The most watery super giant is leading the dark horse to counterattack! Why can t the new NBA king be them

About 90 seconds after the final whistle, when the Indiana Pacers sent home the top seed in the East to start the offseason, the two major cores of the team's revival had a private exchange on the field in Cleveland. Pascal Siakam needs to remind Thales Halliburton one thing.

"Remember, we're not over yet. "

Pacers eliminated the Cavaliers 4-1 and won three away games in the Eastern Conference semifinals, including a 19-point reversal in Game 5. Even if the subsequent stadium celebrations seemed restrained - especially for a team that had a difficult start of 10 wins and 15 losses at the beginning of the season - this was actually intentional. This is the second consecutive year that the Pacers have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, and Siakam wants Halliburton and other teammates to understand: there is no need to celebrate at this moment.

"Sometimes I sound like I'm pouring cold water," the veteran striker later admitted, "Everyone wants to cheer, and I just want to say, 'Brother, I want more. ' "

He deserves it, and so does this team. For this long-term frustrated team, the door to chance suddenly opened this spring. It seems incredible that the Pacers suddenly had the best chance to win the NBA championship. This time, they have a truly competitive lineup.

"Win eight more games, you can win the championship," coach Rick Carlisle said after finishing the Cavaliers series. "The league is completely open this year. "

Among the four teams entering the division finals, the Pacers, Thunder and Timberwolves are all chasing the team's first championship in history, and the Knicks have not reached the top since 1973. This time, there are no more dynasty teams that are about to rise or are at their peak in front of the Pacers - just like the Jordan Bulls in 1998, the "OK group" in 2000, and the "Jan-Waiter Connect" Heat in 2013-14.

This team has endured too many long hardships. He entered the Eastern Conference Finals 9 times in 49 years, and fell 8 times a step away from the finals, including four of them losing to the seventh tie: losing to the Knicks in 1994, losing to the Magic in 1995, losing to the Bulls in 1998, and losing to the Heat in 2013.

Countless heartbreaking moments deeply imprinted fans' memories: Larry Johnson's controversy in Madison Square Garden in 1999, "smack four points"; in 2004, Tyshaun Prince ghostly blocked Reggie Miller (six months later, the Auburn Hill Palace Brawl destroyed the Pacers' deepest lineup); in 2014, Paul George was seriously injured, and three years later his deal application...

, but this time it was completely different. The Pacers are not only the hottest team in the playoffs so far (8 wins in 10 games), but also the team with the thickest lineup. There is no shortcut to the rise of this team: no superstar refuses Los Angeles/Miami/Boston to choose Indiana; has not won the top five pick in 37 years; just 24 months ago, Halliburton also represented the team at the lottery draw ceremony.

They, who ranked 25th in the league in total salary last season, made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, ranked 22nd in salary this season but returned again. The regular season almost missed the national broadcast, and half of the first round of the series against the Bucks were scheduled on NBATV - perhaps this is why Halliburton was voted as the "most overrated player" by his players: "No one has seen us play at all. "

" These doubts are fuel," Halliburton recently said in the Pat McAfee Show, "There are many underrated guys in our team. "

Four of the five starting tigers were traded: the Kings sent him away 15 months after choosing Halliburton; Siakam's career began in the Development League; the only untraded center Miles Turner recently teased himself in the Players Forum "Living six years in the trading rumors ".

The Pacers' transformation began with two savvy operations completed by Kevin Prichard, president of basketball operations (the Indiana man who often sat in cheap seats at the Market Square Arena in his childhood) in recent years: he got Halliburton in 2022, and exchanged from the Raptors for Siakam last year's trading deadline. For the confused team that used Kiefer Sykes, Chris Duarte, Justin Holiday, Goga Bitaze and Tory Craig to start against the Warriors, these deals changed everything.

But Prichard's real wisdom lies in building a lineup around the two stars. The depth of this team is staggering: Halliburton only scored 30+ in the G5 in 10 games in the playoffs. "We are different," the two-time All-Star said, "The way to defeat the opponent is ever-changing. "

The contribution of role players is crucial: Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nemhard is like the defender version of the Davis brothers in the 1990s (Dale and Antonio), and the data cannot fully reflect its value - Nesmith caused Donovan Mitchell to have an offensive foul in the end of G2, paving the way for Halliburton's final kill; when Mitchell chased to the 3-point difference in the last 67 seconds of G5, Nemhard completed the key "2+1".

The second team is also unsightly: Obi Topin, Mathering, Jares Walker and Thomas Bryant all shined in the playoffs. And T.J. McConnell - "If it's an opponent, I'll definitely hate this guy," Turner wrote.

Turner's final stay was due to Carlisle. After Carlisle took office in June 2021, the two had dinner together in Dallas. Turner was at the trough of his career at that time: he was suffering from injuries, years of failures, and trading rumors lingered. But through conversations at the steak dinner, Carlisle rekindled Turner's belief: "He didn't draw cakes, he just told me that I know your value, we need you, this team has unlimited potential '. "

In four years, Carlisle has built the lottery team into a championship team. Players praised their ability to adjust tactics based on talent, especially to develop Halliburton as a top organizer. The core of all tactics is the simple creed: to run everyone down.

Before last season, the Pacers established a new identity: to be the best physical, fastest and most selfless team in the league. Soon other teams began to take targeted rest stars. "They will joke before the race 'I don't want to run a marathon with you tonight ' " Turner wrote. This never-decelerating pace is their secret to eliminating the Bucks Cavaliers 4-1 in two consecutive rounds.

Halliburton controls the team's offensive lifeline and may one day become a symbol of the city. This point guard with a long body, weird shooting posture but with key genes perfectly fits the image of a grassroots hero that Indiana people love. Therefore, everything is right when Reggie Miller will serve as the Eastern Conference commentator and witness the old club's fight against his former rival.

Halliburton's declaration has always been concise since Siakam woke up at Cleveland Stadium: "Our goal is not to return to the Eastern Conference Finals, but to win the championship. "As Siakam said: "We are extremely hungry now. "

(text/Mango)