Thus, against expectations, the Spurs secured their spot on the grand stage of the NBA Finals with the least effort, patiently awaiting the king of the Eastern Conference.
Compared to the Western Conference Finals, the Eastern Conference Finals were far more intense.
Though the Pistons lost Ben Wallace this season, they managed to sign the bought-out Rasheed Wallace!
Wallace had previously played for the Philadelphia 76ers, but his time there was unhappy. While he had no conflict with the 76ers' soul player Iverson, he was at odds with head coach Cheeks.
Cheeks believed Wallace's skills were insufficient for a starting role and wanted him to come off the bench, or even to be a reserve player!
But Iverson didn't see it that way.
Iverson also had issues with Cheeks. As a former assistant under Larry Brown, Cheeks' coaching philosophy was heavily influenced by the Brown system, which Iverson found inherently disagreeable.
Iverson had been pressuring the 76ers management to acquire strong support to help him contend for a championship.
The management tried, and they brought in the former All-Star power forward, Wallace.
However, Head Coach Cheeks wouldn't let Wallace play properly, looking down on him and intent on marginalizing him.
This further intensified the conflict between Iverson and Cheeks, to the point where Iverson later publicly declared, "Cheeks is a good person, but not a good coach. Philadelphia has only one choice: either I go, or Cheeks goes..."
Ultimately, the 76ers management made a painful decision in late December 2006 to trade Iverson and rebuild the team.
After Iverson left, Wallace had no reason to stay in Philadelphia.
A month later, Wallace reached a buyout agreement with the 76ers and joined the Pistons!
Rasheed Wallace, Webber, Prince, Hamilton, Billups!
This was the Pistons' starting lineup for the latter half of the season.
Compared to the previous Pistons squad, this iteration maintained its perimeter strength but saw a slight improvement in interior offensive capability, while defensive strength declined noticeably.
Both Rasheed Wallace and a significantly faded Webber struggled to contain Yao Ming one-on-one.
And if the Pistons resorted to double-teaming inside, their perimeter defense would inevitably create openings, compromising the Motor City's ironclad defense.
Game 1, Pistons' home court.
Due to the Celtics' poor regular-season record, they lacked home-court advantage in every playoff round. This held true for the Eastern Conference Finals as well.
The Pistons, on their home court, were determined to play their signature defensive game, aiming to stifle the Celtics' offensive tempo.
The Celtics, of course, did not want that!
To break through the Pistons' defense, they needed to increase the game's pace as much as possible, playing fast and forcing the Pistons to make difficult choices.
However, being on the Motor City's home court, the Pistons controlled the game's tempo firmly, never allowing the Celtics to speed up. The Celtics were forced into half-court sets.
In half-court offense, the Celtics' attack focused on two points: inside scoring from Yao Ming and drives from Carter on the perimeter.
Coach Kerr did not involve He Xi Meng in the offensive attacks, fearing that the Pistons' rugged defense might injure him.
Kerr positioned He Xi Meng at the top of the key to orchestrate the offense, connect the team, and first identify the Pistons' weaknesses before rushing into a desperate battle.
Under He Xi Meng's perimeter orchestration, even with the home-court advantage, the Celtics battled the Pistons to the final minute of the game.
In Game 1, Billups made both free throws, giving the Pistons a three-point lead in the dying moments.
On the Celtics' end, He Xi Meng's final shot attempt for a three-pointer was off the mark, resulting in a narrow loss.
In Game 2, Hamilton made both free throws, giving the Pistons a three-point lead in the final moments.
For the Celtics, Kerr used He Xi Meng as a decoy to draw the Pistons' defensive attention, then had Carter take the final shot attempt for three, but it also missed, and the Celtics once again lost by three points.
The Pistons secured two hard-fought wins, holding their home court.
Game 3 shifted to Boston Garden.
The Pistons could no longer suppress the Celtics' increased offensive tempo!
On the perimeter, under He Xi Meng's direction, Carter and Tony Allen took flight.
Inside, Yao Ming's post-ups and jump shots finally returned to normal levels, making it difficult for the Pistons to defend. At the very least, neither Rasheed Wallace nor Webber could defend him effectively one-on-one.
The Celtics took two straight games, leveling the series.
In the crucial Game 5, the series returned to the Motor City.
The Pistons aimed to win with defense, but this time, they struggled to contain the Celtics.
In the final moments of regulation, it was again Billups who hit a crucial three-pointer, giving the Pistons a two-point lead.
Coach Kerr designed the final play for a two-point shot.
Carter drove to the basket with the ball, while Yao Ming cut down the middle. Whoever had the better opportunity would take the final shot.
Ultimately, Carter drove all the way, forcing up a bank shot that went in, forcing overtime for the Celtics.
In the final moments of overtime, Yao Ming hit a close-range turnaround jumper, giving the Celtics a two-point lead!
It was Billups again who, in the final moments, drove to the basket, drawing a foul on Tony Allen, who was trailing.
Billups calmly sank both free throws, tying the game for the Pistons.
The Celtics had 1.7 seconds left for a final possession. Coach Kerr once again used He Xi Meng as a decoy, setting up Carter for the shot.
Carter received the ball on the wing and attempted a three-pointer, but the shot missed, sending the game into a second overtime.
By this point, both teams were visibly exhausted.
However, one individual was an exception: He Xi Meng!
In the final moments of regulation, and in the first overtime, the players clashing with the Pistons were Carter and Yao Ming, but seemingly not He Xi Meng!
The best way to break through the Pistons' ironclad defense was through strong individual drives.
And when the Celtics employed this strategy, Head Coach Kerr deliberately overlooked He Xi Meng, saving those opportunities for Carter!
Carter bore no complaints and played diligently through the second overtime, but he was finding it increasingly difficult to drive.
Fortunately, the Pistons were also nearing exhaustion. Billups' drives and Hamilton's mid-range jumpers were starting to miss the rim. This was a clear sign of fatigue.
Thus, the score entered a brief stalemate!
Seeing this situation, He Xi Meng realized he had to make a move...