1+3 final kill! How long can Halliburton s magic last?

When the timer of the Cleveland Speed ​​Loan Arena was frozen in 1.1 seconds, Halliburton's basketball shot slashed through the air, like a magical meteor fell into the Nets. This 120-119 victory allowed the Pacers to force the regular season champion Cavaliers into a desperate situation 2-0 in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and also allowed the entire NBA to re-examine the Indiana Army, which was once labeled as a "pseudo-strong team". The 2024-2025 season of the Cavaliers was a perfect script. They set a record in the league with a record of 64 wins and 18 losses. The offensive and defensive system created by best coach Atkinson overshadowed the defending champion Celtics. In the first round of the series swept the Heat, the Cavaliers averaged 21.3 points per game, the Trident combination of Mitchell, Allen and Mobley averaged 72.5 points per game, and the bench Struth and Merrill used the "Cavstorm" tactic to push the three-point shooting percentage to a terrifying level of 41.7%. But fate pressed the pause button in the second round: Garland's torn torch ligament, Mobley's knee inflammation, Hunter's wrist fracture. The absence of the three main players was like taking away the three wheels of the chariot, leaving Mitchell alone to drag the broken dynasty to slide towards the edge of the cliff.

The walker stepped on his own footprints in this mud. Although the 50-32-loss Eastern Conference record in the regular season was accompanied by doubts about Halliburton's ups and downs, and although their Eastern Conference trip was labeled as "lucky" last season, the team's blood always had the genes of counterattacks flowing. In the first round against the Bucks, they used 6-man team basketball to force Antetokounmpo to a desperate situation; in the second round, facing the Cavaliers, they even tore the opponent's defense line 121-112 in G1. Nemhard's 23 points and 6 assists made Cleveland silent at home. When the series came to G2, the Pacers interpreted the word "resilience" to the extreme - from the abyss 20 points behind to Halliburton's 1.1-second final victory, this reversal was not only a technical victory, but also a carnival of will. The start of the game is like a carefully planned massacre by the Cavaliers. Mitchell, who lacks Garland, turned into a lone Gunner, and all 14 points in the first quarter came from the hand-to-hand combat in the penalty area: he completed the throw with Turner's block, created a foul in the three-man siege, and even used a counter-joint trolley to ignite the home court. When the three-point rain between Struss and Merrill widened the score difference to 20 points, the cheers from the Quick Loan Arena almost overturned the dome, and ESPN's real-time winning rate prediction gave the Cavaliers a 97% chance of promotion.

The Pacers at this time seemed to be trapped in the beast. Turner was suppressed by Allen and scored only 4 points. Siakam made 1 of 7 shots, and only Halliburton sent 3 assists in the crack to maintain the glimmer. But the turning point is often born in the darkest moments - at the end of the third quarter, coach Carlisle took Turner and replaced Jaylen Smith's decision, as if he pressed the tactical nuclear button. The maneuverable forward used the speed of the defense to eliminate the Cavaliers' pick-and-roll flames. Mitchell was forced to make a strong shot in the three-man double-team. Struce and Merrill's outside shooting percentage plummeted from 50% in the first half to 20%. When Nesmith hit a three-pointer in the corner with 2 minutes and 11 seconds left in the third quarter, the gap had been eaten up to 12 points, and the air in the Quick Loan Arena began to solidify.

The real magic moment comes in the last quarter. The Pacers' defensive strategy is like a precision gear: partial double-teams cut off Mitchell's passing route, weak side rotation blocks the shooter's space, and even sends the superstar to the free throw line with a foul. In the entire fourth quarter, Mitchell scored 10 free throws, but each score was accompanied by a muscle collision and fell to the ground. In the last 46.7 seconds of the game, when Mitchell made both free throws to help the Cavaliers lead 119-112, the home big screen had already started to play the celebration animation. But Struth's sideline serve was like a spell, and it was sent directly to Nemhard. The undraft, who averaged 4.3 points per game in the regular season, completed a fatal steal and handed the ball to Halliburton, the gears of history began to turn. The last 27.5 seconds of

are the ultimate exhibition of basketball wisdom. Halliburton broke into the penalty area with the ball and caused a foul. After hitting the first free throw, he made a decision that violated the textbook: he deliberately hit the right side of the basket with his second free throw, and took the offensive rebound over Allen and Wade's heads with a 213 cm arm span. This choice exposed his exquisite calculations of physics - the relationship between the rebound angle of the basketball hitting the basket, the timing of its own jumping and the center of gravity of the opponent's position, was analyzed in a flash. Defender Jerome's blocking fingertips were only 2.3 cm from the basketball when he pulled back from the 3-point line, but that was enough to make the ball draw a rainbow arc. The timer shows 1.1 seconds, and the sound of the basketball passing through the net freezes the shouts of 20,000 home fans into dead silence. Behind this reversal is the concentrated outbreak of the Knight's structural injuries. Garland's absence forced Mitchell to bear a 44.7% round share - which even exceeded Jordan's 1993 Finals; Mobley's injury made Allen alone, and the rebound was snatched by the Pacers 15 frontcourt boards; Hunter's absence torn the wing defense line, and the Pacers' bench scored 39 points.

In contrast, the Pacers, the team basketball with six players scored in double digits returned to the glory of the Spurs in 2014: Halliburton had 4 of the 9 rebounds from the decisive moment, Nemhard scored a career high with 13 assists, and even Turner, who was criticized for his defense, gave him 5 hotpots. This style of playing that is a soldier was perfectly interpreted in the last 46.7 seconds of the game - from Nesmith's patch to Halliburton's final kill, the Pacers completed an 8-0 attack wave in just 5 tactical rounds, and each participant bites like a precision gear.

Mitchell's 48 points look so desolate at this moment. He became the first player to playoff 45+5+5+4 in a single game after James in 2018, but behind 21 free throws was a fall from 17 muscle collisions. When he was slapped in an offensive foul 3.2 seconds before the final game, the scene of kneeling and slapping the floor became the best footnote to the tragedy.. Historical data reveals a more cruel reality: the team behind 0-2 in the NBA playoffs is only 7% chance of a comeback, and the Cavaliers have to take the remaining team to Indiana.

Even if Garland and Mobley return to the front line, their condition may be difficult to match the intensity of the playoffs - Garland's toe injury affects lateral movement, and Mobley's knee inflammation reduces the speed of defense swaps by 30%. Coach Atkinson's "five foreign lineup" trial completely failed, and Struce Merrill combined made 4 of 15 three-pointers, exposing the chronic disease of over-reliance on shooters. The legend of the Dark Horse of the Pacers continues. Halliburton has already staged two finals in the playoffs (the first round overtime win and the second round of the Cavaliers) and has made him the first Pacers player to score a winning goal in the division semifinal after Carter. The team's assist rate (32.4 times) and reversal ability (4 times 20+ comebacks) are in the league, and the team-first way of playing directly aims at the Eastern Conference Finals. Perhaps the King of Mid-Google will be a lone hero for another year, and Cleveland's dream of winning may also fall into an endless night with the extinguishing of the lights at the end of the Quick Loan Stadium.

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