boyutpedia Chapter 207 The Knicks' Biggest Weakness and Drag Them Down
Chapter 207 The Knicks' Biggest Weakness and Drag Them Down
Chapter 207 The Knicks' biggest weakness and drag on the team!
"Bang!"
No matter how stylish Ewing's pose was, basketball doesn't lie, and his shot once again ended in a miss!
"Or should I move even further away from you?" Schmitz looked at Ewing with an 'innocent' expression and said, "Am I being too guarded?"
"Fuck!" Ewing cursed. In his entire life, when had he ever been mocked by such a nobody? You're guarding me too tightly. When I shot, I didn't even glance at you, you bastard!
If you miss the shot, that's none of your business.
That's what Ewing thought, but he couldn't say it.
His status as one of the top four centers speaks for itself, and his pride tells him that when he can't make a shot, any excuse he makes is just that—an excuse.
"Rick!" Just as Schmitz was getting more and more confident and excitedly wanted to launch another attack, Lin Tian suddenly stood up, made a hand gesture to Schmitz from the sidelines, and then nodded to him.
Schmitz hesitated for a moment, then nodded to Lin Tian.
When the Pacers were on offense, the ball came to Schmitz's hands again. He didn't hold back with Ewing, saying, "Tonight, I'm going to have a shooting contest with you, the king of inside shooting!"
"Whoosh!"
As Schmitz pulled up for another shot and made it, the score actually started to widen.
In the next attack, Ewing once again started asking for the ball.
The difference this time is that Ewing is much tougher and fiercer! He backed down and positioned himself, then, after getting the ball, he used brute force to drive into the paint!
In terms of strength, Ewing was definitely at the bottom of the four centers. His mediocre ability to attack the basket was also a constant source of criticism from the New Yorkers.
But that's when he was compared to players like O'Neal and Olajuwon, which made him seem inferior. Today, playing against Schmitz, Ewing doesn't think he's inferior at all!
After driving all the way to the basket, Ewing first made a fake move, then pulled up forcefully, intending to put the ball in over Schmitz. However, Schmitz showed his unusual toughness, not only not being pushed aside at all, but also, after realizing that he could not block Ewing, he put all his strength into hitting Ewing's right hand.
"Snapped!"
A crisp sound rang out; Schmitz's defense was spot on! So spot on that the ball didn't even touch him; it hit Ewing's hand completely!
This was a very obvious foul, and Schmitz immediately raised his hand. Then he looked at Ewing and said, "If you're not afraid to die, just charge into the paint. I still have five fouls left to use on you! Behind me are Ben, Dell, Charles, and Doug! If you're so capable, try and beat us all!"
Ewing, clutching his still trembling right hand that was throbbing with pain, ignored Schmitz's words and turned to walk towards the free-throw line.
But while Ewing appeared calm on the surface, his heart was in turmoil.
Has it finally arrived?
The Pacers are finally starting to target their own wrists!
Can I handle it? They have so many big men. If they all come up and foul me one by one, and every time it's so clean and fierce, can I hold on? Can my wrists withstand it?
Will my injury get worse? Will my wrist be completely ruined? Will I miss the entire next season?
A jumble of thoughts flooded Ewing's mind, showing just how powerful Schmitz's blow had been, leaving Ewing completely dazed!
The reason Schmitz dared to use such force was entirely because of Lin Tian's reminder.
The gesture Lin Tian just made to him was the Pacers' signal to commit a tough and aggressive foul! Once this gesture appears, everyone must commit a very tough and aggressive foul against their assigned opponent!
Of course, this refers to ferocity within the scope of ordinary fouls!
For example, even if Schmitz used a lot of force, it would only result in a foul and two free throws, not a flagrant foul! This is also the bottom line for the Pacers and Lin Tian. Flagrant fouls, deliberate provocation, and using underhanded tactics are things that the veteran Pacers players, led by Lin Tian, disdain to use.
But this also shows that Schmitz's blow was really powerful. Not only did Ewing start to think about what would happen to him, but even Schmitz's hand was trembling a little.
This guy is really honest when he commits a foul!
"Bang!"
