i'm really an insider

Chapter 72 070: First in the Alliance, Falling

Reggie Miller was lying on the floor, letting the masseur "screw" his body.

Although boos were all around, Miller Sr. still enjoyed the relaxing moment before the game.

According to the usual practice, after receiving the massage, Miller practiced his mid-range and long-range shooting accompanied by the trainer.

Even in the palace stadium of Auburn Hills, which is full of opposing fans, Miller's shooting percentage is also considerable.

He made 50 three-pointers and scored 41.He attempted 30 free throws and scored 29.

Although he is already an out-and-out veteran, although it is Artest and O'Neal who are really carrying the Pacers forward, Miller has never relaxed his demands on himself.

He tried his best to adjust his state to deal with various emergencies.

He never wanted anything like Game [-] of the series to happen again.

The warm-up is over, there are more and more fans in the stands, and reporters also began to pour into the stadium one after another.

An ESPN reporter found Miller, obviously hoping to invite this team soul-level figure to conduct a pre-match interview.

Miller nodded and reminded reporters: "Hurry up."

"Reggie, you shot a lot of three-pointers before the game. Does that mean you want to be able to maintain a good touch when you execute the last shot?"

The first question is very common.

Miller is not nervous, contented.

"What I care about is whether the game I play meets the standard that I expect, and that is the key to whether I can be satisfied.

In fact, I don't care too much about whether I can get the right to the last shot in the game. I don't want to have a Miller moment all the time.

I have worked hard in the league for many years, and I am used to looking at the outcome of the game with a cold eye.Therefore, I try my best to warm up before the game, just to have a clear conscience during the game. "

"Really? Since you said that, why did you kick the ball into the audience in anger after the second game of the series?"

Reporters mercilessly exposed Miller's lies.

Look at winning or losing with a cold eye?To say that other people are similar, anyway, you Miller is definitely not this kind of personality.

Miller's originally calm face changed slightly. He frowned, then looked up at the basket.

Game [-] of the series, why so angry?

He began to recall the scene of that night.

At that time, with 98 seconds left in the game, the Pacers trailed the Pistons by 6 points.

At the critical moment, none of the Pacers worked, and in the end Miller had to do it himself.

He stood up and scored 4 points in a row, narrowing the point difference to 46 points in the last 2 seconds.

At this time, Miller was feeling hot, and everyone was expecting him to make Miller reappear all the time, and let the Pacers go to Detroit with a total score of 2-0.

However, in the next key attack that determined the trend of the game, Miller's fast break layup was chased by Tyshawn Prince who came out of nowhere.

The miracle came to an end. This risk made Prince popular in the United States and directly shattered the Pacers' confidence.

In the end, the Pistons won the drama-filled game 72-67 on the road.

After the game, Miller kicked the game ball away, as if to vent his unwillingness.

If he could be faster and two or three years younger, maybe he wouldn't be covered?

But there are no maybes and ifs on the basketball court, Miller can only vent by playing football.

Therefore, he was also fined $5000 by the league.

Thinking of everything that happened that day, Miller's expression became even more unsettled.

Yeah, don't care about winning, it's all for outsiders

"Do you want to know why? Because the championship is the dream I have been pursuing for many years!" Miller finished speaking, turned and left, ending the interview.

His lies are self-defeating.

When a man who is nearly 40 years old says the word "dream".

You just know how obsessed he is with it.

Today is June 6st, Children's Day.

At the same time, it is also the day when Game [-] of the Eastern Conference Finals starts.

The previous regular season No. [-] Indiana Pacers will usher in their battle of life and death at the Palace Stadium in Auburn Hills.

That's right, the battle of life and death.

Because at this time, the total score of the series became 3 to 2, and the Pistons got the match point.

This "grassroots division", which was not expected before, only needs to win one more game to reach the finals.

Their grassroots myth is really a bit like this year's NCAA championship Cowboys.

At the same time, this also means that if the Pacers, the number one in the league, lose another game, they will pack up and leave.

Miller tried to calm himself before the game, so he deliberately put on a look of indifference.

But the reporter's question made him a little irritable now.

The championship, the championship, his championship dream, has become precarious again.

After the game started, the two sides fell into hand-to-hand combat as always.

This round of the series was very rough and brutal, and the score was not high, because both sides paid great attention to defense.

The key to victory for both sides is to try their best to make the other party's efficiency lower than their own.

This style of play is very different from the style of pursuing high efficiency ten years later.

And such a rough game can easily cause friction between the players on both sides.

Just 5 minutes into the game, Artest and Big Ben started to fight each other.

One minute later, Tianzun and O'Neal had a body collision outside the scope of the game under the basket.

The game was very bloody, and both sides were almost on the verge of losing control.

The scenes of people turning their backs and tough physical confrontation flooded the court, which had nothing to do with the "beautiful basketball" and "gentleman's basketball" in Stern's fantasy.

However, this "ugly" game has made all fans hooked.

The real battle is nothing more than this.

The game continued like this, and neither of the two sides had a way to pull the score apart.

When Wayne and Tony Allen finished training and rushed back to their residence to turn on the TV, the score had come to 63-67, with the Pistons leading by 4 points.

If it is in 2020, Wayne will definitely feel that the game has just started the third quarter when he sees this score.

But at this time, the game has gone on to the last 1 minute and 03 seconds.

"I'm going, I'm so anxious. Wayne, who are you betting on to win this series? Whoever loses will get up and make breakfast tomorrow morning!" Tony Allen began to set the gambling table eagerly.

