This series saw the two players jointly deliver three 50+ point performances: Iverson scored 54 and 52 points in Games 2 and 5 respectively, while Carter dropped 50 points in Game 3.
However, in the deciding Game 7, Carter, playing all 48 minutes, missed a buzzer-beating shot, losing the crucial game and sparking a major controversy.
It wasn't that the Raptors fans couldn't accept defeat; the controversy erupted after news broke that Carter had chartered a private plane to North Carolina for his graduation ceremony on the eve of this do-or-die game.
He valued his graduation ceremony more than his team's chance to advance?
If Carter had made the game-winning shot in Game 7, it would have become a legendary tale in his career.
But losing turned it into evidence of his arrogance. Some extreme Raptors fans ignited a public outcry against Carter.
After his on-court disappointment, Carter was once again subjected to off-court hostility, suffering a double blow!
But this was the path Carter chose; whether it was right or wrong, it couldn't be changed and could only be left for posterity to judge.
Iverson narrowly survived the Eastern Conference Semifinals. In the Eastern Conference Finals, he faced the impact of the Bucks' three musketeers, scoring 34 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists in the first game... Oh, wait, compared to Kobe's 45 points and 10 rebounds, and He Xi Meng's 51 points and 13 assists in the Western Conference, Iverson's 34 points couldn't be called a scoring outburst; it was merely a decent performance.
Iverson watched the live broadcast of this game at home. The Eastern and Western Conference Finals were not held on the same day.
Seeing Kobe and He Xi Meng going head-to-head on the court, even the fiery Iverson couldn't help but curse, "Damn it! Who is the league's leading scorer this season?"
Tonight, it wasn't just Iverson. After watching the Western Conference broadcast, many players stayed up late, calling friends to play pickup games. Without a game, without breaking a sweat, it was hard to shake off the image of He Xi Meng's incredible scoring spree from their minds.
He Xi Meng's reputation as a "scoring machine" was that terrifying!
But as the ancients said, "Extreme prosperity leads to decline!"
He Xi Meng's sensational performance this season reached its peak after the first game of the Western Conference Finals. After the peak, came the decline.
In the following three games, He Xi Meng's shooting percentage plummeted. Actually, it wasn't a cliff dive, but rather a return to normal levels, no longer as unstoppable as in the first game.
With He Xi Meng back to his usual self, even with unlimited shot attempts, he could average around 30 points per game, but it wasn't enough to lead the Spurs to defeat the combined might of the OK combination.
Kobe, after being defeated by He Xi Meng in the first game, realized that without Shaq's help, it would be difficult for him to lead the team to defeat this Spurs team! Even though this Spurs team didn't have Duncan, He Xi Meng still had David Robinson, Brad Miller, Bowen, Ridnour, and Ginobili around him. Although these players individually ranked as second-tier or near first-tier in the current league, under He Xi Meng's orchestration, their threat was no less than that of typical first-tier players.
This was the Spurs' most troublesome aspect: their team chemistry!
In other teams, role players were just role players, but on the Spurs, role players could at any moment unleash the strength of star players!
Realizing this, Kobe lowered his stance and helped Shaq escape foul trouble, prioritizing assists to Shaq for direct scores through pick-and-rolls, avoiding Shaq getting trapped in isolation plays and giving the Spurs an opportunity to employ the "hack-a-Shaq" tactic.
The two worked together seamlessly, winning three consecutive games and successfully pushing the Spurs to the brink of elimination at 3-1.
In Game 5, with no room to retreat, the Spurs fought back with all their might on their home court!
The eyes of fans worldwide focused on He Xi Meng, expecting him to once again display his "scoring machine" prowess and defeat the Lakers with a 50+ point game!
In fact, He Xi Meng had the same intention. Since their hopes of advancing in the series were all but dashed, why not give the fans an exciting game and help the Spurs win another game?
To witness He Xi Meng create another miracle moment, Kailan specially took leave from the film crew and flew to San Antonio to cheer him on.
Duncan, in a wheelchair and accompanied by Amy, also came to the arena to support the Spurs.
Duncan's appearance was met with thunderous cheers from the crowd. Everyone stood up to salute their injured leader. If Duncan hadn't been injured this year, the Spurs would have had no reason to fear the current Lakers and would likely have been contenders for the championship again. But now, all those hopes had to be deferred to next season.
After symbolically waving to the surrounding fans, Duncan impatiently went to the player's bench and, staring at He Xi Meng, said, "Can you give me back my No. 21 jersey now?"
He Xi Meng grinned mischievously and shook his head, refusing, "You in a wheelchair don't deserve that No. 21 jersey..."
Duncan was stunned, almost unable to breathe.
"Come here, let me lend you my truest strength..."
He Xi Meng shook his head. "No! The strength from your No. 21 jersey is enough for me!"
Duncan was furious; He Xi Meng was too difficult to fool. Annoyed, Duncan turned his gaze to his other "ignorant" teammates and, as they leaned over to greet the wheelchair-bound Duncan, took the opportunity.
Duncan reached out and touched their heads one by one, calling it a "blessing"!
From Brad Miller to Bowen, from Ridnour to Ginobili... Duncan spared none of them!
Of course, besides He Xi Meng, David Robinson was another clear-headed individual. When greeting Duncan, David Robinson stopped Duncan's "blessing" gesture with his eyes. Duncan, out of respect for David Robinson as a senior, smiled and let go of David Robinson's head. David Robinson's buzz cut remained proudly erect even in his retirement!
After bestowing his blessings, Duncan, like a fully leveled-up cleric, returned to the VIP seats behind the player's bench, contentedly telling his teammates, "Today, you will all be blessed by the great god from the Virgin Islands and will be in peak form..."
He Xi Meng and David Robinson looked at their teammates, who were now hyped up and eager to roar, and exchanged a knowing smile.
The game began, and He Xi Meng was surprised to find that his teammates were indeed in better form than him!
Brad Miller hit a three-pointer to start, Bowen sank a corner three, and Ridnour made a mid-range jumper.
In the Spurs' first three possessions, He Xi Meng hadn't even taken a shot yet, and he already had 3 assists!
Could it be that Duncan's "hair-loss-treating" charlatan really had a side effect of bestowing blessings?
An 8-0 run left the Lakers instantly stunned: "What happened to the one scoring machine? How did it turn into a group of scoring machines?"