Garnett was jumping for the ball with O'Neal at center court, touched the basketball first at the highest point thanks to his amazing jumping speed. But O'Neal's massive body suddenly squeezed in mid-air, forcefully disrupting Garnett's balance with absolute strength and forcibly pushing the ball to the backcourt.
Lakers' first offensive play.
The moment Kidd received the ball, Gary Payton immediately marked him closely.
"Ready to get a beating, my little brat?" Gary Payton chewed his gum and spat out the trash.
Kidd remained expressionless and made a hand gesture. Odom immediately provided a screen.
Gary Payton was blocked, Kidd used the screen to drive to the three-point line. Inside, Ben Wallace adopted a fierce fronting defense, lowering his center of gravity to the ground and directly blocking O'Neal, cutting off all passing and bounce passes.
This was supposed to be the most effective strategy for defending O'Neal. But the Big Ben Wallace was facing was Kidd.
Facing Big Ben's impeccable fronting maneuver, Kidd didn't even glance at the inside, subtly flicking his wrist as he moved.
The basketball traced a precise high arc, just clearing Big Ben Wallace's desperately outstretched fingertips, and fell straight down to the top of the rim.
The timing and height of that pass were absolutely perfect. O'Neal leaped into the air, catching the perfect over-the-top pass with both hands, completely ignoring Big Ben's attempt to jump and intercept it from behind...
"Bang--!!"
O'Neal slammed the ball into the basket! The immense force caused the entire tempered glass backboard to shake violently.
The Staples Center erupted in a deafening roar.
"That's what I meant!" Barkley slammed his fist on the table in the TNT studio. " Big Ben's fronting defense is textbook perfect! But it's just an absolute annihilation of his height and weight! When Kidd can comfortably feed the ball right above the rim, how is Big Ben supposed to compete for air superiority against a 325-pound monster?!"
O'Neal landed, gave Big Ben Wallace a cold look, and turned to retreat on defense.
But as soon as he turned around, his expression changed.
Because nobody under the basket was even bothering to retrieve the ball. The basketball had barely left the Nets, and hadn't even hit the ground yet, when Garnett had already snatched it up!
He took a step out of bounds, and as soon as his feet landed outside the boundary, without even pausing for half a second, he swung his long arm and threw the ball hard towards the frontcourt!
Serve the ball to the baseline! The ultimate back-and-forth sprint and attrition battle has begun!
Gary Payton received the ball and, without hesitation, sprinted across half-court at full speed. The Lakers ' defense was completely out of position. Kidd desperately chased back, but Gary Payton made a behind-the-back dribble behind his back with almost no slowing down beyond the three-point line, completely shaking off Kidd and driving into the free-throw line for a pull-up jumper!
"Whoosh!"
Hollow-core netting!
The whole process took less than 5 seconds!
As Gary Payton retreated on defense, he passed by Kidd and said, "I taught you this move, have you forgotten?"
Kidd gritted his teeth and didn't respond.
For the next five minutes, the fans at Staples Center were stunned.
This was not the half-court battle of epic proportions they had imagined, but rather a breathtaking full-court sprint.
Kidd's passing is truly an art. He can find Marion in the corner to sink a three-pointer in transition, and he can feed Richardson a precise bounce pass on a cut.
But the Celtics ' response was absolutely insane.
Every time the Lakers shoot (whether it goes in or not), Garnett and Big Ben immediately secure the rebound and launch a fast break in the very first second.
No retreat! No tactics! Insane acceleration!
Pierce began his performance. The Lakers ' defense was still reeling, O'Neal was still panting as he sprinted back from midcourt, and Pierce had already received a pass from Gary Payton on the left wing. Facing Marion's still-shaken defense, Pierce made no unnecessary moves, pulling up for a three-pointer... swish!
In the next possession, Garnett grabbed the defensive rebound, then drove the length of the court like a point guard, passing the ball without looking. Pierce used the momentum to aggressively cut to the basket, and before O'Neal could recover to protect the rim, he slammed it home with one hand!
With five minutes remaining in the first quarter, the score was tied at 18-18.
But when the camera focused on O'Neal, this 325-pound behemoth, his hands were already on his knees, panting heavily.
" The Celtics didn't even wait for O'Neal to get into position!" exclaimed NBC's Marv Albert. " The Celtics ' extreme early offense forced Shaquille O'Neal O'Neal to sprint the entire length of the court!"
"That's Boston's strategy!" Kenny Smith exclaimed in the studio, seeing right through it. "If they're in half-court, nobody can stop Shaq. So Boston's tactic is: let you dunk, but after you dunk, you have to run with me!"
On the sidelines, Phil Jackson frowned and was forced to call a timeout.
"Slow down! Control the tempo!" the Zen Master Jackson emphasized to Kidd. "Don't chase their transitions, play half-court offense, get the ball in the low post!"
After the timeout, the Lakers attempted to slow down.
O'Neal received the ball in the low post and began backing down Big Ben. One, two... Big Ben felt a tightness in his chest from the impact, but didn't budge an inch. O'Neal roared and forcefully turned and jumped.
In that instant, Garnett suddenly burst out from the weak side, his long arm slamming into O'Neal's arm!
"Beep!"
foul!
O'Neal stepped up to the free-throw line. His already limited stamina was severely depleted by the back-and-forth running, and his breathing was extremely uneven.
"Clang!" The first free throw missed.
"Bang!" The second free throw hit the rim.
Big Ben boxed out Grant, Garnett grabbed the rebound.
"Run!!!"
Rick Carlisle let out a roar from the sidelines.
Gary Payton receives the ball and starts moving again! The two Oakland- born point guards meet again near the center circle.
Kidd was marking him very closely this time. Gary Payton made two consecutive between-the-legs passes, then suddenly accelerated without warning. Kidd immediately moved to the side to block, but the ball had vanished from Gary Payton's hands!
He flicked the ball behind his back, and Pierce, who was following up, received the ball a step outside the three-point line. Facing Odom, who was retreating on defense, Pierce pulled up and launched a three-pointer!
The ball traced a towering arc in the air.
"Whoosh!"
An arrow through the heart!
" Chris Paul Pierce!!!" Marv Albert's voice was hoarse, "He's already scored 14 points in the first quarter!"
At the end of the first quarter, the Celtics led 32-28.