MM Racing Chapter 201 The regular season is over! Suddenly it became the whole...
Chapter 201 The regular season is over! Suddenly it became the whole...
Chapter 201 The regular season is over! Suddenly he became public enemy number one!
After Christie joined the Pacers, the team finally had a truly solid roster and resolved potential conflicts within the team. With less than two months left in the regular season, the Pacers can now go all out to make a playoff push and secure a more favorable playoff seeding.
Of course, Christie experienced some growing pains when he first joined the team. He was unfamiliar with the tactics, needed to work out the playing style, and had to adapt to his teammates' habits and ways of playing.
Lin Tian's previous tactical plays and brilliant moments with Rose will need time to adjust before he can perform the same level of brilliance with Christie.
Therefore, in the first few games after Christie arrived in Indiana, the Pacers' record was not good, with wins and losses each. Because of their poor form during this period, they were overtaken by the Hawks again and fell back to fourth place.
With the Bulls firmly holding the top spot in the Eastern Conference, the fourth and fifth positions are absolutely hellish draft picks!
After all, no one wants to face Jordan and his Bulls early on. Some teams would rather go down to the second or third-ranked teams than play the Bulls in the second round!
Over the years, the Bulls have been a formidable force, and no one dares to mess with them!
But the Pacers are clearly not afraid of the Bulls at all!
After all, if a team wants to win the championship, it must defeat the strongest and most ruthless opponent. Avoiding or retreating will not help the team win!
Not to mention, the Pacers had a 2-1 advantage in their three regular season games against the Bulls!
Even if Pippen wasn't in the first game, and Jordan and Lin Tian weren't in the third game, having the upper hand is still having the upper hand! That's the important psychological advantage!
With this psychological advantage, the Pacers entered March!
In March, with Christie's perfect integration, the Pacers' record naturally improved!
Christie certainly doesn't have Rose's explosive drive and scoring ability, and his physical attributes are also far inferior. However, as one of the league's top technical defenders, he can effectively limit any type of offensive player he faces on the defensive end.
His 2.4 steals per game not only rank third in the league, but also consistently provide the Pacers with extra offensive opportunities! What's even more commendable is that although he makes a lot of steals, he almost never makes those reckless runs out of position that would result in him losing his defensive position if he loses possession.
All his cuts to the ball were made only after he had secured his defensive position!
At the same time, Lin Tian also discovered something else—
Christie's defensive ability and mental attributes are absolutely underestimated! During his peak years, he only made the All-Defensive First Team once and the All-Defensive Second Team three times. This less-than-stellar resume easily leads people to think that his defensive ability is just so-so.
But don't forget that among the players competing with him for the All-Defensive First Team at the time, whether it was Bowen, Kobe, Kidd, or Artest, they all had a strong defensive team with a mature defensive system.
But what about Christie? He plays for the Sacramento Kings, the offensively-minded team with the worst defense in the league. Every one of his teammates is either a defensive sieve or a defensive black hole.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was the only one on the team who could defend.
Even in this environment, Christie was still able to play defense diligently and put on a very good defensive performance when the team's defensive system was a mess. His defensive ability and his mental attitude of not being dragged down by Webber and Peja are definitely worth taking a second look at!
Besides the huge surprise on defense, Christie has also integrated into the team on offense very quickly. Whether it's catching and shooting, cutting to the basket, or quickly finding another passer after receiving the ball, his ability is much better than Rose's!
Perhaps his ball-handling skills are not as good as Rose's, but his ability to transition as a receiving point and to finish with a pure shot is definitely better than Rose's!
整个3月份，渐入佳境的克里斯蒂场均能够拿下14.5分，4.5篮板，3.9助攻和2.4次抢断！命中率更是抬高到了45%，40%和83%！
Statistically, the Raptors, that terrible team, not only failed to give Christie impressive numbers, but also prevented him from performing at his best due to the chaotic system!
Besides Christie's perfect integration into the team, Miller also continued his efficient performance. In March, he averaged 15.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. Although his scoring stats didn't improve much, his three-point shooting percentage soared to 47%, ranking first in the league!
