The surprise soldier staged a Miller moment! The superb supporting role is really fragrant. Pacer Thunder all found the password to win the championship

"My request is 3."

Aaron Nesmith's high school years, the team coach John Pearson often gave his disciples an order before the game started.

"3" does not mean 3 three-pointers in a single game, but to make 3 three-pointers in a row for a period of time. When three consecutive three-pointers were no longer a difficult challenge for Nesmith, Pearson raised the standard to "four consecutively".

"In most games, he can shoot 4 three-pointers in a row. It's amazing."

What is the record for consecutive three-pointers in a single game? No one can be sure. But on May 22, the Eastern Conference Finals G1, Nesmith achieved a three-point and 6-point combo in the final quarter.

From 4 minutes and 45 seconds before the end of the fourth quarter to 22.1 seconds before the end of the fourth quarter, Nesmith made 6 three-pointers, scoring 20 points in a single quarter to help the Pacers win, almost replicating the 25 points in the final quarter of Reggie Miller's 1994 Eastern Conference Finals G5.

In the past six years, there is generally a top-quality player with a cost-effective performance in the championship team. Based on the contract size and performance, the most representative ones are Derek White in 2024, Bruce Brown in 2023, and Caruso in 2020. They have comprehensive skills and diverse functions, which bring more possibilities to the team's arrangement and playing style setting. The Pacers and Thunder, currently leading the division finals, also have the password to rush the championship.

NeSmith's basketball career is a slow growth history. From high school to college to the NBA, his start is always one step slower than others.

Nestmith received basketball scholarships before the end of her senior year all came from low-level or intermediate-level colleges. Until the summer vacation of her senior year, he finally received the first scholarship from top universities. Since then, multiple scholarship invitations from top universities have flocked to the spotlight, and the South Carolina Player of the Year has finally come to the spotlight. Nesmith chose Vanderbilt University, and he averaged 11 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in his freshman season. Nesmith is regarded as a top shooter. Starkhouse once compared him with Alan Houston. His template also includes Klay Thompson, but his shooting efficiency was not high in his freshman season, with an overall shooting percentage of only 39.2% and a three-point shooting percentage of only 33.7%, which is far from the reputation of "top shooter".

Soul season, Nesmith finally broke out, averaging 23 points per game, shooting 51.2% from the field and three-point shooting percentage as high as 52.2%, and the draft market entered the lottery zone. Although a foot injury caused Nesmith to end the 2019-20 season early after playing 14 games, and the epidemic affected the trial plan of all new stars in the 2020 class, Nesmith impressed Angie, then president of the Celtics and head coach Stevens, in his trial training for the Celtics. In the end, the Celtics chose Nesmith with the No. 14 pick.

Neismith did not quickly make his mark after joining the Celtics. After playing for a while in the 2020 rookie, the American media The Athletic divided their performance, and Nesmith was assigned to the "big trouble level". He won himself some playing time with defense, but he couldn't win more trust because of his instability and inefficiency in his shooting.

In the summer of 2022, the Celtics packed Nesmith and sent it to the Pacers for Brogdon. In fact, the Celtics are not willing to send Nesmith away. They believe Nesmith can become a 3D player around the Double Tanhua combination. Unfortunately, the Brogdon transaction value was at a high point at that time, so the Celtics could only bear the pain and let go.

Later stories prove that the Celtics' leave was worth it and it was also a good thing for Nesmith's future development. Brogden won the sixth man in the 2022-23 season. He failed to help the Celtics win the championship due to injuries and other factors, but the Celtics used Brogden as a bargaining chip to exchange for Holiday, and finally completed the championship. Meanwhile, Nesmith got more opportunities to save his career with the Pacers and grew into one of the most underrated players in the league.

From Boston to Indianapolis, Nesmith quickly adapted to the changes in his playing style and accepted the positioning of a top-notch player. Nesmith said: "I found my role here. I just provide vitality, try to defend, hit open shots, and that's what the team demands. Every year I try to do these details better." The "efficiency theory" instilled in Nesmith in high school was a huge help to his successful transformation. He told Nesmith that any player has the ability to score 20 points, but top players can do it without wasting the ball. Pearson asked Nesmith to target "Club 180".

In the regular season of the 2024-25 season, Nesmith met the requirements of his mentor, and he shot 50.7% of his overall shooting percentage, 43.1% of his three-point shooting percentage and 91.3% of his free throw percentage, all of which were career highs.

Excellent athletic ability and projection ability make Nesmith a key part of the Pacers' five-outside + running and bombing offensive system. He can serve as both the starting point of the offensive and the end point. After receiving the ball, he broke through and instigated subsequent offenses, improved his ability to shoot the ball and finish at the basket, further enhanced his value. On the defensive end, Nesmith's difficulty in matchmaking is second only to Andrew Nemhard. He usually has to defend his opponent's offensive core from the outside and limits his opponent's shooting percentage to 43.5%. In the G1 of the Eastern Conference Final, Brunson made 7 mistakes, and Nesmith forced 4 of them.

This season's regular season, the Pacers' net winning score of only 2.1 points in 100 rounds, but the data when Nesmith was on the court was +8.5 points and -0.7 points when not on the court. In the playoffs, Nesmith was on the court and the Pacers had a net advantage of 9.2 points in 100 rounds, while the non-appearance was -0.9 points. Considering that Nesmith's annual salary is only $11 million this season and the next two seasons, he is undoubtedly one of the best value players in the league..

The best character player of the same type as Nesmith also has Thunder player Caruso. In the Western Conference semi-final tiebreak, Caruso restricted Jokic's performance on the defensive end. In the G1 of the Western Conference Finals, Caruso faced Reed on the defensive end in the first half, and then he fought against Anthony Edwards and made three three-pointers on the offensive end to solve the Thunder space problem.

It is worth mentioning that so far in the playoffs, Nesmith and Caruso have undertaken arduous defensive tasks, while also being the most accurate players in their respective teams’ three-pointers.

Before today's game, data analysis expert Zach Kram interpreted what enlightenment the success of the semi-finals of the postseason league brought to the other 26 teams, and mentioned "the importance of depth" and "the value of non-star players." In fact, these two can be combined. The Thunder and Pacers are able to conquer the world by relying on depth so far this season, which is directly related to their discovery of top-quality players with super cost-effectiveness. This is more significant when it can be achieved under the current labor-management agreement.

NeSmith, and Toping (2020's No. 8 show) who ended the game with two dunks in overtime, are both treasure puzzles that the Pacers are equivalent to digging out in the "second draft". They cultivated the high-level show that was depressed after entering the industry into high-quality combat power.

On the Thunder, it is not necessary to describe how high Caruso, who was born in a draft and earned $9.89 million this season. Kenridge Williams, who played the surprise in the West Finals G1, also lost the draft. He only made 4 appearances in the first two rounds, but G1 played the role when he appeared on the West Finals, scoring 8 points and 3 rebounds in 9 minutes and 26 seconds, with a plus-minus value +19 points. This season, the two have only received $16 million in total.

Of course, you have to be a star in high-end games, but a single flower is not spring, and the best-quality player also has the power to leverage the turning point of his fate.

As Lao Zhan said on the podcast: "Looking back at the greatest championship journey in history, and even some highlights in the history of the finals, you will find that many players have become stars among the role players in those moments."