The Best Point Guard

Chapter 402: Chapter 130: [Did They Steal Our Run and Gun?]

Su Xi and Carlisle had a disagreement.

This didn’t happen often.

Everyone in the locker room was waiting for them to make a decision.

For the Pacers, switching between a set half-court offense and a run-and-gun style was just a matter of giving the word. After an entire regular season of practice, they had grown accustomed to a fast-paced attack.

"Let’s give it a try."

Su Xi looked at Carlisle, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Carlisle thought for a moment before saying, "I can only give you five minutes. If you fail to score on three straight possessions, we immediately switch back to a half-court set."

"Jack, this is the Finals. The chances of winning with gimmicks are slim. This is a battle of willpower and tactics."

Carlisle said seriously.

Su Xi nodded. He agreed with all of it.

But he still wanted to try.

Even if they couldn’t kill the San Antonio Spurs with run-and-gun, just hitting them with something different could work.

Su Xi had watched the Western Conference Finals between the Phoenix Suns and the San Antonio Spurs.

He believed the Pacers’ run-and-gun was different from the Suns’.

The Phoenix Suns’ long spear had no tip; it couldn’t kill the San Antonio Spurs.

The Pacers didn’t have one either, but they might just be able to kill the San Antonio Spurs.

BZZT!

The buzzer sounded, and the second half began.

The Pacers changed their starting lineup for the second half. Su Xi, Miller, Jackson, Tony Battie, and Little O’Neal took the court.

This brand-new lineup made Popovich frown on the bench. He quickly signaled for a strategy to double-team the ball-handler.

The "French Moped" brought the ball up and tried to break past Su Xi, but Su Xi used his footwork to force him to the baseline. Tony Parker jumped to pass the ball to Ginobili. Coming from the wing, Ginobili slithered like a water snake, executing a silky-smooth Eurostep to get past Jackson’s defense and drive deep toward the hoop.

It was a bewitching move.

However, Tony Battie showed no mercy for the beautiful display, nor did he applaud the graceful maneuver.

Instead, he jumped and met him with a direct body check. Ginobili’s physical strength was average, and he hastily passed the ball to Duncan, who made the layup.

The moment Duncan scored, Tony Battie grabbed the ball and fired a long pass to Su Xi. ’So you know how to find your big brother, huh? You think I don’t know how to find mine?’

Su Xi took the ball and sprinted down the court, a lightning-fast blur attacking the frontcourt.

The entire Pacers team advanced with incredible speed.

This caught the San Antonio Spurs slightly off guard.

After all, the San Antonio Spurs had just played the Phoenix Suns. Their bodies remembered, and they got back on defense quickly.

But when Tony Parker tried to tangle with Su Xi beyond the three-point line, Su Xi simply bulldozed past him. He broke through the defense and charged forward violently.

He barrelled into the paint like a hot knife through butter, then exploded upwards. Ginobili tried to block him in mid-air but was shoved aside as Su Xi slammed the ball into the hoop with his left hand... BOOM!

Conseco Fieldhouse erupted.

The entire arena chanted "MVP!"

Su Xi raised both hands.

He looked toward Popovich on the sideline, his gaze carrying a hint of a challenge. ’If I bring out my ’Tank-Style Run-and-Gun,’ how will you respond?’

This was the fundamental difference between Su-style run-and-gun and Nash-style run-and-gun. Nash liked to use the pick-and-roll.

Su Xi didn’t need it. He could just charge straight in.

Nash’s spear couldn’t pierce anyone without a spearhead.

It didn’t matter if Su Xi’s spear had a head or not. Without a spearhead, his spear was a battering ram. And with one good ram, weren’t Tony Parker and Ginobili both sent packing?

4.6 seconds.

TNT displayed the stat.

Starting from the moment Duncan’s shot went in, the Pacers had completed their possession in less than five seconds. It was even faster than the Phoenix Suns’ "Seven Seconds or Less" run-and-gun offense.

Watching on TV, even Nash was dumbfounded.

’So, you can play run-and-gun like that too.’

On the sideline, Popovich made a gesture, ordering Bruce Bowen to stick to Su Xi and deny him the ball.

’This way... how is Su Xi supposed to run-and-gun?’

Bruce Bowen did indeed focus all his energy on Su Xi. Even when the San Antonio Spurs were on offense, his eyes never left him.

CLANK!

Ginobili’s shot bricked. Jackson had anticipated his step-back.

Su Xi grabbed the rebound directly. As he charged into the paint, Batty and Little O’Neal had already boxed out for him.

This was the Pacers’ unspoken understanding.

When it was time to run-and-gun, they let Su Xi come in for the rebound.

As soon as Su Xi got the rebound, he immediately took off sprinting. Bruce Bowen scrambled to keep up; he had a deep bag of defensive tricks.

He tried to force Su Xi toward the sideline, obstructing his vision and cutting off his acceleration.

However, he underestimated Su Xi’s ball-handling ability at high speed. Su Xi was not LeBron James.

Su Xi shattered Bruce Bowen’s plan with a single spin move. The moment he faked out Bowen, Su Xi unleashed his full explosive power and speed.

He instantly shook Bowen, gaining a step. Bowen turned and gave chase, but he was ultimately a beat too slow.

Although the San Antonio Spurs had started to set up their defense in the frontcourt, they couldn’t help but collapse on Su Xi as he plunged in.

And as they collapsed, the instant Su Xi drove to the free-throw line, he whipped the ball to his left. His eyes were looking to his right at Reggie Miller, who drew the defense’s attention.

But Stephen Jackson received the ball... SWISH!

The three-pointer was good.

Jackson had the hot hand tonight.

He was a prime example of a 3-and-D player in the NBA.

Carlisle watched from the sideline, thrilled. ’Could run-and-gun really take down the San Antonio Spurs?’

In Phoenix, Steve Nash and D’Antoni were also wondering, ’We all play run-and-gun, so why is it working for them?’

The answer lay on the defensive end.

The Pacers’ roster construction was completely different from the Suns’.