Ewing, whose career free throw percentage is close to 75%, missed his first free throw with great accuracy, which excited the Pacers players.
"Bang!" On his second free throw, whether it was due to Ewing's psychological state or the pain in his hand, he missed both shots, paying homage to O'Neal.
Barkley leaped high, grabbed the rebound, and showed no hurry. With Lin Tian not on the court, there was no need for him to force a fast break, as that would easily lead to a turnover.
So Barkley slowly dribbled the ball up the court, and after arriving at the frontcourt, he continued to play point guard, and he did it quite well. Then, after everyone cleared one side, Barkley passed the ball to Schmitz again!
"Rick, give him another one!" After passing the ball, Barkley didn't forget to fan the flames from the sidelines, urging Schmitz to play harder.
Facing Ewing, Schmitz was no longer afraid at all. After receiving the ball, he used the same trick again and shot once more!
But Ewing, who had already been hit several times in a row, was not about to let Schmitz get away with it so easily. This time, he rushed forward to block Schmitz's shot.
But to his surprise... just as he charged forward, Schmitz lowered his center of gravity, took a big stride past him, rushed to the basket, and pulled up for a powerful two-handed dunk!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, the entire Pacers bench jumped up. Lin Tian, Miller, and others led the way, shouting and yelling as if they had never seen anything like it before. Miller even started cosplaying with Christie. Miller imitated Ewing being faked out, while Christie dunked over Ainge's head!
The Pacers are really on fire!
So far in the second quarter, the Knicks haven't scored a single point, and every offensive play by Ewing has ended in failure!
He drew a foul on his only attempt, but missed both free throws!
Then, Van Gundy glanced at the time, shook his head, and yelled from the sidelines, "Patrick! Come on! Get back into form and confidence! He's just a Ukrainian softie! You can easily crush him!"
No pause, no substitutions, keep playing!
Van Gundy did nothing except give Schmitz a suggestion that infuriated him.
Lin Tian, who was standing to the side, heard Van Gundy's shouts, but he didn't care at all. He knew very well that Ewing's problem was not confidence or condition at all. He was simply not fully recovered from his injuries and was still fighting while injured!
That's why his condition is so terrible! Lin Tian also knows that the effects of this severe wrist fracture on Ewing are irreversible!
Since then, he has never regained his form at the level of the four great centers!
Ewing is finished. He has gone from being a New York city hero, the Knicks' interior guardian and pillar, to the Knicks' biggest weakness and flaw!
The Pacers will definitely make a big deal out of him in this series!
How to help Ewing regain confidence and focus?
Sorry, but this time it's our team's most unassuming starting center who's found his form and confidence!
Ewing's next attack still failed to succeed. Although he drove into the paint, he seemed to falter when facing a fully-energized Schmitz. After a series of dribble movements and footwork changes, he chose to end the game with a hook shot.
Ewing, who had already been distorted by Schmitz's shot, lost his touch and his shot was also wildly off target!
After Barkley grabbed the rebound again, he raised his hand to signal his teammates to slow down the pace and launch another half-court offense. But just as he lowered his hand and made the Knicks relax their guard, he threw the ball towards the frontcourt!
After training hard all season, Floyd finally got his chance to play tonight. He quickly advanced forward after receiving the ball, and then suddenly stopped outside the three-point line.
Bird told him that once he was on the court, as long as there was an open shot, he didn't need to worry about anything else, he just had to shoot!
So Floyd took a deep breath and decisively launched a three-pointer!
"Whoosh!"
After a crisp crack, the Pacers continued their offensive onslaught!
Floyd, an unknown player whose name wasn't even on the Knicks' player report, actually dared to take a three-pointer that only the team's star player would dare to take, which really stunned the Knicks players.
The way they looked at the pedestrians had changed.
Are these guys really that confident and decisive?
Aren't they afraid of missing shots and getting yelled at by the head coach?
By this point, even the most stubborn and inflexible Van Gundy would know it was time to call a timeout. If he didn't call a timeout now, he probably wouldn't need to call one at all tonight.
