The home crowd gasped in unison as they saw He Xi Meng get knocked flying by James.
However, some fans soon reacted, with a hint of anticipation mixed with their surprise: "Do you think if Xi Meng falls like this, his old injury will flare up?"
This was the most honest thought of the home team's fans. While they didn't want to see He Xi Meng get hurt, they even less wanted to see their team lose.
If they had to choose between the two, they would unhesitatingly choose: "Don't let the home team lose!"
After landing, James immediately rushed over to apologize to He Xi Meng.
"Sorry, Xi Meng, I didn't mean to! Are you alright?"
He Xi Meng grabbed James's hand to stand up, gently stomped his right leg, and gave James a brilliant smile: "Seems alright!"
"Good that you're alright!" James patted He Xi Meng's arm and left with a complex expression.
The referee's whistle had already sounded the moment James sent He Xi Meng flying.
There was no question about the charge foul. The only point of contention was whether James's action constituted a flagrant foul.
Kerr immediately protested to the referees, but after a brief discussion, they deemed it a common foul.
He Xi Meng stepped to the free-throw line, earning three shots.
Amidst the deafening interference from the entire Cleveland crowd, He Xi Meng calmly sank his first free throw!
For the second shot, He Xi Meng could clearly feel his fingertip slip, and the ball didn't go directly into the net. Instead, it brushed the rim, spun up, and fell back into the net!
Bad luck, I'm so sorry!
For the third free throw, He Xi Meng wiped his hands on his jersey, preventing sweat from affecting his shot, and the ball went in smoothly.
Three out of three, He Xi Meng helped the Celtics narrow the score to within 1 point!
The situation was becoming increasingly tense, and increasingly testing James's star power.
For the Cavaliers' final possession, they still relied on James's strong drive, ultimately drawing a foul from Tony Allen, who was in pursuit.
Tony Allen had 5 fouls, but it didn't matter much, as there were only 7.6 seconds left in the game.
James went to the free-throw line. The first shot bounced off the rim.
The entire crowd let out a cry of anguish, and James himself was very unhappy with his performance, shaking his head repeatedly to steady his emotions.
For the second shot, should James aim for the basket or miss it intentionally, then fight for the rebound and waste the opponent's time?
For a moment, James hesitated in the paint. He glanced at the sideline; head coach Mike Brown offered no instruction.
James thought for a moment, then decided to play it safe, aiming for the basket to secure a two-point lead first.
James took the second shot steadily, and it went in steadily.
The Cavaliers led by 2 points, and the Celtics had possession for the final shot.
Kerr unhesitatingly entrusted the final offensive opportunity to He Xi Meng.
Although Carter was the Celtics' offensive cornerstone and primary scorer in this game, Carter raised no objections.
"If not for Xi Meng's outburst in the final moments, we wouldn't even have had the chance for a last shot!" This was Carter's response when asked by reporters after the game about the choice for the final possession.
The play was still the elevator door tactic. This time, James didn't directly charge into He Xi Meng, but instead jumped as high as possible, trying to disrupt He Xi Meng's shooting arc and thus affect his accuracy!
Whether it was James's determined defense that worked, or He Xi Meng's hot streak from the previous three shots had run out of steam, or perhaps James's violent foul in the previous play had affected He Xi Meng's shooting touch, the result was that He Xi Meng's buzzer-beating three-pointer for the final shot missed the rim...
The final buzzer sounded, and the Cavaliers won at home by a narrow 2-point margin against the Celtics.
James, looking pale with lingering fear, accepted He Xi Meng's congratulations, his expression seeming to hold more relief than joy.
He Xi Meng's feat of scoring 12 points in the final three minutes of the last quarter indeed left an indelible impression on James and the home crowd of the Cavaliers.
Who would have predicted that He Xi Meng, who had been unremarkable for the first three and a half quarters, seemingly still finding his rhythm, would erupt at the crucial moment, leaving the Cavaliers no chance to recover?
Fortunately, that last-second three-pointer didn't go in. If it had, it would have been a significant blow to the Cavaliers.
As it stood, although they had broken into a cold sweat thanks to He Xi Meng, they had ultimately kept the victory in their hands.
Not losing was the best outcome.
In Game 2, the Cavaliers, still playing at home, clamped down hard on He Xi Meng.
Larry Hughes and Zydrunas Ilgauskas both had breakout performances, providing significant support to James on offense.
This allowed James to focus his entire attention on He Xi Meng, in addition to his own offensive duties.
In this game, the Cavaliers did not allow He Xi Meng to produce another nerve-wracking three-pointer like in the previous game.
The Cavaliers successfully defended their two home games, and then the two teams moved to Boston, heading to the North Shore Garden.
Yao Ming, who had been stifled for two games, finally unleashed his fury on his home turf.
In Game 3, Yao Ming scored a massive 38 points, grabbed 20 rebounds, and sent out 5 blocks, completely dominating the paint.
To stop Yao Ming's rampage, Zydrunas Ilgauskas fouled out, and Drew Gooden and Anderson Varejão also committed 5 fouls each. The effectiveness of their defense couldn't be entirely dismissed; without these big men's desperate attempts to stop him, Yao Ming's scoring in this game would have undoubtedly surpassed 40 points, possibly even reaching 50!
With Yao Ming leading the charge and Carter providing assistance, He Xi Meng, back in his playmaking role, only needed to quietly pass the ball and dish out assists.
Therefore, in this game, He Xi Meng only scored 11 points but dished out 15 assists! His assist total exceeding his points scored was gradually becoming a new hallmark of He Xi Meng since his return from injury.
In Game 4, the Cavaliers tightened their defense, further intensifying their efforts to contain Yao Ming, aiming to disrupt the Celtics' offense by stifling Yao Ming's performance.
Yao Ming's performance was indeed not as dominant as in the previous game, but Carter stepped up to score 36 points in place of Yao Ming! In addition to 36 points, Carter also had 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals.
He Xi Meng still didn't need to exert much effort, and the Celtics secured a victory in their second home game.
With both teams defending their home courts, the series entered the most critical "Mount Tianwang" battle!