knife point guard

Chapter 253 [Entering the Finals]

108: 99.

The Indiana Pacers defeated the Miami Heat at home.

Although Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade gave the Pacers a huge impact in the third and fourth quarters, they had little impact on the final result.

Wade and O'Neal each had a period of superstar performance, which is a reflection of their strength.

But the Pacers lineup is too strong.

And not only is the starting lineup strong, the bench lineup is also trained during the long regular season.

The Pacers' strength has exceeded the imagination of many basketball commentators.

The Miami Heat played a total of nine players in the first game, namely: Shaquille O'Neal, Dwyane Wade, Haslem, Eddie Jones, Damon Jones, Kenyon Dulin, Alonzo Mourning, Russell Butler, Steve Smith.

Except for O'Neal and Wade, Haslem is considered the backbone, and the other players can be described as "old, weak, sick and disabled".

The Pacers played 10 players tonight: Suhi, Artest, Jackson, O'Neal Jr., Foster, Crohill, Tony Batty, Kenny Anderson, Reggie Miller, Frazier Jones. There are also two players who did not play, Slade and David Harrison.

After the game, Su Xi and the players met Wade in the tunnel. The two of them faced off throughout the entire game tonight. Wade scored 25 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks. It was very comprehensive and a performance like a superstar.

苏希拿到23分11助攻9篮板4抢断1封盖。

A near triple-double.

In terms of data, Su Xi beat Wade by half a chip.

Victory goes into Susie's pocket.

Wade was very graceful in the face of failure. He even reached out to give Su Xi a high-five. "Congratulations, Jack."

Su Xi patted Wade on the shoulder and said "Come on."

"I really envy you for having such a good team." Wade said to Su Xi from the bottom of his heart.

In his opinion, the Pacers' lineup is tailor-made for Su Xi, perfectly displaying Su Xi's abilities and talents.

In Wade's mind, he had comparisons.

Su Xi's breakthrough ability is very good, and she is not bad either.

Su Xi's singles level with the ball is a level lower than his own.

Su Xi's passing vision and passing technique may be better than mine, but they are definitely not a level better.

Su Xi's ability to move without the ball and catch and shoot is better than his own, but now he rarely plays without the ball.

In addition, Su Xi's physical fitness is very good, but overall, it is not much different from herself.

Defensively, Su Xi is stronger, but his own defense is adequate.

Based on this realistic and objective comparison, Wade felt that the honor and reputation between himself and Su Xi were so different. There's only one possibility: Suzy has a better team.

Su Xi did not deny this. He nodded and said, "I also envy myself."

But at the same time, he said to Wade: "If you and I swap positions, you may not be able to lead the Pacers to better results. And I will definitely make the Miami Heat better."

Su Xi's words revealed strong confidence.

There is an unquestionable sense of authority.

This is a powerful aura.

Wade raised his eyebrows. He did not bow his eyebrows in front of Su Xi's strong aura. He said calmly: "The Heat you see now are far from their strongest state. See you in the next game."

"Ok."

The two bid farewell.

The second game starts two days later.

Wade does play a completely different game, and his offense is extremely impactful.

In this game, he scored 31 points on a sudden outside shot, as well as 5 assists and 7 rebounds.

However, the Miami Heat lost the game 101:109.

They lost two straight away games.

Shaquille O'Neal performed very well in the paint. He also had 21 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks.

However, Wade and O'Neal can't save Miami.

The Pacers are all villains, and Carlisle even deliberately indulged Wade and O'Neal in singles in the third quarter, using this behavior to test the team's resilience.

The Heat are a bucket with two long boards, and the Pacers are a bucket with one long board and no obvious short board.

Which of these two buckets can hold more?
At the same time, the situation in the west has become clearer.

The San Antonio Spurs won 2 games on the road.

Phoenix's strength in the regular season failed to blossom in the playoffs.

At this moment, in Artest's words, everyone is already thinking about the finals clash.

In the words of the Pistons head coach: "I have nothing to regret."

He has ended his contract with the Pistons.

