Tuesday, February 24th.
Boston has just experienced a heavy snowfall, with the banks of the Charles River outside TD Garden covered in more than half a meter of black and yellow snow, and the sea breeze blowing into the underground parking lot through the underpass.
Forty minutes before the tip-off for the 7:30 p. m. game against the Chicago Bulls, a group of reporters outside the visiting team's locker room started arguing.
The Chicago Bulls ' press officer awkwardly posted a freshly printed injury report on the whiteboard outside the door. Shaquille O'Neal O'Neal's name was prominently displayed in the center, and the reason for his injury was simply stated in four words: lower back spasms.
Bob Ryan, a veteran reporter for the Boston Globe, shoved a recorder right into the press officer's mouth. "Last night in Auburn Hills against Detroit, Shaq played 38 minutes in the paint, even managing to dunk over Elden Campbell and Clifford Robinson in the fourth quarter. He came to Boston, slept for a bit, and suddenly had a back spasm? Can't you guys at least put some effort into your excuses?"
Standing in the back row Chicago beat reporter Rick Morrissey, with his hands in his coat pockets, sneered, "Alright Bob, last night was a grueling game in Detroit, and tonight it's a back-to-back against Boston. If Shaq goes out there to battle Garnett and Big Ben Wallace again, what if he twists his knee or aggravates his old big toe injury? What will John Paxson use to negotiate a trade with other teams this summer?"
After listening, the seasoned reporters in the corridor exchanged glances and all laughed.
This is something that's an open secret within the league.
Last summer, the Chicago Bulls traded Kobe, who was embroiled in legal trouble, back to Los Angeles in exchange for O'Neal. They quickly realized the trade wasn't as glamorous as they'd imagined. The Big Shark's weight began to spiral out of control, his belly piling up in layers. While he could indeed dominate most of the league's big men for a limited twenty minutes, his slow footwork and frequent calf strains made it impossible for him to lead a group of young guards like Jay Williams through the Eastern Conference.
Chicago Bulls owner Reinsdorf and general manager John Paxson had already agreed that they had to trade O'Neal this summer.
In order to maintain O'Neal's dominance in the paint and ensure his continued market share during June negotiations, Chicago Bulls head coach Scott Skiles received instructions from management: give O'Neal the day off for the second game of a back-to-back or any away game against a tough defensive opponent. The Chicago Bulls would rather lose a few regular-season games than risk a huge contract falling through their hands by letting O'Neal make any mistakes against a tough opponent like the Boston Celtics.
The VIP box on the top floor was very warm.
Lin Qi held a cup of hot black tea in his hand, watching the two teams of players practicing their pre-game shooting downstairs through the large one-way glass.
Presti walked in, holding the starting lineup that had just been handed to him by the scorer's table. " Chicago's starting lineup has changed. Antonio Davis will be at center, partnered with Donyell Marshall. The bench will have Paul Shirley and Lonnie Baxter, and the perimeter will be Jalen Rose, Jamal Crawford, and Jay Williams. Shaq will be on the bench tonight in a suit."
Lin Qi took a sip of tea and glanced at the away team's bench.
Skiles is a smart man. The Chicago Bulls fought hard in Detroit last night, losing by three points in the final seconds, and the whole team was exhausted. Sending O'Neal out to take on Big Ben and Rasheed at that moment would have been asking for trouble.
Downstairs, through the tunnel leading to the away team's bench, O'Neal had already swaggered out.
He was wearing an oversized, custom-made dark gray suit over an unbuttoned pink shirt, with a thick gold chain hanging from his chest. His massive frame was sunken into the extra-wide folding chair that Chicago Bulls had specially prepared, his two thick legs dangling out, wearing a pair of loosely lacered casual leather shoes.
He was chewing bubble gum, his cheeks puffing out, when suddenly he blew out a large pink bubble, which popped with a "pop" in front of his lips, prompting a few fans in the first row to clap and cheer. O'Neal pushed his sunglasses up his nose and waved to the stands with a grin.
There are only a handful of people in the entire league who earn more than 20 million US dollars a year, and Shaq O'Neal is the only one who can sit comfortably on the sidelines and watch the game like this.
Lin Qi looked at O'Neal's leisurely demeanor and a cold smile crept across his face. The Chicago Bulls thought that by putting O'Neal out of the game, they could preserve his trade value, but in the summer, there were only two or three teams that were truly capable of taking him on. Paxson wanted to sell this giant for a high price, but in the end, he would inevitably be pressured by the combined efforts of various general managers to lower the price.
At 7:30 sharp, the referee tossed the ball up from the center circle, Big Ben Wallace outjumped Antonio Davis to tip the ball backcourt.
Less than five minutes into the game, the momentum shifted completely in Boston's favor.
The Chicago Bulls ' backcourt, exhausted from their game in Detroit last night, felt like they were made of lead. Jay Williams, facing Raja Bell's relentless defense, lost possession twice in a row. Crawford, with Chris Paul Pierce's long arms overhead, repeatedly bounced off the front of his mid-range jumper. The Chicago Bulls' interior defense was held up by Antonio Davis and Donyell Marshall, while Paul Shirley, who came in after being substituted, couldn't keep up, and the paint was riddled with holes by Boston's attacks.
Without O'Neal drawing double teams in the low post, the Chicago Bulls ' half-court offense became a mess.
Midway through the second quarter, Rick Carlisle substituted Wade in.
Facing the Chicago Bulls' slow retreat, Wade pushed the fast break twice in a row.
After a pick-and-roll at the top of the key, Wade used Mehmet Okur's pop-up to draw the defender away, and with his first step, he pushed off the ground and squeezed past Crawford. Donyell Marshall, who was helping on defense, took a heavy step and his center of gravity had just shifted forward when Wade had already taken off a step inside the free-throw line, slightly shrinking his body in the air to avoid the block, and dunked the ball into the basket with his right hand.
The basketball hoop shook violently, and the basketball bounced high off the floor.
On the visiting team's bench, O'Neal stopped chewing. He pulled his sunglasses down half an inch, glanced at Wade running back to his half of the court, and his smile faded considerably.
At halftime, the score was 56-34, with Boston leading by 22 points. Chicago Bulls starting point guard Jay Williams had a 1-for-5 shooting performance and four turnovers in the first half; as Jalen Rose walked towards the locker room tunnel, he kicked the advertising board heavily on the sidelines, making a loud thud.
The second half became a mere formality. Rick Carlisle substituted the starters early, and Garnett even put on a hooded training suit in the fourth quarter, leaning back in his chair and chatting with Gary Payton about where to go for steak on the weekend.
The score was 118 to 74; the game ended when the whistle blew.
The players' tunnel was packed with reporters from all walks of life, each carrying recording equipment.
Skiles was bombarded with questions from reporters in the press conference room, his face grim as he repeated the official statement, insisting that O'Neal's absence was entirely due to the medical team's careful assessment of his back condition.
At the corner of the corridor, Lin Qi had just stepped out of the elevator when he bumped into O'Neal, who was preparing to leave early.