Of course, the main reason Chen paid special attention to this game was that the winner between the Heat and the Pacers would become the Knicks' first-round opponent.
No matter how good a team's record or how strong its roster, underestimating an opponent was a cardinal sin.
At least, Chen Xi would never make that mistake.
So, after wrapping up half a day of business engagements and completing another shoot, Chen opened the livestream on his phone right on time in his chauffeured van to watch that night's game between the Pacers and the Heat.
Frankly, both teams were somewhere in the middle of the Eastern Conference: better than the weaker teams, but not good enough to match the best.
The Heat had a polished tactical system, a well-rounded roster, and an excellent head coach.
Their problem was that, after trading away Leonard, they lacked a genuine superstar capable of leading the team.
Expecting players at the level of Tyler Herro, Adebayo, and Wiggins to carry an entire team simply wasn't realistic.
Unless Spo could smash Wiggins' thermos and finally get him to stop coasting...
The Pacers had the same problem.
Darius Garland and Scottie Barnes were both very talented players.
Barnes, in particular, absolutely had the potential to push for All-Star status if he kept working hard.
The problem was that potential was still only potential. If it went unrealized, or took too long to materialize, it remained nothing but empty promise for the current Pacers.
The game was right in front of them. Who had time to wait for him to develop?
That was the Pacers' predicament at this stage. What they needed to do was wait for Barnes to improve further, then build around him once his game had fully taken shape. Only then would they have