What’s up, Enjoyers? The 2025 WNBA Finals stage has officially been set!

Buckle up. There’s still plenty of basketball left to be played. 🍿

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday to Joe Ingles, Shane Larkin, and Aaron McKie! 🎉

WNBA Playoffs

Aces get past Fever to advance to WNBA Finals with 107-98 OT thriller win

The quest for their third title in four seasons is VERY much alive for the Aces. 👀

Vegas got the job done on Monday night to advance to the WNBA Finals, a place they’re all too familiar with so far in this decade after already hanging championship banners in 2022 and 2023.

So, how did the Aces advance? Look no further than the usual suspects. A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young were simply not going to take no for an answer in this one. Wilson, the now four-time MVP, exploded for 35 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, along with four steals and blocks EACH. Young dropped 32 points of her own to go along with 10 dimes on zero turnovers.

The dynamic duo quite literally made history last night: 🔥 

Although the Fever’s road ends here, their continued resilience should not go unnoticed. Already without Caitlin Clark for the entirety of the postseason, they could have easily decided to throw in the towel on the idea of a deep playoff run. But they didn’t, they kept fighting all throughout the playoffs.

Even in this game, after Kelsey Mitchell (15 PTS) went down with an unfortunate injury in the third quarter, and Aliyah Boston (11 PTS) fouled out late in the fourth, they continued to fight until the very end. Trailing by eight going into the fourth, Odyssey Sims (27 PTS, 6 AST) put the squad on her back to force OT, it just wasn’t enough in the end. Even in defeat, the sheer toughness this squad showed embodies what Indiana basketball is all about. 💪 

Game 1 of the WNBA Finals Between the Aces and Mercury begins on Friday night. Simply put, you won’t want to miss it! 🏀

NBA Media Day

Lights, camera, action. 📸

Media Day in the NBA feels a lot like the first day of school. Players are rocking their new threads with the squad they signed with in the offseason, everyone has fresh cuts, and seemingly the whole league is boasting about how they’ve added 15 pounds of muscle and their body has never felt better…

Let’s take a look at a few highlights from Media Day, starting with Kevin Durant in his new Rockets jersey for the first time: 🔥

It also wouldn’t be Media Day without a few hilarious soundbites. Leave it to three-time MVP Nikola Jokić to take the reins in that department: ⬇️

Here’s a few other notable quotes from Media Day:

• “I know there’s gonna be a time where I look myself in the mirror and be honest…it’s a few years away- I’m trying to beat some of my predecessors and how long they played, whether it be 18, 19, or 20 years” - Kyrie Irving

• “The love of the game is still high. The love of the process is even higher.”

  - Lebron James

• “Greatness is boring… there was a lot of boring days in the gym just working on my one dribble pull-ups.” - Anthony Edwards

Wayback Wednesday

In today’s edition of Wayback Wednesday, we’re showing some love to a Center with the last name ‘O’Neal’ who was a force to be reckoned with in the 2000s.

I’m sure the first name to come to mind is Shaquille O’Neal. But for today, we’re talking about Pacers LEGEND, Jermaine O’Neal!

A member of the historic 1996 NBA Draft class, O’Neal came into the league straight out of high school. The Blazers scooped him up at pick 17, just four slots after another stud out of high school, Kobe Bryant, was picked. 

Going from playing high school level talent to being matched up against future hall of famers such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, and David Robinson in less than a year span was no easy task. That was evident from the jump for O’Neal, as it took a few seasons for him to find his footing in the league.

Playing behind All-Stars Rasheed Wallace and Arvidas Sabonis in Portland, it was difficult for J.O. to get consistent minutes. He felt he was ready to contribute, he just needed the opportunity.

In August 2000, a trade to the Pacers gave him that opportunity. To say he capitalized on it would be a massive understatement.

O’Neal took OFF in Indy. Within two seasons, he went from coming off the bench to winning the 2001-02 Most Improved Player award (19.0 PTS, 10.5 REB, 2.3 BLK). After his breakout season, the following five produced even better results, with a career peak of 21.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per night from the 2002-03 to 2007-08 seasons. 🔥

I mean, he became simply UNSTOPPABLE:

Luckily for Pacers fans, O’Neal’s massive production increase correlated directly with winning. He was the backbone of some of the best Pacers’ teams in franchise history, leading the franchise to several deep playoff runs during the tail end of Reggie Miller’s career, including the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals.

After his monumental Pacers career, Jermaine O’Neal bounced around the league playing on several squads in a reduced role, and managed to carve out a successful 18 year playing career. In that time, he blossomed into a Six-time All-Star, won Defensive Player of the Year in 2006-07, and can be considered one of the most dominant centers of his era.

Not bad for a kid that came out of High School, huh? 🤓

Three in the Key

It’s time to look out for the breakouts! 😁

In the latest Numbers on the Board podcast, Kenny, Mike, Pierre, and Darrick share the NBA players they think will have a breakout 2025-26 season.

Give it a watch! ⬇️

Signing Off

That’s all for today, Enjoyers! Thanks for making us a part of your day. It’s officially the start of a new month, now’s the time to put last month behind us and move forward with a fresh perspective! Only a few more weeks until the start of the NBA season, we’re almost there! 🤞

See you on Friday!

Bobby Kasmire