Welcome to Glass Slipper! Tim Thibodeau is building a statue for Deuce McBride as we speak; please enjoy the show.

- Jacob Rhee

Here are my 10 biggest takeaways midway through the NBA conference finals.

1. The Julius Randle playoff mystery continues.

Horrible in 2021. Abominable in 2023. Destroyed the Lakers a few weeks ago. Battered Golden State immediately after.

Awesome in Game 1 against Oklahoma City. Disgustingly bad in Game 2. Fantastic in Game 3. No one on Earth - including Julius himself - could possibly predict how he fares tonight.

2. Baffling.

Just when basketball starts to make sense, Landry Shamet and Delon Wright help swing the biggest Knicks contest since 2000.

It’s truly amazing how unpredictable this league is.

3. A tier below.

I’ve decided that Jalen Williams simply isn’t good enough for Oklahoma City to be considered one of the best squads of all time. You can’t enter historic conversations when the second-best dude on the roster plays like Haywood Highsmith in half of these postseason wars. The Thunder are great, but not legendary.

4. Memory lane.

Despite the blown lead in Game 3, I’m getting some intense 2021-22 Bengals vibes from this Pacers squad. An overlooked No. 4 seed - powered by its 25-year-old superstar - that carries itself with unabashed confidence? It all feels so familiar to me.

Even if Tyrese Haliburton falls short of his first ring like my sweet prince Joe did that season, we’ll never view him the same after this run. We’re watching special stuff from a guy whose first team gave up on him after 71 starts.

5. Truth or dare.

When Rudy Gobert lumbers to the rim after setting a screen, Oklahoma City is literally ignoring him. One of the bigs usually gives a courtesy glance in his direction, then carries on with the defensive possession as though nothing happened. It’s almost disrespectful on Mark Daigneault’s part. He’s unintentionally behaving like one of those bratty youth baseball players when the opposing nine-hole hitter steps to the plate. Easy out, easy out! Everyone scoot in! It’s hard to believe that this was a sincere tweet from a real human in the NBA media once upon a time.

Personally, I love the Thunder’s philosophy. Force Minnesota to feed its seven-footer; he’ll fumble five of those passes out of bounds before he even thinks about rising up and punching one on Isaiah Hartenstein.

It’s decision time for Chris Finch. Make Gobert a focal point on offense, or reduce his playing time even further. I’d choose the latter.

6. Rule of thumb.

If Mitchell Robinson is on the floor while the Knicks are in the bonus, the Pacers need to hack him. Every single time. I wrote an entire piece about this 10 months ago, and I feel the exact same way now. He’s 20-52 from the line this postseason. What exactly is the hesitation?

If he misses both free throws, you force an immediate substitution predicament. If Mitch splits the pair, it’s still a win for Indiana. If he somehow sinks both, you give the man another hug and send him right back to the stripe. This should not be a tough one to figure out.

7. A message to Chet Holmgren.

Shoot the ball, man. Shoot it. You’re averaging fewer field goal attempts per game in the playoffs than Tim Hardaway Jr., who isn’t good at basketball. At least get to 15 each night.

8. Pin drop.

I don’t take pleasure in criticizing my fellow Midwest folks, but the atmosphere in Gainbridge Fieldhouse last night was pretty pathetic. Maybe the people coming straight from the Indy 500 were gassed, but come on. Your team is six wins from a title, and it sounded like a chess tournament during the critical moments.

Indiana is up 3-0 right now with a more lively crowd.

9. Rob Dillingham has been buried.

Is it at all concerning that the Wolves are desperately searching for shot-creation, and the No. 8 pick in the draft isn’t even on the radar? Sure, Dillingham is only 20. I watched Cason Wallace - at the same age - receive the fifth-most postseason minutes on the top-seeded Thunder a year ago, though.

I think giving Rob a real chance is worth it here. He’s unbelievably gifted; let the kid run around with the reserves in the second quarter, and maybe he’ll produce a spark like Terrence Shannon did.

10. A win-win.

Timothee Chalamet, go ahead and cover your ears. Tracy Morgan, you too. Let’s pretend for a moment that Indiana swings back, and takes this series in five. There’s an obvious trade sitting there for the Knicks this summer. OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson to Phoenix for Kevin Durant. Zero draft capital involved.

New York immediately becomes the favorite to come out of the putrid East in 2026. Meanwhile, the Suns start retooling around Devin Booker with athletic and talented pieces. I’ll wait while you tell me who declines that hypothetical deal.

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