The longest river

Chapter 93 Knowingly and deliberately
During the break between the third and fourth quarters, the camera focused on Yang Shuai resting on the bench.

The Knicks' tight defense made it very difficult for him to get a shot off.

"I'm sorry." Schmitz turned to Yang Shuai and apologized, panting heavily.

He had heard about the bet between Johnson and Albert and knew how important this game was for Yang Shuai, but tonight he seemed to be cursed by God and just couldn't make those high-post shots.

Perhaps this is a night that doesn't belong to them.

Yang Shuai turned his head in surprise. Schmitz, a key player on the team, was actually apologizing to him?
Whatever the reason, this move brought him and Schmitz much closer together.

Of course, physical distance has also been shortened.

Yang Shuai moved a little closer to Schmitz, and after glancing at Brown who was focused on the court, gestured for Schmitz to lower his head.

Schmitz did as instructed.

"what?!"

However, after hearing what Yang Shuai whispered, he looked surprised.

The commotion immediately caught Brown's attention.

Schmitz coughed awkwardly twice.

After Brown looked back, he lowered his head and whispered to confirm, "Are you sure the coach won't be angry?"

Looking back on his experience in the regular season, Yang Shuai was clearly making a deliberate mistake!

"I think he probably wants to win the game more than anything else." Yang Shuai made the decision for Brown.

Schmitz paused for a moment, but after looking up at the score, he finally nodded.

It can't get any worse than it is now.

Three minutes into the fourth quarter, the Pacers were still unable to close the gap.

Brown paced back and forth on the sidelines, looking as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

The way Yang Shuai was used at the beginning of the season had already created a rift between him and the management, and the turmoil at the end of the season turned that rift into a chasm.

If he is eliminated by the Knicks, his Pacers career may be over.

For a renowned coach like him, leaving the Pacers isn't necessarily a bad thing, but being slunk out would damage his personal image and make it difficult to find another satisfactory job.

He finally stopped and called Yang Shuai and Schmitz up from the bench.

This was a premature substitution.

When Yang Shuai heard that he and Schmitz had been substituted onto the field together, he stood up excitedly.

Brown's teamwork was so good that he almost thought the opponent was under a spell.

With the ball dead on the sidelines, the Pacers substituted Yang Shuai and Schmitz early. At this point, the score was 65-81, with the Knicks still holding a 16-point lead.

Van Gundy did not follow suit after seeing Brown make a substitution.

Bringing in the main players so early might help catch up in points, but it also depletes their energy prematurely.

When the game reaches the last five minutes, the Pacers, exhausted, will surrender early.

Of course, he doesn't actually think the Pacers have any chance of turning things around right now.

"Ernie, what was that high school student's score again?" Albert had already started to bombard him with questions.

"The game isn't over yet, is it?"

"Perhaps only time will tell," Albert replied, directly quoting Johnson from the show.

Yang Shuai only had 7 shot attempts after three quarters tonight, making 3 of 7 shots, including 1 of 4 three-pointers, plus one free throw, for a total of only 8 points.

Just as he said, Yang Shuai only scored 8 points in the first three quarters. Could he really be expected to score 12 points in a single quarter?
That's not just wishful thinking, it's downright fantasy.

The Pacers' offensive possession came after the substitution.

The current lineups for both teams are as follows: Pacers: Best, Scott, Young, Antonio Davis, Schmitz
Knicks: Charlie Ward, Hubert Davis, Anthony Mason Jr., Grant, Herb Williams

In the very first possession, the Pacers' offense stunned everyone in the arena.

Schmitz actually pulled up to the three-point line to set an off-ball screen for Yang Shuai!

Brown's jaw almost dropped.

He turned to look at Malone.

This time, Malone shook his head frantically. He could accept the tactics from last time, but not this kind of tactic.

However, before Brown could turn around, a huge commotion broke out in the crowd.

Brown looked back and saw that, using Schmitz's screen, Yang Shuai received the ball and immediately launched a three-pointer!

The spot where he shot was the same as when he played against the Heat, at least half a meter away from the three-point line!

Brown clenched his fists; Yang Shuai was clearly slapping him in the face.

The fans at the scene were stunned; even Miller wouldn't play like that.

To be honest, this play didn't involve much tactical execution; it was just a pure long-range three-pointer.

However, Yang Shuai's shooting motion was very smooth and quick, and Davis had no time to interfere.

Theoretically speaking, Yang Shuai's shooting touch was not good because he was heavily guarded in the first three quarters.

If it were a normal striker, he would definitely hesitate after receiving the ball, but Yang Shuai's face at this moment only showed confidence.

That's the result of countless training sessions aimed at pushing your abilities to their limit.

No matter how well he shot in the previous game, he believed he could make the shot if given another chance.

The basketball traced a long parabola through the air.

"Shh!"

It fell straight into the net bag.

Yang Shuai made that three-pointer!
The scene exploded instantly. "How did he do that?" Even Ernie Johnson found it unbelievable.

