One Year Left to Play-Chapter 262 - 93: The Pacers’ Counterattack Army
The counterattack came late, but it finally came.
Both Antonio Davis and Dale Davis, the former was picked at 18th in the second round of the 1990 draft by the Pacers and didn't even get a contract initially. He played in Europe for three years before getting a contract. The latter was picked 13th in the first round. Their way of counterattacking was quite unique. At the time, you couldn't really tell how good they were at playing, but both were incredibly capable! Together, they formed the golden enforcers duo, the Davis brothers.
With explosive tempers and loyalty, with these two golden enforcers, Reggie Miller wasn't beaten to death.
...
At 6:15 in the evening, Zhang Hao and his teammates entered the court together. In 15 minutes, the game would begin.
The players on the other side weren't friendly at all. You could tell from the last preseason game. On the Heat's side, Kevin Willis would still joke and chat with Kenny Anderson before the game, and Moning was a bold guy in private.
But the players from the Pacers might as well have "Strangers Keep Out" written on their faces.
"Reggie Miller, 30 years old, height 198 cm, wingspan 203 cm, weight 90 kg, ability rating 89, offense 91, defense 73, three-pointer 94, mid-range shot 95, layup 82, speed 88, strength 77, jumping 58..."
"90 kg? Isn't his registered weight 98 kg? Does he have to lie about that too?"
Looking at Reggie Miller, he really doesn't look like he's 98 kg...
An ability rating of 89, not slow but certainly not fast, with adequate strength but not outstanding. Without these aspects, if he's not the kind of player who organizes the offense, he'd really struggle to play.
When it comes to jumping, he's just about average among ordinary people.
In terms of capability, maybe he's really no stronger than Kenny Anderson.
Reggie Miller has never been a superstar and has never been a frequent visitor to the All-NBA Team. He even must rely on luck to make it to the All-Star. In the past seven seasons, he's only been an All-Star twice.
However, Reggie Miller's impression on Zhang Hao is that of a legend.
Because the tougher the game, the harder Reggie Miller plays!
For example, in last season's playoffs, in the second round, championship favorites lost to the Pacers by 8.9 seconds, and because of those 8.9 seconds, the New York Knicks were ultimately eliminated by the Pacers 3 to 4.
No communication, just focused on the Brooklyn Nets getting their last pre-game preparations done in earnest.
The fans who came to watch the game tonight were much fewer than the last game...
Before the last game, their Brooklyn Nets were 3-2, and the stands were nearly full, but tonight, a third of the seats were empty.
And it wasn't that tickets were sold but unclaimed, ticket sales themselves had plummeted.
Who could blame them when they lost back at their home court?
The Pacers are much stronger than the Hawks and the Kings, and the gap between the rosters is quite large! Although the Pacers don't have a top star like Moning, their overall lineup is a notch stronger than the Heat, a definite first-tier strong team.
But the Brooklyn Nets still want to fight!
Even if fighting means losing, they still want to fight; pride and such are unimportant…
Very soon, the game is about to begin, with PJ Brown and Schmitz coming to the center circle for the jump ball.
The Pacers sent out a starting lineup of Mark Jackson, Reggie Miller, Derek McKay, Dale Davis, and Schmitz.
The Brooklyn Nets' starting lineup was unchanged, Kenny Smith, Graham, Almon Gilliam, Zhang Hao, and PJ Brown took the court.
The referee blows the whistle to start the game and tosses the ball into the air…
This time, PJ Brown missed the jump ball!
Despite Rick Schmitz's jump of only 46, with a height of 224 cm and a wingspan of 233 cm, at the moment the ball reached its peak, he quickly tipped it backward!
Zhang Hao saw this scene and a thought flashed in his mind, it was of a future giant of the Chinese Men's Basketball Team, who is 2 cm taller than this guy but has a 5 cm shorter wingspan… having long arms is awesome!
The Brooklyn Nets retreated to defense easily, the Pacers advanced slowly, but not because they were adjusting their pace, they were actually that slow.
Mark Jackson steadily advanced to the front court, then passed the ball to Derek McKay.
Derek McKay, acting like Edwards but as a frontcourt version, standing at 206 cm high, can play from small forward to center. He can do a bit of everything, quite good at one-on-one offense, and solid in individual defense; a rather exceptional jack-of-all-trades player.
