dmims Chapter 244 Carter's Terrifying Impact! Indiana Chronicles
Chapter 244 Carter's Terrifying Impact! Indiana Chronicles
Chapter 244 Carter's terrifying impact! Devastating news from Indiana!
Seeing Carter comfort himself and regain a little confidence, Lin Tian turned around to receive the ball in the backcourt and began to advance towards the frontcourt.
At the same time, Lin Tian noticed out of the corner of his eye that Carter and Jordan were already entangled together on the other side!
Judging from Carter's pained expression, Jordan clearly gave this junior a good lesson right from the start.
It was either an elbow or a knee injury; judging from Carter's expression, he was in real pain!
"Vince, play to your strengths!" Lin Tian dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, but instead of passing it to Carter, he gave Carter another reminder.
Lin Tian just wanted some experience points or skills; he didn't want Carter to die.
Then, without waiting for Carter to understand, Lin Tian suddenly raised one hand, pretending to pass the ball in Carter's direction. Ward immediately moved two steps to the side, trying to cut off Lin Tian's pass!
After all, everyone on the court clearly heard Lin Tian and Carter's open conspiracy!
But Lin Tian's hand changed an incredible angle in the air, and then suddenly pushed the ball to the other side. With a behind-the-back dribble and a lateral footwork, Lin Tian easily widened the distance between himself and Ward to at least 2 meters!
Lin Tian was not about to miss such an opportunity. He immediately accelerated and charged into the paint!
Ewing immediately moved to the side, blocking Lin Tian's path, baring his teeth and claws, trying to stop Lin Tian's attack.
Lin Tian's eyes were already fixed on the other side. After glancing at Carter and Jordan, he suddenly threw the basketball in that direction!
Almost at the same time, Carter, who had just suffered several setbacks, suddenly became fierce and shoved Jordan with his shoulder to create some space for himself. Then he accelerated and cut to the basket, grabbing the ball from Lin Tian with both hands when he was two steps away from the three-second zone!
Then, without dribbling or taking a step, Carter once again defied gravity and took off!
Ewing, whose attention had just been drawn to Lin Tian, wanted to turn around, but it was too late. He could only turn back and watch as Carter stretched out his entire body and then slammed a two-handed dunk towards the basket!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Carter swung twice on the rim before letting go and landing on the floor.
"Buzzing!"
Then came his signature celebration move: a wild Harley-Davidson off on the road!
"Well done, Vince! I knew you could find your strengths!" Lin Tian and Carter high-fived, very pleased!
If Carter were to try to compete with Jordan using his ball-handling and one-on-one skills now, he would be courting death. Jordan's experience, defense, and those dirty tricks would make Carter wish he were dead!
But what if we don't compare ball-handling and attacking skills, but only talent?
In terms of speed, stamina, and jumping ability, Carter absolutely crushes Jordan today!
So, after Lin Tian's reminder, Carter immediately realized that Lin Tian didn't want him to dribble and attack Jordan, but rather to use his speed and off-ball abilities to score!
After all, Jordan is 36!
He can still contain most opponents in one-on-one situations, but if the opponent opens up and tries to outrun him, then Jordan is really helpless!
As the saying goes, no one can defeat time!
In the remainder of the first quarter, Carter, having tasted success, barely stopped on offense for even a moment. He was running every second, either cutting to the basket or sprinting to the weak side to create space.
While Jordan was running around like crazy, it was definitely much more tiring than chasing Christie!
Van Gundy, off the court, was well aware that the Jordan he had was not in his prime; his stamina and endurance were not what they had been in previous years.
He thought about it several times, wanting to switch opponents to make things easier for Jordan.
But looking at the Pacers' remaining two outside players, Miller and Lin Tian, he gave up on the idea.
Chasing those two guys will only make Jordan more tired!
Frustrated, Van Gundy could only shout from the sidelines.
Make sure everyone focuses on defense, and everyone is ready to help defend and cover.
Of course, Jordan's defense is just not as good as his peak. His current defensive ability is still among the top in the league!
Carter's off-ball skills were enough to get him a quick basket at the beginning, but in the following minutes, he didn't get many opportunities.
But what's important isn't how many opportunities Carter gets, but rather that Carter's impact is so strong that Jordan can't really ignore him. He has to be fully focused and keep running after Carter!
This is one of the key reasons why sometimes, even if the person you're defending doesn't get the ball much, you still feel very tired and your stamina depletes quickly.