He also averaged 2.1 three-pointers per game, ranking third in the league!
Definitely high quality and quantity! An absolute top-tier shooter!
As a renowned top shooter in the league, he won't always get a lot of open looks like Dale Ellis or Wesley Posen. Every team in the league will study Miller's movement and shooting, and will try to limit this top shooter.
Even under these circumstances, Miller still delivered one of the league's best performances!
This was certainly due in part to the passes from players like Lin Tian and Christie, but it also owed much to Miller's own superb shooting skills and perfect form!
Miller once again proved to everyone: when I focus solely on being a shooter, without worrying about team organization, dribbling, or anything else, I am the best shooter in the league!
In addition, Barkley also performed brilliantly during this period. He continued to be the main scorer in the second quarter and the first few minutes of the fourth quarter, averaging 17 points and 11 rebounds per game. He was the team's rebounding leader and second-leading scorer. He led the second unit to great success and had full tactical autonomy.
Barkley is growing to love his current role more and more!
In addition, the Pacers also had Rick Smitz, who averaged 9 points and 6 rebounds per game in March. He was also the one who sacrificed the most on the team. Because Lin Tian and Christie had to shoot from mid-range and Barkley had to attack under the basket, Smitz's offensive area was completely occupied. His stats dropped by almost half compared to last year, but he still worked hard without complaint and did his job obediently!
The veteran duo of Dumars and Ainge on the bench have seen their playing time drop significantly this month. Bird has put them into a rest period so that they can have enough energy to fight those really tough games in the playoffs!
Even so, Dumars still shot 40% from three-point range, remaining one of the league's best shooters.
While the blue-collar duo of Ben Wallace and Dale Davis may not contribute much on offense, on defense, as long as both of them are on the court together, along with Lin Tian and Christie, the Pacers can immediately transform into an excellent defensive team!
Davis averaged 6 points and 9 rebounds per game in March, and his tough style was enough to deter many players in the league from attacking the Pacers' basket.
Ben Wallace has made significant progress this season. Although his stats are still unremarkable at 4 points and 6 rebounds, his 1.8 blocks per game are quite impressive. At the same time, his defensive footwork under the basket, rebounding positioning, and help defense awareness are all things that Bird really likes.
Bird gradually realized why Lin Tian hadn't brought anyone else with him when he joined the Pacers, but instead brought this unknown, short center!
Bird believed that Ben Wallace definitely had the potential to become the league's next top-tier blue-collar center!
Aside from these players, the Pacers' most important player and absolute leader is undoubtedly still Lin Tian!
Since Lin Tian's return this season, the Pacers have been on a winning streak. Although they had a losing streak in between, their overall performance has been excellent.
Lin Tian single-handedly carried the team's entire offensive and organizational line. With him on the team, the Pacers' offense was always well-organized and never chaotic. On top of that, Lin Tian could always deliver incredibly brilliant passes and unbelievable dunks. He had long been the most watched top guard in the entire league and the new darling of Indiana!
Throughout March, in order to make up for the points lost after Rose's departure, Lin Tian significantly increased his offensive desire and shot attempts. His average points per game this month increased to 25.4, while his assists did not drop much, remaining at 10.9, along with 2.1 steals and 5.1 rebounds.
This month, Lin Tian has already shown the flair of the league's best point guard!
At the end of the month, the league awarded Lin Tian the Player of the Month award!
This is the second time he has received this award in his career.
Of course, being named Player of the Month isn't something Lin Tian is too excited about. He's confident that awards of this caliber will come one after another in the future!
Meanwhile, Lin Tian has also broken into the top three in the last MVP rankings of this month!
Jordan, Malone, and Lin Tian are ranked in the top three!
By the end of March, the overall situation and rankings of the league had been largely determined.
Whether they are strong or weak teams, by this point, they have all pretty much found their place.
The Pacers' current record is 52 wins and 21 losses, and they have nine games left to play in April.
With 52 wins, the Pacers have once again overtaken the Hawks to take third place in the Eastern Conference.
