not quite as good. No, not quite. [laughs] I, I don't know. You say things like, well, I do think so. Maybe it is, because you say things like, "JJ Spaun is legit.
12:34
Thurston Lawrence is not," and then people three days, four days later are like, "Thanks so much, Kelly." That's true. "You got us a winner." [laughs] That's true. [laughs] I'm like, wow, you got all that from that?
12:43
Yeah. Uh, let's talk some hockey. Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final is tonight in Sunrise, Florida, where the Panthers have a chance to close out the Edmonton Oilers. Jake Hahn joins us now.
12:54
You can follow him on Twitter @jhan4, of course, cohost of The Point and The Fantasy Hockey Show at Sirius XM. How you doing, Jake? I'm doing great, guys.
13:04
Always love when I, I can join you guys, especially on a game day. Obviously, huge Game 3 Cup in the building.
13:09
And, uh, Kelly's right by the way, JJ Spaun, I have to acknowledge he is legit, especially with what he did over the weekend. Thurston Lawrence, I mean, he showed up at a couple majors randomly.
13:18
Outside of that, totally not legit. And I also have to start to, to acknowledge, I think Ben Griffin might be legit as well.
13:24
He doesn't look like he should be, but all of a sudden he's just popping on every leaderboard, uh, every time I turn on my TV on the weekend, so I, I gotta give him some props as well.
13:33
How did your US Open go betting-wise for you? N- not well. Kelly knows this because I was texting him, and I can't complain because I did hit Ryan Fox the week before.
13:42
So I, I don't wanna get greedy here, but hey, we do like to get greedy sometimes. I had Sam Burns who was looking great all weekend- Ooh...
13:48
uh, even on Sunday after a, a blip early, he still got the lead going to the back nine, and then, uh, he cau- he really did catch some bad breaks on that back nine, guys. A couple divots.
13:57
He l- lands into a, a water on the fairway, doesn't get his relief. So tho- those are the breaks, uh, I guess.
14:03
I kind of felt bad for Burns that that's how it played out, but, uh, ultimately he got a taste of the smoke at a major on the back nine, maybe a learning experience for him.
14:10
And happy for a guy like JJ Spaun, who's grinded on the, the PGA Tour for a long time. I never in a million years would have bet JJ Spaun, so I, I certainly, it didn't feel like I missed out on anything there.
14:19
L- l- that positive Jake Canadian attitude, you know? I love it. Like, my- Love it... my remote would've been thrown through the sliding glass door probably- Yeah... if I was on Sam Burns at that point. Oh, man.
14:28
So cheery. Made a play out of a puddle, Jake. I- They made a play out of a puddle [laughs]
14:33
I wanna check who, who, who was the rules official, like Tyrrell Hatton's dad or JJ Spaun's dad or some- [laughs] Like Victor Hovland's dad?
14:39
I'd, I've watched the whole thing play out, and I thought, "Okay, he's pr- he's gonna get some sort of relief here," and I saw the videos after, and I mean, it was a huge putt.
14:46
We all, and we all saw how the ball reacted off his club, right? And all the water that came up. I thought, "Really? They, they made him hit out of that?" Like, that's kinda silly.
14:53
I, I would get it if you're in the rough. You don't wanna improve your lie. But you're in the, you hit a fairway, so, uh, I don't know.
14:58
D- not a great call unfortunately, but, uh, ultimately JJ Spaun, uh, well deserved down the stretch to, to rally from that tough start on Sunday. All right.
15:06
Speaking of Canada, I don't know if you know this, Jake, but Canada, no team from Canada has won a Cup since 1993. What? When the Montreal Canadiens did it, yes. Also, Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season. What?
15:17
Yeah. Um, so I just wanna ask you before we get to tonight's game about game five. Uh, we were back at Edmonton. Edmonton, you know, it was a de facto best of three series.
15:27
Edmonton had games five and seven at home, and they come out and Florida takes a two to nothing lead in the first period. They end up winning it five to two.
15:35
Edmonton just didn't look good at all, and I'm being kind, I think. And my question to you is, listen, they, they were down three to nothing to the Panthers last year.
15:45
They won three games in a row until they lost game seven. If you, if we're putting this together, and maybe this is, maybe I'm, I'm reading into this, does Edmonton have a, a pressure problem?
15:56
Like when they're, when they got nothing to lose, they play great, when there's pressure on the line, they play poorly, or is this just hockey? That, that, it's random like that.
16:04
I think this is, this is the Florida Panthers.
16:06
This is a, and we actually did a deep dive on this on our show on Monday, kind of 'cause it was our first time getting a chance to talk after that game five that you mentioned on Saturday.
