The longest river

Chapter 97 Desperate Situation
Yang Shuai's performance in Game 2 was somewhat lower than in Game 1, but he still scored a team-high 21 points.

Albert and Johnson bet that Yang Shuai wouldn't score 20 points in a single playoff game, but now Yang Shuai is scoring 20+ points every game.

Furthermore, at the post-Game 2 press conference, when a reporter asked again if he had watched the latest episode of "NBA Insider," Yang Shuai did not change the subject as he had done before, but instead directly confronted the reporter.

"He's a sissy."

After he finished speaking, everyone in the audience was stunned.

They didn't understand what Yang Shuai meant by "sissy".

Yang Shuai realized he had let something slip; the internet slang term didn't exist back then.

He then explained the word again, saying it meant a man who is like a woman.

His explanation caused an uproar at the scene.

Just as Miller had thought, Albert is known for his narrow-mindedness, and if Yang Shuai says this about him, he will definitely be targeted and criticized later.

But thinking about it, Albert is now considered the number one "Yang hater".

Yang Shuai's willingness to respond directly only now shows his considerable composure.

Of course, what they didn't know was that Yang Shuai actually didn't want to bother with media people like Albert in the first place. The reason he said that at the press conference today was simply because Albert made him wait for an hour for nothing.

After two home games, the Pacers traveled to New York for an away game against the Knicks.

The Knicks, facing elimination, displayed unprecedented resilience in Game 3.

Even more important than resilience is that, although Van Gundy is not good at making in-game adjustments, his habit of writing everything down in a notebook allows him to make excellent defensive adjustments between games.

In this game, the Knicks exploited the Pacers' biggest weakness, which had been evident since the beginning of the season, on the defensive end: weak-side spacing.

They completely abandoned the Pacers' weak side and then double-teamed Young and Schmitz relentlessly.

Before Yang Shuai entered the rotation, the Pacers had experienced a period of struggle at the beginning of the season due to a similar situation.

Essentially, after Mark Jackson left the team, the Pacers not only lost their playmaking ability, but also their weak-side spacing.

While Mark Jackson wasn't known for his three-point shooting, his spot-up three-pointers were much better than McGee's, who rarely attempted threes, and Robertson's, who had a shooting percentage of just over 20%.

That problem was initially resolved when Yang Shuai was brought into the rotation, but it has now resurfaced due to Miller's injury.

After a heated and competitive defensive battle, the Pacers ultimately lost 82-91.

The Knicks have pulled one back, 1-2.

After Game 3, Yang Shuai stayed at Madison Square Garden to practice his three-point shooting.

The NBA allows players to practice after away games, so it's very rare for someone like Giannis Antetokounmpo to have a conflict with 76ers staff while practicing free throws after a game.

Yang Shuai did not perform well tonight under the Knicks' tight defense, taking 8 three-point attempts but only making 2.

It's normal for a high school rookie to have fluctuating performances in the playoffs.

However, Yang Shuai knew that in this best-of-five series, losing just one game could completely change the situation.

Let's not even talk about basketball; in games, coming back from a 0-2 deficit to win 3-2 is a common occurrence.

What Yang Shuai didn't notice was that his training was being watched by Robertson who happened to be passing by.

Seemingly having made up his mind, Robertson knocked on Brown's door after returning to the hotel.

Brown was somewhat surprised to see Robertson, but he still let him into the room.

What few people know is that Robertson played under Brown during his last season with the Spurs.

That was also a major reason why he came to the Pacers.

However, in his last season with the Spurs, he averaged 17.3 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals per game, and now he is about to retire.

After a brief chat, Robertson explained his purpose for visiting.

"I hope to start Byron at point guard."

However, after Robertson finished speaking, Brown frowned immediately.

Although both are veterans, Scott's current defensive level is a level below Robertson's.

This adjustment will inevitably lead to a significant decline in the Pacers' perimeter defense.

It's worth noting that the Knicks' perimeter duo consists of Harper and Starks, both players with explosive scoring potential.

"Coach, we need better offensive spacing. We can't beat them with just defense." Seeing Brown frown and remain silent, Robertson continued to persuade him.

“What we need to do is limit their scoring to under 90 points,” Brown said, shaking his head.

If Yang Shuai, who was sitting across from Brown at that moment, heard this, he would most likely jump up and yell at him as an old stubborn fool.

However, Robertson had anticipated that Brown would say such a thing.

"Even if we can limit them to 90 points, we still can't win because we can't get 90 points."

Brown suddenly looked at Robertson, his eyes sharp.

Although Robertson's words were not so direct, they were still a direct rebuttal to him.

It was precisely because the two were old acquaintances that Robertson dared to speak to Brown in that manner.

Otherwise, given Brown's controlling nature, he would have immediately asked him to leave after hearing that.

