SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
And as B. J. Leiderman, who writes our theme music, tells us, it's time for sports.
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SIMON: NBA playoffs, Pacers shine, Caitlin Clark goes for the champs, Indy 500 - (imitating engine revving). Michele Steele of ESPN joins us now from (singing) Indiana, Indiana USA - the mighty capital of the sports world this weekend.
Thanks for being with us, Michele.
MICHELE STEELE: Good morning, Scott.
SIMON: NBA conference finals, we'll note - in the West, Oklahoma City Thunder is up 2-0 against Minnesota Timberwolves. The Indiana Pacers in the East, 2-0 against the New York Knicks, defeated them last night, 114 to 109 at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks were riding high last week, but all their celebrity fans have to be just a little hang-dog now, don't they?
STEELE: Yeah, you know what? I'm saving my sympathies for Timothee Chalamet and Ben Stiller and Spike Lee and everyone else because they've got it pretty good in New York. But you're right. They are down to nothing in this series. And it's been an exciting series. You know, the Knicks cut the lead to just one last night with under 15 seconds left, but it wasn't enough. Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 39 points. That's a playoff career high for him. The big question is around New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau. Does he trust his bench? It's become a cliche in the NBA, but the Knicks starting five, Scott, has played more minutes than any other lineup in the league. And if they don't make adjustments, they could very well cost themselves a trip to the finals because guys are starting to look gassed.
SIMON: Now, you are at the scene of where Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever in the WNBA are going to take on defending champ New York Liberty. For all the excitement around Caitlin Clark and all of her achievements, she hasn't won a championship. What is this game going to tell us?
STEELE: I've talked to people around this team, and I can tell you that they see this matchup this afternoon as a measuring stick. This could be a finals preview. It's their biggest battle so far. The Liberty are the defending champs, and they look like it so far. They're undefeated this season. Caitlin Clark and the Fever are gunning for no less than a championship this season, Scott. But she's looking for a little bit of a bounce-back performance. In the last game, she did not make a single three-point shot. That's the first time that's happened to her in the pros, but the good news is she's got some veteran help who's stepping up.
SIMON: Indy 500 is tomorrow, and against expectations, Robert Shwartzman of Israel won the pole position and will start in first place. What do you expect from tomorrow's race?
STEELE: You know, Shwartzman is a rookie, too, so that's kind of an exciting storyline. But the storyline - the scandal, even - that people have really been watching involves a driver named Josef Newgarden, and he drives for Team Penske, which, of course, is one of the most successful organizations in racing. And the trouble started when they found that Newgarden's car had illegal modifications to a safety part, and they found out that the same illegal modifications were on his car from his winning race earlier this year. And so he's going for a third straight Indy 500 win - likely not going to happen because some of the penalties he's facing include starting from the back of the pack, and no driver starting from the final row has ever won the Indy 500. We'll see if he can do it, but certainly, the odds are against him.
SIMON: And some sad news - Jim Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts, died Wednesday. He was 65. He presided over one of the most successful eras in the history of the team and also very openly struggled with alcoholism, drug addiction and was not only open about it, he helped fund a lot of programs to help others. What - how do you see his legacy, Michele?
STEELE: I think that's such a huge part of his legacy because there are so many people - not just in sports, but outside sports - who are afraid to open up about vulnerabilities, who are afraid to open up if they're dealing with health challenges. Not Jim Irsay - you know, he did have those issues with addiction and with mental health that he was struggling with, and he was open about it. And I think that dedication to helping others Scott, you know, through his own struggles and the influence that he used - not just to put out a winning football team out there, but for a cause that really touches a lot of lives - I think that's going to leave his most lasting impact beyond the football field. But very sad - I'm sure there'll be a moment of silence at the Fever and the Pacers games this weekend, and a lot of people in Indy (ph) certainly thinking about Jim Irsay.
SIMON: Michele Steele, thanks so much.
STEELE: You bet.
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