The crushing defeat in Game 1 of the NBA Finals was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly causing a huge uproar in the American sports world.
Within just twelve hours of the game's conclusion, major media outlets, television commentators, and countless basketball columnists were completely divided into two opposing camps.
Led by the New York Post and some extreme columnists in Los Angeles, the "critics" relentlessly targeted Phil Jackson and Shaquille O'Neal O'Neal with their sharpest attacks.
"... This was a complete rout. Phil Jackson's prized Triangle Offense looked like an outdated tactic against Boston's impenetrable, iron-willed defense."
A headline article titled " Twilight of the Giant " went viral across the United States, stating that " Shaquille O'Neal O'Neal, the absolute core player with a top salary in the league, completely revealed his most bloated and vulnerable side in the high-speed back-and-forth running throughout the game. Last summer, the management's efforts to promote him and rebuild the roster around him now seem to have been nothing more than a gamble of trading a huge salary and future for immediate impact. When Ben Wallace and Kevin Garnett joined forces to drag him into the mire, what we saw was no longer an invincible legend, but a slow-moving, powerless giant."
This viewpoint argues that the Lakers ' adjustments last summer have thoroughly exposed their problems. They believe that the management blindly trusted Shaq's dominance in the paint, ignoring the extremely high demands that modern basketball places on mobility and overall court tolerance.
On the other hand, the "rationalists," represented by senior tactical analysts at Bleacher Report and some rational East Coast media outlets, voiced a completely different opinion, publicly speaking out in support of the Lakers' management and coaching staff.
"This is utterly absurd! To immediately pin all the blame for the NBA Finals loss on Shaq and Phil Jackson is a classic example of not understanding basketball and a short-sighted, blind venting of frustration."
An in-depth editorial titled " Please Give Los Angeles Some Time " countered sharply, "Before criticizing the Lakers, why not calmly examine how Boston got to where it is today?"
"Don't forget how the Boston Celtics were built step by step. Lin Qi took over the team in 1994 and spent a full seven years. Yes, a full seven years! Through countless growing pains, personnel adjustments, precise draft trials, and tactical refinement, they finally reached the top in 1999. And after that, he continued to meticulously refine and build this defensive system that has given the entire league a headache. Garnett, Gary Payton, Ben Wallace, Pierce, Billups... every core player, every tactical element, has achieved its current synergy through years of repeated refinement."
"On the other hand, what about the Lakers? This roster, built around Shaq and Kidd, and complemented by Odom and Marion, has only been together for one year! They've only just taken their first step in building the team. It's extremely unfair to expect a championship-winning team that's only been together for a year from a team that's been playing together for years to be a super team. The Lakers haven't reached their peak chemistry yet. From a macro perspective, the management's team-building strategy wasn't wrong; they simply... lost to time."
These two diametrically opposed voices clashed fiercely on major television stations, radio stations, and newspaper headlines across the United States, creating a media frenzy ahead of Game 2 of the NBA Finals, resembling a powder keg ready to explode at any moment. Whether it was fans on the streets of Los Angeles or professional observers on the East Coast, everyone was watching the upcoming Game 2 closely.
Meanwhile, in a private residence in Los Angeles, Phil Jackson sat alone in his dimly lit study.
The Zen Master held a cup of tea that had gone cold, his gaze lingering on a thick report comparing various detailed statistics of the two teams.
The outside world was in an uproar, but neither the harsh accusations nor the "long-termism" arguments trying to exonerate him could stir any ripples in his heart. He knew very well that the rational analysis was not wrong; Boston's strength was essentially due to the mature track that Lin Qi had paved over seven years. The Lakers, on the other hand, were indeed too hasty; they tried to use a summer's moves to bridge the gap that others had painstakingly built over seven years.
But competitive sports don't believe in tears, and commercial leagues certainly won't give a new team a long time to grow. Tomorrow is the highly anticipated second game, and the Lakers only have one path left... a do-or-die battle.
"Seven years..." Jackson put down his teacup and let out a very soft, helpless sigh.
He knew that the outside world was currently buzzing about Kobe's struggles leading the team alone in Chicago, using this to prove that the Lakers' strategic decision to trade away number 8 and acquire players like Kidd was absolutely correct. But in the eyes of a seasoned coach who had weathered countless storms, while Kobe in Chicago might have stumbled and faced much criticism while leading the team, that young man possessed a quality that the Lakers desperately wanted but had also willingly abandoned...
When tactics completely fail, when the whole team is in dire straits, and when all passing and movement combinations are cut off by the opponent's endless switching and physical battles, you need a strong point who dares to disregard all tactical discipline and dares to use the most unreasonable individual attacks to tear apart the defense.
The Lakers of today are gone.
In a tactical system that emphasizes communication and rationality, they couldn't find someone who could forcibly prolong their lives through individual ability.
As night fell again, on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, in the distance of the New Garden, in the locker room of the Boston Celtics, the atmosphere contrasted sharply with the restlessness in Los Angeles.
Lin Qi sat calmly at the tactics table, flipping through the second pre-match preparation report that Rick Carlisle had just handed him.
"There's a huge uproar outside because of the Lakers," Rick Carlisle said, arms crossed, a slight smile on his face. "Half the people are furiously criticizing the Lakers' management for making a terrible decision last year, while the other half are trying to defend them, saying that Boston spent seven years pursuing a long-term strategy, Lakers are only in their first year as a team, so it's understandable that they lost."
Lin Qi glanced at the heated comments in the newspapers, picked up his coffee, took a small sip, and remained calm.
"They're right, Boston did take seven years." Lin Qi casually slammed the newspaper down on the table, slowly raising his head to meet Rick Carlisle's gaze calmly. "But competitive sports only consider the immediate outcome; history belongs to the ultimate winner. Since the Lakers have chosen to take the shortcut, they should be prepared to be utterly crushed by us."
The night wind swept through the humid air of the Pacific Ocean, carrying with it the oppressive feeling of an impending storm from across the sea.
The second game of the NBA Finals is about to begin, amidst a storm of intense anticipation.