Furthermore, they are only one game behind the second-place Heat in the East, and the Pacers have a completely inferior record against them with 1 win and 3 losses in their previous head-to-head matchups. Therefore, even if the two teams eventually tie, they will still be relegated to third place in the East.
To overtake the Heat, they must win at least two more games than the Heat in the last few games of April!
The good news is that the Hawks and Hornets, currently fourth and fifth in the Eastern Conference, have both been at a disadvantage against the Pacers in this year's regular season. In addition, the Hawks are now two games behind the Pacers and the Hornets are three games behind, so they would have to win at least four or five more games than the Pacers to have any chance of overtaking them.
But there are only 8-9 games left in April. Even if the Pacers only maintain a 50% winning percentage, these two teams would need to have almost a perfect record to have any chance of surpassing the Pacers.
Therefore, the Pacers have essentially secured a top-three spot in the Eastern Conference! Now, let's see if they can surpass the Heat!
As for the Bulls? They've already secured 56 wins and have essentially locked up the top spot in the Eastern Conference! For both the Heat and the Pacers, surpassing the Bulls is now only a theoretical possibility!
For the Bulls, the best news is certainly not that they have secured the top seed in the East, as they have already won that title countless times. What is truly cause for celebration is that Pippen has finally made a full recovery!
他在3月份连续打了10场比赛，并且场均数据也来到了19+5+7+2+1！
That all-around striker and second-best player in the world has returned in top form after a long rest!
While the rankings of the 2nd to 5th seeds in the East remain uncertain and their final positions are difficult to predict, the 6th to 8th seeds in the East have already secured their spots. There is a significant gap between the bottom three seeds, making it virtually impossible for them to change positions.
Logically, at this point, in this situation, the bottom three teams should be in a state of indifference, resting and recuperating in preparation for the playoffs. However, one of the three teams doesn't think that way! They are very restless!
The New York Knicks are ranked seventh!
This team, which was eliminated by Miami in last year's playoffs and is now determined to get revenge, couldn't maintain their record due to their key player Ewing missing almost the entire season, and can only rank seventh in the Eastern Conference.
Furthermore, the gap between them and the sixth-placed Cavaliers has reached four games, making it virtually impossible for them to surpass the Cavaliers and climb to sixth place.
This means that if they want to get revenge on the Heat, they must hope that the current Eastern Conference standings remain unchanged.
The Heat are second, and they are seventh. Only in this way can they possibly get revenge!
As April arrived, the Knicks' hopes began to turn sour.
On April 1st, the Pacers defeated the visiting Trail Blazers, while the Heat lost to Detroit on the road, a minor upset.
The two teams have now tied their records, but the Heat remain in second place due to head-to-head results.
Then on April 2, the Heat lost to the Cavaliers in a back-to-back game. After two consecutive losses, they dropped to third place in the Eastern Conference.
With the Heat's loss, the entire city of New York was filled with curses. Everyone was angrily calling Riley a spineless coward and Mourning a hypocrite, saying that he called himself a tough guy but was actually a coward.
Ewing openly told the media, "I'm perfectly healthy! I'm 100% back in shape. So, we all know why the Heat lost—they were scared! They were running away; they didn't dare play against us!"
"A bunch of cowards!"
Ewing's direct and pointed criticism, suggesting that the Heat were deliberately losing to avoid a rematch due to weakness and fear, infuriated the entire Miami team.
Are we afraid of you? A bunch of defeated opponents, are we afraid of you?
The entire city of Miami was indignant, but Riley remained unmoved, and the Heat themselves seemed completely indifferent.
Although the Heat won their next game, they then started losing again.
Although they went on a three-game winning streak, they were now two games behind the Pacers.
With only two games left in the regular season, the Heat can only overtake the Pacers and reclaim their second place if they win all their games and the Pacers lose all their games!
With the regular season nearing its end, the triangular relationship between the Pacers, Knicks, and Heat has become the most talked-about topic.
Everyone is waiting to see if the rivalry between the Heat and the Knicks can continue, and also to see if the Pacers will be accommodating.
