Two days later at the Continental Airlines Arena, the opening whistle blew for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals amidst deafening cheers from the New Jersey fans.
With a 1-2 deficit and having just found the key to breaking Boston's defense at home, Byron Scott revealed his trump card without reservation at the start of Game 4. He continued the effective spacing formation from the previous game, placing Wang Zhizhi in the corner to draw Garnett's attention, allowing Yao Ming to relentlessly isolate and attack Ben Wallace in the low post, while assigning Andrei Kirilenko to specifically guard Chris Paul Pierce.
The first six minutes of the match were almost a carbon copy of the third game.
Pierce struggled. The rhythm and step-back moves that Boston's offensive linchpin were so proud of seemed to hit an invisible wall against Kirilenko's unreasonable wingspan and speed. He missed three consecutive one-on-one shots, one of which was even stolen directly from him by the Russia.
On the defensive end, Big Ben still couldn't overcome the natural 20-centimeter height difference. Whenever Garnett was moved out of the paint by Wang Zhizhi, Yao Ming's hook shots and turnaround jumpers in the low post relentlessly punished Boston's basket time and time again.
The New Jersey Nets once again established an early lead, 18-10.
"Beep!!!"
Rick Carlisle made a timeout gesture from the sidelines.
The young coach, known for his meticulousness and tactical discipline, watched the dejected bench players walk towards it. He knew very well that if Boston continued to engage in a rigid, physical battle in the half-court zone that New Jersey players loved, they would be completely crushed by Yao Ming's height and Kirilenko's defense.
The only way to get over this 2.26-meter-high mountain is to prevent him from building his position.
Rick Carlisle turned and his gaze fell on the young man at the end of the bench, who had been covering half his face with a towel but whose eyes were fixed on the field like a cheetah.
" Dwyane." Rick Carlisle's voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the noisy arena.
Dwyane Wade immediately pulled off the towel and stood up straight.
" Chris Paul ( Pierce ) is off the court to rest," Rick Carlisle said at lightning speed. " Dwyane, you're coming in. Just grab the rebounds, don't wait for Chauncey Billups ( Billups ) to come to you, take the ball yourself and drive straight into the New Jersey paint!"
Rick Carlisle grabbed Wade's shoulder. " Yao Ming's lateral movement on defense is slow, and Brand isn't fast enough either. Charge in, draw contact, slam that damn ball into the basket, or force them to foul! Got it?"
"Understood, Coach." Wade chewed his gum, a chilling glint in his eyes.
The timeout has ended, and the game has resumed.
When New Jersey fans saw Boston replace their star player Pierce with a young guard, a chorus of scornful boos rose from the stands. In their eyes, this was nothing more than Rick Carlisle's desperate attempt to salvage a failing strategy.
But just half a minute later, the boos turned into exclamations.
New Jersey's offense missed, Garnett leaped high in the crowd to grab the defensive rebound. In a typical game, Garnett should have passed the ball to Billups, and then the whole team would have slowly advanced into half-court.
But this time, the moment Garnett landed, he didn't even turn his head, and immediately launched a powerful long pass, throwing the ball like a cannonball towards midfield.
There, a figure wearing a green number 9 jersey had already darted out like an arrow.
It's Wade!
Just as Yao Ming turned around to retreat on defense, Brand was still lingering near the free-throw line, Wade received the ball and accelerated to his maximum speed. New Jersey's defensive formation was completely disorganized.
Andrei Miller desperately chased back, trying to establish the first line of defense near the free-throw line. But Wade, facing Miller's defense, didn't even slow down. He shifted his weight extremely low on his left leg, and with an exaggerated crossover, like a black lightning bolt flying close to the ground, he instantly swept past Miller's right side.
"Boom!"
Wade leaped into the air just inside the free-throw line, his body like a fully drawn bow, and slammed the ball into the basket with one hand!
20 to 12.
This powerful dunk was like a crisp tearing sound, ripping apart New Jersey's proud defensive net.
Byron Scott frowned on the sidelines. He initially thought it was just a random fast break, but he soon realized he was very wrong.
From the moment Wade stepped onto the court, the Boston Celtics completely transformed into a bunch of lunatics. Big Ben, Artest, and Garnett disregarded their physical limitations on the defensive end, using almost brutal moves to fight for every long rebound and loose ball. And once possession changed hands, without any tactical signals, everyone was frantically running up the court.
With two minutes left in the first quarter, Big Ben held off Yao Ming's post-up shot in the paint, causing Yao Ming's hook shot to miss.
