The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 163 - 122: Obviously, He Dragged Down the Heat Team!_2

Chapter 163: Chapter 122: Obviously, He Dragged Down the Heat Team!_2

Heat Team’s defensive quality was not good, to give an example, as the first in the Eastern Conference and one of only two teams that had reached 59 wins, their average point differential per game was only 4.3 points.

In contrast, Phoenix Suns had won three more games, but their average point differential per game was as high as 7.1 points!

That indicated that opponents could not stop this team, and this team could not stop most teams in the League, requiring the outcome to be determined in the final moments.

As for what weapon enabled Heat Team to have the last laugh in each game...

It’s hard to say! (Referring to Wade’s average of 9.9 free throws per game)

And now, Pacers had also chosen to increase their mobility, bringing Jeff Foster off the floor.

"In terms of overall height, except for some difference between Jermaine O’Neal and Shaquille O’Neal at the five, Pacers were on par in terms of height in other positions, with some even having an advantage."

For instance, at the two, Su Wan was 1.98 meters, and at the three, Reggie Miller was 2.03 meters.

Moreover, although Jermaine O’Neal’s height fell short compared to the "Sharks," standing at 2.11 meters, he was at a standard center’s height, so playing as a center he was at a disadvantage only in terms of weight and strength, not other aspects.

Bill Walton soon realized that Pacers were using tactics to make up for Jermaine O’Neal’s height, weight, and strength disparities.

The first play after the substitution.

Reggie Miller received the ball outside the three-point line and shot directly; the ball "clang" bounced off.

Unlike two-point shots, three-point shots are from a longer distance, require more force, thus leading to a higher degree of randomness in how they bounce off.

The traditional "box-out" style of rebounding sometimes just wasn’t effective.

Take this shot, for example; Shaquille O’Neal had positioned Jermaine behind him, yet the ball bounced out of the basket, flying just over the back of his head.

If it had been a younger Shaquille O’Neal, he might have caught it.

But Shaquille now really couldn’t jump up!

Jermaine’s mobility and jumping ability were shown clearly at this moment.

"Swish!"

Pacers’s "Second Attack" opportunity wasn’t wasted by Reggie Miller this time.

After coming off a high-side screen on the right, he caught the ball and completed his jump shot.

As soon as the ball went in, Pacers quickly finished their transition to defense.

Their speed was such that Heat Team couldn’t find a single gap.

"Ball!"

Shaquille O’Neal felt frustrated, positioning himself under Pacers’s basket, he boxed out Jermaine with his body while loudly demanding the ball. However, Pacers’s lineup, when in defensive positions, was positioned very close to the paint.

The purpose was to double-team Shaquille O’Neal quickly as soon as he got the ball.

The "Sharks" had a certain shooting ability.

Although he couldn’t always find a teammate for a direct shot, he could at least pass the ball out without turning it over or being forced to take a difficult shot.

After several ball rotations, Eddie Jones was just getting ready to shoot from outside the three-point line when Reggie Miller closed up on him.

If it had been a younger Eddie Jones, it would have been a breakthrough.

Unfortunately, the Jones of today was not young anymore, and his explosive power had plummeted; he could only continue to pass the ball.

Three-point specialist Wade glanced at the tightening defense and still decided to drive through with gritted teeth.

He landed after the contact, rolling on the ground.

It showed just how tough he was on himself.

But this time there was no whistle.

Stephen Jackson hustled for the rebound, securing it and immediately launching the ball towards Heat Team’s paint, where Su Wan "Sai Lebron" was already waiting near the mid-court.

There was no helping it; Heat Team’s perimeter movement ability wasn’t weak, but it was Su’s explosive power that ensured Pacers’s counterattack would succeed.

He dunked as soon as he got the ball.

The point difference was quickly reduced to just 1 point.

The atmosphere in the arena heated up once again.

"Come on, guys, let’s force Shaq to sit on the bench!" Su Wan shouted passionately, igniting a massive cheer from the sidelines. The fans in the back rows who didn’t hear clearly started asking what Su Wan had said, and the message was passed from the front to the back:

"Su Wan says he wants to force Shaq to the bench."

