Reggie Miller successfully picked up the basketball, broke away for a fast break, and pulled off his first dunk of this year's playoffs!
The point difference was down to just 1 point!
Turning around, Reggie Miller mocked Roger with the classic choking gesture: "MVP, huh?"
The defiant Reggie Miller had never bowed to fate!
In the fourth quarter, with a 1-point gap.
The game was entering its most intensely scorching phase.
Lenny Wilkens called for a timeout, and every key rotation player on the Hawks was dripping with sweat.
Now, any tactical setup was futile; there were no more secrets or variables for either team.
So Lenny Wilkens could only transmit that old-school coaching fierceness to his players:
"They want to fight, then fight with them! See who's more of a man!"
Bird was thinking along the same lines; there was no need for complicated plays now; he needed to fuel the players' competitive spirit.