The Philadelphia 76ers had a very stressful day off.
In the first game, Allen Iverson gave it his all, scoring 42 points, but the team still lost by 15 points. During the video analysis meeting, Larry Bird Brown pointed heavily at the clipboard with Mark, his eyes fixed on Jermaine O'Neal.
" Allen has done everything he could. Jermaine, as the core of this team's interior defense, you have to respond at this point."
O'Neal Jr. gritted his teeth and nodded without saying a word. He knew in his heart that if he continued to back down in this series, the label of "softie" on him would never be washed away.
"I will, Coach."
Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals saw Boston's New Garden still buzzing with excitement.
In the VIP box on the top floor of the stadium, Lin Qi sat quietly on a leather sofa, overlooking the court through a floor-to-ceiling window. The black coffee in his hand was slowly steaming.
Watching the game on the field, Lin Qi smiled.
Sure enough, the Philadelphia Team changed their tactics. Iverson reduced his ball-handling, O'Neal Jr. moved deep into the post to receive the ball, aiming to post up Boston's starting center, Ben Wallace.
Lin Qi's gaze shifted to the gray-haired Philadelphia coach, Larry Bird Brown, a notoriously stubborn old-school coach, on the sidelines.
The Philadelphia 76ers ' Plan A was to give the ball to Iverson and let him solve the problems.
Plan B was to provide cover for Iverson and then let him solve the problem.
So when Iverson's receiving routes were cut off by Rick Carlisle and Van Gundy, Brown didn't have any new tricks up his sleeve. Faced with the tight perimeter defense, his only response was to force the big men into the paint to draw fouls.
As for who was guarding him in the paint, Larry Bird Brown didn't care at all. In his mind, he would only think that O'Neal Jr. hadn't tried hard enough in the first game.
This stubborn old coach has personally pushed his core inside player into Boston's meat grinder. And this is exactly what the Celtics' management wanted.
On the court, the brutal battle has begun.
In the first possession of the game, after receiving the ball, O'Neal Jr. lowered his center of gravity and charged hard at Big Ben Wallace.
Ben Wallace had an extremely solid foundation. Facing O'Neal Jr.'s attack, he only took half a step back and managed to withstand it. O'Neal Jr. did not give up, forcefully turning halfway and throwing the ball towards the basket against Big Ben's thick arm.
The movement was severely distorted; the basketball hit the rim and bounced out of bounds.
This is just a microcosm of the intense battle for dominance in the paint throughout the game.
In the latter part of the first quarter, Rick Carlisle made his regular rotation, Rasheed Wallace entered the game. The " The Wallace Duo " inside combination was officially formed.
Midway through the second quarter, O'Neal Jr. received the ball on the right side of the corner. Facing Rasheed's defense, he didn't opt for his usual safe turnaround jumper, but instead displayed a strong offensive drive.
He made a very determined probing step, then released the ball sharply and forcefully broke through along the baseline! He lowered his center of gravity, used his shoulder to push Rasheed away by half a body length, and jumped up in the fierce physical confrontation, grabbing the ball with both hands and raising it high, wanting to vent his anger with a powerful dunk.
No more dodging, we're going to face it head-on!
However, he underestimated the speed at which Boston's interior defense collapsed.
Just as O'Neal Jr. was about to slam the ball toward the basket, Ben Wallace quickly moved into position from the weak side to help defend. Without any unnecessary movements, Big Ben fully extended his body in the air and forcefully blocked O'Neal Jr.'s dunk.
"Bang... Smash!"
First came the dull thud of muscles colliding in mid-air, followed by a sharp crack. Ben Wallace slammed his hand on the basketball, forcefully stopping O'Neal Jr.'s seemingly inevitable dunk, and then slapped it out of bounds!
O'Neal Jr. lost his balance during the mid-air collision and crashed to the floor, scraping his elbow. Larry Bird Brown yelled at him from the sidelines to get back on defense quickly. O'Neal Jr. gritted his teeth, struggled to his feet, and silently ran back to his half of the court.
In the third quarter, O'Neal Jr. played even more aggressively. He dove to the ground to contest for the loose ball with Artest. He fiercely battled for position with Big Ben under the basket, their jerseys being pulled apart. He even committed a flagrant foul 1 for excessive force while defending Pierce's layup.
He tried to meet the head coach's requirement for a "tough guy" by using this tough, even somewhat outrageous, approach.
But his efforts did not change the course of the game. Against Boston's tight defensive system, sheer grit was not enough.
With three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Philadelphia 76ers trailed 78-95.
Iverson, panting heavily with his hands on his knees beyond the three-point line, had taken 28 shots in total, and now had several new bruises on his body. With the play failing to go through, Snow had no choice but to lob the ball to O'Neal Jr. in the low post again.
This was O'Neal Jr.'s 15th shot attempt of the game.
He lowered his center of gravity, feinted with his left shoulder, a fake move. Big Ben's center of gravity shifted slightly. O'Neal Jr. quickly turned to the right, followed by a textbook step-back, feinted a shot, and then jumped to backboard.
The movements were fluid and the timing was perfect.
But just as the basketball was about to leave his fingertips, Ben Wallace displayed his amazing ability to jump repeatedly. After landing from the first fake, Big Ben quickly completed a second leap, his thick arms covering O'Neal Jr.'s release point.
Big Ben caught the basketball in O'Neal Jr.'s hands mid-air, pulled hard, and snatched the ball away...
A devastatingly effective hat-grabbing maneuver in mid-air.
A deafening roar erupted from Boston's New Garden. The Celtics' bench went wild, Garnett excitedly rushed to the sidelines, pounding his chest and letting out a triumphant roar.
O'Neal Jr. was a little stunned after landing, watching Big Ben Wallace pass the ball to his teammate for a fast break. He hadn't been timid tonight, and had given 100% effort, even displaying perfect footwork. But the sheer difference in skill left him feeling a deep sense of powerlessness.
Inside the private room, Lin Qi watched this scene and calmly put down his coffee cup.
Although the score difference was small, the outcome of the game was clearly no longer in doubt.
No matter how hard the players try, it's all in vain.
The final buzzer sounded, 108-91.
The Boston Celtics secured a comfortable victory in Game 2, taking a 2-0 lead in the series.
Allen Iverson scored 38 points in a losing effort.
Jermaine O'Neal played 39 minutes, making only 5 of 15 shots. Furthermore, he was blocked 4 times, committed 6 turnovers, and fouled 5 times.
The data from the other side contrasts sharply with the dire situation in Philadelphia.
Chris Paul Pierce was dominant on offense, scoring an efficient 28 points.
Kevin Garnett contributed 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists.
Rasheed Wallace contributed 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
Ben Wallace didn't attempt a single shot, scoring only 2 points from free throws, but he still grabbed a whopping 18 rebounds and added 6 blocks. Of those 6 blocks, 3 were against O'Neal Jr..
As Iverson walked out of the court, he glanced back at O'Neal Jr., who was walking silently at the back of the team.
Iverson didn't blame his frontcourt partner; he could see the sweat on O'Neal Jr.'s jersey and the chafing on his elbow. He knew Jermaine had done his best; he was a remarkable tough guy tonight.
However, the Boston Celtics are a team that cannot be defeated simply by being tough and full of passion.