Because a new volume will be started, today’s writing won’t be finished, it’ll continue tomorrow.
I initially planned to write several Chapters about the 1998 Finals, but given the disparity in strength and the state of both sides, it was an unremarkable series without any suspense. Writing forced suspense would be illogical.
So, the series ended abruptly and neatly, with the first game being a reflection of the entire series. The Bulls had no cards to play and found it difficult to adjust.
Readers who watched the documentary "The Last Dance" know how terrible the internal and external situation for the Bulls was that year.
Of course, the Bulls were still very strong in 1998. Historically, the Bulls lost six games in the 1998 playoffs, and the biggest loss margin was only 3 points, all narrow losses by 1 or 2 points.
While the Eastern Conference Finals with the Pacers went to game seven, the games the Pacers won were very close, and the Bulls secured their four victories steadily; the disparity in strength was clear.
But this year, the Trail Blazers were portrayed as too strong, engaging in devastating attacks and having a style that restrained the Bulls, who feared three-point shots the most.
Like when the Pacers played against the Bulls, two out of the three games they won were thanks to three-point explosions, shooting 12 of 7 in one game and 18 of 11 in another, with absurdly high accuracy.
The Jazz’s three-point shooting was too poor, with few attempts and low accuracy, making 13 three-pointers in six games, equivalent to one game for the Pacers, averaging 2 per game—the number was too few, forcing the Jazz into a battle of attrition with the Bulls, which led to their defeat.
In the book, the Trail Blazers obviously didn’t have this problem; they could run, shoot, and were willing to shoot, just like this year’s real-life Pacers.
Speaking of the Pacers, I didn’t expect that in reality, Carl was truly moving towards Dr. Naismith’s "ultimate offense," initiating attacks from every position on the court to start a new era.
In 2011, when Carl led the Mavericks to win the championship, I remember clearly that before the playoffs began, no one favored the Mavericks, including myself.
Due to the Rockets in 2005, many Chinese fans didn’t like the Mavericks, and then being reverse-swept by Roy and the Trail Blazers in the first round led everyone to believe the Mavericks were finished.
At the time, the Mavericks and Nowitzki were indeed miserable. After being reversed in the 2006 Finals, they were considered playoff pushovers; in 2007, they were upset, beaten by the Hornets in 2008, massacred by the Nuggets in 2009, and were upset by the Spurs in 2010—I vividly remember all these without needing to check records. The Mavericks were truly miserable those years, so in 2011, it was widely believed they would fail in the playoffs again.
But, the Mavericks first overcame the Trail Blazers, then reversed and swept the Lakers in the semifinals, shocking many people, including myself.
The Mavericks’ offensive efficiency at key moments was astonishingly high, with incredibly precise shooting. That’s when I felt the Mavericks would be different this year.
Of course, I don’t like making predictions for fear of embarrassment. I silently favored one team in my heart; in 2011, it was the Mavericks, then watched the Mavericks reach the Finals without being favored and unexpectedly revere and win against the Heat.
The Mavericks and Dirk swept away the accumulated gloom, a championship crowned them in glory. To this day, everyone speaks of it highly; it was indeed a legendary year.
Looking back at this playoffs many years later, aside from the exciting games, the legendary and tumultuous experiences, and numerous iconic finals moments, it’s evident that the Mavericks’ championship had far-reaching impacts when considering subsequent history.
In my memory, before the Mavericks won in 2011, playoff axioms in the NBA were: 1. Defense wins championships; 2. Shooting alone can’t win games.
For a long time before, NBA championships were won by teams with strong defenses or robust close-range attack capabilities, whether super low-post centers or powerful driving guards as the core.
The Mavericks broke all of this; their defense was good but they weren’t a defensive team, focusing resources and energy on offense.
Moreover, the Mavericks were a bona fide shooting team, eliminating opponents with precision shots, growing more precise at critical moments.
In hindsight, these aspects influenced the NBA profoundly; from this point onwards, the NBA gradually advanced into an era of offense, with increasing three-point shooting—growing in frequency and precision.
Although the Heat won championships in 2012 and 2013 with powerful pressure defense, these championships had little influence on the league’s style and direction due to various reasons, with no teams emulating the Heat model afterwards.
Rather, teams like the Spurs and Warriors began moving towards offense, maximizing shooting, space, and three-pointers.
Now in 2025, 14 years have passed, and the NBA game style has significantly changed. Carl is still coaching, and this year he may have the chance to start a new era again.
Starting roughly from the 2023 season, the efficiency benefits brought by three-point shooting have hit their marginal effects, meaning increasing the number of three-point attempts no longer brings efficiency gains, or at least not significantly.
Data shows that in recent seasons, average team scores and three-point attempts no longer increase steadily but fluctuate, even regressing.
This indicates the NBA is entering a transitional period of version update. Carl, as the whistleblower for the last version, may very well do it again after 14 years.
I haven’t seriously watched playoffs these past two years, nor have I followed the Pacers much. I watched two Eastern Conference Finals games last year and felt the team was resilient and has potential but lacked a definitive star player—conventional thinking dictates playoffs are a star stage.
Even though the Celtics’ dual flowers always seem lacking, they’re real star players—a point where the Pacers fall short.
In this year’s playoffs, during the semifinals, unexpectedly, Carl’s team easily defeated the 64-win Knights, attracting much attention again, including mine.
Mirroring the 2011 Mavericks, beginning with the semifinals, they captured attention.
I happened to see Carl’s post-game speech in the locker room after entering the Eastern Conference Finals.
He said, "We just need to win eight more games to take the championship," which made me feel that this year’s Pacers are different.
Sure enough, the Pacers were different, getting to the current situation, now closer to the championship.
Of course, I still don’t make predictions for fear of embarrassment. The NBA holds many variables, but the Pacers’ season is indeed successful.
Carl, as a coach, is truly eye-opening because if the Pacers win the championship this year, he’ll overturn the NBA’s third axiom: the playoffs are a stage for superstars.
The Pacers are really ordinary compared to the Detroit Pistons of 2004, and they’re taking a completely different, pioneering path.
Moreover, the Pistons in 2004 benefited somewhat from the Lakers’ internal conflict, Malone’s retirement due to injury, and Kobe’s stubbornness.
If Carl truly accomplishes this, even with only two championships, he’d still be considered a grandmaster-level figure in the coaching realm, comparable to Auerbach, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, and similar pioneering figures.
(PS: In my opinion, Popovich counts only as a 0.75 grandmaster because he couldn’t prove himself a championship coach without Duncan.)
Getting sidetracked for a moment, back to this book.
According to the original plan, I intended for Jordan to leave the Bulls and join the Nets, forming a second anti-Gan alliance (the first during the 1992 Olympics)—this has been foreshadowed previously.
But as I wrote, the characters became uncontrollable, with Jordan in the book telling me he wouldn’t do such a thing; he’d rather retire with regrets than band together to win a championship.
Besides, Jordan also said he doesn’t have regrets; he enjoyed a wonderful career with many exciting games and won three championships.
Therefore, he retired, but not entirely; he will make a comeback, but where to is temporarily confidential—time will reveal the answer.
A major Chapter will be updated tomorrow, kicking off a new volume.