The person who reproduces Miller is not as good as a pack of potato chips at the beginning?

In the first match of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pacers defeated the Knicks in overtime and won the first victory in the series. Many fans may have focused on Halliburton's stomp in the line that forced the game into overtime by two points. In the last countdown moment, Halliburton dribbled through, then pulled out of the outside and pulled up the jump shot. The basketball bounced on the basket and then fell steadily into the basket. Halliburton thought that the three-pointer was a three-pointer, and then immediately showed the signature moves of Pacers legend Reggie Miller against the Knicks that year. But then the replay found that regrets crossing the line, and the game entered overtime, but the Pacers finally took away the victory.

And beyond Halliburton's "choke", if you want to say who is the person who looks most like Reggie Miller in this game, there is no doubt that Aaron Nesmith. If he hadn't made three consecutive three-pointers at the last moment of the fourth quarter, helping the team to catch up with nearly 14 points in just 3 minutes and 14 seconds, the outcome of this game might have been settled early.

"I didn't think too much about it at the moment, I just wanted to win the game. But this is really unreal, and this may be the best feeling in the world. It feels like the sea, and I will make it no matter how I shoot." After the game, Nesmith used this sentence to describe his state. He scored 30 points in the whole game, 20 of which were concentrated in the fourth quarter, scoring six three-pointers in a row, with one goal higher than the other, driving the team to launch a frenzy of chasing points. It is precisely this ability to face adversity that it is hard not to remind people of the Indiana celebrity who scored 8 points in 9 seconds and reversed the game.

, and this also reminds people of the fact that if it weren't for the deal that year, Nesmith might not have ushered in this night of his own.

Once, his value was not as good as a bag of potato chips

"To be honest, what exactly did Boston lose in this deal?"

"Boston exchanged a bag of potato chips to Brogodon." In 2022, the Celtics used the 2023 first round pick to pack players such as Thece, Nesmith, and exchanged Brogodon from the Pacers. The deal was well received at the time, with many Celtic fans believing they got the excellent defender who won the best rookie at almost no cost. Brogodon won the best sixth man with the Celtics the following year, which further proved the value of the deal.

But on the other hand, it is also understandable how low the market value of the second-year newcomer Nesmith, who was regarded as the top deal at the time.

However, this is by no means what the outside world expected of Nesmith at the beginning. As the 14th pick in 2020, Nesmith has an excellent figure and a precise projection and positive defensive attitude are his biggest selling points. He was once considered to be a low-end version of Klay Thompson, or Danny Green, to undertake the team's receiving projection and wing defense.

But in the first two years of playing for the Celtics, Nesmith was completely unreused.

The team was crowded in the backcourt rotation in the first year, with Kemba Walker, Smart and others in the starting backcourt. Nesmith, who lacked breakthrough destructive power, could only serve as the team's substitute shooter. However, in terms of competition in the same position, his ball holding ability is not as good as Prichard, who can shoot and control, and his height condition is difficult to shake to the small forward position. The ultimate result is intermittent playing time and continuous decentralization of the Development League.

In 2022, the second year of Nesmith, the head coach did give him a lot of playing time in March and April at the end of the season, but unfortunately he did not seize the opportunity in the end and only handed in March a 22.2% three-point shooting percentage. In the end, the team successfully entered the finals to play against the Golden State Warriors, but Nesmith could only sit at the end of the bench rotation, watching his teammates lose the championship and do nothing.

Of course, he himself knows that his current shooting and defense have not yet gained the trust of the coach, and the team's tactical system has not reserved a role for him. As a lottery show, he couldn't find a position in the team rotation. Many fans at that time regarded him as a failed draft. When I learned that the team could exchange him for Brogodon, who had immediate combat power, the fans' joy was naturally imaginable.

But no one expected that this player, who might not be as valuable as a bag of potato chips, would shine in Indiana.

After coming to the Pacers, Nesmith's tenacious defensive attitude quickly attracted Carlisle's attention. At that time, the team had just established a team building policy with Halliburton as the core, and urgently needed a wing partner who could defend the opponent's main force at the front line and had the ability to shoot outside to provide a stable external contact point for Halliburton to break through and pass the ball.

On the one hand, because the team's lineup is lacking enough forward line, Nesmith is forced to appear in the third position more time; on the other hand, the special offensive and defensive system created by Carlisle for Halliburton and Turner allows Nesmith to rely on the support of the rotation and defensive system when he is slightly insufficient in height, so as not to be completely at an absolute disadvantage in terms of positioning.

After obtaining stable playing time and reasonable tactical positioning, the expected scorer value of Nesmith before the draft was finally released. The Pacers began to see his potential, signing him a three-year, 33 million contract extension before the 2023 season kicked off.

