In the second quarter, an unexpected event occurred.
Lakers head coach Kurt Rambis substituted O'Neal and Kobe one by one to rest them, gradually bringing on Tyronn Lue, Dennis Rodman, and Murray.
It was supposed to be a chance for the Celtics to close the gap, but Tracy Murray immediately received a pass from Lue in the right corner and sank a three-pointer. Then, Dennis Rodman grabbed the offensive rebound over Ben Wallace and used his speed from consecutive jumps to tip it to Tyronn Lue on the perimeter, who then drove in and made a floater.
The point difference quickly reached 11 points.
Gary Payton sat on the sidelines, his face grim. " Los Angeles has brought Chicago's garbage cans with them."
Dennis Rodman overheard this as he walked past the visiting team's bench on his way back on defense, grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and said, "Your mouth still stinks, Gary."
Gary Payton rolled his eyes. "Your hair still looks awful, Dennis."
But the Lakers ' joy was short-lived. O'Neal was substituted in early to stabilize the situation, and in the first possession, he received the ball in the low post, preparing to isolate and attack Mutombo. This time, Mutombo firmly held his defensive position, maintaining his stance and preventing O'Neal from losing his defensive position as O'Neal lowered his shoulder and made a forceful impact. The referee, who saw this clearly from the side, immediately blew his whistle and made a pushing motion with his right hand... an offensive foul on O'Neal.
Third offense.
Rambis had no choice but to quickly push O'Neal back down to protect his starters. At this point, backup center Ervin Johnson also picked up two fouls while blocking Garnett on defense, and Dennis Rodman, being short, couldn't fill the void at the center position, leaving the Lakers' interior defense wide open. Rambis looked around the bench and could only point to the far corner.
Eric Montross expressionlessly took off his thick coat, jumped twice in front of the scorer's table, and walked onto the field.
Lin Qi, sitting in the back row, couldn't help but chuckle.
Montross wanted to make a name for himself on his first possession. Kobe had the ball on the perimeter, and Montross moved laterally to set a high screen. However, he had deteriorated so much in the last five years; his footwork was too slow. Not only did he fail to screen the defender, but his movement also involved a noticeable lateral displacement, causing Kobe, who was just about to accelerate, to stumble. Kobe almost lost the ball and, to avoid a turnover, had to force a shot, which bounced high off the back of the rim.
As they retreated on defense, Kobe glared fiercely at Montross.
Montross spread his hands, looking completely bewildered.
Dennis Rodman muttered as he walked by, "Idiot, stay away from that kid, you're blocking his close-up shots."
Turning around, Gary Payton called for a screen at the top of the key, directly matching up against Montross, who couldn't get out of the way. Gary Payton dribbled the ball, talking incessantly. " Eric, I heard you make two million a year sitting on the bench in Los Angeles? God, the Lakers might as well just put a dead fat pig in the paint, at least it's big, and your guard didn't trip over it when he went around it."
Gary Payton lowered his center of gravity extremely low while dribbling, without making any complicated changes of direction. He simply feinted with his eyes and shoulder, pretending to pass the ball to Garnett on the right. Montross's center of gravity was immediately shifted, and he stopped in place. Gary Payton then used this opportunity to dribble past the smaller player and, before Dennis Rodman could help defend, casually tossed the ball into the air.
Garnett followed up and dunked the ball into the basket with one hand.
Immediately afterwards, the Celtics ' second unit began to gain momentum. Harper used his height and long arms to force the young Tyronn Lue into a corner on the defensive end. Unable to collect the ball, Lue made a passing error, and Pierce stole the ball and scored with a one-handed dunk on the fast break. Then Pierce posted up Murray in the low post, using his size to hit a series of turnaround jumpers and mid-range shots.
At halftime, the Celtics led 52-49.
With both starting lineups returning in the second half, the intensity of the match increased, and the game became somewhat tense.
O'Neal used his footwork to score two strong points in the low post, Kobe used a layup to avoid Mutombo's block on the fast break, and Peja and O'Neal Jr. also scored through pick-and-rolls, Lakers once took a 4-point lead. The talent of the young players is indeed unreasonable.
But problems soon emerged.
O'Neal had already positioned himself deep in the left paint, outstretched his massive hand calling for the ball. Kobe, however, slowed down and lowered his shoulder, continuing to dribble and try to isolate and challenge someone on the perimeter. Peja, using screens in the weak-side corner, twice created wide-open looks, but the ball circled among several perimeter players, unable to be passed to him. O'Neal Jr., caught up in the game, also reached for the ball in the low post, only to be preemptively fronted and boxed out by the experienced Garnett. O'Neal Jr. moved his feet as he received the ball, resulting in a traveling violation called on him for using his pivot foot.
Derrick Fisher stood at the top of the arc, holding the ball. He could pass it to anyone and they would want it, but if he didn't pass it, he had no chance to finish the game. He was like a young coachman who couldn't control four horses.
Lin Qi sat on the sidelines, watching Fisher's dilemma, and mentally calculated the time.
At this time, Phil Jackson was still resting at home. He would probably not officially join Los Angeles until next year, bringing with him the Triangle Offense. That would be the complete Lakers.
