socalfunplaces Chapter 204 Never underestimate the heart of a champion?
Chapter 204 Never underestimate the heart of a champion?
Chapter 204 Never underestimate the heart of a champion?
Before Game 3 of the first round of the playoffs, the entire Pacers team was incredibly relaxed. They were all brimming with confidence and had absolute certainty that they could sweep the Cavaliers and win the first round of the playoffs.
But the team's head coach, Bird, knew a truth: pride comes before a fall!
The greater the gap in strength in a series, the more likely the winning side is to relax and underestimate their opponent, which makes upsets and unexpected situations more likely to occur!
Sometimes, even losing a game is a minor matter.
There are countless cases of players getting injured or clashed because they became too relaxed when they had a big lead, leading to flashy moves, aggressive play, and a desire to execute spectacular offensive plays. Bird could name many similar cases from his 20 years of experience in the industry.
But at this point, Bird also knew very well that no matter what he said, his players wouldn't listen.
They don't take the Cavaliers seriously at all right now, and Bird's instructions to be cautious, careful, and to treat the game with utmost care will definitely be ignored by them.
So, on the plane to Cleveland, Bird kept racking his brains, trying to find a way to get his players on edge and angry, to treat this game as a tough playoff match, not an easy exhibition game!
The first round of the playoffs is a best-of-five series. The shorter the series, the more likely upsets and surprises are to happen. Who knows if the Cavaliers can regain their form and confidence with a single victory, then hold onto their two home games and tie the series 2-2?
Nobody can say for sure!
We're all playoff teams, anything can happen!
"Coach, what are you thinking about?" Lin Tian noticed Bird's worried expression and sat down next to him to ask if there was anything he could help with.
Upon seeing Lin Tian, Bird knew that this guy was definitely the most motivated and serious person on the team right now, so he didn't hide anything and told him what was on his mind.
"That's it?" Lin Tian looked at Bird and said, "You just wanted to keep them angry and hungry, right? Too easy!"
After finishing his sentence, Lin Tian glanced down at his watch and said, "We'll be in Cleveland in 40 minutes. I promise I'll have everyone sorted out before we get off the plane, so everyone'll want to beat the Clevelanders to a pulp!"
"Lin, what are you doing? You're not going to pick a fight or something, are you? That will only backfire." Bodla grabbed Lin Tian, a little confused about what Lin Tian was up to.
Bird really couldn't imagine how Lin Tian could boost the team's morale and sense of urgency in 40 minutes. Judging from Lin Tian's character and past behavior, he felt that Lin Tian was most likely going to mock Miller and Barkley, make them angry and humiliated, and then storm onto the court.
This method...
Bird did consider it, but he thought it was impractical.
If things aren't handled properly, it could turn into internal team conflicts!
"What are you thinking, Larry? Do you think I'm that kind of person?" Lin Tian rolled his eyes and said, "Let me remind you again: I graduated from the Department of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. I received a proper full scholarship, not some sports scholarship. I graduated first in the entire school."
"Also, if you haven't heard of the Psychology Department at the University of Pennsylvania, let me give you a brief introduction. Penn is an Ivy League school, a top-ten university in the United States, and the Psychology Department is its flagship program, ranking among the top ten in the world!"
"Also, if you'd like to learn more about our school, I can tell you that it was founded in..."
"Enough, Lin! I'm not an idiot! I don't want to go to school either, why are you telling me all this? What exactly are you trying to say?" Bird quickly stopped Lin Tian when he heard him preparing to reminisce from the school's founding.
"I just want to tell you that for a psychology expert, your problem is not a problem at all. 40 minutes is enough for me to solve it!" After saying that, Lin Tian waved his hand and turned to walk towards Buckley Miller and the others.
"Hey guys, playing Texas Hold'em?" Lin Tian stroked his chin and said, "Too bad I'm completely terrible at this game, otherwise I could share a lot of experience and techniques with you! You know, I'm a gambling genius!"
