However, the game was indeed somewhat boring. The slow pace and overly intense confrontation made scoring exceedingly difficult for both teams.
In the previous four games, none of them scored over 100 points, with the highest being 93 points and the lowest 78 points.
It wasn’t until the second quarter that both teams gradually picked up the pace, their shots got warmer, and the scoring started to increase.
At this point, the Pacers leveraged their home court advantage, playing with immense momentum and widening the score gap in one go.
They achieved a 10-point lead in the first half, which was significant in a defensive battle like this.
"Dad, did you place a bet, who do you think will win?"
"If it’s not your game, I won’t bet... I don’t think the Pacers are doing well."
"The Pacers are ahead by 10 points, isn’t that something? The score will be very low."
"They exerted themselves a bit too early, which isn’t their style. Playing a game and running are similar; everyone has their own rhythm. Trying to be fast and overtaking the opponent too soon can disrupt your familiar rhythm, leading to issues later."
Gan Youwei often watched games seriously. Although he didn’t understand the specific technical and tactical details, he had summarized some insights.
He would observe the momentum of the game and, through intuitive analysis of the forces, make basic judgments about the game’s direction.
Of course, this judgment wasn’t frequently accurate, as too many factors influence the outcome, but sometimes, it was indeed quite predictive.
Sure enough, in the third quarter, the Knicks began their fierce counterattack.
This year, after Spree replaced Rice for the Knicks, their offensive aggression significantly increased.
Previously, they always relied on Mourning and Kemp, the two inside players, to initiate attacks, with Rice and Houston serving as outside shooting support.
Van Gundy’s offensive arsenal had only three tactics; once used up, everything else depended on extreme defensive pressure to gain an advantage.
The problem is, basketball is ultimately a scoring game; although you can focus on defense, in the playoffs, your offense cannot be overly simplistic.
Spree’s arrival provided sufficient diversity. His ball handling, fast breaks, isolation plays, compensated for the biggest shortcoming of the Knicks’ original lineup.
With an average of 16 points per game in the regular season, his playoff average score increased to 21 points, becoming the team’s top scorer and most crucial offensive force.
His free throw percentage and free throw numbers reached career highs.
Spree led the Knicks’ third-quarter onslaught, hitting the Pacers hard with a 28:14 run, winning the quarter by 14 points and leading into the fourth quarter.
Gan Youwei was right; the Pacers prematurely expended their energy, causing them to be unable to respond to the Knicks’ resurgence in the pivotal third quarter.
Adelman paced anxiously by the sideline, unable to do anything, while Miller, under pressure, missed his shots. It wasn’t his first time.
Pacer fans at home continually cheered for the home team, but by this point in the series, home advantage was no longer that vital.
Home fans wouldn’t storm down to drive the away team out, would they? Truly strong playoff teams consider winning away games as basic operations.
In the first game of the series, the Knicks had conquered Indiana. Returning here, they remained undeterred, simply aiming to win and advance to the finals.
In the fourth quarter’s showdown, Miller regained his form, making consecutive outside shots, but Spree always managed to respond.
After enduring the Pacers’ fiercest counterpunch, the Knicks relied on their interior advantage to keep scoring, with Kemp and Mourning consistently grabbing offensive rebounds and succeeding in second-chance points.
The Knicks had already overshadowed the Pacers in momentum, bringing New Yorkers closer to victory.
In the last minute, the Knicks had already expanded their lead to 8 points, but they dared not relax.
For Miller always seems to deliver deadly comebacks at such crucial times, using consecutive threes to reverse the situation.
Yet this time, Miller couldn’t create a miracle, the "Miller moment" didn’t happen, and the Knicks maintained their lead.
Ultimately, they won 98:92, defeating the Pacers by 6 points away from home, leading the series 3:2 and taking the Eastern Conference Finals match point.
The entirety of New York City plunged into madness, foreshadowing just how frenzied the next game at Madison Square Garden would be.
New Yorkers would eagerly hope for the Knicks to ascend to the highest stage again after 26 years.
The Trail Blazers also considered the New York Knicks as their primary imaginary adversary, with the coaching staff beginning to study their game footage and tactical strategies.
Just as Gan Guoyang calmly prepared to face the Finals, on May 26th, America’s House of Representatives released a confidential investigation report, causing a commotion.
Compiled and named under Congressman Christopher Costa’s leadership, the report identified a significant amount of espionage activity in America since the 1980s.
These espionage activities primarily revolved around military actions, nuclear technology, and other national secrets, with behind-the-scenes manipulators pointing directly across the Pacific Ocean.
It particularly mentioned, "Our military operations in Kosovo were leaked and affected, probably related to a renowned professional athlete who has been in America for years."
The "Costa Report" emerged, bringing Gan Guoyang a major crisis in his career.
Phones rang nonstop at Gan Guoyang’s home, with all kinds of calls coming — some comforting, some inquiring, some probing, some distancing, and some attacking him...
Gan Guoyang remained composed, already prepared. He specifically made a call to Bird, asking, "Larry, are you still on my side?"
On the other end, Bird was silent for a few seconds, then said, "I told you, always by your side. I absolutely don’t believe that damned report."
Gan Guoyang said, "Neither do I. I’m looking forward to going to New York; the Knicks will most likely reach the Finals."
"No matter who it is, we will win. But going to New York, you should make sufficient mental preparation; the fans there are crazy."
"It doesn’t matter; I wanted to go see the Twin Towers anyway. You know, I like facing the Twin Towers."