02x06 - Changing of the Guards

[bunniefuu]

[commentator] Tonight,
the Pacers take on the Thunder

at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.

What's up, y'all? How you doin'?

-[man] You look fire, my guy.
-Good to see you. Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

-[woman] So, what's this outfit?
-Uh…

Comme all the way down. Doc Martens.

Something chill. I can't come to OKC
and not put a good outfit on.

-This is OKC. This is an elite tunnel.
-[woman] Shai be like, "What?"

Yeah, see? Shai, before him,
Russ and those guys.

So OKC's a good tunnel.
You gotta take advantage of that tunnel.

[energetic music playing]

[commentator] The Pacers start play
tonight fourth in the Eastern Conference

and a game and a half clear of Detroit.

Any combination of Pacer wins would allow
the Pacers to clinch a playoff spot.

[Haliburton] As a team,
we feel great right now.

We've been playing really well.

Uh, I look forward to seeing

where we stack up
against the best team in the league.

Oklahoma City's average age is 24.

Come on. What are you talkin' about?

This is some dumb sh*t
at the end of the day.

-What up, bro? You good?
-[SGA] Yeah.

[commentator] Tonight in Oklahoma City,
it's the Pacers and the Thunder.

Trust me, I'm… Oh, I'm gonna get my shots.

I don't know what I expected
in terms of fans.

-I know they got good fans.
-[crowd chanting] OKC!

But it's cracking in here.

[commentator] Haliburton,
center of the floor.

Haliburton will crack a three
straight away.

Steps up, fires a three straight away.
Looks good!

[commentator 2] SGA from behind
the three-point line, drills it from deep!

[SGA] Our strategy for beating the Pacers
is pressure on both ends of the floor.

[commentator] Haliburton with 11.

SGA gives it right back.

Now Dort, got a little fly by.
Sidestep three.

Dort's got another one!

What the hell are we doing?

f*ck, Tyrese!

[commentator 2] The Thunder
are stymieing the Pacer offense.

[commentator] Oh, nice strip.
Siakam was trying to work his way inside.

It's Shai.

[SGA grunts]

[commentator] Shai turns the corner,
drives inside!

Plus the foul!

[Haliburton] Yo,
what the f*ck are we doing?

[net swooshes]

Man, I can't get blown
by a layup like that.

[Haliburton] We wanna beat the best team
in the NBA, so you gotta be better.

That was not good enough.

[commentator] It is win number nine
in a row for the Thunder.

Another win against the Eastern Conference

and win number 62 here
in this historic season.

[Haliburton groans]

We're gonna be number one in the West.
There's not enough games left.

So, yeah, we're just,
you know, trying to stay focused,

trying to get better with every game.
But, uh, we're ready for the playoffs.

If you don't get MVP, we riot, Oklahoma.

Ride out at dawn.

You guys have a great night.

[cheering]

[suspenseful music playing]

[Brown] Yeah, I'm a little, uh…
a little beat up.

But we gonna get better, right?

What's up, Netflix? Y'all good?

[exhales]

[Brown] I had a little injury to my hip
earlier this year.

But, you know, it's definitely
a sign that you're coming of age.

In basketball, ten… in the league,
how it is now,

ten years is like,
you know, that's a… a long time.

It's kind of how to,
like, play through injury.

It's kind of similar to being a fighter.

If you get punched in the gut
or in the rib or something,

is the fight over
'cause you broke your rib?

No, you keep going.

[line ringing]

[Willie] You didn't do that bad
last night.

[Brown] Uh…

[Willie mumbles]

Where you at? You coming to my house?

-No.
-[Willie laughs]

[Brown chuckles]

[Willie] Oh, that's right. You play the…
you play the, uh, Lakers tonight.

Yes, sir.

[Willie] I mean,

kick LeBron, uh, James' a*s.

-Can you do that?
-[chuckles]

Yup.

[commentator] Once in a generation,
it seems the stars align

where we serve up
a special prime-time matchup

featuring the two most successful
and storied franchises

who right now want
and are dreaming of another title.

[crowd chanting]

[Brown] Here we go. We know
the business here. Where my dogs at?

[team barks]

[Brown] They get some home-cooked meal.
Where my dogs at?

[team barks]

[Brown] Let's get straight to the vibe.
One, two, three.

Together!

[Brown] Basketball is offense and defense.

Being able to be a two-way player,
I think it turned me into a monster.

[commentator] Good defense there
from Brown, takes it away from Dončić.