"Not good at it?" Barkley's eyes lit up, and he immediately wanted to invite Lin Tian to join him. He felt that this might be a good way for him to regain his dignity from Lin Tian!
"Shut up, Charles!" Miller knew what Barkley was about to say just by looking at his expression, and quickly interrupted, "You actually believe Lin? Do you know what the consequences will be if you believe him?"
"He lost so much he only had his underwear left!"
The composed Miller truly lives up to his reputation as one of the league's top clutch players; he resisted the temptation!
"Lin, have some decency and get out of here. Don't disturb our card game. You should know that you're number one on the gambling table's blacklist."
But Miller, though calm and with a big heart, can never stand being provoked!
I can't handle reverse psychology!
"Reggie, are you really that timid? I thought you had some skill." Lin Tian grinned mischievously. "How about this, I'll give you a chance. You bet $1, I'll bet $10! Our odds are 1 to 10. I'll play with you, how about it?"
"Don't say I'm not giving you a chance. This might be your best chance in your life to win money from me. If you don't even dare to do this, you'd better take off your pants and see if you're still inside."
Although Lin Tian didn't say the last word, everyone present could sense the word "woman" from his lip movements.
"Fuck you! Lin, do you really think you're invincible at the gambling table?" Miller's eyes widened, his inherent fighting spirit easily ignited by Lin Tian: "You really think we're afraid of you?"
"Whether you're scared or not depends on whether you let me sit down or not," Lin Tian said with a smile. "Anyway, it's only a 30-minute drive to Cleveland, so you can't lose much. Let's have a game."
"Let's play! Come on! Sit down! I refuse to believe you can keep winning at this game of luck!"
Miller grumbled as he grabbed the playing cards and began shuffling them rapidly. Then, looking at Lin Tian, he said, "Do you know the rules? Do I need to repeat myself?"
"Stop nagging! Think about what you want to eat in Cleveland. If I beat you, I'll treat everyone to a big meal tonight!"
At this moment, the curious Bird and Thomas also gathered around.
Since it was a rare sight to see Lin Tian gambling, the Pacers' role players all gathered around.
In a short while, almost everyone gathered around.
Everyone from the coaches and team doctors to the players gathered around!
Of the team's key players, all but Christie are still there.
Well, Christie is another member of the team who never participates in any betting, and his excuse is very simple.
"My wife doesn't like me playing cards."
Miller cleared his throat and began dealing the cards!
Several people who had never seen Lin Tian play cards before also gathered around with great interest.
I want to see just how amazing the legendary "God of Gamblers" Lin Tian really is.
……
Forty minutes later, when the plane landed at Cleveland Airport, no one got off. After waiting for about five minutes without any movement, the crew went inside to see what was going on, and finally the first person came out of the cabin.
Lin Tian!
Lin Tian looked incredibly refreshed and stepped off the plane with an air of nonchalance.
He was holding a large wad of banknotes in his hand, casually counting them as he walked forward.
Miller, Barkley, Davis, Ben Wallace, and the others who came out after Lin Tian were all looking dejected and aggrieved.
They never imagined that they could lose a bet with a 1:10 odds!
It was still a complete defeat and a loss for everyone!
After this experience, the rule of never gambling at the same table as Lin Tianshang was like a steel stamp, completely engraved in the minds of every Indiana player.
It's horrible!
For a full 40 minutes, Lin Tian did lose, but he lost very few times, and he almost always ran away early. During the game, his psychological qualities, versatile skills, constantly changing playing style, tone of voice, and the sound of calling out chips all highlighted one word.
God of Gamblers!
Lin Tian clearly told them a truth: Don't use your hobby to challenge other people's livelihoods.
My livelihood, Mr. Lin's, is psychology!
Moreover, Lin Tian's ability to sweep aside his teammates with such a 10x difference in bets is truly terrifying!
