In their first possession, Su Wan and Young O’Neal immediately set up a pick and roll on the high right side. The moment Jermaine settled into the screening position, he caused some disruption to the Pistons’ defense switching. "Rasheed Wallace," uncertain whether to switch with Prince, hesitated.
If they didn’t switch, by the time Prince navigated around him to reposition himself in front of Su Wan, it would definitely be too late.
But just as Su Wan had rounded the screen and had not yet cut inward, Young O’Neal quickly retreated back under the basket.
This move couldn’t be called wrong—after all, it wasn’t a lackluster "pro forma screening" where he hadn’t even stabilized before retreating; he genuinely created an obstacle.
However, Rashid Wallace made up his mind in an instant, no longer wrestling with whether to switch with Prince. Seeing Su Wan pass the ball to Young O’Neal, he also immediately ran back under the basket, where Ben Wallace was already waiting. Together, they slammed Young O’Neal with a "Double Ghosts Slap the Door."
The tremendous impact made Young O’Neal roll on the ground, his gaze dazed and confused.
What... what happened?
The tactics surrounding his playstyle were already detailed in the Pistons’ assistant coaches’ tactical notes:
Early on, Young O’Neal was a "Space Four," learning some high-post passing techniques from his then-partner "Big White Bear" Brad Miller. If he received the ball at the high post, he could do two things:
Either shoot or pass.
But if he went back under the basket, there would only be one outcome:
Take the shot himself and finish!
That was also Rick Carlisle’s demand for his offensive end since taking over as coach:
You don’t need to worry about anything else, just get that damn basketball into the basket!
Later at the Mavericks, Rick Carlisle made the same demand of Nowitzki.
That’s why Rashid Wallace decisively defended under the basket.
The Pistons took advantage of the time Young O’Neal took to get up, smoothly scoring another offensive run and bringing their lead to 5 points.
Ben Wallace finally had the chance to vent his frustration, "Rookie, where’s your skill? Why aren’t you yelling and hollering like a monkey anymore?"
Su Wan’s face showed little reaction, and he even felt like laughing inside, for reasons you know. Young O’Neal beside him found it exceedingly grating, though. Ben Wallace’s words kicked Su Wan in the "butt" but slapped him, Young O’Neal, in the "face"!
If he had listened to Su Wan and taken the mid-range shots, would he have been slammed in the paint like this?
After another pick and roll, waiting for Su Wan to navigate around him, he simply moved towards the free throw line. This time Wallace and Prince didn’t communicate well, both of them going to block the ball-handler Su Wan. Young O’Neal was left wide open.
Reggie Miller received Su Wan’s pass out and then passed it to him.
Mid-range shot, steady and sure!
The Pacers started scoring again.
Larry Brown’s defensive philosophy of "protecting the basket" made him disregard Young O’Neal’s successful jump shot.
In his view, it was a classic case of "desperation"!
But the Pacers, deploying their "desperate" offensive style, managed to claw back the deficit, and by the end of the first quarter, they completed a comeback.
fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
to 21!
The Pacers entered the second quarter with a 2-point lead.
Since taking Su Wan’s advice to take high-post jump shots, Young O’Neal went on a roll, sinking shot after shot. Coupled with his earlier points, he racked up 9 points in the first quarter alone. After making the last basket, he danced in celebration, truly exhilarated.
Returning to play in the first quarter with such performance, the Pacers’ fans, not as demanding as those of Wade, cheered even more vigorously for Young O’Neal.
Walsh took a deep breath; he felt that about 80% of the familiar Pacers home court atmosphere had returned, but it seemed like something was still missing...
Rick Carlisle also noticed that Larry Brown seemed indifferent to the mid- and long-range defensive coverage and didn’t care about the team losing points in those areas. So, starting in the second quarter, he began creating shooting opportunities for Reggie Miller.
"Big Brother" was also in excellent form tonight, hardly missing any good shooting chances. He made 6 out of 10 shots, scoring 12 points, and even he felt like he was experiencing a "return to the peak" this evening.
But the Pistons’ perimeter accuracy was equally impressive.
Especially Prince, with an astonishing season average of 48.7% shooting, went 4 for 4 in the second quarter, including one three-pointer.
So even though the Pacers exploited the Pistons’ defensive weaknesses to establish their offensive rhythm, by halftime, they had only managed to extend their lead to four points.
Of course, this was surprising enough.
Because the Pacers were playing without Artest and Stephen Jackson.
Kenny Smith said, "Up to now, the Pacers are definitely the better-performing side!"
The Pacers were ahead, and he was in a good mood to cheer for them for a reason:
Su Wan had scored only 5 points in the first half!
His ball-handling performances in the second quarter were good, attracting double-teams almost every time, and tactically, he played his part well. But from a personal data standpoint, it was definitely a "sluggish" night.
With his scoring pace in the first half, how could he score 20 points in the second half?
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
Kenny Smith was already recalling what the donkey merchant’s phone number was, this time intending to pick a more pungent donkey for Barkley, to stop him from harboring similar thoughts again.
In the second half, the stalemate continued, with the Pacers maintaining a slim lead, and the unified chants gradually rising from the crowd during each of the Pacers’ defensive possessions:
"defense!"
"defense!"
"defense!"
It was at this moment that Walsh finally understood what he felt was missing!
This was it!
The atmosphere in Conseco was completely back to its former glory.
Up to this point in the game, the Pacers, even without Artest and Stephen Jackson, had performed well against their "arch-rival," and the current result satisfied everyone in Indiana.
At least, that’s what the Pacers’ fans in attendance believed.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have summoned such unified chanting.
Rick Carlisle wasn’t too troubled; since the Pistons’ perimeter shots were so on point today, he expanded the entire defense outward. He signaled to the Pacers on the court, and they successfully defended the Pistons’ shot that possession.
Even more uplifting was Foster’s fierce rebounding under a double-team from Ben Wallace and Rashid Wallace.
When he roared, the whole venue vibrated softly.
There was only one outcome to be left here tonight:
Victory!
Victory!
Damn straight, victory!
Su Wan was the "icing on the cake," using the rare gap where he wasn’t double-teamed this possession to sink a free throw line jump shot. — This was a bit of a cunning move; Su Wan’s mid-range wasn’t great, but his free throw ability was decent, at an impressive 75 points. Even though free throws and mid-range shots are completely different in the game, it’s like with some holes you get more used to, whether the lights are on or off, you can slam it through just the same. Familiarity also increases accuracy.
"Swish!"
Everyone knew Su Wan’s mid-range was a weakness.
So even he hit a mid-range shot, it could easily make the opponent feel like the game had reached a "should we cross the river" moment. Even though the lead was just seven points, Larry Brown still called for a timeout.
The stands absolutely erupted.
The arena DJ played a very timely passionate disco track.