June 9, 2000, early morning.
The morning mist had not yet dissipated Charles River in Boston, but for Los Angeles, far away on the West Coast, the shockwaves from this defeat were only just beginning.
The headquarters building of the Los Angeles Times.
Senior columnist Beal Plaschke stared at the front-page proof on his computer screen, his brow furrowed.
The original headline was. " Boston Nightmare Repeated? Lakers Collapse in NBA Finals."
Title: " O'Neal's efforts are insufficient, Kobe is locked down, and the team's interior depth becomes a fatal flaw."
"Remove 'collapse' and replace it with 'frustration.'" Plaschke tapped the table next to his editor. "This is only the first game. Don't over-fan the already tense nerves of Los Angeles fans. Stay objective and focus on the adjustments Phil Jackson must make."
Ultimately, the Los Angeles Times ' front page was relatively restrained. " Lakers suffer a setback in their first game, Jackson promises a complete overhaul." The accompanying photo was a close-up of O'Neal gritting his teeth as he was triple-teamed in the paint.
The article states, "The floor of Boston's New Garden is still slippery, but this time it's not soaked with champagne, but with the Lakers ' sweat and frustration. 102-91, O'Neal racked up 28 points and 17 rebounds, but couldn't prevent the team's defeat. Kobe's sluggish 6-for-15 shooting and the relentless domination of the young big men cast a shadow over the Purple and Gold Legion ' championship prospects."
However, while the Los Angeles Times, as the mouthpiece of Los Angeles, showed some leniency, other media outlets and radio stations completely disregarded this.
The Orange County Register's front page headline read, "Crushing Defeat! Los Angeles Defense Torn Apart," accompanied by a photo of Kobe Bryant being relentlessly guarded by Eddie Jones, forcing a three-pointer that missed. "The young guard, who touted himself as the 'future of the Lakers,' was lost in the face of the NBA Finals ' raw defensive intensity. 14 points, 40% shooting. Eddie Jones used his incredibly tough physicality to give the former reserve a vivid defensive lesson. Even more disheartening was the sight of 21-year-old Jermaine O'Neal being devoured in the paint by Garnett and Rasheed. The Lakers ' interior depth was as thin as paper against Boston's Twin Towers."
ESPN LA 710's morning call center was completely overwhelmed by angry Lakers fans.
"What is Kobe doing?! Who does he think he is? Michael Jordan?!" a middle-aged male fan roared on the phone. " Shaq is playing like he's about to collapse inside, while he's taking risky shots outside with two defenders on him! Jerry West should have been traded in the offseason and replaced with Jason Kidd to pass the ball to Shaq!"
" Jermaine too inexperienced, and A.C. Green is too old!" another fan said anxiously. " Phil Jackson only makes Shaq help on defense, which is practically killing his energy! If he doesn't change this in Game 2, we'll lose again!"
At the same time, on the East Coast of the United States, in Bristol, Connecticut, at ESPN headquarters.
In the studio of the " SportsCenter " special program, tactical analyst Tim Legler is standing in front of a huge tactical board, holding a tactical pen and conducting an in-depth review.
"Where did the Lakers go wrong? Let's look at these three possessions." Legler drew several red lines on the screen.
"First, an extremely successful coordinated attack." The screen showed Gary Payton stealing the basketball from Kobe's hands. " The Celtics have abundant defensive resources. Eddie Jones shuts down the first step, and Gary Payton is lurking on the weak side. Kobe has been facing two opponents all night; Jackson must design more off-ball screens for Kobe and prevent him from keeping the ball in his hands any longer."
"Secondly, their superior wing strength." The scene shifts to Garnett's high-post playmaking and Rasheed's strong low-post attack. " Boston capitalized on O'Neal Jr.'s lack of experience and Green's slow footwork. They took turns drawing Garnett and Rasheed to the perimeter, completely clearing the paint. If Shaq came out to defend, they attacked the basket. If Shaq didn't come out, Garnett and Rasheed's mid-range and long-range shots punished the Lakers."
Host Stuart Scott nodded. "So Tim, if you were Phil Jackson, how would you break the deadlock in Game 2?"
"It's very simple, but also the most difficult." Legler held up three fingers. "First, free up Kobe and increase tactical movement. Second, shorten the rotation in the paint and let Shaq play longer minutes. Third, make Shaq completely relinquish his defensive role, completely abandon help defense, and save all his energy for offense."
10 a. m., Tufts University Indoor Basketball Arena, Boston.
As the visiting team, the Lakers used the facilities here for their recovery training. But in the somber atmosphere of Boston, the air inside the arena seemed to freeze.
O'Neal sat on a folding chair on the sidelines, ice his knee. His gaze swept over a television screen not far away, which was broadcasting ESPN's ruthless analysis of the Lakers' first game. The Big Shark's face turned ashen, and he grabbed a towel and threw it over, blocking the screen.
"Shut up this garbage," O'Neal growled.
At the other end of the court, Kobe was practicing free throws alone. His eyes were cold as he mechanically repeated the motions of catching the ball, bending his knees, and shooting. His training clothes were soaked with sweat, but he seemed to block out all the sounds from the outside world.