From any perspective, it would be better for the Pacers to drop to third place. After all, the Knicks are ranked seventh, but that's because of Ewing's injury. If Ewing hadn't been injured, they would definitely be a top team in the upper half of the bracket.
Now that they've fallen to seventh in the East, the second-place position has become a hot potato, and it's definitely not an easy spot to hold.
With three days left in the regular season and the Pacers having only two games left to play... Lin Tian's phone rang.
"Lin, this is Patrick. We're good buddies, right?" Ewing's voice came through the phone. As soon as Lin Tian heard his voice, he knew what this guy was going to say. He was definitely asking Lin Tian to throw the last two regular season games and drop his ranking to third in the East.
That way, the Knicks can get revenge on the Heat in the first round!
"Patrick, I know why you're calling, but I don't want to lose the match on purpose."
"Lin!" Ewing's voice became urgent: "You don't need to intentionally lose games, you just need to take turns resting! As far as I know, you guys haven't had much rest this season, have you? Especially Reggie and Charles, those two guys, they've played every single regular season game!"
"Let them rest, and you rest too. Isn't that the most normal choice? You just need to let the substitutes play two games. Whether you win or lose, we won't blame you!"
"Patrick, you're not using revenge as an excuse to avoid us, are you? Are you afraid you're no match for us?" Lin Tian couldn't help but sneer.
"Lin!" Ewing took a few deep breaths on the other end of the phone, then said, "You're right, I don't think we're a match for you, so I don't think we have a chance to beat you and get revenge in the Eastern Conference semifinals! Lin, give us a chance, let us take down those damn Miamis!"
"I'm absolutely confident I can help you take down Miami! But I admit, we can't beat you." Ewing paused again before adding, "This would be entirely beneficial for you!"
"Besides, I know my own situation, and I know how serious my wrist injury is. Since coming back this time, I've clearly felt the lack of strength. I can't make the shots I used to make, and I can't hit hook shots or jump shots anymore! I feel like my career is nearing its end, and my performance gets worse every year! This year might be my last chance, Lin, please help me!"
"Besides, regardless of whether this succeeds or not, I owe you a favor, Lin! If you ever need my help in the future, I will definitely do it! I'll go through fire and water for you, Lin!"
"Patrick, I'm sorry." Hearing Ewing's heartfelt outpouring, from analyzing how impressive he was to admitting defeat and then playing the victim card, what could Lin Tian do? He could only apologize first!
"You should have made this call sooner. Back then, we could still control our record, but now, even if we lose, there's nothing we can do if the Heat just don't want to win."
"FUXX! Lin! FUXX!" Hearing Lin Tian's panting and irritating way of speaking, Ewing cursed several times in anger before saying, "As long as you're willing to help me, I'll consider this a favor I owe you! As for the Heat's situation later, I have a way."
"What's your plan?"
"Curse them! Curse them to death, curse their ancestors for three generations! I don't believe that bastard Alonzo can hold back!" Ewing said viciously. "Alright, now that you've agreed, everything will be easier. I'll keep calling Lin, Larry, and Charles! I believe there won't be any problems. Then I'm going to find a few media outlets and give them a good dressing down!"
After Ewing finished speaking, he quickly hung up the phone.
Then Lin Tian arrived at the training facility. By this time of the season, the Pacers' training had become very relaxed, with everything focused on recovering form, finding their rhythm, and warming up. The high-intensity, competitive training had long since disappeared.
At this point, if you get injured due to training and fatigue, it would really be a loss that outweighs the gains!
As soon as he saw Lin Tian approaching, Bird waved his phone and said, "Patrick called you, right?"
"Did you all receive it?" Lin Tian saw Barkley, Miller, Dumars, and the others next to Bird, and seeing them all nodding, he laughed and cursed, "That bastard Patrick has gotten smarter! He told me he was the first to call me, but it looks like I was the last one to get the call."
"That's what he told me too. When did this bastard learn to lie?" Barkley rolled his eyes and said, "His brain is probably smaller than a walnut."
"You're not much better, Charles. Anyone with a brain knows he won't call you first. Who do you think you are on the team? Don't you know how many people on this team have more influence than you?" Miller seized every opportunity to tease his old buddy.