16:14
And we went through all the results for this playoff run so far for the Florida Panthers, and in my opinion, when they get to their A game, guys, when they play this, this ceiling game of the Florida Panthers, I'd never wanna call somebody unbeatable, but they are very, very difficult to beat when they play that A game.
16:29
And if you look through the results, not only do they beat teams when they play to that level, but they beat them quite comfortably, and these are good playoff teams that they're doing that to, winning by, you know, three, four.
16:38
W- we saw what they did to the Maple Leafs in that game seven, right? Just r- absolutely running them out of the building when they get to that A game level. Uh, and they just suffocate you.
16:46
They give you no space out there, and I, that's the first time I think we really saw them do that for 60 minutes to the Oilers in this series on Saturday.
16:53
Now, the, the funny thing with the Panthers is when they play their B and even C game, they still have a chance to win those games.
16:59
That's when you see Florida either win or lose by one goal, where okay, maybe you can get them a little bit, and an opportunistic team like Edmonton can take advantage of it.
17:07
So I hate to say it, guys, uh, at least from an Edmonton side, if Florida plays their A game again tonight, this series is probably over because it is so hard to beat them when they're taking away time and space the way that they did on Saturday.
17:18
That, that really was the perfect road game that the Panthers played on, on Saturday night in Edmonton. And do you see it going that way tonight? Do you see it being a, a closeout for Florida?
17:27
Well, again, it comes down to, to what kind of game the Panthers have. Now, obviously, they, they can draw back from the experience. You mentioned Edmonton, right?
17:33
Coming back from three-nothing last year, and this isn't three-nothing, but the Panthers know, "Okay, we, we don't wanna make, let this happen again." And at least last year they had the game seven in their own building.
17:43
This time the game seven would be in Edmonton, uh, which you could say would be a lot of pressure on the Oilers, and, you know, the Panthers have been a great road team as they showed over the weekend.
17:52
I, I think the Panthers get it done tonight, guys. Not enough to make a bet on that money line, though. I, I think it's a little too steep getting close to that minus 150 range.
18:00
Uh, that being said, I did take Edmonton before the series.
18:03
It's just tough after what I watched on Saturday, and I just think the Panthers have that look in their eyes knowing, "We're, we're not gonna let this happen again.
18:10
We're not gonna let them back into this series and, and drag us back to Alberta and have to ask those questions again."
18:15
So f- If you're trying to make a case for Edmonton, they're in the exact same situation that the Toronto Maple Leafs were in in the second round. They needed to win a game six in Florida.
18:24
Toronto went in and they shut out the Panthers and they dragged them back for a game seven.
18:27
So your case for Edmonton is if the Leafs can do it, certainly the Oilers can do it, but the Stanley Cup Final might be a, a, a different beast, and I just think the Panthers, they wanna win this one in front of their, their home crowd tonight.
18:38
All right, let's talk Conn Smythe for a second here. With, uh, one or two games left, uh, I'm curious if you still think that they're, that this is actionable.
18:46
Sam Bennett of the Panthers, obviously Panthers up three games to two.
18:49
Sam Bennett, um, leading the entire post-season in goals, minus 150, and Conn Smythe, of course, a full playoffs award as opposed to the NBA Finals MVP, which we're, we'll talk about later.
19:01
Uh, Sam Bennett minus 150, Brad Marchand plus 370, and then the two Oilers obviously, Draisaitl 7-1 and McDavid now plus 750. That, of course, dropping because the Oilers are down three games to two.
19:14
Um, nobody else but th- Let's start with this. Nobody else but those four guys can win this at this point, right? No goaltender, nothing? I, I don't see it.
19:24
I, like, it would ma- it would probably ta- I mean, Bobrovsky technically could only have one shutout, 'cause if it came tonight, this, the series would be over. Yeah.
19:30
And I don't think that would be enough, uh, for him to get it done. And, and there's, we don't even know who's starting for the Oilers in net tonight. There's that debate.
19:36
I think it's gonna be Stuart Skinner, but they're kind of leaving that up in the air.
19:39
If you look at the odds and prop market, they're, they're posting Skinner, so I feel like the oddsmakers have a feeling it's, it's gonna be Stuart Skinner tonight.
19:46
But even if Skinner came back in, had a shutout in, in this game, shutout in game seven, I don't, I still don't think it would be enough to win it. So you're right, I think it's these four guys here.
19:54
I, I've said Sam Bennett all along throughout the course of this series, and I don't think he's done anything to, to loosen his grip on the Conn Smythe Trophy, but man is Brad Marchand making a great case for himself.
