Stan Van Gundy could sense that, tonight’s Pacers were playing quite differently than usual.
For a long stretch in the first quarter, the entire Pacers team was working to find Stephen Jackson his shot from beyond the three-point line.
After he went out, they organized a few trial throws for Reggie Miller.
It was clear that their condition was good tonight; Stephen Jackson hit a three-point shot on his second attempt, and Reggie Miller scored two three-pointers in the first quarter.
At the end of the first quarter, the Pacers were ahead by 3 points, 30 to 27.
Shaquille O’Neal was unfazed, "Let them shoot. I don’t believe they can shoot us to death tonight!"
In the "Shark’s" mind, having a dominant inside presence was the true path to victory.
That’s how the Lakers had secured their "three consecutive championships."
Tonight, they held an absolute advantage in the paint, so there was no worry about how many three-point shots the Pacers had made in the first quarter!
Stan Van Gundy was willing to believe Shaquille O’Neal.
It wasn’t just him; every head coach in the League was thoroughly convinced of Shaq’s abilities.
He was the one to lead his team to a three-peat after Michael Jordan!
Although he was past his prime, judging by the first quarter, he showed signs of a "youthful outburst" with 6 attempts and 4 baskets, including 2 out of 4 free throws, amassing 10 points.
Tonight, the Pacers threw their entire team at Dwyane Wade, choosing to play "one-on-one defense" against Shaq—another point of Stan Van Gundy’s concealed concern. Were they intentionally wearing down Shaquille O’Neal’s stamina?
Jeff Foster put all his strength into every move, making Shaq’s scores quite difficult.
After all, he no longer had the explosive power of his peak years.
Like in 2000, when he would get the ball in the paint, back down with a shove, then turn and slam dunk, those plays were now rarely seen.
Now, he needed to firmly secure his position behind the defender before executing the turn.
He still had the power to dominate in the paint; it just required more energy.
Stan Van Gundy was reassured that the "heavyweight" at the five on the other team was even more drained. At the end of the first quarter, as he went to rest, his chest heaved like surging waves.
He believed that if they continued this way, Jeff Foster would definitely be the one to leave the game before Shaquille.
The second quarter began with substitution time; neither team’s bench was strong, and they struggled to score until the main players came back on. Shaquille O’Neal made good on his intermission assertion, slam dunking twice in a row, helping his team take the lead.
With 6 minutes and 13 seconds left, the Heat further extended their lead to 5 points.
Again, thanks to Shaquille O’Neal.
By halftime, he had already scored 16 points. Barring any surprise, he would score 30 tonight.
If I weren’t past my peak, I could have gotten 40 tonight!
Shaquille O’Neal cursed inwardly.
Even the Indiana commentators, witnessing the strong presence of Shaquille O’Neal, couldn’t help but shake their heads slightly.
The "behemoth" had won "three consecutive championships" for a reason; his strength was truly formidable.
They could tell that even though Shaq was no longer at his absolute peak, dominating Jeff Foster was still not a problem for him.
"Who’s guarding the great Shark?"
Shaquille O’Neal yelled towards the Pacers bench as he fell back in defense.
In the past period, nearly every time he scored, he’d throw some "trash talk" at the Pacers bench.
Barkley said, "He’s deliberately imitating Su Wan!"
The noise in Conseco Fieldhouse had also quieted down quite a bit.
When team rhythm falters, the enthusiasm in the stands lessens.
Except in Salt Lake City, where fans are the same regardless.
The fans in Salt Lake City mainly go to vent by shouting obscenities, so the team’s performance doesn’t affect their noise level.
If not, why call it the "Devil’s Home Court"?
But if they paid careful attention to Rick Carlisle’s expression now, they’d find him serious but not at all anxious.
Instead, he seemed to convey:
Don’t rush!
The show is about to start!
With 7 minutes and 23 seconds in the second quarter, the Pacers changed their formation, with Jeff Foster being substituted out.
Seeing his breathless state, the audience thought it was the right move.
It was time for a rest.
Not just because of a lack of stamina, but the effectiveness of his one-on-one defense against Shaquille O’Neal also warranted a break, time for someone else to have a try.
But when they saw who stood up from the Pacers’ bench, they were stunned.
Reggie... Miller?
Why was Reggie Miller coming in instead of another big man?
The commentators were also shocked.
They hadn’t expected Reggie Miller to enter the game.
"Jermaine’s playing the five? Stephen at the four?" Bill Walton calmly analyzed, "The Heat’s overall height is shorter, aside from Shaquille O’Neal and Damon Jones, the rest are below normal height for their positions." fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
Wade was only 1.93 meters, Eddie Jones was 1.98 meters, and Haslem was just 2.03 meters.
This move was a necessity, Shaquille O’Neal’s sheer mass was overwhelming; on defense, they could only protect the rebounds and restrict space in the paint. Asking him to do anything else was a bit much.
And his defensive attitude was not particularly professional.
In order to help him with defense, and also to maintain the Heat’s defensive capabilities, Stan Van Gundy—or rather, Pat Riley’s will—made Van Gundy decrease the overall team height, trading height for speed to implement a "4 on 5" position war strategy.