As for Barkley Miller and his team, they didn't actually lose by much. Even if they got carried away and suffered a crushing defeat, they still had two more games after landing, which only lasted about 40 minutes.
With a 10:1 bet, how much more can you lose?
The problem is, even after fighting like that, they were completely wiped out. They lost face, and even when the plane landed, they were still trying to win back their losses, so they dragged Lin Tian into a couple more rounds.
After all, the stakes are high; if they win one game, it's equivalent to Lin Tian winning ten! If they're lucky, breaking even is very possible! That's why the team's key players didn't leave the plane.
It's just that they think if they win just one game, they can win everything back!
I'm just waiting for a chance to turn things around!
Unfortunately for them, they were facing the "God of Gamblers" Lin Tian!
Playing cards with him is destined to be a losing proposition!
In this situation, Lin Tian won a sum of money from the whole team, but at the same time, he was completely blacklisted.
Barkley went even further, saying: "Even if Jesus himself came to help, I wouldn't play cards with Lin Tian anymore! It's too boring!"
After everyone else got off the plane, Bird and Thomas stayed behind. Thomas was studying the playing cards carefully, trying to find something in them.
"What are you looking at, Isaiah?" Bird asked curiously. "You don't think Lin cheated, do you?"
"Otherwise, how do you explain how he could win so much money?" Thomas, clearly oblivious, shrugged and stood up.
"Maybe you'll understand what's going on if you go to the psychology department at the University of Pennsylvania for four years," Bird said, patting him on the shoulder. "Let's go check on the team. Lin has already stirred up their anger and frustration. Now it's our turn to help transfer that anger onto the Cavaliers."
Bird's idea was correct, and his direction was right.
But when he and Thomas were a little late, and boarded the team bus about 5 minutes later than the rest of the team, he realized he was late.
When he got on the bus, he saw the entire Pacers team, especially the few who had been involved in the betting. They were all glaring at each other, cursing and swearing, and the targets of their insults were all Cavaliers players.
Judging from their expressions, they were all eager to start the competition immediately; their tempers had already flared up and shifted.
"What did you do?" Bird sat down next to Lin Tian, looking incredulously at the team's completely different atmosphere and emotions. He couldn't understand it.
"It was just a few sarcastic remarks, veiled insults, and a bit of shifting the blame," Lin Tian said, leaning back in his chair. "Right now, they all think that Kemp and his men won their money, but compared to that..."
"Although it wasn't much, I still won almost $1. How about we find somewhere to have some fun tonight?"
"Have fun?" Bird rolled his eyes and said, "This is Cleveland. Where do you think this is? All you can find here are the cheapest streetwalkers and cheap, counterfeit liquor. You'd be better off staying in your hotel and watching pay-TV."
"Okay." Lin Tian leaned back in his chair, bored. The match wasn't until tomorrow. What should he do tonight?
Meanwhile, in the Cavaliers' training facility, the Cavaliers also finished their final pre-game practice session.
After practice, Fratello clapped his hands and called all the Cavaliers players over to him.
Even though he lost by nearly 60 points in the first two games, he doesn't want to surrender now that he's back at home!
He needs to really boost the players' morale.
"Everyone, I don't know if you've had nightmares these past few days, but I... I have nightmares every night, and every night I'm woken up by those two humiliating defeats!"
"I have never been so humiliated in my life, I have never lost so badly. I have to admit that, in terms of coaching, I am no match for Larry Bird, this rookie head coach. He completely crushed me in every aspect. He kicked my ass all over."
"But what I'm saying is, you haven't lost yet. You're not really inferior to those old guys on the Pacers! We still have a chance!"
"We're young, we're energetic, we have endless stamina to burn! The Pacers, on the other hand, only arrived in Cleveland today; they've had a long journey, and their veterans must be exhausted!"
"A very telling statistic: the Pacers' away winning percentage this season is only 51%! That's more than 10 percentage points lower than their overall regular season winning percentage! And if you remove the lottery teams that tanked this year and only look at the playoff teams..."
