126: 104 Rejected 0: 3! The boss scored 91 points in 2 games, 5 Tigers scored 110 points, and the Rockets regretted their intestines

The smell of disinfectant water was filled with the Cleveland locker room, and Mitchell raised his head to pour a sports drink, and the protective gear of the elbow joint was still dripping down. When the team bus left Indiana three days ago, the score of 0:2 was like a huge rock pressing on everyone's heart. Medical director Mark Thompson circled three names on the tactical board: Garland's ankle scan report, Mobley's recovery progress in the rib cartilage contusion, Hunter's quadriceps muscle fiber tear degree - these three red circles were finally wiped off at this moment.

When the Cavaliers plane landed at Indianapolis Airport, they were greeted with more than just dazzling spotlights. The air conditioning system of the Pacers' home banker lifestyle center lowers the temperature to 18°C, which is the home team's usual trick against tired visiting teams. But no one expected that this G3 match would become a turning point in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Key factor 1: Reconstruction of the defensive system

Morbry's return brought not only 13 rebounds and 3 blocks. Data shows that when the best defensive player was on the court, the Pacers' penalty area hit rate plummeted by 19.2 percentage points. He covered the 4.2-meter defensive area like a moving air defense tower, forcing his opponent to increase his position outside the three-point line to 47% - which happens to be the Pacers' worst offensive method this season (22nd in the league in the regular season three-point shooting percentage). The secret symbol of the

tactical board has 7 minutes and 22 seconds left in the third quarter. Cavaliers assistant coach Greg Buckner drew a special symbol during the pause: two overlapping triangles. This code activates the team's two-tower cover tactics for two weeks of practice. Allen and Mobri raised the list at the same time, creating a 2.3-meter breakthrough channel for Mitchell. In this quarter, the Cavaliers scored 26:12 in the inside, and 18 of them came from this tactical variant. Behind the underestimated winner

Struz's seven assists are hidden. When the forward player holds the ball, the Pacers' defensive formation will experience a 0.7-second lag - a fatal loophole discovered by the Cavaliers' data analysis team. He used this time difference to complete the 4 bottom corner passes and directly converted them into 12 points. The butterfly effect of draft decisions

Rockets scout director Chad Buford reported crumpling data in the VIP box. The table in front of him shows that Mobley's defensive victory contribution (DWS) this season reached 6.2, while Jaylen Green's figure was only 1.7. What hurts the management even more is that Mobry developed a 34.1% three-point shooting percentage, perfectly adapting to the evolutionary trend of modern basketball space-type inside.

Data digging reveals the truth

Mitchell's crazy performance in two games of 91 points is hidden. His average touch time dropped from 4.1 seconds in the regular season to 3.2 seconds, but his scoring efficiency increased by 17% per touch. This is thanks to the newly installed SportVU system, the $1.2 million tracking device accurately calculates its best attack area: a 45-degree angle area of ​​4.5-6 meters from the basket, with a hit rate of 58.3%. There are still unwiped tactical sketches on the whiteboard in the Pacers' locker room, and Halliburton's 4 points and 5 assists are eye-catching red warnings. The All-Star point guard's passing route was predicted to 41% when the opponent shifted his defensive center of gravity to the wing. The medical team is assessing the swelling in his left knee - which may explain why his lateral movement has dropped by 0.3 meters per second.

When the final whistle sounded, the ice bucket on the Cavaliers' bench was still filled with semi-melt ice. When Mitchell walked towards the player's passage, he looked up at the scoreboard. Under the score of 126:104, there is a deeper game: when the Big Three are healthy at the same time, the Cavaliers' winning rate this season is 81.4%, and when they are absent, this number plummeted to 44.7%. This may be the biggest variable in the eastern pattern.