N-A-A Chapter 203 Coach, you didn't want you to lose by 58 points, did you?
Chapter 203 Coach, you didn't want you to lose by 58 points, did you?
Chapter 203 Coach, you don't want your team to lose by 58 points either!
"Go ahead." Seeing Kemp's arrogant demeanor, Bird patted Lin Tian and Miller on the shoulders, signaling them to step forward!
Alongside them were Christie and Ben Wallace, plus Davis, who continued to stay on the court without resting, forming the Pacers' on-court combination for the remainder of the game.
Davis, Ben Wallace, Lin Tian, Christie.
With these four players on the court at the same time, the Pacers' defense will be greatly improved! Although they can't yet compete with top defensive teams that have accumulated rich experience and complete systems over time, when these four are together, the Pacers' defense will at least be above average in the league!
By sending in these five people at this time, Bird's intention couldn't be clearer: to give Kemp a boost in defense!
Once on the court, Kemp easily made his free throws, bringing the gap between the two sides back to 10 points.
After changing their lineup, the Pacers' interior defense is now completely ineffective, and all their offense relies on their three outside shooters.
Fratello reacted quickly, shouting from the sidelines, "Increase the pressure on the perimeter, make it harder for them to shoot! Be ready to help inside; they have no offensive firepower inside!"
Lin Tian heard Fratello's shouts clearly, then he looked down at Knight in front of him and said, "Why aren't you listening to your coach?"
"What?" Knight didn't understand what Lin Tian was about to say.
"Didn't he tell you to increase pressure on the perimeter players and make it harder for me to shoot? Why are you all so unmoved? Aren't I a perimeter player?"
"FUXX!" Knight had no other way to deal with Lin Tian except to utter this dry and empty swear word.
What could he do? Did he tell Lin Tian that he was already playing defense with all his might?
Or go and criticize your own head coach, saying that I am 175 cm tall and my strength, speed and shooting are not as good as Lin Tian who is 191 cm tall, so you want me to play physical contact with him.
Or should I just die and show it to you?
"Blake, even though we're not friends, you have to listen to the coach! He wants you to go in the physical battles, so you have to go, otherwise I'll score, won't I? Look..."
As Lin Tian spoke, he suddenly blasted the ball with great force, followed by a hesitant step and a slight head shake. Lin Tian had once again fooled Knight, flashed past him, and drove into the paint, scoring another layup over Kemp!
"Come on, Bravin, don't embarrass our number one player!" Lin Tian continued to taunt his opponent after scoring.
He knew very well that Knight was the only one on the entire Cavaliers team with playmaking ability; the rest were basically pure finishers.
If Knight can lose his composure or make irrational decisions when handling the ball, the Cavaliers' threat will be further reduced!
However, Knight was clearly different from the other smaller players.
Which of the other smaller players in the league doesn't have an insatiable ambition, thinking they're the best in the world and want to beat all the big men to prove they're invincible?
Iverson, Marbury, Stoudemire, and even a young Muggsy Bogues—weren't they all arrogant and unwilling to bow down even to the emperor?
Knight is not.
He's a point guard who's as traditional as can be!
His way of responding to Lin Tian's trash talk was to dribble the ball up the court, call Kemp to screen for him, and then use the pick-and-roll and the Pacers' defensive weaknesses to score.
If he were a little dirtier and more ruthless, he would be just like Stockton!
Dealing with this kind of person can be very boring at times. After all, even if you slap him across the face, he can still go about his business as if nothing happened. Lin Tian felt a bit helpless when he encountered this kind of person.
However, since it was just trash talk, Lin Tian got bored after a few of his remarks and decided to destroy Knight in another way.
Aren't you calm? Aren't you rational?
I'll show you in my own way that calmness and rationality are utterly useless on the court!
For example, a few minutes later, Lin Tian drove to the basket with the ball and forced a turn. Then, facing a three-sided encirclement by Kemp, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Knight, his body almost twisted into a pretzel in the air. He still managed to find a space under Zydrunas Ilgauskas's arm and forcefully made a layup!
Then the Cavaliers missed a shot, and Lin Tian received a pass from his teammate and quickly advanced. In a 1-on-1 situation in the frontcourt, he suddenly stopped outside the three-point line, pulled up and shot!
"Bang!"
