The longest river

Chapter 139 Goodnight, New York

At the end of the first quarter, the Pacers led the Knicks by 13 points, 31-18.

They made six three-pointers in the first quarter alone.

This kind of relentless, bombardment-style play was previously only seen in Nelson's teams.

"The Knicks still have a chance; the Pacers can't maintain such a high shooting percentage forever."

In the commentary booth, Albert was still cheering for the Knicks.

"Malph, haven't you realized it yet? This Pacers team is stronger than any of us realize."

Ernie Johnson, however, poured cold water on his enthusiasm.

If we only look at the statistics, Albert's statement is not problematic.

But after watching the game, it became clear that it was wishful thinking.

Because the Pacers' style of play is completely different from Don Nelson's, which sacrifices defense for speed and possessions. Their three-pointers all come from half-court sets, and they play for efficiency.

Moreover, even in half-court sets, their success rate isn't limited to three-pointers. Schmitz and Davis's pick-and-roll cuts to the basket, and even Schmitz's low-post isolation plays after the space is widened, are also very high.

Don't forget that besides Miller and Yang Shuai, Schmitz also averaged 16.7 points per game this season.

The small details of their defensive rotations in the first quarter also show that their defensive resources are much better than before.

This is a team that is mature on both offense and defense and has the most suitable tactics.

The Knicks picked the wrong opponent!

Albert, of course, refused to admit it.

After all, only one quarter of the game has been played, and it's too early to say that the outcome is decided.

Under his expectant gaze, Yang Shuai returned to the court at the start of the second quarter.

This is his "off-peak travel" time.

In the very first possession, Yang Shuai received a behind-the-back pass from Walkman and drove in for a powerful dunk.

The Pacers were already quite relaxed, and now they're playing even more relaxed; even Walkman is showing off his behind-the-back passes.

The city square stadium instantly erupted in cheers.

Moreover, Yang Shuai then blocked Starks' mid-range shot after the pick-and-roll.

Although Starks became a substitute this season, his efficiency improved despite reduced playing time, and his average of 13.8 points per game was higher than last season.

He was essentially Bird's backup option for Yang Shuai, specifically the Knicks version.

However, when facing Yang Shuai, who has a 99 single-defense attribute and a personal grudge against him, it is indeed difficult for him to have room to perform.

"damn it!"

Albert swore, Bird's rotation was too unfair!
Ernie Johnson, however, found Yang Shuai increasingly pleasing to the eye.

After a season of Bird's "off-peak travel," Yang Shuai has developed the ability to stand on his own on the court.

With the starters back in the second quarter, the Pacers' outside shooting touch didn't fall into place, as Albert had hoped.

Because the Pacers' spacing offense doesn't rely on three-pointers, their main target is the opponent's paint.

In fact, after forcing the Knicks to extend their defense in the first quarter, the Pacers significantly reduced their three-point attempts in the second quarter, instead attacking the paint more often.

The Knicks' defense was already struggling to keep up, and this made them even more overwhelmed, completely collapsing from the outset.

In the end, contrary to what the outside world had imagined, the Pacers defeated the Knicks 106-83, easily winning Game 1.

Bird's pre-game remarks sparked intense controversy, with many expecting him to be thoroughly humiliated. However, the result was that his boastful remarks only added another significant element to the collection of material on the king of boasting.

Although in retrospect, Bird was just telling the truth, but the most lethal thing is the subtle pretentiousness.

Moreover, after such a resounding victory, Bird put on a big show.

"I wasn't surprised by the result of the game, because I took over the only team in the Eastern Conference that had beaten the Bulls in last season's playoffs."

Bird's "taken-for-granted" attitude made New York fans want to punch him.

However, Bird's goal was clear from the beginning: the most basic thing to beat Jordan and the Bulls is confidence, which is to believe that you can do it.

And now, he has achieved his goal.

After playing Game 1, all the Pacers players believe they are worthy of being a match for the Bulls.

As for whether there's a concern that this overconfidence might lead to underestimating the opponent?

Bird felt it was unnecessary.

In this day and age, who would underestimate the Bulls?
As for playing against the Knicks or Heat, there's no need to worry about losing to them because of underestimating them, since then they wouldn't be a match for the Bulls.

During the break between Games 1 and 2, the "NBA Insider" segment continued to play.

The Knicks-Pacers series remains a hot topic of discussion.

During the show, Abbott suggested to the Knicks that they move either Larry Johnson or Oakley to the bench and use a lineup with a faster rotation.

It's clear that Albert put in a lot of effort; he may have even watched the game tapes of the Pacers and Heat.

Two days later, Game 2 of the Knicks-Pacers series continued at City Square Arena.

During the opening ceremony, many people were focused on the Knicks' starting lineup.

The result was that nothing changed.