Players with good off-the-ball skills can keep their opponents constantly on the move without even needing the ball.
Yes, we're not talking about Carter, we're talking about Miller!
In the latter part of the first quarter, while the opponent's attention was focused on Lin Tian and Carter, Miller also unleashed his signature off-ball movement and catch-and-shoot jumper.
In less than 5 minutes, Miller ran out of opportunities beyond the three-point line 4 times, received the pass, and then decisively shot, making 3 of them!
Thanks to his three consecutive three-pointers in five minutes, the Pacers gained an eight-point lead in the first quarter!
25: 33!
The Pacers firmly controlled the initiative in the game!
It's worth mentioning that both Jordan and Lin Tian played the entire first quarter and each scored the highest points for their respective teams: Jordan with 19 points and Lin Tian with 12 points!
Jordan was covered in sweat and looked exhausted, while Lin Tian sat leisurely on the bench, drinking a beverage and recovering his strength.
The age gap between the two has become increasingly apparent over time.
Of course, this also includes the fact that Ward basically had no off-ball threat and mainly stood near the top of the arc to direct and distribute the ball during offense, while Carter had unlimited energy and ran all over the court like Sonic the Hedgehog, making Jordan dare not relax at all!
Because Carter's impact is just too strong! Once he gets going and starts charging, even if the Knicks have Ewing and Oakley in the paint, they can't do anything about him!
Carter, with his fearlessness and boundless energy, managed to create chaos and tension for the entire Knicks defense, even though he only scored 4 points in the first quarter!
After all, other players can just drive into the paint and score, but when Carter drives in, it's guaranteed to be a top 10 play, and he might even end up on a poster as part of the backdrop, hanging on the bedside table for countless people.
Who could bear the shame of that?!
In the second quarter, Jeff Van Gundy, who was always cautious with his players and didn't like to use too many rotations, preferred to rely heavily on his starters. In order to quickly close the gap, he put Jordan and Ewing, two of the biggest stars, back on the court! Also on the court were Starks, Thomas, and Charlie Ward.
On the Pacers' side, Bird was much bolder in his player selection, with Carter, second-round pick Buckner, veteran Mullin, Ben Wallace, and Davis all taking to the court together!
This lineup naturally focuses on Carter and Mullin!
Carter, who became the main offensive player, did not hesitate to take the lead. In the first possession, he took the initiative to ask for the ball at the top of the arc. After running and probing in the first quarter, Carter felt that he could do it!
Then he started dribbling, trying to use the same method he used in the first quarter, employing his speed and rapid strides to break through Jordan's defenses.
It's one thing when you don't have the ball, but it's quite another when you do!
Carter tried several different moves at the top of the arc, but Jordan remained unmoved, maintaining his position and pressuring Carter relentlessly.
He dribbled for a full 10 seconds, and not only did he fail to break through Jordan's defense, he was almost dispossessed by Jordan twice!
At the same time, he also had to endure Jordan's endless trash talk!
Fortunately, Carter wasn't Kobe or Iverson. If it were those two guys, they would have gone completely overboard and wanted to compete with Jordan regardless of the consequences. Carter chose to be rational at this moment. If he couldn't beat him, then he wouldn't fight!
He passed the ball to Mullin, letting the older player decide how to play this round.
Mullin, facing his old rival Starks, had an absolute advantage in weight and size, so he directly turned halfway around and began to overpower the inside.
After a few attempts to reach the mid-range, Mulin suddenly turned around, intending to take a mid-range jump shot. However, as soon as he turned around, he discovered that there was someone standing in front of him.
Michael Jordan!
Jordan snatched the ball from Mullin's shot and then turned around to launch a fast break in the frontcourt!
Throughout the journey, although Carter was fully focused and kept himself in front of Jordan, he was still fooled by Jordan's ubiquitous feints. No matter how talented Carter was, he was still tricked by Jordan and lost his balance. In the end, he was even tricked into jumping up and leaning on Jordan for a 2+1!
After scoring, Jordan unusually refrained from trash talk and instead went to the free-throw line to wait for the shot. His chest heaved as he did so. Even though it was only the first offensive play of the second quarter, Jordan looked like he had expended a great deal of energy!
"It seems the strategy of letting him attack relentlessly in the first quarter and having Vince constantly running worked." Lin Tian watched Jordan step up to the free-throw line and calmly sink the shot, saying, "He'll most likely play the entire first half! And he'll definitely continue his onslaught in the first half while still having plenty of energy!"