Although the three-pointer missed, Lin Tian seemed to have been prepared. He turned around and bypassed Knight, not only grabbing the rebound but also dribbling out of the three-point line again and taking another three-point shot!
"Whoosh!"
After another crisp sound, Lin Tian had already scored 10 points in this quarter, all of which were high-difficulty goals that had absolutely nothing to do with rationality, reason, or composure!
After that three-pointer, the gap between the two sides reached 15 points again!
Fratello had to call another timeout; he needed to adjust his tactics.
"Blake, keep running pick-and-rolls with Shawn! You two need to work together more. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, roam around the mid-range more, be ready to catch and shoot. Shawn, you need to be tougher! Show the same intensity you had when you dominated Barkley! You're our biggest advantage! I'm not worried about your playmaking at all, but Blake, you have to be careful on Lin's defense. He's scoring too much, you know? If Lin keeps playing like this, we have no chance!"
"And you, Wesley, you only attempted one three-pointer today, that's too few! It doesn't help the team at all. You need to be more decisive and resolute! Shoot whenever you have the chance, don't be afraid of missing, we'll support you!"
After Fratello finished speaking, the group of Cavaliers players had all sorts of expressions, each more interesting than the last.
Knight: I want to guard Lin Tian too. Do I have the ability? The guy who averaged fourth in the league in scoring during the regular season, do you think I, a rookie, can just guard him like that?
Persson: I want to shoot too, I want to take more shots, but do I get to decide? That Reggie from the Pacers chased me like a dog chasing a rabbit, giving me no space or opportunity, just relentlessly pursuing me! He was on tight defense the whole time.
What can I do? I learned my positioning from watching Miller's highlight reels. What can I do? Is it too late to watch other players' positioning highlights and techniques to change my positioning habits?
Big Z: I never thought I'd meet a center whose style is so similar to mine, from physical attributes to height to playing style, almost like a carbon copy! I want to score too, but he knows exactly what I'm trying to do. What can I do?
In short, after Fratello's tactical arrangements, although no one on the team said he was talking nonsense, no one really took his words to heart.
It's not that I don't want to listen, it's that I really don't know how to listen.
The situation is much better for the Pacers than for us.
Bird remained confident, saying, "They'll definitely continue to focus on Kemp, using pick-and-rolls and coasting to attack our defense. They hope to use that as a starting point to disrupt our defense and then influence the rest of the team!"
"So, our strategy going forward is very simple: stop their pick-and-roll and Kemp's scoring! Lin, this Knight can't shoot. Every game, his mid-range and long-range shooting, both in quantity and quality, is among the worst in the league. Once he steps out of the paint, he's practically incapable of scoring!"
"So, the Cavaliers need to continue with their pick-and-roll plays between their 1-4 positions. Leave that little guy open. Lin, you directly help Dell to help defend and double-team Kemp, making it impossible for him to handle the ball easily, let alone score!"
"Rick, Reggie, you two keep an eye on your opponents on the court. The four of you have very similar playing styles, and you must know their style of play very well. Don't give them any chance to catch the ball and shoot directly. Mark them closely!"
"Finally, Doug, you'll still be roaming the court and providing cover, whether it's cutting off Knight's passing lanes or looking for opportunities to help. Do it based on your instincts and habits! I trust you! Okay, everyone, go!"
After both coaches finished their instructions, the players once again took to the field.
On the first offensive possession, Knight dribbled the ball up the court and then quickly waved for Kemp to set a screen for him.
But this time, Knight was a bit confused after the pick-and-roll.
There was no one in front of him!
Lin Tian and Davis both rushed towards Kemp, one to prevent Kemp from cutting down the court, and the other to block Kemp's path to receive the ball!
At the same time, Knight quickly scanned the entire court and found that none of his other teammates had space to receive the ball and shoot. The only open shot on the court was in his position.
But he really can't shoot three-pointers!
His three-point shooting percentage this season...
0!
He played 80 games in the regular season and, when forced to take a total of 7 three-point shots, failed to make a single one!
There's no fundamental difference between leaving Knight completely open outside the three-point line and leaving O'Neal open in that area.
Knight paused for a moment, neither making a breakthrough nor passing the ball. In that brief delay, Lin Tian was already back in front of him.
This pick-and-roll tactic was a complete failure!