Undoubtedly, Abbott's suggestion is a good one; in 2K, you just need to select two players and click replace. But the reality is, are you going to put Oakley as a substitute, or Larry Johnson as a substitute?

These two have tempers that are bigger than each other's.

Especially Johnson, who is theoretically more suited to be a substitute, not only switched to playing small forward after joining the Knicks, but his stats also plummeted from 20.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists last season to 12.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. If you still ask him to play as a substitute, he will directly overturn the bench.

Of course, if Riley were still the Knicks' head coach, Oakley might agree, given that he has a history of coming off the bench in the past two seasons.

Unfortunately, the Knicks' head coach has now changed to Van Gundy, so that possibility is completely gone.

The Knicks' offense was better in Game 2 than in Game 1.

In Game 1, the Knicks were basically carried by Ewing alone.

However, in Game 2, both Houston and Johnson supported Ewing, with the former scoring 19 points and the latter adding 18.

The Knicks scored over 100 points in the game.

However, they still failed to solve the most fundamental problem: defense.

The Pacers scored 114 points!
Miller had a breakout game, shooting 11-for-25 from the field, 6-for-11 from three-point range, and 10-for-11 from the free-throw line, racking up 38 points.

Yang Shuai also scored 20 points, bringing the Pacers' dynamic duo's combined total to 58 points.

In addition, Schmitz and Jackson scored 18 and 16 points respectively.

After it became clear that the Knicks were playing better, they also forced out an even better Pacers team.

After Game 2, apart from Albert still saying in the commentary that the Knicks still had a chance because they also returned to New York with a similar score last year, but were just one point short of dragging the game into a deciding game.

However, everyone knows that the current situation is incomparable to that of last year.

Last year, the Pacers won by underdogs, but now they've completely crushed them.

Game 3 back in New York was also the Pacers' match point.

Whether it was the prayers of the New York fans that worked or not, the Pacers' shooting touch was generally poor in the first half of this game.

Of course, this Pacers team has a strong defense, so they won't lose a game just because they have a bad shooting night.

The two sides, after a fierce offensive battle in the previous match, suddenly switched to a defensive battle.

The intensity of the competition and the tension on the field increased as the game progressed.

Then in the second quarter, Larry Johnson, who has the worst temper, was the first to explode. He and Dale Davis engaged in a boxing match over positioning, and both were eventually ejected.

Then the wonder of fate came into play.

Van Gundy couldn't fit Oakley or Johnson into the bench, but now Johnson has been ejected.

Once the Pacers found their rhythm in the second half, the Knicks' defense suddenly found its match.

Luck was on their side this time.

Yang Shuai's game-tying three-pointer at the last moment missed, and the Knicks narrowly won this defensive battle 76-73.

Ewing recorded a double-double of 22 points and 20 rebounds, preventing the Knicks from being swept in the playoffs.

"New York is back!"

After the final buzzer sounded, Albert shouted excitedly from the commentary booth, as if he could already see the Knicks' comeback.

"That's my problem, I should have made that three-pointer."

At the post-match press conference, Yang Shuai took the initiative to take responsibility for the match.

Although no one would actually blame Yang Shuai, since no one can guarantee that every game-winning shot will go in.

The game-tying shot is especially difficult because the opponent knows you can only take a three-pointer.

Following Game 3, New York media outlets began reporting extensively on the victory.

What you gain by luck, you will eventually have to give back.

This eye-catching headline has practically slapped the reader in the face that the Pacers' win last year was due to luck.

A day later, amidst much anticipation, Game 4 of the series continued at Madison Square Garden.

New York fans are incredibly enthusiastic, and they, along with Albert and the New York media, are hoping the Knicks can surprise them.

But once the match started, they were completely bewildered.

Yang Shuai started the game by helping to steal a ball from Ewing, followed by a three-pointer in the half-court, and then scored a 2+1 on Larry Johnson in a fast break.

Perhaps it was the failed draw in the previous match, or perhaps it was the stimulation from the New York media reports, but Yang Shuai was unusually active at the start of the game.

Under his leadership, the Pacers' offense was firing on all cylinders.

On the other hand, the Knicks seem to have not yet recovered from their defensive battle in the previous game, and they are frequently missing shots on offense.

At the end of the first quarter, the Pacers led the Knicks by a whopping 15 points, 31-16.

During the second quarter, when the game was in a "off-peak" period, Yang Shuai took advantage of Ewing's absence to frequently attack the Knicks' paint, quickly widening the gap to over 20 points.

杨帅三节得到25分6板4抢断，步行者队97比75大胜尼克斯队，以3比1的大比分把对方淘汰出局。

When the final whistle blew, the camera focused on Yang Shuai, whose right palm was pressed against her left palm, and whose left palm was resting on her cheek.

A year ago he used his mouth at a press conference, but this time he did the same thing with his hands.

Goodnight, New York.

(End of this chapter)