20:04
And I, I've said this on my show a couple times, he's strangely become a bit of a media darling now this late part of his career. He used to kind of be the, the hated guy, the, one of the villains in the league.
20:14
You know, not a lot of fans liked him. Even media didn't like him. But I, I feel like he's, he's become likable all of a sudden, so that might play with voters a little bit.
20:21
If he can score another big goal tonight and help them win the game, m- it might be enough to push Marchand over the edge.
20:27
My vote's still going to Sam Bennett, but, uh, you have to give a lot of respect to, to Marchand, and it's still a, a pretty healthy number there around, around four to one for him. Let me just do the mathematics here.
20:35
If, uh, Edmonton is plus 280 on the series price, right? They gotta win two games. Uh, they're plus 280.
20:41
Draisaitl seven to one, Connor McDavid plus 750, obviously shop around for the most fortun- for the, for the best numbers.
20:47
But if you put a unit on Draisaitl and a unit on McDavid, right, um, that's still a better play than betting the Oilers on the series price. Yes? I believe so. That's the way I would play it. Yeah.
21:02
In my mind, that makes a lot of sense. And even if, like, if you were gonna make a one unit play on the Oilers to win the series from this position, I think even a half unit, like, take your unit, split it in half.
21:11
Go, you know, half to Draisaitl, half to McDavid.
21:13
I think that's probably a better way to play it because I don't see [laughs] any universe that any other Oiler would win the Conn Smythe if the Oilers ultimately do come back and win two games this week.
21:22
So I like that way of playing it. My lean would still be towards Draisaitl, so maybe you wanna even give him a, you know, a little bit more- Yeah... uh, in terms of that unit share.
21:30
I, I s- I do like Leon, but man, when you see plus 750 be- beside Connor McDavid, you think, "Can he put on that cape tonight and on Friday night and, and lead this team, uh, to, to a game seven Stanley Cup win?"
21:40
That, that could also be enough for him to get it done. Yeah, of course, but my scenario only works if the Oilers win it, right? Obviously, if they don't, then you've lost- Yeah...
21:47
two units in that scenario as opposed to one. [laughs] So that's the downside of it, so I, I am aware of that. Um, but this, this is what makes all this very interesting.
21:55
And again, just to stress, it is not a Stanley Cup Final award. It is the entire post-season where McDavid and Draisaitl, uh, neck and neck on points.
22:04
Draisaitl obviously has the edge on goals despite Connor scoring the other night. Uh, McDavid has the edge in terms of assists.
22:11
But Draisaitl with the four overtime game winners, which is a record, uh, e- an amazing career feat, let alone in one post-season.
22:20
One would think, he says with his Draisaitl ticket, one would think that if the Oilers [laughs] won this, it would go to him, but it is Connor McJesus. Uh, Jake, enjoy the game tonight.
22:30
Hopefully we, uh, see a game seven. I do think we could see our first under tonight as well, guys. Ooh, okay. But I do hope we get a game seven. Let's, let's find out. My man. Thank you. Drew Dinsick next.
22:40
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22:52
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23:00
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23:08
Right now you can sign up for as little as 9.99 to get full access to all VSiN articles. Just head to vsin.com/subscribe to sign up today. Uh, we're talking about, uh, random sports off air.
23:21
Uh, also not quite a sport, but a sport nonetheless in his own way.
23:25
I put up the, I, I reposted that, uh, clip that you and I had from two and a half years ago when Oz the Mentalist, Oz Pearlman, came on a numbers game and read me silly. Called out the eight of clubs out of the pack.
23:40
He was not even with us. He was not even in studio. He was remote. Yeah, just on Skype. Called out the eight of clubs, then randomly knew what athlete, ran- random athlete I was thinking of.
23:51
You gotta watch the clip again after the show at Beating the Book. Um, can we try to get him back on, do you think? I, I have, I have emailed management team. Okay. The management team. All right, let's get Oz back on.
24:00
They, they have not responded yet. Is, are we still, still in terms of [laughs] they have not responded, I don't think, I, he's too big now for us. Oh, we, we caught him right as- Yes...
24:08
like, like he had been on, like, one thing. Yeah. Like, you had seen him on, like, one national sports show. Yeah, that was- And we were like, "Oh, that might be fun." Yeah.
24:15
And then, like, after that, he's been on, I mean, like, [laughs] I think I saw something from Off World now it's, like, a few weeks ago kind of killing everybody, every network for continuing- Doing-...
24:23
to put him on- Yeah... 'cause it's the, I mean, it's the same thing every time, right? Yeah, but I, I just wanna say it's still one of the freakiest things that's ever happened to me.
