In late May in Shanghai, the morning sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the hotel room.
Due to the time difference, the NBA's prime-time slot on the other side of the ocean is just like early morning in China. Lin Qi sat at his desk, holding a cup of freshly brewed black coffee, his gaze fixed on the 29-inch CRT television in front of him.
In the upper right corner of the screen, the China Central Television logo was prominently displayed. The television was showing the second half of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
In the first two games, Boston, through Ben Wallace's aggressive defense and Garnett's sweeping attacks on the weak side, cut off Yao Ming's passing lanes and significantly diminished New Jersey's once-proud interior advantage. But in today's third game, the situation on the court changed.
Boston's defensive system failed.
New Jersey head coach Byron Scott has finally found the key to breaking down Boston's defensive formation.
On television, the New Jersey Nets were once again engaged in a half-court game. Lin Qi squinted, keenly observing the changes in positioning on the court.
Instead of participating in screens on the strong side as usual, Wang Zhizhi was positioned by Byron Scott in the corner three-point line on the weak side. This seemingly insignificant positioning directly exploited the Achilles' heel of Boston's defensive system— Kevin Garnett.
Ben Wallace, despite being a four-time Defensive Player of the Year and possessing unparalleled strength, was precisely the type of defender who was least effective against Yao Ming. Big Ben was simply too short, with a massive 20-centimeter height difference between him and Yao Ming. Whenever Yao Ming received the ball in the low post, Big Ben had no way to contest his shots.
The one who could truly limit Yao Ming was Garnett. Garnett possessed top-notch mobility, amazing long arms, and defensive IQ. Garnett's core strategy for defending Yao Ming was to "front" him, using his long arms to disrupt the receiving route and force Yao Ming away from his comfortable deep post position.
In the first two games, Big Ben guarded Yao Ming from behind, while Garnett was on the weak side ready to intercept high lobs. It took the combined efforts of the two to limit Yao Ming.
But now, Wang Zhizhi is standing in the bottom corner.
Garnett was caught in a dilemma. If he collapsed into the paint to help Big Ben defend, Wang Zhizhi would have a wide-open three-point opportunity in the corner. If he stuck with Wang Zhizhi, then Ben Wallace would be left alone in Boston's paint against Yao Ming.
"Fronting defense" has a prerequisite: there must be a rim protector on the weak side. If Big Ben moves in front of Yao Ming and Garnett is pulled out to the three-point line, the New Jersey guard only needs to lob the ball high above the basket, and Yao Ming can easily complete the alley-oop.
To prevent this simple over-the-top lob, Rick Carlisle was forced to issue an order for Big Ben to abandon his fronting maneuver and retreat to the traditional "backing defense."
This was exactly what Byron Scott wanted.
On the television, Andrei Miller saw Big Ben forced to retreat behind Yao Ming and immediately lobbed the ball steadily into the left low post.
Yao Ming received the ball. Big Ben immediately exerted force from behind, trying to use his top-notch core strength to push Yao Ming out of the three-second zone. But Yao Ming didn't make any unnecessary movements. With his back against Big Ben, he keenly sensed the defensive center of gravity and smoothly completed a front spin using his left foot as a pivot.
Standing at 2.26 meters tall, and with a soft touch, Big Ben Wallace jumped with all his might to block Yao Ming's shot, but the natural 20-centimeter gap meant that his fingertips could barely reach Yao Ming's elbow.
"Whoosh."
The basketball swished through the net, and the crisp sound of the net scraping against the screen came from the television.
"Great shot! Yao Ming's spin was so smooth! Big Ben couldn't reach it at all!" The China Central Television commentator's voice was filled with excitement.
Throughout the third quarter, this scenario played out repeatedly. Big Ben's strength could indeed withstand Yao Ming's post-up moves, but as soon as Yao Ming turned around, the height disadvantage became a fatal flaw that Boston could not overcome. Once Yao Ming found his rhythm, his shooting percentage was astonishingly high.
Seeing Big Ben being thoroughly outmaneuvered in the paint, Rick Carlisle finally couldn't sit still any longer. Early in the fourth quarter, he decisively changed the matchup, assigning Garnett to guard Yao Ming directly.
This alleviated Boston's interior crisis to some extent.
Garnett demonstrated his qualities as a top defensive mastermind. Instead of going head-to-head with Yao Ming in the low post, he used tireless running and fronting to disrupt Yao Ming's ability to receive the ball at its source. His feet were too fast and his arms too long; twice in a row, just as Miller was about to pass the ball to Yao Ming, Garnett darted out like lightning and cleared the ball out of bounds.
Moreover, Garnett constantly engaged in physical contact, trying to push Yao Ming away from the most threatening deep post position and force him to dribble further away from the basket, a move he was not good at.
" Garnett's defensive coverage is terrifying. He's been covering the paint from the perimeter all the way to the inside. Yao Ming is having a very difficult time receiving the ball during this period." The commentator also noticed the problem.
However, Garnett's strategy drained his own energy. Moreover, he was much lighter than Yao Ming, and this weight difference forced him to put in many times more effort on the defensive end.
With the final two minutes of the match in play, the score was tied at 84.
In the New Jersey Nets ' offensive possession, Yao Ming struggled to establish position on the right low post, but Garnett clung to him like a leech, blocking his passing lanes.
Andrei Miller dribbled at the top of the key, but instead of forcibly passing the ball to Yao Ming, he made a gesture.
Wang Zhizhi had been lurking in the weak-side corner, suddenly started his run, using an off-ball screen from Andrei Kirilenko to quickly circle out to the left 45-degree angle beyond the three-point line.
Boston's defense suffered a sudden communication breakdown. Garnett was focused entirely on fronting Yao Ming and couldn't immediately close the gap.
For Wang Zhizhi, this fleeting opportunity was enough.
Miller's pass was perfectly timed. Wang Zhizhi received the ball, faced Big Ben's somewhat rushed defense, and gently pulled up for a three-pointer from beyond the arc.
The basketball traced a perfect parabola through the air.
" Wang Zhizhi takes a three-pointer! It's in!" With the commentator's roar, the basketball swished cleanly through the air.
This three-pointer was like a sharp blade, piercing through Boston's defensive system. Garnett's fronting made it difficult for Yao Ming, but when Boston poured all their strongest defensive resources into Yao Ming, the power of New Jersey's spacing system finally became apparent.
As the final whistle blew, the score was 96-88.
On the television screen, the Continental Airlines Arena erupted in wild celebration. Under the tactical adjustments of head coach Byron Scott, the New Jersey Nets used Wang Zhizhi's spacing to break through Boston's fronting defense, successfully pulling one back. The series now stands at 2-1.
Lin Qi turned off the TV with the remote, and the room returned to silence.
The upcoming fourth game will be the one that truly determines the fate of this series for both teams.