"I think Michael's idea is to widen the score gap as much as possible in the first half, eliminating any suspense in the game! He wants to strike first and kill any remaining doubts in the first half!"
"But he clearly underestimated us," Bird said nonchalantly. "He blows the game out in the first half? He doesn't even know who his opponents are! Lin, you guys rest. Don't go on the court until they tie the score."
"Let them wear themselves down one more time! Once they're exhausted, you can go in and teach them a lesson!"
Lin Tian nodded after hearing Bird's words, but to be honest, Lin Tian originally thought that he would have to go back to the court in 1-2 minutes at most. After all, Jordan on the court was in berserk mode and was trying to score points in every possible way.
With both Miller and I out, it's hard to say how long the current players on the court can hold on!
To Lin Tian's surprise, although the Pacers failed to score on their next attack, Jordan once again sat down on Carter in the low post, and even elbowed Carter in the stomach before pulling up and scoring another 2 points!
After a 5-0 run, Lin Tian was ready to get up and go on the court, but Carter was completely unleashed to his full potential!
FuXX! Do you really think I'm some newbie you can just mess with?
Do you really think I have no temper and can be bullied at will?
Come!
In the next possession, Carter stopped hesitating and stopped thinking about anything else. After getting the ball, he lowered his head and charged straight into the paint!
This reckless, impulsive style of play actually produced a surprising effect. Carter not only successfully drove into the paint, but also jumped over Jordan and scored 2 points in response!
"Come on, you old dog! Come on! You old piece of trash who should have retired long ago! Let me see what you've got up to!" Perhaps because he had suffered too many losses on the defensive end, Carter had completely forgotten about the terrifying legends surrounding Jordan, and he had also forgotten that he shouldn't provoke this man.
He was already in a frenzy!
For the next three minutes, Carter and Jordan were evenly matched, trading blows and remaining neck and neck! The score difference between the two remained within the range of 3 to 7 points!
"Vince truly deserves to be called North Carolina's most outstanding talent since Jordan! In these few minutes, he has shown the potential of a superstar! I now really believe that his backcourt combination with Lin will be the nightmare of every team in the league for the next ten years!" Kenny gave a very sincere conclusion after watching these few minutes of the game.
As for Barkley, he was full of praise for his younger teammate, and even took the opportunity to tease his old friend: "I've said it before! Vince is the answer at the Pacers' shooting guard position! Some old men who are almost toothless should just retire already, stop occupying positions without contributing, and stop hindering the growth of young players!"
"Vince dunked more in one game than some people have in their entire careers! And some people, really, where do they get the nerve to cling to their starting positions and refuse to let go?"
Everyone knows that Barkley and Miller are close, and Barkley dared to say that, but Kenny, who is not familiar with Miller, dared not chime in. If he did, it would be a disaster for the show!
Kenny quickly shifted the focus, saying, "Look! Vince got tricked by Michael again! That was... a really hard foul! Carter actually has such a fierce side? I'm quite impressed with him now!"
On the court, Carter, who had been admired by Kenny, was standing there. Just now, because he was faked out by Jordan and didn't want to be scored on with a 2+1, he gave Jordan a vicious foul!
As a result, Jordan definitely missed the 2+1 play, but Carter also received a flagrant foul, which was really a case of losing more than he gained!
In particular, after this foul, Carter has accumulated 3 personal fouls!
Although he scored 8 points in the first 4 minutes of the second quarter and went toe-to-toe with Jordan, Bird had no choice but to let him go to the bench to rest.
"Sorry, I...actually acted impulsively because he elbowed me!" Carter said as he walked off the court during the timeout, pulling open his shirt in a wronged manner. There were three obvious bruises on his stomach, clearly gifts from Jordan!
"I'll avenge you!" Lin Tian patted Carter on the shoulder and said, "You did a fantastic job! If I were you, I'd copy those four minutes of the game onto a disc and keep it forever!"
"Because in those last few minutes, Vince, you and Michael were evenly matched! You two were trading blows! There aren't many people in this league who can do that!"
"Really!" Upon hearing this, Carter, who had just been feeling dejected and like he was holding the team back, suddenly became excited.
"Of course it's true! Go back and watch the replay carefully!" Lin Tian patted Carter on the shoulder and said, "After this game, you'll officially be seen by everyone as a future superstar! You can definitely do it!"
