Although Carlisle encouraged him to attack on his own, he always came up just short. After two or three ineffective possessions, he cut back on those attempts.
The first half ended.
The Pacers led 48-39, a 9-point advantage.
Su Xi had 7 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals.
The second half began.
The Celtics were still getting swarmed. When they focused their energy on Su Xi, other Pacers players would step up. Carroll's defensive strategy was meaningless, other than demonstrating to other teams how to defend Su Xi.
In the end, the Pacers defeated the Celtics by a large margin, 89-71.
Su Xi only played 5 minutes in the second half. His final stats were 11 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals.
From a rookie's perspective, these were still very efficient numbers.
However, in terms of his contribution to the team, it was undeniably decreasing.
This made many basketball experts rejoice. They were like flies drawn to a foul stench, buzzing incessantly.
