The brief break between quarters passed quickly, and the referee's whistle blew again, officially starting the second quarter.
Both coaches made extensive substitutions at the start of the game. Several players stepped up from the bench simultaneously. Doc Rivers brought on Chauncey Billups Billups, Ron Harper, Robert Horry, and P.J. Brown all at once, forming a new lineup alongside Garnett, who was already on the court. For the Spurs, Antonio Daniels, Steve Kerr, Jerome Kersey, and Malik Rose also filed in, partnering with Tim Duncan, who remained on the court.
The pace quickened instantly. Billups backed down Kerr, then easily scored with a floater after a shoulder contact. Kersey immediately responded with a low-post hook shot. Horry hit a three-pointer from the corner, and Daniels immediately drove into the paint for a layup off the glass. The two teams' benches traded baskets, with the score fluctuating. Brown then scored a strong putback, and Kerr drained a three-pointer over a tight defense, making the game extremely close.
The starters gradually returned to the field.
Garnett called for the ball on the left mid-range. Facing Tim Duncan, he lowered his center of gravity and suddenly started his drive after two probing steps. But Tim Duncan's defense was flawless. He displayed excellent lateral movement, using light and quick footwork to slide and block Garnett's first step.
Garnett spun around and jumped backward, taking advantage of Tim Duncan's defensive pressure. With his body leaning extremely back, he gently flicked the ball out with a very high release point.
"Whoosh."
Hollow core into the net.
In the following minutes, the game turned into a battle of tactical prowess. The Spurs slowed down the pace to a minimum, using suffocating defense to force the Celtics to take shots repeatedly as the 24-second shot clock was about to expire.
However, the Celtics also displayed extremely strong defensive resilience. Facing the Spurs' skillful half-court passing, the Celtics ' defense made full use of their lateral movement agility. Garnett, Pierce, and Jones relied on their quick sliding steps and tacit rotations to continuously disrupt the Spurs ' high-low connection, compressing the opponent's passing space to the extreme and forcing the Spurs ' tactical operation to frequently come to a standstill.
Under intense defense, both teams' tactical operations came to a standstill. The Celtics struggled to find open looks and were forced to rely on Pierce and Gary Payton for isolation plays, forcing shots despite the defenders' interference. The Spurs ' outside passing was also shut down, leaving them with no choice but to lob the ball to Tim Duncan in the low post, forcing him to penetrate the Celtics' ever-adapting defense.
The game turned into a pure half-court battle. There were no easy fast breaks, nor comfortable open shots; every point had to be fought for by the individual abilities of the star players. The scoreboard numbers progressed unusually slowly.
The final possession of the first half, with 22 seconds remaining.
The Spurs didn't lob the ball to the low post. Avery Johnson controlled the ball at the top of the key, suddenly accelerated from the strong side, and drove straight into the paint.
The Celtics' defense was forced to collapse. Johnson passed the ball on the move to David Robinson at the free-throw line. Garnett immediately helped defend, trying to block Robinson's shooting space.
But the moment Robinson caught the ball, he raised it above his head with both hands and gently tossed it towards the inside.
A classic high-low connection Twin Towers. Tim Duncan catches the ball in the air and banks it in.
The red light comes on, and the buzzer sounds.
40 to 42.
The Spurs took the lead before halftime.
The second half began, and both teams' starting lineups returned to the field.
The Celtics launched the first attack. Gary Payton dribbled the ball up the court, and Garnett moved up to the high post to set a screen. Gary Payton used the screen to break through to the left, and suddenly made a subtle bounce pass into the paint. Mutombo cut inside, leaped over David Robinson, and slammed the ball down with both hands.
The Spurs immediately responded. Tim Duncan positioned himself in the low post on the left, received the ball with his back to the basket, and Garnett immediately shut him down. Tim Duncan executed a solid step-back fake, followed by a quick reverse spin move in the low post, cutting along the baseline and easily banking in the basket.
In the midst of the stalemate, Garnett reached for the ball in the low post. Gary Payton fed him the ball. Garnett backed down against Tim Duncan and tried to drive hard twice. Tim Duncan remained steady, his long arms bracing against Garnett's waist, maintaining his balance. Seeing that he couldn't create space, Garnett suddenly gathered the ball and executed his signature turnaround jump shot.
Tim Duncan jumped in sync with Garnett, his long arms completely blocking Garnett's view. The two collided in mid-air, Garnett was forced to raise the arc of his shot. The basketball bounced off the front of the rim.
The referee didn't blow his whistle.
Garnett landed, glanced at the referee, quickly turned and went back on defense. As he passed Tim Duncan, he whispered rapidly, "You hit my hand just now."
Tim Duncan ran forward expressionlessly, his eyes fixed ahead, and said, "The referee didn't call it."
In the next possession, facing a Spurs wing play attempting to cut into the paint, Garnett fully utilized his lateral agility, using a quick slide to rapidly rotate and cover, directly blocking the cutter's path and forcing the Spurs ' play to a standstill.
The Spurs were forced to reorganize, passing the ball to Robinson at the free-throw line, attempting to transition to their preferred Twin Towers high-low post connection.
At this moment, Garnett, who had retreated to the low post to guard Tim Duncan, forcefully squeezed past Tim Duncan from the side. He stepped out with his front foot, half-turned, and firmly occupied a favorable position, instantly completing the frontal block.
