"I can't believe that this series between the Pacers and the Celtics will play like this."

On May 28, 2008, at the TD North Shore Garden Arena in Boston, the fifth and most likely final game of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Pacers and the Celtics, before the game began, several commentators on the scene did not analyze the strength of the two sides and the state of the players, nor did they make a prediction about the trend of today's game, but sang a lament for the Celtics, and kept feeling sorry for this team.

As the first regular season this season, the Celtics, who have Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pearce, the three first-line stars in the league who are still in their playing years, are the favorites to win the championship this season before the playoffs begin, on a spinach website, the Celtics' odds to win the championship are even lower than the Pacers, and the Celtics have lived up to expectations all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, just when everyone is looking forward to a big battle between the Celtics and the Pacers, and then kill the Pacers, The Celtics, however, have disappointed those who were expecting them to overturn the Pacers.

In the first game of the series, only two losses in the regular season, and the TD North Shore Garden Arena, which had not lost a game in the playoffs, fell, although the Celtics quickly pulled one back, but the first home loss at the beginning of the series means that the Celtics have lost home court advantage, against a team like the Pacers, it is undoubtedly difficult to have home court advantage, and it is from this time that the voice of optimism about the Celtics is gradually weakening.

With a score of 1-1 to Indiana Celtics, there is no suspense to lose two games in a row, 1-3 score, which also means that the Celtics have completely stood on the edge of the cliff, even if today's game, the Celtics can get away with winning, it is just the difference between playing one more game and playing one less, no one thinks that the Celtics can reverse the Pacers when they are 1-3 behind.

"The shortcomings of the Celtics are too obvious, this is what we often call the bucket effect, what determines how much water a bucket can hold, not the longest plank, but depends on the shortest plank, in fact, a team is the same, the star is great, no matter how good the play is, without the efforts of role players, they can't go far in the playoffs."

"Kenny is very reasonable, although the Celtics have three All-Stars who are still at their peak, but the rest of their main players and rotation lineup are too far away from the Pacers, although many people are saying that the key to the Pacers being able to defeat the Celtics is because of the dominant player Meng Xu, but I just want to say a set of data comparison, four series, the rebounding ratio between the Pacers and the Celtics is 48 to 39, in the case of an average of 9 fewer rebounds per game, it is difficult for the Celtics to win."

"Is Charles trying to say that the main factor that will determine this series is the number of rebounds on both sides?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm trying to say, if you say one-on-one, none of the Pacers' interior line is Kevin's opponent, but the Pacers win in the number of high-level interior lines, no matter how good Kevin is, the Celtics have only one Kevin, he can't play every game for 48 minutes, and he can't concentrate every minute to ensure a high level of play, but the Pacers have Jermaine O'Neal, Darko Milicic, Kwame Brown, nn Hilario, Jeff Foster, a big bunch of tough insiders. ”

"The same is true of the ongoing Western Conference Finals, none of the Lakers' several interior lines is Tim's opponent, in the first four games, Tim was able to average 24 points per game, and grabbed 18 rebounds and sent three blocks, it is no exaggeration to say that Tim broke the Lakers' interior, but the Spurs are now also 1-3 behind the Lakers, because in the total rebounding comparison, the Spurs are 38-44 behind the Lakers, so rebounding determines the winner or loser, which is the truth of the basketball game, the same, If the Celtics are to win today's game, the first thing they have to do is make sure they rebound. ”

Looking at Barkley's gushing tirade, Reggie Miller, who was sitting next to Barkley, was somewhat convinced of him, although Barkley didn't like the Celtics very much, but when the Celtics were facing the elimination of the Pacers, Barkley began to defend the Celtics again, and this guy's position was too unswerving.

When Barkley and others were still talking at length, the starting lineups of the Pacers and Celtics had already entered the court, and in today's game, the starting lineups of the Pacers and Celtics have undergone some changes, perhaps because the overall situation has been decided, the Pacers changed three starters today, Kwame Brown and Nn Hilario both started today, in addition to Jermaine O'Neal and Darko Milicic, James Posey also sat on the bench today, and it was Tyshawn Prince who replaced him.

On the Celtics side, Rajon Rondo finally sat on the bench today, and the veteran Eddie House who started in place of him, in addition to Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen did not start today, and eighty percent was going to play the sixth man, but until the game was played, Doug Rivers only thought about changing formations, and this reaction was a little too slow.

In fact, I can't complain about Doug Rivers, without paying the luxury tax, the Celtics' current lineup is already the limit, whoever makes Garnett and the three of them have a salary of $60 million, and on the Pacers' side, Jermaine O'Neal and Meng Xu, who have the highest salary, are not as high as Pierce, the lowest-paid of the Big Three, and the Pacers' owner is willing to pay the luxury tax, so the Pacers have more leeway in terms of lineup adjustment and rotation.

"Kevin actually jumped and lost?" With the whistle of the referee on duty, Kevin Garnett and Kwame Brown, who were jumping the ball in the middle circle, staged a surprising scene, Kevin Garnett, who had won all the jump balls in the previous four games, lost to Kwame Brown today.

Kwame Brown, who won in the jump ball, was not too excited, but rushed directly to the front court as everything should have been, in this season of the Pacers, Kwame Brown obviously felt his changes, compared with last season in the Grizzlies, the current Kwame Brown is already another person, and now Kwame Brown is on the court, will not be afraid, will not be afraid, and even has a trace of expectation for the game.