Because the Mavericks had a collective shooting performance of 1 for 5 in the last 3 minutes of the third quarter, it was the worst shooting interval of the game up to that point. This indicated that the Pacers' defense was effective; the Mavericks' condition had been exhausted by the Pacers' relentless close-up physical combat.
If the Pacers hadn't been in a bad state during that time, they could have narrowed the difference to around 10 points before entering the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately, the night's "close-up physical combat" drained the Mavericks' condition and also affected the offensive state of the Pacers' players.
But for Rick Carlisle, worrying about not being able to make headway on the offensive end was the least of his concerns.
All he needed to do was shout, "Come to my rescue, oh wise one. Ah, spit, I mean Su Wan!"
That would suffice.
"Damned Huaxia people, you're destined not to lift the cup in this arena!"
"Go back to Indiana, quick!"