"Vince Carter's emotions have fluctuated, resulting in a loss of 200 experience points!"
As soon as Lin Tian finished speaking, the system gave him another reward!
Carter was thrilled by Lin Tian's promises, as if he had already become a superstar, won the MVP, and become a champion!
With Jordan making the free throw and the timeout ending, both teams returned to the court. The Knicks didn't make any personnel changes; roster adjustments have never been Van Gundy's forte.
Bird, on the other hand, fielded a backcourt trio of Lin Tian, Miller, and Mullin, along with the inside pairing of Schmitz and Ben Wallace.
Today, the Pacers' strategic goal is to wear down Jordan, target Jordan, and quickly deplete his stamina. Therefore, Christie, who is not particularly good at offense and running and can save Jordan a lot of effort on the defensive end, is not suitable. So his playing time in the first half tonight is destined to be very short!
However, Christie has never been the type to care about playing time in one or two games. He took it easy and sat quietly and obediently on the bench.
40: 43!
After the Knicks inbounded the ball, the score difference between the two teams was only 3 points!
One round is enough to catch up!
On the Pacers' side, they sent out their third defender tonight, Lin Tian!
"I thought you'd never have the guts to play against me in your life!" Seeing Lin Tian finally arrive, Jordan, who had already scored 29 points in the first half, was extremely relaxed. Tonight, his touch was excellent, and he was absolutely confident that he could crush Lin Tian.
"I'm spineless? Tell me, who was it that I beat to a pulp in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, almost to the point of retirement? Huh? Was it your grandma?" Lin Tian wasn't going to let Jordan off the hook. While spewing trash talk, he seized the opportunity and stabbed Jordan in the back.
Jordan hissed in pain, but didn't say much. He received the ball, turned around quickly, and was about to shoot!
What he didn't expect was that after Lin Tian's preseason upgrade, his strength, reaction time, and steal ability had all improved significantly! He was going to suffer if he tried to play Lin Tian like he did in the Eastern Conference Finals or when he bullied Carter!
"Snapped!"
With a crisp sound, Lin Tian intercepted the ball with a slap and then launched a fast break towards the front!
It's still the same familiar three-line fast break!
The difference is that when Lin Tian attacks down the middle, Mullin and Miller stand on the left and right sides respectively, with Miller in front and Mullin bringing up the rear, while Lin Tian occupies the most central position, observing his teammates' opportunities while looking for weaknesses in the Knicks' defense!
Hmm, and then Lin Tian immediately saw the Knicks' defense, which was full of flaws!
It's not that the Knicks' defense is bad; their defense is excellent. Van Gundy made his name in the league based on his defense!
The problem is that with Lin Tian's current attacking ability, when he drives forward at full speed with the ball, any team will have a huge defensive gap!
He's too much of a threat!
Most teams will choose to collapse their interior defense at this time.
This will at least prevent the Pacers from scoring from the mid-range.
However, this would inevitably leave the area outside the three-point line completely open!
Miller and Mullin were both exposed!
After a slight hesitation, Lin Tian decided to trust his old partner Miller and made a behind-the-back pass to him. Miller caught the ball and immediately pulled it up and threw it!
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, Miller hit a three-pointer, making his fourth three-pointer of the night!
He was in really good form tonight!
Then, while on defense, Lin Tian suddenly raised his hand and called out another defensive play. So, when Jordan tried to start his personal attack again, he was blocked outside the three-second zone by the suddenly appearing Ben Wallace. With Lin Tian behind him and the baseline, Jordan was suddenly surrounded on three sides!
Lin Tian's sudden call for a double-team tactic proved remarkably effective once again!
Jordan reacted quickly this time, knowing he was in dire straits. He suddenly jumped up and threw the ball out to the perimeter with both hands. Starks caught the ball, dribbled it once, and then forced a shot over Mullin!
"Bang!"
Unfortunately, the Knicks' luck was still not good, and this jump shot, which had a very good rhythm and feel, still failed to go in!
Mullin got the rebound, and the veteran player quickly lowered his head to launch a counterattack while finding Lin Tian in the fast break and passing the ball to him.
After receiving the ball, Lin Tian suddenly stopped and pulled back two steps outside the three-point line, completely stunning the Knicks' defense that was retreating rapidly. No one rushed to the basket anymore; instead, they all wanted to see what Lin Tian was doing!
