I've been playing in the NBA for three years, and this system is only now showing up?

Chapter 79 Stern Angrily Berates League Executives! A Record-Breaking Finals! [Daily Updates of 20,000 Words, Please Subscribe]

After venting, he was amazed to find that he felt much better.

A new record!

He knew that 98 would be the peak of the NBA, and he also knew that there would definitely be a decline after that.

But he never expected that just two years later, the Lakers would reach a new peak!

Stern also knew that this was partly due to the huge Los Angeles market and the large number of fans around the world.

But Lin Ze's contribution was also significant!

Lin Ze almost single-handedly ignited the enthusiasm for watching the games throughout East Asia and Southeast Asia. China Sports even considered paying for the broadcasting rights to broadcast more games for a longer period of time and more consistently!

Although the amount they offered was small, just a drop in the ocean compared to the league's overall revenue, Stern knew: this was a wonderful start!

He still remembers sitting in the corridor of the Huaxia Sports office building more than ten years ago, holding a videotape and anxiously waiting to be received by the leaders of Huaxia Sports.

He also recalled that in the past, the league provided broadcast signals and broadcasting rights to China Sports for free, but could not even share the most basic revenue from broadcasting.

Now, with Lin Ze, everything is finally about to change!

On June 7, 2000, the first game of the Finals kicked off on time at Staples Center!

No matter how much preparation the league made, how many reporters came to the scene, or how many records were broken, none of that mattered to the fans in attendance.

All they knew was that after more than 10 years, the Lakers finally had another chance to lift the championship trophy!

And the opponent is still that idiot Larry Bird!

We must kill him!

The Staples Center arena has also been decorated with many Finals elements. For example, the original team logo in the center of the court has been replaced with a huge Larry O'Brien Trophy, and the players' jerseys now have a trophy embroidered near the collar.

And of course, there were those who wore gold T-shirts and waved signs and shouted "TO BE NO. 1" even before the competition started.

Lakers fans, whether they are in the stadium or not, can feel the intense atmosphere of the Finals.

West stood on the sidelines with a smile, extending his hand to shake hands with a blond white man in front of him: "Larry, everything's going well! You're really amazing. As a head coach, you can lead the team to the Finals; as a general manager, you can quickly build a top team in the East; and as a player, you've won countless honors. You really are good at everything."

"Oh, not at all." Bird wore an annoying, fake smile. "Compared to you, I'm not very good at getting second place."

Upon hearing Bird's words, West's expression stiffened, and his lips twitched. This idiot is still so annoying!

Why does this guy have to resort to disgusting tactics instead of just shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries before a match?

Why are these Bostonians so shameless and annoying wherever they go?

It has to be Los Angeles, a cosmopolitan metropolis like ours, to avoid producing such despicable scoundrels.

..

As West spoke, he turned to return to his seat, only to be slapped in the face by reality.

This guy isn't from Los Angeles, he's definitely from Boston, and his blood is absolutely green, no doubt about it!

West muttered to himself as he quickly found his seat and stopped looking in that direction, preferring to ignore it.

In the direction West no longer wanted to look, Lin Ze was holding one of his own jerseys, signed with his name, and he was about to hand it to Paul Allen, who was sitting on the sidelines watching the game.

"Don't mention it, Paul, we're friends! This jersey is yours." Lin Ze said, gesturing for a fan next to him to make room. "If they catch you wearing this knock-off, you could get fined or even kicked out by security!"

"This is the real deal!" Allen laughed in exasperation. "Me, wearing a bootleg jersey?"

"This thing can be genuine?" Lin Ze laughed, because although Paul Allen kept his promise, he did wear a Lin Ze jersey to watch the Finals.

The only difference is that this guy was wearing a Portland Trail Blazers Lin Ze jersey!

The old man's meaning was self-evident.

You disgust me, I'll disgust you too!

And I'm going to disgust the whole of Los Angeles!

Anyway, with him dressed like that, the most the Alliance can do is fine him tens of thousands of dollars for illegal recruitment.

Not to mention that Allen was indeed there to recruit illegally —

Otherwise, why would he have the leisure to actually come to Staples Center to be humiliated?