"44%! Their away win percentage is only 44%! Guys, I don't need to explain what that means, right? It means we have a 56% chance of winning this game! And that's just the basic statistic; we have many other reasons to fight hard!"
"The sales department told me that after our crushing defeat, our jersey sales surged by 21%, tickets sold out quickly, and the pre-released tickets for the fourth game were also snapped up by enthusiastic fans! They believe we can win the third game, they even believe we can win the second!"
"Our fans have maintained their incredible energy and confidence; they believe in us! Do we really want to let them down? Do we want them to witness another 30-point blowout? They haven't given up on us, and I really don't know what reason we have to give up on ourselves!"
"And your family and friends will also be watching this game, right? I heard that we gave away more than 60 complimentary tickets to your players, all to your closest friends and family. Do you want to disappoint them and suffer a crushing defeat in front of them?"
"Finally, I want to say that even if we don't care about these things, don't care about them, just for ourselves, think about it, guys, think about what kind of trash those Pacers guys are!"
"From head coach Bird and assistant coach Thomas, to Lin, Miller, Barkley... the most important people on their team are either bastards or even worse than bastards! If we really get swept by them, if we get completely crushed by them for three consecutive games, we'll be utterly humiliated."
"Then you'd better pray you never run into them again in your life, otherwise, what awaits you is endless ridicule and humiliation. Every time they meet you, they'll verbally abuse you until you can't even lift your head!"
"Sean, you have the most experience. You were eliminated by Lin in the finals before. You know what kind of person he is. Tell me about it, tell me about your experience!"
Speaking of Lin Tian, Kemp's eyes immediately flashed with hatred: "He's an bastard! I've never hated or loathed anyone so much! He ruined me, ruined my team, and almost ruined my career! I can tell you all, if you really want to stay in the league, you shouldn't give up!"
"Otherwise, you'll be laughed at for the rest of your lives! I've made mistakes, I've done stupid things! I was so stupid to team up with Gary, I made mistakes, but this time, I hope I can make amends!"
"I hope that when people and fans in this league mention me, they won't just remember me hitting my teammates and getting thrashed by the Pacers! I hope that when people talk about me, they'll say: 'Shawn was a good guy! He led Cleveland to find a glimmer of hope in dire straits!'"
"I also hope that in your future careers and even your lives, every time you mention this year's playoffs, you will feel proud and honored, not ashamed and embarrassed!"
"Guys, I didn't go to college, so I don't know any grand principles, but I know one thing: a man has to have his pride! We can't lose face like that!"
"Good! We can't lose so shamelessly!"
"Kill the Indians! Let them know how powerful we are!"
"We beat them so badly they ran away with their tails between their legs!"
"Defend the Quick Loan Center!"
Flalott looked at Kemp, who was leading the cheers and raising his arms, and nodded with great satisfaction.
This top power forward, who hit rock bottom last season and was kicked out by the SuperSonics, has finally become more like a leader than just a simple scorer!
In this team full of rookies who lack experience and leadership, Kemp's growth and commitment will surely give the team extraordinary strength!
Even though Fratello knew very well that there was still no suspense in this series, and all the Cavaliers could do was take advantage of the Pacers' possible complacency and steal a game.
This is their only chance!
But Fratello also believes that if this team continues on the right track, it will definitely become a top team in the league!
He also firmly believes that when everyone on the team comes together, the Cavaliers will definitely win the third game!
A desperate army is bound to win!
But who is the one truly suffering?
Fratello's confidence lasted until the players began warming up the next day.
But when the warm-up began, Fratello was completely bewildered!
What's this?
Fratello saw that the entire Pacers team had expressionless faces, everyone looked cold and stern, and not only did no one joke, but not a single person even spoke!
The entire team was running the tactics meticulously and seriously!
Even when they were practicing their layups to get a feel for the game, no one showed off with a dunk or anything like that.
