On the evening of November 1st, at Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey.
Half an hour before the game was scheduled to start, the media section behind the away team's bench was already filled with sports reporters from New York and New Jersey.
The match started promptly at 7:30 p. m.
The New Jersey Nets fielded their proud starting lineup: point guard Andrei Miller, shooting guard Joe Johnson, small forward Andrei Kirilenko, power forward Elton Brand, and center Yao Ming.
The moment this lineup stepped onto the court, the sheer size and wingspan of their players created an overwhelming sense of pressure.
After the jump ball, the Nets got the first possession.
Andrei Miller dribbled steadily across half-court. Facing Wade's tight defense, he used his solid back-to-the-basket defense to assess the situation and casually lobbed the ball to Yao Ming was well-positioned in the low post.
After a season of strength training, Yao Ming's lower body is noticeably thicker than last season. Ben Wallace is behind him, using his chest to push against Yao Ming's lower back, trying to push him out of the paint.
After receiving the ball, Yao Ming didn't rush to dribble. He first leaned against Big Ben to feel the defensive balance, then pivoted on his left foot and suddenly turned towards the baseline. After turning, he raised the ball directly above his head, flicked his wrist gently, and completed a hook shot.
Ben Wallace leaped with all his might to block the shot, but his fingertips were still nearly ten centimeters away from the basketball.
The basketball swished through the net. 2-0.
The Celtics then launched their attack.
Wade received the ball at the top of the arc, used Garnett's screen to get past the slower Andrei Miller, and drove straight to the basket along the right-hand tunnel.
As soon as he stepped into the three-second zone, Yao Ming, who was guarding the basket, immediately stepped forward and raised his arms to block the angle from the front. Almost at the same time, Kirilenko, who was originally guarding Raja Bell in the weak side corner, suddenly abandoned his defender and took a big step across the paint to rush over.
Wade was in the air with Yao Ming's towering height in front of him and Kirilenko's long arm reaching out from the side. He barely managed to pull up for a layup, but the basketball was slapped out of bounds by Kirilenko the moment it left his fingertips.
A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the stands of the Continental Airlines Arena.
The Nets' interior defense features Yao Ming protecting the rim, Brand out for the perimeter, and Kirilenko using his incredible speed and wingspan to sweep and help on the weak side. Ordinary guards have a hard time finding scoring opportunities when they drive in.
Before inbounding the ball from the baseline, Garnett walked over to Wade and patted him on the back of the head.
" Dwyane, don't just blindly jump into the crowd," Garnett pointed to Kirilenko under the basket. "That Russia likes to jump early to get blocked. After you drive in, slow down his pace, fake out his center of gravity, and then pass the ball. Ben and I are waiting down there."
Wade took a deep breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and nodded vigorously.
One minute later, the Celtics launched another half-court attack.
Wade called for Boston Pick-and-Roll at the top of the key. Ben Wallace set the screen, Pierce slid down from the weak side to near the baseline, using his back to block Yao Ming and delaying Yao Ming's retreat to protect the rim.
Wade seized the opportunity and cut inside the free-throw line.
As expected, Kirilenko on the weak side once again left Bell behind and rushed over at full speed from the side to block the shot.
This time, Wade didn't jump straight for a layup. The moment he stepped into the paint, he suddenly slowed down, took a half step forward with his right foot, shrugged his shoulders, and made a convincing floater fake.
Kirilenko, eager to block the shot, fell for the trap and leaped high into the air, lunging at the air above Wade's head.
As Kirilenko lost his balance in mid-air, Wade gently pressed down with his wrist, sending the basketball bouncing past Kirilenko's side and landing precisely in the hands of Ben Wallace, who was cutting down the court.
At that moment, Yao Ming had just gotten around Pierce's screen and didn't have time to turn around. Big Ben Wallace caught the ball, jumped up with both feet, grabbed the basketball with both hands, and slammed it into the basket!
After landing, Big Ben turned around, glanced at Wade, and gave him an approving look.
In the next possession, Wade once again used his speed to penetrate the paint, drawing Elton Brand and Kirilenko to collapse into the paint simultaneously. With a flick of his wrist, he passed the ball to Garnett, who bounced to the left side of the free-throw line. Garnett caught the ball, jumped, and calmly sank an 18-foot mid-range jumper.
Rick Carlisle on the sidelines nodded in satisfaction. Facing the top interior defense in the Eastern Conference, Wade only suffered one setback before figuring out the opponent's help defense tactics.
The first quarter was a close contest between the two teams. Yao Ming scored 7 points on 3-of-4 shooting in the low post, while Garnett and Pierce responded frequently with mid-range shots after pick-and-rolls. With two minutes left in the first quarter, the score was 26-24, with the Celtics leading by two points.
After the official pause, both sides began rotating players.
Nets head coach Byron Scott glanced at the scorer's table and decided to keep Yao Ming and Kirilenko on the court, only substituting Richard Jefferson and Sio Harris, intending to take advantage of the time when Garnett and Ben Wallace were resting to continue to bully the opponent with their height in the paint.
Rick Carlisle also began making substitutions, and the lineup on the field became: Tyronn Lue, Tayshaun Prince, Ron Artest, Rasheed Wallace, and Mehmet Okur.
As soon as Boston's second unit entered the game, their positioning made Scott on the sidelines frown.
Tyronn Lue dribbled past half-court. Center Okur and power forward Rasheed Wallace both failed to enter the paint. Okur stood a step outside the three-point line at the top of the arc, while Rasheed moved to the left 45-degree angle outside the three-point line.
With Prince and Artest in the corners, all five Boston players were positioned outside the three-point line, leaving the entire paint area empty.
Standing in the paint, Yao Ming glanced left and right, hesitating for a moment. If he stayed under the basket to protect the rim, Okur at the top of the key would be facing an unassailable defense. If he rushed out to the three-point line to defend Okur, the Nets ' paint would only have Brand left.
In that split second that Yao Ming hesitated, Tyronn Lue made his move.
Okur set a screen for Tyronn Lue, who dribbled a step inside, drawing the Nets' defense to collapse. Okur then stepped back to the top of the arc, outside the three-point line.
Tyronn Lue passed the ball back to Okur.
Yao Ming took heavy steps and lunged towards the free-throw line, but he was a fraction of a second too slow. By the time he reached the three-point line, Okur had already jumped and released the ball.
The basketball spun and fell into the net. 29 to 24.
Before the end of the first quarter, the Nets missed a shot, and Rasheed grabbed the rebound and passed it directly to Tyronn Lue.
Half-conversion offense.
Okur quickly sprinted down the right sideline to the corner, Rasheed Wallace followed from the middle to the top of the arc. Yao Ming was still gritting his teeth and running back near the midline when Tyronn Lue suddenly stopped and turned at the free-throw line, passing the ball to Rasheed Wallace, who was unguarded at the top of the arc.
Rasheed received the ball, stood still, glanced at the basket slowly, and jumped to shoot.
Another swish into the net! 32-24, end of the first quarter.