The third quarter turned into a physical battle.
The Lakers ' tactics were straightforward: on offense, they used O'Neal's presence to create opportunities; on defense, they used physical contact and fouls to break up the game and prevent the Celtics from getting going.
Ben Wallace faced his toughest quarter defensively. As soon as O'Neal received the ball in the paint, he immediately drew the Celtics ' defensive attention. O'Neal had very short touches and made quick decisions, then passed the ball to a cutting teammate. Big Ben gritted his teeth, constantly helping out and switching positions in the paint, engaging in intense physical battles with O'Neal. O'Neal also deliberately leaned on Ben Wallace to wear him down.
Seizing the fleeting hesitation of the other defenders, O'Neal backed down, turned, and dunked, "Bang!"
He received the ball, rose high against the defense, and dunked, "Bang!"
Big Ben was panting heavily, sweat dripping onto the floor, but he still didn't back down.
However, Phil Jackson on the sidelines soon realized that he had overlooked one thing.
He thought that by using fouls and physical contact to stop the fast breaks, Boston's scoring would stall. But he underestimated Pierce's scoring ability in half-court sets.
Without transition offense, Pierce switched to positional isolation plays.
He positioned himself on the left wing and changed his rhythm against Marion Pierce, deliberately leaning against the defender to gauge the opponent's defensive balance.
Once he receives the pass, he quickly switches to attack mode, his movements swift and decisive.
He positioned himself on the left wing, facing Marion Pierce. Knowing his opponent possessed top-tier jumping ability and explosiveness, he leaned against Marion.
With a powerful push, Marion was forced to step back half a step to maintain his defensive position. In that opening, Pierce quickly gathered the ball and faked a shot. With his superior athleticism, Marion immediately jumped with all his might to block the shot. Pierce didn't panic; he maintained his shooting form, waiting for the off-balance defender to fly past him before calmly jumping. "Swish." The shot went in off the backboard.
Next possession, Odom, with his height and wingspan, will be on defense.
Facing a taller defender, Pierce dribbled the ball repeatedly beyond the three-point line. He didn't actively dribble close to Odom. Instead, he used his stable frame and large size to forcefully bump Odom's chest with his shoulder.
Odom, whose center of gravity is high, was forced to retreat by the impact. Pierce used the reaction force to quickly follow up with a large step back. This completely opened up the space, and before Odom's long arms could block the shot again, Pierce launched a three-pointer.
"Swish." A three-pointer goes in.
When double-teamed, Pierce was surrounded by Marion and Kidd in the corner. He forced his way through the tight space, using his shoulder to push past Marion's defense and drive to the basket. Facing help defense, he executed a reverse layup. "Swish."
"He's still scoring." Marv Albert's voice was a little hoarse. " Chris Paul Pierce is still finding ways to score in half-court attacks."
The entire third quarter became a duel between O'Neal and Pierce.
O'Neal dominated the paint, using his scoring and passing to lead the team.
Pierce responded from the perimeter with post-up moves, footwork, and shooting.
The two teams played a very simple game, which was a contest of the core players' tactical execution and physical fitness.
After the third quarter, the point difference had been narrowed to 3 points.
In the TNT studio, Kenny Smith watched the game replay. "To be honest, Pierce's mental fortitude is truly rare. Even after being slammed so hard onto the floor by Grant, his shooting rhythm didn't falter at all."
"Because the Lakers did something stupid," Barkley leaned back in his chair, pursing his lips. "They thought that foul would scare him, but it just made him angrier. Look at his shot now, so decisive. Now, just like Boston couldn't stop O'Neal, the Lakers can't stop Pierce either."
In the fourth quarter, the game became extremely intense.
Every drive to the basket was accompanied by physical contact, and the battle for rebounds was fierce.
O'Neal slowed down, but he still used his height and weight to create trouble. Pierce's jersey was soaked with sweat, but he remained calm and collected every time he caught the ball.
The score difference fluctuated repeatedly.
With five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Ben Wallace picked up his sixth foul while defending O'Neal and fouled out of the game. Rasheed Wallace moved into center to help Garnett protect the rim.