Lin Tian certainly wouldn't let this moment slip by when his opponents were completely stunned. He threw the ball towards the basket with both hands. At this moment, the Knicks' three-second zone was completely empty. Both of their inside players were inexplicably positioned near the free-throw line by Lin Tian. It was too late for them to get back to the basket!
Ewing could only watch as Miller cut from the baseline to the basket, then leaped high and dunked the ball into the hoop with one hand!
"That shot was 5% of Vince's level!" Lin Tian reached out and gave Miller a high five, while also making a sarcastic remark.
"They're both 2 points, what's the difference?" Miller snorted, too lazy to pay any attention to Lin Tian.
Why make yourself compete with Carter in dunking instead of competing with Shaq in rebounding? You might as well just kill yourself!
For the next few minutes, Van Gundy was at a loss, unsure of what to do.
His original plan was to take advantage of the key players' high energy and vitality to widen the score gap and expand the advantage as much as possible, so that even if his players were tired in the third quarter, the Pacers would not widen the score gap so easily.
The current situation is that the Pacers are letting Jordan play one-on-one and let him score continuously. Although Jordan can score continuously, the Pacers' firepower is obviously more intense!
Jordan had almost scored 30 points before the first half was over, but what was the result?
behind!
This situation is extremely rare, not to mention Van Gundy, even in Jordan's career.
The Pacers' firepower is truly frightening!
"Patrick! Take over Michael's offense! Attack the paint a few times!" Seeing that Jordan's stamina was being depleted rapidly, if they continued playing like this, not to mention the fourth quarter, Jordan might be too tired to play past the halfway point of the third quarter.
After all, she's 36!
This season, even though Van Gundy's personnel strategy has always been to overuse his starters, he has been sparing with Jordan's playing time! Jordan's playing time this season is only 36 minutes! Although that's still a lot, it's the lowest of his career!
Keep in mind that Jordan played 38 minutes a game last season!
Van Gundy would rather lose some games than let Jordan lose too many, so that he could be at his best in the playoffs!
But today's game is about the top seed in the East and it's also a grudge match, so Van Gundy brought out a playoff-level rotation in hopes of taking the lead.
But it's clear from the current situation that his strategy has failed!
Even after the Knicks started focusing their attacks on Ewing, their offensive efficiency remained high! After all, with Jordan drawing attention and the Pacers lacking height in the paint, Ewing was able to exert some dominance!
With his occasional connecting plays with Jordan, the Knicks' offense was in no way inferior to when Jordan was the primary scorer.
However, the Pacers' offense was even more potent!
Especially when Miller and Mullin, two of the league's top shooters, positioned themselves on the left and right respectively, and Lin Tian drove to the basket in the middle, the Knicks' defense faced a huge crisis! They were completely unable to stop the Pacers' seemingly simple drive-and-kick offensive system.
With their three-point shooters so accurate, ball handlers driving to the basket so aggressively, and passing so consistently, the Knicks were simply powerless!
Miller, in particular, had an amazing shooting night. He hit six three-pointers in the first half and scored a team-high 22 points!
Lin Tian also had a perfect record of 19 points, 7 assists and 0 turnovers at the end of the first half!
Despite Jordan's 33 points and Ewing's 13 points and 7 rebounds in the first half, the Pacers maintained their lead at the end of the first half thanks to strong performances from Miller, Lin Tian, and Carter.
61: 65!
On the other hand, when the Pacers' backcourt duo scored such explosively, and Carter on the bench even traded blows with Jordan, the Pacers only led by 4 points, which is enough to show that this Knicks team is absolutely qualified to compete with the Pacers for the Eastern Conference championship!
"Charles, the first half was really exciting!" Kenny said to Barkley during halftime. "So, who do you think will take control and win the second half?"
"The Pacers! Of course, it's the Pacers!" Barkley said decisively. "The Pacers' starters play less and rotate more, so their stamina is not a problem! Perhaps the only concern is Carter's three fouls."
"But the Knicks are completely different. Jordan played all 24 minutes of the first half, and Ewing played a full 22 minutes. In the second half, these two old guys, both in their late 30s, will definitely experience a significant decline in stamina and performance!"
"In the second half, the Pacers will definitely gradually take control of the game!"
During halftime, the two coaches, with completely different styles, gave almost the same instructions.
"You played well in the first half, keep up the good work in the second half!"
