He Xi Meng would have been very pleased if he could hear a few fans in the stands still voicing their indignation on his behalf.
After successfully repelling Pierce, He Xi Meng also mimicked Pierce, pounding his chest and then pointing at Pierce with his finger!
"What you can do, I've already done! Do you want to continue?"
To continue? Of course!
Pierce was here today to pick a fight!
The outcome of the game was secondary; venting his anger was Pierce's primary objective today!
Before the game, Pierce had also communicated with Kidd, who expressed his full support for Pierce's revenge! As long as Pierce wanted it, Kidd would supply the ball!
Thus, for the Nets' second possession, Kidd brought the ball past half-court and passed it to Pierce again. He even deliberately ran in front of Pierce to set a screen, switching He Xi Meng onto Pierce!
"How's that? Attentive service, isn't it?" Kidd gave Pierce a questioning look, a look that suggested he was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.
Pierce nodded impassively, "Watch me!"
He Xi Meng was inexplicably switched onto Pierce, and Pierce used his strength to push him back towards the free-throw line.
Seeing He Xi Meng struggling to guard Pierce one-on-one, Carter came over to double-team Pierce, hoping to force him to pass.
But Pierce was determined to score today and wasn't about to pass easily!
Before Carter could fully double-team, Pierce suddenly spun around, slipping through the space between He Xi Meng and Carter, and immediately executed a fadeaway jump shot.
This shooting motion wasn't Pierce's usual, but just because it wasn't his usual didn't mean he couldn't do it!
As the offensive magician of the previous generation, such offensive maneuvers were second nature to Pierce.
Pierce, facing two defenders, broke through the Celtics' double-team and scored another 2 points!
As he turned and walked past He Xi Meng, Pierce, with his head held high, chest puffed out, and nostrils flared, whispered, "Your turn!"
In terms of driving to the basket, He Xi Meng, to be honest, was quite adept, perhaps even more so than dunking.
Turning around, He Xi Meng actively called for Ariza's high pick-and-roll, creating a mismatch against Pierce.
Fake, fake, and fake again!
He Xi Meng was uncharacteristically ball-dominant this time, repeatedly employing his "butterfly through flowers" dribble, baffling even the defensively solid Pierce!
At this moment, Pierce had a fleeting illusion that he wasn't facing He Xi Meng, but the 76ers' number 3...
After sidestepping Pierce, He Xi Meng drove into the paint and, facing Jason Collins' help defense, executed a lateral hop followed by an extreme fadeaway jumper!
This move was also one of Iverson's signature scoring moves during his prime!
Even with Iverson's height, he could dominate the league; how much more so for He Xi Meng, who was more than ten centimeters taller than Iverson!
Therefore, when He Xi Meng was determined to use this scoring move, no one other than himself could interfere with his shot.
And the home rim was also very kind to He Xi Meng, accepting the ball steadily!
Another determined Answerball!
The Boston fans in the arena were starting to get excited!
One was the former King of the Celtics, the other the current King of the Celtics!
One was number 34, whom they had supported and cheered for six seasons, and the other was number 4, who had joined less than half a season ago but had already brought infinite hope to the fans...
To be perfectly honest, purely in terms of emotion, the Boston fans might have had a deeper affection for Pierce.
However, Pierce had already left Boston and was now wearing the Nets' number 34! He had become an enemy standing in opposition to the Celtics.
No matter how much fans liked Pierce, in the face of right and wrong, they knew where their loyalties lay.
They could pay tribute to Pierce, but they couldn't support him!
Because they were Celtics fans, and this was the Celtics' home court: the TD Garden!
And because He Xi Meng was currently wearing the Celtics' number 4 jersey, fighting for the honor of the TD Garden!
Pierce's third offensive possession, he chose his most familiar move: a post-up followed by a turnaround jumper.
He Xi Meng couldn't counter this move; he genuinely wasn't very skilled at it.
In the league, very few point guards practiced this move.
Because for a point guard, their primary role wasn't the post-up but facing the basket! It wasn't scoring, but organizing and facilitating.
Therefore, as a counter, He Xi Meng also adopted one of his signature offensive moves. After creating a mismatch against Pierce, he faked a drive to the basket but then pulled back to the three-point line and shot a three-pointer over Pierce's closeout defense!
Three offensive possessions, three Answerballs!
Pierce allowed the home Celtics fans to relive his offensive wizardry, but He Xi Meng also made the fans realize that if He Xi Meng was fully committed to scoring, his efficiency was no less than Pierce's!
On the Nets' fourth possession, Pierce again chose to isolate, and this time He Xi Meng decided to go for the steal!
As Pierce turned to start his move, he didn't expect He Xi Meng to be so aggressive. In a moment of carelessness, He Xi Meng stole the ball!
He Xi Meng quickly pushed the ball up the court, leaving Pierce far behind with his incredible speed!
In terms of absolute speed, neither Pierce nor Kidd were top-tier in the league, so no Net player could catch up to He Xi Meng's speed on this play!
Facing an open basket, He Xi Meng had another opportunity for a soaring dunk. The Boston fans were eagerly anticipating whether He Xi Meng would execute a tomahawk dunk or a 360-degree spin dunk. However, He Xi Meng leaped high, poised to deliver a thunderous slam, but instead, with a gentle layup, he scored two points, astonishing the fans!
Some Boston fans unfamiliar with He Xi Meng's playing style were stunned on the spot, unable to understand how he could switch so abruptly from such a "explosive" state to such a "gentle" one. Wouldn't his back get injured?
But the veteran fans, familiar with He Xi Meng's style, quickly recovered from their shock and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"That's right! That's the feeling! Simon is still Simon!"
...
After this steal and fast break, Pierce continued to isolate, but He Xi Meng decided not to respond to his provocations anymore.
"Vince, it's time for you to show your skills!"
He Xi Meng handed the ball to Carter!
Carter, who had been watching from the sidelines, had been itching to get involved as he saw He Xi Meng and Pierce going head-to-head.
Upon receiving He Xi Meng's instruction, he immediately rubbed his hands together and started matching Pierce's intensity...