Yao Ming and O'Neal stood at the center circle. Under the cheers and shouts of the Boston fans, Game 1 officially began.
O'Neal suddenly feigned a jab with his backside, attempting to disrupt Yao Ming's jump rhythm.
Yao Ming remained unfazed, but the referee was startled by O'Neal's move and glared at him, signaling him not to play dirty.
O'Neal was unashamed, even proud, flashing a brilliant smile at the referee, which made the referee feel awkward.
O'Fat possessed that kind of talent. As an opponent, He Xi Meng had to admit it!
Thus, He Xi Meng raised his right hand high, giving O'Neal a thumbs-up.
O'Neal's gaze was drawn to He Xi Meng's thumb. He secretly raised an eyebrow at He Xi Meng and returned a look...
In that moment of distraction, the referee, with a distinct lack of sportsmanship, tossed the ball up. O'Neal couldn't react in time, and Yao Ming easily tipped the ball into He Xi Meng's hands...
O'Neal stood frozen, seriously suspecting that He Xi Meng's thumb had been problematic! Unfortunately, he had no evidence.
He Xi Meng had already brought the ball past half-court. O'Neal could only accelerate back, as Yao Ming had begun to call for the ball in the low post.
The Celtics' opening offensive strategy was to first probe the Heat's paint defense.
How Riley had arranged their defense for Yao Ming.
After receiving the ball in the low post, Yao Ming didn't rush his offense. Instead, he surveyed the court, observing the positioning of the Heat players.
On the perimeter, He Xi Meng directed the Celtics players to spread out, creating a one-on-one opportunity for Yao Ming against O'Neal.
Haslem and Antoine Walker both showed intent to double-team Yao Ming, constantly glancing back at the basket during their movements.
But Udonis Haslem moved to the high post three-point line, drawing Haslem out of the paint.
Ariza was even more effective, running directly to the corner, effectively behind O'Neal, posing no threat to Yao Ming whatsoever.
On the near side, only He Xi Meng at the top of the arc and Carter on the wing, ready to receive the pass, remained.
Their corresponding defenders were Jason Williams and Wade.
Wade was closest to Yao Ming, but he currently showed no intention of collapsing.
It appeared that the Heat, at the outset, intended to test O'Neal's defensive capabilities.
After all, in the previous series against the Pistons, O'Neal's performance had been commendable, reminiscent of his prime, leaving Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace of the Pistons helpless.
Therefore, in this series, Riley also expected O'Neal to perform similarly to the previous round. Only then could the Heat break through the Celtics' defense, reach the NBA Finals, and contend for the championship!
After assessing the situation, Yao Ming exerted his strength. He first backed down O'Neal, creating the appearance of a turnaround offensive move. As O'Neal braced for contact, he faked a right turn, pretending to drive baseline. Deceived by O'Neal's shift in weight, he spun back upstairs, brushed O'Neal aside, drove into the paint, and slammed the ball home with both hands, all in one fluid motion!
After falling for Yao Ming's two feints, O'Neal could no longer keep up with his speed. In the end, he could only stand behind Yao Ming and watch as Yao Ming put the ball into the hoop...
Jumping was useless. The current O'Neal was no longer the O'Neal who could leap three feet into the air. Even if he jumped, he wouldn't reach the rim in Yao Ming's hands. To avoid further embarrassment, O'Neal simply chose to give up.
Yao Ming's dunk opened the scoring, giving the Celtics the first points.
The Boston fans naturally showered him with applause and cheers, offering their greatest support to the home team.
Turning around, Jason Williams brought the ball past half-court. Facing He Xi Meng's retreating defense, Williams didn't display his unpredictable passes but honestly handed the ball to Wade to handle.
Leaving the Kings, transferring to the Grizzlies, and now to the Heat!
In the blink of an eye, Williams had become a veteran with 8 years of league experience. Under the tempering of reality, the unpredictable "White Chocolate" was no longer as eager to show off his passing skills. Especially under Riley's coaching, Williams had also made significant strides towards becoming a practical point guard.
The youth was no longer young, and the unpredictable was no longer unpredictable.
The boy had finally grown into a man. Was it a blessing or a misfortune?
As a fan of "White Chocolate," they probably longed more for the image of him as a carefree youth.
However, if "White Chocolate" had continued with his former style, he would have found it difficult to secure the starting point guard position on this Heat team.
This might be the price of growth. Whether fortunate or unfortunate, there was no choice; everything was a natural outcome.
Compared to not having a team to play for, or being relegated to the second unit as a substitute, "White Chocolate" had to change his style to prove he also possessed a stable side.
Wade faced Carter and used a high pick from Haslem, intending to switch matchups and overpower Haslem with his speed.
However, Haslem's lateral quickness was faster than Wade had anticipated, and Haslem reacted preemptively, retreating and preventing Wade from blowing past him.
Wade drove halfway, sensing that a direct assault on the basket had a low probability of success. He then executed a sudden stop and change of direction, driving behind Haslem, and simultaneously drawing Yao Ming from the other side...
Yao Ming and Haslem formed a pincer to block Wade's drive to the basket. Unexpectedly, Wade made a no-look bounce pass, skimming past Yao Ming's body, and delivered the ball to O'Neal!
O'Neal caught the ball, jumped, and with a "gentle" bank shot, made the basket!
If this play had happened a few years ago, there was no doubt that O'Neal would have definitively scored with a powerful two-handed dunk, just as Yao Ming had done in the previous possession.
If he could dunk, he absolutely wouldn't shoot – this was O'Neal's unwavering principle for scoring!
But that was no longer possible; his will was strong, but his body was not. It wasn't that O'Neal couldn't dunk anymore, but his stamina would drop significantly afterward.
To conserve his energy for the entire game, head coach Riley had repeatedly reminded O'Neal before the game: Don't dunk if you can avoid it!
This was completely contrary to O'Neal's former principle.
But what could be done even if it was contrary?
The once rebellious Williams had become a good boy, so couldn't the once ferocious "Big Shaq" become a gentle "Big Shaq"?
Frankly, O'Neal's move also surprised Yao Ming.
Because as Yao Ming turned around, he had prepared himself for a physical confrontation with O'Neal under the basket. He never expected that O'Neal, who always fought fire with fire, would also have a soft yet strong side?