In late May in Shanghai, the morning sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting long shadows on the carpet.
Lin Qi sat on the sofa in his hotel suite, a cup of freshly brewed black coffee in his hand. The 29-inch television was broadcasting a live signal from Boston's New Garden. On the screen, the sea of more than 20,000 fans wearing green cheering T-shirts was erupting with tremendous roar.
Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Boston Celtics, holding a 3-1 series lead, only need one more win to advance to the NBA Finals. Meanwhile, Byron Scott and his New Jersey Nets have their backs against the wall.
The game went straight into a fierce battle from the very first second of the tip-off. New Jersey bet everything on Yao Ming and Andrei Kirilenko.
In the first quarter, facing Ben Wallace's rough fronting and shoving, Yao Ming stopped dodging and took the initiative to use his broad shoulders and elbows to clear a path, forcefully seizing space through muscle collisions.
Midway through the first quarter, Andrei Miller lobbed the ball high. Yao Ming received it in the low post on the left, with Big Ben pulling up behind him. Yao Ming gritted his teeth, forced a turn towards the middle despite Big Ben's defense, and in the instant he lost his balance, he slammed the ball into the basket with a powerful floater, drawing a foul from Big Ben in the process.
Throughout the first half, Yao Ming was like a tireless scoring machine, making 9 of 14 shots and scoring 20 points in the first half.
Midway through the second quarter, when Wade once again attempted to break through New Jersey's paint with Europe step, Kirilenko quickly collapsed with his massive defensive coverage area. Just as Wade attempted a layup, Kirilenko used his wingspan advantage to forcefully slam the ball onto the backboard, completing a solid block.
Thanks to Yao Ming's dominance in the paint and Kirilenko's sweeping play in the first half, the New Jersey Nets took the lead at halftime, 48-42, a 6-point advantage over Boston.
Lin Qi took a sip of his slightly bitter black coffee and calmly watched Yao Ming walk toward the players' tunnel on the screen.
He casually pulled over the laptop next to the sofa and opened the basketball BBS forum that had just received his angel investment and completed its initial architecture. As expected, the server was experiencing an unprecedented surge in traffic. On the homepage, the post about " Yao Ming scoring 20 points in the first half, dominating Ben Wallace " was prominently displayed, with comments refreshing by double digits every second. Fans were pouring out their emotions on the rudimentary webpage. For most domestic fans, witnessing a rookie display such terrifying dominance on the Eastern Conference Finals stage was an unprecedented shock.
But Lin Qi's gaze didn't linger long on these enthusiastic praises. He clicked on the specially created "Tactics Zone," where astute fans had already expressed their concerns. " Yao Ming played too aggressively in the first quarter; Boston is clearly playing a war of attrition. Stamina will be a big problem in the second half."
Lin Qi closed his laptop. The grassroots public opinion front was developing faster than he had imagined, and the course of the competition was exactly as the scattered rational voices in the forum had predicted.
He knew perfectly well that this was Yao Ming's physical limit at this stage in 2003. As a rookie entering the league, his 2.26-meter height gave him unparalleled destructive power in the paint, but he had not yet fully adapted to the meat grinder-like intensity of the NBA playoffs. In this jungle of muscles, a rookie is destined not to be able to maintain a high level of output for the entire 48 minutes like those seasoned veterans.
After the break, Rick Carlisle's team began to play aggressively, dragging the game into a war of attrition.
Rick Carlisle made a very targeted rotation in the third quarter. He first put Pierce, who had a poor shooting night in the first half, back on the bench and put Artest at the three; then he substituted Raja Bell for Wade, giving Wade a brief respite. The Celtics' lineup was: Billups, Raja Bell, Artest, Garnett, and Ben Wallace.
Artest clung to Joe Johnson like glue, using his concealed physicality to disrupt Johnson's receiving rhythm; Billups, on the other hand, relentlessly wore down Andrei Miller with aggressive chest defense. New Jersey's half-court offense began to stagnate significantly. Miller needed to expend twice the usual energy every time he dribbled across half-court. And once the ball reached the wing, Artest would immediately engage, forcing Joe Johnson out of his comfort zone.
