The longest river

Remember to vote for me in Chapter 99
"This ending is cruel. We should have won this series. I don't know what to say. It's like we're fighting against God, but this isn't the end of the world."

Ewing appeared somewhat incoherent at the post-match press conference.

Anyone would find it difficult to remain calm after being reversed twice and defeated twice in a best-of-five series.

Especially considering he performed so well, the fact that he didn't completely break down mentally demonstrates that his mental resilience far exceeds that of ordinary people.

"It's hard to accept losing the series this way, but we will come back strong next season and we will get our revenge."

Van Gundy, having only recently taken over as coach, still has confidence in the Knicks.

When the Pacers held their press conference, Yang Shuai once again became the focus of attention.

A reporter asked him about his middle finger.

"That meant nothing more than a greeting to Groom Albert."

Since Albert has already started bringing up his Asian player situation, there's no need for him to hide it anymore.

Moreover, after experiencing the suspension he received back then, he understands that the punishments for players in these areas are very lenient these days.

As long as he doesn't actually beat Albert up, there shouldn't be any major problems.

"Nobody thought the Pacers could win before the series started, but you did it. What's your take on that?"

What can Yang Shuai say?

Goodnight, New York.

After the press conference, Yang Shuai took a bus back to the team's accommodation with the players, who will not return to Indianapolis until tomorrow.

However, their bus was blocked by a group of New York fans shortly after it came out of the underground parking garage.

Having already experienced being mobbed by fans in Portland before, Yang Shuai calmly took out his Walkman, put on his headphones, and started listening to music.

In this situation, all we can do is wait; the Knicks will send someone to persuade the fans to leave.

However, Yang Shuai had only been wearing headphones for a short while when Robertson, standing next to him, gestured for him to take them off.

Yang Shuai took off his headphones, puzzled.

“They seem to be calling you,” Robertson said, pointing out the window.

Yang Shuai listened intently and then he heard what the people outside were shouting.

That seemed familiar.

He asked Robertson to switch places with him, and he sat in a window seat.

Then, amidst the surprised gazes of his teammates, he opened the window.

At this point, the sounds outside could be heard much more clearly.

That's clearly "Fak Hansen".

He's now enjoying the same treatment Miller received.

When the New York fans outside saw Yang Shuai's head appear through the open bus window, they were stunned and momentarily forgot to continue shouting.

Just when everyone thought Yang Shuai was about to retaliate, Yang Shuai greeted them with a smile:

"Hey everyone, remember to vote for me next time you run for mayor of New York City!"

"..."

The Pacers' second-round opponent is the Bulls.

Back when TNT aired that show, no one chose the Bulls and the Heat as their most anticipated matchup.

Their choice proved to be correct, because even with Riley, Mourning, and Hardaway on the court, the Heat were still swept by the Bulls.

Moreover, the Bulls didn't just sweep; they outscored the Heat by an average of 23 points per game, which was a complete massacre.

The Heat are clearly not weak, but this 72-win Bulls team is ridiculously strong.

They are absolutely in a class of their own this season, and the kind of team that is completely dominant.

The Pacers will face this monstrous opponent in the second round.

The good news is that the Pacers will welcome Miller back in the second round, so they are not without a fighting chance.

Just before the second round began, the league announced the winner of the season MVP award, and Jordan was selected as the MVP without any suspense.

What surprised Yang Shuai was that Jordan was not elected unanimously like Curry, even though the Bulls' dominance this season was even stronger than the Warriors' 73-win season.

Even Jordan's vote share is lower than James' in the 2012-2013 season.

His deskmate, a LeBron fan, had explained to him more than once how much the media targeted LeBron James when he missed a unanimous MVP vote by one vote in 2013.

But the Heat only won 66 games that season, and James wasn't even the scoring champion.

It seems that although Jordan was relied upon by the league, his relationship with the media was far less good than that of James or Curry.

With Miller back, the Pacers look for a strong and well-equipped team.

However, right after heading to Chicago to face the Bulls, Brown started showing off his skills again.

Yang Shuai's performance in the first round can no longer be described as outstanding. As a high school rookie, he averaged 20 points per game against a strong team like the Knicks, including 6 three-pointers in a single quarter and two game-winning shots. This is a performance worthy of being recorded in history.

The New York fans' post-game chants of "Fuck Hansen" perfectly encapsulate this performance. Therefore, even with Miller's return, Yang should replace McGee as the team's starting small forward.

But Brown actually arranged for Yang Shuai to continue playing as a substitute!
He actually did it.

Although Yang Shuai's playing time in the last 30 minutes was not insignificant, against a phenomenal team like the Bulls, every detail had to be meticulously executed to have any chance of defeating them.