Brown now, bounce pass,
and the finish from Horford!

[cheering]

[Brown] Keep putting them in it.

Keep putting them in it or go at them
because it affects them on the other end.

I'm through it. I'm through it. Get under!

[commentator] 52-51, LA by one.

Steal.
Jaylen Brown pulls away from Luka Dončić

There's a violent two-hand slam.

-And the Celtics have regained the lead.
-[commentator 2] Wow.

[commentator] James drives.

Can't get it to fall.

-[Brown] Damn.
-[commentator] Finney-Smith fouls Brown.

[indistinct chatter]

[Brown] Physically, it's a toll
'cause teams are coming after us.

[commentator] And Jaylen Brown
a little shaken up.

[Brown] You gotta do your best
to make sure that you just fight it

and remind yourself who you are.

[commentator] Brown, step-back,
puts up a three.

Puts it in!

Brown. Corner three.

Puts it in.

[Brown grunting]

[commentator] Jaylen Brown inside,
banks it home!

[announcer] Jaylen Brown!

[Brown] And that's just
a part of navigating being a champ.

[man] Keep it freaky.

[woman] Great game.

[indistinct chatter]

-[pundit] KD, man.
-[pundit 2] Yeah?

[pundit] Statistically,
you look at his numbers right now,

and I'm telling you, Baysononians,
you tell me that he's slowed down.

-[barber] sh*t, congrats on that 30K, bro.
-[Durant] Thank you, Brody.

-Well deserved, man.
-[Durant] Yeah.

[McMenamin] The Suns have
Booker and Durant,

and that alone should be enough
to be a playoff team.

It's almost like the Suns found themselves
in a must-win play-in scenario

two months before
the play-in tournament began.

And you know, when you have
Kevin Durant and Devin Booker,

and those guys are healthy,

plus Bradley Beal,

despite all of the things
seemingly working against the Suns,

they might just back themselves
into the play-in tournament after all.

[drums playing]

[announcer] Now let's hear it
for your Phoenix Suns!

[commentator] Time and results
are of the essence.

A challenging test, though, awaits tonight

with a red-hot Houston team
coming to town.

[commentator 2] These teams
are physical with the Suns.

They're just crowding them all the way,
making the Suns uncomfortable.

[indistinct yelling]

[commentator] KD gets to the sweet spot.

[Durant] Ah!

f*ck!

[commentator] And we see him
grabbing that left ankle right now.

He is definitely hobbling,
favoring his left leg.

[Durant] I had 3 ankle injuries,

and all three of them
were from stepping on somebody's foot.

I kind of misdiagnosed my steps

and not thinking I got enough steps
when I do,

and slow down
and, boom, I step on somebody's foot.

As soon as I did it,
I knew that was a… that was a tough one.

You kind of know the severity of them all,
you know, so I kind of figured out

when I couldn't put pressure on my leg
walking off the court

that I was like,
"Yes, it'll be tough to get back."

[commentator] He is looking like
he is going to limp off,

grabbing at his left ankle.

And that'll do it.
Rockets beat the Suns tonight,



Unfortunate situation
that happens in basketball, and…

It's just bad timing, usually.

[pundit] The Suns officially eliminated
from the playoffs last night.

[pundit 2] It's done. It's over.

Any talk of,
"Oh, you're telling me there's a chance?"

No, there's no chance.
They're not getting into the play-in.

[Durant] So much intensity
about to be displayed on TV

between all these great teams,
and you just wish you was a part of it.

I'm gonna be tuned in like everybody else.

KD, I understand him more than anybody,

especially when it
comes to basketball. It's like…

like, he just wanna hoop.

Man, hooper to hooper,
you know, we label KD

as one of the greatest players
to ever play this game.

So it's just like, man, wow,

it's tough when the situation…
how it ended in Phoenix.

I don't know if it's a…
it's a hit on his legacy.

Kevin Durant's legacy has been defined

when he was in his prime.

And I think in those years,

Kevin is and should be regarded

as one
of the world's best basketball players

and one of the most gifted
offensive players of my lifetime.

The Seattle Supersonics select

Kevin Durant.

[cheering and applause]

KD retires, his statue should be in

Oklahoma City.

He the one that made
Oklahoma City cool for real.

Like, he deserves the spot.

And he's one of the best basketball
players that ever touched a basketball,

like, literally.

[Montgomery] These are monuments
that basically is saying

that you were this great of a human

that we wanna create a shrine for you
right here in front of our arena.

I mean, it's probably
one of the biggest honors you can get.