With two minutes left in the fourth quarter, O'Neal received the ball in the low post. Facing a double team, he forced a turn, dunked the ball over the defense, and drew a foul from Rasheed.
"Beep!" The whistle blows; if the ball goes in, there's an additional penalty.
"That's Shaquille O'Neal O'Neal's dominance," said Marv Albert.
O'Neal missed his free throw, but the Celtics ' lead was reduced to just one point.
The last 60 seconds.
The Lakers signals, and Kidd positions himself in the low post. This time, the Celtics opt to double-team O'Neal early. Garnett and Rasheed simultaneously rush towards O'Neal.
Kidd spotted Marion open in the corner and delivered a bounce pass to him.
Marion receives the ball and takes a three-pointer.
The basketball traced an arc through the air.
"Whoosh."
A three-pointer hits. The Lakers take a 2-point lead, 108-106.
The fans at Staples Center cheered, and many stood on their chairs.
" Sean Marion hits the game-winning three-pointer!" shouted Marv Albert. " The Lakers are ahead!"
There are 8.7 seconds left in the game.
Rick Carlisle didn't call a timeout from the sidelines; he simply gestured to pass the ball to Pierce.
The Celtics' final possession. Gary Payton dribbled quickly across half-court with 5 seconds left. His teammates created space, and Gary Payton passed the ball to Pierce.
Pierce received the ball two steps beyond the three-point line. Marion was blocking his way.
With 4 seconds left, Pierce lowered his center of gravity and dribbled twice.
With 3 seconds left, Pierce starts his drive to the right. Marion maintains his defensive position, Odom on the wing also moves in to block him.
There are 1.5 seconds left.
Just as the defense closed in, Pierce came to a sudden stop. His shoes screeched on the floor. The momentum caused Marion and Odom to lose their defensive positions. Pierce completed a step-back, creating space.
Take off.
Make a move.
Before him stood Odom's outstretched arm.
With 0.1 seconds left, Pierce flicked the basketball with his wrist.
The red light came on, and the buzzer sounded to signal the end of the game.
The basketball traced an arc.
"Swish." The basketball swished through the Nets.
A buzzer-beating three-pointer sealed the victory.
109 to 108.
Boston Celtics, 27-game winning streak.
The Staples Center fell silent.
Then, cheers erupted from the away team's bench.
Pierce stood in the Lakers' half of the court, tugged at the collar of his soaked jersey, turned around, and walked towards his teammates.
Garnett was the first to run over and hug Pierce: "You made it, Chris Paul!"
Big Ben, who had been guarding O'Neal all night, also came over and hugged him.
On the sidelines, Lin Qi and Rick Carlisle gave each other a high five.
The final data was displayed on the big screen.
Shaquille O'Neal O'Neal: 40 points, 18 rebounds, 3 blocks.
Chris Paul Pierce: 13-for-20 shooting, 4-for-6 from three-point range, 11-for-11 from the free-throw line, 8 assists. 41 points.
In the TNT studio, Barkley commented, "41 points. On the road, on Christmas Day, 41 points against O'Neal and the game-winning shot."
"What's surprising is the way he scored," Kenny Smith added. " The Lakers fouled him to delay him and double-teamed him, but he still managed 41 points. He remained very composed on the court."
The visiting team's locker room tunnel was packed with reporters after the game. Meanwhile, the atmosphere outside the Lakers' locker room was rather somber.
Steve Bulpett, a reporter for the Boston Herald, is tidying up his voice recorder.
O'Neal walked over; he hadn't changed out of his jersey yet, and he was covered in sweat.
" Shaq..." Bulpett was about to ask a question.
O'Neal reached out and grabbed his arm. "You're a reporter from Boston, right?" O'Neal asked.
"Yes." Bulpett held up the recorder.
O'Neal looked at Bulpett and said, "Write this down. My name is Shaquille O'Neal O'Neal, and Chris Paul Pierce is the motherfucking the Truth. Quote me on that and don't take anything out."
After saying that, O'Neal let go of her hand and walked into the locker room.
Bulpett wrote the word in his notebook.
Since the Christmas Day game in 2000, Chris Paul Pierce has had a new nickname.
The Truth.
The Truth.