In the fourth quarter, the Celtics began to seal the victory.
Mutombo stopped relentlessly battling O'Neal in the low post and replaced him with Ben Wallace, using fouling tactics and intense physical contact to wear him down. In crucial possessions, Mutombo used his experience to front O'Neal early or push him out of danger zones before he even received the ball, forcing O'Neal to receive it further from the basket. Although O'Neal was still scoring, receiving the ball became extremely difficult.
Kobe tried to drive to the basket, but Eddie Jones and Bowen took turns sticking to him. Bowen, in particular, kept his hand subtly on Kobe's waist, preventing him from receiving the ball comfortably or jumping comfortably.
Peja had just circled out from the perimeter using a screen when Eddie slid sideways and collided with his chest. Peja, losing his balance, forced a shot, but the ball went short and hit the front of the court.
Pierce watched this scene from the weak side and suddenly understood. He used to think that San Antonio's physical defense was torture, but now he realized that this was the NBA playoffs. If you wanted to be a primary scorer here, you had to learn to make shots in this suffocating physical contact.
Turning back, Pierce proactively called for the ball on the right high post and isolated Peja. After backing down Peja twice, he suddenly turned towards the baseline, gathered the ball, and made a turnaround jumper. The next possession, Kobe switched onto him, Pierce didn't pass the ball. Instead, he drove hard into the paint, drawing a blocking foul from Kobe and making both free throws.
Horry, sitting on the sidelines, looked at Pierce and nodded. This kid no longer needed to be on the bench; he was strategically protected and was now qualified to be a starter for this team.
With four minutes remaining, the Lakers narrowed the gap to just six points thanks to a steal and fast break by Kobe.
Celtics head coach Doc Rivers turned to the bench. " Robert, come on."
Horry took off his thick coat and came on, replacing Harper.
In a crucial possession, Gary Payton and Garnett ran a pick-and-roll at the top of the key. The Lakers ' defensive communication faltered, and O'Neal Jr. and Fisher recklessly double-teamed Gary Payton.
Before Gary Payton's passing lane was blocked, he bounced the ball to Garnett at the free-throw line. O'Neal Jr. rushed to help defend, Dennis Rodman in the corner also reached out from the wing to try to steal the ball. Garnett didn't force a shot, but instead followed the defensive flow and passed the ball to the right corner, which was completely undefended.
Horry stood there, his feet planted just outside the three-point line. He caught the ball, jumped, and shot without hesitation. Even his follow-up motion after the shot was suspended in mid-air.
"Whoosh."
A three-pointer swished through the net, giving the Celtics a 9-point lead. The Great Western Forum fell silent instantly.
As Gary Payton returned to defense, he yelled at Horry, "Are you always faking your death?"
Horry shrugged and ran back. "Saving my energy won't hurt."
With two minutes remaining, a few spectators began leaving the stands at the Great Western Forum, and the Lakers ' offense completely fell apart.
O'Neal drew a foul from Garnett while positioning himself inside, but he rubbed his elbow at the free-throw line. His first free throw bounced high off the back of the rim, and his second barely went in, making one of two.
Turning back, Kobe insisted on a one-on-one attack at the top of the arc, forcing a fadeaway jump shot despite Eddie Jones's defense almost covering his wrist, the basketball bouncing off the Hoop.
The Lakers wanted to find opportunities on the perimeter, Peja tried one last time to circle out from the corner using a screen, but Pierce wasn't pulled away by the screen this time and kept up with him completely. Peja lost his balance in the air and could only hurriedly pass the ball back to Fisher at the top of the arc. With only two seconds left on the 24-second shot clock, Fisher caught the ball and threw it, but the ball didn't even touch the Nets and bounced directly off the front of the rim.
Under the basket, Mutombo used his broad back to firmly block O'Neal.
With a long reach, Garnett secured the defensive rebound over Dennis Rodman's head, a rebound that had extinguished the Lakers' hopes.
The final whistle blew, and the Celtics won 101-89 on the road.
O'Neal had 31 points and 14 rebounds, Kobe had 24 points, and Peja had 15. These young players did show an amazing ceiling in some possessions, but the Lakers' lack of discipline and tactical execution was exposed against the Celtics' playoff-level defensive intensity.
For the Celtics, Garnett had 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks; Gary Payton had 19 points and 10 assists; Pierce contributed 21 points. Although Horry only scored 9 points throughout the game, his final corner three-pointer sealed the Lakers ' comeback.
After the game, Jerry West stood at the entrance to the players' tunnel, watching the group of green-clad figures walking towards the locker room. His hands were in his trouser pockets, and his expressionless face subtly revealed a naked hostility.
West knows basketball better than anyone. Just look at these young players he has; he hasn't made a single wrong choice. Given time, this roster will be enough to dominate the league.
But tonight, he lost because of the lingering effects of letting Gugliotta go, and because of the team's overall structure.
Lin Qi stood up from the back row of the away team's bench, patted the wrinkles on his trousers, and buttoned up his suit jacket. There was no smugness on his face after the victory, because he knew in his heart how terrifying these young men would become when Phil Jackson brought the Triangle Offense to Los Angeles next year.