The Pistons were dissatisfied that he had not led the team to the Finals for two consecutive years, and Larry Brown also believed that he could not lead the Pistons further. He decided to return to college basketball and do some consulting work.

Larry Brown's coaching style suits the NCAA.

The NBA is becoming more and more market-oriented, stars have more and more say, and his tactical system has become less and less marketable.

"Suzy the Lamb rewrote the Eastern Conference. People underestimated the impact of him joining the Pacers at the time."

"Larry Bird made a great trade. I guess when he chose the trade, he didn't expect that Suzy the Lamb would grow to where he is now. He just wanted to fill the Pacers' shortcomings at the No. 1 position."

"However, Suzy the Lamb was attached to the Pacers' powerful lineup, he absorbed nutrients, and his evolution was dazzling. He became the most powerful locomotive in Indiana."

"Now, the Pacers are the most powerful high-speed train in the league, and no team can stop them."

"Suzy the Lamb and the Pacers have become one. He may never reach the legendary heights of Michael Jordan, but in the next five years, he and the Pacers will be strong contenders for the championship. I predict that his total There will be more championships than Jordan."

Larry Brown accepted an exclusive interview with ESPN and spent 10 minutes talking about Indiana and Suzy. For him, this is the biggest Waterloo of his Detroit coaching career.

The reporter said to him: "However, some people are now saying that the 20-year-old Jordan is not as good as the little Su Xi. If it is as you said, the little Su Xi has won more championships than Jordan. Some people will definitely say that he is A bigger superstar than Jordan….”

"No, no. This is different."

Larry Brown waved his hand: "The reason why Jordan is called the God of Basketball is not because of the number of championships he has won. Russell has more championships, Chamberlain's statistics are even more impressive, and the Celtics have eight consecutive championships." The championship is more exciting. But why is Jordan the goat?"

"Because, Jordan built a towering castle among the ruins. He structurally changed the league structure. He defeated all the superstars of his generation. At the same time, he also has so many legendary statistics."

"Little Suzy's current statistics and honors are very good. He has a fantastic start to his career. He has the opportunity to become a legendary star like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Russell in the future."

"However, never compare with Jordan. Because before Susie the Lamb joined Indiana, the Pacers were already a strong team. The framework of the castle has been completed. He just completed the final decoration and lit up the castle. The brightest pearl in the world.”

Larry Brown said frankly: "But this is already great. You have to admit that he is the strongest rookie since Tim Duncan."

"What about LeBron James?" the host asked.

"Cleveland is still in ruins, but he still has time to prove himself." Suchy said.

"There are many voices saying that Susie the Lamb will leave Indiana after this season. Now all teams are pursuing him." The reporter said: "Do you think he will have a chance to build a castle on the ruins after leaving Indiana? "

"It's hard to evaluate, I don't know. If it were him now, I would find it difficult. He doesn't have a really ultimate killer skill. You know what I mean? His passing is good, but it's not top-notch. His His breakthrough ability is top-notch, but his finishing ability can be improved. His singles with the ball is becoming more and more threatening, but he is still far from the top scorers. And, most importantly, he is only 191 or 192, which has never appeared in the NBA. Such a 'small' dominant player..."

Larry Brown spread his palms and said: "I don't think he will leave Indiana. Indiana will meet all his requirements." "If he really leaves, then Miami and Detroit can set off fireworks."

"You mean Miami is going to lose this series?"

"Yes."

"But they defeated you."

"It took them seven games. Last year's Pacers only took six games."

"..."

Susie watched the interview on the plane to Miami.

Although ESPN often slanders itself, Suhi believes that what Larry Brown said is pertinent.

He looked out the window. Planes were flying through the clouds, and the clouds in the distance were painted with a golden edge by the setting sun.

...

101: 102.

The Miami Heat came back in Game [-] with a buzzer-beater from Dwyane Wade, who once again shouted, 'This is my horse.'

The Pacers applied for reconsideration after the game. They believed that there was something wrong with the Heat's stopwatch. It took more than 1.9 seconds from Wade receiving the ball to taking the shot.