On the one hand, Yang Shuai once again made this kind of long-range three-pointer, and on the other hand, Yang Shuai's shooting touch was not very good in the first three quarters.

"It's only three points."

Albert's smug expression turned sour as he saw Yang Shuai, after sinking the three-pointer, start doing Bridges' three-point celebration again.

After this three-point shot was exposed by the media, it sparked a craze among young people, who called it "yang gun".

“It’s a start.” Johnson sensed something unusual.

Although it was only a three-pointer, he had only seen that kind of tactic before, where a big center would pull up to the three-point line to set a screen, in the previous Pacers vs. Heat game.

The camera quickly focused on Brown.

Everyone knows Brown hates three-pointers. If Miller hadn't already been with the Pacers before Brown joined, he probably wouldn't have allowed Miller to shoot threes.

But now Miller is out for the season and can't play, so his replacement Yang Shuai is not only shooting three-pointers, but he's also reached new heights!
Of course, there is another layer of meaning in this shot.

It's worth noting that the last time Yang Shuai did that against the Heat, Brown immediately substituted him out of the game, and he never played again.

So will Brown continue to do that?
Brown's chest was clearly heaving at this moment.

Because Yang Shuai challenged his rules once again.

Especially when he looked at Yang Shuai, but Yang Shuai pretended not to see his gaze, his chest heaved violently.

But in the end, Brown did not make any substitutions.

The root cause of that controversy during the regular season was that he limited Yang Shuai's playing time.

If he continues to do that in the playoffs, he will become the primary scapegoat for the Pacers' losses.

That's why he substituted Yang Shuai and Schmitz early.

We all have to share the blame.

Yang Shuai's three-pointer greatly boosted the team's morale. The Pacers executed a successful defensive play, and Davis's three-pointer missed after being contested by Yang Shuai. The rebound was secured by Schmitz.

Just then, Yang Shuai had already crossed the halfway line.

Schmitz delivered a long pass from the backfield directly to the ball.

Yang Shuai received the ball and sprinted forward in a single run.

The intensity of competition and the targeting of opponents may increase in the playoffs, but the difficulty of fast breaks will not change.

If you run fast and decisively enough, no one can stop a fast-paced attack.

"Oh!"

Amidst the excited cheers of the fans in the arena, Yang Shuai delivered his signature tomahawk dunk.

Cleveland's fast break star came online again, with Yang Shuai going on a 5-0 run to narrow the gap to 11 points.

Van Gundy sensed something was wrong and turned to call Ewing.

Grant's scramble for the ball in the paint drew a foul from Davis, and Ewing had previously replaced Williams.

The Knicks had the ball in the frontcourt. Ewing received the ball in the low post, quickly turned and drove to the basket, and scored with a hook shot off the backboard.

Compared to Mourning, Ewing's low-post skills are clearly more mature. He knows that his advantage against Schmitz is speed, and he knows how to take advantage of that.

This goal was like a reassurance to the Knicks players.

With a 13-point lead and only 8 minutes left in the game, the Knicks still held the victory firmly in their grasp.

The Pacers advanced to the frontcourt, and Schmitz continued to move to the three-point line to run pick-and-rolls.

However, this time the Knicks reacted, with Davis choosing to flank ahead of time, and Ward positioning himself between Best and Young to disrupt the pass.

When Yang Shuai received the ball, he was already being marked by Davis again.

The Knicks executed a successful defensive play; Van Gundy, a student of Riley, is no slouch in defense.

However, the Pacers' offense did not stop there. At Yang Shuai's call, Schmitz turned around and made a second pick-and-roll at the three-point line.

Yang Shuai then dribbled the ball and quickly changed direction to the right.

This is a direct transformation from an off-ball three-pointer to a three-pointer with the ball!

Davis was a beat slow to react because he didn't know Yang Shuai had this ability.

Moreover, Schmitz's screen was very solid, and Yang Shuai actively drove towards Schmitz, which completely blocked Davis.

However, Ewing, a seasoned veteran, reacted quickly and lunged forward.

However, Yang Shuai immediately followed up with a crossover to the left and a step-back three-pointer!

The fans at the scene were stunned.

Yang Shuai had also attempted a step-back three-pointer against the Heat, but that was in Miami's home arena, and this was the first time Indiana fans had ever seen it.

Moreover, compared to the previous shot, Yang Shuai's shot incorporated two changes of direction, making it more difficult and visually appealing than the previous shot.

After all, his control over the game has improved significantly compared to before.

Ewing missed his shot, Davis was blocked, and of course, his Knicks teammates on and off the court could only watch as Yang Shuai launched that step-back, long-range three-pointer.

After regaining their senses, the fans at the scene couldn't hide their excitement.

The basketball traced a long parabola through the air like a missile.

"Shh!"

It pierced straight through the net with a crisp sound.

The entire city square stadium instantly erupted in cheers.

(End of this chapter)