NBA Finals an ‘amazing' showcase for basketball, says stars Tyrese Maxey and Derrick White
SINGAPORE – As the tension builds ahead of the decider for the National Basketball Association title, the drama of the Finals has left little doubt that the game is in a good place, said NBA stars Derrick White and Tyrese Maxey.
The duo are gushing with pride as the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers battle for glory on June 22 (June 23, Singapore time) at the Paycom Centre after a close battle in the best-of-seven series.
Philadelphia 76ers' All-Star guard Maxey said: 'I feel like the play-offs this year has been amazing, honestly, second to none. This Finals series has been amazing for basketball.
'I think Oklahoma City and Indiana have really showed the world a different way of basketball, a different way how things can go. So I'm very appreciative of them for that, and I'm excited to see who wins the game.'
White, who helped the Boston Celtics win the 2024 title, added: 'For the Finals, it's been great. I don't know what's going to happen in Game 7. Anything can happen, and these are two teams that play hard and play the right way. And so it's definitely been a good Finals.'
The pair are in town alongside Portland Trail Blazers centre Duop Reath, and Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) legend Ticha Penicheiro, for the Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Asia camp, which is part of the global basketball development and community outreach programme of International Basketball Federation (Fiba) and the NBA.
Both Maxey and White agreed with the assessment of NBA icon and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who said at the Fanatics Fest in New York on June 21 that 'the game of basketball is the best it's ever been'.
White, 30, said: 'Obviously the league, the talent, all the players, are having a lot of fun. It's in a good spot, and it's a lot of fun to be a part of it.'
The Boston Celtics' Derrick White (right) at the Basketball Without Borders Asia camp on June 22.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
Maxey, 24, noted how the play-offs have seen several players step up, with the Pacers' offensive depth a big factor in their run to the Finals.
'There are a lot of different players that can do a lot of different things. I read a stat about Indiana, that they have seven or eight players who had 15 or more (points) in the play-offs. That's amazing. That means (on) any given night, somebody could go off and somebody could score the ball, and somebody can impact the game. So I feel like that's where the game is going.
'The teams that are going to go out there and try to find depth are going to be very successful.'
In the Game 6 win over the Thunder on June 19, the Pacers had six players score in double figures, and in the six games in the Finals, the Pacers have had four players lead the team in scoring – Pascal Siakam in Games 1, 4 and 5, Tyrese Haliburton in Game 2, Bennedict Mathurin in Game 3 and Obi Toppin in Game 6.
The Pacers are also the first team in NBA history to have eight players score over 200 points each in a single postseason run.
Besides Maxey and White, a group of assistant coaches, including Jared Dudley from Dallas Mavericks, Ronald Nored (Atlanta Hawks), Vinay Bhavnani (Toronto Raptors), and Khalid Robinson (Golden State Warriors) are in Singapore for the four-day basketball camp from June 19 to 22 at the Singapore Basketball Centre.
The camp, featuring 30 boys and 30 girls aged 17 and under from 17 countries and territories, is part of a festival that will culminate with the NBA Rising Stars Invitational from June 25 to 29.
One of the Singaporean participants, Tricia Lau, 17, cited the eye-opening experience of playing with the best players and learning from them.
She said: 'I learnt that we have a lot to work on – like energy levels are super important. And every single person has their own role on the court and everyone cannot be stagnant and everyone has to do something.
'On court, I learnt we need to be more confident in ourselves. We have to have the confidence to take players on one-on-one and be more selfish with the ball. I also learnt that although I'm not able to contribute much on the offensive side, as long as I play my role defensively, I can contribute a lot to the team. '
BWB graduates who eventually found their way to the NBA include the current Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Oklahoma City, and Maxey's teammate Joel Embiid.
Centre Embiid, who struggled with multiple injuries as the 76ers missed the postseason for the first time since the 2016-17 season, played in only 19 games while forward Paul George, only featured in 41 games in an injury-riddled debut season with the Sixers.
So it is no wonder that Maxey's answer to what his team need next season is short and sweet.
'I think we got to be healthy, really healthy, (then) we have a chance,' he said.
The Celtics also have injury issues to contend with for next season as they are likely to be without leading scorer Jayson Tatum, who had surgery to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon during the Eastern Conference semi-finals before the team were eliminated by the New York Knicks.
When asked how big a blow Tatum's absence would be to their title ambitions, White said: 'Honestly, losing JT, it's tough, but he's going to do everything he can to get better, get back playing with us whenever he's able to... but that's the expectation (to compete for the title) every time you put on that uniform.'
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