The competition has resumed.
Artest's departure tore an irreparable hole in Boston's frontcourt defense. Phil Jackson sat on the bench, watching the situation unfold. Trading a veteran for the opponent's most aggressive perimeter defender was a sure win.
The Lakers immediately devised a strategy to exploit this weakness. Kidd dribbled the ball across half-court and gestured for the whole team to spread out.
On the right low post, Michael Jordan backs down, calls for the ball, and prepares to take over the game.
But stepping up behind Jordan was Chris Paul Pierce.
This Boston star player fulfilled his promise to Artest on the court, personally taking on the responsibility of guarding Jordan.
Jordan received the pass and leaned back using his back muscles. Pierce's lateral quickness was indeed not as good as Artest's, but he possessed the best lower body strength among all the wings in the league. Jordan tried to create distance twice with his strength, but Pierce did not budge.
Pierce relentlessly pressed forward with his chest, wearing down Jordan's stamina. This almost wrestling-like defensive style forced Jordan to turn and shoot prematurely, the ball bouncing off the front of the rim. Ben Wallace grabbed the rebound.
Boston switched to positional warfare.
Pierce reached out for the ball at the top of the key. Facing Jason Kidd's defense, Pierce suppressed all his anger in every dribble, suddenly lowered his shoulder, and with pure, absolute strength, forcefully drove past Kidd by half a body length, straight into the paint.
Seeing this, O'Neal, who was in the paint, stepped out of the Crash area to intercept the ball.
Pierce didn't back down. He took the initiative to approach O'Neal in mid-air, and the two collided with a bang. Just as the referee blew the whistle, Pierce, with his amazing core strength, flicked the ball toward the basket before losing his balance and falling.
The basketball bounced twice on the rim before falling into the net.
Two plus one.
Pierce got up from the floor, shoved Marion away as he tried to pull him up, and headed straight for the free-throw line.
The next half of the game became a one-man show by Pierce. On defense, he was like a sticky plaster, using his weight and physicality to make every pass Jordan feel excruciating. On offense, he repeatedly charged into the paint like a bomb, creating scoring opportunities in the simplest way possible.
With two minutes remaining in the third quarter, Pierce once again backed down Kidd on the left side. Jordan rushed in from the weak side to double-team him.
Just as the two were about to close in, Pierce suddenly delivered a nutmeg pass, the basketball precisely passing between Jordan's legs and landing in the hands of Wade, who was cutting to the basket. Wade caught the ball, soared into the air, and slammed it home with one hand.
The entire stadium rose to their feet and cheered, the roar from the New Garden almost lifting the dome. Garnett ran over, pulled Pierce into his arms, and roared in celebration.
After three quarters, Boston not only held their ground but also extended their lead to eight points.
Charles Oakley's flagrant foul seemed to backfire. Jackson's plan failed, and instead, it fully awakened the offensive kaleidoscope instinct within Chris Paul Pierce.
However, as the fourth quarter whistle blew, the air in the New Garden gradually grew heavy.
An eight-point lead, in this era where defense reigns supreme, was originally an insurmountable barrier, and everyone felt a vague sense of unease.
Phil Jackson sat in the visiting team's head coach's seat, showing no sign of panic. He waved his hand, making a substitution.
The Lakers players on the court at this time were: Kidd, Quentin Richardson, Jordan, Marion, and Odom.
This is a lineup that completely abandons the battle in the paint and pursues maximum spacing. Jackson's intention is clear: to stretch Ben Wallace's help defense range to the maximum, clearing a space for Michael Jordan to play one-on-one.
At this point, the fatal flaw of Artest's absence finally erupted when his physical condition reached its limit in the fourth quarter.
In the past, during this phase, Artest would act as a shield with spikes, protecting Jordan from all the impacts and probing, allowing Pierce to catch his breath on the defensive end and save his energy for offense. But now, Pierce must face the Lakers ' two strongest players on both ends of the court.
The intense competition of the third quarter put Pierce's stamina to a dangerous low. Sweat streamed down his forehead and down his cheeks, and his legs felt like lead.
The Lakers inbound the ball from the baseline. Kidd passed it to Jordan on the right high post just past half-court.
Jordan leaned against Pierce, his shoulders swaying slightly. Pierce gritted his teeth, lowering his center of gravity to prepare for the confrontation.
This time, Jordan didn't use brute force. He keenly sensed the heavy breathing of the defender behind him. Jordan suddenly turned towards the baseline, quickly stepped out with his right foot, and made a very realistic feint.
Pierce's nerves had been on edge the entire game, and his exhausted legs were no longer able to make the most accurate judgments, instinctively shifting his weight by half an inch.