This time, Lin Tian positioned himself further back on defense, standing a full two meters away from Knight and saying, "Don't run pick-and-rolls, Blake, nobody's going to listen to you."
Hearing Lin Tian's words, Knight cursed, and then, not giving up, he once again asked Kemp to cover for him.
But Kemp once again mentioned that he was also confused after the launch.
Pick and roll?
What are you blocking?
Nobody's guarding against you, so what am I supposed to block?
Block Lin Tian, who is 2 meters away? What's the point?
With all this back and forth, the Cavaliers' 24-second shot clock was about to expire. Knight had no choice at this point. He gritted his teeth, pulled up for the three-point line, and launched a three-pointer.
Whether we get in or not depends entirely on whether God will be on our side!
The moment Knight jumped, Lin Tian had already lowered his head and sprinted towards the frontcourt!
Is Knight able to score this ball?
You haven't made a three-pointer all season. If you can make this buzzer-beater, I, Lin, will do a handstand while washing my hair!
"Bang!"
Sure enough, a muffled thud was heard. The basketball didn't even touch the rim; instead, it slammed onto the backboard next to the rim and then fell directly into Davis's hands.
"Dale!" Christie rushed over, shouted, grabbed the basketball, glanced at the forecourt, and then threw the ball directly out!
At this moment, not a single Cavaliers player had crossed the center circle, while Lin Tian had already reached the Cavaliers' three-point line!
This ball is definitely another 2 points!
"boom!"
Two seconds later, Lin Tian received a pass from Christie, grabbed the basketball, and once again completed a gliding dunk, further widening the score gap.
Fratello frowned deeply, sensing that something bad was about to happen!
Sure enough, in the next few possessions, the Cavaliers couldn't execute their pick-and-rolls at all!
The Pacers completely ignored Knight. After probing him a few times, Lin Tian simply stopped paying attention to Knight altogether and moved him to the vicinity of the three-second zone, mid-to-long range. Let him do whatever he wants!
The Cavaliers are now playing 4 against 5 on offense!
Why is it that their point guard has no offensive ability at all once he leaves the paint?
Nobody's to blame!
If Knight had a 25% three-point shooting percentage, Lin Tian wouldn't have let him go so easily. But now, Lin Tian says: If you want to face me head-on, at least get in one shot!
Knight took the ball and tentatively took two steps forward. When he reached the free-throw line, no one paid any attention to him.
Then, as he tried to take two more steps forward, Lin Tian, who had just been near the three-second zone, rushed over: "That's too much, Blake! You think you can just brush your way to the basket and go straight for a layup?"
Lin Tian's sudden appearance completely shattered Knight's earlier idea of trying out his shooting touch and taking a free throw. In fact, he was so startled by Lin Tian's face suddenly appearing in front of him that he dropped the ball!
Lin Tian easily snatched the basketball and took it into his hand, then quickly began another offensive and defensive transition!
After advancing to the frontcourt, Lin Tian suddenly said, "Shooting is actually very simple! First, you need to relax your whole body, then bend your knees, then raise the ball and jump to shoot! Remember, the first key point is to relax, then your left hand is just for assisting, and your right hand gently flicks the ball, like this!"
As Lin Tian spoke, he jumped up outside the three-point line, then flicked his right hand, and the basketball flew to Christie, who had already cut down to the free-throw line. Christie took the ball and started running, once again dominating the basket with one arm!
"Sorry, I'll teach you how to shoot next time. My teammate was in such a good position that I couldn't help but pass the ball."
After landing, Lin Tian shrugged apologetically, but his smile and words of apology sounded like nothing but mockery to Knight!
Then, Knight finally lost his temper! Facing Lin Tian's complete lack of defense, he chose to break through at full speed for the first time, driving unimpeded all the way to the basket, and tried to force a layup against Davis's defense.
"Snapped!"
But reality is clearly cruel.
Davis is not good at protecting the rim, and his average blocks are barely around 1 per game. He can hardly be called a top-level rim protection expert. His strengths are physical contact and ground play!
But he's not good at that; it depends on who he's dealing with.
Davis was powerless against players like Iverson, Marbury, and Stoudemire, whose explosive drives were terrifying, whose finishing ability under the basket was exceptional, and whose physical attributes were freakish, allowing them to pull up for a dunk at any moment.
But you, Knight, have only mediocre running and jumping abilities?
