In early June, the sweltering heat of the plum rain season gradually enveloped the entire city of Shanghai.
A day has passed since the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Spurs in Game 7, officially setting up the NBA Finals matchup. During this lull in games, sports media and major basketball forums in both China and the United States have been hyping up the upcoming "Lakers vs. Celtics" showdown.
Lin Qi sat on the sofa in his hotel suite. Several newly delivered copies of " Titan Sports," " Basketball Pioneer," and even a few financial newspapers were scattered on the coffee table in front of him. On the laptop screen next to him, the pages of major domestic sports forums were constantly refreshing.
In the domestic media landscape, although the New Jersey Nets ultimately suffered a heartbreaking 1-4 defeat, the entire series was broadcast live on television, giving China fans a profound new perspective on basketball.
Besides Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi, who fought with honor despite their defeat, two other names from the Boston roster quickly garnered significant attention in China: Kevin Garnett and Dwyane Wade.
For most China fans, Garnett was previously only seen in highlight reels and shoe posters as the "big ticket" pounding his chest and roaring. It wasn't until this Eastern Conference Finals that domestic audiences truly witnessed the awe-inspiring power of a defensive ceiling. His tireless sweep across the court, his coverage from point guard to center, and his almost obsessive commitment on both ends of the court left countless fans who stayed up all night watching in awe. In particular, the scene after the final buzzer in Game 5, where Garnett walked through the celebrating crowd to shake hands with a completely exhausted Yao Ming, not only deflated the physical and aggressive atmosphere of the series but also established a more positive image for him in the hearts of domestic fans.
And that rookie Dwyane Wade, wearing jersey number 9, completely overturned many people's imagination of rookie guards. Although he was the direct driving force behind eliminating the Nets, his low-flying crossovers and his aggressive drives to the basket after coming off the bench in Game 4 left viewers in front of their heads in astonishment. In online polls, Wade has become the most explosive young perimeter star in the eyes of domestic fans.
What's even more intriguing is that, with the conclusion of the Eastern Conference Finals, domestic media began to shift their focus from the court to the management behind the scenes.
Several financial and sports media outlets jointly published a major in-depth report, focusing on the people behind the two teams. The owner behind the New Jersey Nets is Wang Jialian, a Chinese-American and the founder of CA Computer Company. The owner behind the Boston Celtics is Lin Qi, a young Chinese man in his twenties who made his fortune through internet investments.
The impactful concept of "a Chinese derby on the top professional sports stage in North America " quickly spread throughout the country. In the century-old landscape of the four major professional sports leagues in North America, which were dominated by traditional white corporations, the fact that two owners of Chinese descent would meet on the stage of the NBA conference finals is a rare spectacle in the entire history of world sports.
But when the media's focus shifted to the upcoming NBA NBA Finals across the ocean, the tone suddenly changed.
In their previews of the NBA Finals, mainstream United States media outlets, including ESPN, TNT, and major sports publications, almost unanimously predicted a Lakers sweep.
This pessimism is supported by a sound tactical logic: Boston's current roster has glaringly obvious fatal flaws. Last summer, Boston lost Gary Payton and Grant Hill. These two players took away not only locker room experience, but also valuable half-court offense organization and consistent mid-range and long-range shooting in crucial moments. The current Celtics have a bunch of young players on the bench with severely unbalanced skills.
Scouting reports had already thoroughly analyzed Wade's weaknesses: he lacked a reliable three-point shot, and his mid-range jump shot was extremely inconsistent. Los Angeles media bluntly stated. "As long as the Lakers' interior defense collapses and Shaquille O'Neal guards the paint, Wade's purely explosive drives will be like hitting a wall."
The same goes for Gerald Wallace, another key rotation player on Boston's front line. He's an athletic forward who relies entirely on his physicality to play in the air, and his three-point shooting heatmap is abysmal. Artest is similar; once he gets too involved on defense, his three-point accuracy inevitably suffers.
In contrast, the Los Angeles Lakers boast a roster depth and star power that is arguably historic. Shaquille O'Neal O'Neal remains a dominant force in the paint, and after the grueling Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, the soon-to-be 40-year-old Jordan shows no signs of fatigue. His lateral quickness and stamina in crucial moments are visibly more refined than last season.
What's even more frightening is that Jordan's almost obsessive competitive state, like a highly contagious virus, completely infected the entire Los Angeles Lakers.
The Los Angeles Times published a lengthy investigative column on its front page yesterday, detailing some inside stories about the Lakers. After their NBA Finals defeat last year, Jordan brought his tyrannical style from the Chicago era to Los Angeles.
The columnist described a vivid detail in the article: During an intra-squad scrimmage at the beginning of the season, Jason Kidd hesitated for half a second in a wide-open position before passing the ball to O'Neal, who was posting up inside. Jordan immediately stopped the game and slammed the ball hard into Kidd's chest.
"The media calls you 'Ason Kidd,' do you know why? Because you don't have a 'J' (jump shot)!" Jordan roared in front of everyone. "If you can't even shoot an open shot like this, you'll only ruin Shaquille O'Neal! Every team will double-team him without restraint. If you can't make it, come to the gym at six o'clock tomorrow morning and practice a thousand three-pointers. If you can't shoot, get out of the starting lineup right now!"
This almost humiliating pressure brought out the pride in Kidd's bones. This season, Kidd developed a three-point penalty ability, making all opponents who tried to leave him open to double-team the paint pay a heavy price.
Lamar Odom, the Los Angeles native prodigy who was always smiling and even had a habit of eating gummy bears in the locker room, was a prime target for Jordan's "torture." Reports mention that Jordan once slapped Odom's bag of candy away, pointing his finger at him and sneering, "If you want to be a clown who just coasts along, go find a film crew in Hollywood. If you want a ring, put away your nonchalance and go practice your shooting in the corner." From then on, Odom abandoned his cynical smile, not only becoming a composed playmaker in the high post but also making his corner three-pointer a regular weapon.
Sean Marion's unorthodox chest shot was a weakness that many in the league secretly mocked. Jordan forced Marion to shoot every catch during scrimmages. "I don't care if you look like a pregnant woman when you shoot, as long as the opponent leaves you open, you have to shove that damn ball into the basket!"
As for Quentin Richardson, he was faked out countless times by Jordan's moves on the training court, accompanied by endless trash talk. But it was precisely this kind of humiliating one-on-one battle that honed Richardson's dog-like, tenacious defense and clutch performance in crucial moments, completely transforming him into a top-tier 3D puzzle piece.
"The current Los Angeles Lakers have no tactical weaknesses," an ESPN commentator concluded in a preview program. O'Neal is unstoppable in the paint, Jordan remains deadly in crucial moments, not to mention Jason Kidd has developed a three-point shot, and they are surrounded by a group of defensive stalwarts with accurate three-point shooting.
In contrast, the Boston Celtics, with their poor shooting and reliance on physicality, are like a group of primitive people wielding cold weapons to challenge a heavily armored infantry regiment. They are experiencing the growing pains of losing veteran players and are in an awkward phase of severe tactical awareness and technical details.
The media's tactical analysis was incisive and not exaggerated at all.
Boston is indeed going through a painful transition period, and the limited developmental time of its young players means that this roster is inherently flawed on the offensive end.