"Rick, you played brilliantly! This is the Dutch basketball god I've been looking for!" Lin Tian laughed and patted Schmitz on the back. The guy was flushed with excitement and exclaimed, "I did it! I beat Patrick Ewing! I beat Patrick Ewing!"
"Strictly speaking, you haven't completely defeated him yet! There are still two and a half quarters left in this game! You need to maintain that level of restriction on him for the rest of the game to truly defeat him!" Bird clapped his hands and said, "But I also have to say, if you only look at the last few minutes, yes, you crushed and dominated Ewing!"
"Alright, let's not talk about what happened earlier!" Bird praised Schmitz, then quickly slapped the clipboard and said, "From now on, the Knicks will definitely step up their outside offense! They can't be as accurate as they were in the first quarter, so everyone who goes on the court from now on, get on the defense and increase your physicality!"
"Keep making their shots more difficult, expand their shooting range further outwards, and ideally, every single one of their shots should be a three-pointer!"
"And on our offense, Rick, it's your turn to showcase your playmaking and screen-setting abilities! I need you to be the pivot near the free-throw line, setting screens for your teammates and the guys, making them more comfortable and giving them space!"
"And, once you get the ball, the Knicks' defense will be even tighter, and they'll definitely double-team you. That's when it's your turn to pass the ball to your teammates and energize our entire offensive line! You just proved that you're no worse than Ewing! Now you have to prove that your playmaking ability is no worse than Divac or Sabonis!"
"Understood!" Schmitz replied, his voice much louder than usual!
Sometimes, things are just that strange and illogical. Confidence and morale are things that come and go as they please. But right now, Schmitz is definitely at the most confident moment of his NBA career!
After the timeout, the Pacers temporarily removed Barkley and replaced him with Ben Wallace, a blue-collar player who is better at protecting the rim and playing defense. They also brought in Lin Tian, Christie, and Miller, their three outside shooters!
Apart from Schmitz, the other four Pacers players who had just scored a high-scoring game all went to the bench to rest!
Van Gundy wouldn't understand this tactic anyway. If one of his lineups put on a great performance, he would keep playing them until the point difference was big enough or the tactic stopped working.
On the Knicks' side, Jeff Van Gundy also made a change, temporarily removing Patrick Ewing and bringing in another veteran, 34-year-old white center, Chris Dudley, who is 211 cm tall!
Even Lin Tian was visibly stunned when he saw Dudley come on the court. He even began to wonder if Van Gundy owed him a favor at some point, and that he wasn't there to play a game, but to repay a debt of gratitude.
Otherwise, how could they give 38-year-old Buck Williams a lot of playing time in the first quarter, and now, knowing that he will definitely play, they bring on another slow and soft white center to train him?
However, Lin Tian didn't care whether Xiao Fan Gandi had taken the wrong medicine or drunk fake alcohol today, nor did he care whether he came to repay a debt of gratitude. What Lin Tian cared about was: since the food had been brought to him, how could he not eat it?
After arriving at the frontcourt, Lin Tian did nothing but call Schmitz to screen for him. Then he faced Dudley and immediately accelerated, getting past Dudley in the blink of an eye. He drove into the paint, facing Oakley's help defense, and easily made a layup for another 2 points!
"Thank you for your selflessness and generosity!" After scoring, Lin Tian felt that as a civilized person with good manners and politeness, he had to express his gratitude to Van Gundy! So he deliberately walked past the Knicks' bench, patted Van Gundy's butt, and expressed his friendship to him.
I appreciate your friendship!
Little Van Gundy had absolutely no idea what Lin Tian was up to, what selflessness and generosity, what was all this nonsense?
He glanced at the stats and then yelled, "Stop him! Stop Lin! Don't let him score so easily anymore!"
Van Gundy's words almost made Lin Tian burst out laughing.
Don't you really know why they can't defend against me?
With such a big, soft player on the court, there's no way you can stop me!
Although they couldn't stop Lin Tian, the Knicks finally scored in the second quarter! Their first point came from a tough three-pointer by Houston! With that three-pointer, the Knicks players finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the dark cloud that had been hanging over them finally dissipated temporarily.