"Coach, we need to win this series."

Seeing that Brown still hadn't reacted, Robertson added another sentence.
You need it.

Brown's gaze gradually softened only after Robertson finished speaking.

Because of the regular season's disastrous outcome, the relationship between Brown and the management is now very tense. After all, the Pacers initially hired Brown to improve the team's record, and in the past two seasons, Brown led the team to the Eastern Conference Finals for two consecutive years, which pleased the management.

But now they may be eliminated in the first round.

"I'll try."

Brown eventually agreed.

Before getting up to leave, Robertson saw the thick tactics notebook on Brown's desk and the half-finished coffee beside it. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn't say anything.

Brown is a capable coach. Give him a group of players who are not particularly outstanding, but who are absolutely obedient to him, and he can bring them to the limit of their talents.

But for newcomers, Brown was completely incompetent as a coach, even terrible.

Because he basically cultivates newcomers in a "breeding and training" manner.

This seems fair, but how many rookies can actually gain the upper hand in competition with veteran players?
Especially given his obsession with defense, the one who stands out from the competition is most likely not the one with better talent, but the one with better defense.

This may explain why Brown and Young have such a strained relationship now, and why he is in a difficult situation with the Pacers.

Before returning to his own room, Robertson knocked on Yang Shuai's door, only to find that Yang had not yet returned.

Even after all this time, Yang Shuai is still training extra hard; his ambition is even higher than he imagined.

"Hansen, good luck."

Robertson silently wished Yang Shuai well.

Before Game 4 between the Pacers and the Knicks, Reggie Miller told the media that he would return to play earlier if there was a Game 5 in the series.

This undoubtedly reassured the Pacers players.

Game 4: Madison Square Garden was packed to capacity, with fans displaying their fiery passion.

If they can win Game 4 and force a Game 5, the morale will be on the Knicks' side.

Miller can certainly make a comeback, but who can guarantee his condition after his return?

After all, Miller underwent eye surgery, which is bound to have an impact on a shooter.

The Pacers made a change to their starting lineup, with Scott starting at point guard.

This adjustment had an immediate effect. With Scott standing on the weak side, Yang Shuai and Schmitz suddenly had a lot of offensive space.

Moreover, in crucial matches, neither Yang Shuai nor Schmitz faltered in terms of their shooting touch.

The Pacers played their best offense of the entire series.

However, they also failed to contain the Knicks' offense.

Ewing played at an above-season level throughout the series, exuding the same aura as Willis Reed back in the day.

Moreover, after Scott was brought in, Brown's concerns came true, and Harper had a breakout night, sinking four three-pointers in the first half alone.

The match felt like a return to the first encounter between the two teams at the beginning of the season.

The same location, the same two teams, and the same all-out offensive battle.

However, as the game progressed, the Knicks gradually gained the upper hand.

In the third quarter, they even extended their lead to 20 points at one point.

Despite a valiant comeback, the Pacers trailed 101-108 with 40 seconds remaining.

The outcome is no longer in much doubt.

Essentially, whether on offense or defense, the Pacers without Miller are no match for the Knicks.

They were able to take a 2-0 lead earlier thanks to Yang Shuai's amazing performance in the final quarter of Game 1 and the momentum brought by the great comeback.

But the initial momentum wanes, and once the Knicks recovered from Game 3, it became very difficult for the Pacers to win again.

They may have no choice but to wait for Miller's return.

"Where is that high school student? Why can't I see him on the field? Is he disguised as Susan Richards?"

Albert was also in the commentary booth and started spewing out comments.

Upon learning that Yang Shuai had mocked him at a press conference and even coined the term "sissy," he was so enraged that he smashed his phone on the spot.

He later crossed the line in public, stating bluntly that "Yang Shuai, as an Asian player, will never be able to establish himself in the league."

If before he was only annoyed with Yang Shuai because he had been humiliated, then at that moment the two truly became enemies.

He would never let such an opportunity slip by.

The camera then focused on Yang Shuai, showing his stats of 6 three-pointers and 22 points in the final quarter of Game 1.

If anyone can help the Pacers create miracles, it can only be Yang Shuai.

However, it is clear that the Pacers are in an even more difficult situation now than they were then.

If being down by 17 points in the final quarter is considered adversity, then being down by 7 points with 40 seconds left is absolutely hopeless.

Moreover, having already experienced the Game 1 incident, even if the Knicks send Yang to the free-throw line, they cannot allow him to take a crazy number of three-pointers from the outside like in Game 1.

-Dividing line-

①: The greatest player in Knicks history, he played for the team for 10 years, leading them to 2 championships, and had the "Reed Moment" that represented the return of the king.

②: The Invisible Woman from the Fantastic Four.

(End of this chapter)