"He has definitely gotten smarter, but not by much. Doesn't this guy know we're together every day? His little tricks will be completely exposed in three minutes at most?" Lin Tian shrugged. "But we can discuss the actual size of his brain later. What we need to discuss now is, what do we do?"
After Lin Tian finished speaking, the Pacers' core group, which was usually as noisy as a sparrow's nest, fell into a brief silence.
Then Barkley spoke first: "I'm pretty close to Patrick. He spent at least $10 just on treating everyone to All-Star games this year! Remember that huge rooftop party at the Hilton?"
"I agree. Patrick may be stupid, but he's still much more likable than the Miamiers!" Miller chimed in.
"And most importantly, sending the Heat to second place isn't exactly harming them, is it? It adds a chapter to their otherwise barren history, making them the top two in the East for two consecutive years—a first for them." Thomas said with a wicked grin, "It's about satisfying them."
"Actually, according to the original plan, I was also prepared to rest them for these two games. Charles and Reggie are both too tired. They have played all 80 games, and their playing time has exceeded 38 minutes. And Doug, have you noticed his total attendance this season?"
"This poor guy, if he plays the full two games left, he'll have played 84 regular season games! The Raptors' schedule in the first half of the season is much tighter than ours."
After Bird finished speaking, Lin Tian was the only one left who remained silent. Seeing everyone staring at him, Lin Tian smiled and said, "Why are you all looking at me? You don't think I have feelings for Riley, do you? What he did to New York last year, if it were me, I would have made him suffer even more than Sloan."
"In that case, it's decided!" Bird clapped his hands and laughed. "For the next game, we'll rest our key players. As for the final result, we can only blame Patrick for calling us too late."
That very night, the Indiana Pacers released one, or rather, many, pieces of information.
Lin Tian will be temporarily sidelined due to ankle pain.
Barkley is sidelined due to stomach pain.
Miller is temporarily absent due to personal reasons.
Dumas will be temporarily absent due to personal reasons.
Schmitz will be temporarily absent due to personal reasons.
Well...
Everyone could see that the Pacers were just going through the motions. At first, they tried to come up with some excuses, but then they just stopped bothering with them and said they were absent for personal reasons.
But everyone could see that the Pacers were going to let them go!
They presented Miami with a difficult challenge, letting them decide whether to go all out in the next two games to win and move into second place!
At this point, the New Yorkers were the most nervous. They had already owed Ewing a favor, and if things didn't work out in the end, it would be a real mess.
I've already owed them a favor!
At this moment, he also regretted it. If he had known those Pacers bastards were so easy to talk to, he should have called them a long time ago! He should have told them to start throwing the game sooner!
On the penultimate day of the regular season, the Pacers, who rested all their starters, suffered a loss as expected, while the Heat, despite resting Mourning and Hardaway, still managed to win.
After all, their opponent was the Warriors, who were also eager to lose and only wanted to get a higher first-round draft pick this year. The Heat easily won the game just by relying on Mashburn's performance!
After this game, the suspense surrounding the final standings and matchups in the Eastern Conference will inevitably continue until the last day of the regular season!
By this time, the rankings of all playoff teams in the East, except for the second and third-placed teams, had been determined!
In the Western Conference, although the rankings between the SuperSonics and Lakers, and the Suns and Spurs, are still subject to change, as long as the SuperSonics and Suns can win, they can secure the second and fourth positions, pushing their opponents to third and fifth.
Aside from these two relatively unpredictable events that won't significantly impact the playoff matchups, everyone's attention is focused on the battle between the Heat and the Pacers for the third seed in the Eastern Conference!
Yes, the battle for third place!
Because it's obvious to everyone that neither of these teams wants to finish second.
Well... or rather, the Heat don't want to go for second place.
Because the Knicks' hooligans, who had already secured seventh place, had been making a lot of noise in front of the media these past few days. Whenever they encountered a reporter or had the opportunity to speak to the public, they would definitely say something bad about the Heat.
