Free Web NovelChapter 411: Chapter 134: Title Defended! Back-to-Back Champions
Tony Parker’s injury was a complete accident. The slow-motion replay showed that the collision never would have happened if Parker hadn’t tried to take a shortcut and if Duncan hadn’t applied pressure.
Foster had made a normal pass.
"Payback!"
The CCTV host on the other side of the world blurted out the word.
His words voiced the feelings of the hundreds of millions of fans watching on TV.
When the San Antonio Spurs had Bowen play dirty, they should have realized their own players could get injured too.
Even though the Pacers hadn’t intentionally retaliated.
But God is fair.
Charles Barkley was saying something similar: "God is fair. Today’s not the weekend, so God is on the clock, and he saw everything. Now that both the San Antonio Spurs and the Pacers are affected by injuries, who’s going to have the last laugh?"
The San Antonio Spurs called a timeout.
They had now lost their three most important perimeter players, which meant their offense now centered entirely on Duncan.
Popovich wracked his brain. After confirming Tony Parker had broken his nose and couldn’t return to the game like Foster, he felt a wave of despair wash over him. He didn’t want to be swept. He had never been swept in the Finals in his entire career.
He drew up a new play. He demanded that every possession go through Duncan to protect their home court in these final two minutes.
Losing the series 4-1 to the Pacers would be easier to stomach.
TWEET!
The whistle blew.
The game resumed.
As soon as the San Antonio Spurs inbounded the ball, Su Xi was all over their man, applying a full-court press.
He gave the young rookie Jannero Pargo no chance to compensate for his inexperience. Su Xi initiated contact, hounding him and locking him down. Then he muscled his way through for the steal, passed the ball out to the perimeter, and Artest hit the jumper... SWISH!
A three-pointer.
Since the last timeout, the Pacers had gone on a 9-0 run, extending their lead to double digits.
There were only 1 minute and 49 seconds left in the game.
Everyone knew it was over for the San Antonio Spurs.
Duncan was incredible, but how were they going to get the ball to him?
With Su Xi, Artest, and Stephen Jackson on defense, it was an impenetrable wall.
The whole world could see the killer instinct in Su Xi’s eyes. He fought for every single possession, and he was clearly playing on a completely different level.
"This is an attack from a higher dimension."
Thomas sang his praises from the stands.
But no one could argue with him.
Su Xi had stepped up when his team was at its most desperate: two fast breaks, one overpowering mid-range shot, plus a steal, a block, and an assist.
Who would dare say now that Su Xi’s greatness was just a product of the Pacers’ system?
The San Antonio Spurs resorted to a full-court screen strategy, specifically assigning Horry to set picks on one side of the floor.
This gave the Chinese fans across the Pacific a very familiar feeling.
"Why are the San Antonio Spurs running plays from the old Chinese Men’s Basketball Team?"
The CCTV host chuckled on air.
Jannero Pargo was a promising point guard prospect, but he was still worlds apart from Su Xi.
He struggled to bring the ball past half-court before passing it to Duncan.
Duncan was posting up Jackson. Just as he turned to shoot, Artest rushed in and wrapped him up, committing the foul.
Artest was decisive.
Duncan stepped to the free-throw line.
He looked rattled.
CLANK!
He missed the first one.
SWISH!
He made the second.
But it was no use.
They had lost precious time.
Then, Su Xi had the ball.
Su Xi slowed the pace, dribbling the ball up the court. He stopped outside the three-point line and began to run down the clock.
Jannero Pargo tried to apply pressure, but it was like trying to scratch an itch through a boot. He couldn’t even force Su Xi to protect the ball.
Popovich stood on the sideline, looking helpless.
He wanted to call a timeout, to declare garbage time.
Su Xi let 15 seconds burn off the clock, then began to back his man down, using his physical strength.
Jannero Pargo couldn’t stop him. Su Xi backed him down inside the arc and suddenly spun. Barry came over to help, but his defense was just as mediocre.
With an effortless spin, Su Xi shook them both off, rose up, and shot... SWISH!
He scored!
The lead widened even further.
The San Antonio Spurs attempted a fast break, throwing a long pass directly to Barry.
