President David Stern can certainly see that the SuperSonics are likely to sweep the Pacers to win the championship, and there is a clear gap in strength between the two teams. Reggie Miller is not even as good as Payton, let alone Yang Jian.

Can't gain the upper hand.

As for praising Miller and arranging referees to help the Pacers win one or two games...this is simply meaningless and difficult to do.

Miller's ability is destined not to be praised too highly. He averages about 20 points per game and is on the All-NBA third team. This is his limit.

Because Miller's role is only to score, and he mainly runs without the ball, catches and shoots, it is simply difficult for him to break through and score to lead the team.

Miller's physical fitness is very strong, and he is good at constantly running to wear down his opponents. In the Eastern Conference finals, he just ran when Jordan was out of energy in the tiebreaker. This trick did not work on Yang Jian. Yang Jian's physical fitness was better, and no one saw him tired.

Pass.

To put it bluntly, the Pacers can reach the finals, firstly, relying on overall cooperation, and secondly, relying on the collective weakness of the Eastern Conference teams. It is a fantasy to beat the SuperSonics with the depth of the Pacers' lineup. If you want to win a game, you have to rely on the opponent's shooting.

Collective failure.

Stern's arrangement is very simple. The referee will blow the call normally and will not favor one side. The final result will be determined by both sides.

The league gave up the hype that the Pacers could threaten the SuperSonics, and instead hyped that Yang Jian would score high points in the finals. It didn't matter that the game was one-sided and there was no competition. Many fans like to watch high scores, and the ratings will not be low with Yang Jian in the game.

On the 3rd, the first battle between the two sides started.

The tv5 commentators introduced the game. They were all optimistic that the SuperSonics would sweep the championship and believed that Yang Jian could score gorgeous statistics.

Zhang Lili analyzed: "Reggie Miller is not a star known for his defense. It will definitely be easier for Yang Jian to score against him than against Jordan."

Sun Zhengping said: "Yang Jian had the chance to score 50 points in many games in the playoffs, but he ended up with only 40 points because his playing time was too short. I think he will make a breakthrough in this finals."

Zhang Lili said with a smile: "Before the game, ESPN in the United States asked experts to predict the game, and everyone was optimistic that the SuperSonics would win. This is probably the finals with the greatest disparity between the two sides in NBA history."

Commentators on other TV stations broadcasting the game live had the same view.

No one is optimistic about the Pacers, including Pacers fans. The SuperSonics record has broken the historical record, and the Pacers only have 59 wins in the regular season. How can they win? Just look at the lineup and you will know how big the gap is between the two sides.

During the warm-up, Yang Jian's shooting touch was very good and he hit consecutive three-pointers, which put more pressure on the Pacers players.

SuperSonics Five: Payton, Jian Yang, Schrempf, Barkley, Anthony Mason Jr.

Entering the Finals, Barkley returned to the starting lineup.

George Karl didn't want Barkley to compete with Vin Baker and Karl Malone before. In the first two rounds, he had to bear a lot of responsibilities on the defensive end and his defensive effect was not good. The Pacers' power forward has average offensive power, and Barkley will not become a defensive black hole in the starting lineup.

Pacers five: Mark Jackson, Reggie Miller, Chris Mullin, Dale Davis, Rick Schmitz.

Schmitz and Barkley won the jump ball and the game began.

Mark Jackson protected the ball with his back and organized an attack outside the three-point line, observing the movement of his teammates. Schmitz provided Miller with a ball-free screen on the left and helped him run to the outside at a 70-degree angle to catch the ball, without getting a chance to make a shot.

Yang Jian instantly bypassed the cover and finished close to Miller.

Miller lobbed the ball to Schmitz, who was in the low post. Schmitz took the ball and turned toward the baseline, unable to get rid of Mason. The latter was stuck in position.

Schmitz had no chance to take a shot and used his 224cm height to protect the basketball and observe the movement of his teammates. Dale Davis cut in the middle and failed to receive the pass, and was entangled by Barkley.

Schmitz spread the ball out to the outside again, and several players received the ball once, unable to get rid of the man-to-man defense. In terms of mobility, the Sonics had an absolute advantage.

The 24 seconds were almost up, and Miller still couldn't get rid of Yang Jian. Seeing that it was too late, Mark Jackson held the ball and beat Payton in singles, forced a turn and made a mid-range shot, and was blocked by Payton.

Zhang Lili said: "Jackson, who is 185cm tall, singled out Payton, the best defensive player on the perimeter who is 193cm tall, at the last moment. This is not a good offensive choice."

