With six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the score was 103-71, a difference of thirty-two points.
The DJ turned on the sound effects on the control panel, and the four large screens above the New Garden suddenly switched to a special display.
The Bee Gees' upbeat disco hit "You Should Be Dancing" filled the stadium as the big screen displayed the iconic image of an old man in a tight green and white striped T-shirt, wildly twirling his hips in the stands.
Gino Time!
The New Garden's signature act: as soon as this song plays, a video of Gino dancing is shown on the big screen, signifying that the game is no longer in doubt, the victory is secured, and the home fans begin their celebratory festivities.
Rick Carlisle immediately called for a substitution from the sidelines, waking up Brian Scalabrine who was sitting at the very end of the bench.
The red-haired white forward ripped off his warm-up shorts and jogged onto the court. A deafening roar of whistles and cheers erupted from the New Garden stands, with fans waving green and white towels, even more excited than when the star player had dunked.
On the other side, in front of the Cavaliers' bench, Chris Paul Russ called a timeout with a grim face. Ricky Davis had made 5 of 19 shots, and was still forcing shots against the defense at this point, so Russ immediately substituted him and put him on the bench.
But Nike's executive team was still sitting in the front row, and the cameras broadcasting the national show were pointed at the Cleveland Cavaliers' bench.
LeBron James only managed 12 points in the first three quarters against the constant interference from Garnett and Artest, with a shooting percentage of less than 40%. Russ hesitated for a moment, turned to look at LeBron James, and ultimately did not substitute him, allowing him to remain on the court to lead the substitutes.
The game restarted, and a peculiar scene unfolded on the field.
LeBron James stayed on the court against Boston's third unit and began to dominate. He received the ball in the backcourt and pushed the fast break all the way, using screens to cut into the paint for a layup, and then hit a pull-up jumper from mid-range. Scalabrine, who was defending him, was too slow to keep up with LeBron James's sprints and could only watch as LeBron James repeatedly drove into the paint to score.
The previously dull scoreboard began to move, with LeBron James ' score climbing from 12 points to quickly surpassing 20. The Nike executives in the first row on the sidelines relaxed slightly and quickly signaled to the camera crew to cut more close-ups of his drives.
But the fans at New Garden didn't care how many points LeBron James scored; the 20,000 people in the stands were chanting Scalabrine's name.
Turning back, Boston launched their attack.
Tyronn Lue crossed half-court, didn't look for anyone else, and directly passed the ball to Scalabrine had curled it out to the right corner.
The white, red-haired forward received the ball, faced the Cleveland Cavaliers' substitute defender who made a token effort to close in, planted his feet, jumped, and shot.
The basketball arced through the air and swished cleanly into the net!
The New Garden erupted in cheers. Garnett and Pierce on the bench were laughing so hard they were doubled over, with Garnett twirling a white towel around his head.
In the next possession, LeBron James drove to the basket for a dunk, bringing his personal score to 22 points.
Few people in the arena even noticed the basket. The Celtics quickly inbounded the ball and launched a counterattack, passing it back to Scalabrine near the free-throw line. The red-haired forward dribbled past his defender and, stepping on the free-throw line, executed a smooth pull-up jumper.
The ball swished through the net again!
In just four minutes, Scalabrine scored 7 points. Every time LeBron James made a basket on the other end, Scalabrine would respond with a mid-range or long-range shot amidst the applause of the entire arena. One was a high school number one draft pick, hailed as a national icon and valued at $90 million, yet racking up points in garbage time; the other was a red-haired fringe bench player on a minimum contract, taking shots wildly amidst the adoring cheers of the home crowd. Their scoring traded blows in the final moments.
Beal Walton, in the broadcast booth, laughed so hard he covered his forehead, "These last few minutes tonight are truly a rare spectacle."
The final whistle blew, and the score was 114-85.
The Boston Celtics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers by 29 points at home, securing a winning start to the new season.
The statistics showed LeBron James with 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, which seemed decent on its own. However, when the big screen announced the MVP, the image focused on Chris Paul Pierce, who scored 28 points and hit 4 three-pointers in just 27 minutes, alongside Garnett's 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists in 28 minutes.
At the post-game press conference, Cavaliers head coach Chris Paul Russ sighed helplessly in front of a room full of reporters.
"We spent the entire training camp studying Boston's game footage from the past four years, preparing for a physical battle with them. But tonight, the Celtics played a completely different game. Their pace was incredibly fast, and they were decisive and resolute in transition offense. Once they were down to half-court, their high pick-and-roll with guards back screens completely dismantled our interior defense. Facing a Boston that can both defend and run, the other teams in the Eastern Conference will have a lot of trouble this year."
The following morning, the headlines of major sports newspapers across the United States were all dominated by the previous night's game.
The Boston Globe featured a front-page photo of Pierce and Garnett chatting and laughing on the bench at the end of the third quarter, with the headline. "114 points! Celtics win big at home, starters clock out early in the third quarter."
In ESPN's morning show, commentators focused their discussions on tactical changes and the off-court sneaker market.
"What happened in Boston last night served as a wake-up call for all championship contenders in the league," basketball commentator Steve Kerr analyzed in the studio, holding a whiteboard. "While everyone was discussing how tightening the referees' calls on the perimeter would weaken Boston's defense, Rick Carlisle and Lin Qi directly unveiled a completely new offensive system. They capitalized on mismatches in transition with eight and a half seconds left, then executed pick-and-rolls in the half-court. Garnett and Pierce combined for 53 points in just 28 minutes. Now, Boston possesses both top-tier defense and first-rate offensive firepower."
Besides the game itself, the Converse "Experience" advertisement and Wade's promotional video, which aired last night, also sparked heated discussions on various campuses and in the sneaker market.
On the morning of October 30th, at the Auerbach training center.
Sam Presti walked into Lin Qi's office with a smile, carrying the latest report from Converse headquarters. "Boss, David Martin just called. After last night's game, pre-orders for Kevin's All-Round signature shoe and Dwyane's new shoes tripled across all stores in the US. Especially the mid-top All-Round version that Kevin wore; many young fans who usually only buy guard shoes are lining up to pre-order."
Lin Qi took the report, glanced at it, and casually placed it on the table. "Winning is always the best advertisement."