On the night of May 20, the clock hand quietly pointed to seven o'clock.
At that moment, TD North Shore Garden Arena in Boston, USA, was packed to the rafters, every seat filled. The atmosphere was so electric it felt as though it could blow the roof off.
Because tonight, a thrilling Eastern Conference Finals matchup was about to unfold here—the Boston Celtics versus the Chicago Bulls.
As the passionate, powerful introduction of arena announcer Mike Gorman rang out, it was like lighting a fuse. The crowd's enthusiasm instantly exploded, and deafening cheers rose and fell like crashing, surging waves.
Just then, the Boston Celtics players emerged one by one from the tunnel.
They stood tall and moved with steady strides, every step carrying the conviction of victory and boundless fighting spirit.
But when the final player in the lineup—Goodwin—appeared before the crowd, TD North Shore Garden Arena, already at a fever pitch, erupted into another wave of frenzy.
The fans seemed to go wild as they shouted in unison, "MVP!" "MVP!" "MVP!"... Their cries rang through the sky. Even the hundreds of thousands of fans outside the arena were swept up in the fever and joined the celebration, freely venting their love and admiration for this superstar.
Goodwin smiled as he bathed in the thunderous cheers, walking steadily toward center court one step at a time.
With every step, a question involuntarily surfaced in his heart: How many more times would he be fortunate enough to hear such blood-stirring cheers?
After all, time flew by. Every player introduction he experienced at TD North Shore Garden Arena had quietly begun its countdown day by day.
Though there were still three full seasons left, everyone knew a season passed in the blink of an eye. Now, only two seasons remained for