Big Ben cleared the rebound, and Wade received the ball beyond the three-point line, starting his run again.
This time, New Jersey's retreat defense was much faster. Kirilenko had already retreated to the three-point line, while Brand guarded the paint.
Facing Kirilenko's defense, Wade suddenly slammed on the brakes. The Russia spread out his formidable defensive net, attempting to block all of Wade's routes. But Wade lowered his center of gravity and, with a short, explosive first step, forcefully slipped under Kirilenko's arm!
This was a first explosive move that would go down in history, so fast that Kirilenko's proud predictions became meaningless.
After breaking through the first line of defense, Wade faced Elton Brand, who was guarding the basket. Facing this heavy shield, Wade did not slow down. He leaped high into the air to meet Brand, and just as their bodies were about to collide in mid-air, Wade displayed superhuman core strength.
He forcefully twisted his body at an incredible angle in mid-air, dodging Brand's block, and then, in the instant he lost his balance and fell to the floor, he lightly brushed the ball against the backboard.
"Beep--!"
The referee blew the whistle; a defensive blocking foul had occurred.
"Whoosh."
The basketball spun twice on the rim before obediently falling into the net. 2+1!
Wade crashed heavily to the floor, but he didn't even glance at Brand was annoyed by the foul. He bounced up expressionlessly, walked to the free-throw line, and calmly sank the ball.
With Wade's reckless, almost suicidal attacks, the balance of the game was completely shattered.
New Jersey's interior advantage, built on half-court set plays, vanished in the face of Boston's near-frenzied pace. As the game's tempo increased, Yao Ming's weakness of expending enormous energy began to surface. He was forced to constantly run back and forth between the two halves, and just as he was getting into position to catch his breath, Wade or Artest would already be charging in like a bomb.
Midway through the second quarter, Rick Carlisle's tactical intentions finally bore their most fatal fruit.
In the half-court set, Wade called for a pick-and-roll from Garnett at the top of the key. Yao Ming, wary of Garnett's long-range shooting, was forced to come out to defend.
After using a screen, Wade faced Yao Ming, who had switched onto him.
This is an extreme showdown between speed and altitude.
Without hesitation, Wade took two consecutive crossover steps, then suddenly changed direction, passing Yao Ming directly and driving towards the basket. Yao Ming did his best to turn and chase after him, trying to block the shot from behind.
But Wade was too clever. As he charged into the paint and prepared to jump, he subtly slowed down by half a beat, deliberately using his back to seek physical contact.
Stop abruptly, jump, draw a foul!
The immense inertia prevented Yao Ming from braking, and his body crashed heavily into Wade. Wade then threw the ball towards the basket, flying out of bounds.
"Beep!"
The referee pointed firmly at Yao Ming and called a defensive foul.
Byron Scott closed his eyes in anguish on the sidelines. This was Yao Ming's third foul of the game, and there were still six minutes left in the first half. To protect his key inside player from being fouled out early, Scott had no choice but to grit his teeth and substitute Yao Ming to rest.
The moment the Eastern Giants returned to the bench, the New Jersey Nets ' defensive moat in the paint completely collapsed.
Without Yao Ming's presence in the paint, Wade turned New Jersey's paint into his own personal showcase. His elusive Europe step and his defenseless layups made Wang Zhizhi and Brand mere background figures.
The second half of the game became a complete one-man show by Dwyane Wade.
He not only scored wildly himself, but also repeatedly tore through the defense with sharp breakthroughs, accurately passing the ball to Pierce and Garnett lurking on the perimeter. Kirilenko, who was originally omnipresent on the defensive end, was forced to devote all his energy to helping defend Wade, which completely freed up Chris Paul Pierce.
In the fourth quarter, when Yao Ming returned to the court with five fouls, attempting a final desperate attempt, it was already too late. Boston, completely outplayed by Wade, displayed suffocating dominance on both ends of the court.
As the final whistle blew, the score on the scoreboard remained at 105 to 93.
The Boston Celtics dominated the game on the road, taking a 3-1 lead in the series and securing a match point in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Dwyane Wade was like a sharp knife throughout the game, shooting 13-for-22 and drawing 14 free throws, scoring a game-high 34 points, along with 7 rebounds and 6 assists. With his repeated falls and rises, he shattered New Jersey's proud twin Twin Towers in the paint.
Far away in Shanghai, Lin Qi watched the number 9 guard being tightly embraced by Garnett and Big Ben on the TV screen, and a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.