Layup! Everyone was warming up seriously using the simplest, most basic techniques taught by the coach.
Frattlow looked at Bird, rubbing his eyes hard to see if he was hallucinating.
Is this the kind of discipline and atmosphere that Bird could create? Has Larry Brown, the league's top coach, ever led a team with this level of discipline?
The Pacers gave Fratello the feeling that they were the team that had lost by 60 points in the first two games and were facing a humiliating elimination, and that they were going all out tonight, fighting tooth and nail against their opponents!
Who is about to fall off the cliff?
Damn, the Pacers weren't this serious in the first two games!
Fratello couldn't believe that when the Pacers had a 2-0 lead and a match point, they didn't relax at all; in fact, they seemed even more tense than before!
Looking at Barkley, Miller, Schmitz, Dumas, Lin Tian, and others, he couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.
At the same time, he recalled a famous quote from his colleague Tomjanovich.
Never underestimate the heart of a champion!
Is this the kind of determination these old men are willing to make for their dreams and lifelong ideals?
This team might actually be able to beat the Bulls and win the championship!
If Floyd knew that the Pacers were holding a grudge and looking for someone to vent their anger and seek revenge because they lost to Lin Tian in a bet...
Anyway, if Lin Tian knew what Fratello was thinking right now, he would definitely run over to him immediately and tell him: What championship desire? At least tonight, none of that matters. These bastards are just taking their anger out on you guys because they lost so badly at cards!
If Lin Tian says that, there's a high chance he'll get Fratello to reveal something!
But it's better not to know now. At least in Fratello's mind, this is a perfect team. Bird is a top coach in the league, and Lin Tian is one of the best leaders in the league!
His opinion of the Pacers is now extremely high!
And this high praise became even higher after the competition started!
In the first possession, Schmitz passed the ball to Lin Tian, who slowly dribbled to the frontcourt and then passed it across his chest with both hands. He then passed the ball to Miller, who, with a lateral movement and a screen from Barkley, got open and launched a three-pointer!
"Bang!"
After a crisp sound, the ball missed. Then, under the basket, Schmitz not only held off both Kemp and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, but also displayed incredible prowess, leaping up with a roar and slapping the rebound into Lin Tian's hands on the other side with one hand.
After receiving the ball, Lin Tian suddenly started moving and rushed into the paint. After attracting help defense, he passed the ball to Christie, who then took off from the spot and charged towards the basket!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Christie hung on the rim with one hand, while Big Z, who was originally protecting the rim under the basket, was knocked away by Christie and fell to the floor!
"Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar!" After successfully dunking, Christie showed an unusually passionate side, wildly pounding his chest with both hands to celebrate the dunk!
This one round alone shows just how serious the Pacers team is!
Lin Tian didn't use his signature flashy and beautiful passing moves. Barkley took the initiative to set a screen for his teammates at the top of the arc. Schmitz fought hard for the offensive rebound. Christie unusually chose to be reckless rather than rational.
Fratello saw all of these unusual and even extraordinary performances, and he understood what it meant better than anyone else!
This means that regardless of how the Pacers perform tonight, their attitude is already at its peak! Everyone has stepped out of their comfort zone and is playing in a way that they don't usually like, but which is very effective!
At the same time, this also means that his and Kemp's morale-boosting words before the game will most likely have been in vain.
The Pacers' attitude is terrifying!
In this match, Fratello, as the coach, was in a position of "observational clarity," which is also an important responsibility of coaches. They need to observe the details and unknown aspects of the game from the perspective of an observer, and then make use of them to help their team win.
If the coach is the "observer with a clearer perspective," then many players are the classic example of the "blind spot."
For example, Camp!
Kemp doesn't seem to sense any change in the Pacers' attitude at all, nor does he realize that they're now playing like their lives depend on it, wanting to use the Cavaliers as punching bags to vent their anger.
So when Kemp confidently used his back to block Barkley and demand the ball, hoping to score in a way that would greatly boost morale and demoralize the opponent, he suffered a great loss!
