Besides the championship ring, Carter actually had another reason to want to join the Celtics: Michael Jordan!
Carter and Jordan both hailed from the University of North Carolina! They were like biological brothers, disciples of the same master.
Carter had always looked up to Jordan as a role model in his professional career, striving to reach and surpass Jordan's achievements.
But six seasons had passed, and in his sixth season, Jordan had already won his first championship ring and begun building his first three-peat dynasty!
Meanwhile, Carter was still in the northern territory of Toronto, struggling to even make the playoffs!
This was clearly a waste of time, youth, and his precious, fleeting prime career!
Carter felt he couldn't just wait around any longer; he had to make a change!
So, upon hearing about the internal strife within the rebuilding Celtics, Carter jokingly recommended himself to He Xi Meng.
When He Xi Meng first saw Carter, he had also considered this possibility.
If he hadn't just invited Tracy McGrady yesterday, He Xi Meng would have enthusiastically recruited Carter today!
And with He Xi Meng's "years" of trading experience, the success rate of a Carter-for-Pierce swap was much higher than a McGrady-for-Pierce swap.
"I will convey your message to the management! I suspect Michael will be happy you're joining the Celtics..."
"I hope that in the near future, we can join forces in Boston!"
The two top players in the league quietly reached a private agreement during their pre-game warm-ups.
This agreement was undoubtedly more sincere than the one made with McGrady yesterday.
In the subsequent game, Carter, eager to showcase his skills in front of He Xi Meng and Michael Jordan, gave it his all, scoring relentlessly and almost leading the Celtics to an upset at home!
Fortunately, in the final moments, He Xi Meng broke through and passed to Yao Ming under the basket.
Yao Ming executed a Tim Duncan-esque dream shake, first faking out Raptors center LaRue Woods, then faking out Raptors power forward Chris Bosh before finally making his move, a reverse layup for the game-winning shot!
91:89, the Celtics narrowly defeated the Raptors at home, securing their sixth victory of the new season.
Carter scored a game-high 38 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in a losing effort, but he wasn't overly disappointed. Instead, during the post-game tribute, he sincerely praised Yao Ming's final shot: "Absolutely spectacular footwork..."
After concluding their back-to-back games against the brothers, the Celtics had a day of rest before continuing their homestand against Kobe Bryant's Lakers!
"I heard you and Paul had a falling out? I'm letting you come to the Lakers to team up with me! With me, there won't be so much trouble... We two brothers will sweep the league together..."
The first thing Kobe said to He Xi Meng was a barrage of questions about why he didn't join the Lakers and chose the Celtics instead.
In fact, He Xi Meng had already explained this reason clearly to Kobe during the summer.
But Kobe clearly still held a grudge, so He Xi Meng had to explain again.
"I promised Michael I'd play for him! I have to help him build a championship roster, and ideally, help him win a championship trophy to cap it all off..."
Kobe nodded: "Although I'm not too optimistic about the Celtics, I admire your loyalty... So, after you fulfill Michael's promise, come help me in L.A., okay?"
"We'll see, we'll see... Tim is also asking me to go back to San Antonio..."
"Forget the Spurs! They can't afford your future value. But the Lakers can!"
Kobe said, patting He Xi Meng's shoulder, looking like he had He Xi Meng all figured out.
In the ensuing game, neither of them held back.
Kobe wanted to prove his worth after Shaquille O'Neal's departure, while He Xi Meng aimed to defend the home court's honor in Paul Pierce's absence.
Both gave nearly 100% of their effort in the contest.
He Xi Meng had Yao Ming's assistance, and Kobe had Lamar Odom as his support.
The scores of both teams rose and fell, with neither side able to gain a decisive advantage.
In the final quarter, both He Xi Meng and Kobe took brief rests, preparing to conserve energy for a final push.
However, the reserve players, Gary Payton and Karl Malone, started to stir things up!
Malone hit consecutive mid-range jump shots, and Payton unleashed a surprise three-pointer from the outside, igniting a 7:0 scoring run that caught the Lakers off guard.
Kobe quickly took off his towel and returned to the court. Doc Rivers, seeing this, also wanted to immediately send He Xi Meng back in to stabilize the situation.
"Gary and Karl might have some minor personal issues to settle with Kobe. Let them finish their scheduled rotation time..."
He Xi Meng saw Payton gesturing to him and refused Rivers' arrangement, returning to the bench.
Rivers' face turned ashen; he increasingly found He Xi Meng unreasonable.
In the previous two games, Rivers had already made significant concessions, including promoting rookies recommended by He Xi Meng to the starting lineup... Yet, He Xi Meng was pushing his luck, no longer even obeying the coach's rotation calls. Did He Xi Meng really think he could replace the head coach?
Thus, enraged, Rivers decided to disregard Michael Jordan's earlier instructions and teach He Xi Meng a lesson. He simply benched He Xi Meng for the entire final quarter!
Rivers wouldn't dare freeze He Xi Meng out for an entire game, but for one quarter, he dared!
Therefore, in the final quarter of this game, after Kobe returned to the court, he single-handedly battled back, gradually eroding the lead created by Payton and Malone in the early fourth quarter. Yet, Rivers still didn't put He Xi Meng back in!
Even when He Xi Meng actively asked to play, Rivers' response was, "Just wait a bit longer..."
It wasn't until the Lakers defeated the Celtics 104:100 that the home fans didn't see He Xi Meng return to the court.
Everyone suspected that He Xi Meng might have gotten injured at the end of the third quarter.
Even Kobe, after the game, asked He Xi Meng, "What's wrong, are you not feeling well?"
He Xi Meng couldn't tell Kobe the truth and could only fabricate a reason: "My knee's a bit sore..."
For guards, the knee, ankle, and wrist are the three most injury-prone areas.
Kobe himself often suffered from minor injuries in these three areas. Upon hearing He Xi Meng's reply, Kobe comforted him.
"I know a few top sports medicine professors in Los Angeles. I'll send you their contact information later. You can contact them and mention my name, and they'll definitely do their best to help you..."
"Are you saying my name doesn't carry weight?"
"It's okay! Since you can still joke around, the injury probably isn't serious! I wish you a speedy recovery!"
Kobe and He Xi Meng bumped fists and embraced in farewell. He Xi Meng then took the opportunity to express his gratitude to Kobe.
Afterward, He Xi Meng returned to the locker room with a dark expression...