December 25th, Christmas Day.
Boston is experiencing its busiest holiday in nearly five years. At 8:30 a. m., half an hour before the first Christmas morning screenings at major theaters across the United States, lines stretching hundreds of meters long have formed in front of all 2,400 movie theaters across the country, from Times Square in New York and Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles to Copley Square in Boston.
Paramount and Colombia Pictures' Christmas blockbuster " Kingmaker Part 1" officially premiered today. Thanks to the positive word-of-mouth garnered during its two weeks of previews, coupled with the widespread circulation of a behind-the-scenes article in the Boston Globe detailing Keanu Reeves and Brad Pete's portrayal of Lin Qi, this film, originally considered a niche sports business thriller, has completely broken into the mainstream, becoming the hottest cultural event of the Christmas season.
At 12:30 pm, Paramount's publishing manager called.
"Mr. Lin, the attendance figures for the morning and afternoon screenings across the US are in, averaging a whopping 94%. Theater managers are urgently cutting screenings of other comedies and adding extra theaters. Today's opening day box office is projected to exceed $24.6 million, breaking the North America single-day Christmas box office record."
Lin Qi stood by the window, watching the crowds queuing downstairs in the cold wind to enter the theater, and simply instructed, "Send the estimated box office figures to all the TV networks. Thanks for your hard work."
2:30 PM, New Garden.
Nearly 20,000 fans wearing green jerseys packed the stands to the brim.
Keanu Reeves Brad Pete, the two stars of " Kingmaker," who had just finished their promotional trip to New York, along with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, Boston locals who made cameo appearances in the film, were sitting in the front row with Lin Qi.
When the big screen cut to a close-up of the front row, showing Keanu Reeves, Brad Pete, and Lin Qi together, the entire New Garden erupted in a deafening roar of cheers.
"My God, this cheering is even louder than what we heard at the New York premiere," Brad Pete laughed, took off his sunglasses, waved at the camera, and turned to Lin Qi beside him. "Lin, I heard a few reporters whispering that the Nets are going to give us a hard time today?"
"Those guys from New Jersey are really stubborn lately," Ben Affleck said, taking a big gulp of ice-cold beer and pointing angrily at the Nets players warming up on the opposite half of the court. "The other day I was on a radio show in New York, and the host was bragging to my face about the Nets ' interior defense, saying that the whole league has figured out the Celtics. He said that as long as you leave Ben Wallace open and make the center stay put, the Celtics ' offense will shut down."
Matt Damon munched on popcorn, frowned, and sighed. "These past two weeks have been really frustrating to watch. Every time the opponent retreats to the basket, leaving Big Ben stranded outside the free-throw line, the Celtics have a really tough time. Today, they have Yao Ming standing under the basket. If they can't make shots from the outside or drive to the basket like they have in the previous games, Christmas will really be a nightmare for New Jersey Nets fans."
Keanu Reeves glanced at the composed Lin Qi with interest. "When I was studying my character on set, I practically wore out Lynch's draft and trade records from the 90s. I only know one thing: when the entire American media thinks Lynch is helpless, it usually means someone is about to fall into a trap."
Lin Qi leaned back in his chair, chuckled, and patted Affleck's knee. "Don't worry, drink your beer, Ben. We won't keep making the same mistake."
On the nationally televised ABC broadcast, Al Michael, wearing headphones, chuckled, "Ladies and gentlemen, half the nation is in theaters watching Keanu Reeves and Brad Pete's Lin Qi rebuild the Celtics in the 90s, while the other half is glued to their TVs watching the real-life Celtics face off against the New Jersey Nets. Hubie, the starting lineups are already on the court. How do you think Byron Scott will set up his defense today?"
Coach Hubie Brown glanced at the roster. " The Nets are starting with Andrei Miller, Joe Johnson, Kirilenko, Brand, and Yao Ming. That's a very strong lineup. Boston is sticking with Wade, Raja Bell, Pierce, Garnett, and Ben Wallace. Garnett's three-point shooting percentage this year is a whopping 42%, Brand definitely won't leave him open. Therefore, Scott only has one option today: bench Yao Ming, leave Yao Ming Wallace open for Big Ben shots, and gamble on Wade's hot hand."
Referee Dick Bavetta tossed the basketball into the air, and the Christmas Day game officially began.
Just as Hubie Brown predicted, the Nets made their defensive intentions clear from the very first possession.
On the Celtics' first possession, Wade dribbled the ball across half-court, Ben Wallace moved up to the top of the key to set a screen, Garnett immediately circled up from near the free-throw line, ready to set a back screen for Big Ben and bounce out.
Elton Brand, guarding Garnett, was wary of Garnett's three-point shooting and didn't dare to slack off, squeezing his way to Garnett's side early on. Meanwhile, at the top of the arc, Andrei Miller desperately squeezed through the screen, forcing Wade towards the free-throw line.
As for Yao Ming, who was defending Big Ben, he made no attempt to move up to the free-throw line to delay the shot. His feet were firmly planted in the three-second zone, a good two steps away from the free-throw line.
Wade passed the ball to Big Ben, who was cutting to the basket and stopped at the free-throw line.
On the Nets' Nets, Richard Jefferson and several other substitutes immediately stood up and started heckling, waving towels and shouting, "Let him shoot! Let him shoot!"
Big Ben received the ball and immediately pulled up for a mid-range jumper. Unfortunately, he had a poor start to the game, and the ball bounced high off the back of the rim, allowing Yao Ming to grab the defensive rebound.
Turning back, Andrei Miller advanced the ball upcourt and passed it to the low post. Yao Ming, backed down against Big Ben, turned and hooked the ball in. 0-2.
For the next three minutes, the situation on the field fell completely into Byron Scott's calculations.
The Nets ' defensive roles were clearly defined. Joe Johnson and Kirilenko locked down Raja Bell and Pierce respectively, Brand guarded Garnett was pulled to the perimeter throughout the game, leaving Yao Ming to guard the paint alone.
In the first minute and a half, Wade used a screen to drive to the free-throw line, facing Yao Ming was retreating under the basket, and opted for a pull-up jump shot. Wade's shooting touch was indeed a bit cold at the start of the game; the basketball spun around the rim and then slipped out.
With 2 minutes and 30 seconds remaining, Wade attempted another mid-range jumper, but the ball bounced off the front of the rim. The Nets capitalized on the momentum with a fast break, Andrei Miller made a long pass to the frontcourt, Kirilenko received the ball on a fast break and dunked it with both hands.
With 3 minutes and 40 seconds remaining, Big Ben got another wide-open shot from the free-throw line. He gritted his teeth and took the shot, but the ball missed again. Joe Johnson grabbed the long rebound and made a fast break mid-range jumper.
2-10. Less than four minutes into the game, the visiting Nets took the initiative and forced the Celtics to call a timeout.