Facing Barkley, he didn't choose to shoot, but instead faked a shot and drove straight into the paint!
Then he used his shoulder to push off heavily!
Based on his experience, Barkley is no match for this and will definitely be pushed away completely!
So Kemp fearlessly pulled up and dunked with both hands to give the Quicken Loans Arena fans a good thud!
"Snapped!"
But what greeted Kemp was Barkley's large hand, which seemed to appear out of nowhere, and precisely pressed down on Kemp's ball.
"Get off me!" Barkley roared, exerting his strength once again, and actually managed to push Kemp, who had jumped up, back down with the ball!
Upon landing, Kemp's first thought was: How is this possible? How could he jump so high?
My second thought was: I'm going to get my revenge!
While he was looking for revenge, Kemp didn't foolishly follow suit and dunk again; he needed to catch his breath!
But just as he faked a shot, he was surprised to find that Barkley hadn't even gotten close to him. Instead, he was keeping about 30 centimeters away from Kemp. Then Barkley just looked at Kemp, slightly bent his knees, and arrogantly said, "Come on!"
Come on over!
Kemp simply couldn't tolerate this kind of almost humiliating defense!
Anyone who has received even a week of basketball training knows that the first element of defense under the basket is to stick close to the opponent, not giving them space to shoot, and using your body to squeeze the opponent's shooting space.
But what is this, Barkley?
Did they give Kemp 30 centimeters of space to shoot?
What is this if not humiliation?
Kemp held the basketball and froze for about half a second. Then he made two fake shooting moves. Barkley not only remained unmoved, but even bounced slightly with the ball.
Barkley used two defensive fakes to fool Kemp!
After two consecutive feints, Kemp felt he had enough and jumped a second time.
"Snapped!"
Then, Barkley, who was shorter and shorter than him, but much older and heavier, once again managed to leap into the air like a flying pig, and his palm touched the shot that Kemp had thrown!
"Gotcha you, you bastard!"
This time, Buck used all his strength and slapped the basketball towards the three-point line!
At that moment, there will only be one person waiting for the basketball in that spot.
Lin Tian!
Lin Tian grabbed the basketball and dribbled it forward at high speed, making Knight suffer all the way. Lin Tian didn't stop at all, as if Knight in front of him was just an accessory, unable to hinder his movements and impact.
"Whoosh!"
Lin Tian drove all the way to the basket and easily scored 2 points with a layup, taking advantage of his more than 15 centimeters height!
Then, Lin Tian stayed in the frontcourt and suddenly started pressing Knight with full-court pressure!
Knight had suffered so many losses in the first two games, how could he dare to dribble forward by himself at this time? As soon as he saw that Lin Tian was defending with all his might instead of just symbolically stretching out his hand, his first choice was to find Persson not far away and pass the ball to him!
But before the basketball had even traveled halfway, Christie's wicked hand reached out and successfully intercepted it!
Then Christie dribbled to the basket again and slammed it home with one hand, scoring another 2 points!
The Pacers started the game with incredible momentum!
With every gesture and every performance, they told everyone: there will be no surprises or upsets tonight!
3: 0!
Tonight marks the end of the series!
After the Pacers displayed such toughness, frenzy, and determination to win, coupled with the Cavaliers' repeated offensive setbacks and the Pacers' continued scoring, the Cavaliers players—those who were "blinded by their own involvement"—finally realized something.
So that's their anger? The Pacers are angrier than they are! They don't want to lose? The Pacers simply don't want them to live!
Seriously, beat them to death!
14: 34!
By the end of the first quarter, the Cavaliers were already down by 20 points!
Even so, the starting lineup only played for less than 6 minutes before all five players were substituted for rest.
If those players who were blinded by rage or desperate after losing at cards were allowed to stay on the court, who knows how many points the Pacers would score in the first quarter or how badly they would beat the Cavaliers!
