At the start of the second quarter, the Pacers ' bench players came in, but Reggie Miller didn't leave the court.
The point difference isn't yet a cause for concern. Larry Bird is keeping him on the court so that his presence continues to draw the Celtics ' defensive attention. As long as Miller is on the court, the opponent can't truly loosen their defense.
For the Celtics, Ron Harper came on as part of the bench rotation.
After Harper came on, he walked over to Miller, but didn't rush to stick close. Instead, he lowered his center of gravity and kept his eyes on Miller's feet.
Harper isn't Eddie Jones. Eddie was young and fast; he could chase Miller wherever he went, repeatedly circling screens and relying on sheer stamina. Harper is different... He had a serious knee injury, and if he really had to run all over the court, he simply couldn't keep up with Miller. But he knew Miller too well. Back in his Chicago Bulls days, he, along with Jordan and Pippen, thoroughly studied the Pacers ' off-ball tactics.
Miller's most lethal ability wasn't his sheer speed, but rather the "decision-making time difference" he created using screens. When the defender fronted him, he cut back. When the defender backed him, he stepped back to catch and shoot. When the defender tried to force his way through the screen, he deliberately used the screen to box them out. Young players often hesitated for a split second at that moment, and that hesitation meant taking an extra half-step, and by the time they rushed in, Miller had already released the ball.
What Harper needed to avoid was this half-step of hesitation.
Smits a screen, and Miller feigned a dip towards the baseline, but his toes subtly curled inward. Harper instantly saw through this subtle movement; he wasn't going to go to the baseline, but rather to bounce back outward using the screen. Harper wasn't swayed by his feint at all, instead stealing the ball directly from Smits's side and precisely blocking Miller's path to receive it.
The moment Miller touched the ball, Harper was already close behind. He didn't risk reaching for the ball, but instead used the instant of contact to nudge him with his shoulder. This cunning, subtle force directly disrupted the opponent's balance, forcing Miller to take an extra step back and hastily release the ball while still off-balance.
"Bang!"
The ball bounced off the front edge of the rim.
In the next possession, Miller adjusted his position, cutting straight to the baseline without any unnecessary footwork. This time, Harper was half a step behind, Zaza blocked by Smits. A younger guard would often panic and chase after him in a wide arc, but Harper calmly stretched out his arm, using his long reach to disrupt Miller's initial adjustment after receiving the ball. Although this didn't result in a block, it disrupted Miller's jumping rhythm. By the time Miller regained control of the ball, there was very little time left on the shot clock, forcing him to shoot against the defense.
It didn't go in again.
Mutombo secured the defensive rebound, and the Celtics quickly launched a counterattack.
"Looks like Miller's not shooting well today," Doc Rivers remarked casually as he watched the game from the sidelines.
Lin Qi turned and glanced at him, but didn't say anything.
A bad shooting touch is just the surface. Doc Rivers only saw that the ball didn't go in, but he didn't understand Harper's subtle moves and anticipations during the contact. He reduced Harper's shrewd defensive details to the pitcher's "bad luck," a superficial understanding that made Lin Qi shake his head inwardly.
Lin Qi withdrew his gaze from the sidelines. Harper never tried to match Miller's sheer speed; he won by anticipating every crucial moment in the game. Miller attempted to create defensive hesitation using screens, while Harper used his experience to avoid all ineffective back-and-forth runs, concentrating all his energy on the most critical physical confrontations. Even when he guessed wrong, he had his wingspan and experience to compensate. Miller couldn't shake him off, and was forced to repeatedly receive the ball and shoot from uncomfortable positions.
A pitcher's touch will start to change once they start throwing their shots hastily.
The situation has started to turn against the Pacers.
Chauncey Billups Billups controlled the ball at the top of the arc, then suddenly paused for half a beat.
In that split second, the tension in his eyes lessened somewhat from when he first entered the game. During the first quarter, sitting on the sidelines, he kept a close eye on Gary Payton. Gary Payton's unwavering aggression, every back-to-the-basket move, every pass, seemed to carry the certainty and confidence that he already knew the outcome. For a fleeting moment, Billups even felt he would never reach that level in his lifetime.
But he quickly realized... he didn't need to become the second Gary Payton.
Billups lowered his center of gravity again, and facing the Pacers guard's tight defense, he deliberately used his body to create half a body distance, then took a probing step with his right foot and feinted. The defender's center of gravity was inevitably shifted slightly.
Seizing this tiny opening, Billups quickly gathered the ball, stepped back, and retreated directly to the three-point line.
The defender's block was almost right in front of him; it was a powerful shot with strong physical contact. But Billups ' core strength was extremely solid, and his release motion in the air was flawless, with a gentle flick of his wrist.
The basketball traced a clean and decisive arc.
"Whoosh!"
A three-pointer swished through the net.
Several players on the Celtics ' bench rose to their feet and cheered.
Billups turned and retreated on defense with a blank expression, but his steps were noticeably more steady than when he first entered the game.
In the ensuing transition, the Pacers launched another attack. Harper, on the other side, became a persistent nuisance, once again forcing Miller into an uncomfortable position, forcing the latter to make a forced shot that missed. Billups shrewdly drove into the paint, steadily grabbed the long rebound, and launched a fast break.
As Chauncey Billups made his run up the half-court, his eyes were already scanning the entire court. One of the Pacers ' defenders was a beat too slow in retreating, and the defender on the left baseline was clearly out of position.
