Conseco Fieldhouse:
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Goodwin stood at center court with his hands on his hips. He looked up at the giant scoreboard, his face full of unwillingness. The score read 75–87.
On April 27, the Boston Celtics faced the Indiana Pacers on the road in Game 5 of their series.
Just like in the previous three games, the Boston Celtics had no way to fight back.
They had been crushed from the start and were destined to lose Game 5.
They lost the series 1–4 to the Indiana Pacers, were eliminated, and brought their 2003–04 season to an end.
It was over. In the end, they had still lost.
An eighth seed upsetting a top seed?
Even with all their effort, they were powerless against a team with such overwhelming talent.
Goodwin had never felt so drained as he did during this series.
Especially in the last four games, when he averaged just 5.7 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal.
Those were awful numbers for a starter. But Doc Rivers had kept Goodwin on the court because Artest, who was guarding him, had devoted all his energy to defense, leaving his offense below his regular-season level. He averaged just 9.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1 steal, and 0.7 blocks.
Artest had averaged 18.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.1 steals, and 0.7 blocks during the regular season.
In effect, the two of them had canceled each other out.
But the Boston Celtics had suffered a much bigger loss. The Indiana Pacers had Jermaine O'Neal and Reggie Miller even without Artest.
"Goodwin, you played great. After battling you over these few games, I can say you don't feel like a rookie at all. You play like you've been in the league for years." Just then, someone came