24:31
I still have no explanation for any of it And as I watch other clips of him doing other things, I still can't figure any of it out. Maybe I'm just a dummy Couldn't get in the steel trap.
24:41
Couldn't get in the Kelly Bidlin steel trap. That, that's the only way I think we're gonna get him back on is I'm just gonna keep reminding him that- You bitch. Back talking him... he's O for one against me, so.
24:49
You can't read me, O's. How impressive can you be? Yeah. Uh, Drew Ditzick joins us once again, uh, courtesy of the Progressive Guest Line, @whale_capper, uh, on the old t- on the old Twitter machine.
25:00
You ever had a O's Pearlman read you, Drew? No, no. Yeah. But I, I'm with, I'm with Kelly. Mine's a steel trap. Yeah. I- He's not getting anything... I thought mine was too. Apparently I am open as- [laughs]...
25:11
open as the openest book you'll ever find in the world. That was scary as hell. That was like, I didn't think he, his thing was gonna work over Skype at all.
25:18
I totally figured that had to be an in-person thing, and yet he... That was incredible. I, I don't know. I'm also- On Gil's Twitter...
25:25
I'm also one of these people, though, I will tell you this, uh, and I shouldn't relate the two, but you know, like, uh, magic tricks, basic magic tricks, I'm like, "What?" Right?
25:33
But when he does it to you in that fashion- It freaks you out... it's beyond a magic trick. It's an incredible thing. Anyway. Don't play poker with that guy. Don't play poker. It's always- Don't play poker... yeah.
25:42
Uh, okay, before we move on to the NBA, any, so just the last thing about Wimbledon, have you made any pre-draw women's side, I'll, I'll, I'll worry about the men 'cause obviously the men are top-heavy with Sinner and Alcaraz, but have you made any women's- Um...
25:55
side long shot plays pre-draw? I, uh, one of, uh, friends who matches outrights with me some, from time to time took Sabalenka against me. Um, so I'm against Sabalenka. Uh, I laid, I laid, uh, 265.
26:13
Um, I don't think that's fair at all. I think Sabalenka's being wildly overpriced for this tournament at this point.
26:20
I think, um, although you see performances from the Andreevas of the world recently and you're like, "Well, maybe, maybe it's a smaller mix than I thought," um, ultimately if I had to take one horse right now, it'd probably be Rybakina.
26:33
I like the way she, I like the way she played in, in, uh, um, Paris and I think, uh, just having h- you know, having the, the title, uh, on her resume and the fact that, you know, we now have enough space from, you know, the, the nonsense that was going on with her coach, um, is all a positive thing for her to have, uh, you know, a pretty, um, a pretty solid run here.
26:56
Uh, I think she's your Berlin winner, um, personally, and, uh, I think that she rides that momentum into a solid performance at Wimbledon.
27:03
So against Sabalenka and on Rybakina, um, but, uh, o- the only bet I have is against Sabalenka. Okay. Uh, to the NBA.
27:12
Oklahoma City taking the three to two lead last night, a game that they were up 18, then they were only up two, 92 to 90 with eight minutes and 30 seconds left in the game, and then they run out the Indiana Pacers who have a Tyrese Haliburton injury problem and just a general problem of trying to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder defense specifically, uh, which has just been absolutely phenomenal in this series.
27:36
It is a Thursday night game in Indiana. The Pacers are four and a half point dogs as they try to stay alive and force a game seven which would be Sunday at OKC.
27:46
Any play, by the way a 224 and a half number, uh, posted, uh, for the total in game six. Any play side or total here, Drew? Yeah, I think you show up for an alt spread on the Thunder. I don't understand why this is five.
28:00
Uh, Haliburton is pretty obviously not 100%, and if he's not 100... I mean, uh, oh, oh, what, what do we need Haliburton for when you have TJ McCollum, am I right? [laughs] I mean, that- Same play...
28:11
OK, congrat- like that was, that was a spirited little moment there in the third quarter, but, like, I, I'm, I am in no way, shape, or form interested in a Pacers as an extending, um, extending play here with Haliburton limited the way he is.
28:26
Um, this injury is non-trivial.
28:28
Uh, it's been kind of speculated that it's Achilles related, uh, you know, C- Achilles tendonitis, calf, uh, related, and I think that there's, this is, this is pretty clearly the worst possible matchup to have that s- level of injury, uh, considering they have wave after wave of defender that can get very physical, uh, and ma- really make life difficult for him in this one.
28:49
So, um, Pacers to me are in, in n- at a, a really, really just, uh, atrocious spot here.
28:56
Um, they're gonna need every bit of, you know, the supporting cast to have their best games of the, you know, their best game of the playoffs, I think, to keep this one competitive.
