Some even started cursing:
"Get the hell back where you came from! You've got some nerve showing your face with threes like that."
This was the Celtics' Devil's Home Court. Even during pregame warm-ups, you'd be subjected to jeers from Celtics fans.
At last, the time reached 7:25 p.m. local time.
A showdown like this was sure to be broadcast Nationwide Live, so it had to be scheduled for prime time.
At 7:25, both coaches handed their starting lineups to the scorer's table, which then displayed them on the big screen.
When the Celtics' Starting Lineup appeared on the screen, no one was surprised. It was their usual starting five.
But when the Raptors' Starting Lineup appeared, the Celtics' usually raucous home crowd fell silent for a moment.
The next instant, all twenty thousand people in the arena erupted in an uproar.
"Who are these guys on the Raptors? I don't recognize a single one except Wang Yi!"
"Am I remembering wrong? Do the Raptors even have these players?"
"Are the Raptors sending out their third-string lineup? Damn, they really don't think much of us."
"I'd say they know they're worn out from all that travel. They're exhausted, and up against the mighty Celtics, they've given up."
Someone nearby asked, "If they've given up, shouldn't Wang Yi be sitting out too? Why is he playing?"
A fan explained:
"This game's being broadcast Nationwide Live. Under league rules, a team's star has to play in a nationally televised game unless he's injured or something."
Someone else chimed in:
"So they really have given up?"
"Of course they have. They got scared by our home crowd."
"We brought a Playoffs atmosphere to the Regular Season. From the road out of the airport to their hotel, every billboard was aimed at them. Most