James also tried to draw fouls, but this was the Celtics' home court.
Yao Ming's defense was clean, and Gortat, under He Xi Meng's tutelage, was more astute than he appeared. Facing the pass from James, Gortat suppressed the urge to shoot, strictly adhering to He Xi Meng's instructions to remain as steady as a mountain, focusing on disrupting James's shot arc rather than attempting to block James...
As a result, James only managed to score 8 points in the entire first quarter.
At the end of the first quarter, the Celtics led 26:16, holding a 10-point lead and firmly grasping the initiative of the game.
In the early part of the second quarter, most of the Celtics' starting lineup went to rest, but Kerr retained both DiO and He Xi Meng.
DiO was kept in to deal with James, who was still on the court.
He Xi Meng was kept in to ensure someone could anchor the team during the rotation period, preventing the Cavaliers from mounting a comeback and losing the first quarter's lead.
Perkins, David Lee, and Monta Ellis replaced Yao Ming, Gortat, and Carter.
He Xi Meng inbounded the ball from the baseline and handed it to Monta Ellis to advance.
Monta Ellis called for David Lee to execute a short pick-and-roll between the high and low post. The Cavaliers tightened their defense, denying them direct access to the basket.
This was Monta Ellis's first playoff game, and he was somewhat mentally unprepared. Based on regular season defensive intensity, they could have easily scored on this play. But this was the playoffs, and the defensive intensity of the playoffs was in no way comparable to the regular season.
If Monta Ellis forced a shot, he would likely have it blocked.
Fortunately, at a critical moment, He Xi Meng's voice sounded to Monta Ellis's front right.
Monta Ellis was surrounded by Cavaliers defenders, his vision obstructed, but he could still locate the source of the sound.
In the final moments, Monta Ellis chose an extremely risky skip pass, successfully sending the ball to He Xi Meng, who was waiting at the right corner.
He Xi Meng caught the ball and shot decisively.
The Cavaliers' backup point guard, Ronny Turiaf, scrambled to defend, but was still unable to bother He Xi Meng. The ball swished through the net, and He Xi Meng further extended the Celtics' lead to 13 points.
He Xi Meng hitting a three-pointer right away made James's expression even more grim.
"What's going on? Carter's done, now Xi Meng? Are you letting anyone else play?"
Turning around, James prepared to respond to He Xi Meng from beyond the arc, but before he could even get the ball, backup point guard Ronny Turiaf tried to use a high pick from Donell Marshall to get past He Xi Meng and create a mismatch against David Lee.
Unexpectedly, He Xi Meng did not switch with David Lee. Instead, he chose a behind-the-back defensive rotation, directly blocking Ronny Turiaf's driving lane.
Ronny Turiaf had already picked up speed and had no time to change direction. In his desperation, he chose to drive sideways, attempting to force his way past He Xi Meng.
But how could He Xi Meng yield? Standing firm, he let out a shout and fell, sliding a considerable distance.
The referee's whistle immediately sounded: offensive foul on Ronny Turiaf!
The young Ronny Turiaf shook his head. He admitted to the offensive foul on this play, but He Xi Meng's exaggerated fall made him feel very displeased.
Ronny Turiaf couldn't help but complain in his heart, "Was that necessary?"
But even if Ronny Turiaf was unhappy, what could he do?
In terms of seniority, salary, and league status, Ronny Turiaf was worlds apart from He Xi Meng.
Moreover, this was He Xi Meng's home court: the North Shore Garden Arena!
James, passing by, patted Ronny Turiaf's shoulder, comforting him to stay calm while also reminding him to "pass more"!
Indeed, on that last play, if Ronny Turiaf had passed to James, there wouldn't have been an offensive foul.
Even though Ronny Turiaf felt wronged, he could only nod in agreement outwardly.
After all, James was the current star of the Cavaliers!
Possession changed hands, and He Xi Meng used his body to draw a foul, successfully helping the Celtics regain possession.
Monta Ellis brought the ball past half-court. Seeing that He Xi Meng wasn't asking for the ball, Monta Ellis continued to drive with the ball.
On this play, Monta Ellis wanted to pass back to David Lee in the middle after his drive.
But whether it was because this play was used too much during the regular season, the Cavaliers had anticipated it.
Monta Ellis's pass was stolen by the collapsing James. After the steal, James didn't dare to delay and immediately pushed for a fast break.
After the efforts of the first quarter, James realized that against this Celtics team, fast breaks were the most effective way to score.
Thus, James galloped towards the Celtics' half.
The fans in attendance shifted their attention to James, anticipating whether he would deliver another flying slam dunk...
DiO, chasing after James, predicted that James would drive to the basket and accelerated back to the paint, preparing to meet James's charge.
To everyone's surprise, James braked at the three-point line and took a trailing three-pointer!
This shot selection was something that only He Xi Meng and Nash in the entire league favored.
Seeing James's rhythm, He Xi Meng knew, without even watching the ball's trajectory, that this shot from James was destined to go in!
As expected, without DiO's close interference, James had a very comfortable shot, and the ball precisely hit the rim!
This was James's first three-pointer of the game. After making it, he couldn't help but clench his fist to encourage himself as he turned around.
James's outside shooting touch seemed to have opened up, but the problem was, He Xi Meng's touch also seemed to have opened up...
In the first half of the second quarter, James was 3-for-3 from the field, including 2-for-2 from three-point range, scoring 8 points in half a quarter.
With this shooting percentage and scoring efficiency, James should have been happy, right? But in fact, he wasn't.
Because while James was scoring, He Xi Meng was also scoring.
He Xi Meng let Monta Ellis control the ball, and he himself used his teammates' off-ball screens to continuously create open shooting opportunities...
During this period, He Xi Meng was also 3-for-3, with all three attempts coming from beyond the three-point line. Therefore, He Xi Meng scored 9 points!
With He Xi Meng's strong response during this period, James's scoring felt like a solo effort that didn't impact the game.
Later, He Xi Meng and DiO, looking relaxed, went to the bench to rest, replaced by Carter, Yao Ming, and Ariza.
Without DiO's constraint, facing Ariza, James should have had an easier time on offense.
But the problem was that James had just had a small burst of scoring, and he hadn't taken a single minute off since the start of the game. Even for a strong player like James, his stamina was reaching its first low point, and his shooting percentage began to decline uncontrollably.
Meanwhile, the Celtics, with their replenished energy, saw Carter return to the court. With Yao Ming's support, they once again began to bombard the Cavaliers' basket...