However, the matter was settled.

Su Xi took responsibility for the failure after the game. He said that his failure to hit the fadeaway jumper was the key to the team's defeat. And, he promised there would never be a next time.

In the fourth game, Su Xi fulfilled his promise. He didn't even let the game get into suspense late in the fourth quarter.

With 5 minutes left, the Pacers led by 15 points.

Subsequently, the lead has been slowly expanded.

119: 100.

The Pacers won their third game.

Returned to Indiana with a big score of 3:1.

At this time, San Antonio had eliminated the Phoenix Suns with a score of 4:0 and was approaching the finals.

Suhi was on the plane back to Indiana and watched Game [-] on his laptop.

This game perfectly demonstrated the Spurs' control ability.

Tim Duncan is the Spurs' anchor. Ginobili and Tony Parker have also grown rapidly this year. They have become the Spurs' most important outside attackers.

This year's Spurs are considered the strongest in recent years.

They not only have the troika of Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili, but also a group of role players with online strength and different styles. Bruce Bowen, Mohammed, Brent Barry, Robert Horry, Udrih, Nesterovich….

Most importantly, they also have Popovich's consistent and constantly strengthening offensive and defensive lineup.

Su Xi watched the whole game carefully, and there was only one word: stable!

The Spurs are really stable.

They are like precision instruments that tightly control every detail. They seem to have no passion, but they can beat the gorgeous sun into meat patties with one hammer.

The visitor is not good.

...

Shaquille O'Neal lost his temper.

Because the Los Angeles Times ridiculed him when Miami fell behind 1:3: Now, do you know who was the culprit of last year's failure in the Finals?

And when Shaquille O'Neal arrived in Indiana, some fans asked him this question again.

O'Neal was furious. He said angrily in the media: I will overturn everything! Anyone who doubts me should go to hell!
O'Neal's anger made the Pacers stand ready. The shark was still very intimidating. No one wanted to touch the reverse scale of the shark that was still at its peak.

At the beginning of Game [-], the Miami Heat were making plays for O'Neal.

However, on the first kick of the game, O'Neal was called for an offensive foul on his post-up shot.

This is not the home whistle.

But Foster fell down at the moment when O'Neal turned around and swung his elbow.

There is no doubt about this offensive foul.

Subsequently, Su Xi broke through and reached the basket, faced off with Shaquille O'Neal, caused a foul on O'Neal, and scored 2+1.

Got two fouls in the opening game.

The ambitious O'Neal had to return to the bench.

The Pacers took advantage of the situation to attack the penalty area, and Jermaine O'Neal made full use of his characteristics.

The Heat can't hold it.

After playing for 5 minutes and trailing by 7 points, O'Neal had to be replaced.

O'Neal came on the court, he held the ball in singles, turned his back, and three people attacked.

He was sent to the free throw line before he even took off.

O'Neal struggled.

He has to face the fact that he is old, he has gained weight, and his reflexes are not as fast as they were at his peak. Going back four or five years, with his speed, he had already completed a dunk before the Pacers had time to double-team and foul.

Unfortunately, time is not forgiving.

Whether O'Neal admits it or not, his era is passing quickly.

Since Jordan retired, he and Duncan have joined forces to dominate the league.

But starting from last season, Su Xi and the Pacers broke this pattern.

O'Neal has lost the ability to prevent this from happening.

Despite his anger, despite his urgency.

However, the deterioration of body functions is irreversible.

The Pacers steadily controlled the rhythm and gradually pocketed the victory amid the cheers of the home fans.

It can be seen that O'Neal really wants to play the game well, but there is no but.

He is no longer the most dominant center who scored more than [-] points in a single game without the Clippers giving him tickets.

Heroes are late.

The greatest respect the Pacers showed was calling a timeout when O'Neal committed a foul.

The Heat therefore put on their bench and declared the season over.

very decent.

The Heat reached the Eastern Conference Finals in the first season after acquiring O'Neal. This result was excellent and exceeded expectations.

For Su Xi and the Pacers, they only have one goal left.

Defending!

(End of this chapter)