Feel sorry!
Go home!
Davis slapped the basketball near the free-throw line, and Lin Tian grabbed it again, launching another counterattack towards the frontcourt!
This time, Miller and Christie followed up on the left and right, and the Pacers' most terrifying three-line fast break appeared again!
The Cavaliers' young players had no problem with their speed in retreating on defense. Even with Knight being blocked, they were able to get four players back to the backcourt to prepare for defense in the first instance.
However, a common mistake young people make is that they focus too much on the ball handler, only eyeing the basketball, and neglecting to defend against others.
For a passer of Lin Tian's caliber, the Cavaliers' defensive retreat was just a spectacle to watch, but the openings were countless!
Opportunities are everywhere, and there are open spaces everywhere!
This time, Lin Tian chose Miller, who was left wide open on the baseline. The basketball flew towards Miller like a missile, and the moment Miller got the ball, he turned the basketball into a rocket and launched it towards the basket.
"Whoosh!"
After a crisp sound, the Pacers scored once again during the transition between offense and defense!
What defensive system, what rotation, what reasonable play?
The Pacers have never cared about these things!
If you have the chance, throw it; if you can make it, that's the right way to play!
After the Pacers hit that three-pointer, Fratello dared not let Knight continue playing and substituted him with third-year guard Bob Sura.
Although Sura has been marginalized by Fratello this year due to his playing style and injuries, becoming the team's third point guard, at this point in the game, he doesn't have many options left.
Sura's passing and playmaking abilities are indeed far inferior to Knight's, but at least he can score! Last season, Sura averaged about 10 points per game, making him a valuable weapon off the bench!
Even if his offensive ability is only comparable to Knight's, he is still the Cavaliers' best option right now. However, less than two minutes after Sura entered the game, Fratello was already cursing.
He wasn't criticizing Sura, but rather himself.
He felt incredibly stupid!
Knight's individual offensive ability is poor, so Lin Tian is completely unguarded against him and lets him attack at will.
But since Sura can attack and shoot, Lin Tian definitely won't defend like that!
In contrast to Knight, who is less prone to impulsive behavior, Sura's fiery temper is easily ignited. In his very first round against Lin Tian, Lin Tian asked him a question with a smile, and Sura immediately snapped.
"Excuse me, who are you again?"
In short, Sula made up her mind that she had to teach this bastard a lesson tonight!
Then he started dribbling and soloing! He wanted to take on Lin Tian one-on-one!
He kept dribbling at the top of the arc and kept signaling his teammates to spread out. Then Sula suddenly changed direction and tried to force his way past Lin Tian. But now Lin Tian's defense is not so easy to get past.
He moved laterally at lightning speed, using subtle movements to provoke Sura's nerves, preventing Sura from getting close to the basket and fueling his anger!
Then, after being forced into a corner by Lin Tian, Sula suddenly took a step back and, despite Lin Tian's block and aggressive defense, threw a fadeaway mid-range shot!
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp crack, Sula excitedly pounded her chest: "Come on! Weren't you going to try and stop me? Come on!"
"Are you out of your mind?" Lin Tian rolled his eyes and said, "You're completely uninterested in anything, buddy!"
Sula was stunned for a moment. Was the only thing nice about that ball just now?
He couldn't help but glance at the scoreboard again, and it seemed that no score had indeed been added.
Wait, how many points did the Cavaliers have before that shot?
"Vesri, did I really miss that shot?" Sura asked curiously, watching Persson sprint past him.
"Score my ass! Get back on defense! Where's your Lin?" Persson cursed irritably, then continued sprinting towards the front without stopping.
Sura then realized that Lin Tian was indeed missing, but whether he noticed or not was no longer important, because Lin Tian had already rushed to the frontcourt once again, compressed the Cavaliers' defense, and passed the ball to Davis who was following up, assisting his little brother to score his first 2 points of the night!
For the next three possessions, Sura didn't pass the ball at all! Apart from himself, only Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who inbounded the ball from the baseline, touched it three times. The rest of the Cavaliers didn't even get a touch of the ball!
In three rounds, Sura attacked three times. Once, Lin Tian and Christie combined to steal the ball. Once, Lin Tian and Davis surrounded and blocked him with a block. The last time was even more outrageous. Lin Tian forced him from the three-point line all the way to the center circle, and then he made a mistake on the way back.