MJ has a statue.

Kobe, of course, has a statue.

It doesn't happen very often.
Only the best of the best get a statue.

Uh… Golden State.
He gotta get a statue at Golden State.

And OKC, really.

I mean, yeah, a legend in our game,
one of the greatest ever.

And no doubt he's getting a statue,

getting his jersey retired
in both those places, right?

I… I would view it as a travesty
to the basketball world if he didn't.

[Brown] A statue?

Probably outside his house or something.

[man chuckles]

I think you'd put the bottom half in OKC,
the top half in Golden State or something.

Nothing's in Phoenix. [chuckles]

I don't know.

Maybe he'd put, like, his hand
or something in Brooklyn. [chuckles]

He's the first of, like,
this whole seven feet, sh**ting threes,

playing like a point guard in basketball.

So many kids now look up to him.
Like, he's their favorite player.

Obviously a… once-in-a-lifetime talent.

Every city gives him a statue.

Thank you, and I will be there
front and center, God willing.

[Durant] They might put
a little mural up somewhere,

eh, uh,

behind a m*therf*cking pizza store
or some sh*t.

[chuckles]

I'm a word-of-mouth dude.
You're just gonna hear about it.

You'll hear the good and bad about me.

You ain't gonna look at a statue
and sit there and praise it.

"Damn! Look at that statue of KD.
That boy was k*lling."

"You know, that man KD was…
He might snap back at you in the media."

"He might cuss out a fan.
He might get 40."

"He might be moody."

[chuckles] That's the vibe you get
when you talk about me.

So I like that. You know,
that's cool with me instead of a statue.

[Harden] I got so much respect
for that dude, man.

So, as much as people can say
whatever they want about burner accounts

and all that weird talk, like, so what?

This dude is elite.

So why don't we just cherish it
and just shut up?

[tweets sounding]

♪ Right ♪

♪ José Santiago… ♪

[Harden] We're in a good space now.
We're coming together as a team.

Very, very confident
about how we've been playing lately,

and I'm prepared to go out there
and play well.

We have an opportunity for, you know,
the league to see how good we can be.

♪ But I wanna ride
With the man from high ♪

♪ Tell your friends, "Come on"… ♪

[Harden] You know,
I think the last 20 games,

we had won, like, 17 or something.

Our job is to try to carry that momentum
into… into this postseason.

♪ And all, black be the drip ♪

♪ All gas in my back wood ♪

[Harden] And we still ended up
in a situation

where if we lose, we in the play-in.

You know?
If we win, we're in the fifth seeds.

Good to see you.

Hey, you been cooking.
What you been eating?

Hey, it's perfect timing.
We're hitting the peak right at launch.

[Harden] We go win one game
on the road in Golden State.

We're not… we're not doing no play-in.

Like, I've been in the playoffs,
what, 15 years in a row.

I'm excited about it.
I'm ready to go to w*r with the bros.

[commentator] So you play six months
of regular season basketball,



and it comes down to what's gonna happen
over the next five minutes

to determine the postseason fate
for these two teams here in overtime.

The regular season ain't over yet!

[Harden] Last game of the regular season,

having to fight for our lives,
like, that's like a movie.

The decision,
whether it's a shot or a drive,

is gonna come to y'all. Y'all so good
at reading that sh*t. All right? Come on.

[commentator] They know what's on the line
here in these last five minutes.

So James Harden was gifted
the perfect opportunity

to show "I can step up when I need it."

[commentator] Down by one. Harden
steps back, working on Hield. The three!

For the lead!
Bull's-eye! James Harden buries it!

Looks for Butler, throws it away.
Butler saves it, but it's to the Clippers.

[Harden] Go, Zu! Go, Zu!

Harden driving, lob for Zubac
and the throw down,

and now a timeout by Steve Kerr.

We got 1:15, 1:14, bro. We need
two, three stops, and it's over with.

[commentator] Three from Harden.
Good again!

Back-to-back triples by James Harden!

[Harden] Not f*cking missing, bro.
g*dd*mn.

I'm on Butler. You got Draymond?

[commentator] Here's Butler.
He's been quiet of late.

Turn and fire…

[cheering]

Let's go!

[commentator] Everybody's standing
here at Chase.

Finds Harden with five.
Left wing with four, "The Beard."

Lost the handle, gets it back with two,
throws it up at the rim. Banks it in!

Harden has 37.
Ten of those have come here in overtime.

Hey, let's go home. Let's go, my man.

