June 5th, New Garden, Boston.
The first game of the NBA Finals has officially begun.
In the opening possessions, the Lakers, fueled by their vengeful instincts and early excitement, kept the game close. O'Neal received the ball on the left low post, toughed out Ben Wallace's defense, and scored the first points with a powerful half-turn hook shot that took a toll on his core. Jason Kidd also capitalized on the open look after a pick-and-roll, hitting a pull-up jumper.
" The Lakers ' execution of their tactics at the start was very clear," commented Beal Walton in the commentary booth. "But Shaq needed to spend a lot of time struggling with the defender every time he got into position."
Phil Jackson sat on the sidelines, his eyes fixed on Kidd's first step as he launched his fast break. He knew this excitement wouldn't last long.
In the fifth minute of the game, Kidd dribbled the ball across half-court, and the pace visibly slowed down.
He was being guarded by Gary Payton. The experienced defensive mastermind didn't make any unnecessary steal attempts; he simply lowered his center of gravity and pressed his chest against Kidd's. The two engaged in a routine physical confrontation at the top of the key, with Kidd being pushed back half a step, his ball-handling hand instinctively rising.
In that tiny gap, Gary Payton pressed himself against it.
"Why is your first step so slow, Jason?" Gary Payton stated in a voice only Kidd could hear, while maintaining his gliding motion. "What's going on? This isn't like you."
Kidd gritted his teeth and didn't retaliate. He tried to use a behind-the-back dribble to accelerate and shake off the defender, but the moment he lowered his shoulder and pushed off the ground, the soreness in his knees slowed his legs down. Gary Payton's defense immediately blocked his passing lane.
The Lakers ' offensive play was forced to a standstill, with 7 seconds left on the shot clock, and they could only manage a pass to O'Neal in the paint.
O'Neal received the ball. At the start of the game, he was able to use his explosiveness to create space, but as he leaned back with force, there was a dull thud. Ben Wallace stood firmly on the floor, taking the impact to his chest without moving an inch.
"Ben Wallace's lower body is too solid," Beal Walton said from the commentary booth. "According to the Celtics ' data, his bench press limit this year has exceeded 450 pounds, which is enough to take on Shaq in terms of pure strength."
O'Neal failed to create space with two consecutive attempts and was forced to switch to a half-face drive. Just as he gathered the ball and prepared to force his way in...
"The bottom line! I'll handle it!"
Garnett's brief communication echoed in the paint. He left his weak-side defender behind, collapsing to the low post, his long arms obscuring O'Neal's shooting vision. In the half-second that O'Neal was forced to stop the ball, Pierce, who had been on the wing, made a precise cut, shoved the ball away, turned and launched a fast break, scoring a layup over Marion was caught off guard.
The first official television broadcast of the first quarter has been suspended.
The atmosphere was tense in front of the Lakers ' bench. Kidd braced himself on his knees, sweat dripping from his nose. O'Neal slumped heavily into his chair, his chest heaving, and the trainer immediately applied an ice pack to his right ankle.
Meanwhile, Gary Payton took the water glass, his breathing steady. Garnett didn't sit down to rest; he pulled Pierce aside, picked up the clipboard, and pointed out the defensive issues. " Chris Paul, you were too slow to cut the ball; Richardson was open in the corner. Keep an eye on your man's positioning."
" Shaq, you need to come down and rest for a bit." Zen Master picked up the clipboard. He had to substitute O'Neal halfway through the first quarter, a move born of necessity. O'Neal glanced down at his shoes and nodded silently.
The timeout ended, Jackson looked up to see Ron Artest and Rasheed Wallace on the opposite side of the court, having already taken off their long-sleeved warm-up suits and stepped onto the court.
Jackson tried to take over the game with Odom and Marion, two mobile forwards, using their speed to tear apart the defense. But he underestimated the intensity of the Boston bench.
Facing Odom's advance with the ball, Artest didn't fall for the fake and went straight for him. Odom attempted a crossover, Artest's thick body blocked his path. With a thud, Odom was thrown off balance and forced to stop the ball and turn his back to protect it, his passing vision completely blocked.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the court, Rasheed Wallace was punishing the Lakers ' interior defense with spacing.
Rasheed didn't even attempt to enter the three-point line. Billups passed the ball from the top of the arc to Rasheed at the left 45-degree angle. Lakers ' backup center Medvedenko was terrified and desperately rushed towards the perimeter. Rasheed faced the defense, stretched his arm high, and the three-pointer swished through the net.
In the next possession, Medvedenko stood near the three-point line, but Rasheed a simple cut, and Billups' precise bounce pass tore apart the Lakers ' paint, allowing Rasheed to easily complete the layup.
In the first five minutes of the second quarter, Boston went on a 15-2 run, penalizing their perimeter defense and spacing. The lead quickly widened to double digits.
Jackson's rotation plan was disrupted, forcing him to bring O'Neal and Kidd back onto the court early.
O'Neal managed to stem the bleeding after coming on and managed to do so through his individual skill, but this overexertion backfired in the second half.
The game was nearing the end of the third quarter. Kidd grabbed a rebound in the backcourt and habitually turned to push for a transition. He looked up and saw that four Boston players had retreated to their half of the court, forming a solid formation.
Kidd slowed his pace and looked behind him.
O'Neal had just crossed the free-throw line. His heavy legs were moving with great difficulty; the carbon fiber plate in his shoe prevented him from properly flexing his toes to generate power, making each step forward extremely slow.
" Shaq's stamina is waning," Walton said from the commentary booth. "This is the third consecutive possession Boston has had a 5-on-4 situation in the frontcourt."
When O'Neal finally got into position in the paint, there were less than 8 seconds left on the shot clock. He didn't even have the strength to reach out for position or push past Ben Wallace. On the defensive end, he could only watch as Boston passed the ball around, sending it into the corner he couldn't reach.
With 8 minutes and 12 seconds remaining in the game, the scoreboard read 109-85.
Jackson requested a timeout from the scorer's table and calmly substituted the entire reserve lineup. The game entered garbage time early.
The cheers of the home fans echoed through the New Garden. Jason Kidd sat silently at the end of the bench, a towel draped around his neck.
He stared at the floor, his legs aching and stiff. Throughout his career, he had firmly believed that as long as he had good passing vision and read the game quickly enough, he could control the game in his own way.
But tonight, Boston's defensive rotations and stamina reserves gave him a very straightforward the Answer: when the body can't keep up with the mind, and the center can't even get past half-court, all tactical vision is meaningless.