As the fourth quarter final whistle blew, the atmosphere inside the New Garden reached its peak.
Trailing by five points going into the final quarter, the Lakers displayed the depth of a super team. Michael Jordan used a series of jab steps to create space on the right side before hitting a fadeaway jumper. Immediately afterwards, Shaquille O'Neal O'Neal used his size to dominate the returning Ben Wallace in the low post, scoring with a hook shot and drawing a foul.
In just one and a half minutes, the Lakers went on a 5-0 run, instantly tying the score at 71-71.
Boston's offense stalled, and the players were exhausted. Instead of calling a timeout, head coach Rick Carlisle clapped his hands and made a fist bump gesture towards the court.
This is a signal to initiate a high pick-and-roll.
Dwyane Wade stabilized his rhythm at the top of the arc, lowering his center of gravity. Kevin Garnett immediately understood, quickly moving up from the paint and positioning himself outside the three-point line to set a screen for Wade.
Garnett's screen was of very high quality, completely blocking Kidd who was guarding him.
In that split second, Wade displayed the explosiveness of his first step. He quickly cut into the paint, shaking off not only Kidd, but even Charles Barkley, who was trying to switch on defense, couldn't keep up with him.
Wade drove straight into the Lakers ' paint. Seeing this, O'Neal, guarding the basket, could only move forward, spreading his arms to block the rookie.
But Wade remained calm as he sped along, using his peripheral vision to detect the movement behind him. Just before O'Neal came to help defend, Wade didn't force a layup, but instead gently tossed the ball towards the basket.
O'Neal immediately turned around.
After completing the pick-and-roll, Garnett rolled to the basket, shaking off all his defenders, and leaped high. In mid-air, he accurately caught the basketball tossed to him by Wade with one hand, and using the momentum of his sprint, he slammed the ball into the hoop over O'Neal's defense! 73-71.
The rim made a dull thud. Garnett released the rim and landed with a shout.
This exquisite pick-and-roll alley-oop once again ignited the atmosphere at the New Garden. Wade, a rookie guard, and Garnett, a versatile power forward in his prime, delivered an outstanding tactical performance under the high pressure of the NBA Finals.
The Lakers ' defense immediately felt the pressure. Phil Jackson gestured from the sidelines, instructing Sean Marion and Jordan on the perimeter to be ready to collapse and disrupt the pick-and-roll connection.
Two minutes later, the same tactic was launched again at the top of the arc.
Garnett set a screen, and Wade used it to accelerate into the paint again. But this time, the Lakers were prepared. O'Neal blocked him from the front, and Marion and Jordan on the wings decisively abandoned the perimeter and collapsed to double-team him.
Wade was instantly surrounded by three defenders. An ordinary rookie, under the intense defensive pressure of the NBA Finals, would likely have made a mistake.
But at the moment Wade jumped to collect the ball, he calmly passed it through the gap formed by the three men's intertwined arms to the three-point line at a 45-degree angle on the left.
That was the opening created when the Lakers collapsed their defense.
Chris Paul Pierce was already waiting there. His jersey was soaked with sweat, and there were scratches on his right eyebrow from a scramble for the ball.
Pierce catches the ball, adjusts his breathing, jumps, and flicks his wrist. The entire movement is executed without any hesitation.
The moment Jordan lunged back, the basketball had already passed his fingertips, tracing a perfect parabola through the air.
"Whoosh!"
The three-pointer went in perfectly! 76-71!
Midway through the fourth quarter, Boston, through Wade's drive and dish and Garnett's screen, re-established a five-point lead with consecutive baskets.
After Pierce hit the three-pointer, he pounded his chest and gave Wade a high-five as he ran back. The roar of the New Garden reached its peak, with the entire crowd stomping their feet in unison, waiting for the final six minutes of the series.
The whistle for a timeout interrupted the cheers at New Garden. Phil Jackson sat on the visiting team's bench, looking at the five-point deficit on the scoreboard, his expression unchanged.
"Give the ball to Michael."
The timeout ended, Lakers ' comeback began.
Jordan backed down Pierce in the mid-range on the left. Pierce was exhausted and his legs felt heavy. Jordan noticed his opponent's sluggish footwork and, without any feints, executed a clean and crisp turnaround fadeaway. The ball swished through the net. 76-73.
In the next possession, the Lakers spread out on the perimeter, and Kidd lobbed the ball high into the paint. O'Neal received the ball in the low post, and facing Ben Wallace's tight defense, the heavy center lowered his shoulders and used his weight to turn around and knock Big Ben. O'Neal dunked with both hands, drawing Big Ben's fifth foul.
Just a minute and a half later, Boston's lead vanished. After O'Neal made the free throw, the score was tied again at 76-76.
The game turned into a war of attrition. Every point scored by both sides was accompanied by the sounds of muscles colliding and players breathing heavily.
With one minute and twelve seconds remaining in the game, the scoreboard showed Boston trailing by one point at 84-85.
Dwyane Wade has the ball at the top of the key. The relatively energetic rookie tries to use his speed to break through the defense again, but as soon as he starts moving, Jordan moves laterally into his path. Jordan blocks Wade's angle of travel and reaches out to steal the ball.
In the instant he lost his balance, Wade used his core strength to forcefully fling the ball towards the right corner before falling to the ground.
Pierce received the pass that almost resulted in a turnover. Marion lunged to block it, but Pierce calmly tapped his toe, using a convincing shooting fake to shake Marion off his feet. He then took a step to the side and calmly pushed the ball out from beyond the three-point line.
"Whoosh!"
A three-pointer hits! 87-85, Boston completes the comeback with 42 seconds left!
A huge cheer erupted inside the New Garden, but Rick Carlisle on the sidelines kept gesturing with his hands and yelling, "Back on defense! Back on defense!"
The Lakers didn't call a timeout. Kidd quickly advanced the ball past half-court and passed it to Jordan on the right side.
All eyes were on Jordan. He was being guarded by Tayshaun Prince, who was also exhausted.
Time passed gradually.
Jordan moved. He lowered his center of gravity and made two convincing crossover steps in a row, trying to create space for the defense. Prince did his best to slide back, and as Jordan moved to the right side of the free throw line, he prepared to jump.
At this moment, Garnett, who had been guarding Barkley in the paint, had his eyes completely locked on Jordan's footwork. He was very familiar with Jordan's offensive habits. Garnett keenly noticed that after dribbling on the left side, Jordan always preferred to turn and pull up for a layup instead of going to the baseline.
Just as Jordan was about to gather the ball and turn around, Garnett decisively abandoned his defense against Barkley, took a step ahead, and blocked Jordan's path as he turned.
Jordan had just turned around, and before he could fully protect the basketball, Garnett's long arms had already reached out. He precisely cut into the ball and snatched it from Jordan's hands!
The basketball bounced on the floor and rolled to the side. Jordan and Garnett both reached out to grab it, but Garnett used his wingspan advantage to touch the ball first. He then slid down to tackle it, pinning the ball firmly beneath him.
The referee blew the final whistle at the same time for a long duration.
Despite Artest's absence and the players being severely exhausted, the Boston Celtics relied on Garnett's accurate anticipation and steals in crucial moments to successfully defend their home court and drag the NBA Finals into a second game.