Fisher walked over, picked up a rebound, and tossed it to Kobe: "Listen, Kobe, don't let the media influence you. They're just a bunch of bloodthirsty flies. Just fight back with your skills."
Kobe caught the basketball and stopped moving.
"I'm unaffected, Derrick," Kobe's voice was hoarse and cold. "I'm just recalling every defensive move Eddie Jones made last night. Game 2, I'm going to destroy him."
"Gather."
Phil Jackson clapped his hands, interrupting the players' individual training sessions. The six-time champion coach, holding his whiteboard, walked to the center of the group, his gaze calmly sweeping over each face.
"I don't want to hear any excuses about the referees, the away game, or luck." Jackson's voice wasn't loud, but it had a powerful impact. "A loss is a loss, because we executed our tactics like rookies yesterday."
He turned to look at Kobe.
" Kobe, 6 for 15." Jackson didn't mince words. "The media says you played selfishly. But I'll only ask you one question: what did you see in this video?"
Kobe met his coach's gaze without flinching. "I shouldn't have gotten bogged down Eddie Jones in half-court sets. He has Gary Payton behind him. I need to use Shaq's screens to play off-ball, catch and shoot, or move the ball out before they close in."
Jackson nodded slightly, then looked at O'Neal Jr..
" Jermaine, 4 points and 2 rebounds. I know Garnett and Rasheed must have frustrated you." Jackson's tone softened slightly. "Paying your dues is part of growing up. Watch their tapes, learn how they use rhythm and space. But tomorrow night, I won't allow you to stand there like a scared kid in the paint. Go up there and foul me hard, understand?"
"Understood!" O'Neal Jr. shouted through gritted teeth.
Finally, Jackson looked at O'Neal.
" Shaq, tomorrow night on defense, collapse into the paint. Don't try to contest Garnett and Rasheed's jump shots anymore. Conserve your energy." Jackson slammed his tactical pen heavily on the three-second area on his drawing board. "I want you on offense to completely destroy Boston's paint. We need to go back to Los Angeles with a 1-1 tie."
4 PM, Boston Celtics training facility.
Unlike the somber atmosphere at the Lakers ' game, the atmosphere here was much more relaxed. The players were practicing shooting, and bursts of laughter could be heard from time to time. Winning the first game gave this team a huge psychological advantage.
But Lin Qi, standing behind the glass curtain wall on the second floor of the sidelines, showed no sign of relaxation.
"The players are in great form." Head coach Doc Rivers walked up the stairs to Lin Qi. "Everyone's morale is high."
"High morale is a good thing, but we must not underestimate our opponents." Lin Qi looked down at Garnett, who was joking with Rasheed, and said seriously, " Phil Jackson is not the kind of coach who can be defeated twice by the same trick. In Game 2, the Lakers will definitely launch an extremely fierce counterattack."
6 PM, Celtics tactics meeting room.
The entire team put away their smiles and sat seriously in their chairs. On the big screen, a loop of Kobe's off-ball movement highlights from the Western Conference Finals was playing.
This time, Lin Qi didn't stand at the back, but walked directly to the front of the big screen, holding a tactical laser pointer.
"We won the first game, well done," Lin Qi said bluntly. "But now, forget about the first game. Tomorrow night, we'll be facing a completely different Lakers."
Lin Qi pointed the red dot at Kobe on the screen. "First, Kobe will definitely change his playing style. He will give up a lot of one-on-one plays and instead use O'Neal's extremely wide body as screens to run off-ball movement and cut. Eddie, your task is even more important now."
Lin Qi looked at Eddie Jones: "If he uses a screen, you have to squeeze past O'Neal at all costs and get back on him. Gary, be ready to make a strong delay in this position to buy Eddie that 0.5 seconds to chase.
Jones and Gary Payton both nodded solemnly.
"Secondly, the Lakers ' interior rotation will definitely be shortened." Lin Qi switched the camera, and the screen showed a close-up of O'Neal. " O'Neal Jr. might be marginalized. Shaq's playing time will be maximized. To conserve energy, Shaq will definitely choose to retreat deeply on the defensive end and will absolutely not come out to contest your shots anymore."
Lin Qi's gaze was fixed on Garnett and Rasheed.
"This means your shooting space will be even wider tomorrow than it was last night." Lin Qi's voice carried a cold, calculating edge. " Kevin, Rasheed, don't hesitate. As long as Shaq doesn't leave the paint, you guys shoot him to death with mid-range jumpers. If he can't resist coming out, the others can attack the basket, and you guys can pass the ball to the rim."
Lin Qi turned off the screen, plunging the conference room into darkness, with only his calm voice echoing.
" The Lakers want to bite us off tomorrow and go back to Los Angeles tied 1-1. We absolutely cannot let them succeed!"
Lin Qi rested his hands on the conference table, looking down at all the players present.
"What we need to do is defend our home court and then personally put the noose around the necks of the Los Angeles fans. Let them know that Boston not only has a glorious past, but also the strength to dominate the present."
"Beat the Lakers tomorrow night!"