[commentator] Clippers have 5 on 4.

Dunn finds Harden,
sets up for a corner three…

-Connects!
-[buzzer sounds]

[commentator] The regular season is over.

The Los Angeles Clippers clinch
a playoff spot.

-[Harden] Love you.
-[Curry] Oh.

I love you, brother.
Hopefully I'll see you later. For sure.

Bye. Keep going, boy. Keep going.

[indistinct chatter]

[scattered clapping]

[Harden] Great f*cking win!

[player] Great win.

[indistinct chatter]

-Let's get to it, now!
-[player 2] Baby girl!

-Baby girl!
-[player 2] Baby girl!

[player 3] Baby girl!

Hey, you m*therf*ckers, bring it in, man!
Give me a hug!

-I love you, guys.
-[Harden] Great f*cking win.

-Family on three. One, two, three.
-[team] Family!

What's up, y'all?

What's up, y'all?

We going… Nah, we gonna hug.
We're gonna get a group hug or something.

-[boy] Yeah!
-That's what I'm talking about. All good?

[boys] Yes!

-You balled out this game.
-Yeah, you balled out!

Y'all's my good luck charm. For real.

[Harden] I've never missed a playoffs,
and it's a great accomplishment.

But, like,
I'm gonna take it one game at a time.

But just, being from LA,
winning it here is… is…

I can't imagine. Like, I can't imagine it.

You got it?

-Can you sign my shirt?
-Y'all better be good.

[uplifting music playing]

[woman] So we gonna put these
in the middle of the pool?

-This is really heavy.
-[woman 2] It is really heavy.

My mama got a whole… shindig cracking.

[Harden] My mom,
she was just going to the doctor's.

Boom, she found out she had breast cancer.

Somebody that, like, has had your back

for your whole life
and you seen her at her highest,

and then, boom, her lowest hit,

and we didn't have an opportunity
to actually, like, celebrate.

So now she's finally able to,
like, you know, be herself again.

It's one of the best feelings.

So she's back,
so we had to celebrate her birthday.

[AJ] Oh,
I didn't see him right there either.

Okay, girl.

-It's your birthday, girl.
-[Monja] Thank you.

Where she at?

Where she at?

[Monja] Oh, you got my name on the thing!

Oh! Oh!

[Mariachi music playing]

[man] Oh yeah!

Happy birthday!

♪ Ba, ba, bamba ♪

♪ Ba, ba, bamba ♪

-♪ La bamba ♪
-♪ Para bailar la bamba ♪

[Monja] Yes,
I was going through breast cancer.

It was hard because I'm used to
going to the games, cheering him on,

and I couldn't do that.

But if I don't be strong,
who's gonna be strong for me?

He came to one of my chemos
and sat there with me.

It was hard to see him sit there
'cause I know he was hurting inside.

You know how you teach your kids to just

knock it off your shoulder?
Well, James taught me that too.

[laughing]

Oh, check this. Check it.
Whoo! Whoo! Whoo!

[Harden] Whoo!

Here, y'all can have some candy.

[all laugh]

So, yeah, that… that… that two years was,
like, probably my lowest for real

that I've ever experienced
just because, like, basketball,

which, you know, that's like…
that's what provides for everybody,

wasn't going well,
and then my backbone was

trying to, you know, fight for her life.

[all] ♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

-[man] Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait!
-Make a wish.

[man] All right, go ahead.

[man 2] Wait! Mom said to get a picture.
Wait! Wait!

-You better move.
-[man 2] All right, go, go, go, go, go.

[Harden] But, like,
with all that being said, like, now,

it's like everything hit the highs.
You feel me?

So, like, we all go through our lows.
We all go through our highs.

You don't never wanna get too low, never…
Just, you know,

be cool. Be cool.

[Harden] You know, going through
the last couple of years,

obviously, she's the one that had to deal
with it, but just seeing her bounce back,

it's, like, you know,
anything is possible.

Um…

You know, I'm not trying to get emotional,
but now I'm in a good place.

I know she's in a good place, so I feel
like my family is even better than ever.

-[woman] Hi, Ty.
-[Haliburton] What's up?

Hold on, let me find this.

Your girl sent me those rings,
but I'm trying to find them.

Um…

I plan on proposing, and I've told…

[inhales sharply]

My mom knows, my dad knows,

Netflix knows.

-[man chuckles]
-Uh…

[Kristina] Well, I sent him
those four diamonds.

They're not even available anymore.

