March 27, Philadelphia, First Union Center.
Half an hour before the game started, more than 20,000 Philadelphia fans had already filled the entire arena.
Slogans were everywhere in the stands, with the largest banner hanging behind the basketball hoop.
Allen Iverson – the true MVP.
In the commentary booth, TNT's star duo Marv Albert and Mike Fratello, were warming up for the game.
"Without a doubt, this is the most anticipated matchup of the regular season." Albert looked at the starting lineup in his hand. " Allen Iverson, currently the most talked-about MVP candidate and a lone hero. And he's facing the Boston Celtics, who have already won 60 games and lead the entire league."
"This isn't just an MVP battle, Marv." Fratello adjusted his glasses, pinpointing the essence of the game, "It's the ultimate clash between two completely different team-building philosophies."
" Philadelphia is building an ultimate defensive system where 'stars surround the moon.' They have a group of blue-collar players who don't care about stats, like Eric Snow, George Lin Qi, and Tyronn Hill. They also traded Sio Ratliff for Jermaine O'Neal."
"Speaking of Jermaine, that's a topic that's always interesting to discuss," Albert continued. "Last June, O'Neal Jr. was still playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. But in the NBA Finals against the Celtics ' interior, he was completely outmatched by Garnett and Rasheed Wallace, and afterwards, the Los Angeles media called him a 'softie.' After coming to Philadelphia, he played quite well and became Iverson's most reliable sidekick. He'll definitely want to get his revenge in Boston's interior today."
Snow also played for the Celtics, but he didn't get many opportunities to play.
"Really? I didn't know that."
Amidst deafening cheers from the crowd, both starting lineups stood at the center circle.
Philadelphia 76ers: Eric Snow, Allen Iverson, George Lin Qi, Tyronn Hill, Jermaine O'Neal.
Boston Celtics: Gary Payton, Bruce Bowen, Chris Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ben Wallace.
The referee tossed the ball high into the air. O'Neal Jr. let out a roar and won the jump ball.
From the very start of the game, Boston demonstrated why they are number one in the league.
While Iverson faced a relentless offensive onslaught from Gary Payton, Bowen, and even Artest, Boston played a fluid offense, with each player striving to make things easier for their teammates. One play was particularly representative: the ball passed through Gary Payton, Pierce, and Garnett three times before finally finding its way to Bowen in the corner for a clean three-pointer.
Midway through the second quarter, Larry Bird Brown began to adjust the tactics to relieve pressure on Iverson, frequently passing the ball to Jermaine O'Neal in the low post.
O'Neal Jr. has indeed improved. After training hard all summer despite the criticism, he received the ball in the low post, backed down Ben Wallace, and scored 6 points with solid footwork and a turnaround jump shot.
After scoring, O'Neal Jr. roared to the sky, pounding his chest to release the pent-up frustration of the past six months. He even turned and swore at the Boston bench.
"Hey, it's hard!" the Boston Celtics ' bench cheered.
But Rick Carlisle remained expressionless, waved his hand, and sent Ben Wallace off the field for a rest, replacing him with Rasheed Wallace.
As O'Neal Jr. tried to get the ball in the low post again, Rasheed's trash talk reached O'Neal Jr.'s ears the very first second of their physical contact.
"Just because you changed your jersey, you think you're something special?" Rasheed relentlessly slammed his knee into his groin. "You were a softie in Los Angeles, and you're still a softie in Philadelphia!"
These words struck a nerve with O'Neal Jr.. His face flushed red, and he tried to back down Rasheed, attempting to use his strength to push him away. But Rasheed's feet seemed rooted to the spot and he didn't budge.
With the shot clock ticking away, O'Neal Jr. was forced to turn around and take a shot.
Just as he jumped, Garnett, who was helping to defend, leaped high into the air and swung his long arm fiercely.
"Smack!"
Garnett swatted the basketball out of bounds mid-air!
Garnett landed and stared coldly at O'Neal Jr..
A series of setbacks coupled with resentment resurfacing caused O'Neal Jr.'s mentality to become unbalanced. In the following possessions, his actions became increasingly aggressive. He would secretly elbow Rasheed in the ribs while grabbing a rebound, and intentionally knee Gary Payton while setting a screen.
The referee failed to prevent the escalation of the physical contact in time.
The Celtics players returned the favor by making many subtle, underhanded moves against O'Neal Jr., which fueled O'Neal Jr.'s growing anger.
Before he could calm down, the Celtics ' offense had already resumed. Rasheed Wallace dropped to the left low post and reached for the ball on the perimeter. Gary Payton flicked his wrist, and the basketball landed precisely in his hands.