As expected, the Pacers suffered two clean defeats, returning to Indianapolis with a 0-2 deficit.

The media is all marveling at the Bulls' strength. It's no longer a question of whether anyone can beat the Bulls, but whether any team can take a victory against them.

Even a newspaper of the size of Sports Illustrated is already analyzing what it would be like if the Bulls won 72 games plus a 15-game playoff winning streak to win the championship.

However, newspapers like New York Today criticized Brown's hiring decisions.

The Knicks were traded away by Yang Shuai this year, and Brown, you're really something, you didn't even give them a starting position.

Your actions make the Knicks look like complete clowns.

In the study of Walsh's home in Indianapolis.

Walsh was greeting a guest with a smile.

That familiar tracksuit and those signature downcast eyes—he looks like an Italian mafia member, still smoking a cigar. Who else could it be but Vaccaro?
Vaccaro's influence in the basketball world is such that even team general managers have to show him deference.

"Donnie, let me be blunt, Hansen will be starting in the next game of the series." Vaccaro didn't beat around the bush and quickly got straight to the point.

“Sonny, as you know, the management can’t exert influence on Larry. This was something we agreed upon when he came to the team.”

At the beginning of the season, when Yang Shuai was troubled by his rollercoaster playing time, Vaccaro actually came to Walsh once, questioning the Pacers' management's way of developing Yang Shuai.

Walsh used the same reason to deflect the question back then.

But this time, Vaccaro clearly doesn't intend to give up so easily.

After taking a puff of his cigar and putting it down, Vaccaro continued, "If you continue to develop players this way, then I think you should find a team that is more suitable for Hansen in the summer."

Walsh was shocked by Vaccaro's words.

In this era, it is rare for players to request trades from management.

Even in the early 20th century, when Carter wanted to switch teams with the Raptors, he forced the management to trade him because he didn't put in the effort.

To put it bluntly, although it's officially called labor and management, the owners, who play the role of the owners, have absolute say over the players in this era.

Even someone as great as Jordan had very limited say in the team's roster.

But it's not incomprehensible that these words came from Vaccaro.

After all, the fact that Vaccaro dared to bet on Yang Shuai, a high school student, shows that his thinking is very advanced.

After finishing his sentence, Vaccaro picked up his cigar and continued smoking.

After recovering from his shock, Walsh also began to weigh the options.

The relationship between Vaccaro and Yang Shuai is self-evident, and there's no need to ask whether this was also Yang Shuai's idea.

Moreover, Yang Shuai's potential this season has exceeded the management's expectations. Like Vaccaro, they also believe that as long as Yang Shuai can make it into the rotation in his rookie season, it will be a success.

But now that he's played this far, Yang Shuai has the potential to become an All-Star or even a superstar.

“Okay, I’ll try to talk to Larry.” Walsh finally agreed.

After returning to Indianapolis, Yang Shuai and Robertson studied the Bulls' game video against the Heat while discussing the upcoming games.

The Pacers' offense actually performed quite well in the first two games. Miller's performance after returning from injury was surprisingly good, averaging 25 points per game in the two games.

A major reason for their loss was their inability to contain Jordan's performance. Jordan averaged 35 points in the two games, especially in Game 1 where he scored 44 points on 17-of-35 shooting.

It's worth noting that neither of these two games saw a score of 100 or less.

Although Jordan's athleticism wasn't what it used to be this season, his experience and skills were near perfect, making this his strongest year overall.

Even Yang Shuai, whose current one-on-one defensive rating is an All-Star level of 85, still couldn't effectively contain Jordan.

In fact, there is probably no one in the entire league who can limit Jordan's performance right now.

Even Payton, who won the DPOY award this season, couldn't stop Jordan when they faced each other in the regular season.

The key to defending Jordan this season is how to wear him down.

The two ultimately concluded that Robertson should take the lead in defense, and Yang Shuai or McGee should help defend, while trying to force Jordan towards the basket and make him compete against the big men.

Moreover, doing this has another advantage: it can limit Pippen's performance, forcing Jordan into a one-on-one situation, which will take a heavy toll on Jordan.

Game 3 between the Bulls and the Pacers is about to tip off in Indianapolis.

The Pacers were having their final practice that day in preparation for the game.

During the training session, the team members noticed that Brown looked particularly unwell, as if he had swallowed a fly.

Yang Shuai noticed it too, but he didn't care too much, because he had already done what Vaccaro asked him to do to establish his value.

Whether he plays for the Pacers next season or not, he will not work with Brown again.

However, to his surprise, Brown announced before practice began that he would start as the team's small forward in Game 3.

(End of this chapter)