Anyway, Bird said it from the bottom of his heart. The tactics he had devised and the strategic objectives he wanted to achieve had all been accomplished, and he was genuinely satisfied.
As for Van Gundy...
What else could he say besides being satisfied?
He set up the tactics, and the players played according to his instructions. In the end, they failed to achieve the set goal, so it's not fair to blame the players, is it?
More than ten minutes later, the players from both sides returned to the field, ready to start the second half of the game!
Bird changed his starting lineup again for the second half, replacing Christie with Carter. Clearly, Bird wanted to continue to put enormous pressure on the Knicks' defense, preventing Jordan from resting and wearing him down!
The Knicks had possession for the first time in the second half. Ward dribbled the ball slowly across the frontcourt, glanced at Lin Tian in front of him, and then, without any intention of breaking through or trying to gain an advantage over Lin Tian, simply passed the ball to Jordan.
Leave it to the eldest brother, he'll handle it!
When Jordan got the ball and faced a Carter whose confidence had soared, his elbows and other small tricks, which were still useful in the first half and made Carter afraid, became completely ineffective in the second half!
Carter wasn't afraid anymore! He even went so far as to challenge Jordan, wanting to give him a real go at him!
The back-and-forth scoring during that period in the second quarter really gave Carter a huge boost of confidence!
Jordan's personality has always been such that if you're aggressive, he'll be even aggressiver!
Faced with Carter's provocative defense, which was practically sticking his head in his face, Jordan's ferocity was completely ignited. He lowered his center of gravity and charged towards the inside with all his might!
"Thump! Thump! Thump!" A series of muffled thuds echoed as Jordan almost brutally pushed Carter towards the basket. He was bursting with ferocity and determined to teach Carter a lesson. The confrontation between the two was incredibly exciting!
Carter was still a rookie. Although his physical attributes were explosive, his strength, experience, and defensive skills were still far behind Jordan's.
Just as Jordan rammed him into the three-second zone, Jordan suddenly exerted force again, and Carter almost lost his balance and fell down!
But all Carter could do was avoid falling!
He stumbled, bracing himself with one hand on the ground, but he had already lost his balance and completely lost his defensive position.
Just as Jordan was smugly preparing to get up and shoot, a thin figure suddenly rushed over from Jordan's side and poked the basketball in his hand!
Reggie Miller!
"Snapped!"
A somewhat careless Jordan was caught off guard by Miller's sneak attack and was caught off guard. The basketball immediately slipped out of Jordan's control and flew towards the sideline!
Miller reacted incredibly fast, taking off at lightning speed and sprinting towards the basketball. Just before the ball went out of bounds, he threw himself into the air, almost parallel to the floor, grabbed the ball, and then did a dramatic mid-air spin to find Lin Tian and pass the ball to him!
"Good shot!" Lin Tian roared, turned around and launched an unstoppable attack towards the Knicks' half of the court!
The ball was intercepted suddenly, and Miller's last-minute save was even more sudden. The Knicks had no time to catch up with Lin Tian, who had already picked up speed. Ward, who was originally trailing behind, was completely bypassed by Lin Tian in one step, without even touching a hair on Lin Tian's body!
"boom!"
After a series of attacks, Lin Tian did not disappoint the Pacers fans. After crossing the free throw line, he leaped up at the dotted line on the lower arc of the free throw line, caught the basketball with one hand, and slammed it with a one-handed dunk that covered a very long distance!
After scoring, Lin Tian was about to do something to celebrate properly when he suddenly realized that the atmosphere on the field was a bit strange.
The Pacers players didn't come over to celebrate with Lin Tian, and the fans in the arena didn't cheer much either. Bird also left the bench and walked towards the direction Miller had just fallen.
And everyone's eyes were now turned in that direction.
Lin Tian immediately realized that things were probably going to get bad!
Without stopping, he immediately ran towards Miller's direction.
Then, when they were still 2-3 meters away from the core area, Lin Tian clearly heard Miller's extremely painful groans.
When Lin Tian arrived, he saw Miller surrounded by team doctors, fans, and teammates. The guy was clutching his right wrist and screaming in pain, his head covered in sweat from the pain.
"Space! Air! Make way! Reggie needs fresh air! You're all too close! Too close!" The team doctor shouted urgently, ordering everyone to create some space for them. Upon hearing this, Lin Tian immediately stepped into the innermost part of the circle.
