The longest river

Chapter 142 Bird said to stay calm
100:87.

The Pacers ultimately defeated the Heat on the road to win Game 1.

Yang Shuai played his best game in this year's playoffs.

He recorded a near triple-double with 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 steals.

Aside from expending too much energy on defense, which slightly affected his three-point shooting accuracy, his performance was otherwise perfect.

After Game 1, in the latest episode of TNT's "NBA Insider," apart from Albert switching his support to the Jazz, the remaining judges all felt that the Pacers were the only team that could beat the Bulls.

Ernie Johnson even believes that the probability has increased from 20% to 30%.

Because neither the Knicks nor the Heat are weak teams this season.

However, judging from the game results, they offered almost no resistance against the Pacers.

That wasn't even a problem with the players' performance; it was simply a matter of systemic dominance.

The Pacers have found a tactical system that can counter the current mainstream playing style, and they have found the players who are best suited to that style of play.

Two days later, Game 2 between the Pacers and the Heat continued at the Miami Arena.

The Pacers' shooting touch faltered again in this game, and their defensive battle with the Heat was very close.

This game, as well as Game 3 against the Knicks in the first round, revealed the weaknesses of the Pacers' spacing offense. When their outside shooting is off, opponents collapse their defense, and their offense struggles.

The Heat ultimately defeated the Pacers 87-80, pulling one back in the series.

However, during the post-match press conference, Riley maintained a cautious attitude towards the current situation.

"They won't stay in such a slump forever."

As it turned out, Riley's hunch was correct.

Back in Indianapolis, the Pacers regained their touch and defeated the Heat 96-81, taking a 2-1 lead in the series.

Yang Shuai delivered another outstanding performance, contributing a team-high 28 points, along with 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks.

His consistently outstanding performance in this series seems to give the impression that "you guys made a mistake by not picking me directly in the first place."

In Game 4, Riley decided to take a gamble and switched back to the starting lineup of "one big man and four small men" from Game 1, and this time he was determined to stick to it.

However, after so much time, Bird had his own countermeasures. He stopped arranging low-post isolation plays and instead used pick-and-rolls to move Mourning out of the paint before resolutely attacking the Heat's paint.

If Mourning doesn't come out, then Miller, Yang Shuai, and even Jackson will punish him from the outside.

The result of this new round of competition was that, by the second half of the third quarter, the Pacers had a 20-point lead over the Heat.

With the score at 3-1, elimination was inevitable, and it was only a matter of time before the Heat were eliminated.

At this point, both teams had already begun their rotations, with Yang Shuai leading the substitutes in a "staggered" final two minutes for the Pacers.

Mashburn's layup earned him two free throws.

He made his first free throw, but missed the second.

It was at this moment that Yang Shuai and Brown got into a physical altercation while fighting for a rebound.

Yang Shuai originally intended to draw a foul from Brown, but to his surprise, and to everyone else on the scene, Brown suddenly grabbed Yang Shuai's waist and then threw him over his shoulder.

Yang Shuai never expected Brown to suddenly make such a malicious move, because there had never been any friction between the two before.

Caught off guard, he was knocked to the ground by Brown and collided with the photographer under the basket.

Thanks to the photographer behind him who acted as a human cushion, he didn't have a direct, intimate encounter with the floor.

After regaining his footing, he, who never suffered a loss, immediately crouched down and charged at Brown.

At the same time, Jermaine O'Neal rushed over and hugged Brown.

The two men attacked from both sides, creating a chokehold and knocking Brown to the ground.

However, the Heat players rushed up and pinned all three of them down, creating a "human pyramid" scene.

The Pacers' bench couldn't stay still any longer, and Schmitz, Dale Davis, and Scott all rushed onto the court.

If Bird hadn't intervened, even Miller would have rushed forward.

Amidst the excited shouts of the fans, a massive brawl unfolded right before our eyes.

The chaotic brawl wasn't forcibly separated by the referees until five or six minutes later.

Yang Shuai and Jermaine O'Neal's jerseys were torn by someone, and Jermaine O'Neal even had a bloody scratch on his arm.

But the worst off was Brown, who was piled at the bottom. He writhed in pain for a while, his left cheek swollen up as if he had been punched.

In the end, the team doctor had to bring a stretcher to carry him off the field.

After the technical timeout, the referees made their calls, and Brown, Young, Jermaine O'Neal, Schmitz, Dale Davis, and Scott were all ejected from the game.

With three key players ejected at once, the Pacers' strength has been greatly diminished.

Fortunately, Miller and Mark Jackson were still in the game, and with a large enough lead, the Heat were ultimately unable to turn the tide.

With a score of 3-1, the Pacers successfully secured match point.

However, following this game, the league imposed a suspension penalty for this vicious brawl.