Billups dribbled straight to the top of the key, then suddenly dropped his shoulder as if to drive inside, forcing the opposing defender to instinctively collapse towards the basket.
That one moment of hesitation completely opened up the defensive gap at the bottom corner.
Billups flicked his wrist subtly, sending the basketball flying diagonally towards the left corner.
Robert Horry received the ball comfortably in the left corner, saving him the trouble of adjusting his footwork, and jumped and shot in one smooth motion.
Another three-pointer, and the ball goes in.
Chauncey Billups, who had been watching Gary Payton from the sidelines and felt he couldn't do it, was now controlling the game in his own unique way.
Harper gradually cooled Miller's shooting touch, while Chauncey Billups slowly picked up the pace for the bench lineup.
The score gap widened further and further with each addition and subtraction.
Chauncey Billups Billups returned to the court at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
The two teams were neck and neck, neither able to pull away. These transitional periods are the most difficult to manage. The starters have just gone off to catch their breath, and the substitutes have to hold them up. They not only can't collapse, but they also have to find a way to score more goals so that the starters can get some more rest.
In previous games, Chauncey Billups might have been afraid of such suffocating moments, but now, there is no trace of unease on his face.
Chauncey Billups received the inbound pass and slowly dribbled across half-court, observing the defensive positioning. The Pacers had switched to a more energetic rotation, and their defensive intensity was significantly higher than in the first half. Chauncey Billups attempted to pass the ball inside, a bounce pass...
The ball was intercepted.
The crowd erupted in screams as the Pacers launched a furious counterattack, sending a cross-court pass to Reggie Miller, who was cutting off the court. Miller found himself facing an empty paint area and basket.
Just as Miller gathered the ball, started his drive, and prepared to go for a layup, a dark figure chased after him relentlessly from behind.
It was Ben Wallace.
Big Ben Miller, but he made up for the time difference with his unreasonable speed. Just as the ball was about to touch the backboard, Big Ben Wallace slapped the basketball hard.
"Smack!"
The basketball was hit so hard it lost its direction, bounced high into the air, and landed on the baseline.
The stadium erupted into chaos instantly.
Chauncey Billups had already desperately returned to his defensive position. Without any hesitation, he slid across the floor as the ball rolled to the ground. The rough hardwood floor scraped against his skin, making a dull thud. He held his position firmly, getting half a body length ahead of Dale Davis, and caught the ball in his arms.
Davis lost his balance and viciously slammed down on Chauncey Billups, attempting to steal the ball.
"Beep--!"
The referee blew his whistle, calling a foul on Davis, and the Celtics gained possession in the frontcourt.
Chauncey Billups pushed himself up with one hand, his knees and forearms covered in red marks.
The ball was served again, Chauncey Billups walked back to the outside with a cold face to receive it. He received the ball amidst the boos from the crowd, his steps without the slightest panic.
Chauncey Billups's eyes were fixed on the person guarding him. Travis Best immediately closed in from beyond the three-point line, reaching out with both hands to try and steal the ball. Everyone thought that the young point guard, who had just lost the ball, would pass it to Ron Harper this time and play cautiously.
There isn't one in Chauncey Billups.
He suddenly switched the ball to his right hand with a crossover dribble, lowered his center of gravity, and took a half-step forward. Best thought he was going to break through, and instinctively shifted his weight back.
At that crucial defensive juncture, Chauncey Billups abruptly stopped, straightened up beyond the three-point line, and forcefully pulled the ball up.
Having been tricked into opening the space, Best could only lunge forward uncontrollably, the two of them almost colliding in mid-air.
But Chauncey Billups's movements were completely flawless.
The basketball arced high and fell cleanly into the center of the net.
"Whoosh!"
Three point hit.
Chauncey Billups landed on both feet. The deafening boos from the entire arena seemed to be cut off, instantly choking everyone.
Chauncey Billups's face darkened as he coldly swept his gaze across the stands that had once humiliated him.
He then turned around and retreated in large strides.
After that three-pointer, the entire second unit's morale and spirit changed.
Larry Bird called a timeout from the sidelines.
After the timeout, the Celtics completely controlled the game. Defensively, Harper gave Miller no space to receive the ball. Offensively, Chauncey Billups completely took over possession. He began to use his size advantage to drive past Best, and twice in a row, he passed the ball out at the moment the defense collapsed, accurately finding Robert Horry in the left corner.
Swish.
Swish.
Horry didn't even adjust his footwork before hitting two corner three-pointers to extend the lead to double digits.
The Pacers fans fell completely silent.
With two minutes remaining, Larry Bird replaced Reggie Miller with a blank expression.
At the Pacers arena, spectators began leaving in droves early.
The final whistle blew, and the score was 103-88.
The Celtics lead the series 2-1.
Chauncey Billups pulled his jersey hem out and walked at the back of the group. By the time he passed the stands behind the basket, most of the hundreds of people who had once raised their hands and imitated his passes to humiliate him were gone.
Gary Payton, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped, turned around, and grabbed Chauncey Billups by the neck.
Ron Harper caught up from behind, laughing as he ruffled his hair.
Chauncey Billups's nerves, which had been taut all night, finally relaxed completely the moment he was sandwiched between the two older men as they walked forward.
At the entrance to the passage, Garnett was already standing there, a towel around his neck, his large hand outstretched from afar, palm up, waiting for him.
Chauncey Billups walked over and gave him a high five.