June 14, evening, Staples Center.
On the giant screen above the arena, highlights of the first four games were playing continuously. Twenty thousand Los Angeles fans wearing purple and gold T-shirts were roaring deafeningly. In the VIP section of the first row, Lakers' most famous die-hard fan, Oscar actor Jack Kerr, wearing his signature sunglasses and chewing gum, arrogantly gestured a sweeping gesture towards the visiting team's bench.
Some self-righteous Los Angeles fans believe that with the series tied 2-2 and the league on their side, tonight's pivotal Game 5 is just a routine part of the Lakers' championship playoff script.
However, when the referee blew the opening whistle, the script took an unexpected turn that left everyone in Los Angeles completely bewildered.
The Los Angeles Lakers took the first possession. Jason Kidd dribbled the ball across half-court and skillfully lobbed it to Shaquille O'Neal O'Neal, who was positioned in the low post on the left side.
O'Neal received the ball, his back to the basket, feeling Ben Wallace's defensive weight behind him. He took a deep breath, dribbled, and slammed heavily backward!
"Bang!"
Muscles collided with muscles, producing a dull thud. Big Ben took the impact head-on, raising his hands high in the air with perfect precision.
Seeing that he couldn't create space, O'Neal decided to try the same trick again. He let out an exaggerated scream, casually tossed the ball towards the basket, then leaned back and sat down hard on the floor.
He sat on the wooden floor, expertly raised his hands, and looked expectantly at the baseline referee, waiting for the familiar "beep... blocking foul."
A second passed.
Two seconds passed.
An eerie silence suddenly fell over the Staples Center.
"What?!" O'Neal sat on the ground, his eyes wide with disbelief.
In those two seconds of his dazed state, Big Ben had already grabbed the rebound and launched a long pass that spanned the entire court. Chris Paul Pierce, like a green whirlwind, overcame Lamar Odom's symbolic pursuit defense and ended the play with a powerful one-handed dunk.
2 to 0.
O'Neal then scrambled to his feet from the floor, yelling at the referee. Ben Wallace, returning to defense, walked past him and said expressionlessly, "Stop acting, Shaq."
This highly dramatic scene set the tone for the entire first half of the game.
When the referees put their whistles in their mouths and measured the competition with an absolutely fair standard, the Los Angeles Lakers, who were used to the protection of "tip-of-the-knee whistles," suddenly became like a bunch of headless flies who didn't know how to play basketball.
In the fifth minute of the first quarter, Kidd attempted to drive to the basket using a screen. Gary Payton immediately clung to Kidd like glue, delivering a very aggressive lateral block with his chest.
The two men collided heavily. Kidd expected the referee to call a foul on Gary Payton, but instead, the whistle didn't blow. Instead, Kidd slipped and fell to his knees in a sorry state, and the basketball rolled out of bounds.
Oops!
Gary Payton looked down at Kidd, who was kneeling on the floor, and scoffed, "What are you doing, Jason? Looking for a whistle that fell on the court?"
"Fuck you, Gary!" Kidd cursed angrily.
Not only were the players on the field mentally unstable, but the Los Angeles fans on the sidelines were also devastated.
In the ninth minute of the first quarter, Rasheed Wallace, who was ejected from the previous game, received a pass at the right corner.
Facing Odom's closing defense, Rasheed didn't hesitate at all, pulling up and launching a high-arcing three-pointer over the defender.
"Whoosh!"
The basketball went through the net cleanly.
After scoring, Rasheed did not retreat to defend, but turned around and walked straight to the VIP seats at the byline—in front of Jack Kerr.
Amidst the stunned gazes of the entire stadium, Rasheed pointed at the bewildered face of the veteran Hollywood actor and roared, "Take off your sunglasses, old man! Look at the scoreboard! This is a basketball court, not a fucking Hollywood set! There's no script today!!!"
Jack Kerr was so yelled at that he forgot to chew his gum and could only stare blankly as the arrogant Boston thug swaggered back to his own half of the court.
Boston's bench erupted in cheers. Meanwhile, the 20,000 fans at Staples Center unleashed a deafening chorus of boos. But it was hard to tell whether they were booing the visiting team or the referees who were reluctant to exert themselves that day.
In the second quarter, Phil Jackson attempted to break down the defense with off-ball movement in the Triangle Offense. However, within the bounds of high-intensity physical play, the Lakers ' perimeter players were constantly being pushed and swayed by Boston's forwards with their perfectly controlled physical contact whenever they made a move.
They were too used to the smooth offensive routes of the previous games, and once the referee didn't call a foul, they couldn't even complete a single tactical play.
With ten seconds left in the second quarter, Garnett received the ball near the free-throw line. With his back to the basket, he patiently used a fake to throw Odom off balance, then jumped powerfully and, facing the onrushing O'Neal, slammed the ball into the basket!
"Drop--!"
The whistle blew to signal halftime.
The scoreboard above Staples Center stood at 54-38. The Boston Celtics, playing on the road, went into the locker room with a huge 16-point lead.
Throughout the first half, the Los Angeles Lakers committed 11 comical turnovers, four of which involved players standing still after contact with the ball, watching the referee wait for the whistle, only to have the Celtics steal the ball and launch a fast break.
In the commentary booth, Beal Walton looked at the stat sheet and couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Incredible first half! The Los Angeles Lakers seem to have completely forgotten how to play under normal circumstances. Without the referees' protection, the Los Angeles team looked both weak and lost against Boston."
Lin Qi sat in the back row of the away team's bench, calmly stood up, and straightened his suit jacket.
He glanced at the other end of the court, where Phil Jackson, who had always remained calm even in the face of a collapsing mountain, was now angrily chasing the referee toward the players' tunnel, his face flushed red.
A faint, cold smile curled at the corner of Lin Qi's lips.
David Stern was a businessman of his word; he delivered on his promise and provided a fair playing field.
The false prosperity built on privilege by the Los Angeles community is utterly vulnerable in the face of real basketball.