He had already made all the preparations: first, to cultivate a good relationship with Lin Ze; then, in the summer, to offer him a maximum salary contract that Lin Ze couldn't refuse; and finally, for Lin Ze to join the Trail Blazers.

We, Portland, absolutely cannot lose next year!

As for the tens of thousands of dollars in fines? For Allen, that's practically the same as not being fined at all.

As for salary caps and salary space? He doesn't care about those at all.

He's only responsible for writing checks. If your position as general manager is so bad that you can't even spend the money, then you should just resign and get out!

"This thing is a bootleg!" Seeing that Allen wouldn't take it off, Lin Ze actually started to get his hands on it and began to pull off Allen's jersey.

The big screen in the stadium was also pointed at this spot, and the fans all started to shout and yell!

Meanwhile, some broadcasters who arrived early and have already started showing live footage are also focusing on this side of the stadium.

In other words, at least tens of millions of people around the world are watching Lin Ze bully Allen right now.

This scene is truly wonderful.

Bird, who was not far away, also noticed this scene, and he couldn't help but swallow hard.

He always felt that Lin Ze would bully him too.

He was even considering moving to the back, not giving Lin Ze a chance.

Unfortunately, he's the head coach, so he can't escape it!

I'm definitely not going to be the head coach next year! I'll step down and focus on being the general manager!

Bird didn't want to be made a fool of in front of everyone like a clown.

"Larry, why don't you sit in the back row?" Miller, clearly noticing Bird's slight unease, teased, "Otherwise, I'll have to prepare some diapers for you."

"Shut up, Reggie!" Bird said. "You're the one who's scared to death! You've played in the NBA for 14 years and only made it to the Finals for the first time. When I was your age—"

"They've all retired, right?" Miller sneered, standing up. "Just focus on fixing the roads, Larry. The games are up to us young guys."

"I hope you don't get so nervous or unfamiliar with this kind of stage that your legs go weak and you forget how to shoot," Bird said. "I'm not going to comfort you when you're crying tonight."

In other teams, a head coach and star player exchanging barbs before a game would be considered a serious internal conflict, but in the Pacers, if Miller and Bird didn't exchange a few words, it would be a real internal strife.

Looking at the entire NBA, this situation is probably only seen with the Indiana Pacers.

As Miller stood up, the starting players from both sides also went onto the field.

The Lakers' starting lineup remains their regular five-man roster, the same lineup that broke the NBA regular season win record and led them all the way to the Finals. Of course, they won't change their lineup at this point.

The Pacers also used the same lineup most frequently this season.

The point guard is 35-year-old veteran Mark Jackson, who averages 8 points and 8 assists per game.

His shooting ability isn't outstanding, but his top-tier round butt and physique give him considerable strength and post-up ability for a point guard.

It's also worth mentioning that there have been rumors that the "5-second back-to-the-basket rule" was created to limit Barkley, but in reality, the league introduced this rule for Mark Jackson.

Barkley is, after all, an inside player, so it's one thing for him to use his butt to clear the way.

But Mark Jackson, a point guard, would always push the ball into the paint after crossing half-court, which greatly affected the flow and entertainment value of the game.

What's worse is that many guards in the league are now imitating Jackson's butt-sticking move. It's a move that's almost flawless except for being unattractive, and it's incredibly effective.

In this day and age, most new league rules are designed to limit a very small number of players who exceed the limits of their ability, in order to increase the competitiveness of the game.

For example, in those days, serves could not be directly connected to alley-oops, the three-second zone was expanded, and isolated one-on-one plays were prohibited.

In another decade or so, when Adam Silver takes office, he will be even more shameless. Eager to promote superstars, Silver has created a bunch of rules that will make some stars stronger and harder to defend.

These rules are either designed to strengthen or weaken superstars, but the reason for introducing the "5-second back-to-the-basket" rule is quite unique.

To make playing ball less ugly.

Because of his ugliness, which led the league to change the rules, Jackson is almost a unique case in NBA history, unprecedented and unparalleled.

The Pacers' shooting guard is their team's soul and the undisputed greatest player in franchise history, Reggie Miller. He averaged 18.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game in the regular season, and his averages soared to 24 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game in the playoffs.

The small forward position is second on this year's Most Improved Player list. In the regular season, he averaged 18.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. He succeeded Miller as the team's leading scorer. Although he relinquished his position as the team's leading scorer in the playoffs, his average stats also improved: 20.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game!