"The Pistons win, I bet you for three days. I lose, I make breakfast for three days."

"The Pistons? They may be leading in total points now, but the Pacers are number one in the league! Besides, the Pistons are not champions, do you really think they will become the champions of the Eastern Conference?"

"Well, I'll bet on the Pistons anyway." Wayne shrugged, this kind of game has no suspense for him.

If possible, I would gamble with Tony again in the finals. It is estimated that Wayne will not have to cook his own breakfast before the start of the draft.

Good brother is of course used to cheat!

At this time, Jermaine O'Neal received the basketball in the low post, turned over and shot a jumper.

However, this key shot was struck under the interference of Roaring Tianzun.

Don't look at Tianzun's embarrassment when he mentions Wayne, but hard power is indeed strong enough.

O'Neal's shooting rate today is very bad, it will exceed 40%, thanks to the gift of Tianzun.

To be exact, the No. 3 guy in the MVP rankings performed very well during the entire round of the series.

Some media have already begun to call Jermaine O'Neal "a superstar in the regular season and a giant baby in the playoffs".

"What are you doing? We have to seize the opportunity! Shit!" Artest yelled at O'Neal, even saying the word starting with F.

It's no secret that O'Neal has no stable means of scoring at critical moments.

"Don't yell at me, back off!" Jermaine O'Neal was also angry. His relationship with Artest was not as good as people imagined.

It is difficult to get together with a prickly and aggressive guy like Artest and a tough guy like O'Neal.

If it weren't for Miller's pressure in the locker room, if it weren't for the Pacers' excellent record this year to cover up many contradictions, these two guys would have exploded long ago.

Fortunately, Prince's mid-range shot from the Pistons also hit the iron, which did not allow the score to continue to be stretched.

The point difference is still 4 points, but the time left for the Pacers has become less and less.

This time, Artest decided to stand up and carry the banner of offense for O'Neal. He did not trust O'Neal's performance at critical moments.

But where was he himself?He himself is not a particularly stable scoring point, and it is even more difficult to use at critical moments.

"Artest also missed a three-pointer, my God, will the league's No. [-] be eliminated because of this? They are one step away from the finals!"

The commentator looked at the time, and the Pacers almost missed the best opportunity.

Miller sighed. This game reminded him of those experiences in the regular season.

What he feared the most had happened.

At the critical moment, this team did not have a stable scoring point.

No one can confidently pat their chests and say, "Give me the ball, and I'll take care of it."

O'Neal can't, and Artest can't.

Losing the regular season as a result, Miller didn't care much.

He lost Game [-] of the series because of that, and he could tell himself he still had a chance.

But if I lose again today

"Damn it!" Miller also cursed inwardly. In the end, does he still have to rely on himself who is nearly forty years old?

But this time, the Pistons did not give the Pacers a chance to struggle.

Billups assisted Big Ben with a slam dunk at the basket with an elusive ground pass!

O'Neal's attention was attracted by Billups, so the basket was emptied.

After the dunk, Big Ben did not forget to yell at Artest.

Artest gritted his teeth, if it wasn't for the fact that Big Ben was scarier than him, he would have to teach that Afro a lesson.

It's not that I'm afraid of being fined and suspended, the key is that I'm afraid of losing!

"With 11 seconds left, the Pacers trail by 6 points. Coach Carlisle called a stoppage. They're only a hair's breadth away from hell!"

Pistons fans cheer at Palace Stadium in Auburn Hills.

Of course, the way they cheer is different from fans in other cities.

At this time, the Pacers players sitting on the bench had to endure the swear words from the fans behind them while listening to Carlisle's tactics.

"Harrington, you help Miller block Hamilton. Jermaine, try to contain Ben in the paint so that he can't do anything. Reggie, you shoot this shot!"

Miller looked at Carlisle and nodded silently.

A championship team can only rely on a nearly 40-year-old veteran for key goals

How sad this is.

But does Carlisle have a choice?He has no choice.

His team can defend the key ball, but not necessarily hit the key ball.

In the end, Miller, who was nearly exhausted physically, didn't hit the life-and-death ball.

He is no longer the Miller who scored 9 points in 8 seconds, the one who pushed away the "God" to complete the lore, and the one who grabbed Spike Lee's neck with both hands.

He is almost 40 years old, and this kind of burden should have been carried by other people for him.

but

"Fuck!" Byrd turned off the TV and smashed the remote.

Beside him, the general manager of the team, Donnie Walsh, was silent.

The general manager's office was silent for a long time, until the Indiana basketball legend stood up.

4 to 2, the Detroit Pistons defeated the league's No. [-] Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

All their hard work for a year was in vain.

"larry"

"Stop talking, you've seen it too, we're still one breath away from the championship!" Bird interrupted forcefully before Walsh could finish speaking.

"how do you want to do it?"

"Reinforcement!"

"Reinforcing who?"

"Someone we need."

"Even if it's from the damn draft?" Walsh also became serious. He knew what Bird wanted to do.

Walsh also affirmed that Bird knew that he had not been optimistic about Wayne.

Bird didn't answer, but walked straight out of the office.

Walsh also cursed angrily.

From O'Neal to Artest, from Bird to Walsh

When the Pacers went through their losses, the 60-win team was far less solid than one might think.

　Thanks to the silly bug and Datang Tiejun for their rewards~ Sincere thanks!Unexpectedly, the ticket will break 6W so soon, yes, add 3000.Now on the day when it is put on the shelves, there are 6.9W words added, and the nest really only has code words.

　　

　

(End of this chapter)