Inside the paint, Big Ben and Garnett began a relentless rotation of attacks on Yao Ming. Big Ben used all his strength to push Yao Ming's lower body, and the moment Yao Ming tried to turn around, Garnett decisively abandoned Brand on the weak side, rushed over to block his view, and waited for an opportunity to steal the ball.
Every time Yao Ming positioned himself in the low post, he had to engage in a physical battle with these two top defensive big men in the league for seven or eight seconds. In the seventh minute of the third quarter, Yao Ming finally managed to box out Ben Wallace in the deep Big Ben. Just as Miller's pass was raised above his head, Garnett leaped out of the free-throw line like a cheetah and forcefully blocked the ball out of bounds in mid-air.
In the playoffs, an environment that tolerates high-intensity physical contact, Yao Ming's stamina began to decline precipitously. His breathing became heavy, and sweat dripped from his chin onto the floor. When the Celtics ' defense disrupted New Jersey's offensive rhythm, Wade returned to the court in the latter part of the third quarter, replacing Bell. Yao Ming's legs felt like lead, his turning movements became sluggish, and most of his shots hit the front of the rim. The Celtics immediately used Wade's speed to launch fast breaks, and he, like lightning, repeatedly tore through New Jersey's unprepared defense in the paint.
With five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the score was tied at 82.
The Nets players were already exhausted, and the Celtics ' much-vaunted stamina and roster depth finally became the straw that broke the camel's back. In a dull half-court game, Billups, with a screen from Garnett at the top of the arc, calmly sank a three-pointer over Brand, who was caught off guard, to take the lead.
With one minute and twenty seconds remaining in the game, Boston led 87-85. Rick Carlisle brought in his finishing lineup: Billups, Wade, Pierce, Garnett, and Ben Wallace.
Chris Paul Pierce had the ball at a 45-degree angle on the right, facing Kirilenko, who had been tormenting him all night.
Pierce waved for his teammates to spread out, clearing one side of the court.
Pierce executed a series of crossover dribbles, followed by slow, probing steps. Then, he suddenly lowered his shoulders and forced his way into the paint. Kirilenko, with his incredible lateral quickness, stayed close, ready to block the shot at any moment.
But at the moment of takeoff, Pierce cleverly used his broad back to actively seek body contact, slamming heavily into Kirilenko's chest.
The Russia was slightly off balance from the sheer force of the impact. In that instant, Pierce made a convincing fake shot.
Kirilenko, who was in a state of high excitement all night and eager to make a shot, was swatted away.
Just as the Russia took to the air, Pierce, facing the descending Kirilenko, forcefully jumped with a somewhat awkward but stable stance, and tossed the ball toward the basket.
"Beep!!!"
The referee's whistle blew sharply, a defensive foul. At the same moment the whistle blew, the basketball bounced off the rim and slid down the Nets.
2+1!
Three points scored!
Amidst the deafening cheers of the home crowd, Pierce pounded his chest. This powerful and intelligent shot not only widened the gap to 5 points but also completely shattered the New Jersey team's last psychological defenses.
As the red electronic buzzer sounded to signal the end of the game, the scoreboard showed 92-85.
The New Garden instantly transformed into a sea of jubilation. Garnett roared to the sky, while Big Ben and Artest clashed chest-to-chest in the center of the court. On the other side of the court, Yao Ming had racked up 32 points and 14 rebounds, lay with his hands on his knees, large beads of sweat splattering onto the floor. He had given his all, even nearly collapsing from exhaustion in the second half, but ultimately couldn't withstand Boston's attrition warfare.
During the post-game handshake, Garnett walked through the celebrating crowd to Yao Ming, who was panting heavily in front of the scorer's table. The Boston power forward, known for his aggressive style, took the initiative to shake hands with the rookie from the East. In this series, Yao Ming earned the respect of these Boston players with his tough, head-to-head strength.
The Boston Celtics swept the Eastern Conference Finals 4-1, officially advancing to the NBA Finals.
The television broadcast then cut to the center of the court, where the Eastern Conference championship trophy gleamed silver under the spotlight.
Lin Qi picked up the remote and turned off the TV. The screen went completely black, and only the faint white noise of the air conditioner running could be heard in the room.
Next, he only needs to wait quietly for the final result of the epic battle between the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference, a true battleground for dominance.
Let's see who can stand before Boston.