Season 2, Episode 32- Preeminence

In this week's episode of "Diehlman at Halftime," I discuss:

Highlight: Oklahoma City Thunder
Lowlight: New York Knicks
Random Stat: Anthony Edwards is the third guard with 15+ 30-point playoff games before turning 24
Game of the Week: New York Knicks @ Indiana Pacers (Eastern Conference Finals, Game 4)

Also, listen to the perspective of our featured guest, Rod Boone! (Follow him on X @rodboone and Instagram @rodboo).

"Aurora" interlude music written by Jeff Kaale
https://uppbeat.io/t/jeff-kaale/aurora
License code: HJ6W88QKKUB00FNS

Intro/outro written by Larry Diehlman

Release date: Monday, May 26, 2025

Chapters

• 0:15 Introduction
• 1:00 Overview of the NBA this Week
• 4:45 Highlight
• 6:19 Lowlight
• 8:03 Random Stat
• 9:34 Game of the Week
• 11:00 Rod Boone Interview
• 25:09 Conclusion

Transcript

**NOTE: Full episode transcript is below except the interview**

Introduction: Hello everybody, and welcome to episode #67 of “Diehlman at Halftime,” the NBA podcast that tops all others! I’m your host, Larry Diehlman. If you’re joining us for the first time, welcome abroad. And if you’ve been a loyal listener, welcome back! We have much to get to today and not a lot of time to do it. We have five sections that we’ll get into: a general overview of the NBA this week, and our usual “Highlight, Lowlight, Random Stat, and Game of the Week.” 

Overview of the NBA this Week: It took longer than expected, but on Tuesday, the NBA finally announced the most-coveted regular season award: Most Valuable Player. Superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder claimed his first MVP, beating out Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. Jokić has won three of the last four MVPs, so voter fatigue probably played a part for Gilgeous-Alexander. That’s not to say SGA didn’t deserve it. Averaging a career-high 32.7 points per game, which led the league, as well as a career-high 6.4 assists and one block per game, set him apart this season. He’s put the Thunder back on the map; Oklahoma City is only two wins away from the NBA Finals. I personally don’t think Gilgeous-Alexander will be a “one-and-done” MVP. Only time will tell.

The Denver Nuggets have found a new head coach…well, sort of. More like they dropped the interim tag off the guy already there. David Adelman has been promoted to head coach after leading Denver one game short of the Western Conference Finals. The Nuggets went to seven games in both series, winning against the L.A. Clippers and bowing out to the Thunder. He also won his three regular season games he coached following Michael Malone’s firing. Denver team president and governor Josh Kroenke liked the 44-year-old Adelman’s accountability and open communication, which gave Adelman an advantage in the job search. This will be Adelman’s first head-coaching role in the pros, but he was the head coach at Lincoln High School, which is on the outskirts of Portland, Ore. He was an assistant coach at Jesuit High School near Portland. In the pros, he’s assisted with Minnesota, Orlando, and Denver.

Finally, the All-Defensive and All-NBA teams are out. On the All-Defensive First Team, we have Evan Mobley (CLE), Draymond Green (GSW), Dyson Daniels (ATL), Lu Dort (OKC), and Amen Thompson (HOU). The Second Team has Toumani Camara (POR), Rudy Gobert (MIN), Jaren Jackson Jr. (MEM), Jalen Williams (OKC), and Ivica Zubac (LAC). Switching to the All-NBA First Team, we have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC), Nikola Jokić (DEN), Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL), Jayson Tatum (BOS), and Donovan Mitchell (CLE). The Second Team consists of Jalen Brunson (NYK), Steph Curry (GSW), Anthony Edwards (MIN), LeBron James (LAL), and Evan Mobley (CLE). The Third Team went to Cade Cunningham (DET), Tyrese Haliburton (IND), James Harden (LAC), Karl-Anthony Towns (NYK), and Jalen Williams (OKC). Mobley and Williams made a Defensive Team and All-NBA Team. For both, it was almost their firsts in each category, except this is Mobley’s second All-Defensive selection. Well deserved for all of these players!

This episode is entitled "Preeminence."

So, who’s raising eyebrows at the moment?

