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Goodwin: ?

Doc Rivers: ?

Paul Pierce: ?

When they saw Ron Artest standing next to Goodwin, the entire Boston Celtics squad was stunned.

Who was Ron Artest?

He was the league's most outstanding one-on-one defensive specialist, and the opponent who gave stars like Kobe Bryant, McGrady, and Iverson the most headaches. He possessed a fierce fighting spirit, exceptional strength, speed, and stealing ability, along with top-tier defensive technique. On the court, he took pleasure in freezing the opposing team's primary scorer, and his offensive ability was nothing to sneeze at either.

So far this season, he was averaging 2.08 steals per game, ranking third in the league, and held his opponents to under 8.1 points, making him a strong contender for the Defensive Player of the Year award. Furthermore, he was putting up an excellent performance of 18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.

At the same time, the fact that the Indiana Pacers were sitting in first place in the Eastern Conference this season was largely due to the contributions of Ron Artest.

Was it reasonable for a player of his caliber to be assigned to defend a rookie?

Indiana Pacers head coach: Very reasonable!

In the eyes of the Indiana Pacers head coach, the only variable in this game was Goodwin. As long as he took care of this one variable, winning the game would be a sure thing.

Thus, the Indiana Pacers head coach decisively sent out his team's best defender—Ron Artest.

Go, Artest, and teach this "rookie" a lesson.

After a moment of shock, Goodwin immediately snapped back to reality. Instead of feeling any fear, he became even more excited.

Didn't this just prove that his strength had been recognized?

Goodwin ran toward the corner with high spirits, and Ron Artest quickly chased after him.

He caught up quickly, and without a word, Ron Artest slammed into Goodwin.

Holy crap!

A sudden burst of force nearly sent Goodwin sprawling, but fortunately, he managed to steady his footing just in time.

"Rookie, your strength is lacking," Artest teased.

Artest had thought Goodwin might be something special, but half a possession in, he had nearly wiped the kid out.

At this moment, Artest regretted coming over to defend Goodwin. It was boring; he would rather be defending Paul Pierce.

Artest loved the feeling of muscle colliding with muscle.

"Yes," Goodwin replied sincerely.

Artest: "..." He felt like he had punched a cotton ball; it was neither painful nor itchy.

But even with such a sincere answer, he wouldn't go easy on him. Artest continued his second wave of pressure.

Bang.

Like a small tank ramming into Goodwin, even though he was prepared, Goodwin couldn't help but take a step back to absorb the impact Artest delivered.

FUCK, I can't face him head-on anymore. A few more times and I'll probably fall apart.

Upon reaching the corner, Goodwin quickly called for a screen.

Goodwin: Help me, Mark Blount!

Mark Blount: I'm coming.

Mark Blount, positioned in the paint, ran toward the corner immediately. A moment later, he arrived, placed his hands at his waist, and built a wall for Goodwin.

A screen?

Artest's mouth curled slightly. He moved his feet rapidly, bypassed Mark Blount's screen, and lunged toward Goodwin.

Just as Goodwin thought he had shaken off Artest using the screen, Artest chased him down from behind.

Mike James didn't notice the charging Artest in time. By the time he realized it, it was too late; the ball had already been passed.

Slap. Artest lunged from behind, bumped into Goodwin, and extended his left hand to block the pass.

Holy crap!

Goodwin felt a bit of pain from Artest's collision, but he still managed to reach out his hand toward the ball. Don't you dare run away.

The tip of Goodwin's middle finger just happened to graze the ball. The ball changed trajectory, hit Artest's foot, and flew out of bounds.

Possession remained with the Boston Celtics.

Artest was slightly stunned. He hadn't expected this outcome; it was supposed to be a steal and a fast break, but it had been disrupted.

Artest couldn't help but look at Goodwin with newfound respect. This rookie was interesting; even after being knocked aside, he hadn't forgotten to go for the ball.

"Sorry, that was my fault," Goodwin said as he quickly walked over to Mike James.

Mike James patted Goodwin on the shoulder and reminded him, "It's fine, you did well just now, but you need to be careful with Ron. He is a difficult defender to deal with."

Goodwin nodded, then looked back at Artest. He was indeed a difficult defender.

Even Paul Pierce had been held to just 4-of-13 shooting by him, a field goal percentage of only 30.7%.

The game continued. The Boston Celtics inbounded the ball again, passing it to Mike James, who dribbled to the top of the arc.

Goodwin still tried to use a screen to shake off Artest, but Artest chased him down quickly. Forget about shaking him off; there wasn't even any space to receive the ball.

Just then, Paul Pierce came over from the other side to call for the ball.

Mike James immediately passed the ball to Paul Pierce.

To be honest, Paul Pierce was fuming after being defended by Artest, and now was the perfect time to vent that anger.

After receiving the ball, Paul Pierce held it in his right hand and shoved his left shoulder into Reggie Miller, who could only retreat while defending against the young and strong Paul Pierce.

After driving two steps, Paul Pierce came to a sudden stop, performed a behind-the-back dribble to switch the ball from his right hand to his left, and then held the ball in a shooting posture.

"Not a chance!" In an instant, Reggie Miller pushed off his feet and lunged at Paul Pierce.

But the next second, he knew he had been tricked.

Paul Pierce hadn't jumped; it was a pump fake, and he had sent Reggie Miller flying.

Not only that, but Paul Pierce also wanted to draw contact; the moment Reggie Miller began to descend, he jumped up and leaned his entire body into him.

Fuck, he wants the and-one. Mid-air, Reggie Miller realized Paul Pierce's intention immediately, but he was helpless and could only watch as Paul Pierce collided with him.

"Beep!"

The moment he heard the referee's whistle, Paul Pierce threw the ball from his hands.

The ball sailed over Reggie Miller's head toward the rim.

"Clang." With a sound, the force was a little too light, and the ball hit the front of the rim.

"Fuck!" Paul Pierce couldn't help but curse; he couldn't believe he missed.

Although he missed, he still earned two free throws.

Paul Pierce walked to the free-throw line, took the ball from the referee, aimed, and released.

"Swish." The first free throw went in.

"Swish." The second free throw also went in.

He made both free throws, scoring 2 points and helping the team take the lead.

62:61

In an instant, TD Garden returned to its usual roar of cheers.

"Let's go Celtics!" "Let's go Celtics!" "Let's go Celtics!"...

On the sidelines, Doc Rivers looked at Goodwin, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly; Goodwin's entry into the game might just be the key to liberating Paul Pierce.

In the subsequent play, Paul Pierce was completely unleashed, scoring frequently with both drives and outside shots.

He dropped 14 points in the single quarter, helping the team stay neck-and-neck with the Indiana Pacers.

At the end of the third quarter, the score was tied at 78:78, and both sides were back to square one.