Elden Campbell, who had just been double-teaming Wade outside the three-point line, turned around and slowly retreated back into the paint, a full three steps away from Ben Wallace at the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Richard Hamilton and Robinson on the wing stuck close to Raja Bell and Garnett, not even glancing at Big Ben with the ball.
The Detroit fans in the stands roared with laughter, chanting in unison, "Shoot! Shoot!"
Ben Wallace stood on the empty free-throw line with the ball in his hand, and paused for a moment.
Over the past few seasons, although he has worked hard with the shooting coach to practice free throws and 15-foot mid-range shots, this shot requires him to stand firmly on both feet and lower his waist to gather power before he can release the ball. He can make a few in training sessions when there is no interference, but once he enters the high-intensity competition, his wrist power is easily distorted.
Seeing the open space in front of him with no one guarding him, Big Ben Bryant glanced down at the basketball, bent his knees, and jumped to shoot.
"Bang!"
The ball bounced high off the metal rim behind the basket. Elden Campbell, crouched under the basket, barely needed to jump to easily grab the rebound.
Turning back, the Pistons patiently played a 20-second half-court game, and Richard Hamilton caught the ball after going around two screens and made a mid-range jumper. 0-2.
In the next possession, the Celtics were back in their own half.
Wade and Garnett attempted a pick-and-roll, but the Pistons ' Clifford Robinson and Lindsey Hunter repeated their strategy, continuing to double-team Wade at the top of the key. Meanwhile, Elden Campbell, who was guarding Ben Wallace, simply stood still in the paint, completely ignoring Big Ben standing in the right corner.
With Campbell blocking the basket, Garnett's space to cut to the basket was completely shut down, forcing Wade to pass the ball to the unguarded Ben Wallace once again.
Big Ben, who had just missed a mid-range shot, didn't attempt it again. He slammed the ball to the ground, took a step, and tried to drive to the basket for a dunk.
But Campbell had anticipated this move. Instead of lunging forward, Campbell retreated half a step outside the arc of the Crash zone, planted his feet firmly, and raised his arms straight above his head.
Larry Bird Brown made it very clear before the game: Ben Wallace had a free throw percentage of around 68% last season, so you can't foul him and send him to the free throw line unnecessarily. As long as you block his jump dunking distance and force him to finish with a floater or hook shot while moving, his less-than-soft touch near the basket will cause him to lose the ball.
Big Ben took a step and collided with Campbell's chest. He was still far from the basket and couldn't reach it for a dunk. He could only jump on one foot and push the ball towards the backboard with his right hand for a floater.
"Bang!"
The basketball hit the upper right corner of the backboard's black rim, but bounced off without even touching the hoop.
Campbell grabbed the rebound again, the Pistons pushed the ball over, and rookie Anthony backed down Pierce on the left side of the post, then turned and made a jump shot. 0-4.
In just four minutes, Larry Bird Brown used this strategy of leaving Big Ben open and playing five against four to completely shut down the Celtics' starting lineup's offensive space.
At the end of the fourth minute, Big Ben once again received a pass from Wade after he was double-teamed at the free-throw line. This time, he neither took a mid-range shot nor drove hard into the paint. Instead, he stood still, holding the ball with both hands, trying to find Pierce cutting in. However, his passing vision and technique were no match for Garnett's. After hesitating for less than two seconds, Lindsey Hunter on the wing suddenly reached out from the blind side and slapped the ball away from Big Ben, directly leading to Richard Hamilton's fast break layup.
0 to 8.
Rick Carlisle on the sidelines promptly called a timeout.
Big Ben walked off the court with his head down, wiping the sweat from his face with a towel. He knew very well that because of his poor finishing efficiency on offense, the opponents were now using his defenders to double-team Wade and Garnett without restraint, turning the entire starting lineup into a four-on-five situation on the court.
After the timeout, Rick Carlisle substituted Ben Wallace and Raja Bell early, bringing on Mehmet Okur and Gerald Wallace, who had performed well in yesterday's practice match.
The moment this inverted lineup entered the game, the situation on the field immediately changed.
Okur and Rasheed Wallace, who came on next, both moved to the three-point line, and the Pistons ' Campbell and Robinson no longer dared to huddle in the paint. With four minutes left in the second quarter, Okur received the ball at the top of the arc, drawing Campbell's defense, and Gerald Wallace drove directly from the baseline to the basket, receiving a high bounce pass from Okur and completing a two-handed dunk. He then grabbed two offensive rebounds under the basket and scored on second-chance opportunities.
Thanks to the performance of their second unit, the Celtics narrowed the score to 52-54 at halftime.
However, in the second half, especially in the final six minutes of the decisive fourth quarter, Rick Carlisle faced another dilemma.
If Ben Wallace isn't on the court, relying solely on Okur and Rasheed to protect the rim is simply not enough to stop Pistons's off-ball cuts and Anthony's drives to the basket for the Richard Hamilton, and they also can't hold onto the defensive rebounds. But once Big Ben is on the court, Larry Bird Brown immediately switches back to the five-on-four formation he used at the start of the game.
The Pistons completely left Big Ben open, allowing Elden Campbell and Clifford Robinson to take turns guarding him in the center of the paint. Every time Pierce drove to the basket, he was surrounded by three players.
In dire straits, the Celtics had no choice but to pass the ball to Kevin Garnett for a tough challenge.
Throughout the fourth quarter, Garnett gave it his all on the left side of the post and at the top of the key. Facing a double-team from Robinson and Campbell, he hit consecutive turnaround fadeaway jumpers, and even pulled up to the three-point line to sink a three-pointer over the defense, scoring 14 points in the quarter and carrying the entire crowded starting lineup forward on his own.
But two fists can't fight four hands. With 52 seconds left in the game, the Celtics were still down by three points, 98-101.
The Pistons simply surrounded Garnett and Pierce with three players outside the three-point line. Wade was double-teamed at the top of the arc, but managed to pass the ball to Ben Wallace, who was open at the free-throw line, before the 24-second violation. There were only four seconds left on the shot clock.
With no other option, Big Ben launched a 15-foot jump shot amid boos from 20,000 fans at the Palace of Auburn Hills and interference from inflatable batons waving from the back of the stands.
The basketball bounced twice on the rim before finally sliding off.
With Richard Hamilton making both free throws in the final moments, the final buzzer sounded, and the score was 100-105.
Garnett racked up 32 points, 15 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 blocks, but he still couldn't fill the hole he had dug for himself.
The Boston Celtics lost to the Detroit Pistons on the road, suffering their second defeat of the season.