The Celtics ' video room was unusually quiet during their final tactical meeting before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The whiteboard had a picture of Allen Iverson on it, and running routes were drawn around him.
Head coach Rick Carlisle stood on the left side of the whiteboard, Jeff Van Gundy stood on the right.
"The most common way to defend Iverson in the league is to double-team him and force him to pass the ball." Rick Carlisle drew two circles on the whiteboard with a marker, then crossed them out. "But after discussing it with Jeff, we decided to do the opposite."
Van Gundy adjusted his glasses, his gaze sweeping over Gary Payton, Bruce Bowen, and Ron Artest sitting below.
"Don't double-team," Van Gundy said with absolute certainty. "No matter how deep Iverson penetrates the court, no matter how many baskets he scores, absolutely do not allow a double-team to be initiated. What I want you to do is completely cut off all his passing lanes."
"We need to isolate Allen Iverson completely."
Van Gundy pointed to the names of other Philadelphia players on the whiteboard— Eric Snow, George Lin Qi, Tyronn Hill, and Jermaine O'Neal.
" Snow and George Lin Qi lack the ability to create their own offense. O'Neal Jr. will be guarded by Rasheed and Big Ben in the low post. Therefore, the strategy for defending Iverson is simple: let him isolate. Let him face the league's best defenders, force him to take shots once, twice, thirty times. As long as he can't pass the ball out, Philadelphia's entire offensive system will come to a complete standstill."
Rick Carlisle delivered his closing remarks. " Gary, you start defensively. Bruce, you're in charge of rotation. Ron, you're on standby. I want you all to mark him the entire game, from the moment the ball is inbounded from the baseline, don't give him a single second of comfortable space to receive it. Exhaust his stamina."
That evening, at the New Garden in Boston.
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals kicked off amidst the cheers of 18,000 fans in the arena.
Right from the start of the game, the Philadelphia 76ers ' first half-court offense immediately put everyone under pressure on the defensive end.
As soon as Iverson received the pass from Snow in the backcourt, Gary Payton closed in. The 32-year-old guard lowered his center of gravity and used his chest and arms to stick very tightly to Iverson, forcing him to turn and protect the ball far from the three-point line.
Iverson made two consecutive crossovers, and with his incredibly quick first step, he squeezed through the gap in Gary Payton's defense.
But as soon as he broke through the three-point line, the scene before him did not change.
Boston's defensive formation didn't collapse at all. Chris Paul Pierce was boxing out George Lin Qi, not giving him any space to receive the ball. Garnett in the paint only moved half a step up the baseline, ready to cover O'Neal Jr. if he wanted to cut in. No one chose to double-team.
With 6 seconds left on the shot clock, Iverson, facing Gary Payton's face-to-face defense, forced a stop and pulled up for a fadeaway jumper.
"Whoosh!"
The basketball swished through the net. Iverson lost his balance and fell to the floor.
The goal was beautiful, but Gary Payton simply turned and went to the byline to receive the ball with a blank expression.
This is just the beginning.
Throughout the first half, Iverson faced an extremely tough battle. Larry Bird Brown constantly moved around the sidelines, trying to get Snow and O'Neal Jr. to take over the ball a few times through tactical runs, but Boston's defensive rotations were seamless.
If Iverson wanted to pass the ball, the Boston players would rather leave Tyronn Hill, who was inaccurate on the perimeter, open than allow O'Neal Jr. to receive the ball comfortably in the low post.
Forced into a corner, Iverson could only repeatedly drive to the basket and force his way into the paint against Boston's tight interior defense.
Midway through the second quarter, Gary Payton went to the bench for a rest.
Replacing him was Bruce Bowen, who is 2.01 meters tall and has extremely solid defensive footwork.
Bowen stayed almost constantly by Iverson's right side, forcing him to use his less comfortable left hand.
When Iverson finally managed to shake off Bowen with a screen and drive into the paint, he ran into Ben Wallace head-on.
Iverson collided with Big Ben in mid-air, lost his balance, and fell to the floor.
The referee blew the whistle; Big Ben committed a defensive foul.
Iverson lay on the ground for five seconds before Snow helped him up. He rubbed his shoulder, walked to the free-throw line, and calmly made both shots. But the fatigue in his eyes was already beginning to show.
In the second half, Larry Bird Brown kept Iverson on the court to keep the score close. On the Boston bench, Rick Carlisle brought on an extremely strong young wing player— Ron Artest.
The 21-year-old Artest used his physical advantages to pressure Iverson. This defense took a heavy toll on Iverson's stamina.
Iverson is still scoring.
He could hit a floater while being shoved by Artest, and he could make a reverse layup over Garnett's block. Every time he fell, he could quickly get up and continue the attack. Every basket he made demonstrated his exceptional individual ability, and even some of the Boston fans in the stands couldn't help but gasp in amazement.
But the score difference in the game is gradually widening.
Because apart from Iverson, no one else on the Philadelphia 76ers could consistently score. O'Neal Jr. became impatient under Rasheed's tight defense, making only 3 of 11 shots. Snow and Lin Qi also couldn't find space to shoot against Boston's switching defense.
With four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the score was 98-82.
Iverson stood beyond the three-point line, hands on his knees, panting heavily. Sweat dripped from his hair and onto the floor. He had played a full 43 minutes, taking an astonishing 34 shots.
Gary Payton stood expressionless in front of him. Behind Gary Payton, the interior defense of Garnett, Pierce, and Ben Wallace remained tight.
Lin Qi sat in the VIP box, quietly watching this scene.
Without double teams or help defense, Van Gundy completely isolated Iverson from Boston's defensive system.
Lin Qi looked at the figure on the court who was still preparing to break through, and he knew very well that this was an extremely grueling defensive strategy. But it was also the most direct respect for the regular season MVP.
Boston didn't use any unnecessary tactics; they simply relied on greater roster depth and a tighter defensive system to force their opponents to exhaust themselves. Only in this way could they truly end the suspense of this series.
The final whistle blew.
The Boston Celtics cruised to a 104-89 victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The technical statistics were brought to the commentary booth. TNT commentator Marv Albert looked at the data sheet in his hand and paused briefly.
Allen Iverson played 45 minutes, shooting 16-for-36 and scoring 42 points.
But his assist count only shows a "1".
The Philadelphia 76ers ' other four starters combined for only 25 points, while the bench scored 22.
Iverson won the crowd's admiration, but he lost the game.