Brown, the instigator of the brawl, was suspended for two games. The remaining players, Yang Shuai, Jermaine O'Neal, as well as Schmitz, Davis, and Scott, who rushed onto the court from the bench, were all suspended for one game.

When the suspension results came out, Bird was leading the Pacers in pre-season training.

When Carlisle told him the result, his expression became very serious.

He called Yang Shuai and Jermaine O'Neal into his office and told them about the league's punishment. "You need to understand, we're playing basketball, not fighting. Fighting might be fun, but what about the game?"

After announcing the results, Bird stared intently at the two men.

This was the first time Yang Shuai had ever seen Bird so serious.

"Coach, that guy's actions were clearly aimed at us. If we don't respond, he'll think we're easy to bully and will escalate his actions." Nevertheless, he still voiced his thoughts.

"Hansen, have you ever considered that because of your impulsiveness, all our efforts for the entire season could be wasted?"

Yang Shuai fell silent. He knew Bird was right, but he couldn't bring himself to swallow his anger.

"Hansen, why do you think PJ would use such a big move to slam you down?" Bird's tone softened a bit at this point.

Yang Shuai shook his head.

There was no conflict between him and Brown.

Moreover, Brown isn't the impulsive type of player like Oakley or Larry Johnson.

That's why he was taken down; it was completely unexpected.

"Could it be that you dunked on him during the first game?" Jermaine O'Neal recalled.

Yang Shuai glanced at O'Neal and thought he was talking about the most likely scenario.

There is a type of person in this world who doesn't seem to have a bad temper, but when faced with a problem, the more they think about it, the more wronged they feel, and then it takes a long time for them to explode.

"This is most likely just one of Riley's little tricks."

But Bird spoke up at this point.

Yang Shuai and Jermaine O'Neal both looked at Bird.

Soon, Yang Shuai understood what Bird meant.

If the Heat lose Game 4, the series will be 1-3, which basically eliminates their chances of winning.

Because it's impossible for the Pacers to miss three games in a row.

But sending someone up there to try and salvage the situation could give them a chance to turn things around in Game 4. Even if they fail, it could result in a Pacers player being suspended, just like it is now.

Based on their regular season performance, the Heat were a formidable opponent for the Pacers when they were not at their full strength.

As for Brown's current "one-for-five" trade, that's definitely beyond expectations.

"How insidious."

After realizing what had happened, Yang Shuai gave his assessment.

He used to see Riley more as an opponent, but now he just feels lucky that he didn't play for Riley.

A guy who'll do anything to win won't feel any sense of accomplishment even if he does.

And if they're so ruthless towards their opponents, who knows what they'll do to their own people?

He suddenly remembered his deskmate telling him that Riley had tricked Wade, and that it was lucky James left early.

After seeing Yang Shuai's reaction, Bird knew that Yang Shuai had taken his words to heart.

He pressed his advantage and continued:

"To win the championship, in addition to playing well, learning to control your temper and stay calm on the court is a must, because your opponents will try to provoke you in various ways, even like tonight, knowing what you can't accept, they will do the most."

Bird spoke patiently because he knew that the two high school students in front of him were 19 and 18 years old, respectively.

It's normal and understandable for players of this age to be impulsive, but it's also a necessary part of their growth.

Yang Shuai nodded.

Bird said this because he remembered the "greatest NBA champion in history" that his deskmate worshipped. James had angered Green, causing the latter to lose his temper and thus achieve a great comeback.

However, he also knew he had to be more careful during the game, because every opponent could make a malicious move against him.

In addition to restraint, he also needs to be more careful to protect himself.

Riley's actions were merely insidious, but some people can cripple others.

After the league imposed the suspensions, because there were many suspended players, in order to show fairness, they allowed the Pacers to flexibly reassign the game in which the five suspended players were suspended to the next two games.

But Bird didn't do that; he fielded 10 players in Game 5.

Moreover, just a few minutes into the game, Mark Jackson and Miller were substituted by Bird to rest.

It's clear that Bird is prepared to give up on the game right now.

This is understandable. After all, with so many key players suspended, even if others fight hard, they may not have a chance. It's better to conserve energy and prepare for the next game.

Everything seemed normal.

Until the latter half of the second quarter.

Mark Jackson and Miller were still not on the court, but during a defensive rebound attempt, Pacers bench center Reggie Williams suddenly tumbled Alonzo Mourning to the ground.

This instantly sparked a conflict on the field.

Yang Shuai was suspended and did not travel with the team to Miami. He was stunned when he watched the live broadcast at home.

Especially when the camera focused on the Pacers' bench, everyone appeared very calm, especially Bird, whose composure was completely different from the previous game.

Is this what Bird meant by... staying calm?
(End of this chapter)