"Defence!" "Defence!" "Defence!" ... The fans at The Palace of Auburn Hills all chanted.
This put enormous pressure on the visiting Boston Celtics.
Clang! The Boston Celtics' attack came up empty again. Goodwin still couldn't shake Tayshaun Prince.
Goodwin: (•́へ•́╬)
This walking ball of glue was driving him crazy.
Was this what top-tier NBA defense was like?
Huff, huff. Calm down, calm down. There had to be a way.
Just as Goodwin lost focus for a moment, Tayshaun Prince suddenly cut toward the basket.
"Goodwin!" Vin Baker shouted a warning.
By the time Goodwin reacted, it was too late.
Chauncey Billups bounced a pass to the cutting Tayshaun Prince, who easily laid it in.
6:14
The gap between the teams reached eight points.
Tayshaun Prince turned around after scoring and smiled at Goodwin. "Rookie, thanks for the two points." A real stab to the heart!
An invisible arrow pierced Goodwin's heart.
Goodwin took a deep breath, patted his chest with his left hand, and said to his teammates, "Sorry, everyone. That was on me."
His words reached Tayshaun Prince as he ran back on defense. Prince was a little surprised; he hadn't expected the rookie to have such a strong mentality and adjust himself so quickly.
Prince's plan had been to rile Goodwin up and make him keep making mistakes. That way, he wouldn't just shut him down—he'd create plenty of scoring opportunities for the team, too.
"Goodwin, stay focused. Offense is offense, defense is defense. Got it?" Vin Baker came over right away. As an eleven-year veteran, Baker understood Goodwin's situation very well.
Goodwin had had things go too smoothly in the previous two games and had hardly faced any obstacles. Now Tayshaun Prince had shut him down for two possessions in a row, and the setback had inevitably brought his spirits down.
"I get it. It won't happen again. No, there won't be a next time," Goodwin promised.
That was right. Offense was offense, defense was defense. He couldn't let his frustration on offense affect his defense.
The Boston Celtics inbounded again, and the ball went to Mike James, who quickly dribbled across half court.
Before the game, Doc Rivers had told the players to open up the pace and try to break the Detroit Pistons' slow tempo. Unfortunately, it hadn't worked so far!
A moment later, Mike James dribbled to the top of the arc and immediately looked for Goodwin. Goodwin was still trying to get open for the pass, but he still couldn't shake Tayshaun Prince, who stuck to him like glue and gave him no opening.
"Ball!" Paul Pierce ran to the low post, spread his arms, quickly established position, and called for the ball.
Mike James lobbed it in to Paul Pierce.
The moment Pierce caught the ball, Chauncey Billups immediately left his own man and rushed over, looking to trap Pierce with Richard Hamilton.
At the same time, Ben Wallace took a step in from the paint, ready to help on defense.
Faced with this, Paul Pierce didn't hesitate for a second. He turned and jumped.
Richard Hamilton planted his feet and sprang up, trying to block Pierce.
At the peak of his jump, Paul Pierce flicked his wrist, sending the ball toward the basket.
Hamilton, arriving a fraction too late, could only watch the ball sail over his head.
It traced a beautiful arc through the air.
Swish! The ball dropped cleanly through the net.
Score!
The Boston Celtics had finally ended their scoring drought.
8:14
"Yes!" Paul Pierce clenched his fist and shouted after making the shot.
"Great shot, Paul!" "Beautiful, Paul!" "That was awesome, senior!" ... His teammates praised him one after another. Pierce's basket had given them a much-needed boost.
"Now let's get a stop."
"Right."
With their momentum restored, the Boston Celtics showed the fans in attendance just how good their defense could be.
Clang! The Detroit Pistons nearly got hit with a twenty-four-second violation. Chauncey Billups forced up a shot, but it missed.
Mark Blount secured the rebound. The moment he landed, he flung the ball upcourt, trying to hit Goodwin streaking ahead.
Smack!
Just as the ball was about to reach Goodwin, a wicked hand cut off the pass.
"Rookie, you want to run a fast break? You should've asked me first."
After the steal, Tayshaun Prince immediately passed the ball upcourt to Chauncey Billups.
Billups caught it without breaking stride and moved it along to Richard Hamilton, who had already started moving without the ball.
The Detroit Pistons' teamwork was truly outstanding. The instant Tayshaun Prince made his move, the whole team switched from defense to offense.
Richard Hamilton caught the ball, jumped, hung in the air, and shot.
The ball dropped cleanly through the net. Richard Hamilton had scored again.
8:16
The lead reached eight points.
For the rest of the first quarter, the teams were locked in a stalemate. One side scored, then the other, and the margin kept hovering around eight points.
Beep, beep! The first quarter ended with the score at 16:24, the Boston Celtics trailing by eight.
Those eight points laid the foundation for the Detroit Pistons' victory.
Over the remaining three quarters, Doc Rivers kept trying to make adjustments and break through the Detroit Pistons' defense, but their ironclad wall was simply too solid to crack.
The Boston Celtics scored only 68 points the entire game.
The Boston Celtics lost to the Detroit Pistons, 82–68, on the road, ending their two-game winning streak.
In the game, Tayshaun Prince held Goodwin to 0-for-4 shooting. Goodwin scored just two points from the free-throw line and also had three turnovers.
Meanwhile, Tayshaun Prince went 5-for-10, scoring 13 points with five rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.
Goodwin had been outclassed in every way.
It had finally shown him, beyond a doubt, what top-tier NBA defense was like.
(Ron Artest: ???)
Strength, speed, experience—he was behind in every way. Getting blown out was only natural.
As the final buzzer sounded, Goodwin accepted the loss. A loss was a loss; there were no excuses. He'd go back, train hard, and start over!
Before heading down the players' tunnel, Goodwin glanced at Tayshaun Prince celebrating and murmured, "Next time, I'll pay you back."
Goodwin silently added this to his little book of grudges.
A gentleman could wait ten years to take his revenge.
He turned and walked toward the players' tunnel.
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