Well, I deleted them on my phone
just in case we were texting and Jade saw.

Smart.

So I've been put in front
of so many rings.

[Kristina] I know she likes
regular, like, yellow gold,

but because the diamond
is gonna be big and clear,

you can't have the prongs on that color.
It'll show through.

[Haliburton] Yeah.

So we'll do, like, a super simple band.
Maybe some diamonds on, like, the basket.

I hope I don't mess this up.
I'm pretty sure she wants oval cut.

Pretty sure
that's the cut of diamond she wants.

And I wanna get a… a carat count
that means something to us,

so I'm looking to get… [inhales sharply]
…probably around six carats

because we have been together
for six years.

-Six is the ideal.
-[Kristina] 100%?

-100%.
-[Kristina] 6 years together, 6 carats?

-Correct.
-[Kristina] Okay.

I'm just gonna hit him

and say let's just get a couple options
with the GIA certificates.

-Perfect.
-[Kristina] We'll compare and contrast.

A ring emoji 247 weeks ago.

Sheesh, really made her wait for that one.

[Haliburton] Proactive.
I already put my bag in.

[man] Yeah, I saw that.

[Haliburton] Most proud of?

Just persevering through, you know,
the… the early start to the year.

I was kind of in a dark place,
uh, mentally, physically.

And so the fact
that, you know, I've gotten through that,

and as a team, we've gotten through
the slow start that we had as a group.

[commentator] Here's Haliburton.

Up and through!

Haliburton to Toppin!

[commentator 2] We've seen
an energized Tyrese Haliburton.

Four straight games with a double-double.

[Haliburton] Hey! And one! And one!

[commentator 3] It will end up being
a 15-point win.

We saw Ty stack a couple games.

And, uh, that's when we realized,
"Okay, he's back."

[buzzer sounds]

[commentator 4] This is a gutsy win.

This is one of the more gutsy wins
the Pacers have had this year.

[commentator 5] Pacers down three.

[John] Three seconds left on the clock.

[commentator 5] Haliburton's got the ball.
Haliburton rises…

[cheering]

[commentator 5] And there's the whistle!
Oh my goodness!

Tyrese Haliburton hits a three
and is fouled!

[Haliburton] The most successful points
of my career, uh,

at no point in those moments

did I not believe
that I was the best player,

not only at my position, but on the floor.
And that's just how I view it.

[commentator 5] And right
in the grill of Giannis.

[Carlisle] Tyrese, his vision,

the speed that he plays with,

the way he brings a joy
and a… and a vibe to the game,

um, has been something
that has resurrected

and has helped us,
you know, turn things around.

[commentator 5] The Indiana Pacers
have had one of the best records

since mid-December in the league.

[Haliburton] Funnily enough,
I had a dream about this. I had a dream

we were in Game 7 of the NBA Finals,

and I made…

I begged Puma to let me wear my shoe

'cause they don't come out
for another year.

But to be like, "I know y'all have 'em."

You would think, right?

There's no better rollout
than Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

No sh*t, we got a chance
to get 50 wins this year.

The way we started the season, it got…
We started, like, 10 and 15, I think.



[Haliburton] We're a game away
from locking up the fourth seed,

and I couldn't be more excited.

Let's go, y'all. Let's get to it.
Here we go. Win on three. One, two, three!

[player] Win!

[Haliburton] Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.

-[player 2] Let's get to this.
-Let's get to this chicken, baby!

[Haliburton] We know
that we gotta win one more game

or the Bucks have to lose one more game,

uh, for us to clinch that fourth seed,

so we're in control
of our destiny right now.

[commentator] Now, if the Pacers win
tonight or Milwaukee loses,

Pacers will secure the number-four seed.
They'll get home court with a win tonight.

[commentator] Cleveland
is second to Oklahoma City.

The Cavs are the best offensive team
in the sport.

Hey, hey, let's lock this sh*t up!
Let's lock this sh*t up.

Here we go. Win on three.
One, two, three! Win!

We gotta have a good start, bro.

Probably the last time
we all play together before the playoffs.

Gotta have a good first.

[Haliburton] As a team, we feel great
right now. We've been playing really well.

We know who we are.
We're very confident in ourselves.

Uh, we know that when the pressure rises
and when it's time to win big games

that we have a lot of faith in each other
and in ourselves.

[commentator] As we mentioned,
here is Craig Porter

through the traffic into the hole.

Turner with the blocked shot.
The other way, Toppin!

-Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!
-[cheering]

-Wow!
-[commentator 2] Through the legs.

