Скачать или смотреть Rip Hamilton Outlasts Ron Artest to Clinch Eastern Conference

June 1, 2004 - After a 33-point performance in Game 5, Richard Hamilton's offensive impact was successfully mitigated in Game 6, at least initially. Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest (now known as Metta Sandiford-Artest) held Hamilton to just 2-of-10 shooting midway through the third quarter of their Game 6 Eastern Conference Finals matchup.

Alas, it wasn't long before classic Rip Hamilton ethos took hold. Hamilton made a career of running his defenders into the ground by playing the long game, often maintaining, "I know if I'm tired, then my defender must be exhausted." Taking advantage of Artest's even slight signs of fatigue in meandering through a litany of non-stop screens, Hamilton connected on his final five shots, including a leaning jumper with 1:13 left, creating a two-possession game in a contest in which every basket came at a premium.

Hamilton's game-high 21 points would be enough to propel the Pistons to a 69-65 Eastern Conference-clinching win over the Indiana Pacers.

The heavy favorite for Conference Finals MVP—if the award had existed at the time—Hamilton averaged 23.7 points per game for a team that averaged just 75.2 points altogether for the series. For additional perspective, Hamilton accounted for more than 31 percent of his team's points, a scoring rate that would have left him averaging 37.7 points if he were to have suited up for the 2024 Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics (who averaged 119.5 ppg in their ECF series, also against the Pacers).

The Pistons would go on to eliminate the heavily-favorited Los Angeles Lakers in five games, earning the third NBA championship in franchise history.

2004 Game 6 Box Score: https://www.basketball-reference.com/...