Failing to score for a long time can be a huge blow to a player's morale and confidence!
Back on defense, the Knicks players were also ready to defend the next possession no matter what!
But Lin Tian didn't care about their positioning or rotations at all; he just wanted to set screens and conduct military training!
Dudley, step forward!
After Schmitz's screen, Dudley was in front of Lin Tian again, but the Knicks' defense finally changed, no longer allowing Dudley to stick too close to Lin Tian.
Instead, they waited for Ward to bypass Schmitz's cover and defend Lin Tian.
But the Knicks are facing Lin Tian. Using this method of going around screens to target Lin Tian is no different from giving him huge space to shoot directly.
There is no difference!
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, Lin Tian's mid-range shot went in again!
Before Lin Tian and the others could even be happy, they quickly turned around and ran back to defend!
The Knicks actually imitated the Pacers' favorite tactic, quickly inbounding the ball from the baseline and letting Jason dribble the ball all the way up the court!
After pressing Christie to the basket, Jason suddenly pulled up for a layup, scoring 2 points for the team!
But his quick attack was clearly a case of showing off one's skills in front of an expert.
You want to hit fast, huh?
It's a deal!
After Jason scored 2 points, Christie immediately understood Lin Tian's intention and immediately went to the baseline to inbound the ball. Lin Tian also immediately accelerated and rushed towards the Knicks' half of the court!
When Lin Tian crossed half-court, centers Schmitz and Dudley had only just turned around, preparing to run towards the Knicks' half-court.
Lin Tian charged towards the Knicks' interior at breakneck speed, observing their defense as he ran. Then, after penetrating the paint, he suddenly shouted, "Rick!"
Then, Lin Tian slammed the basketball in his hand towards the backboard.
Seeing the basketball bounce off the backboard and bounce back quickly, Schmitz immediately understood Lin Tian's intention. He jumped after Lin Tian, grabbed the backboard in mid-air, and slammed it towards the basket.
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Schmitz completed a stunning alley-oop!
Well, actually his alley-oop wasn't anything special; it was just a regular two-handed dunk.
But Lin Tian's passing is incredibly imaginative!
This kind of play would be perfectly normal in the All-Star Game, but in the playoffs, especially against a strong defensive team like New York?
If you hadn't seen it in person, probably half of the people would have thought it was nonsense!
Even though the reputation of the New York mob isn't as strong as it was a few years ago after Mason Jr. left, no one will forget how ruthless and tough this team was! Trying to outmaneuver them is a recipe for disaster.
Lin Tian: What? Revenge? Then you'd better really come! Don't disappoint me!
Knicks: It's okay. We have an extremely good relationship with Lin. There's absolutely no chance of revenge!
After Lin Tian's assist with the backboard shot, both sides launched another offensive exchange!
However, despite being described as a back-and-forth attack, it actually lasted for less than 2 minutes!
For only two minutes, the two sides were evenly matched, but the Knicks relied on mid-range and long-range shooting. After making a few more baskets, they finally started missing!
Whether it was Houston, Jensen, or Starks coming off the bench, they all started missing shots frequently!
Lin Tian, on the other hand, constantly used screens to attack and humiliate Dudley's slow-motion defense, repeatedly rushing to the basket, either scoring himself or assisting Barkley, Schmitz and others to easily score!
On one hand, his shooting touch has declined, and he's no longer making difficult shots.
On one side, they kept attacking the paint, with layups, floaters, hook shots, and dunks under the basket.
It is very clear which side will gain the initiative and advantage!
At this moment, Van Gundy's reaction was once again so slow that it was unbearable to watch.
Instead of taking down Dudley, who had been completely outmaneuvered by Lin Tian, he kept loudly reminding his players to defend Lin Tian well.
What could the Knicks players do? They could do nothing but constantly double-team, create openings, and watch the Pacers score!
By the end of the second quarter, the score difference between the two teams had almost completely widened!
69: 53!
The Pacers outscored their opponents by 18 points in the second quarter alone!
They utterly thrashed the Knicks!
Throughout the first half, the Pacers' number one contributor was clearly Ewing! It was his poor performance in the second quarter that allowed the Pacers to take the lead over the Knicks.