Like I said before, that's enough. Don't beat people to a pulp. Who knows what will happen in the future? What if we become teammates someday?
Leaving room for maneuver in everything you do not only makes it easier to meet again in the future, but also reduces the risk of getting hurt. After all, when you're in a frenzy, you might slaughter your opponent in a competition, but when you're in a frenzy after losing, you might physically injure your opponent.
There's no need to push your star players to their limits and challenge the opponent's bottom line just to break some record like a 58-point single-game victory.
It's not like I killed my father!
At the start of the second quarter, Bird continued to keep his starters off the court, instead having Ainge lead players like Best, who rarely get playing time, on the court.
Or to put it more bluntly, Bird simply counted a few players from the very back of the bench and made them stand on the court.
This lineup, composed entirely of role players and benchwarmers, was no match for the Cavaliers, who were not yet completely hopeless. Led by players like Persson and Henderson, the Cavaliers played brilliantly in the first three minutes of the second quarter, quickly going on an 11-3 run to narrow the gap to 12 points.
Bird immediately called a timeout, and Barkley and Lin Tian both entered the game at the same time!
When the team's two core players, one inside and one outside, take the court at the same time, the effect is naturally immediate!
Whether it's Lin Tian's perfect combination of organization and individual offense, or Barkley's strong one-on-one play in the paint, they can break down the Cavaliers' defense and make it impossible to contain the two guys' performance!
After these two players entered the game, the Cavaliers once again felt the huge gap in strength between the two sides!
They discovered that they couldn't defend against these two players at all! Even though everyone knew Barkley was going to attack the basket, they still couldn't stop him.
Just like everyone knows Lin Tian...
Well, no one knew what Lin Tian was planning, or even whether he intended to attack himself or pass the ball to his teammates. No matter which Cavaliers player faced Lin Tian, all they felt was despair and helplessness.
Absolutely undefendable!
Barkley and Lin Tian played for less than 5 minutes before they widened the gap to 25 points again. Bird then rested them again and substituted Dumars, Miller, Schmitz, and others to continue playing.
Then, the Cavaliers players realized: it wasn't that they couldn't defend Lin Tian, it was that they couldn't defend any of the Pacers players!
Miller and his teammates immediately unleashed their power upon entering the game. Miller hit a three-pointer, Dumars made a mid-range shot, and Schmitz made a strong attack under the basket. The three of them scored 7 points in a row, widening the gap to more than 30 points!
At this point, the first half of the game was not even over yet!
The competition has already been decided!
All of the Cavaliers' resistance and illusions were shattered at this point!
They had to admit that they were no match for the Pacers!
70: 41!
By the end of the first half, the Pacers had already racked up a whopping 70 points; their firepower was simply too overwhelming!
Undoubtedly the best in the league!
During halftime, the entire Cavaliers' locker room was so quiet it was as if no one was there at all!
From head coach Fratello to star player Kemp and the benchwarmers, not a single person spoke.
It's not that they're afraid, nor that anyone is angry; it's simply that no one wants to speak.
To put it more bluntly, the Cavaliers were completely outplayed by the Pacers.
Besides, who in the Cavaliers' locker room is in the mood to get angry and yell at people right now?
Whether it was the confident Fratello before the match or Kemp, who has taken on the leadership role this season and made significant progress, they both chose to remain silent!
Or perhaps they're still reeling from the terror the Pacers instilled in them in the first half.
All the Cavaliers members couldn't understand: what grudge did the Pacers hold against them? Or had they offended someone on the Pacers at some point? Why were they acting so recklessly, playing with even greater intensity and ferocity than in the previous two games while leading 2-0?
Is this the level of intensity and ability that a team aiming for the championship should have?
Filled with self-doubt and utter despair, the Cavaliers players walked dejectedly into the Quicken Loans Arena, looking like they were going to their execution.
For them, the second half of the game and being punished were indeed not much different.
(End of this chapter)