When Rick Carlisle made a bold move, bringing on five well-rested starters, the situation on the field took a bizarre turn.
For the Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson had just brought O'Neal back onto the court after a four-minute rest, trying to use his massive frame to regain control. But on the perimeter, Jordan and Barkley were still on the court.
"Hey Michael." Gary Payton immediately shoved Jordan onto the court, his mouth firing off a barrage of questions. "What? Your defensive gait just now looked like you were on vacation at Malibu Beach. Want me to put some sunscreen on you?"
Jordan gave Gary Payton a cold glance but said nothing.
The Lakers are on offense, Kidd lobs the ball to O'Neal in the paint.
To be honest, O'Neal has been very successful in losing weight in Los Angeles this season. To fit in with the team's aging starting lineup, he and Barkley both strictly controlled their diets during the offseason, and they are even slimmer than in the previous two seasons, with much lighter steps.
Shaquille O'Neal was backing down Ben Wallace. His increased agility after losing weight allowed him to quickly spin and try to get past Big Ben. But just as he was about to jump, Garnett pounced on him from the weak side.
On the path that O'Neal was bound to take when he raised the ball, Garnett's incredibly long arms sliced the basketball with remarkable precision.
"Smack!"
With a crisp sound, the basketball slipped from his grasp.
"Damn it!" O'Neal roared angrily.
Garnett passed the ball to Gary Payton in the frontcourt, and while retreating on defense, he turned to O'Neal and grinned, " Shaq, I heard you've lost weight? How about this, every time I steal the ball from you, I'll reward you with a donut after the game?"
Gary Payton received the ball and, facing Kidd's retreating defense, instead of slowing down, accelerated and sprinted. Kidd tried to block him, but Gary Payton cleverly used his body to shield the ball, creating a slight pause in his rhythm, and directly got past Kidd, scoring with a layup.
" Jason, don't you remember? I used this trick on you when you were a kid." Gary Payton said to Kidd as he retreated to defend after scoring.
The Lakers ' counterattack.
Jordan received the ball at a 45-degree angle on the right side, and Gary Payton immediately clung to him like an octopus. Jordan made two extremely realistic triple threat fakes in a row, trying to shake off Gary Payton's balance. But Gary Payton was not fooled at all.
Jordan made a strong drive to the basket, and Gary Payton immediately blocked his path with his body, resulting in a fierce physical confrontation.
"Is that all the strength you've got?" Gary Payton taunted, ramming Jordan with his chest. "Are you still half asleep? Or do burgers in Los Angeles not have meat in them anymore?"
Jordan was forced to stop the ball under Gary Payton's relentless pressure, intending to pass it to Barkley was cutting to the basket. However, Pierce accurately anticipated the passing lane and stole the ball.
Boston went on an 8-0 run, 32-24, quickly extending their lead to 8 points.
Phil Jackson, sitting on the sidelines, finally couldn't sit still any longer. His previously composed face darkened, and he was forced to call a timeout.
The atmosphere on the Los Angeles Lakers ' bench became somewhat tense.
Jordan, panting heavily, walked to the bench, grabbed a bottle of water, and gulped down two mouthfuls. Barkley plopped down in a chair, and the team doctor immediately ran over with an ice pack. O'Neal, wiping his sweat, complained about why the referees hadn't called a foul when Boston double-teamed him.
"Calm down, guys," Phil Jackson tried to calm the team. " Boston is playing emotionally. They're burning the floor. As long as we slow down the pace..."
" Phil!" Kidd suddenly interrupted the head coach.
The usually calmest point guard now had a rare hint of anxiety in his eyes. "They're not pushing themselves to their limits! Look at their bench!"
Kidd pointed to the Boston bench not far away.
There, Artest, Billups, and others who had been fiercely battling on the field were now chatting and laughing while drinking beverages. Meanwhile, the starting players who had just come on were full of energy, barely sweating at all.
"They're wearing us down with a rotation!" Kidd gritted his teeth. "If we keep forcing a one-on-one, positional battle, our legs will feel like lead by the fourth quarter!"
Phil Jackson looked at the agitated Kidd, then at the sweating Jordan and Barkley beside him, and his brows furrowed even deeper.
He still refuses to admit that his prized Triangle Offense and star player tactics are ineffective against a rotation system.
The timeout ended, and both teams returned to the court.
But the game did not unfold as Phil Jackson had hoped.
Boston's long rotation is now fully operational.
Rick Carlisle ruthlessly made substitutions based on the situation on the court. Whenever the Lakers veterans finally adapted to Gary Payton's defensive intensity, Rick Carlisle would bring in the energetic Artest and Stephen Jackson to continue the relentless battle against them.
There are three minutes left in the second quarter.
Jordan received the ball with difficulty beyond the three-point line. His defender had changed to Ron Artest.
" Michael, Gary went to get some water, now it's my turn to play with you." Artest revealed a chilling smile. "I heard you liked to lecture young guys when you were with the Chicago Bulls? Come on, teach me a lesson."
Jordan snorted and tried to overpower Artest with his speed. But Artest didn't back down at all and met him head-on with his strong body.
The two collided, Jordan felt as if he had hit a wall. He lost his balance, and the ball slipped from his grasp.
Artest snatched the ball and launched a fast break, finishing with a powerful dunk.
During the defensive transition, Artest even ran up to Jordan and arrogantly slammed him down, saying, "Is that all? Your physical strength isn't even as good as the Grandmama I played streetball in Queens!"
Jordan's face was ashen, but the violent heaving of his chest and the heavy feeling in his legs prevented him from responding immediately.
The buzzer sounded to signal the end of the first half.
The final score was 58-42.
Boston outscored their opponents 36-18 in the second quarter, extending their lead to 16 points.
Even more alarming is that the Lakers ' key players, after a quarter and a half of high-intensity shuttle runs and endless physical contact, are nearing the breaking point in terms of stamina.
On the Boston side, even Chris Paul Pierce, who had the most playing time, only played for less than 16 minutes.
As the players from both teams walked toward the player tunnel, Gary Payton deliberately slowed down and shouted towards the Lakers' camp.
"Hey, you old guys in Los Angeles! Take a good breather during halftime, because we're going to really pick up the pace in the second half!"