As for the second-most meritorious player, it is naturally Lin Tian, who scored 33 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals in the first half!
He used his speed and his ability to maneuver around obstacles to leave the Knicks helpless and utterly thrashed.
Then there's Schmitz, who was phenomenal in the first half, racking up a stunning double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds! He hadn't played this comfortably all year! Not to mention, it wasn't just his impressive stats; he also completely neutralized Ewing on the defensive end!
This once-renowned center and guardian of New York only managed 6 points in the first half, all of which came from drives to the basket in the first 3-4 minutes of the game.
He went 0-for-7 from the mid-range and later in the game, missing all seven of his field goal attempts, plus 0-for-5 from the free-throw line. Ewing's performance tonight was truly awful!
He was completely crushed by Schmitz!
Judging from his current condition and situation, he clearly has no chance of turning things around in the second half.
Perhaps the best course of action for the Knicks right now is to let Ewing rest for a while, and then discuss his return to the court in the next game or even when they are at home!
But Ewing was clearly not going to give up!
During halftime, this guy stood aggressively in the middle of the locker room, clapping his hands and shouting, "We haven't lost yet, guys! Only ten points! We've been through countless worse and darker moments in our lives!"
"But I've made it through! I've never given up prematurely! We'll do the same tonight. We won't give up. In the second half, just give me the ball, and I'll show that Italian what I'm made of!"
"I'll beat him to a pulp!"
Faced with Ewing's roar and inspiring speech, the Knicks players, all his old buddies, immediately resonated with him and cheered and shouted along with him! Just as Ewing said, they never gave up! Now, it's time to show the Pacers their determination and true strength!
In the second half, the two sides switched sides and neither side changed their starting lineup!
Ewing positioned himself deeper and more aggressively in the paint, almost driving right up Schmitz to the edge of the three-second zone before reaching for the ball.
Schmitz's strength is ultimately lacking; even Ewing, who is at the bottom of the four centers, can easily overwhelm him in terms of strength.
But Schmitz was completely caught up in the moment, and his enthusiasm didn't cool down during the 20-minute halftime break; instead, it intensified!
Knowing he couldn't hold off Ewing, Schmitz immediately set his sights on Ewing's right hand!
Ewing took the basketball and lunged backward twice, this time using all his strength, his back teeth almost breaking. After pushing Schmitz aside, he suddenly turned around and was about to slam the ball back with both hands to save face!
"Snapped!"
Schmitz was clearly more determined. Even though he felt like Ewing was about to break his ribs, he still took a deep breath and slapped down, landing the blow on Ewing's hand!
It was still a very clean foul, with the ball not touching the court at all!
"I still have three fouls left." Schmitz, who had two fouls in the first half and this would be his third, looked at Ewing with an arrogant expression: "And after tonight, you'll remember forever that I'm Dutch!"
Ewing covered his right hand, remained silent once again, and quietly turned to the free-throw line.
He once again chose to back down instead of retaliating!
Perhaps this is the biggest reason why he is always considered the worst of the four great centers.
It's about personality, not playing style, strength, talent, or anything else.
"Bang!"
Ewing, at the free-throw line, missed another free throw.
"Whoosh!"
After he had taken a good breath and calmed his hands, Ewing raised his hand and finally made the free throw, scoring his first points since the first half of the first quarter when he had scored six consecutive points!
For almost a quarter and a half, Ewing didn't score a single point!
After making one of two free throws, the Pacers continued their offense, and the ball once again came into Schmitz's hands.
"Rick, get back on your feet!" Lin Tian shouted, gesturing with both hands as he passed the ball to Schmitz.
The entire Knicks team's focus was on Schmitz; they were all worried that he would take down their leader again.
Just as everyone was watching Schmitz, and even Jason was preparing to help defend, Christie seized the opportunity and quickly cut to the basket!
The basketball flew straight toward Christie, and by the time the rest of the Knicks reacted, Christie had already slammed the ball into the basket!
Another signature three-man combination of pass, cut, and counter-run!
Since Christie arrived, the Pacers have had countless instances of this kind of teamwork!