But Barry’s ball-handling skills were weak. Under Artest’s smothering defense, he couldn’t even move forward. He quickly picked up his dribble and was forced to the baseline by Artest. All he could do was toss the ball toward the paint.
He assumed Duncan would be able to grab it.
But Su Xi quickly rushed over to box out Duncan, while Foster charged ahead, leaped up, and snatched the ball.
The ball was passed to Su Xi. He brought it past half-court and once again started to run out the clock.
Popovich glanced at the score. He didn’t signal for his players to foul.
It was pointless.
Su Xi drove to the basket, and Muhammad reached in, fouling him.
Popovich put in his substitutes.
Just then, Su Xi walked to the sideline. He said to Reggie Miller, "Reggie, come on. Come take the final shot of your career."
There were 35 seconds left.
Reggie Miller limped to his feet, deeply moved.
Artest voluntarily subbed out for him.
Then, Su Xi looked at Little O’Neal. "Can you still go in?"
"Of course!"
Little O’Neal’s face was full of pride.
Stephen Jackson also subbed himself out.
SWISH! SWISH!
Su Xi made both free throws.
The lead stretched to 15 points.
The San Antonio Spurs’ substitutes went through the motions on offense and scored two points.
Little O’Neal inbounded the ball with his left hand to Su Xi. Su Xi brought it past half-court and passed it to Reggie Miller, who was waiting outside the three-point line.
By now, the entire Indiana bench was on its feet.
Reggie Miller took the ball and aimed for the hoop, with Su Xi standing right beside him.
He put every last bit of his strength into the shot.
He didn’t jump.
Before this shot, he had made a total of 2,599 three-pointers in his entire career.
Even before he released it, he knew this would be the final three-point attempt of his career.
The greatest shooter in history had never imagined taking his final shot like this.
But at the moment he released the ball, the feeling was more wonderful than anything he had ever experienced.
He spread his arms wide after the release.
SWISH!
The three-pointer traced a perfect arc before falling through the net.
The Pacers bench erupted. Jordan and the others all rose to their feet to applaud the old warrior. In the commentary booth, Charles Barkley was even a little choked up.
Miller was a star from their era, after all.
They were moved that Miller, after a lifetime of loyalty to Indiana, was finally getting the perfect send-off.
Miller’s face was now streaked with tears. He hugged Su Xi tightly. "Thank you, Jack!"
"We should be thanking you, Reggie," Su Xi said, patting his shoulder. "But you should be cooler than this right now. You want to finish your last dance with tears all over your face?"
Hearing this, Miller wiped his tears on Su Xi’s shoulder. He turned around and struck his classic pose.
He bowed to the crowd all around the San Antonio arena.
It was just like his legendary taunt in Madison Garden.
But this time, a smattering of applause echoed through the arena.
No one booed him.
This made him forgo his even more classic and arrogant taunt: the throat-slash gesture.
And so, Reggie Miller’s legendary career came to a close.
He had made his final three-pointer.
He had won the second championship ring of his career.
The San Antonio Spurs ran out the final seven seconds.
The final buzzer sounded.
The game had been a rollercoaster.
But in the end, the Pacers had the last laugh.
They were the 2005 NBA Champions.
The San Antonio Spurs players ceded their home court, leaving with their heads hung low.
They were the biggest losers of the season. In the days to come, they would have to reflect on why they failed.
But for now, the glory belonged to Indiana.
David Stern walked onto the court. He was about to present the awards to Su Xi and the Pacers.
Although the MVP voting was still underway.
But besides Su Xi, who else could it be?
The Pacers were not a team with multiple stars. They had only one core, and that was Little Sheep Su Xi.
Little Sheep Su Xi had completed the greatest start to a career in history, winning two championships and two Finals MVP trophies in his first two seasons.
This was where he had surpassed Magic, Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Russell, Chamberlain, and Jordan.
The TNT camera cut to Jordan.
Jordan looked calm.
He looked as if he felt no threat, but who knew what he was truly thinking?
But for now, the question on everyone’s mind was: Where would Little Sheep Su Xi go next season?
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