"Su Wan says he wants to send Shaq back for a blood transfusion."

"Su Wan says he wants to make Shaq bleed!"

"Su Wan says he wants to beat Shaq to death!"

Despite the fact that the front and back rows heard different things, cheers rippled throughout.

Shaquille O’Neal’s face turned ugly again.

He, a seasoned veteran, could clearly see that his slow speed, heavy weight, and lack of agility, along with his lazy defense, would be magnified indefinitely in the Pacers’ lineup.

What disgusted Shaquille even more was...

"Slap!"

"Toot!"

"Pacers foul, Shaquille O’Neal to take two free throws!"

They even employed the "Hack-a-Shaq" tactic!

This was...

Clearly messing with Shaquille O’Neal’s mentality!

Barkley was amused.

Compared to Shaquille O’Neal’s earlier arrogance, as if he owned the sky and the earth, Barkley preferred the "Fat Head Shark" fuming at the free throw line.

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

Without any surprise, yet somewhat unexpectedly, Shaquille, who normally had a 50% free throw accuracy, missed two in a row.

Stan Van Gundy, however, wasn’t surprised.

Now...

Everything connected!

No wonder they kept searching for Stephen Jackson and Reggie Miller’s touch in the first quarter; in this lineup, they were the main attack, huh?

No wonder they harassed Wade throughout the game, letting Shaquille O’Neal often go one-on-one; they were truly wearing out his physical fitness.

No wonder Jeff Foster was so desperate on defense and not worried about lasting the whole game; he was only playing for about twenty minutes, wasn’t he?

He turned his head to look at Rick Carlisle on the other side.

As if seeing this head coach for the first time.

He could actually come up with such an "unusual lineup" that amplified Shaquille O’Neal’s weaknesses.

Rick Carlisle was also reminiscing.

A week ago, when Su Wan returned to Indiana, he actively sought out Rick Carlisle, "Rick, I have an idea— we could run Shaquille O’Neal ragged with a small lineup!"

After hearing Su Wan’s idea, Rick Carlisle realized that Su Wan aimed to lower the height slightly and increase the speed.

Plus, in the previous round against the Pistons, they’d already tried solving problems with shooting.

Now, they were merely stepping up the pace on this foundation.

Rick Carlisle had no problem with the acceptance level.

Moreover, he realized that if they kept playing traditionally, Su Wan and the younger O’Neal’s combination indeed couldn’t beat Wade and Shaquille O’Neal’s.

Although they hadn’t yet reached a "no way out" moment, the third game of the series was actually the one with the highest margin for error; even if they lost, they could still play a "defensive battle" afterward.

Should they fall behind 1-2, they might not have the courage to change tactics.

Fortunately, they had a week’s time to practice this tactic to balance out the schedule!

When he saw the results, when he saw Foster facing the counterattacking speed of this lineup and the expression of helplessness, he was filled with confidence in the Pacers.

Three minutes passed in the game, and looking at Shaquille O’Neal’s face, Rick Carlisle saw Foster’s helpless look—or rather, Shaquille O’Neal’s was even more infuriated and frustrated.

No wonder...

He played so comfortably for a whole half.

Now, getting a hold of the ball was so difficult.

Plus, the Pacers occasionally resorted to "Shark Cutting," especially when he turned around and they couldn’t stop him; they would often smack him directly.

They struck precisely and with great force; after a few more slaps, by the end of the game, his hands were likely to swell!

With feelings so suffocated, could he, with his personality, not be infuriated and frustrated?

That was putting it mildly!

It was a relief he wasn’t sitting on the ground, throwing a tantrum.

At halftime, using a lineup that seemed bizarre to the outside world, the Pacers regained an 8-point lead.

Su Wan gave a mid-game interview: "Clearly, that old, slow, heavy, and problematic ’Sharks’ was a drag on the Heat Team!"