They're sissies, cowards, cowards, trash. They only know how to win with dirty tricks. They can beat the Heat in a head-on confrontation. They don't have the guts to fight us in second place. They're afraid of being upset in seventh place. The Heat are afraid of us. They're scared out of their wits.
All sorts of trash talk and vulgar language poured out of the mouths of New Yorkers and then spread throughout the United States.
At this moment, Lin Tian remotely gave his old friends in New York a helping hand from Indiana!
When asked by the media about the rankings, Lin Tian smiled and said, "I don't care. Second or third is fine with me. I don't care who we face in the first round or whether we have home-court advantage in the second round. To be honest, I don't care. We have absolute confidence in defeating all our opponents. Our goal is the championship!"
"A team that wants to win the championship will face all difficulties and problems head-on, and will not shy away from any seemingly strong opponent. We'll just go with the flow and see who we end up facing. But no matter who we face, we'll give it our all!"
"In NBA history, those who think they have the right to choose their opponents in the playoffs mostly don't have good results. The more they calculate, the worse they lose. So we don't calculate things like opponents or rankings. We just play basketball. Basketball isn't mathematics. No matter how well you calculate, you can still end up losing, right?"
"As for what our opponents think, we don't care. Let them fight it out. In the end, we're the ones who will win."
Lin Tian's veiled insults and sarcastic remarks also spread throughout the United States. After his call, the Heat team was completely put in a precarious position.
He didn't mention the word "fire" even once, but every word he said was about the Heat.
It was as if if the Heat lost the last game and fell to third place, it would mean they were scared, cowardly, or had too many useless calculations. And in his last sentence, Lin Tian directly mocked Riley.
Fans and commentators across the United States have their eyes on the Heat, eager to see how they will make their choice. Discussions about the choice, the Heat, and Lin Tian have sparked a nationwide frenzy.
It's safe to say the Heat are under immense pressure right now! They're incredibly frustrated!
Even though he did nothing wrong, he became the target of everyone's criticism.
But there's nothing we can do about it; after all, they did win and advance last year in a very dishonorable way.
This year, naturally, countless people are watching them!
As for Lin Tian, he simply didn't believe that Riley and the Heat would tolerate things like this!
What does it mean to be entrusted with a task and to be loyal to that task?
That's it!
Under such public opinion, on the last day of the playoffs, the Pacers started their game first. As usual, they rested all their key players and then suffered their second consecutive loss.
As for the Heat, Riley announced their starting lineup for tonight's game 30 minutes before the start of the game.
With Mourning, Mashburn, and Hardaway all resting, the Heat will only field Leonard, Mali, and others in this final game of the regular season!
As soon as the roster was announced, the Heat were met with ridicule and mockery from the entire league.
Persuaded!
They really chickened out!
Even before the game started, the entire Heat team became the target of everyone's criticism, and everyone was waiting to see them make a fool of themselves.
But if you look at the Heat's opponent's lineup, you'll know that it won't be so easy for the Heat to lose tonight!
Because their opponent in this game was the Cavaliers, who had already secured the sixth seed in the East and had nothing to play for but were waiting for the playoffs.
The Cavaliers also opted to rest all of their key players!
Before the game, Cavaliers' star player, Shawn Kemp, echoed Lin Tian's sentiments in an interview: "We don't care who we play against, Pacers or Heat, we don't care. Whoever it is, Cleveland won't let them have an easy time! See you in the playoffs!"
How so?
Riley's past actions have led the entire league to oppose him.
You want to lose?
Hehe, no way!
Come on, let's hurt each other!
Riley was so angry when he saw the Cavaliers' roster that his nose almost twisted out of shape.
Honestly, he was already furious with the current public opinion and the actions of the entire league. How did he become the target of everyone's criticism?
He really wanted to crush the Cavaliers and then demolish the Knicks in the playoffs.
In the end, however, his usual cold-bloodedness and rationality prevailed. He not only suppressed his own anger but also managed to calm the fury of the team members, persuading them to accept the suggestion of rest and save all their energy and anger for the playoffs.
That's Riley for you: cold-blooded, rational, always making the most profitable choices, not the choices that please or please people.