It was this trust that became the turning point for him to come to the Pacers' second year. The average score per game has increased to 12.2 points, and the three-point shooting percentage has reached 41.9%, which is the level of the top scorer in the league. What is even more surprising is that he began to show off his ability to hold the ball and is no longer just a pure catch shot.

This year, the Pacers eliminated the Knicks in the playoffs and entered the division finals. In that round of the series, Nesmith was appointed as the main defender, performing well against Brunson, becoming the key sharp knife on the team's defensive end..

But the high-intensity defensive task also consumed a lot of his physical strength, causing him to be unable to maintain stable shooting in the regular season. His three-point shooting percentage in the playoffs dropped to 27.8%. In the Eastern Conference Finals against his old club, the Celtics, facing the opponent's tight outside defense, Nesmith's three-point efficiency plummeted to 18.8%, and the Pacers were swept 0-4. After being eliminated, Nesmith didn't say much, but chose to continue practicing silently during the offseason. But fate seemed to be against him. He was injured and fell down after only six games at the start of the season, and did not return to the court until mid-January. However, it was this return that officially started his extraordinary season.

"His offense has taken to a whole new level. In the past, we would be nervous when he started dribbling. But now, we encourage him to do that."

This is from teammate Miles Turner's comment on Nesmith's return this season. Although he only played 45 games due to injury, he delivered very excellent shooting efficiency, shooting percentage of 50.7%, three-point shooting percentage of 43.1%, and free throw shooting percentage of 91.3%, which is close to the 180 club standard. If it weren't for the limited number of games, he would be fully qualified to be included in the discussion of the top scorer of the season.

But what really made his value increase was in the playoffs.

After having experience in the last playoffs, Nesmith began to appear more calm and decisive in the face of critical moments this time. In the first round of the series against the Bucks, more people from the outside world focused on Halliburton's winning goal in overtime.

But let's look forward, Nesmith was chasing the key three-pointer at the top of the arc in stages, pulling the score to one round, and then snatched Halliburton's key rebound and missed a layup and scored a tip-in, narrowing the gap to one point, and then there was Halliburton's final moment.

Looking back at the entire series, Nesmith's personal performance is even better than the regular season, averaging 14.8 points per game and a three-point shooting percentage of up to 51.9%, which is completely at the level of a top scorer in the league. He no longer just relies on fixed-point shooting to score points, gradually showing scoring weapons such as throwing and mid-range holding. He gradually transformed from a simple shooter to a ball-holding scorer who can end the offense by running without the ball.

"This is the accumulation of game experience. The moments I have experienced, those playing at critical moments have made me more calm. I just grasp the gap, don't force or force, and play reasonable basketball."

Faced with outstanding performance, Nesmith spoke in a humble tone during the interview, but no matter how humble he was, he still could not hide his contribution to the Pacers.

After eliminating the opponent 4-1 in two consecutive rounds, the Pacers once again stood on the stage of the division finals. And this time the opponent is the Knicks, who defeated them in the playoffs last year.

Although he had won in the past, the Knicks were suffering from injuries at that time. This season, the Knicks not only avoided injuries, but also supplemented Bridges and Towns through trades. The team's overall combat power is no longer different from the past. Before the game, most people predicted the Knicks, and looking at the Pacers, it was enough to see the gap between the two teams. The script of the first game of the

series also developed according to the expectations of the outside world. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Knicks made a wave of offensives to widen the gap to double digits. With three minutes left in the game, 970 games have never been reversed in the past 27 years of playoff history, with more than 14 points behind with 2 minutes and 50 seconds left in the game.

But this game is different. Nasmith, the Pacers, stood up. His appearance seemed to be destined to leave a miracle in Madison Square, allowing the old fans in this stadium to recall the terrifying memories of being dominated by Reggie Miller.

Nesmith bypassed Obie Topin's cover and received a pass from Halliburton, Knicks' defender Hart was behind him. But Nesmith moved forward and made Hart lose his focus. Then Nesmith seized the short gap opportunity and made a decisive move, and scored his sixth three-pointer in a single quarter, chasing the team's score to 121-123, breaking the team's playoff record held by Reggie Miller in one fell swoop, with 22 seconds left.

The hot touch began to make the Knicks timid. In the next attack, Nesmith was directly sent to the free throw line, and after making both free throws, he scored his 29th and 30th points in the game.

The final story development is as mentioned earlier. The Pacers won the first victory in the series in overtime, which is also the team's first victory on the division final stage since the 2013-14 season. For this young team, this is definitely not the end. What they pursue is the unfinished championship dream of predecessors.

has only taken the first step now. There are still several victories to dream.

And the player who was undervalued and used as a bargaining chip, posted a picture on his personal social media updates after the game, a picture holding a paper clip in his hand.

Now he has already completed his transformation, and has gradually become an indispensable key pillar for the team from a paper clip.