[commentator] Haliburton with one to fire.

-In his way, Hunter. Three. Good!
-[buzzer sounds]

[cheering]

[commentator] That was an incredible shot!

The other way comes Haliburton.

-[net swooshes]
-[Haliburton] Yeah!

[commentator] What a game for Hali.

-Haliburton sizing him up.
-[whistle blows]

[commentator] Whistle blew. Boy, that was…

Oh, and Indiana wins!

The Pacers have home court in the playoffs

and maybe better than a number-four seed.

-[Jade] Hello?
-[Haliburton] Hey.

[Jade] Hello?

[Haliburton] Are you home
or are you downtown?

-[Jade] I'm pulling in the gate right now.
-Please tell me I should grab Culver's.

[Haliburton] Culver's is,
like, Midwest In-N-Out.

It's, like, burgers, fries, shakes.

Their ice… their ice cream, we call it…

It's custard. It's fire.

Chef Blake made salmon, but I don't think
I'm in a salmon mood right now.

[chuckles]

Hi. Can I start with
a… a single ButterBurger meal,

and then can I get
a double cheeseburger basket

with ketchup only on the burger?
And I'll do fries for the side.

And then for the drink,
can you make it a small Concrete Mixer

with chocolate ice cream,

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup,
and cookie dough?

You know what? we're celebrating. Can I
also get a small root beer float as well?

-[woman] Sure.
-[Haliburton] Thank you.

And that shows the Wisconsin in me.

For… for the Wisconsinites who watch this
and don't f*ck with me,

that shows the Wisconsin in me
right there.

You're a 25-year-old businessman.

[Haliburton] Bro, ever since I got braces…

-It's been hard to eat that, right?
-[Haliburton] Yeah, bro.

[Johnson] Same thing
will happen to my teeth too.

Y'all see the type of snacks
this man got in here?

[Haliburton] What are those?

-Pickle-flavored sour straws?
-[Johnson] Sour punch?

I would never eat that in my life.

Last year,
we were just happy to be in the playoffs.

You know, we had a bunch of young dudes.

We had never been together
as a group in the offs.

So we just…
we were just happy to be there.

Whereas now, like, there's
a real expectation to win a championship.

In our locker room, at least.

It's just a different feeling.
Like, now we're expected to win.

But last year,
there wasn't one single series

where the Pacers were picked to win.

[Haliburton] The first playoff game
isn't until April 19th, April 20th

if you're not in the play-in.

So you have really a week, so…
for getting rest and having off days.

At this point, we all kind of figure
it's Milwaukee. Like, if it's Detroit,

okay, but I think everybody's pretty, uh…
pretty sure it's gonna be Milwaukee. Yeah.

Confident no matter who it is, but…

We'd… It'd be cool if it was Milwaukee.
Ain't nothing wrong with playing them.

Yeah.

You know, the regular season's cool.
It's a marathon.

That's over. We only remember
what happens in the playoffs.

[pundit] There is nothing like
a Game 1 in the opening round.

It's the NBA Playoffs.
It's the pinnacle of basketball.

[pundit 2] Pressure is pressure.
Every team is playing for the same goal.

High emotion,
high intensity, high physicality.

[Brown] The regular season,
it's a bunch of battles.

But the playoffs is
when things start to heat up.

[Haliburton] It gets physical.
You gotta be more aggressive.

No matter what, you are gonna want it
as bad as they're gonna want it.

-O-K-C!
-Whoo!

[Brown] Who has the best habits?
Who's worked the hardest?

Who's the most prepared?

[Pierce] The best of the best now.
It's the cream of the crop.

Let's see who real and who not.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Harden] You know, once the postseason
is in play, the game changes.

The speed, the… the thinking of the game.

The will, you know what I mean,
to… to find a way to win.

Like, all that kicks in.

[Spears] For James Harden, I think it's…
he's a guy that's had a great NBA career,

but greatness comes in the postseason.

[Montgomery] James Harden
is a Hall of Famer,

but there's only been one thing

that's circled his career
as a knock against him,

and it's been the playoffs.

It's been winning championships.

[Spears] The Clippers, if they
make it far, they got a long road to hoe.

Like, starting with Denver is not fun.

[commentator] Here we go.
Game 1 is underway.

[Harden] Their core been together
for so many years.

They won a championship together,
so we knew

they were gonna come in
and get to it from the jump.

[commentator] They gotta get a good look
here. Down three, 10.9 to go in overtime.

