Miller truly lived up to his reputation as a man who could profit from his marriages; being meticulous and calculating was his trademark. In the NBA, many superstars saw their fortunes shrink drastically due to failed marriages—even someone as great as Jordan had fallen into that trap. But Miller always had prenuptial agreements, so divorce never caused him any significant financial loss, aside from a symbolic payment for emotional distress.

They had a similar conversation about six months ago, and the outcome was much the same. Miller wasn’t a sentimental person. He wasn’t like Magic Johnson, Isaiah Thomas, or Gary Payton, who would give generously and without a second thought.

Most top shooters of this era were like that. Shooting is a precise, technical skill that requires meticulous calculation.

The game continued.

The Pistons continued with their strategy of wearing down Su Xi.

Su Xi, for his part, stuck firmly to his plan of decisive attacks.

The two teams went back and forth on offense and defense. Su Xi was like a marauder, his immense destructive power tearing a hole in the Pistons’ defense and allowing the Pacers to build a lead.

However, seven minutes into the second half, Su Xi had to be subbed out. His rapidly declining stamina forced him to take a mandatory rest.

The physical intensity of the playoffs was high, and especially so against the Pistons. Combined with the energy Prince spent guarding him on both ends of the court, the fact that Su Xi lasted until the seventh minute was already an exceptional performance.

Su Xi had to come off the court. He was completely exhausted, clearly running on fumes.

At that point, he had 13 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals, and had helped the Pacers take the lead. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

He led both teams in assists and was the Pacers’ second-leading scorer. His efficiency was very high.

"If Jack were the core of a normal team, he couldn’t handle the tough games at all," Kenny Smith said on television, offering a contrarian take. "He’s a bit like Ginobili. The difference is Ginobili isn’t as lucky, doesn’t generate as much gossip, and doesn’t have the massive Asian market behind him. Oh, and Ginobili’s stamina is actually a bit better than his."

Of all the television commentators, Kenny Smith was the one who most eagerly satirized Su Xi.

He had rarely praised Su Xi since the day he entered the league.

After he was forced to kiss a donkey during All-Star Weekend, he went even further off the deep end.

Charles Barkley sat beside him. Barkley was known as a staunch defender of Su Xi; in a poll conducted by Chinese fans to rank the "Top Ten Hu Su Bao of the NBA," he always placed in the top five.

But he truly couldn’t refute Kenny Smith. Even though Smith was being sarcastic and adding his own spin, he was speaking a fundamental truth. On any other team, Su Xi could never be the absolute tactical core; his limited playing time was his shackle.

Moreover, Su Xi’s shooting and scoring abilities were not up to an elite standard.

He and the Pacers were truly a perfect match; they brought out the best in each other.

When Su Xi left the court, the Pacers had a 6-point lead.

Even after Su Xi was subbed out, the Pacers continued to trade blows with the Pistons; they were a powerhouse team in their own right.

Su Xi sat on the bench, gulping down a sports drink. He had to get himself back on the court with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

At that moment, however, Larry Brown instructed his players to pick up the pace.

He had studied many of Su Xi’s games. The entire league knew by now that Su Xi’s recovery rate was astonishing. If they played at a high tempo, Su Xi might not have enough time to recover and return to the game.

Many people said the Pistons were a slow-paced team that only knew defense, but in reality, their players were all very fast. From Ben Wallace and Rashid Wallace to Hamilton and Prince on the wings, and even Billups’s ability to push the fast break—none of them were slow.

The third quarter ended quickly.

Then came the fourth quarter.

At the start of the quarter, Rashid Wallace suddenly hit a long-range jumper, and then... Oko also drained a three.

The two big men had each made a shot.

This barrage forced the Pacers to call a timeout.

Carlisle had no choice but to sub Little O’Neal back in, pairing him with Tony Battie at the center position.

After coming on, Little O’Neal created space to score in isolation, establishing an advantage for his team.

He had been Rashid Wallace’s backup on the Trail Blazers for four years, so he knew him very well. Although Rashid Wallace was a very tough defender, Little O’Neal’s current skill level was clearly a notch above Rashid’s.

He scored on consecutive possessions, allowing the Pacers to maintain their lead.

The two sides traded baskets.

This continued until the fourth minute of the fourth quarter, when Ben Wallace re-entered the game. Larry Brown assigned him to guard Little O’Neal. Little O’Neal was a power forward with a center’s playstyle, and Ben Wallace was even more physical than Rashid Wallace.

Once he started bodying up Little O’Neal, Little O’Neal became visibly uncomfortable and missed his next two shots.

This shook his confidence, and he became less assertive about taking shots in the low post.

Little O’Neal had a versatile offensive game, which was one of his strengths.

But it was also his weakness.

The Pacers gradually fell into a scoring drought.

Fortunately for them, the Pistons’ offense wasn’t clicking either.

The two teams went back and forth, trading bricks.

The pace was fast, but overall, the Pistons were gradually chipping away at the deficit and slowly building a lead of their own.

When the camera cut to Larry Brown, he looked perfectly calm and composed.

Without Su Xi, this Pacers team was weaker overall than the Pistons.

With 7:24 remaining in the fourth quarter, Artest committed his sixth personal foul, and Larry Brown leaped excitedly from the bench.