A team that has never been bad, it has returned to the finals after 25 years

Before the start of the whole season, most people may choose the Celtics or this year's Eastern Conference dominance, the rising Cavaliers will be the biggest challenge for the Celtics, and even the combination of Antetokounmpo + Lillard may also emerge, but you would never think that in the end, it was the team from Indiana that became the Eastern Conference champion.

In the game that ended the Eastern Conference finals, the Pacers opened with a tough enough defensive intensity to respond to the Knicks' defense in the last game. On the Knicks' side, the defensive intensity is declining compared to G5, so the Pacers took the initiative from the beginning of this game.

The inefficiency of the Knicks' side was saved by Miro's rebounding. In the first seven minutes of the game, Miro grabbed five offensive rebounds. The Pacers shot 8-of-15 three-pointers in the first half, and the Knicks relied on some fairy shots to maintain the difference.

At the beginning of the second half, the Pacers' wave of 9-0 stretched the difference to 15 points, and the Knicks immediately returned a wave of 7-0 in one minute after the timeout, but the Knicks' efforts were limited to this. The Pacers went on another 9-0 run and held the victory firmly in their hands.

In this game, many details reflect the decline of the Knicks. For example, Downs didn't score three points for the first time and conceded four free throws at the free throw line. Brunson suffered the Pacers' top-notch defensive treatment, diching out seven assists but scoring just 19 points, which wasn't enough for the Knicks' offense.

Again, there are a lot of details that show the Pacers' victory. Topin, who was 1-of-11 from three-point range, hit his first three-point shot today, making 2-of-4 three-pointers from the field, more than he scored in the first five games of the series, and scored the third-highest 18 points on the team today.

Thomas Bryant, who had been ranked behind Bradley by Carlisle in the previous rotation, shot 3-of-4 three-pointers today, and his two corner three-pointers in the third quarter shattered the Knicks' defensive confidence.

Including McConnell, who has never scored a three-point in the entire Eastern Conference finals, he was able to shoot a three-pointer today. The Pacers have always shot more than 50% of their three-point shooting rate today, and finally shot 17 of 33 three-pointers.

The Knicks rotated 9 people today, which is still very long, but the physical fitness of all members is close to the red line, and they fought too hard in the last game, and it is difficult to show that intensity today. But the Pacers are still in a long 11-man rotation.

The Pacers' long rotation is really a saying, almost everyone can play a role when they get on the court, Jareth Walker can play a counterattack, Mob is the biggest wonder man today, Shepard contributed excellent defense to Brunson, but it is Marceline who lacks a sense of presence today.

Such a team where everyone is a soldier may not have absolute superstars, but the cohesion is not inferior to any team. 25 years ago, the Pacers eliminated the Knicks 4-2 to reach the Finals; Twenty-five years later, the Pacers have copied almost the exact same script, eliminating the Knicks 4-2 to return to the Finals.

The Pacers in 2000 were against O'Neal, the MVP of that year; This year's opponent for the Pacers is also MVP Alexander. The Pacers in 2000 won only 2 games against the Lakers at the beginning of that dynasty, and O'Neal destroyed everything. And this year's walkers, will there be a different story?

This year's MVP of the East Finals was finally awarded to Siakam, which seems to be similar to last year's plot. Tatum/Haliburton, the two big names on the team, failed to win the best title of the series. Siakam got five votes and Harry got four, a difference of one vote.

I didn't hesitate to praise Sika in the previous game when he scored 39 points, and the all-round forward, who has always been overlooked and underrated, finally won the most important individual award of his career so far.

In this round of the series, Siakam averaged 24.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks per game, shooting 52.4% from the field and 50% from three-point range, and scored 30+ in three of six games.

Siakam has been the Pacers' most consistent scoring point all season and the most solid floor guarantee. If Haliburton's magic is a place of infinite expectation for the Pacers, then Sika is their cornerstone and base. It is reasonable for the MVP of the Eastern Conference to give him both, and giving Sika is the best praise for his quiet efforts throughout his basketball career.

When presenting the awards, Carlyle's first sentence summed up the entire Indiana basketball in the best way: "In 49 states, basketball is just basketball, but here is Indiana!" ”

Indiana has always been known as the "State of Basketball," and the sport is very popular here, just look at the fanatical fans in the field today, and even their WNBA team, which Clark is on, is called "Maniacs."

The Pacers have never paid the luxury tax and have never chosen to mess around. "Never mess up" is a promise given to the team by the team's current owner, Herb Simon, in the last century, and one continues to this day. In the '70s, the Pacers, who had just joined the NBA from the ABA, had serious financial problems, and the team had to take out bank loans to pay their salaries.

The Pacers, who borrowed from east to west, finally couldn't fill the hole, and were given an ultimatum by the bank, and the Pacers owners who had no choice but began to find a home for the team, but the buyer wanted to take over the team only if he moved the team to Minnesota.

Later, they came up with a way to raise money by selling season tickets for the Pacers next season in advance, and the Indiana people who received the news began to buy season tickets in order to keep the team in the local area, and finally let the team tide over the difficulties.

In return for the team that trusted them, the Pacers had a tradition of never putting things on the loose since that time. A few years later, the team was sold to Herb Simon, the current owner of the Pacers, who kept the team in Indiana and continued to promise never to mess up.

It's a team that has never won a title, but their fans are as loyal to the team as any other team. In return, the Pacers also put on a fantastic game for their fans every night with a never-showing-up attitude. Such a team has entered the finals for the first time in 25 years, which is a reward for perseverance and trust.

The meeting between Oklahoma and Indiana proves that the flower of basketball can bloom in the soil of a small-ball city. There is basketball in its purest form and the most fanatical fans, and although it is a small ball market, they also have their own romance.