It was that half-inch gap. Jordan instantly pulled back his right foot, pivoted on his left foot, and completed a light back turn. In the space where there was no defensive pressure, he calmly jumped and released a fadeaway shot.
"Whoosh."
The basketball went through the net cleanly.
In the transition, Pierce attempted to respond with a drive, but the defense formed by Marion and Odom quickly collapsed. Pierce's tired strides couldn't shake off the double team, forcing him to commit a turnover.
Back to the starting point, the same tactics, the same positions. Jordan faced Pierce once again.
This time, Jordan didn't even bother with fakes. He took two consecutive jab steps and then pulled up for a jump shot.
Pierce lunged forward, his fingers brushing against Jordan's wrist.
The referee blew the whistle; a shooting foul occurred.
Jordan stepped to the free-throw line, took a deep breath, and calmly sank both free throws.
In just one and a half minutes, Jordan erased more than half of the eight-point deficit with two offensive surges. Jordan used his basketball IQ and fundamentals to capitalize on the defensive vacuum left by Artest's absence and sparked a counterattack.
Rick Carlisle was forced to call a pause and make some arrangements.
The timeout ended. For the Lakers, O'Neal, who had rested for three minutes, returned to the court.
The game has entered its final eight minutes.
With Artest out, Pierce had a heavy responsibility on offense and was also responsible for guarding Jordan on defense. His stamina was severely depleted, and his jump shots started to frequently hit the front of the rim.
Meanwhile, Shaquille O'Neal, recognizing Ben Wallace's declining stamina, began to force his way into position in the paint. In one post-up play, O'Neal used his massive size to force a turn and slammed home a one-handed dunk, drawing Wallace's fifth foul in the Big Ben.
The score went back and forth. Every round was as difficult as squeezing water from a crack in a rock.
With one and a half minutes remaining in the match, the score was tied at 89-89.
Boston has possession.
Billups dribbled at the top of the key, directing his teammates' runs. Pierce received the ball at a 45-degree angle on the right, and Marion immediately closed in.
Pierce held the ball high with both hands, maintaining a calm gaze despite extreme fatigue, and caught Wade cutting along the baseline out of the corner of his eye. With a bounce pass, the basketball passed through the gap in the defense and landed precisely in Wade's path.
Wade received the ball and took off. O'Neal leaped to block, his massive shadow looming over the air. In mid-air, Wade executed an extreme layup, flicking the ball through the gap under O'Neal's armpit.
All the Boston fans stood up.
The basketball grazed the backboard, spun twice around the rim, but due to a final burst of energy and a stiff wrist, it slid off the rim.
Odom secured the rebound.
There are only 45 seconds left.
Kidd advanced past half-court and passed the ball directly to Jordan.
Jordan faced Pierce at the top of the key. The roar of the crowd was deafening. Jordan lowered his center of gravity and drove hard to the basket from the right. Pierce was right next to him, and the two engaged in a fierce physical battle near the free-throw line.
Jordan suddenly stopped, leaned back, and prepared to make the game-winning fadeaway jumper that had defeated countless opponents.
Pierce jumped with all his might, but his exhausted legs were already struggling to keep up. If Artest had been on the court, he would have given Jordan even more trouble.
Jordan smoothly adjusted the arc of his shot in mid-air, and the basketball flew past Pierce's fingertips toward the basket.
The entire room fell silent.
"Whoosh."
The crisp sound of the net swishing through the air rang out. The Lakers took a two-point lead.
With twenty seconds left, Boston was on a do-or-die offensive possession. Rick Carlisle had no timeouts left to call, Billups passed the ball to Pierce.
Pierce faced a double-team from Marion and Kidd beyond the three-point line, forcing a jump and releasing the shot. He was exhausted, but he had no other choice.
The basketball traced a slightly gentle arc in the air.
"Clang... Swish... Out."
The basketball slammed heavily against the inside of the rim, spun halfway around the net, and then bounced away mercilessly.
O'Neal blocked Big Ben and secured the rebound.
Billups was forced to commit a tactical foul. Kidd went to the free-throw line and made both shots, extending the lead to four points.
As Wade's hasty three-pointer missed, the buzzer sounded to signal the end of the game.
93 to 89.
The Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a hard-fought comeback on the road. After Artest's injury, the Lakers, led by Jordan and O'Neal, snatched a victory from Boston.
The score became 1-3.
The Boston Celtics are on the brink of elimination.
Pierce braced his hands on his knees, sweat splashing onto the floor. He gave it his all, putting up a well-rounded stat line of 28 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists, but it wasn't enough to turn the tide.
Jordan walked past him, patted Pierce on the back, and whispered something.
You almost won.
Even Jordan, who was used to big games, knew how dangerous this victory was.