In four consecutive rounds, he launched four individual attacks, but he didn't even touch the rim, let alone score. He did touch the backboard once, but only because of Lin Tian's big hand.
Even if Fratello were Sula's own father, he couldn't stand it anymore after the fight had gone on like this. He could only quickly replace Sula, who was still defiant and eager to fight Lin Tian for another two rounds.
You should rest!
Let's rest until the end of this series!
Substituting Sura into the game clearly wouldn't help the Cavaliers close the gap.
Or rather, given the current situation, closing the gap is neither realistic nor meaningful. Thanks to Sura's relentless scoring spree, the Cavaliers were down by 29 points with only one minute left in the second quarter!
61: 32!
The Pacers led by nearly 30 points and outscored the Cavaliers.
An absolute massacre!
But Fratello, being a very optimistic person, told himself: "It's only a 20-point difference. If we close the gap a little, it'll be more than 10 points. There's still hope for the game! And we haven't even doubled our score yet! We're still 3 points behind!"
These 3 points! We must hold onto them; we must keep the team's hopes alive!
"Whoosh!"
Before Fratello could even finish consoling himself, Christie pulled up for a three-pointer from the wing and sank it!
64: 32!
Not only did they extend their lead to 32 points, but they also cleverly and directly crushed the Cavaliers!
Although neither side scored in the last few seconds of the second quarter and the point difference did not continue to widen, the suspense of this game was basically gone. With the Cavaliers' lineup, a 30-point deficit is not something they can overcome in half a game, let alone against the Pacers.
Moreover, the point difference between the two teams is not just 30 points! At the very beginning of the third quarter, before the Cavaliers players had even finished their pep talk, Lin Tian led his team to smash their soup bowl. Right off the bat, Lin Tian first assisted Miller to hit a three-pointer, then had an alley-oop with Barkley, and then he made a strong breakthrough to the basket, attracting a triple team before passing the ball to Schmitz behind him, allowing the quietest guy in the starting lineup to complete a two-handed dunk!
Then, he and Christie teamed up again, one stealing the ball from Knight, and then Lin Tian, facing an empty frontcourt on the fast break, pulled up and shot, hitting a three-pointer!
"Whoosh!"
After a crisp sound, the Pacers went on a 10-0 run in less than two minutes, widening the gap to over 40 points!
At this point, unless the two sides have some deep-seated hatred or irreconcilable feud, like the Heat and Knicks who want to tear each other apart, it's highly unlikely that the two sides would fight to this point.
Otherwise, it's about time.
In the following game, not only did the Pacers players visibly relax, but Bird also stopped directing the game and let it unfold on his own. Halfway through the third quarter, he waved his hand and had all the starters go to the bench to rest!
A five-up, five-down sequence signaled the game was over!
The Cavaliers' starters, not wanting to lose too badly, played the entire third quarter and successfully narrowed the gap to 30 points.
In the fourth quarter, Bird originally wanted to give the starters a rest, but when he looked up, he found that Kemp and Knight were still there!
"Shameless indeed! Do you really want to turn things around?" Bird cursed. "Lin, go tell them to have some shame!"
"How should we tell him? Should we tell him directly or in a more subtle way?" Lin Tian stood up and stretched.
"When have we Indians ever been subtle? We just get straight to the point! We warn them in the most direct way!" Byrd snorted, indicating that he wasn't going to mince words.
"Alright." Lin Tian tossed aside the towel, then cupped his hands around his mouth and, across the scorer's table and half the court, suddenly yelled at the opposing bench: "Hey, you over there! What's your name again? Westeros, right?! Our coach told you to have some shame! Don't push your luck!"
"If you bring out your strongest players again, we'll go for it too, and beat your grandsons to a pulp! This is your last warning, you have 40 seconds! If Westeros doesn't substitute all their strongest players, we'll go for it!"
"Hehe, if you don't want to lose by 58 points, you'd better just field your main players!"
After Lin Tian finished speaking, he plopped back down in his chair and looked at Bird, saying:
"How about that, direct enough, right?"
"Very direct! But..." The person who answered Lin Tian's question was Vitti: "Technical foul! If you stand up and yell again, I'll eject you!"
"You'll have to pay my technical foul fine! I wouldn't have taken this loss if it weren't for you!" Lin Tian said to Bird, "It was all your terrible idea!"
