The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 558 - 231: Let’s Not Have Grandiose Dreams Like New York in Orlando!_4

Chapter 558: Chapter 231: Let’s Not Have Grandiose Dreams Like New York in Orlando!_4

Orlando Media wanted a comeback, but they lacked the confidence.

After five days of rest, they prayed day and night, but still, no miracle occurred...

The latest injury report for Jameer Nelson indicated he wouldn’t return until June.

Without Little Nelson, it meant the Magic’s lineup could not be changed.

However, the spirit of the Magic tonight was still commendable, and everyone came in with a burst of energy. As the game started, they proved this by engaging more actively, both offensively and defensively. Additionally, their performance outside the three-point line tonight was also impressive, sinking five three-point shots in just the first quarter.

If they continued like this, tonight in Orlando would see a "downpour of three-pointers."

Rick Carlisle wasn’t worried at all and continued with the current defense, sticking to "man-to-man" defense, allowing Shaquille O’Neal to control Howard’s movements and letting O’Neal cover Tekeglu one-on-one, testing his ability to handle the ball alone.

As for the other players on the Magic, if they were capable, they should keep killing the Pacers with top shot three-pointers tonight!

In truth, that was really tough!

Especially as the game went on, by the second half, after constant confrontations, the Magic’s shooters were too physically drained, which affected their touch, and the excellent shooting form they had at the start of the game was gone.

It had to be said...

This was fundamentally why, in the era of "traditional inside play", shooting alone couldn’t win championships.

In positional warfare, the slow pace meant more confrontations during the game, and these ceaseless confrontations would gradually deplete physical fitness, ultimately affecting energy consumption.

Without a good shooting touch, the closer you are to the basket, the higher your shooting percentage becomes—this statement turned into the truth.

One awkward aspect for the Magic was their fast-paced style, yet because their ball handler was not a "truck" but a "speedster," they couldn’t initiate wave after wave of defense counterattacks.

This pace was the comfort zone for a 37-year-old Shaquille O’Neal.

He was particularly desirous on the offensive end tonight.

Howard couldn’t temper him at all.

"Bang!"

With 6 minutes and 13 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Shaquille O’Neal once again pushed Howard aside, scoring and then shouting at him, "Where’s the Superman that Orlando Media speaks of? Why can’t I see him?"

What frustrated Howard was that he couldn’t even stop Shaquille O’Neal with a foul.

Because...

It’s tough to say whether being constantly "ridden over" by Shaquille O’Neal or being fouled out with "6 fouls" was more embarrassing!

Eventually, the game ended with the Pacers, having trailed at the start, relentlessly catching up and ultimately defeating the Magic 103-90 by a margin of 13 points.

Su Wan was not the highest scorer for the Pacers this game; he finished with 25 points, while an invigorated Shaquille O’Neal ended up with 26 points and also grabbed 9 rebounds.

This was his best performance in the series.

He was really exhausted!

From the way his legs trembled slightly as he sat down off the court.

Now, Shaquille O’Neal had put in all his effort, yet could still perform well. However, the after-effects were major; considering his condition, it looked unlikely he could do any exercise tomorrow.

Since January, Rick Carlisle had already relaxed the daily training requirements for Shaquille O’Neal and, for the current Shaquille, just maintaining a basic level of training was acceptable as long as he stayed uninjured.

But Shaquille O’Neal looked thrilled; for him, tonight had been incredibly satisfying.

Seeing the silent crowd in the Magic’s home stadium, he felt this night was even happier than the night he scored 60 points on his "birthday night."

A significant lead of 3-0 meant that the Magic only had a theoretical chance of turning things around, but looking back historically, there were no examples to draw from.

In NBA history, no team had ever made a "miraculous comeback" from 0-3.

There’s a saying...

If they had that kind of strength, how could they possibly lose three games in a row without even putting up a fight?

Stan Van Gundy was speechless after this game.

Initially, he had a glimmer of hope, which was the Magic’s three-point shooting.

In his view, if the Magic’s shooters had exploded with good touch, maybe they could have clawed back a win.

But tonight’s game shattered his last illusion.

The Magic started strong tonight beyond the three-point line, right?

They sank five three-pointers in just the first quarter, but what was the result?

In continuous confrontations, their excellent form was gradually exhausted...

They simply couldn’t maintain that fiery form.

Stan Van Gundy’s hopes turned into a mirage.

Most of Orlando Media also shut their mouths, no longer arguing with Shaquille O’Neal.

They all understood...

They couldn’t argue anymore!

Now, they had to endure Shaquille O’Neal’s increasingly arrogant attitude.

In two days, Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals would continue in Orlando’s home court, and tonight, Oakland Pavilion still had many Magic fans, but the atmosphere before the game started felt like it wasn’t a basketball court, but a memorial hall.

When the Orlando Magic made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, they never imagined they would lose so terribly!

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