Garnett raised his long arms, completely blocking Tim Duncan behind him. This shut down all of Robinson's passing angles for a low lob pass.
24-second violation, Spurs turnover.
Turning back, Gary Payton had the ball at the top of the key. Gary Payton gestured for his teammates to create space. He lowered his center of gravity and backed down Johnson. As one of the best post-up point guards in the league, he used his broad shoulders to firmly drive in, pushing the slender Johnson below the free-throw line in just two steps. Before the Spurs ' help defense could collapse, Gary Payton had already executed a nimble half-spin and made a floater.
In the following minutes, the game completely fell under Gary Payton's control.
This superb point guard not only tenaciously guarded Johnson on defense, cutting off the Spurs ' perimeter passing lanes, but also maximized the mismatch advantage on offense. Faced with Gary Payton's continuous dominating back-to-the-basket plays, the Spurs were forced to have Elliott double-team him. But the moment the double-team closed in, Gary Payton calmly delivered a bounce pass, precisely slipping it through the gap between the two to Garnett cutting along the baseline. Garnett caught the ball, soared into the air, and slammed it home with one hand.
The score went back and forth, but in the latter part of the third quarter, the Celtics established a decisive advantage thanks to Gary Payton's strength.
The Spurs tried to stay close, but the Celtics ' defense tightened, frequently disrupting the Spurs ' ball movement.
In the final minute of the third quarter.
Robinson's attempted mid-range shot missed, Garnett grabbed the rebound, and immediately launched a long pass to Gary Payton, who was making a run down the court. Gary Payton didn't even turn his head as he drove, flicking his wrist to send the ball steadily into the hands of the trailing Pierce.
Pierce's pull-up three-pointer.
Goal!
The red light came on as the third quarter ended.
64 to 58.
The Celtics entered the fourth quarter with a six-point lead.
The players headed towards the bench. Gary Payton wiped the sweat from his face with his jersey and bumped into Garnett, who was walking back. The two naturally bumped fists.
The whistle blew in the fourth quarter, signaling the start of the decisive battle.
Popovich clearly made targeted defensive arrangements during the break. The Spurs no longer had Avery Johnson, who was limited by his size, guard Gary Payton one-on-one, but instead had Antonio Daniels step up. At the same time, the Spurs ' twin Twin Towers in the paint began to set off-ball screens more frequently at the high post.
In the first three minutes of the fourth quarter, the Spurs launched an extremely efficient counterattack. David Robinson screened for Steve Kerr twice at the high post, and Kerr used the screens to circle out and sink two consecutive long-range shots. Immediately afterwards, Tim Duncan overpowered Mutombo in the low post, drawing a foul and making both free throws.
The score was tied in an instant.
66 to 66.
The air in the arena seemed to freeze. Doc Rivers didn't call a timeout; he just paced back and forth on the sidelines.
The Celtics quickly regained their composure. Gary Payton abandoned his low-post dominance and reorganized the offense back into half-court sets. He called for Garnett to set a screen at the high post, with Pierce and Jones spreading out on either side to create space. After the screen, Garnett quickly cut to the basket, received a pass from Gary Payton, and made a floater over Robinson's help defense.
68 to 66.
The game devolved into a fierce, close-quarters battle, with each point requiring the opponent to fight tooth and nail.
With 30 seconds left, the Celtics led 74-73.
The Celtics have possession of the ball.
With 26 seconds left in the game, the Spurs collapsed their defense. Gary Payton passed the ball to Pierce at the top of the arc, and Pierce, facing Elliott's tight defense, dribbled between his legs several times before forcing a step-back jumper.
"Bang!"
The basketball hit the back of the rim and bounced out.
Tim Duncan leaps high and grabs the rebound!
There are 4.2 seconds left in the game.
Popovich immediately called a timeout from the sidelines.
The Spurs have one last offensive opportunity. They are down by one point and need just one basket to win the game.
After the timeout, the Spurs inbound the ball from the frontcourt sideline.
Robinson faked a move to receive the ball at the top of the key, instantly drawing the Celtics ' attention away from the paint. At the same time, Tim Duncan, using Elliott's off-ball screen, cut to the right side of the free-throw line.
The player serving from the sideline precisely slipped the ball into Tim Duncan's hands.
The intense physical battle had drained Tim Duncan of his energy; his legs felt as heavy as lead.
Garnett had already covered for the defense, his long arms heading straight for the face.
With his physical limits nearing their limit, Tim Duncan relied entirely on his remaining muscle memory to push the ball out despite Garnett's interference...
The basketball left my hand, tracing a straight arc.
The air seemed to freeze.
"Bang."
The basketball hit the back of the rim and bounced out.
The final buzzer blared, instantly shattering the already tense atmosphere in the arena.
74 to 73.
The score is now set.
The Celtics won Game 1 of the NBA Finals, taking a 1-0 lead in the series.
Garnett's legs buckled, and he collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily. His chest heaved, and his eyes were fixed on the dazzling lights of the arena's dome. Sweat streamed down his face, dripping large drops onto the floor.
Tim Duncan remained frozen in place, still in the position after his shot, panting heavily. His usually calm face was now covered in beads of sweat, which streamed down his nose and chin.
He stood there for several seconds, stunned into stillness...
Then, dragging his almost broken body, he walked expressionlessly towards the players' tunnel.