"When did I ever let you yell like that! And you didn't even remember their head coach's name!" Bird retorted, annoyed. "His name is Latris!"
"Trunks, my foot! Why don't you just call him Kakarot?"
"You two, that's enough! What kind of lousy names are these?" Barkley frowned. "His name is Terrible!"
"TerraRilak is with the SuperSonics, and he's suspended for the entire season for assaulting the coach." Miller suddenly looked at Barkley and said, "Charles, you're not threatening Larry, are you? Let me tell you, let's talk this out, don't you dare lay a hand on him!"
"Even though Larry's a stupid piece of trash, a filthy snotty-nosed jerk who thinks he's so smart and always has that annoying smile, he's still the coach and general manager. I think we should give him some respect!" Miller patted Barkley on the shoulder and said, "Threatening people is wrong!"
"Who threatened him? I just want to know what the other coach's name is!" Barkley said, looking aggrieved.
"Ask him yourself," Lin Tian, Bird, Thomas, and Miller said, looking at Barkley and telling him to ask.
"Ask away! Do you think I wouldn't dare if Lin dares?" Barkley snorted and stood up, mimicking Lin Tian's gesture by clasping his hands together and shouting, "Hey coach, what's your name again? Travis, Trunks, Kakarot, or what?"
"His name is Fratello! Can't you guys even spell a single syllable correctly?" Vitti retorted to Barkley's question: "Charles Barkley, technical foul! All of you! I mean all of you, shut up!"
"Otherwise, I'll kick you all off the field!"
Vitti cursed and turned to walk towards the technical table. He swore he had never seen such an infuriating team in his entire career.
Are they lining up on the bench to receive technical fouls?
What a bunch of lunatics!
Regardless of what Vitti was thinking, less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, Fratello obediently substituted several of his key players, officially surrendering.
After all... although he hadn't said a word, he had heard clearly what the other side was shouting.
Although he didn't know why they lost by 58 points, he felt that the opponent's threat was more than just a simple one.
Those lunatics are really capable of doing something like this! It's better to back down when necessary.
The final score of the match was 112-80.
The Pacers easily secured a resounding 32-point victory!
In this game, the Pacers' starters only played three quarters and did not appear in the fourth quarter.
Even though he only played three quarters, Lin Tian still managed a double-double of 33 points, 12 assists, and 3 steals! His playoff debut with the Pacers was absolutely perfect.
巴克利靠着第二节前几分钟的连续7分也拿到了21分11个篮板的漂亮两双，再加上命中4个3分球拿到14分的米勒和表现全面供献13分5篮板4助攻3抢断的克里斯蒂，步行者队四大主力全部得分上双！
In contrast to the Pacers' impressive performance from the starters, the Cavaliers' players fared much worse. Apart from Kemp's 28 points and 13 rebounds on 11-of-24 shooting, which was considered a normal performance, everyone else on the team underperformed to some extent.
Especially the two point guards, Knight and Sura, played a game that was simply unwatchable.
奈特8投1中罚球2罚1中只拿到3分7助攻，同时还有4个失误，而苏拉更是在仅有的3分钟上场时间里，表现无比惊人，2投0中拿到0分0板0助攻2失误！
If it weren't for Sura's top-notch undercover performance in four consecutive rounds, the Cavaliers wouldn't have lost so badly in the first half.
The resounding victory sent Indiana into a frenzy of cheers and a surge of confidence. Excited fans even spontaneously organized a massive celebratory parade that very night.
This match greatly boosted their confidence in winning the championship!
After all, the last time the Pacers won a playoff game by more than 30 points was back in the 70s!
The Pacers of that era weren't even in the NBA! They were still playing in the ABA league!
This is arguably the biggest playoff victory in the team's history, and even though it happened in the first round, it's enough to excite all Indiana fans!
But the Indians' revelry is clearly not going to end here!
Two days later, in their second game at City Square Arena, the Pacers continued their dominance and ferocity!
Although the Cavaliers made significant adjustments in this game, adding many new tactics and playing styles, and paying more attention to protecting their backcourt from being overwhelmed, the huge gap in player strength made their adjustments seem futile, at best they just didn't lose as badly.
In the first half, the two teams were evenly matched, with the Pacers leading the Cavaliers by only 8 points, 61-53.