The Pacers' firepower, which only increased during the playoffs, was their core weapon in their run to the Finals.

The starting power forward is Dell Davis, a very high-quality blue-collar player in the league, who averages 11 rebounds per game, including 3.6 offensive rebounds.

The center is Dutchman Rick Schmitz, a standard European technical center who has footwork, can shoot, and can facilitate, but his defense, rebounding, and toughness are criticized.

In this series against the Lakers, Smits is also considered to be a key target for the Lakers and a point that O'Neal can exploit to completely destroy.

On the bench, the Pacers also have formidable players such as Croshere, Chris Mullin, Best, and Perkins.

When Schmitz and O'Neal walked towards the center court at the same time, the difference in their physiques became even more obvious.

With similar heights, O'Neal's weight of at least 140 kilograms resembled an ancient, primordial beast, while Schmitz, at only 110 kilograms, looked like a giraffe that could be hunted down by the beast at any moment.

"I heard the Netherlands has the world's number one red-light district?" O'Neal chuckled. "After the Finals, you can go there and provide some good service. Hopefully, your body can still withstand the ravages of those perverted customers."

Schmitz remained silent. He was usually a man of few words, and at this moment he was simply focused on the referee, waiting for the game to begin.

"I heard Reggie has a foul mouth," Lin Ze and Davis whispered as they stood together. "Is it true or not?"

"Is that all the trash talk you have?" The thug Davis sneered. "You'd better step up your game, kid. Your trash talk isn't even as good as Reggie's fart!"

"So Reggie's mouth stinks even more than his farts?"

"That's right." Davis nodded firmly, indicating that you're right, kid.

"Fuck you! Dale! You think I can't hear you two?" Miller yelled from the side, "You think I won't shove your dick in your mouth and your head in your ass?"

"Listen!" Davis shrugged. "That's Reggie."

"No need to listen, I can smell it." Lin Ze shrugged, showing considerable interest in the Pacers' atmosphere.

Which serious Finals team would talk to their own team leader before the game starts?

"You bitch!" Miller cursed, then elbowed Kobe to vent his anger.

"Fuck!" Kobe was not one to back down. He retaliated by elbowing Miller back.

"Stop! Stop!" Just as Miller rolled his eyes and was about to turn around and argue with Kobe, the referee stepped into the middle of the court and glared at Kobe and Miller.

What are these two doing?

Are you planning to cause trouble before the competition has even started?

Miller and Kobe both grunted and fell silent, and the tension between the two sides reached its peak before the start of the Finals.

Of course, not every matchup was so tense. Jackson looked at Hubble with a grin and said, "Ron, we're old friends, we should get along well."

Hubble, who was Jackson's teammate on the Clippers for two years, completely ignored Jackson's words, treating them as nonsense. He knew the guy too well.

"beep!"

The referee blew the whistle to start the game. O'Neal slapped the ball to Kobe, and as the Lakers prepared to advance, Jackson chuckled and pinched Hubble on the waist.

In the Lakers' first possession, O'Neal drove straight to the basket, forcefully and aggressively blocking Schmitz behind him as he reached for the ball.

Kobe quickly lobbed the ball to the inside, and O'Neal, after receiving the ball, turned around and sprang up as if he were fighting against thin air, slamming the ball into the basket with both hands!

The weight difference is too big!

The 30-kilogram weight difference made Schmitz look like a child in front of the tyrannical O'Neal.

Wilmarcus said, "That's too easy! I really can't guess whether it's harder for O'Neal to one-on-one against Schmitz or one-on-one against a chair."

"Smits is destined to suffer this kind of brutal attack and humiliation in this series, which is something we expected," Smith said. "The key question is, how will the Pacers respond? Perhaps using some pick-and-rolls and mismatches, like Miller's shots to attack O'Neal, would be a good way to counter it?"

Wilmarcus said, "But I have to say, the Lakers had already started attacking Miller before the Pacers even tried to use him against O'Neal."

The so-called "attacking Miller first" refers to Kobe!

After the Lakers scored their first basket, Kobe immediately stuck to Miller and applied full-court press defense against him.

