The Western Conference Top 8 teams are the Spurs, Suns, Nuggets, Mavericks, Grizzlies, Clippers, Lakers, and Kings!
The Mavericks' record in the Western Conference was actually second only to the Spurs, with 60 wins! This was significantly higher than the Suns, who were second with 54 wins, and the Nuggets, who were third with 44 wins!
However, due to the restrictions of the divisional ranking rules, the Mavericks and Spurs were both in the Southwest Division. The Mavericks, as the second seed in the Southwest Division, could only be ranked behind the first seeds of the other two major divisions.
The Suns were the first seed in the Pacific Division, and the Nuggets were the first seed in the Western Division.
Therefore, even though the Mavericks' record was better than the Suns and the Nuggets, they ultimately ranked fourth in the Western Conference.
The reason for this outcome was the uneven distribution of strength across the divisions.
In the Southwest Division, the Spurs were eternally strong, having not fallen out of the top four in recent seasons. The other teams, the Mavericks, Rockets, and Grizzlies, were basically only competing for second place. Fortunately, the New Orleans Pelicans were at the bottom to drag the average down, otherwise, this Southwest Division would have been too competitive.
The Northwest Division, where the Nuggets were located, saw teams actively tanking this season: the Utah Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers, Seattle SuperSonics, and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Aside from the Nuggets, none of the other teams made the playoffs. Among the short ones, the tallest was chosen, which turned out to be the newly rebuilt Nuggets with slightly improved strength!
The young Anthony was eager to showcase his skills in the playoffs, but honestly, the current Nuggets might not even be able to beat the Clippers in the lower half of the bracket.
The Celtics' first-round playoff opponent was still the Nets!
Last season, due to Jefferson's injury, the Pierce + Kidd duo couldn't stop the Celtics, leading to the Nets being swept out of the playoffs.
This season, the Nets' regular season was very bumpy, but in the playoffs, they at least had three core players, and their core lineup was not to be underestimated.
However, to defeat the Celtics with this lineup, the Nets might still be a bit short.
Especially in the paint, the Collins + Kostić duo had already proven last season that they were no match for Yao Ming.
This season, the Nets had the same formula, so how could they deal with an even stronger Yao Ming?
However, before the game, Pierce publicly made bold remarks to the media against his former team to boost the morale of himself and his teammates!
"I think we are ready, we can beat any team in the league, including the defending champions..."
It seemed Pierce was still defiant and unwilling to give up, wanting to continue competing with He Xi Meng.
But He Xi Meng didn't want to respond to Pierce's provocation. Facing the media's mischievous relay of the message, He Xi Meng simply replied indifferently: "Our goal this season is to defend the championship, and no one can stop our progress..."
The first match between the two teams took place at the North Garden Arena.
The Celtics had a full roster: center Yao Ming, power forward Diaw, small forward Ariza, shooting guard Carter, and point guard He Xi Meng.
The Nets' lineup was also complete: center Collins, power forward Kostić, forward Jefferson, shooting guard Pierce, and point guard Kidd.
As the game started, Yao Ming won the tip-off against Collins, giving the Celtics the first possession.
Amidst the cheers of the Celtics fans, He Xi Meng brought the ball past half-court and called for a high pick-and-roll from Diaw.
Diaw successfully screened Kidd for He Xi Meng, and He Xi Meng took advantage of the mismatch to drive to the basket against Kostić.
Pierce, closest to He Xi Meng, was forced to leave Carter and double-team He Xi Meng. He Xi Meng then passed the ball back to Carter, giving him a chance to score first!
Pierce immediately recovered on defense but still couldn't stop Carter's shot. Unfortunately, Carter missed the open look, the three-pointer bounced off the rim and out of Yao Ming's reach, and was grabbed by Kostić.
Kostić passed the ball to Kidd. Kidd didn't immediately push for a fast break but advanced the ball past half-court in a conventional manner, then passed it to Pierce, who was calling for the ball in the mid-range.
Pierce received the ball with his back to the basket, then turned to face the basket. He faked a move, then isolated Carter, stopped abruptly, and turned for a jump shot, which he sank accurately!
Who would have thought, after two years away from the North Garden Arena, Pierce was still so familiar with this court and this basket...
The Nets took the lead in the game, scoring the first points.
The Celtics' start seemed a bit rough, but it was okay. This was just the beginning. As the league's best point guard, He Xi Meng was used to such starts.
He steadily brought the ball past half-court and called for the same play as the previous possession. Diaw set the screen, and He Xi Meng drove to the basket.
This time, Pierce chose not to double-team and let He Xi Meng drive.
Collins moved sideways to help defend, forming a pincer with Kostić behind him, attempting to block He Xi Meng's layup.
He Xi Meng appeared to be going for the score, but it was a pump fake. He successfully passed the ball through the closing Nets defenders and to Yao Ming!
Yao Ming followed up, caught the ball, and rose up, preparing for a thunderous one-handed dunk over Collins, who was retreating to defend!
Knowing he couldn't stop Yao Ming, Collins committed a blatant foul.
This was a secret plan taught to Collins by Nets head coach Frank before the game, aimed at establishing an image of "Collins is not to be trifled with this year" in front of Yao Ming!
But Coach Frank was clearly overthinking it.
Yao Ming had long passed the stage of being intimidated by such minor tactics.
Even if peak O'Neal stood before the current Yao Ming, Yao Ming could remain calm and composed, let alone the relatively unknown Collins.
Despite Collins disrupting the spectacular dunk, Yao Ming's emotions were not affected. He calmly stepped up to the free-throw line, made the first shot, and then the second, easily helping the Celtics score their first points from the free-throw line, tying the game with two successful shots.
On the Nets' second possession, Kidd didn't directly pass the ball to Pierce but called for Kostić to run a play.
Kostić, a stretch big man capable of shooting, successfully facilitated the pass for Kidd, tearing open the Celtics' defense. Kidd received the ball while moving, appearing ready to drive into the Celtics' paint, forcing the Celtics to collapse their defense. Kidd then passed the ball to Pierce on the perimeter, giving him an open three-point shot...
Pierce could have shot but didn't. He faked a move on Carter, who was recovering, took one step, and pulled up for a long two-pointer!
This shot also went in!
Pierce's shooting touch was incredibly hot at the start of the game...