Basketball Intelligence For 6/16/25
The day's best news and reporting.
*FEATURE OF THE DAY*
The Caitlin Clark Experience Is Back—and It’s Only Getting Better
Seerat Sohi, The Ringer
DESMOND BANE TRADE
The Bane Trade, From All Angles
Jared Dubin, Last Night, In Basketball
4 thoughts on Memphis Grizzlies trading Desmond Bane
Parker Fleming, Subtsakalidis
Desmond Bane trade grades: The Magic unveil a new act
Mike Shearer, Basketball Poetry
How Orlando Split The Gap With The Bane Trade
Hardwood Paroxysm
Desmond Bane plays fast, but never in a hurry
Philip Rossman-Reich, World R Squared
Grizzlies trade Desmond Bane to Magic for four first-round picks, plus more
Des Bieler, The Washington Post
What acquiring Desmond Bane from Grizzlies in huge trade means for Magic
Jason Beede, Orlando Sentinel
NBA trade grades 2025-26: Breaking down the most impactful offseason deals
Kevin Pelton, ESPN
NBA offseason 2025: How the Bane trade impacts Durant saga, draft drama
Tim Bontemps, ESPN
NBA FINALS
5 sneaky changes that might decide the NBA champion
Matt Moore, Fansided
Why committing fouls is a necessary evil for Thunder’s league-best defense
Eric Nehm/Fred Katz, The Athletic
NBA Finals 2025: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the lost art of the midrange jumper
Tim McMahon, ESPN
As Thunder eye NBA title, one thing is clear: ‘Nobody’s bigger than the program’
John Hollinger, The Athletic
Pacers vs. Thunder NBA Finals: Alex Caruso has been giving OKC a little bit of everything — including a lot more minutes
Dan Devine, Yahoo! Sports
Former Santa Clara star Williams overcomes shooting woes to help Thunder regain footing in NBA Finals
Cliff Brunt, The Mercury News
(PODCAST) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out-clutches Pacers, as series changes with series of changes
Caitlin Cooper, Basketball, She Wrote
OKC’s defense has the Indiana Pacers in hell
Kyle Taylor, IPacers.com
In assessing the Pacers’ offensive struggles, Haliburton’s uncharacteristic turnovers have been particularly noteworthy. During the regular season, Haliburton committed 1.1 live ball turnovers per 75 possessions per PBP stats; in the finals, that number has more than tripled to 3.8. He has committed more live ball turnovers (15) in the last four games than in any previous four-game period of his career. From the All-Star break through the end of the regular season, a period in which he played 21 games, Haliburton committed two fewer live ball turnovers (13) than he did in these four most meaningful games of his career.
NBA Finals 2025: These seven plays are defining Thunder-Pacers
Zach Kram, ESPN
The Pacers and Thunder Battle for Control of the NBA Finals in Game 5 Tonight | HOOPS, 6/16/2025
Dustin Brewer, Hoops Daily
The Probability That Could Haunt Indiana
Neil Paine, Neil’s Substack
The Pacers Bring “Seven Seconds or Less” to Its Final Form
Howard Beck, The Ringer
LEAGUEWIDE
Orlando, Memphis, Kevin Durant and MORE of the latest NBA trade talk and draft chatter
The People’s Insider, The Stein Line
(PODCAST) NBA Trades and Trade Rumors
Shamit Dua/Jeremy Wilson, In The N.O.
LeBron? Harden? Kuminga? The Top 25 NBA free agents for the 2025 offseason
John Hollinger, The Athletic
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