Thus, with the same three opportunities to shoot, Jefferson missed all three, while Monta Ellis made two out of three.
The goal that the Celtics' starting lineup failed to achieve was initially accomplished by the reserve lineup in the final two minutes of the first quarter.
The Nets' head coach was clearly dissatisfied with this outcome, so at the beginning of the second quarter, Pierce, who had only rested for two minutes, was substituted back in, and Jefferson, who was having shooting trouble, was replaced.
On the Celtics' side, He Xi Meng came off the court to rest, with Carter taking his place to hold the fort, while Yao Ming continued to conserve his energy on the bench.
Pierce's shooting touch was truly good today; he played and scored as soon as he entered the game.
Carter, however, after resting at the end of the first quarter, still couldn't find his rhythm. His shots from beyond the three-point line continued to clang off the rim. Forced into a corner, Carter decided to drive to the basket, using his signature powerful dunk to vent his frustration from repeatedly missing shots inside.
By the time He Xi Meng, Yao Ming, Diaw, and Ariza returned to the court, the Nets had already tied the score.
Seeing this, Kerr made a defensive adjustment. He had Carter, whose defense was not very effective, guard Jefferson at the small forward position, and moved Ariza, whose defense was good, to shooting guard to contain Pierce.
Remarkably, after this minor adjustment by Kerr, the Celtics' defensive efficiency improved.
Ariza's defense against Pierce was visibly better than Carter's defense against Pierce.
This was mainly because Carter, this season, was accustomed to exerting himself on offense and had slackened in his defensive training.
In contrast, Ariza's main focus this season was on defense and three-point shooting.
After two seasons of development with the Celtics, Ariza had gradually shown the potential of a top-tier 3&D player in the league.
In the first quarter, Ariza had defended Jefferson very successfully, preventing him from finding his shooting rhythm.
In the second quarter, Ariza was called upon to guard Pierce, who had been hot in the first quarter, and successfully cooled down Pierce's scorching touch.
With successful defense, combined with He Xi Meng's resurgence from beyond the three-point line in the latter half of the second quarter, hitting three out of four attempts, the Celtics successfully took an 8-point lead over the Nets before halftime.
An 8-point lead wasn't much, but for the defending champions, this small advantage was enough to be a fatal blow.
During halftime, Head Coach Frank continuously emphasized teamwork and defense, hoping the Nets could stage a comeback in the second half.
After the third quarter began, Kidd, who hadn't been actively scoring for a while, started attacking the basket to score, trying to counter He Xi Meng's high scoring desire today, but it wasn't effective.
He Xi Meng scored 33 points in three quarters, completely outplaying Kidd.
In the fourth quarter, Carter, who had been cold for the first three quarters, finally found his touch, scoring 15 points in the quarter and steadily maintaining the Celtics' lead.
Ultimately, the Celtics, playing at home, defeated the Nets 102:88, securing their first victory in this year's playoffs.
Pierce scored a team-high 31 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block for the Nets, an impressive performance but ultimately in vain.
The other two core players for the Nets, Jefferson, scored only 15 points, and Kidd scored only 13 points. Their combined total was less than Pierce's individual score.
On the other hand, for the Celtics, He Xi Meng had a game-high 35 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals. Carter had 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists, while Yao Ming had 20 points and 14 rebounds and 3 blocks.
In addition to these three core players, Monta Ellis also contributed 12 points, becoming the most threatening scoring option off the Celtics' bench.
As the game ended, He Xi Meng, who hadn't participated in a press conference for a long time, reappeared beside Head Coach Kerr.
The media reporters excitedly pointed their microphones at He Xi Meng, asking if he was ready to go all out.
He Xi Meng shook his head and corrected the reporters' flawed question.
"In fact, from the first game of this season, I have been going all out!
However, I have been dedicating most of my energy to things other than scoring.
For example, developing and nurturing rookie players.
For example, practicing new tactics and trying new playing styles.
...
In this game, due to the team's needs and adjustments in tactics, I needed to step up temporarily and take over the scoring duties for Vince.
Yes, only temporarily.
Therefore, there's no such thing as 'going all out'..."
The second game of the first round of the playoffs continued to be played on the Celtics' home court.
Pierce continued to play exceptionally well, performing brilliantly and scoring another 33 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists!
Jefferson also played very hard in this game, contributing 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Although Kidd continued to struggle offensively, making only 3 of 10 shots for 6 points, he contributed 13 assists and 11 rebounds in terms of playmaking and rebounding, so his performance couldn't be considered poor.
However, in response, He Xi Meng once again scored 36 points and 8 assists, Carter had 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists, and Yao Ming had 19 points and 13 rebounds.
He Xi Meng once again outplayed Pierce, and the Celtics' Big Three once again defeated the Nets' Big Three, winning the second game.
The Nets lost two consecutive away games, which wasn't entirely unacceptable for the fans in New Jersey. After all, the gap in strength between the two teams was quite apparent.
Although the Nets also boasted a "Big Three," the Nets' Big Three were clearly not on the same level as the Celtics' Big Three.
Especially since the Nets' Big Three had been in and out of injury this season. They had only just managed to assemble and return to the court before the playoffs began, so their condition was predictable.
The only reliable player was Pierce, who had been in good form this season.
However, Pierce alone couldn't defeat the strong Celtics. Returning home with no retreat, the Nets decided to go all out!
Since they couldn't defend against the Celtics' offense, the Nets decided to let loose and play an offensive-minded game.
This change from the Nets indeed provided the Celtics with a "considerable surprise."
In the early stages, the Nets, taking advantage of their home-court advantage, went on a 12:4 run against the Celtics. Just as it seemed the Nets were about to establish a double-digit lead, it was He Xi Meng who stepped up with a solo three-pointer, hitting a high-difficulty shot over Kidd to stabilize the Celtics.
Subsequently, Kidd drove to the basket and scored, answering He Xi Meng's shot. He Xi Meng drove and passed to Carter, who was setting up outside. Carter faked Pierce, caught the ball, and drove again, seemingly intending to attack the Nets' basket. Instead, he made a no-look pass, then passed to He Xi Meng, who was moving without the ball!
He Xi Meng used a screen from Ariza and drove to the right corner. Upon receiving the ball, he immediately turned and shot. The ball traced a very high arc and went in again!