Harden knocked out of bounds,

and it last hit Harden!

-And guess what? That will do it.
-[buzzer sounds]

The Nuggets emerge Game 1 victors

in an overtime thriller.

[Harden] You know,
I feel like we let Game 1 slip away.

[Spears] It's about matchups,
it's about talent, and it's about luck.

In order to be a champion,
in order to go far in the playoffs,

you have to have all three ingredients.

[commentator 2] And the Clippers win
Game 2 105-102.

Wow, what a game.

[pundit] In NBA history, the winner
of Game 3 goes on to win the series 74%.

And the Clippers

take a two-games-to-one series advantage
over the Denver Nuggets.

[commentator 3] An important Game 4

in what has been one of the best
first-round series in these playoffs.

Tied.

Eight seconds to go in regulation.

[Harden] I'm guarding Aaron Gordon, who,
you know, taller than me, bigger than me.

You know, it's a battle the entire series.

He's been playing well
this entire postseason.

[commentator 4] Jokić at the logo,
one-on-one with Zubac.

Two seconds left, fadeaway.

[Harden] Jokić turns around,
takes a fadeaway one-leg shot.

If the ball hits the rim,
you know, I mean, like, it's overtime.

The ball goes right over the rim.
It was a perfect alley-oop.

[commentator 4] This is for the win!

[Harden] I'm not even athletic enough
to get up there,

and… and… and it was just timed so well.

[commentator 4] Dunked home
by Gordon at the horn!

You count that basket!

[Harden] That one was heartbreaking.

What I realized is, like, obviously,
you gotta be, like, very talented,

and you gotta have some luck.
You know what I mean?

You gotta have things go your way.

-[buzzer sounds]
-[commentator 4] It's good at the horn.

And Denver wins game number four!

[Smith] Whatever he does,
all you have to do is say,

"Game 6, Game 7, close out,"
and this brother's gonna have a problem.

And there's no explanation for it
because his talent… shows you otherwise.

[commentator 5] And now we are set up
for a pivotal Game 5.

The Clippers had back-to-back wins.
They were rocking.

[commentator 6] Hard block by Jordan.

Murray on the runaway. Kawhi chases,
and Murray powers it down!

[commentator 7] The Clippers
with their backs against the wall

in Game 6.

[commentator 8] Harden, straightaway
steps back, fires the three. Bottoms!

"The Beard" from downtown!

[commentator 7] Tonight,
James Harden is getting it done.

[commentator 8] And James Harden
having a big game.

[commentator 7] And that'll do it.
We're headed for a Game 7.

From the start of Game 1,

this looked like
the series was going seven,

and now it is.

That's what it's all about.
Whatever it takes to win, all right?

Game 7 coming up. Get your rest.

Let's go for it, all right?
Come on, man. Let's go. Come on, man.

[players whooping]

-[player] Family on three. 1, 2, 3.
-[team] Family!

[dramatic music playing]

[pundit] Two words that get
every basketball fan excited.

Game 7.

[Harden] Going into Game 7,
I feel like I'm ready to get it on.

People was like, "What is he gonna do?"
I already knew.

I think James Harden is
a prolific offensive player.

I've never considered him
a May and June player.

Certain personalities are
built for the last eight weeks,

and I don't think he's one.

[Harden] We have one game.

We turn up the whole time!
Win on three. One, two, three.

-[team] Win!
-[player] Let's go!

[team whooping]

[harden] The anxiety kicks up
before the game,

and, you know,
everybody's talking about it,

and, you know, it's a thing.

Looking back, we had
a couple of games we let slip away

that, you know, you wanna take back.
And it's always gonna feel like that.

[pundit] Just can't wait for
the Clippers and the Nuggets.

It's been a great battle all series.

I would expect
nothing less than a great finale.

[commentator] Game 7
is underway in Denver.

[crowd chanting]

[commentator] Bright orange shoes here
for Game 7 as he takes it into the paint,

looks for Zu, finds him, right block,

scored the opening bucket
for the Clippers.

[Harden] There's so many
different variables happening in the game,

especially Game 7,
where the pressure's amplified.

People are just trying to scramble,
figure things out.

-Come here.
-[Powell] Yeah.

[harden] Just be patient. Listen.
They're switching out Porter on me.

-Yeah.
-Drive him.

[commentator] Harden inches his way
towards the rim.

Step-back J. He gets the roll.

[commentator 2] I like the patience there.
Harden just lets things develop.

I feel like I was in control of the game.

