The longest river

Chapter 162 The Youngest FMVP
The moment the final buzzer sounded, the Pacers players on the court began to sprint...

Eh, that’s not right!

Instead of celebrating, Jermaine O'Neal rushed up to Russell and knocked him to the ground with a single punch!
Then, he kicked the other person several more times.

Before, because it was a competition, as Yang Shuai said, everything was focused on winning or losing. But now, the competition is fucking over!

At this point, the other team members reacted and quickly joined the battle.

This is perhaps the only time in NBA history that a massive brawl has taken place after a championship game.

The fans at the stadium were extremely excited. The home team had already lost the game, and their players had been beaten on the field. In addition, it was a religious gathering place, so many fans wanted to rush onto the field.

Fortunately, tonight is the championship night, so there are quite a few security personnel on site.

Furthermore, Bird and Sloan appeared calm enough and had a strong enough control over the team, preventing other players on the bench from rushing onto the court.

The fight on the field was eventually broken up by the referee after it had been going on for some time.

Since the game was over, the refereeing decisions were meaningless, and the players from both sides were simply asked to leave and return to their own half.

Of course, not everyone walked back; Russell was carried back.

He was the first one to be knocked down by Jermaine O'Neal, and he never got up from the ground after that. No one knows how many times he was kicked. Judging from the pained look on his face as he touched his waist, he was probably seriously injured.

Stern's face in the stands was extremely grim.

The Finals, the championship night, is a global spectacle, and this one shot has completely destroyed his previous efforts to improve the league's image.

It's easy to imagine that the post-match penalties for this game will not be as mild as they were initially, but rather very severe.

Yang Shuai was already standing on the sidelines when Miller took the free throw. When he saw the two sides start fighting, he wanted to go up, but he gave up after just one step. He has difficulty walking now.

When the conflict on the court was quelled, and Jermaine O'Neal, whose jersey was torn, walked back to the bench with his head held high, he reached out and gave him a tight hug.

O'Neal basically didn't listen to a word Bird said back then.

However, it was hard not to be moved by what Jermaine O'Neal did.

The setup for the championship award ceremony began, and the team members returned to the locker room to change into their championship T-shirts.

As for the post-match handshake ceremony, the fight that took place earlier has already replaced it.

Yang Shuai should have gone to the hospital for examination and treatment immediately, but he couldn't miss the championship award ceremony, especially since he was likely to be the Finals MVP.

Back in the locker room, the team members took out the champagne they had prepared in advance and began to celebrate wildly.

Yang Shuai sat by the locker room door, watching his teammates celebrate.

Jermaine O'Neal was still the most enthusiastic one, running around with champagne, opening bottle after bottle.

Comparing the two, Yang Shuai is only one year older than O'Neal, but he is obviously much more mature.

However, this might be due to the fact that he was a high school student before he transmigrated. But the experience of two lifetimes always makes people grow up faster.

"Can you still hold on?"

Miller arrived at his side shortly afterward.

"It shouldn't break."

Yang Shuai displayed his dry humor.

"Thank you."

Miller then looked at Yang Shuai seriously and said.

Yang Shuai turned his head and noticed that Miller's eyes were red.

For Miller, defeating peak Jordan was enough to make his entire career worthwhile, and now winning a championship is truly a dream come true.

Looking back now, it seems that everything was already foreshadowed when he won the Three-Point Contest at the Cleveland All-Star Game.

Yang Shuai's arrival mysteriously changed his fate.

"Why thank me? Don't be envious when I win the Finals MVP."

Yang Shuai's words immediately made Miller laugh.

After the celebration ended, they changed into their T-shirts and returned to the stadium.

Yang Shuai now had a cane in his hand, which Bird had gotten from the Jazz's medical room.

There weren't many fans left at the stadium; most were Pacers fans who had come to support the team, along with a small number of Jazz fans.

Yang Shuai's performance of hitting all three free throws despite his injury at the last moment was the most exciting moment of this year's Finals, and it will become a personal moment that bears Yang Shuai's mark, just like Jordan's "that shot".

Of course, he also won over some Jazz fans who were his opponents.

The awards ceremony hasn't officially started yet; this is a moment of remembrance for the players and their families.

For such an important game, Yang Shuai naturally arranged for Rondo and his family to be present.

Lin Xiulan didn't congratulate him when she came up; instead, she kept asking about his foot injury.

Yang Shuai was momentarily dazed, because his mother often nagged like that.

Looking back now, he was so happy in his past life that he doesn't even have the chance to experience it again now.

