The longest river

Chapter 133 Hell East and Garbage West

Riley also had a solution in the second quarter, he brought Hardaway on to deal with the situation.

This did have an effect. Yang Shuai wasn't very effective at defending against speedy guards like Hardaway one-on-one, and his ability to help defend was also lacking.

However, Yang Shuai wasn't the only one who enjoyed this easy basket; Jermaine O'Neal did too.

Bird's development of Jermaine O'Neal was planned. O'Neal's role on the court now is to catch and shoot mid-range shots and help defend in the paint. Low-post isolation plays are very occasional.

This playing style is also the most suitable for winning at the rim.

As a result, during this bench transition period, the Heat managed to widen the score gap again, forcing Riley to bring in all the starters early.

Then Bird's rotation continued as usual.

This creates a very interesting set of contrasts.

The "Mastermind" paced anxiously back and forth on the sidelines, while the "King of Pretenders" remained as steady as a mountain.

No matter how well you adjust on the spot, you can't stop the tactical suppression.

Ultimately, the Pacers defeated the Heat 113-96 in this crucial battle for position.

The Heat's top scorer was Hardaway with 26 points, followed by Mourning with a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Mashburn with 15 points.

步行者队这边，施密茨18分8板，米勒13分，马克·杰克逊在首秀中贡献了6分7板20助攻。

Yang Shuai had a career-high night, scoring a career-high 38 points.

At the post-match press conference, Riley was once again asked about Yang Shuai's performance.

Before the game, he said it was fine that the Heat didn't draft Yang Shuai, but now that Yang Shuai has scored 38 points against the Heat, he's been thoroughly humiliated.

Riley stared at the reporter who asked the question without answering a single word; it was clear he was genuinely angry.

However, what angered Riley more than Yang Shuai scoring 38 points was the way Yang Shuai got those 38 points.

If you could score 38 points over him, one basket after another, like Jordan, even if he outwardly disagrees, he would be convinced in his heart.

However, nearly half of Yang Shuai's 38 points came during the transition period between substitutes!
You got a high score because you traveled during off-peak hours!

"The Heat are one of the best teams in the East, and we were really lucky to beat them."

Compared to Riley's anger, Bird was incredibly relaxed at the post-game press conference.

When discussing the players' performance, he also made many memorable remarks.

“When Mark (Jackson) first entered the league, I told him that he would be the best point guard in the league in the future.”

“I don’t think Hansen played anything ‘out of the ordinary’; he just got more shot attempts.”

"As for Reggie, I'm not worried at all. Even if he only scores 3 points, the players guarding him will stick to him like glue."

Yang Shuai: You've already shown off enough, what else can I say?
Fortunately, a reporter was very cooperative and asked Yang Shuai a question.

"You were just 2 points away from scoring 40 points in a single game. Does that make you feel regretful?"

Because the game was decided early in the fourth quarter, Yang Shuai did not return to the court after the opening substitute break of the fourth quarter.

"Don't worry, I'll get 40 points."

By defeating the Heat, the Pacers have secured their second-place position in the Eastern Conference.

After returning to Indianapolis, Yang Shuai used the 5 points he had saved up over the past two months to upgrade his B-level agility, raising his defensive support ability to 83.

The win against the Heat looked relatively easy, but largely it was because Riley didn't expect Mark Jackson to improve the Pacers' offense so much.

In fact, Riley's on-court response was quite good, and it's foreseeable that he will respond even better in the next matchup. It will be difficult for the Pacers' offense to be so smooth.

To increase the chances of winning, we still need to focus on defense.

Just like last season, the defense against Hardaway was unsuccessful in this game.

Given the current situation, the Pacers and Heat will most likely meet in the playoffs, making help defense an even more important priority.

Jackson's addition significantly boosted the Pacers' strength, but just after playing two games, Schmitz suffered an ankle injury and is expected to be out for a month and a half.

In other words, Schmitz will not be able to return until almost the end of the season.

Yang Shuai had previously missed more than half a month due to injury, and now it's Schmitz's turn. The Pacers have really had a rough season.

However, this is also a common practice in leagues in this era.

The high intensity of competition, coupled with the still immature injury prevention system, has led to many players shortening or even ending their professional careers due to injuries.

Take the Heat, whom they just faced, for example. Dan Mali, a key summer acquisition, has only played less than 20 games this season.

Including the Bulls, Longley, Kukoc, and Rodman have all missed more than 30 games this season due to injury.

If a team doesn't sustain some injuries, its record is unlikely to improve.

Schmitz's absence also had a significant impact.

Because the Pacers' two remaining core rotation players in the paint, namely the two Davises, lack spacing ability, this directly reduces the effectiveness of Bird's spacing system.

Moreover, the Pacers' schedule during this period is quite difficult.

By early March, the Pacers' record had been inconsistent, and with the Heat and Knicks gaining momentum, they dropped from second to fourth place, trailing the fifth-placed Hawks by only one win.

