Inside the Forum in Milan.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the score difference had reached 30 points. The Boston Celtics' full-strength lineup displayed suffocating defense and physical prowess, completely overwhelming this Europe powerhouse.
Head coach Rick Carlisle made a timely substitution, replacing the starters with a reserve lineup consisting of Chauncey Billups Billups, Stephen Jackson, Wang Zhizhi, and rookie Brian Scalabrine.
For Boston, this was just routine practice during garbage time, but for their opponents, the dignity of the game could not be trampled on.
Panathinaikos ' star center, Zelk Rebrača, who holds the Europe Basketball League Final Four MVP award, remained on the court. This 2.13-meter tall, over 120-kilogram Eastern Europe center had been tormented by Ben Wallace and Garnett in the first three quarters. Seeing Boston bring in a relatively slender, Asia giant, a dark glint of anger flashed in his eyes. He immediately crouched down, aggressively pushing into the low post, attempting to reclaim the dominance of Europe centers on offense.
"Bang!"
Rebrača forcefully demanded the ball in the low post, and upon receiving it, he used his shoulder and elbow to violently push Wang Zhizhi out of the paint. In Europe leagues, these top-tier heavy centers, accustomed to physical confrontation, are best at using their size and experience to dominate technically skilled interior players.
But this time, he ran into a tough opponent who had undergone two years of grueling NBA-level training.
Faced with this brute force, Wang Zhizhi did not blindly fight back. Knowing his disadvantage in absolute weight, he quickly adopted the method that Mike Boyle had taught him in the weight room: step back to deflect the force and counter with a half-sideways stance.
The moment Rebrača charged at him, Wang Zhizhi nimbly stepped back half a step, simultaneously using his hip and forearm to block the opponent's point of force, thus deflecting the opponent's brute force to the side by an inch.
It was this lightning-fast "using the opponent's force against them" move that caused the Eastern Europe center forward's fierce initial impact to miss, resulting in a slight, almost imperceptible shift in his center of gravity.
In a battle between masters, even the slightest flaw is enough.
Before the opponent could exert force a second time, Wang Zhizhi seized the moment when Rebrača leaned forward, swiftly snatched the high basketball from the opponent's position!
Successful interception!
The game transitioned from offense to defense, and Boston launched a counter-attack.
Billups dribbled the ball up the court, and Wang Zhizhi quickly followed up from the backcourt, positioning himself at the top of the key. He was being defended by Panathinaikos ' point guard, Ode Katash, while Rebrača was on the edge of the paint. Because he was wary of Wang Zhizhi's outside shooting, which was praised by the entire coaching staff, Rebrača instinctively defended him relatively far forward.
At the top of the arc, Billups dribbled to maintain his rhythm, communicating with Wang Zhizhi with a single glance.
Wang Zhizhi quickly moved up and set a solid screen for Billups. Od Catash was blocked solidly, while Rebrača, having been outmaneuvered by Wang Zhizhi's footwork in the previous possession, instinctively took a half-step back on defense this time, attempting to use his height to delay the breakthrough.
That slight hesitation gave Boston the space to deliver the fatal blow.
Billups dribbled and smoothly made a bounce pass back, the basketball accurately finding Wang Zhizhi bounced to the three-point line.
Catch the ball, jump, and shoot.
The entire process was flawless and efficient. It was a perfect shooting mechanism that Chip Engelland and Mark Price had refined over two years, and the basketball drew a high and beautiful arc in the air.
"Whoosh!"
A swivel into the net. The score difference on the scoreboard widened again.
On the sidelines, Kevin Garnett excitedly blew a loud whistle, waved a towel, and shouted at the players on the court, "Go for it! Don't hold back!"
However, being repeatedly outmaneuvered by a substitute center left this Eastern Europe European center, who holds the Europe MVP award, utterly humiliated.
In the next possession, Rebrača walked across half-court with a grim face and reached out to his teammates for the ball. He refused the guard's screen, his face turning ashen as he gestured for everyone to spread out, determined to get revenge in the low post.
This time, Rebrača swept his thick elbow across the ground, ramming into Wang Zhizhi with brute force.
Wang Zhizhi did not back down. Faced with a disadvantage in strength, he chose to use his height and vertical jump to disrupt the opponent.
"Bang!" Rebrača forced a hook shot, and the ball bounced off the front edge of the rim.
But the instant he landed, a furious Rebrača secretly nudged Wang Zhizhi hard with his shoulder. Wang Zhizhi staggered back two steps, nearly falling.
The smell of gunpowder was instantly ignited.
Stephen Jackson, who was standing nearby, immediately abandoned his defender and rushed over, pointing his finger at Rebraka and yelling, "Hey! Can't accept defeat? Softie!"
The players from both sides immediately surrounded them, and the atmosphere became tense.
Od Katash and his teammates rushed over to separate the two sides. The referee quickly blew his whistle to separate them.
Rebrača stared coldly at Wang Zhizhi across the crowd, spitting out a broken English sentence through gritted teeth. "You guys only know how to rely on the referees."
Wang Zhizhi rubbed his sore shoulder, not even flinching. He met the other man's angry gaze and coldly retorted in concise English.
"Let's play ball, stop talking nonsense."
Rebrača was speechless, his face turning ashen.
On the sidelines, head coach Rick Carlisle watched this scene with a hint of approval in his eyes. He turned to assistant coach Dwane Casey beside him and whispered, "Did you see Wang's performance on the court? He can not only punish the opponent with his shooting, but he can also stay in position during physical contact."
When the final whistle blew, the score remained a huge lopsided number...
86:121.
A sparse chorus of applause rose from the stands of the Milan Forum Arena, a helpless compromise from Europe fans to the overwhelming strength of the field.