Even if Miller doesn't handle the ball, and even if Miller is mostly just a pure finisher these days, the Lakers won't take this terrifying killer, especially one who's been getting better and better in the playoffs, lightly.

In the first three possessions of the game, no matter how hard Miller ran almost non-stop, he didn't touch the basketball once. Kobe's tenacious defense against him was just too effective!

In these three possessions, O'Neal scored three consecutive points against Schmitz, netting 6 points for his team, while the Pacers only managed one jump shot from Rose.

2: 6!

The Lakers had a clear advantage in the early stages, and their offense was unstoppable by the Pacers, while the Pacers' leading scorer didn't even touch the ball.

Until the fourth round of the game, Miller further increased his screen-and-coordinate cooperation with his teammates while running.

This time, after Davis set a very solid and aggressive screen, Kobe finally couldn't keep up with Miller and the guy got open.

"You little bitch, your legs are giving out!" Miller didn't forget to swear at Kobe the moment he made a run for air. As long as he could breathe, his swearing would never stop.

"Change!"

Without a second thought, Lin Ze shouted and quickly blocked Miller's path, placing himself in front of him.

However, Jackson's pass had already arrived, and Miller received the ball at the left 45-degree angle outside the three-point line. Faced with Lin Ze's switch defense, Miller chose to completely ignore it.

He adjusted the moment he received the ball and stopped abruptly, then pulled up and launched a three-pointer!

That's Miller's style. When he wants to shoot, he never cares about the opponent's defense. If given the opportunity, he will definitely jump, shoot, and put the ball in!

But Lin Ze had a clear advantage in height and wingspan, and he didn't even think about blocking Miller's shot. Instead, he focused on interfering with and blocking Miller's shot, wanting him to shoot in the most uncomfortable way possible.

Lin Ze's defensive strategy was quite correct. Miller, who had already jumped, was completely blocked by his defense and could only temporarily adjust his shooting angle and increase the arc in order to avoid Lin Ze's defense.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

"This is the former all-time top scorer?" Lin Ze scoffed. "He's nothing special!"

"Once?" Miller said. "If you don't speak English, I can teach you! You're using that word wrong, you little bitch, you have to use 'forever'!"

"Not only are you foul-mouthed, but you're also incredibly shameless," Lin Ze said. "What makes you think you're the eternal number one? Should I throw the statistics in your face and show you what the real number one in history is?"

"The way I've shot this season is something you've never done in your entire life."

"You think you can be the greatest of all time after just one season?" Miller scoffed, ceasing his confrontation with Lin Ze and turning to defend Rice. Before leaving, he added, "First, you'd better be able to hit a three-pointer in the Finals!"

As if he had heard Miller's words, when O'Neal went for a one-on-one under the basket, Davis went to help defend, and O'Neal immediately passed the ball out. Lin Ze received the ball outside the three-point line and took a three-pointer with almost an open shot.

"Whoosh!"

「现在呢老狗？」林泽进球之后看着米勒：「1：0！总决赛3分命中率对比：100%：0

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"Bitch!" Miller cursed, then continued to increase his running pace and speed in an attempt to create another opportunity.

The Lakers had clearly done a comprehensive study on how to defend Miller. Tonight, Kobe did nothing on the defensive end except keep an eye on Miller!

Even if Miller manages to gain some space through screens, it's fleeting, as the rest of the Lakers will immediately abandon their assigned defenders and switch to help guard Miller.

The word the Lakers shouted most often on defense tonight was "Substitute!"

Switch when there is cover, switch as soon as you are blocked.

Not only Lin Ze, but even O'Neal once rushed out of the three-point line to defend Miller, which shows how extreme the Lakers' defense against Miller was in this game.

All of this, of course, is because of Jackson.

In the pre-game meeting, Jackson made many arrangements and analyzed the entire Pacers team, but he only had one core idea on the defensive end.

"We can't lose this game, Miller must die!"

This old man harbored a deep hatred for Miller.

Lin Ze knew very well why the old man hated Miller so much.

The feud between the two is related to Miller's game-winning shot that pushed Jordan aside years ago, but it's not because of that.

What most fans don't know is that after Miller made that game-winning shot, while Jackson and Bird were shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries, Miller took the opportunity to berate Jackson for at least three minutes.