29:06
And, um, while there are pretty clearly signs with the Thunder that are concerning, like S- Shay- Shai looks very, very tired, um, the, but that cuts both ways because a lot of what the Pacers are doing to kind of make him tired is now affecting them, um, through the me- you know, through the, the, um, full court press, through the ex- super aggressive defense they're playing.
29:27
And, um, yeah, I'm, I'm not thinking that, uh, there is much of a, a glimmer of hope here that the Pacers can put up a fighting chance, and I think the, um, um...
29:39
I would lay up to about nine and a half here, uh, and feel pretty comfortable that this is the closeout spot for the Thunder. Yeah, j- just to clarify, it sounded like Drew might have said alt under.
29:47
He said alt thunder, uh, just to be clear on that. Alt thunder. Alt thunder. Alt under. Yes. Don't want that get, that could be misconstrued.
29:54
I don't hate Pacers team total alt under if you can find that, but that's a- No... real niche market. [laughs] Um, let me ask you about a, uh, let me ask you about a trade, uh, that took place- Sure...
30:05
on Sunday, the Desmond Bane trade to the Magic, where the Magic just gave up a r- what, what seemed to me to be a ridiculous amount, four first-round draft picks. Um, we went through the details yesterday.
30:16
Um, I get it if you think, if the Magic thinks that Desmond Bane puts up, puts themselves in, puts the Magic in a, in a real true blue conversation about winning the Eastern Conference.
30:28
Anything short of that, it seems like a haul that exceeds someone like Da- l- like Desmond Bane, uh, Desmond Bane's level of talent. And he's great. It makes sense going to the Magic. I get it.
30:38
The Magic are a terrible three-point shooting team. He is great at that. He's great at the stop and shoot as well. They are specifically bad at that.
30:46
Uh, but KCP and, and, uh, Cole Anthony go over there, plus a slew of picks Uh, and Memphis is now also saying that they're keeping Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., which doesn't make a lot of sense.
30:56
How do you read that trade? Does it move the gambling needle for you at all in terms of the Magic side of things? Uh, y- yeah, a little bit. Not, uh, not running to make a bet off of it.
31:08
I think the Southeast goes through Orlando now pretty obviously. Even if KD does end up in Miami, I still think that the team to beat in the Southeast is Orlando. Um, and I would say that
31:20
at face value, that's the type of package that you give up for a top 30 player, and Desmond Bane is not a top 30 player. Uh, he's more like 45-ish neutrally in the NBA right now.
31:32
Um, that's, and that's, this, this isn't even including, like, the compensation part of it, but, um, just from a efficiency standpoint, what is he? He's, he's in the, the top 45-ish. Um, the, the
31:45
kind of important part though is he's not top 40 on the Magic. He's a humongous upgrade over what they were getting at the shooting guard position from last year.
31:56
KCP going to Memphis is addition by subtraction, uh, and then Bane coming in is kind of the perfect player to fit that system and really help, uh, kind of open things up for Paolo and Franz and, and really help those guys continue to develop.
32:10
So, um, this is sort of a bet on, uh, you know, the fact that you hit on your draft picks in Franz and Paolo, and, uh, I completely understand why the Magic would do it.
32:20
Um, by the way, it's not like the Magic have necessarily utilized their mid-round, first-round picks well in the last couple of drafts anyway.
32:28
So, um, you know, it's, it, y- I think maybe they are looking at what is available, uh, at that point in the NBA drafts and deciding we're never gonna get a player of Desmond Bane's cal- caliber, even if we get four swings at it.
32:40
So I, I think I, I understand the, uh, team building from the Magic side of things, and I think the fit is just absolutely as perfect as you could ever hope for.
32:49
Um, but, uh, it doesn't really move them clearly into the top four in the East, even with a limited Celtics team.
32:55
So, um, I think the, you know, the over under on Magic seeding for next year in the Eastern Conference is four and a half.
33:02
Um, if they, if things break well, they're near, they're in the top, they, they stay healthy, they're in the top four. Um, otherwise, they, they could be in sort of that five, six range again.
33:11
Um, but, uh, yeah, there, there's, you need a humongous leap still from Paolo, uh, to be, um, truly competitive and even in a weakened Eastern Conference.
33:21
Um, but Bane on the floor and the spacing that he provides and his, you know, his ability to be a second banana as far as a creator off the dribble and, uh, his, you know, his ability to, um, you know, to be a catch and shoot guy is, is huge for them.
33:35
So- Thank you, Drew... I think that was a win for the Magic. Appreciate it. Drew Dinsick, everybody.
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