Then he, Ben Wallace, Carter, and the others pushed the crowd outwards, quickly creating as much space as possible for Miller so that the team doctor could better diagnose him.
The experienced Miller knew what was most important at this moment, and he quickly began to tell the team doctor about the circumstances of his injury: "I jumped a bit too hard, and when I jumped over the first row of chairs, my leg got caught on the chairs and I lost my balance."
"Then I braced myself on the floor with my right hand, but I probably wasn't positioned correctly when I braced myself, because I heard a sound like a 'crack,' followed by pain! I couldn't move my wrist!"
"It's okay, Reggie, it's okay. Let me take a look. If you can't move, don't move! Calm down, don't panic. Let me see, does it hurt here?" The team doctor calmly touched Miller's wrist little by little to find the location and condition of his injury in order to judge the severity of his injury.
At this moment, the entire City Square arena was completely silent. Countless people closed their eyes, praying that Miller would be alright. Bird, unusually, remained silent, staring wide-eyed at Miller and the team doctors around him, waiting for the final result.
All of Indiana fell silent.
From a certain perspective, although Lin Tian is the team's leader, core and strongest player now, in the hearts of many fans, Miller, who has played for the team for 12 seasons, is the true foundation and soul of the team!
Miller's injury will undoubtedly touch the hearts of the entire Indiana community!
The team medical staff did not take long to examine the injury and quickly made a judgment.
Before they even stood up to speak to Bird and Lin Tian, Lin Tian and Bird sensed something was amiss from their eyes and expressions.
"That's bad, a broken wrist," the team doctor said. "It's a bit like what happened to Ewing last year, but less severe. Reggie's bone wasn't completely broken, and it didn't almost pierce the skin."
"Tell me how long he needs to rest, what the impact will be on him, and whether he needs surgery!" Bird interrupted the team doctor's leisurely report with some impatience.
"At least 8-12 weeks," the team doctor said thoughtfully. "As for the specific recovery plan, we still need to study and discuss it further. We need to go to the hospital for further examination before we can determine it. But unless a miracle happens, Reggie probably won't be able to return this season."
"And even if he manages to make it to the playoffs, we don't recommend that he return immediately to play in such high-intensity games as the playoffs, as it's easy for him to get injured again."
Bird nodded without saying much, but waved his hand and said, "Then hurry up and get it done, then take Reggie to the hospital. Send a few more people, and make sure to take good care of him to prevent any further injuries or anything like that."
Although Bird's words were simple, everyone could see the lingering frustration on his face.
Without Miller, the impact on the Pacers will be absolutely huge!
他们少的可不仅仅是本赛季场均能拿下16分3篮板3助攻，能以45%命中率场均投中2.3个3分球的球队二号得分手和头号3分手。
What they lack is the team's identity, the most hardworking spirit, and the never-give-up mentality.
The entire Indiana season was tainted with uncertainty after this unexpected incident.
After the team doctors performed some basic stabilization on Miller's wrist, they called for a stretcher to carry him out.
"Get out of the way!" Miller shoved the stretcher away roughly with his still-functioning left hand. He had overheard Bird's conversation with the team doctor, and he knew his season was over! And it was his most important right hand that was injured. Miller was feeling worse than anyone else!
Thinking that his season was basically over and that his right wrist injury would likely affect his entire career, Miller couldn't help but tear up.
He had a feeling: I'm finished!
For a shooter who makes a living by shooting, everyone knows what this kind of injury to the wrist of his shooting hand means.
Miller pushed the stretcher aside, stood up, and said, "I don't use my right hand to walk! I don't need to be carried out! I'll walk out myself!"
Miller said, then looked up at Lin Tian and Bird and said, "Win this game for me!" After saying that, Miller could no longer control his emotions, lowered his head, and dared not look at Lin Tian anymore. He did not want Lin Tian to see him crying, and walked towards the players' tunnel.
At this moment, the fans in the entire arena could no longer hold back. Although they did not know how serious Miller's injury was, they could see Miller's obviously red eyes, tears, and terrible emotions on the big screen.
They all had a very bad feeling.
"Reggie! Reggie! Reggie!"
"Reggie! Reggie! Reggie!"
Just like the past 12 years, before Miller left the court, the fans roared at him with their most heartfelt voices and huge waves of sound!
This is the only way fans can support Miller; they hope he can come back soon!
(End of this chapter)