This year, the Cavaliers restrained the Pacers in style.
Kenny Smith added, "It's not just Shaquille O'Neal's slow footwork; Zach Randolph's footwork is also really slow, and that's the main reason they were targeted by the Cavaliers!"
Rick Carlisle made a change in the second quarter, bringing in the more agile Shaquille O'Neill and Millsap to match up against the opposing team.
But…
The reason LeBron James could become the "train head" of the breakthrough in the "Small Ball Era" is precisely because such agile but not tall inside players can hardly limit his charge.
The Pacers did keep up with the Cavaliers' attacking pace, but the problem was…
They couldn't bring out the system that restricted LeBron James.
As long as LeBron could make a charge, the Cavaliers' system would operate normally, and another thing…
The Cavaliers' players were indeed in good form tonight, leading until the end of the third quarter by just 3 points, which in itself indicated something.