But at this moment, seeing the entire league against him, Riley began to regret his decision for the first time. He should have let Mourning and the others play! He should have let them all play! He should have crushed these sons of bitches!
Lin Tian mocked and ridiculed us, but who does Kemp think he is, to point fingers and spout nonsense at us?
I'll beat you to death!
Of course, even if Riley was furious, he could only think about it.
With three key players out, it would be good enough if the team could win the game with just Leonard, Mallley, and the rest of the squad.
Hmm, no, that's not right.
Do I want to win or lose?
Riley realized he was getting a little confused, but at this point, what he thought didn't really matter anymore. He had rested too many key players tonight, plus players who were injured and unable to play, leaving only 8 players available on the court, plus one temporary replacement player brought in from the free agent market.
With this lineup, Riley, let alone a genius strategist, even if he himself were on the court, wouldn't have much way of controlling the team and getting everyone to play according to his ideas.
Everyone on the court right now is thinking about seizing this rare starting opportunity, putting on a great performance, and then getting a formal contract or more playing time!
From this perspective, at least the players on both sides are thinking the same thing.
First, finish typing it yourself! Then we can talk about other things!
As a result, this match, in which both sides rested a lot of their key players and turned into a free-for-all between substitutes, became extremely chaotic!
Everyone who gets the ball thinks about playing for themselves first, and wants to be the hero.
But clearly, none of these people are capable of being heroes.
We're all mediocre; none of us are any better than the others.
Under these circumstances, the way this match was played was truly ugly.
Numerous mistakes, constant missed shots, utterly unwatchable one-on-one duels, and almost no teamwork...
All of these factors combined make this match resemble a high school level battle for the audience.
Extremely ugly!
Although the competition was ugly, his final result was still very dramatic.
This fierce battle between two weak teams went all the way to the last minute. After a series of missed shots and turnovers, the Heat, with their veteran players holding the fort, managed to defend against two Cavaliers attacks in the final 30 seconds and even scored a crucial basket themselves.
77: 79!
The Heat defeated the Cavaliers by 2 points, narrowly winning their final game of the season. Under pressure from public opinion, the Heat reluctantly moved up to second place in the Eastern Conference!
They will face the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs!
"Let's pop the champagne!" The moment the Heat won the game, Ewing stood up from the bench and said to Houston, James, and others behind him, "Let's celebrate our advancement to the second round of the playoffs!"
"This time, almost the entire league is on our side. All forces worked together to push Miami to second place. So, the whole league is watching this series closely! If we don't completely crush Miami this time, we're done for in the league! We'll never be able to hold our heads up again, understand?"
"clear!"
The entire Knicks team, including head coach Van Gundy, was together at this moment. They were extremely unhappy about last year's defeat, and all they had been doing this year was seek revenge!
We can forgo the championship, but we must kill the Miamiers!
So, the entire Knicks team started celebrating early after the playoff matchups were confirmed!
They celebrated their chance for revenge and also celebrated their advancement to the second round of the playoffs!
For Miami residents, their nightmare is far from over.
Although they secured second place in the East, the process by which they achieved this position was rather ugly. In the end, they only managed to get second place because they failed to defeat the Cavaliers in a battle of the worst.
Simply put, everyone thinks the Heat chose to back down, but they didn't succeed in backing down!
They completely lost face and reputation!
If they beat the Knicks in the playoffs, that would be great; the Knicks would be the ones who lose. But if they lose to the Knicks...
Tsk tsk tsk, given the power and notoriously sharp tongue of the New York media, it's no surprise they'll settle old scores and new grudges together. They'd be lucky if they didn't spit out the Heat's ancestors for eight generations.
Therefore, this series is absolutely crucial for Riley and the Heat! In some ways, it's even more important than last year's Eastern Conference Finals!
With the battle for second and third place in the East over, the SuperSonics and Suns in the West have both defeated their opponents and secured their rankings. The rankings of the top 16 teams in the Eastern and Western Conference playoffs, as well as the lottery teams, have also been finalized!
(End of this chapter)