At the current rate, without 55+ wins this season, they simply won't make it into the top half of the standings. For comparison, last year's third-place Cavaliers in the East only had 48 wins.

Just as predicted at the beginning of the season, the competition in the Eastern Conference this season is more intense than ever before.

However, the good news for the Pacers is that they will be embarking on a road trip in the Western Conference.

Compared to the fierce competition in the East, the West seemed to have entered a winter hibernation, taking tanking to a new level.

The Clippers, currently ranked eighth in the Western Conference, only have 31 wins. Starting from ninth, no team seems poised to surpass 30 wins this season.

It's fair to say that there are only four and a half teams that can compete in the Western Conference right now: the Rockets, Jazz, Lakers, and SuperSonics, plus the Trail Blazers, who are half a level weaker than these four.

The Pacers' first stop on their Western tour was Portland.

Just before they set off, Bird suddenly came to the locker room and announced some news.

Jermaine O'Neal will start at power forward for the team in the game against the Trail Blazers.

This news is somewhat surprising, considering that Jermaine O'Neal's current ability is not yet at the level where he can play as a starter.

But this makes sense, as Bird's tactics require interior players with spacing ability, and the Pacers only have Jermaine O'Neal besides Schmitz.

Moreover, compared to their previous formidable opponents, the Trail Blazers are weaker, making this a more suitable opportunity.

After Bird announced the news, he left, leaving behind a visibly nervous Jermaine O'Neal, who was clearly not mentally prepared.

"Don't worry, I'll pass the ball to you." Yang Shuai stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder.

He had fallen behind in passing training due to injury, but now he has improved to the maximum of 70.

When we arrived in Portland, it was raining again.

Speaking of Yang Shuai's impressions of Portland, one is that he played well in the final game of last season and was blocked by Portland fans, and the other is that it rained.

It rained during the last match, and it's raining again in March, right at the start of spring.

If you live in this city, it's nice to lie in bed and listen to the rain while you sleep. But if you're playing a game, the journey involves rainy days, and everything is wet, which makes you feel very uncomfortable.

However, the rain did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of Portland fans.

The Rose Garden Arena was packed to capacity that night.

Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen was also present in the arena's VIP box.

Speaking of Paul Allen, Yang Shuai had basically never heard of him in his previous life, but after playing in the NBA for more than a year, the name has become very well-known.

To put it simply, Allen is the Ballmer of this era, or more accurately, a richer Ballmer.

As a Microsoft executive, he is now the world's third richest person.

Like Ballmer, he is passionate about basketball, as evidenced by his frequent appearances at Trail Blazers games.

It is said that he spent 7000 million to buy the Trail Blazers team to make up for the regret of not being selected for the school team when he was a child.

The ways that big shots make up for their regrets are all so unique.

During the pre-match warm-up, Yang Shuai felt that his touch was particularly smooth.

He had this feeling when he was doing extra training before the competition.

Now that he felt the same way, he stopped immediately, deciding to save some of his touch for the game.

After sitting down to rest on the sidelines, he turned his gaze to the other half of the field.

The Trail Blazers' roster this year is completely different from last year's.

During the offseason, they traded their leading outside scorer Rod Strickland to Washington in exchange for Rasheed Wallace, the fourth overall pick in the same draft class as Yang Shuai.

They then signed the 1991 second overall pick, All-Star player Kenny Anderson, from the free agent market.

Ultimately, they acquired Isaiah Riddle, the 1994 Slam Dunk Contest champion and shooting guard who had averaged 20+ points per game for the past two seasons, from the Timberwolves.
Speaking of Ryder, Yang Shuai actually knows him.

This is mainly because Garnett had complained about this teammate to him.

This guy used to be the leader of the Timberwolves, but he did things that made him not even a proper NBA player, let alone a team leader.

Being late, missing training without reason, missing the team's flight, and even spitting at fans and airport staff, cost him $20 in just one season.

The most outrageous thing was that when he was ejected from the game, he directly assaulted the referee and ended up spending two days in jail.

Aside from playing basketball, he's completely incompetent, or rather, if he weren't good at basketball, he'd most likely be a scoundrel who spends his time in jail.

With three different starters in one season, the Trail Blazers' roster changes are comparable to those of the Heat.

Clearly, after the failures of the Drexler era, Paul Allen has regrouped and begun a new assault on the championship.

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups for both teams were announced one after another.

Pacers: Mark Jackson, Miller, Young, Jermaine O'Neal, Dale Davis
Trail Blazers: Kenny Anderson, Isaiah Riddle, Clifford Robinson, Rasheed Wallace, Arvydas Sabonis

Amid cheers from the home crowd, Sabonis tipped the ball back into the Trail Blazers' half of the court, giving the home team the first possession.

莱德尔开场就在低位坐打米勒，裸足只有1米93但是体重达到98公斤的他属于重型后卫，碾着米勒开场就打进一个2+1的转身上篮。

He was excessively excited after scoring and immediately started yelling at Miller:
"Reggie, you can't guard me. Get that guy who can guard Michael to guard me!"

(End of this chapter)