[commentator] Harden. Left-handed dribble,
double team, behind the back.

Bogdanović will try the midrange jumper
and knock it down.

The first quarter, I had
a couple of points, six assists,

two blocks.

I'm impacting the game in other ways.

[commentator] Backdoor, finds Braun,
blocked by Harden.

[commentator 2] Harden with
a spectacular recovery on that block.

[commentator] Harden at the logo.
Left wing, he lobs it for Zu,

catches, spins, floater again,

rattles in for two,

and the Clippers close the quarter
on a 13-6 run.

And then eventually, as the game went on,

um, you know,
I missed a couple shots or whatnot.

[commentator] The stumble, and it goes
right through the hands of Zubac.

b*llet feed. That's perfection!

Jokić to Braun, to the touchdown!

The crowd started getting into it.
We draw different plays.

They put two on the ball,
continued to work,

and it just goes downhill from there.

[commentator] Harden, flip it up.

He thought that Zubac would be there.
He wasn't.

[Harden] Zu!

Lob!

He coming up. That's a lob, bro.

You're trying to find ways
to be more aggressive.

You know? To where, cool,
you might get it in transition.

[commentator] Tracked down by Harden.

Intercepted by Westbrook!

Gordon's there! Big finish!

-[whistle blows]
-[commentator] Timeout, Clippers.

[Harden groans]

Momentum, they made a couple shots.

And, uh, we just couldn't stop
the run, the bleeding.

[commentator] Jokić in the lane,
lobs it up. Braun muscles it in.

-Murray's jumper. It's textbook.
-[commentator 2] So smooth.

[commentator] Here's a steal by Westbrook!
Westbrook all alone!

[whistle toots]

[commentator] Technical foul on Westbrook
for hanging on the rim.

-[commentator 2] He says he doesn't care.
-[commentator] Yeah.

[commentator 2] Something like that.
I'm not a lip-reader.

[commentator] I am,
and that's not what he said.

[buzzer sounds]

[commentator] This one got out of hand,
and Los Angeles could not recover.

Keep going, my brother.
Keep going, brother.

[commentator] The championship experience
of the Denver Nuggets does them in.

[commentator 2] Disappointing end
to a promising season

as the Clippers lose Game 7.

At the end of the day, like, you know,
individually, we be wanting things.

Like, we want things to play out
how we envisioned in our head.

I would wanna be here with the Clippers
and, you know, retire here

and, you know, try to win a championship
and just continue to build the team.

Just gotta regroup.

We're going to get better
as an individual, as a team.

Try again next year. This sh*t don't stop.

[Spears] When you lose in the first round,

that's probably even more painful
than not making the playoffs at all.

I don't really think
that Clippers team believed

that they had an opportunity
to win the whole thing.

For James Harden,

I don't know a superstar
with less playoff accolades than him.

No good enough. Not good enough.

And I know how hard it is.
There's so much expectation on you.

And you just hear so much talk
about your overall legacy as a player.

And you start thinking about your career
and your place in the game

and your place in history.

And that sh*t don't matter,
man, when you're playing ball.

It should just be about being free
and having fun and hooping.

So much noise around your place
in the game as a player.

It's… it's easy
to think about stuff like that.

I've accomplished more in my lifetime
than anybody would ever imagine.

And at the end of the day, like,

I'm gonna go down as
one of the best basketball players ever,

which, like, coming from
where I come from, it was like…

I mean, think of that, you know,
like, future Hall of Famer.

So of course I wanna win the championship,

and we'll still continue to try.

[Jade] What?!
You thinking he wants a hamburger?

You got cheese curds.

Yeah, but I got a kids' meal.
It's right there.

So somebody else got cheese curds.

-Taryn?
-I got some here. I got fries for sure.

[pundit] The Athletic put out their latest
anonymous player poll yesterday.

"Who's the most overrated player
in the league?"

And Tyrese Haliburton took the win,
I guess if you wanna call it that.

Haliburton getting 14.4% of the vote.

If that had happened to me,
that's great motivation.

Oh. [chuckles] Oh!

If you really one of them dogs,
all right, I'm taking names.

Just wait. We'll keep the receipts.

[pundit] "Who's the most overrated player
in the league?"

Tyrese Haliburton.

[Haliburton] I'm sure there's
guys in the NBA who feel like,

"One-on-one,
I would k*ll Tyrese Haliburton."

Which… I mean, they're allowed to feel
how they want to.

But I don't give a f*ck,
to be honest with you.

[funky electronic music playing]