Legendary star

Chapter 571 Unusual atmosphere

"This guy can really hold his breath." As the second half of the game began, Reggie Miller's hand feeling was in the air due to the fact that he took more than 15 shots in the first half and the non-stop movement consumed too much energy. After the start of the third quarter, there was a cliff-like decline. Tyshawn Prince, who was similar to Reggie Miller, also felt very cold after the start of the third quarter. The score was evened in the 4th minute of the three quarters, but the Pacers, or Meng Xu, who is the core of the team, was very indifferent, and there was no sense of rushing to chase points.

Nelson originally expected that when the Mavericks approached the score or overtook the score, Meng Xu would definitely jump out and take over the game. After all, as a two-time scoring champion, he is one of the players with the best singles ability in the entire league. However, contrary to old Nelson's expectations, Meng Xu has no intention of taking over the game at all. Under the double-teaming of the Mavericks, Meng Xu will still hold the basketball in his hand. It came out that the madness of unscrupulous ultra-long-range three-pointers in the face of multiple double-teams, even if the teammates were all vacant, was gone.

"I want to see how long you can endure!" Seeing Meng Xu squeeze out a gap with his body under the double-team of Walker and Finley, and then thrust the basketball straight to Jie at the edge of the paint area. After Maine-O'Neal, the old Nelson admired Meng Xu a little. So far in today's game, Meng Xu only took 4 shots and scored 5 points. Among the Pacers' starting five, only Muto Mbo scored slightly higher.

As a more traditional head coach, Nelson actually doesn't like players like Meng Xu, Kobe, and Iverson. These players have a strong desire to score, have super singles ability, and can easily score in the face of multiple teams. , This kind of super personal scoring ability also brought them a strong self-confidence, the kind of self-confidence that ignores the team's tactics and teammates, thinking that I can play five by one person, the discord between Kobe and O'Neal, Ai Ferson and Larry Brown's falling out is also related to their strong self-confidence.The old Nelson's arrangement today is also deliberately aimed at this factor. This strategy has worked repeatedly when facing the Lakers and 76ers in the past. Kobe and Iverson can insist on not attacking for a quarter at most. As for Meng Xu, in the two matchups of the regular season, Meng Xu persisted for half of the game and started to attack crazily after the start of the third quarter. However, Meng Xu was surprisingly calm today. Attacking is like changing a different person.

However, old Nelson also has a worry now, that is, Meng Xu's scoring explosiveness is too strong. Leaving aside the scoring records in the regular season, the single-game scoring records in the finals and playoffs are kept by Meng Xu, and the single Festival 20+ or ​​even 30+ is as simple as drinking water for Meng Xu.After entering the league for 5 seasons, Meng Xu has set almost all the scoring records in the playoffs in the league, so the old Nelson is actually very contradictory now. On the one hand, the old Nelson wants Meng Xu to ignore him Crazy shots under double-teaming, on the one hand, I was a little worried, if Meng Xu had a 30+ in a single quarter or something, the Mavericks would definitely be over for this game.

"Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki pick and roll, Steve Nash cuts past Jermaine O'Neal and cuts to the hoop, will Steve Nash go straight to the layup? Mutom Beau's defensive position is very good. After taking off, Steve Nash faced Mutombo's block and passed the ball to Antoine Walker on the outside with a back pass. A very beautiful three-pointer, Antoine Walker Towan-Walker's three-pointer helped the Mavericks overtake the score, Antoine felt very good today, and he has scored 23 points in this game."

Although the old Nelson's team is not very good defensively, there is really nothing to say about the offense, especially now that there are 5 All-Stars with integrity and peaks under their command, although the addition of 5 All-Stars may not necessarily play a role. The total use is greater than 5, but because everyone has first-class offensive ability, this makes it impossible for the Pacers to pinch the Mavericks' offense.

Although after being overtaken by the Mavericks, the Pacers immediately started a wave of counterattacks, and at the same time resorted to their own good full-court press, but because James Posey was unable to play, the Pacers' all-out attack on the Mavericks The tight field is always not ideal, because Reggie Miller's pressing is easy to break for Michael Finley, and Michael Finley's offensive ability with the ball is very strong, so although the Pacers The momentum of the counterattack was fierce, but the Mavericks still maintained their lead until the end of the third quarter.

"Herb, it looks like you are very likely to lose this home game." After the referee blew the whistle for the end of the third quarter, looking at the 87-85 score on the scoreboard, the player in the center of the Bankers Life Arena In the box, the owner of the Mavericks, Mark Cuban, who came to watch the game with the team, was smoking a cigar while looking proudly at the owner of the Pacers, Herb Simon. Originally, Mark Cuban was a little worried that the Mavericks would not be able to beat the Pacers After all, the Pacers have achieved a record of 74 wins in the regular season, and they have 12 games in the playoffs. But now it seems that the Pacers are nothing more than that. They may lose in the first game of the finals Lose.

After taking over the Mavericks in 2000, Mark Cuban dreamed of winning a championship trophy for Dallas. After investing one after another, the total salary of the Mavericks this season has reached 7900 million US dollars, the highest No. [-] in the league, and the Mavericks did not disappoint Cuban. Under the leadership of Nelson, they made it all the way to the finals. Condemned, and facing the opportunity to win the first championship in team history, Mark Cuban is now also full of complacency.

"Mark, the game is not over yet. The most famous saying in this league is that basketball is round. No one can know the final outcome until the moment the game is over." Skillfully cutting a cigar, Herb- Simon replied to Mark Cuban with a slight smile. Herb Simon's brother Melvin Simon hated Mark Cuban, a guy with a flamboyant personality, so he heard that Mark Cuban was coming with the team. After Indiana, Melvin Simon asked Herb Simon to entertain Mark Cuban on the grounds that he was unwell, while he hid in his office to watch the live broadcast.

"Haha, Herb, I'm not talking about you. Do you think the old men on your team can beat me? I have five All-Stars. What do you guys have? Except for Meng Xu and O'Neal, there are only a bunch of rookies and old men left. I don’t know how you spent so much money a year.” Mark Cuban’s current philosophy is similar to that of the Blazers’ owner Paul Allen. With two kings and four 2s, you will definitely win the championship. However, after the pioneers of the local tyrants were blacked out by the league year after year, Paul Allen gradually gave up this idea of ​​​​building a team by spending money. , and Mark Cuban is still indulging in the joy of the Mavericks reaching the finals.

"Mark was joking, every penny our Pacers spend is worth it!" Herb Simon, who had already lit his cigar, looked at Mark Cuban very dissatisfied, and then took a hard puff of his cigar.

"Is it worth giving a 38-year-old man an annual salary of 1000 million? You won't say that when you lose the game." After Herb Simon finished speaking, Mark Cuban pushed back very disdainfully, 1000 million US dollars plus a few million can sign an All-Star, and the average salary of the five All-Stars in the Mavericks is only 1100 million.

"After you've owned a team for over ten years and you've got a player on your team for 10 years, you know."

(End of this chapter)