"Who got blocked just now?" Rasheed kept talking while simultaneously pushing off with his feet, his back slamming backward. Taking advantage of the moment when O'Neal Jr. lost his momentum, he executed a smooth backflip and drove straight into the paint, leaping off the ground with both legs and slamming the ball into the basket with a powerful swing of his arm!
"Clang!"
The basket backboard rattled as it was slammed, and the Celtics' bench erupted in chaos.
As Rasheed landed, he glanced down at O'Neal Jr., who had been knocked off balance, and said, "A softie is a softie no matter where he is."
These words completely snapped the last thread in O'Neal Jr.'s mind.
Just one round later, Rasheed repeated his trick, receiving a pass from Gary Payton in the low post and then suddenly lowering his back, using the momentum to push himself back hard!
The collision sent O'Neal Jr. staggering and completely off balance. Rasheed capitalized, cutting half a body length away and charging straight for a powerful two-handed dunk!
O'Neal Jr., who was knocked out of position, instantly became furious... and pulled and dragged Rasheed from behind, just as Rasheed was about to jump, he was pulled down!
"Bang!!"
This was a clear and malicious foul. Rasheed lost his balance and fell heavily to the floor, sliding more than two meters before coming to a stop with a thud against the base of the basket.
"Beep--!!"
The referee's urgent whistle suddenly pierced the stadium.
Ben Wallace, who was closest to the scene, rushed over.
Big Ben Wallace shoved O'Neal Jr. hard in the chest with both hands, the force sending O'Neal Jr. stumbling back three or four steps before he landed hard on his backside under the basket.
"You fucking want to kill someone?!" Big Ben roared, pointing his finger at O'Neal Jr.. "If you want to fight, come at me!"
O'Neal Jr. was also provoked, and he suddenly sprang to his feet, fists clenched, ready to charge at Big Ben.
The scene instantly spiraled out of control. Gary Payton and Artest rushed into the crowd immediately. Artest even excitedly rolled up his sleeves; if Rick Carlisle and the assistant coach hadn't held him tightly, he definitely would have punched O'Neal Jr..
The Philadelphia players also swarmed over, but apart from Iverson trying to pull people away, the other role players were noticeably less imposing when facing this group of "thugs" from Boston.
Three referees, sweating profusely, intervened and it took them a full two minutes to forcibly separate the two sides.
After reviewing the video replay, the referee immediately gave O'Neal Jr. a Flagrant Foul 2, ejecting him from the game! He also gave Big Ben a technical foul.
Rasheed stood up after being examined by the team doctor and indicated that he was fine.
He stepped to the free-throw line and calmly made both shots.
As O'Neal Jr. grumbled and walked toward the player tunnel, Larry Bird Brown closed his eyes in despair. He knew Philadelphia had lost this game.
It wasn't just because they lost their only pillar in the paint, but also because O'Neal Jr.'s foolish move completely awakened the Boston Celtics' most terrifying side.
In the second half, Boston's defensive pressure reached a suffocating level.
Iverson received the ball with difficulty beyond the three-point line. He was panting heavily, sweat dripping down his face. Bowen was stuck to him like a plaster, leaving him no room to breathe.
With red eyes, Iverson forcefully accelerated into the paint. Just as he released the shot, Garnett suddenly appeared, his long arms outstretched, and slammed the ball against the backboard!
"Bang!"
A spiked hat!
Garnett grabbed the rebound and made a long pass, which Gary Payton received and easily scored a layup.
With six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the game was no longer in doubt. Boston led 108-82, a full 26 points.
Rick Carlisle called a truce, substituting all his starters. Garnett walked to the sidelines and gave each of Pierce, Gary Payton, and Rasheed a high-five and a chest bump.
As the final whistle blew, Iverson wrapped a towel tightly around his head, lowered his head, and strode quickly into the player tunnel.
Throughout the game, Garnett only took 12 shots, scoring 16 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, dishing out 8 assists, and blocking 4 shots. His stats were far inferior to Allen Iverson's 36 points on 31 shots.
Garnett stood in front of the scorer's table and gave a sideline interview to TNT.
"KG, there was a fierce conflict in this game. You won with an absolute advantage, but Iverson scored 36 points. Regarding the MVP award that everyone is discussing, what do you have to say now?"
Garnett wiped the sweat from his brow and looked up at the huge banner hanging in the sky above the arena.
He stared directly into the camera lens, his gaze extremely sharp.
I don't care who got how many points.
After saying that, Garnett pulled off the towel, turned around, and strode towards the players' tunnel.
Pierce and Gary Payton were waiting for him there.
The three figures, standing silently under the watchful eyes of the Philadelphia fans, appeared cold and invincible.