For the Los Angeles Lakers, the fifteen-minute halftime break was as brief as the last breath before being led to the guillotine.
The visiting team's locker room was deathly still. The team doctor was re-wrapping ice packs and bandages around Jordan's ribs, and with each tug, Jordan's jaw muscles tensed in excruciating pain. O'Neal was gulping down Gatorade; his massive frame had borne too much offensive and defensive pressure throughout the first half, and sweat dripped from his chin onto the floor, quickly forming a small puddle.
Phil Jackson, the " Zen Master," didn't offer his usual philosophical platitudes. Looking at the exhausted veterans, he simply devised a straightforward and brutal tactic.
"Give the ball to Shaq. Everyone else, step up your defense and get ready to fight."
The second half begins.
The Lakers displayed championship-caliber resilience. At the start of the third quarter, O'Neal was like a raging brown bear, brutally attacking Ben Wallace in the paint Big Ben three consecutive possessions. He even grabbed the rim with both hands after a dunk and let out a deafening roar at the Boston bench.
Immediately afterwards, Kidd, with his seasoned defensive skills, anticipated Billups ' passing route, stole the ball, and then drove the length of the court for a layup.
With an 8-2 run, the Lakers narrowed the gap to 8 points.
The few Lakers fans who had traveled from afar to Staples Center began to stir, and the roar of the crowd at the New Garden was momentarily silenced. In previous games, facing such a fierce comeback from the Lakers, the young players of Boston might have become impatient and even made unnecessary mistakes.
But after the baptism of that pivotal Game 5, Boston is now completely transformed.
Billups dribbled the ball steadily past half-court, then looked up at the low post on his right. There, Kevin Garnett was boxing out Charles Barkley.
In the first half, Garnett mostly used space to punish his opponents from mid-to-long range. But this time, facing Barkley broad hips and lower body strength, Garnett no longer chose to float on the perimeter.
Billups lobbed the ball into the net.
Garnett received the ball. He lowered his center of gravity and used his not-so-broad back to brace himself against the wall.
"Bang!"
Barkley grunted, astonished to find that the "stick" Garnett, whom he used to always avoid, was now exerting a pure and resolute force. Garnett wasn't thrown back; instead, he used the force of the confrontation to forcefully turn around.
In the instant their bodies tangled, Garnett, bracing against Barkley's thick arms, forcefully jumped and slammed the ball hard towards the basket.
"Beep..."
The referee blew the whistle; a defensive foul was committed.
Two points count, plus a penalty!
After Garnett landed, he looked down at Barkley was kneeling on one knee due to losing his balance.
"Your era is over." Garnett's voice was icy cold, devoid of any warmth.
Barkley looked up at the cold-eyed young man in front of him, his Adam's apple bobbing.
Garnett calmly made both free throws and the additional free throw.
In the next two possessions, Boston raised the intensity of their defense to an outrageous level.
Jordan tried to take over the game on his right side. But Gary Payton was like an indelible plaster, stuck to his right side. Whenever Jordan dribbled, Gary Payton's elbows and knees would subtly apply pressure to Jordan's injured ribs.
With each physical contact, Jordan's face would contort in a grimace.
In the eighth minute of the third quarter, Jordan barely received a pass on the baseline and forced a turnaround jump shot despite Gary Payton's tight defense.
Because of the intense pain that caused him to lose his balance, the basketball shot went completely wide, missing the rim entirely and falling straight into Big Ben's hands.
Big Ben grabbed the rebound and, without hesitation, launched a powerful long throw of the ball forward.
Grant Hill moved like lightning, instantly tearing apart the Lakers' retreating defense. After receiving the ball, he leaped into the air just inside the free-throw line, his body stretching out dramatically in mid-air for a one-handed tomahawk dunk!
"Boom!"
The basketball hoop shook violently.
The point difference is back to 15 points!
The final minutes of the third quarter became a one-sided massacre by Boston.
Pierce, positioned at the left 45-degree angle, used a series of feints to blow Marion away, then calmly drew a three-point foul and made all three free throws.
Garnett blocked Kidd's layup on the defensive end, then dribbled up the court and pulled up for a jump shot near the free-throw line, making it.
After three quarters, the score was 88 to 69.
With a massive 19-point lead, the Boston Celtics pushed the Lakers into the abyss.
There is a break between periods before the start of the fourth period.
A suffocating silence hung over the Lakers ' bench. O'Neal was breathing heavily, his eyes bloodshot. Jordan sat in a chair with his eyes closed, the team doctor urgently treating his almost numb right rib area. Barkley's legs were wrapped in thick ice packs, and his eyes revealed a deep sense of helplessness.
Phil Jackson stood in front of the bench, looking at the group of veterans who had almost exhausted their last bit of strength.
He knew all too well what this meant. The young men in Boston had gone completely berserk; their eyes no longer held fear, only the pure, murderous urge born from the smell of blood.
Down by 19 points, expecting this group of veterans, burdened by injuries and nearing exhaustion, to pull off a comeback against Boston's brutal defense? This lineup, if they were ten years younger, could probably do it.
The fourth quarter begins.
Boston showed no signs of letting up, keeping their winning lineup on the court. Just two minutes into the game, Pierce once again hit a pull-up three-pointer from the top of the arc, extending the lead to 22 points!
Phil Jackson walked to the scorer's table and gestured to the referee to call a timeout.
When the whistle blew, all 20,000 Boston fans in the arena stood up and roared like a tidal wave. They saw the Lakers' fringe players taking off their practice jerseys on the bench.
The " Zen Master " raised the white flag.
Jordan dragged his heavy steps toward the depths of the bench, sat down on a chair in the far corner, and buried his face in a towel.
O'Neal slammed a bottle of Gatorade onto the floor with a furious roar of resentment, then slumped heavily into his chair.
With a full eight minutes remaining in the game, the outcome was already decided.
Lin Qi stood in front of the home team's bench, looking at the Los Angeles Lakers had fielded an all-bench lineup. He calmly turned his head and nodded to Rick Carlisle.
Rick Carlisle then substituted Pierce, Garnett, Hill, and Gary Payton.
As Boston's star players walked off the court, the New Garden erupted in the loudest applause of the night.
The garbage time ended in an extremely enthusiastic and frenzied atmosphere.
As the red light came on to signal the end of the game, the final score was 108-89.
The Boston Celtics tied the series 3-3 at home.
The players from both sides did not shake hands or exchange any words. The Lakers players lowered their heads and quickly disappeared into the player tunnel.
Lin Qi stood on the sidelines, looking at the bright red "3:3" on the scoreboard.
He raised his head, his gaze passing over the noisy stadium, as if he could already see that night two days later.
This series, filled with scheming, physical battles, last-minute victories, injuries, and psychological warfare, was an epic showdown that completely shattered all pretenses.
Finally, we'll be welcoming... in this stadium.
Game 7.
There is no way out.