Rehearsal of the Eastern Final King Mountain: Sika 39: Night of the Gods, Pacers team basketball crushes the Knicks superstar dependence!

1. Sika scored 39 points in three quarters: From the Raptors abandoned the Pacers

When Sikam hit the iconic mid-range jump shot with 4 minutes and 17 seconds left in the third quarter, a hint of helpless amazement was mixed in the booing of Madison Square Garden - the All-Star forward, who was traded by the Raptors on a 4-year 130 million contract, is writing a counterattack legend with a career playoff high of 39 points (15 of 23 and 3-pointers). What's even more amazing is that he scored 13 points in the third quarter, tearing the Knicks' defense with three different methods: back-on singles, face-frame breakthroughs and open three-pointers, widening the score gap from 5 points to 12 points, completely destroying the home team's hope of counterattack.

data shows that Sika's real shooting percentage in this game was as high as 74.6%, setting a record high in his personal playoff career. This efficient performance stems from the tactical innovation of the Pacers coaching staff: they freed Sika from the fourth position of the Raptors and gave him the authority to take the ball and launch an attack. In this game, Sika had 18 ball breakthroughs, including 11 of which scored directly on the basket, and created opportunities for teammates through passes. This "ball-holding core" positioning made him become the team's offensive core when Halliburton felt poorly (14 points, 5 of 16 shots), perfectly interpreting the role of "superhero in team basketball".

2. Brunson's 36+11 dilemma: The fatal paradox of superstar tactics

is in sharp contrast to Sika. Brunson's "lone hero" dilemma. Although he scored 36 points and 11 assists throughout the game, becoming the first player in NBA history to score 35+10 in the first two games of the division finals, the team lost two home games in a row. This contradiction reflects the deep problems of the Knicks' tactical system: Brunson's ball-holding attack accounted for as much as 42%, and when he got off the court, the team's scoring sharply dropped by 18.3 points per 100 rounds.

What is more worthy of attention is Brunson's physical fitness allocation problem. In the final quarter, his breakthrough speed dropped significantly, and he scored 2 points with only free throws in the last 5 minutes, causing the Knicks to lose their main attacker at the critical moment of chasing points. This "dead core" strategy is inseparable from the "seven-man rotation" tactics that Coach Thibodeau insisted - the Knicks only scored 18 points in this game, while the Pacers substitute contributed 28 points, of which McConnell efficiently scored 10 points and 4 assists on 5 of 8 shots, becoming one of the winners and losers.

3. Victory of team basketball: The Pacers's victory comes from the ultimate practice of modern basketball concepts. They sent 28 assists in the game, with a three-point shooting percentage of 41.2%, and 6 players scored in double digits, perfectly interpreting the tactical philosophy of "everyone is an attacking initiator." Although Halliburton felt cold, he connected the team with 11 assists, especially in the end of the third quarter, assisting Turner and Nesmith to make key three-pointers to overtake the score. Turner built a barrier in the inside, contributing 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks, and having the best efficiency in the team in the basket protection team. The depth advantage of the

bench is also critical. McConnell scored stably with breakthroughs and mid-range in the connection, Nesmith continued his hot touch in the first match of the Eastern Conference Finals (10 of 12 three-pointers in two games), and even rookie Shepard could hit a three-pointer with open positions. This "nine-man rotation" strategy not only allows the main players to maintain physical fitness, but also makes the Knicks' defense lose sight of one thing - when Brunson focused on limiting Haliburton, Sika and Turner's inside attack became a killer move.

4. The revelation of tactical games: Systematically fighting against superstars dependent

This game exposed the fatal flaws of the Knicks' tactical system: excessive reliance on Brunson's singles leads to a single offensive rhythm, while the defensive end is full of loopholes due to Towns' "air defense" (positive and negative value - 20 lowest in the game). In contrast, Pacers have created unlimited misalignment opportunities for defense switching through the triangle structure of "ball holder + forward core + space center". For example, Sika used Towns's perimeter defense weakness many times and made a jump shot with a back-to-back single. The comparison at the data level is more telling: Pacers' fast break score (18-9), second offense score (16-8) and paint area score (48-34) have a full advantage, and these data are behind the tactical dividends brought by teamwork. Although the Knicks' singles score accounts for 38%, its efficiency is only 0.91 points per round, far below the league average.

5. Series Trend Preview: The Knicks' Life and Death Questions

Return to home with a 2-0 lead, and the Pacers have increased the probability of promotion to 80%. Their "unbeaten away" myth (10 wins and 0 away games this season) and team basketball system have made the Knicks' hopes of a comeback. If the Knicks want to reverse, they must solve three major problems:

Brunson's physical fitness management: Is Thibodeau willing to shorten the core's playing time (39 minutes of this game) and increase Quickley's role?

Downs' defensive awakening: Can the All-Star center hand over at least 5 blocks in G3 and prove that he is not a defensive colander?

Redition of Role Players: Anunobi (2 of 6 threes) and Hart (6 points and 6 rebounds) need more firepower support on the offensive end.

Conclusion

When the final whistle sounded, the Pacers players gathered in a circle and shouted "Team! Team!", while Brunson on the Knicks' bench bowed and said nothing. This game is not only a victory or defeat in the score, but also a competition between two basketball philosophy - one side is a systematic teamwork, and the other side is a single fight that superstars rely on.. As Pacers head coach Carlisle said after the game: "When everyone is willing to create opportunities for teammates, victory will naturally come to knock on the door." On this night, Sika's 39 points are just a manifestation, and the team basketball aesthetics shown by the Pacers are the deadly weapon to truly defeat the Knicks. Next, they returned to Indiana, and they were only two games away from the first finals in team history. And can the Knicks find a way to solve it in desperate situations? Let's wait and see.