In the low post, Derek McKay received the ball, and Reggie Miller began running routes. Graham started chasing and blocking with a series of bangs and pulls, but Reggie Miller was tough and had outstanding route-running skills, finding a gap and squeezing in forcefully…
There it is, an open shot!
From the low post, Derek McKay passed the ball, and Reggie Miller received it for a long jump shot… It's in!
Reggie Miller's scoring area is broader than the impression of him as a "Three-Point King." A third of his points come from free throws, close range, and under the basket, a third from three-pointers, and another third from mid-range.
He's very smart, only rarely venturing close range or under the basket unless it's an open layup, but even knowing he'll shoot from mid-range or beyond, stopping him is still a challenge!
Offensive and defensive transition, Brooklyn Nets on the attack.
Defending Kenny Anderson was Reggie Miller, and once he stuck to Kenny Anderson, Reggie Miller couldn't stop talking.
Kenny Anderson naturally opted for a solo drive.
Crowded!
The Pacers' frontcourt trio made the inside of the three-point line incredibly cramped. Kenny Anderson driving in found no chance and passed the ball to the running Zhang Hao.
Zhang Hao wanted to shoot immediately upon catching the ball, but seeing Almon Gilliam squeeze past Dale Davis and gain a position advantage, he quickly passed the ball over.
Almon Gilliam received the ball but was cautious of Schmitz under the basket, stopping suddenly just outside the lane for a floater… but missed!
After Schmitz secured the rebound, Dale Davis arrogantly shouted, "Rick, look at that softie, he's afraid of you!"
Almon Gilliam was about to explode on the spot, held back and pulled back to the backcourt by PJ Brown.
Dale Davis, he's like the Pacers' Dennis Rodman, not as nasty, nor as strong, averaging 10+10, where his points are mostly from the team's excellent space control "eating what falls into his lap," yet he can secure an early two-year 8.1 million US Dollar renewal in 1993, and sign another two-year 11.78 million US Dollar contract before this season. It's because on defense, even when being unable to stop anyone, he's diligently doing his job without giving up, and he can make his opponents furious using various means.
Mark Jackson received the ball from Schmitz and advanced to the frontcourt, Derek McKay continued to go to the low post against Almon Gilliam for the ball.
Everyone thought Mark Jackson would pass it to the low post Derek McKay, but not this time. After Schmitz came out to screen for Reggie Miller's high pick-and-roll, he took advantage of the switch between Zhang Hao and Graham to pass it over to Schmitz, who spread out to the left of the free-throw line, Schmitz took a jump shot and made it!
Very slow-paced, but extremely high success rate!
In the past 6 games, the Pacers' shooting percentage has reached fifty-four percent, higher than the Magic and the SuperSonics, who are ranked top in the East and West; the Pacers continue their excellent form from the past games.
As for the Brooklyn Nets' offense, their opportunities ultimately arose with Almon Gilliam.
Because Dale Davis can't keep up with Zhang Hao, they tried it in the preseason, so in this game, they used Derek McKay to guard Zhang Hao without the ball, but it was equally tough for Dale Davis to guard Almon Gilliam.
Kenny Anderson realized this in the last round, and in this round, intentionally passed the ball to Almon Gilliam, who had a chance after setting a screen for Zhang Hao without the ball.
Gilliam, after receiving the ball, sees Dale Davis and Derek McKay doubling him, so he passes it to Zhang Hao, who has retreated to the left of the three-second area for a long two-point shot. Zhang Hao catches the ball for a wide-open mid-range jumper… and swishes it!
Dale Davis and Derek McKay didn't expect Almon Gilliam to distribute the ball so calmly!
Dale Davis has faced Almon Gilliam many times and knows Almon Gilliam's personality traits, so he starts taunting right away, seeing that the opponent's anger doesn't seem high enough yet.
After the ball fell from the hoop, Dale Davis loudly shouted to his teammate Derek McKay, who was half a meter away from him, "Derek, look, that softie's afraid, he has to rely on a rookie!"
Almon Gilliam, with his fiery temper, just wants to charge in for a hit!
Seeing Almon Gilliam getting ready to pounce, Zhang Hao quickly covers Almon Gilliam's mouth and pulls him back...