Sun Zhengping laughed and said: "The SuperSonics' defense is too tight. Jackson can't do it without shooting, and there is no time to attack."

Payton picked up the ball and carried it across half court. Yang Jian ran to the outside on the left to get the ball. Miller chased it. Yang Jian was not in a hurry and passed the ball to Mason, who was in the high post. He went to the baseline again.

At this time, Yang Jian first needs to observe the opponent's position and understand the Pacers' defensive system.

Mason pulled Dale Davis out, and Schmitz defended Barkley in the low post. Yang Jian slipped to the baseline, and Barkley helped block Miller. Mason passed the ball to Payton on the right, and Payton passed to the running back.

Reaching Yang Jian in the right corner.

The SuperSonics triangle offense was implemented, and Yang Jian got the opportunity to play in singles on the weak side. To double-team Yang Jian, the Pacers had to leave Payton or Mason in the middle, so that the two of them would get an open shot.

Yang Jian took the ball and feinted to the left in the bottom corner. Miller judged correctly and did not jump, and then moved sideways to 45 degrees. Yang Jian dribbled the ball behind him and changed direction significantly to go to the baseline. He accelerated against Miller and forced a breakthrough.

.

Miller was not stuck and Yang Jian rushed up. He had no choice but to follow from the side and try to block the shot. Yang Jian jumped much higher than Miller and completed the layup without waiting for Schmitz to cover up.

He leaned on Miller and made a flying rebound. The referee's whistle also sounded, and Miller's thug fouled. Yang Jian's legs landed firmly on the ground, clenched his fists and roared.

Zhang Lili said: "Looking at the slow-motion replay, Miller knew he couldn't cover it. After jumping up, he pushed Yang Jian hard with a small movement. The referee could clearly see it."

Sun Zhengping said: "Yang Jian showed off his power at the beginning. It depends on how the Pacers respond. If he doesn't double-team, the fight will definitely last forever."

Yang Jian also hit the extra free throw, 3-0.

The Pacers attacked, and Payton defended very actively. He pressed Mark Jackson in the backcourt, and the latter stumbled to the frontcourt.

Jackson and Schmitz played a pick-and-roll in the middle and passed the ball to Schmitz, who ran to the right baseline without the ball. Schmitz received the ball in the high post and immediately jumped up without shooting, and passed it to Jackson.

Jackson caught the ball from the baseline and made a mid-range shot. Payton was a little slow in chasing and blocking the shot, and the ball went in. 3 to 2.

During the SuperSonics offense, Yang Jian ran to the left three-point line and received the pass without getting rid of Miller. Three teammates spread out on the right side, turning the left side into the weak side.

After Yang Jian feinted, he dribbled the ball into the three-point line and passed the ball to Barkley on the left, who was backing up at a 45-degree position. Barkley hit Schmitz with his back, leaned toward the baseline and quickly turned and shot with his left hand.

The score was .5 to 2.

Barkley is good at making small plays and scoring big goals. He is fast and quick. He can turn around and squeeze the defender before daring to take action. Schmitz is 224cm tall and weighs only 113kg. He is the same as Barkley and has no advantage in confrontation.

When the Pacers attacked, Mark Jackson passed the ball across half court to find Miller. As soon as Miller got the ball from the outside, he was approached by Yang Jian, and the ball was passed back to Jackson without even daring to take a step.

Jackson blocked Payton from behind the three-point line in the middle and couldn't get it open twice. He broke through to the left and was blocked again. He passed the ball to Schmitz in the low post on the left.

Schmitz leaned back and couldn't squeeze Mason, so he turned around and shot a jumper from the left corner of the penalty area, which missed due to Mason's interference. Schrempf retreated to grab the rebound, and immediately launched a counterattack and passed the ball to the goal.

Yang Jian.

Yang Jian dribbled the ball across the half court at full speed and rushed towards Miller into the penalty area.

Miller had already committed a foul just now, and Yang Jian knew that he did not dare to reach out easily. If he fouled again, Miller would have to take a break and guard the water fountain. How could the Pacers play without their leading scorer?

If Miller hadn't fouled, he would have been helpless against Yang Jian's tank-like breakthrough. When Yang Jian approached, he pulled the ball and changed direction, and he took three steps close to Miller and made a layup. He avoided the block and easily advanced. 7 to 2.

Zhang Lili shouted: "Another layup. Yang Jian played very resolutely today, just beating Miller."
Chapter completed!