The NBA Finals score is 2-3.
With match point in hand, they return to Boston.
We won! Lift the trophy!
We lost, it's Game 7.
If it really goes to a seventh game, then nobody can say for sure who will win.
On the afternoon the team arrived in Boston, Lin Qi didn't go to the training facility. Instead, he went straight to the equipment room on the second basement floor of the New Garden with the arena operations manager.
"The away team's locker room air conditioning," Lin Qi said, standing in front of a row of control panels for the pipes. "Can the temperature be controlled independently?"
The supervisor paused for a moment, then said, "Yes."
How low? What are the league's regulations?
The manager thought for a moment, "The away team's locker room should be above 60 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 15.6 degrees Celsius). Any lower, and they can file a complaint."
"Then it's 61 degrees Celsius (about 16.1 degrees Celsius)," Lin Qi said. "That's not against the rules."
The supervisor hesitated for a moment, reminding them that such a temperature was quite cold for athletes who had just finished a high-intensity workout, and that it could easily cause their muscles to stiffen.
"I know," Lin Qi interrupted him, "They started driving this afternoon when they came to familiarize themselves with the venue, and they'll continue until the game ends tomorrow night."
He paused at the door, but didn't turn around.
This was actually the first time he had used such tactics. He knew very well that in the Old Boston Garden era, " The Cardinal " Auerbach was the mastermind behind these underhanded tricks. Turning off the hot water and heating was Boston's most famous way of "hospitality." But he had never done this since taking over the team.
Until yesterday.
"The last game was in San Antonio," Lin Qi said in a flat voice, "And the air conditioning in our visiting team's locker room was on full blast. The water coming out of the showers was cold too."
"I didn't complain."
"This isn't a trick I invented; the Cardinal used it decades ago." He reached out and pushed open the iron gate. "But since they've started it, let them experience the most authentic Boston style."
The following afternoon, when the San Antonio Spurs players entered the visiting team's locker room at the New Garden, several of them instinctively shrank back.
That room was as cold as an icebox.
The staff apologized and brushed it off with the excuse that "the air conditioning is malfunctioning and they're working on it." The Spurs players grumbled as they changed into their jerseys, forced to double their warm-up time, but some still felt stiffness in their knees and calves.
The roar of over 20,000 fans at the New Garden nearly lifted the roof off.
The opening tip-off saw Garnett face off against Tim Duncan.
In the first five games, these two fought tooth and nail. But tonight, when they stood in the center circle, there was none of the tense, hostile atmosphere.
There was no confrontational hostility, only a tacit understanding.
Both men had figured out each other's cards and tacitly agreed that tonight was destined to be a life-or-death struggle with no holding back.
The whistle blew, and the ball was tossed high into the air.
From the very first possession, Garnett changed his defensive strategy. In the first five games, he focused all his energy on holding the basket and waiting for Tim Duncan to shoot before jumping to block. But tonight, he put all his defensive emphasis on his lateral movement agility.
As Tim Duncan moved to the low post, Garnett immediately used his incredibly fast lateral movement to half-front him, cutting off the passing lane half a body length ahead. When the Spurs' perimeter players attempted to drive using a screen, Garnett again used his amazing lateral speed to quickly rotate out, sliding to block the other Spurs players' driving space, and then quickly returned to position before Tim Duncan received the ball.
His wide-ranging sweeps made even the most basic catching feel awkward for Tim Duncan.
After Tim Duncan finally got the ball after repeated pulling and scrambling, Garnett had already closed in tightly. Low post defense has no fancy moves, it's just pure lower body brute force. Garnett firmly planted his base, firmly guarding the baseline, leaving no room for an easy turn.
Tim Duncan was forced to turn towards the middle. Garnett's finger blocked his view.
Tim Duncan attempted a layup despite the defense, and Garnett's fingertips barely grazed the surface of the basketball.
It's off-center.
In the first quarter, Tim Duncan made one of six shots.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the court, the New Garden was completely devastated.
Gary Payton didn't hold back a single ounce of energy from the very first minute. Popovich tried to wear him down by constantly rotating defenders, but tonight, whoever stood in front of Gary Payton would have the same outcome.
