"See you in Dallas!" Before the start of the first game of the finals, Mark Cuban, who vowed to take away a victory from Indiana, looked very unhappy after the Mavericks lost two games in a row.

After leaving the Bankers Arena, Mark Cuban did not go up and down with the Mavericks, but took a special plane directly to New York, but before leaving, Mark Cuban still talked to Nelson Sr. on the phone, and after some encouragement, Mark Cuban gave Nelson Sr. a death order, the Mavericks' next few home games must be won, because only in this way can the Mavericks retain a glimmer of hope of winning the championship, and even complete the reversal.

However, as the head coach of the Mavericks, the old Nelson is not as chic as Mark Cuban, and at the press conference after the second game, the old Nelson was about to be driven crazy by those reporters, even though the old Nelson was experienced in dealing with it, he was almost made a seizure on the spot by this group of guys who fell into the ground, and the series only played two games, and these guys who looked down on people swept one by one, which made the old Nelson overwhelmed.

"Are we really going to be swept away?" After returning to the hotel, the old Nelson lay in bed tossing and turning, unable to sleep, and his mind was full of the hateful faces of the reporters. After sitting up from the bed and sighing, the old Nelson picked up the book (detailed explanation of basketball tactics) on the bedside, although the author of this book, Jean-Pierre, is the defeated player of the American team, but the book he wrote is still very good, especially the detailed explanation of some international basketball rules and joint defense, which makes the old Nelson feel deeply, in today's various joint defense has been popularized in the NBA, how to crack the joint defense has also become a compulsory subject for all head coaches.

Lost to the Pacers on two consecutive away games, but the most desperate thing for the old Nelson was undoubtedly the second game, the Mavericks didn't even have a chance to lead in the whole game, and they were pressed by the Pacers from beginning to end. On the offensive end, facing the Pacers, a defensive strategy that is somewhat similar to joint defense, the Mavericks also played very aggrieved, scoring only 87 points in the last game, which was the lowest score for the Mavericks after entering the playoffs. It is expected that the Pacers will definitely continue to use this defensive tactic in the next game, so how to crack this defensive strategy of the Pacers has become the biggest problem that Nelson Sr. is facing now.

On June 9, 2004, after a three-day break, the Pacers officially set off for Dallas to prepare for the away game against the Mavericks, the current Finals schedule is still a 2-3-2 format, after the two home games, the Pacers will play three consecutive games against the Mavericks in Dallas, of course, if the Mavericks can hold out until Game 5.

At half past eight o'clock in the evening on June 9th, the third game of the finals started as scheduled at the American Airlines Center, the home of the Mavericks, and in today's game, the old Nelson once again adjusted the offensive tactics of the Mavericks, although Dirk Nowitzki still plays the No. 5 position today, but unlike the previous game, the Mavericks are no longer simply pursuing the outside-inside-outside, which is similar to the combination of inside and outside. Nelson Sr. deployed Steve Nash and Tony Decker as two playmaking guards today to strengthen the team's breakout, using Steve Nash and Tony Deck's rotational breakaways to attract and force the Pacers to shrink and create three-point opportunities for outside players.

It's just that in today's game, several of the Mavericks' outside line obviously didn't have any feel, especially at the beginning of the game, under the turn of Steve Nash and Tony Decker, the Pacers' outside line appeared a large gap, but Michael Finley was like an iron god possessed, all 5 shots in the first quarter hit iron, Tony Deck and Antoine Jamison were slightly better, but the two of them only hit 2 shots in a total of 6 shots.

At the end of the half, the score of the two sides turned out to be 48-39, and the Mavericks only scored 39 points in the half.

Feel this thing, when you don't have it, how to cast and how not to hit, let your posture be picturesque, it is all kinds of iron, and this is the case in the first half of the Mavericks. And once the feel comes up, that is, how to shoot, even if it is a role player, once the hand is bursting, it looks like Jordan, in the first half of the Mavericks players who are more iron than the other, from the middle of the third quarter have incarnated as god pitchers, even if Rick Carlisle keeps calling a timeout, there is no way to interrupt the Mavericks' hand, Michael Finley shoots 3 of 4, Antoine Jamison, Steve Nash shoots 2 of 3, Tony Decker is more than 2 shots, Dirk Nowitzki comes to shoot 1, The Mavericks hit 11 three-pointers in a single quarter in the third quarter, and a wave of counterattacks overtook the score.

Looking at how to shoot outside the three-point line on the court, and the more crazy the Mavericks are shooting, not to mention the Pacers' head coach Rick Carlisle, even the old Nelson who was standing on the sidelines was dumbfounded, starting from Michael Finley shooting the first three-pointer in the 4th minute of the third quarter, the Mavericks spent the rest of the game, all the offense ended with three-point shooting, and in the last few minutes of the fourth quarter, Dirk Nowitzki even left the basket and ran outside to shoot three-pointers, Fortunately, the whole team of the Mavericks is very hot, otherwise the Mavericks would have been beaten down by the Pacers for rebounding alone.

After the pause at the end of the third quarter and the rest at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Mavericks' hand gradually became normal, but the three-point rain in the third quarter brought confidence to the Mavericks at the same time, but also brought them a very unfavorable factor, that is, their offensive range is more and more deviant from the basket. Then it is you who will be thrown to death.

Today's game is the first time that the Pacers and Mavericks have played an intractable situation in the entire series, since the third quarter overtook the score, the Mavericks have always maintained a lead of about 3 points, and this advantage lasted until the third minute before the end of the game, but as the Mavericks hit three consecutive offensive three-point shots, the Mavericks finally lost the lead.

Looking at the players on the court who are getting more and more anxious, and even will shoot three-point shots at the first opportunity, Nelson Sr. finally realized the power of the double-edged sword of three-point tactics, when the Mavericks felt against the sky in the third quarter, they looked omnipotent, but when they suddenly lost their touch at the last minute of the game, the Mavericks did not have the slightest chance.

As the whistle blew at the end of the game, looking at the final score of 112-107 on the scoreboard, Nelson Sr.'s face was gone, and Old Nelson, who was pale and couldn't say a word when he stood on the sidelines, because Nelson Sr. knew very well in his heart that after losing this home court, his team was already 0-3 behind, and in the best-of-7 series, it almost meant that his team had no chance, because in the history of the NBA, There has never been a team that has come back from 3-0 down.

"No, we haven't lost yet, we're not going to be swept away!" Looking at the walkers who were already celebrating wantonly on the court, and the calves who walked to the sidelines with a depressed face, old Nelson suddenly said fiercely, I waited for 30 years to wait for this opportunity, not to become a stepping stone for others, let alone to be swept by others!