April 22, 2007, marked the opening game of the first round of the playoffs, officially kicking off at the Cavaliers' home court.
Before the game officially began, James led his entire team under the spotlight, tossing chalk, singing battle hymns, projecting an immense aura.
"Xi Meng, can you play? If not, don't force it! In this round, Vince and Yao should be able to handle LeBron without much issue. You can rest for a while longer."
Before the game started, Head Coach Kerr once again confirmed He Xi Meng's physical condition.
This season, Kerr had been thoroughly battered by injuries.
He now deeply missed the state of the Celtics two seasons prior, when the team was strong and healthy.
Although Yao Ming and He Xi Meng had both returned, Monta Ellis and David Lee, who had performed exceptionally well this season, were both injured and sidelined.
Especially He Xi Meng, who had been out for an entire season due to injury. He had finally announced his return. Without having played a single regular-season game, Kerr lacked confidence! His biggest fear was He Xi Meng getting injured again shortly after taking the court... that would deliver a fatal blow to the team's morale.
In comparison, Kerr felt it would be better for He Xi Meng to remain the team's treasure, sitting on the bench, and only playing garbage time to adapt to the playoff rhythm. This would not only boost his own team's confidence but also provide a sense of deterrence and pressure to the opposing team.
After all, this year's Cavaliers were not significantly different from last season's.
The inside presence was still Zydrunas and Drew Gooden. The perimeter positions had been adjusted. Snow was moved to the bench, and his point guard role was taken over by James!
Yes, Coach Mike Brown had moved James to the starting point guard position, clearly intending to exploit He Xi Meng!
If possible, the best outcome would be to crush He Xi Meng directly...
At shooting guard was Larry Hughes, and replacing James as the starting small forward was the Montenegrin basketball player Pavlovic.
The biggest adjustment for the Cavaliers was indeed having James play point guard, maximizing his positional advantage.
Kerr had also considered this in advance.
So what if there were mismatches? He could also have Carter start, Tony Allen play shooting guard, Matt Barnes at small forward, Perkins at power forward, and Yao Ming at center.
With Yao Ming posting up and facilitating from the high post, combined with Carter's playmaking ability, Kerr felt that handling this Cavaliers team led by James would not be a problem.
Matt Barnes was acquired from the Warriors after the All-Star break, before the trade deadline, using Gerald Green as a chip.
Barnes was truly a late bloomer, a 2002 rookie who had only recently started to prove his worth with the Warriors this season, showing a decent three-point shooting percentage.
However, the Celtics valued his perimeter defense even more.
With the departure of Diop and Ariza, the Celtics' perimeter was indeed somewhat thin, and a strong defensive player was urgently needed at small forward to reinforce the overall lineup.
Prior to this, to avoid obvious weaknesses on the perimeter, Carter had been forced to move back from shooting guard to small forward.
And during Carter's injury absence, Gerald Green had been the primary starter at small forward.
Gerald Green excelled at dunking and was passable on offense, but his defense was not tough enough, and he frequently lost his man.
Compared to Gerald Green, Matt Barnes was indeed a better fit for the Celtics' current lineup situation.
The Warriors originally wanted to trade Matt Barnes for Monta Ellis.
However, the Celtics refused to part with Monta Ellis.
This was because Monta Ellis's role in the Celtics' second unit was temporarily irreplaceable.
With He Xi Meng injured, when it came to choosing who would start for the Celtics, Kerr leaned towards Rondo.
This was because Rondo's defensive prowess surpassed his offensive abilities, and his playmaking skills made him potentially a better fit for Carter and Yao Ming's playstyle in the starting lineup!
But He Xi Meng would not be injured forever.
Kerr had to be prepared for He Xi Meng's return at all times.
And once He Xi Meng returned, Rondo would not be as suitable as Monta Ellis for the role of the sixth man.
Each man to his own trade.
Monta Ellis was not as good as Rondo in playmaking or rebounding, but he was excellent at scoring and attacking the basket!
During the starting lineup's rest periods, Monta Ellis could be plugged in immediately, effectively filling the scoring gap and ensuring the Celtics' offense didn't falter.
In this regard, Rondo was inferior to Monta Ellis.
Therefore, He Xi Meng strongly opposed the Warriors' desire to trade Matt Barnes for Monta Ellis.
To facilitate the trade, Collins had recommended Gerald Green to the Warriors.
He Xi Meng initially thought the Warriors wouldn't agree, but to his surprise, the Warriors actually did.
He Xi Meng was a bit puzzled by this.
Because it was unlikely the Warriors couldn't see that the Celtics were more desperate for a quality 3-and-D wing player, while the Warriors, with the likes of David Lee on their roster, were not as desperate for Monta Ellis.
From a trade demand perspective, the two teams were not on equal footing.
He Xi Meng was curious how Collins, the "trade genius," had convinced the Warriors' management.
Collins did not hide anything from He Xi Meng, because in Collins's eyes, He Xi Meng was just another lackey under Jordan, similar to himself.
The only difference was that one focused on trading, while the other focused on playing.
Since they were both lackeys, as long as it didn't involve competing for favor, Collins wouldn't hide anything from He Xi Meng.
"A promise!" Collins said proudly. "I promised the Warriors that after Monta's contract expires, they would have the right of first refusal!"
Upon hearing this, He Xi Meng couldn't help but give Collins two thumbs up.
"Good fellow! So Comrade Genius has introduced futures market mechanisms into player trading. Truly a gifted individual..."
Thus, Collins used an expectation to complete a slightly advantageous trade with the Warriors, strengthening a weaker link in the Celtics' lineup.
If not for the injury concerns, the current Celtics lineup was quite strong.
But due to the lurking threat of injuries, no one could predict how far the Celtics would go this season.
If they played poorly, an early first-round elimination was highly possible.
If they played well, creating an upset by being the eighth seed to defeat the first seed was not impossible.
The Cavaliers were the unluckiest, becoming the Celtics' first litmus test.
The entire league, teams and fans alike, were now like spectators with their watermelons, ready to watch the series between the Cavaliers and the Celtics.
He Xi Meng could be a spectator, but he didn't want to be part of the funeral feast...