That was the most intense and highest-concentration three minutes of Jackson's life.

What angered Jackson even more was that Miller's timing was perfect; most of the Bulls' players had already returned to the locker room, leaving him alone!

Looking back, Bird's sudden act of pulling him aside to chat was definitely intentional!

That old fool is just giving Miller an opportunity.

Jackson, his face covered in spittle, was so angry he almost called Rodman out of the locker room to challenge him to a duel with Miller. It was only because the Bulls won Game 7 of that series that Jackson couldn't imagine what Bird and Miller's two annoying mouths would have said.

Given this grudge and Miller's immense offensive threat, Jackson naturally wanted to completely shut Miller down in the game!

Throughout the first quarter, Miller ran himself ragged and was practically exhausted, but he only managed six shot attempts. Unfortunately, he didn't make a single one!

With Miller completely contained, even though Rose and Schmitz performed well, their sporadic scoring was not enough to help the team keep up with the opponent.

Throughout the first quarter, the Pacers' offense was disjointed and stagnant. Without Miller's shooting, their offense was almost completely neutralized, and they only managed to score 18 points in total.

In contrast, the Lakers' offense can be described as attacking from all sides.

他们第一节比赛爆砍33分，其中奥尼尔一个人就8投7中、罚球2罚1中轰下15分。

此外林泽5投3中，3分球2投2中拿下8分，是全队得分第二高的。

Although Kobe kept attacking Miller, it didn't affect his offensive performance at all. He scored 6 points on 3-of-6 shooting. The Lakers' Big Three alone combined for 29 points, leading the Pacers by 11 points.

"Just one quarter was enough to completely expose the gap between the two teams' core players," Wilmarcus said. "The Lakers' core, from talent and ability to their complementary playing style, is far superior to the Pacers'!"

Having taken a 15-point lead in the first quarter, the Lakers showed no signs of letting up in the second quarter. At the start of the second quarter, Jackson put O'Neal and Lin Ze on the court, two players who were completely unsolvable for the Pacers in the first quarter.

The Pacers, eager to catch up, also brought in Miller, hoping he could regain his touch while Kobe was out and the Lakers' core roster was incomplete.

This change did indeed have an effect in the first offensive play of the second quarter.

Miller used continuous running to shake off Hubble, then used a shooting fake to completely fool Fisher, and finally scored a mid-range jump shot to break the deadlock tonight.

"Where's the defense?" Miller immediately launched his trash-talking offensive after scoring. This guy really seizes every opportunity, no matter how small, to unleash a barrage of insults: "Is this all the little bitches have to offer?"

Miller's smugness lasted less than 20 seconds.

Because in the next possession, Lin Ze and O'Neal started the triangle offense again. Lin Ze passed the ball to O'Neal in the paint, and the Pacers' help defense and double-teaming were much faster than in the first quarter. As soon as O'Neal got the ball, Crosher rushed over.

The basketball naturally ended up in Lin Ze's hands again, and he pulled it up and shot.

"Whoosh!"

With a crisp sound, Lin Ze hit his third three-pointer of the night!

"3-0, you old dog!" Lin Ze yelled at Miller immediately after scoring, "I don't think you even deserve to be called the greatest scorer in history."

"You're just an ordinary shooter who relies entirely on luck."

"Once I'm fully recovered, you'll understand why I'm your father!"

"By the time you get to your full potential, I might be a grandfather. Is 30 years enough for you to train hard? Or do you need more time? 40 years?"

The two ran towards the Lakers' half of the court, spraying each other with saliva. After finally scoring the first basket, Miller stopped running all over the court looking for opportunities to receive the ball. After arriving at the frontcourt, he took the initiative to reach out for the ball and faced Harper at the three-point line.

"Austin! Come on, let me taste what this Asian bitch tastes like!" Miller called out to Crosher as soon as he got the ball. Crosher immediately ran over and provided cover for Miller.

"Switch!" Lin Ze shouted immediately, then rushed over and stuck close to Miller, not giving him any easy chance to dribble or shoot.

"Judging from what you just said, you want to try my Dick?" Lin Ze sneered at Miller, "I have no choice but to refuse you. I don't care what your orientation is, I have to tell you: I'm perfectly normal."

