Billups raced up the court with the ball, with Artest in hot pursuit, cutting him off two meters behind the three-point line.

Billups quickly passed to Prince, who drove into the paint. With Foster giving chase, Prince extended his incredibly long arms and laid the ball into the basket.

The Pistons took a 2-point lead.

Su Xi couldn’t sit still any longer.

Carlisle, maintaining his composure like a seasoned commander, calmly gestured for Su Xi to sit back down.

This time, Fred passed the ball to Artest. Artest’s ball-handling was average, making it hard for him to create opportunities. He was a jack of all trades, master of none. But he was strong and could muscle past Prince.

But Prince’s defense was excellent. With his long arms and legs, he excelled at disruption.

Artest couldn’t find an opening and didn’t try to force it. He bumped Prince aside and fed the ball to Little O’Neal.

Facing Ben Wallace, Little Ao used a deft jab step before going for a layup, but... Ben Wallace’s reflexes were just too fast. He lunged from behind and, while he didn’t get the block, the physical contest sent Little O’Neal’s shot wildly off the rim. Oko grabbed the rebound.

’Come on, Little Ao, be tougher! You’ve got to be tougher, Little Ao!’

Su Xi was getting anxious on the sidelines.

Little O’Neal wasn’t a soft player; he had a very tough side. But he was indeed a bit too reliant on finesse. If it were Su Xi playing against Ben Wallace, he would’ve just crashed into him, spun, and jumped up for the dunk... Even if he missed, he’d draw a foul and get free throws.

The Pacers got a defensive stop on the next possession. Reggie Miller lunged at Hamilton, forcing him to miss the shot, and Foster secured the rebound.

Coming back the other way, the ball went to Artest.

Artest went one-on-one with Prince, driving inside the free-throw line before pulling up for a jumper... but it was just off. It was nearly blocked and didn’t even hit the rim, sailing out of bounds.

The Pacers’ offense just couldn’t get going against the Pistons. The Pistons were a terrible matchup for them; unless a player had an out-of-this-world performance, they had Indiana locked down like a suit of chainmail, link by link. This was precisely why the Pacers had lost the first two games of the series.

Carlisle turned around and said to Su Xi, "Get ready to go in on the next play."

Right now, in the entire Pacers camp, Su Xi was the only one who could potentially break free from the Pistons’ grasp. But Carlisle himself wasn’t sure. ’What if the Pistons find a way to shut Su Xi down, too?’

Just as Su Xi stood up and pulled off his warm-up towel, the Auburn Hills Palace erupted in a deafening roar.

He looked over and saw Ben Wallace jumping down from the rim, excitedly pounding his chest.

Just now, Billups and Ben Wallace had executed a high pick-and-roll. Both cut to the basket, with Billups driving straight into the paint. Little Ao slightly misjudged the play... and Fred failed to body up Ben Wallace. This allowed Wallace to carve out space, soar into the air, and catch the ball for a thunderous two-handed dunk.

After the basket, he was full of swagger, releasing all his pent-up frustration.

The Pistons were now up by 5.

Their momentum was unstoppable.

They were routing the Pacers, leaving them in disarray.

"Quick! Quick! Quick!" Carlisle said hurriedly to Su Xi. "Go sub in for Fred! Sub in for Fred!"

At the same time, Carlisle also subbed in Alan Hunterson.

Alan Hunterson was the 15th pick in the 1995 draft. In his first two years, Hunterson averaged only 6 points and 4 rebounds, earning him the label of a bust. However, he had a breakout year in the ’97-’98 season, with his stats jumping to 14.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. The Hawks also achieved a 50-32 record that year, and Hunterson naturally became the Most Improved Player. Following that, the Hawks gave him a massive 7-year, 35 million USD contract.

After getting the big contract, he still played well for two more years. But an injury in the ’01-’02 season took a toll on his athleticism, and after returning last season, his production had dropped to an average of 5 points and 5 rebounds.

In his prime, Hunterson could play both the three and four positions. He could secure defensive rebounds and initiate face-up attacks from mid-range. On defense, he could even act as a ’wall’ to stop drives.

The reason for his rapid decline was actually related to the Hawks’ point guards. During his best years from ’97 to ’00, the Hawks’ starting point guard was Mookie Blaylock, nicknamed ’The Thief’. In the late 1990s, Brellock was absolutely a top-tier point guard. Though he wasn’t a huge name, his defensive abilities were formidable, and his playmaking was excellent.

After Brellock left, and with Kukoc—who could space the floor and was a capable passer—also gone, the starting point guard became Jason Terry, a shoot-first guard. A system player like Hunterson naturally saw his performance decline. Combined with the physical deterioration of his body, he was relegated to being a blue-collar backup big man in the paint.

After being traded to the Pacers in a three-team deal, Bird had originally considered buying out his contract. However, Hunterson gradually started putting together some high-level games. He had some scoring ability near the basket, his size and mobility were still decent, and he could run the pick-and-roll with Su Xi.

Plus, on the defensive end, he could still provide some low-post defense. So, bit by bit, he became the team’s seventh man.

By sending him in with Su Xi this time, Carlisle was hoping he could help Su Xi shake things up on the court.

Hunterson subbed in for Reggie Miller.

The game resumed.

Su Xi dribbled the ball past half-court as Billups came up to defend him. The 6’9", 238-pound Hunterson immediately moved up to set a screen. Su Xi used it to quickly blow past the first line of defense. Prince was in hot pursuit, while Ben Wallace was lying in wait in the paint.