Even in the first half of the third quarter, the Pacers only led by about 10 points, and the score remained close.
But in the last four minutes of the third quarter, the situation on the court changed dramatically!
Bird suddenly changed his lineup, taking out two offensive big men, Schmitz and Barkley, and replacing them with Ben Wallace and Davis. In addition, Lin Tian and Christie, two defensive stalwarts, came to the frontcourt and began a full-court press against the Cavaliers' backcourt duo!
Under the targeted efforts of Lin Tian and Christie, the Cavaliers' weakness of lacking a ball-handler and having no one besides Knight who could shoulder the responsibility of organizing the team's offense was immediately exposed!
Knight's short stature seemed so small in front of Lin Tian, and his breakthroughs and advances were so difficult. Whenever Knight wanted to pass the ball or break through, Christie's ghostly figure and the league's top anticipation ability would immediately fill their passing lanes with danger!
Even if Knight manages to dribble the ball all the way to the frontcourt after overcoming numerous challenges, he will find two short but thick-skinned monsters standing in the Pacers' paint. If he dares to rush in, he will be immediately pushed around by these two strong men.
Even Kemp could do very little when facing the targeted double-teams of Ben Wallace and Davis. His lack of passing ability and narrow vision were exposed when double-teamed, and he was made extremely embarrassed by Davis's top defense and Ben Wallace's help defense.
When the team's best passers and scorers are facing major difficulties, the other Cavaliers players are completely relegated to the sidelines.
The ball almost never reached their hands, and they were truly powerless to change the course of the game.
From Bird's lineup change to the end of the third quarter, a full four minutes, the Cavaliers were held to just four points by the Pacers, a team known for its poor defense!
During this period, the Pacers relied on steals, rebounds, fast breaks, and aggressive defense to repeatedly attack the basket and score 15 points!
After a 15-4 run, the score difference between the two sides once again reached more than 20 points!
In the fourth quarter, Fratello didn't dare let Kemp rest, after all, the point difference this time was only half of what it was in the last game!
He really wanted to give it his all.
But at the start of the fourth quarter, what awaited the Cavaliers was Barkley, who had rested for a full half quarter and was full of energy, eager to vent his frustrations!
At this point in the Cavaliers' history, Kemp played the entire third quarter and was constantly harassed by two players, leaving him exhausted and still recovering his stamina. Their center was Bertapanco, a purely role player. This inside combination of the two was facing off against Barkley, who was going all out...
The most direct result was that Barkley transformed into a beast, wreaking havoc under the Cavaliers' basket. Every time Barkley received the ball, he could either score directly, grab an offensive rebound, or draw a foul from the Cavaliers!
He scored on several consecutive possessions under the basket!
After the point difference reached 25, Fratello had no choice but to have his players double-team Barkley. However, Barkley's vision and passing ability were far superior to Kemp's, a player who was essentially a black hole in the game. Every time the Cavaliers double-teamed him, he successfully passed the ball out.
Even if it doesn't directly result in an assist, it can still successfully disrupt the Cavaliers' defense, keeping them constantly on the move and creating openings.
Less than five minutes into the fourth quarter, Barkley had already scored 10 points and dished out 2 assists. The Pacers, relying on his, Dumars and Ainge's accurate three-pointers, went on a 16-6 run in the fourth quarter, with their bench players taking on their starters!
The point difference between the two sides has reached more than 30 points!
Then, Lin Tian and the others, who had just been standing and walking towards the scorer's table, ready to go on the court at any moment, dusted themselves off and turned back to sit down on the Pacers' bench.
I'm clocking out early!
104: 80!
In Game 2 of the series, the Pacers once again secured a resounding victory, winning by nearly 60 points in two home games against the Cavaliers!
This terrifying point difference also illustrates the huge gap in strength between the two teams!
Almost everyone thought that this series would likely end in a sweep.
The Pacers will easily advance to the second round!
The reason why everyone is optimistic about the Pacers is not only because they won the first two games very easily, but also because the Cavaliers simply have no way to deal with the Pacers' key players.
林天连续两场拿下30+10，巴克利连续两场20+10，米勒的3分命中率超过了60%！
The performance of these three superstars would be enough to crush their opponents in any series, let alone the Cavaliers.
A sweeping victory is the best destiny for a knight!
(End of this chapter)