"But I can introduce you to a gay club in Los Angeles. I believe you can find true love there, and you might even meet Rasheed. He should be your type, right?"

"Is that kid a dead gay?" Miller's focus was rather strange.

"I think he is, so I recommended that place to him," Lin Ze chuckled. "But you old man, give it your all! You're really acting like a girl now!"

"Let's see who's more like a girl!" Miller said, then suddenly accelerated his dribble and tried to fake out Lin Ze, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake off Lin Ze!

"Pass the ball, you old dog!" Lin Ze shouted. "It's not shameful!"

"Fuck!" Miller cursed, then suddenly dribbled back and pulled up for a long two-pointer with his foot on the three-point line.

"Bang!"

Unfortunately, it still didn't hit the target.

After another missed shot, O'Neal grabbed the rebound and passed it to Fisher to advance the ball.

Fisher then quickly passed the ball to Hubble, who dribbled once and then passed it to Lin Ze on the side.

Lin Ze received the ball and immediately pulled up for another three-pointer!

This time, Crosier didn't lose his position. He stayed in front of Lin Ze, maintaining an excellent defensive position, and jumped up with all his might to block and interfere when Lin Ze shot.

Unfortunately, Lin Ze was on fire tonight!

"Whoosh!"

With this basket, Lin Ze's three-point shooting total for the night has reached four!

And he made all four of his shots!

"What's the score, you old dog? Tell me! What's the score?" After scoring, Lin Ze glared fiercely at Miller and continued to hurl insults at him.

Even Miller was unable to respond at this moment.

Lin Ze made four three-pointers in just over a quarter, while he only made one two-point jump shot.

After being beaten like this, what could Miller say?

He couldn't just throw a punch at Lin Ze, could he?

Miller, who was unusually quiet, was preparing to find his rhythm on the offensive end.

He knew he couldn't continue like this; he had to find his rhythm and score some points.

Unfortunately, when he tried to break through to the basket again using a screen, Lin Ze blocked his shot once more. The two jumped at the same time in the three-second zone and collided in mid-air.

With a "smack," Lin Ze delivered his first block in his Finals career!

Even though this was his third appearance in the Finals.

"Congratulations on going down in history, old dog! You'll be in my memoirs 20 years from now." Upon landing, Lin Ze immediately taunted, "You'll be in the article 'The Great Lin! His First Block in the Finals'."

"Three Finals appearances, one block, and you dare to brag?"

"It's still better than you not making a single three-pointer, isn't it?"

"Speaking of which," Lin Ze held up four fingers, "4:0!"

After Lin Ze's block, the rest of the Lakers had already launched a counterattack. Harper dribbled the ball at high speed, then suddenly stopped and turned around, passing the ball to O'Neal behind him at the edge of the three-second zone.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the Pacers' rim creaked and shook violently as O'Neal pulled it, causing the fans behind the rim to grimace and gasp in surprise.

Because this location has the greatest visual impact and poses the greatest threat to personal safety!

O'Neal's powerful dunk sparked another offensive surge for the Lakers.

They remained unstoppable in this quarter of the game.

Especially after four minutes into the second quarter, when Kobe returned and continued to relentlessly attack Miller, and with his shooting touch still in good form, contributing points from time to time, the Pacers were completely overwhelmed.

They still didn't score more than 20 points in the second quarter, and once again the Lakers outscored them by more than 10 points in a single quarter.

16: 27!

The Pacers lost by another 11 points.

At the end of the first half, the score was 34-60!

The Lakers lead the Pacers by a whopping 26 points!

"A massacre! A one-sided massacre!" Smith couldn't help but say, "It's unbearable to watch. The Pacers didn't mount any comeback in the first half. Miller was completely shut down, scoring only 2 points on 1-of-11 shooting in the first half. He had none of the firepower and ferocity he displayed in the first three rounds, averaging 24 points per game."

"The rest of the Pacers didn't perform well either, on both offense and defense, they couldn't keep up with the Lakers."

"The gap between the two sides is too obvious," Wilmarcus said. "The Pacers need to come up with a plan, otherwise they will be completely destroyed by the Lakers tonight! They might even lose this series to the Lakers."

"Hopefully, Bird can come up with something new during halftime, otherwise this series will be too boring."