"If Chris were in Schmitz's position, he might have made a through-the-legs pass to Doug for a dunk." Watching the two's perfect teamwork, Lin Tian suddenly thought of another talented guy.
Chris Webber!
According to historical trends, this guy should have joined the Kings this year. However, one of his good friends on the Kings, Christie, is already by his side. It's unlikely that he will ever join the Kings and play Princeton with Webber. So, will that fluid, romantic, and gorgeous Kings team ever appear again?
Because of that momentary lapse in concentration, Ward successfully broke through Lin Tian's defense and made a jump shot from mid-range, as the Knicks continued to demonstrate their resilience.
However, despite the Knicks' exceptional resilience and the high morale of the entire team, including Ewing finally making his first jump shot of the night, their offensive firepower was still not as fierce as the Pacers'.
All they can do is keep the score close and prevent it from widening.
Closing the score? One or two points is manageable, but any more than that is simply beyond their capabilities!
They couldn't stop the Pacers and couldn't mount any sustained offensive surges.
Even with such a perfect performance from the Knicks, they only managed to close the gap to 2 points in this quarter.
But at least, the Knicks still have a chance to win.
Then, when Van Gundy called a timeout and brought Buck Williams back in, the suspense of the game was pretty much over.
When Lin Tian saw Williams, it was like a sex fiend who had been celibate for 10 years seeing a prostitute who looked like Madonna; his eyes lit up and he could practically exhale through his nostrils.
Fuck him!
So... in the last 3 minutes of the third quarter, Lin Tian single-handedly eliminated all suspense in the game!
In just 3 minutes, Lin Tian scored 9 points and 2 assists, bringing his total to 45 points and extending the lead to 24 points!
At the end of the third quarter, Buck Williams' expression was almost as if he had suddenly lost his son.
He wanted to cry but couldn't, his face full of helplessness and powerlessness.
He's truly unstoppable!
But Van Gundy just happens to trust veterans and likes to put them in the game.
What can he do?
Refusing to play?
"Only 24 points! Guys, we were actually shooting really well tonight! Let's keep pushing and win the game!"
During the break, Jeff Van Gundy clapped his hands vigorously, trying to encourage the players.
Larry Jensen had had enough. He complained, "Of course we'll try, but can you fucking stop dragging us down? Can you even look at the situation on the court? Huh? Buck and Dudley are my good buddies, but fucking can you please not put those two on the court?"
"Weren't they playing really well? I don't know what personal grudges you have, Larry, but..." Van Gundy wanted to explain further, but Houston, who was standing next to him, couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted Van Gundy.
"Fuck! Playing well? Damn it, didn't you see that damn Lin already has 45 points? Oh right, and those damn 11 assists! In just three quarters! Lin has racked up 45 points and 11 assists in just three quarters, don't you know why?"
"Jeff, we all respect you, and we all consider you the best head coach. Tonight we were down by so much, and I bear the most responsibility! I played terribly, I got blown out by that... that Dutchman." Ewing continued, "I won't shirk responsibility, but you also have a lot of problems with your personnel and rotation methods."
"Everything needs to be changed! You can't keep using Buck and Dudley; they simply can't keep up with the Pacers' pace!"
After being repeatedly questioned by his teammates, Van Gundy's forehead was covered in sweat, which then shone even brighter. After hesitating for several seconds, he finally nodded and said, "I will watch the video of this game, and I will consider what you have to say, but now, it's not time for us to give up, right?"
"That's right!" The Knicks players weren't rebelling; they just wanted to win! Hearing Van Gundy admit his mistake, they immediately said that the matter was over and done with!
"Patrick, Charles, Larry, Allan, and John, all five of you come at us! This is the strongest lineup we can field right now! Go and get back all the points we're down! Show the Pacers they're no match for us!"
Go!
On the Pacers' side, Bird casually looked at the statistics on his hand, and said somewhat absentmindedly, "The Knicks will definitely go all out at the beginning of the fourth quarter, hoping to catch up. They will most likely field their usual offensive trio of three outside players plus Ewing and Oakley."
