After making the substitution decision, Skiles spoke up before anyone could react. Rarely did he prepare to deliver a motivational pep talk. Influenced by Chen Yu over the past two years, he had read quite a few psychology books. He started paying attention to player motivation and learned to dish out these pep talks.
"This season, we have fought hard through all eighty-two games. When the playoffs arrived, many media outlets wrote us off. But we won our way here. I know our true strength, and this is not our real performance. We are the Suns, the first team of the new century to three-peat. We have played the toughest games and defeated the most stubborn opponents. So I do not believe Pioneer can win this game. Don't they think they have this in the bag?"
Skiles pointed toward the visiting team's locker room.
"But we are going to tell them that even down one to three, we can still turn the tables and win. Everyone, think about your sacrifices this season, especially Dirk!"