"Maybe—" Smith pondered, "Reduce Miller's shot attempts? He took a lot of shots in the first half! Of course, given his status and ability on the team, 11 shots isn't a lot, but his shooting touch was terrible tonight."

"This is the best half I've ever seen!" Jackson shouted, waving his arms during halftime. "We're going to win! We're going to win four straight and become champions!"

"More than just a championship!" O'Neal continued, "We might just build a dynasty! A whole new dynasty!"

"Great, a dynasty!" Jackson said. "Winning the Pacers and this year's championship is just the beginning."

"Now, let us achieve greatness, let us continue to be great!"

The confidence of the entire Lakers team is at its peak.

The second half continues!

In the first possession of the game, the Lakers, in top form, continued to widen the gap.

This time it was Kobe's breakthrough pass that led to Lin Ze receiving the ball and immediately pulling up for another three-pointer.

This time, just like the previous four times, the basketball went into the basket without any surprises.

"5-0, you old dog! 5-0!" Lin Ze held up five fingers, continuing to taunt Miller: "Now tell me, who is the greatest scorer of all time?"

"It wasn't you anyway!" Miller gritted his teeth.

"It's not you either," Lin Ze said. "If I'm still 100 meters away from being number one in history, then you're still—"

"FUXX! You piece of trash, can't you even make one three-pointer? You can't even do division if you don't make a single one! You know what I mean, right?"

"You know that 0 cannot be used as a divisor, right?"

"Shut up!" Miller's response at this moment seemed somewhat weak and powerless.

In the next possession, Miller found another opportunity to break through, dribbling directly into the Lakers' paint.

Lin Ze once again provided defensive support, rushing to the basket and jumping to disrupt Miller's layup.

"Beep! Hand foul, 2 free throws!"

Lin Ze felt that he hadn't even collided with Miller yet when the referee's whistle blew first.

"Hey, you can't do this!" Lin Ze helplessly spread his hands, looking at the referee with a helpless expression, "You know I didn't foul."

"I know." To Lin Ze's surprise, the referee nodded and admitted, "That was good defense."

what?

The referee's sudden candor caught Lin Ze off guard.

He truly didn't know what to do.

He had never seen anything like it before.

He was prepared to have a heated argument with the referee, and even receive a technical foul.

But to everyone's surprise, the referee actually admitted it.

"This is a reward from the referee," Lin Ze said, turning to Miller. "Kneel down and eat it! Otherwise, you won't get a single point tonight!"

After saying that, Lin Ze turned and left.

Miller was so angry that his hands were trembling. When in his life had he ever been humiliated like this?

Even with his hand trembling, he is still a top shooter, and both free throws went in cleanly and decisively.

The referee's two free throws essentially set the tone for the remainder of the game.

Although Lin Ze's words were rough, they were true.

When even the referees can't stand it anymore and start giving players these condescending free throw opportunities, it basically proves that they believe the game is already decided.

They're not doing this to control the game or anything; they're just trying to avoid a huge point difference of 3 to 40 points in the finals.

Winning ten or twenty points is about right.

Furthermore, the timing of the referee's shot is crucial; if the referee doesn't shoot, the Lakers could easily extend their lead to 30 points.

The score has increased.

Even if the referees intervene at this point, given the Pacers' scoring efficiency tonight, there's simply no way they can close the 29-point gap.

However, in the second half, Bird did reduce Miller's shot attempts, no longer allowing him to take shots whenever he had the chance.

The offensive opportunities were evenly distributed among Rose, Jackson, and others.

Jackson, Schmitz, and Davis all put on a very good offensive performance in the second half.

Jackson scored 10 points in the second half, Schmitz had 7 points, and Davis, although he only had 6 points, made all 3 of his shots and grabbed 4 offensive rebounds. However, the problem was that the Pacers' two core players failed to perform well.

Rose, who had a decent first half with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, only managed 2 points on 1-of-5 shooting in the second half. Miller continued his awful performance, going 0-of-5 and missing every single shot!

If the referees hadn't given Miller a total of 5 free throws in the second half, he really wouldn't have scored even 5 points tonight.

可哪怕如此，他最后的数据也定格在了耻辱性的16投1中，5罚5中只拿7分这个数字上。

Miller's first NBA Finals appearance was truly a historically disastrous performance!

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