But perhaps that's just human nature; we only learn to cherish things after we've lost them.

Rondo, on the other hand, appeared quite composed; he now looks much more mature, judging from his attire alone.

After interning at Nike, he went to Adidas, and through this whole cycle, he grew very quickly. And Paul, he looked very excited.

Just as he said in his previous text message, Yang Shuai winning this championship will completely change his entire career.

And of course, there's Vaccaro.

Although Vaccaro didn't show it, Yang Shuai could completely sense the excitement in his eyes.

Looking back at Vaccaro's words when the two first met, they still seem incredibly crazy and unrealistic.

But Yang Shuai is indeed on the path that Vaccaro envisioned, and he is truly becoming another player who can rival Jordan.

Vaccaro won his "table poker game" once again.

Soon after, the championship award ceremony was ready.

In the very center of the court, there is a table with two trophies on it: the championship trophy and the Finals MVP trophy.

The team members walked to the center of the stage.

By this time, the remaining fans had all gone down onto the field and gathered around them.

The cameras at the scene were also pointed at the awards ceremony from various angles.

Yang Shuai was pushed to the front by his teammates, and his cane was thrown aside, with Miller and O'Neal becoming his canes.

Stern smiled and shook hands with Yang Shuai.

He was angry about the previous conflict, but he was still happy with the outcome.

Although deep down he still wanted the Bulls to win the championship, it was better for the small city in the cornfields to finally realize their dream after so many years of perseverance than for a villainous team to reach the top amidst so much controversy.

The NBA needs stories, and this is a story worth talking about, a story that will be remembered by fans even after the Finals are over.

And of course, there's Yang Shuai.

He never imagined that the high school student who was adjusting his hat when he went on stage two years ago would help a team win the championship.

A high school student eventually becomes the "savior" of Indiana!
Moreover, the fact that he was an Asian player makes the story even more talked about by fans than the Pacers' championship win.

Of course, this will also inject unprecedented momentum into his overseas promotion plan.

Ernie Johnson, as the host of the awards ceremony, began the introduction, and the microphone was quickly handed to Stern.

"Show the world great basketball, the best NBA basketball, but there can only be one champion, and the 1997 NBA champion was the Indiana Pacers."

Before Stern could finish speaking, the stadium was already filled with cheers from the fans.

Although this wasn't the Pacers' home game, everyone who came to Salt Lake City to support the Pacers was a die-hard fan.

"Congratulations to the Indiana Pacers, congratulations to these outstanding players, this championship trophy belongs to you."

After Stern finished speaking, he handed the championship trophy to Pacers owner Simon.

Simon, his face flushed, accepted the trophy and held it high above his head.

For a small-city team, winning the championship is an unparalleled honor.

Those who initially questioned the management's decision to trade their star point guard for Yang Shuai have all disappeared at this point.

The championship trophy was then passed to Bird.

Bird's face was also flushed. Although he had become a coach, it felt really good to win the championship by defeating Jordan and Malone.

Then the championship trophy came into Yang Shuai's hands, and Jermaine O'Neal hugged him so that he could hold the trophy.

Yang Shuai called to Miller to lift the trophy above their heads together.

The cheers from the fans reached their peak at this moment.

First there were the Bulls' Twin Stars, now there are the Indiana Twin Guns!
The team members started screaming wildly.

At that very moment, confetti rained down, a glorious moment for the Indians.

After the confetti had fallen and the cheers from the audience had subsided, Johnson announced the start of the Finals MVP award ceremony.

Contrary to what Yang Shuai knew before, Bill Russell was not involved in the awards ceremony at that time, and the trophy was not named after him. It was all done by Stern alone.

Who will be this year's FMVP winner?

Stern took the microphone but did not make an announcement immediately. Instead, he tried to stir up the emotions of the fans in the stadium, and even more so, the fans watching on television.

The camera then focused on Yang Shuai and Miller standing together.

6场总决赛，杨帅场均24.5分5板2.5助攻3抢断；

Miller averaged 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3 assists per game.

Without a doubt, statistically speaking, Yang Shuai is the one who deserves the title, but the Pacers' team soul is Miller.

Furthermore, Yang Shuai wears Reebok, while Miller wears Nike.

"He showed us what fearless courage is; he dared to challenge the strongest players of this era, even though he was just a 19-year-old high school player."

When Stern said this, the answer was obvious, and cheers erupted from the audience.

"Let's congratulate him. He is the youngest winner in NBA history. Congratulations to Yang Shuai for the 1997 Finals MVP."

(End of this chapter)