Highlight: There are times when you watch a team and say, “Yep, this team might win it all.” The Oklahoma City Thunder fit this scenario well. The Thunder are up 2-1 in the Western Conference Finals vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves. All of the games so far in this series have been blowouts of at least 15 points or more. While Oklahoma City was destroyed in Minnesota in Game 3, they took care of business in the opening two games at home. As we mentioned in the opener, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was crowned MVP. Gilgeous-Alexander nearly had back-to-back double-doubles in Games 1 and 2, dropping 31 points and nine assists in Game 1 and 38 and eight in Game 2. He also added three steals in each. Besides the usual dominance from Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso has been a menace off the bench. He may not be racking up 10 steals a night or anything, but his impact on lockdown defense is amazing. Man, the team’s lockdown defense, like Lu Dort and Cason Wallace, is amazing. One example was Oklahoma City completely neutralizing the hot hand of Julius Randle in Game 2. This series is going to a minimum of five. We can’t wait. Game 4 is tonight, Monday, May 26 at 8:30 p.m., as the series continues in Minnesota.

Lowlight: Just because you take down the defending champions doesn’t mean the job is done. The New York Knicks are down 2-1 to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks had an all-time collapse in Game 1 at home. Coming into Wednesday, teams leading a playoff game by 14 or more points in the final 2:45 of the fourth quarter since 1997 were 994-0. That record is now 994-1. Yes, I know it’s an ESPN-type stat. Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton even pulled out the infamous Reggie Miller “choke” celebration to rub it in. Miller, the Pacers legend, made a choking motion when he scored 25 points in the fourth quarter against the Knicks in Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals. Haliburton, thinking he’d hit the game-winning buzzer beater, did the same and pointed to Miller, who was on the TNT broadcast. Miller pointed back in approval. The shot was actually ruled a two-pointer that sent the game to overtime, but Indiana still won. As payback, New York took Game 3 after being down 20 points. Karl-Anthony Towns had 20 points and eight rebounds in the fourth quarter alone. He was mostly on the bench in the fourth quarter in Game 2 because the Knicks had some momentum with him off the floor. There’s been plenty of drama in this series, and it ain’t done yet. Game 4 is tomorrow, Tuesday, May 27 at 8 p.m. in Indiana.

Random Stat: Athletes can show their full potential in the playoffs, and it’s amazing when they do it early in their careers. Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards is just the third guard in NBA history to record 15 or more 30-point playoff games before turning 24 years old. Who were the other two? Luka Dončić and Kobe Bryant. Those are definitely two good names to be next to! Edwards has already had five 30-point playoff games in just this current run. Two of them came in their last two games (32 and 30, respectively). One of them was a 43-point game over the Lakers in the first round. Edwards is in his fifth year with the Timberwolves, and his accolades speak for themselves: back-to-back All-NBA Second Team selections and three straight All-Star appearances. His points per game have increased every year too, as his 27.6 average was fourth in the league this season. Since Edwards’ arrival in 2020, he has breathed life into a franchise that’s struggled in regards to postseason success. Some fans are ready to crown “Ant-Man” as one of, if not the, face of the NBA, especially if Minnesota wins the championship. We’ll see what happens in the coming games, but “Ant-Man” is on a heck of a start to his career.

Game of the Week: For this week’s “Game of the Week,” we’re going to do New York Knicks @ Indiana Pacers. This game is tomorrow, Tuesday, May 27 at 8 p.m., and it’s Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. As we said in the “Lowlight,” this series has been wild thus far. The New York choke in Game 1. Karl-Anthony Towns being sidelined in crunch time in Game 2. The Indiana choke in Game 3. Now that both teams have won, we’re going to at least a Game 5 on Thursday. But let’s backtrack to Game 4. Jalen Brunson is averaging 34 points and 5.7 assists in this series. Tyrese Haliburton had consecutive road double-doubles, which included 11 assists each. Forty-eight minutes of solid defense from one of these teams will go a long way in determining who wins. In Game 3, the Pacers were locking everybody up in the first half. In the second half, the Knicks were stifling. Give me the Pacers 105-99.

Interview Segue: To get more insight into our “Game of the Week” this week, we have our 17th guest on “Diehlman at Halftime” season two. Let’s get into it!

Rod Boone Interview

Conclusion: Well, that’s all the time we have for today. If you haven’t already, make sure to follow me on social media. I have two X (or Twitter) accounts and two Instagram accounts. The podcast accounts are under @Diehlman_NBA for both X and Instagram. My personal X account is @LarryDiehlman18, and my personal Instagram is @mr_sports18. They’re also in the description on Buzzsprout, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And thank you to Rod Boone for being our guest this week on the podcast. Remember, you can follow him on X @rodboone and Instagram @rodboo. And don’t forget to spread the word about “Diehlman at Halftime!” See you next time, fellow hoops fans!