"They will fight for at least another half quarter, and only if they can't catch up will they give up the game."
At this point, Bird raised his head and said, "To let them get off work earlier, and to let their starters get more rest and not push themselves so hard, in the fourth quarter, we'll go on the offensive against them! I'll give you three minutes to widen the gap to over 30 points, and then, regardless of whether they get off work or not, we'll go home first! Any questions?"
"No problem!"
Looking at his teammates, Bird nodded in satisfaction and then signaled for them to get ready to go on the court!
In the fourth quarter, Jeff Van Gundy, in a desperate move, just as Bird had predicted, deployed the Knicks' most potent offensive lineup.
The Pacers' chosen response was to use their starting lineup!
If you want to go all out on offense, I'll do as you wish!
The fourth quarter started with the Pacers on offense.
After Lin Tian brought the ball to the frontcourt, he saw Schmitz backing down Ewing and actively asking for the ball!
This season, Schmitz rarely asked for the ball with his back to the basket. Lin Tian passed the ball to him without hesitation. Then, with two back cuts and probing fakes at the top of the arc, Lin Tian easily fooled Starks and charged towards the paint!
Schmitz held the ball with both hands and pointed it towards Lin Tian's direction. Ewing immediately fell for the trick and turned around, but then he realized that the basketball had not been passed. Schmitz's fake move had confused him. By the time Ewing realized what was happening and tried to turn around to defend Schmitz, his mid-range shot had already been released!
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, Schmitz scored his 18th point of the night!
Furthermore, his shooting percentage was an impressive 8 out of 13, which is remarkably high!
In addition to his 18 points, Schmitz also contributed 13 rebounds and 4 assists.
而和他对位的尤因，虽然拿下了14分9篮板，但投篮只有可怜的16投5中，罚球更是可怜的10罚4中！
Schmitz really dominated Ewing tonight!
After the basket went in, the Knicks immediately launched a counterattack. Starks, holding the basketball, once again entered his personal scoring frenzy. He charged forward with his head down, trying to speed up his team's scoring and quickly close the gap.
But clearly, Starks' current age, ability, and height only allow him to be fast, not to score!
The instant he crossed the halfway line, Lin Tian and Christie double-teamed him, and with help from the sidelines and the halfway line, the two of them instantly set up a deadly trap for Starks in midfield with no blind spots on all sides!
Starks tried to jump up and pass the ball, but he underestimated Lin Tian's reaction speed. At the same time as he jumped up to pass the ball, Lin Tian also jumped up, made a blocking motion with both hands, and caught the ball that Starks had passed!
Before Lin Tian even landed, he passed the ball out again!
Miller received the basketball 2 meters outside the three-point line. Facing an empty Knicks half of the court, he calmly dribbled forward one step and then pulled up for a three-pointer from the top of the arc!
"Whoosh!"
After a crisp sound, the Knicks, who were trying to catch up, were hit with a 5-0 run at the start of the fourth quarter!
Then it was Schmitz again. He provided timely help defense under the basket, leaving Ewing free and turning Houston's layup into a huge block. The ball landed perfectly in Christie's hands. After receiving the ball, Christie quickly turned and pushed forward. He was in the middle, Lin Tian was on the left, and Miller was on the right. The Pacers' signature three-line fast break appeared again!
Christie passed the ball to Lin Tian, who then passed it to Miller, who returned it to Christie.
The three players passed the ball back and forth, from their own three-point line all the way to the Knicks' three-point line, without dribbling once!
Their dazzling series of passes left the Knicks' defense completely bewildered, unsure of how to defend against them.
In the end, Lin Tian tossed the ball into the air, and Christie jumped up to catch it, slamming it into the basket with both hands!
31 points!
The Pacers extended their lead to over 30 points in just 1 minute and 02 seconds!
Two minutes less than Bird requested!
Bird didn't mince words. As soon as the point difference widened, he immediately made a five-in-five-out substitution during the next dead ball, taking all his starters out!
In this respect, Bird and Jackson are really similar!
He wouldn't let his key players play even a single extra round in matches they shouldn't be playing!
When it's time to rest, you should rest!
(End of this chapter)