In the first possession, he was matched up against Jerome Kersey. The veteran who had shut him down for two whole games in San Antonio was still like a solid wall when he stood beyond the three-point line. Gary Payton didn't call a screen, but instead shielded the ball to the side, forcefully pushing his way through Kersey's chest for two steps, and then turned and made a jump shot despite the contact.
In the second possession, the Spurs switched to the faster Avery Johnson to closely guard Payton. Gary Payton was unstoppable, using a powerful crossover step to accelerate and overpower his defender, driving to the basket and scoring over the help defense.
In the third possession, the Spurs' defense was wary of his drive, and Kersey switched onto him again, deliberately taking a half-step back to prevent the drive. Gary Payton, watching his opponent's weight drop from the top of the arc, executed a clean crossover dribble, without even a fake move, and pulled up for a three-pointer.
Swish.
Post-up moves, hard drives, pull-up jumpers. No matter who the Spurs guard, no matter what defensive formation they use, the man who struggled in San Antonio is tonight using every trick in the Stephen Curry his arsenal to settle scores with interest.
With four minutes remaining in the first quarter, Gary Payton had scored 14 points.
The roar from the New Garden came in waves. There were no screams of desperation, just the shouts of more than 20,000 people crashing down, making the hardwood floors tremble.
The red light came on at the end of the first quarter, with Boston leading 27-17.
A ten-point difference. In this fiercely NBA Finals, being down by ten points in the first quarter is a number that puts immense pressure on the team.
The Spurs players walked toward the bench with their heads down. Popovich stood on the sidelines, watching his veteran players. The high-intensity sprints and physical battles of the first quarter had left them panting heavily and covered in sweat. But as soon as the whistle blew and their pace slowed, the unreasonable soreness and stiffness in their knees and calves immediately returned through their muscles.
In the second quarter, Doc Rivers put Mutombo on the court.
Throughout the NBA Finals, this 32-year-old Africa giant was the most awkward person on the Boston team.
To counter the Spurs ' Twin Towers, Boston desperately needed a physical presence in the paint. However, on offense, Mutombo's presence under the basket ironically became an obstacle for his own teammates, effectively blocking their driving opportunities.
He has no shooting range. Defenders completely ignore him and simply retreat into the penalty area. In the first five games, his playing time was significantly reduced.
But tonight, Doc Rivers him up and placed him in a position no one had expected.
Free throw line.
In the first possession, Gary Payton had the ball at the high post, and Mutombo moved from under the basket to the free-throw line.
David Robinson did not follow.
Gary Payton passed the ball over.
Mutombo received the ball. Without setting a screen or looking for a teammate, he simply raised his hand.
That shooting motion was stiff, awkward, and not attractive at all.
The basketball soared through the air.
Swish.
The New Garden paused for half a second, then erupted in cheers. David Robinson frowned.
In the next possession, Mutombo stepped up to the free-throw line again. This time, Robinson hesitated for half a second before extending his foot out.
In that split second, Mutombo received the ball and shot again.
Swish.
Second entry.
These two mid-range shots forced Robinson to move up to the free-throw line to guard Mutombo, no longer daring to stay under the basket.
As a result, the Spurs ' paint area was open.
When Garnett cut inside and found himself facing only Tim Duncan Gary Payton, the perpetually closed gate to the paint opened for the first time.
Pierce received the pass and started from the free-throw line, stepping into the paint. Before Robinson could turn and help defend, he soared into the air, facing the " The Admiral," and slammed the ball into the basket!
In the broadcast booth, the commentator's voice cracked on the spot.
" Chris Paul Pierce!!!"
The roar of excitement at the New Garden erupted once again.
With one minute left in the first half, Ben Wallace grabbed an offensive rebound over David Robinson under the basket and dunked it in. That was the first time tonight that the Admiral had something taken from his head in his own paint.
Halftime score: 53-36.
The Boston Celtics lead by 17 points.
In the away team's locker room, Gregg Popovich stood in front of the whiteboard, staring at the score for a long time.