Although Pierce was eliminated from the Celtics due to his failed struggle with He Xi Meng, the player he was exchanged for was none other than Carter himself!
Logically speaking, the Celtics believed that Carter was stronger than Pierce, or at least more suitable for the Celtics' current lineup, which is why they sent Pierce away and acquired Carter.
For both emotional and rational reasons, Carter, whose position was more equivalent to Pierce's, needed to showcase his strength in this game to prove that the Celtics' choice was not wrong!
Thus, the subsequent game gradually evolved into Pierce versus He Xi Meng + Carter!
Kidd secretly hid behind Pierce, handing him a knife.
Yao Ming stood behind He Xi Meng and Carter, providing them with rebounds.
Overall, He Xi Meng did not display his usual organizational and connecting prowess in this game.
Because the Celtics' ball possession was excessively concentrated in the hands of He Xi Meng and Carter, Yao Ming's advantage in the paint was wasted.
However, Yao Ming had no objections: "Xi Meng must have his reasons for doing this!"
Head coach Kerr also defended the fiery "Brother Tiemeng": "Most of the time, we emphasize playing every ball rationally! But people are not machines; as humans, we cannot remain rational forever! At appropriate times, we also need a little bit of irrationality to ignite our fighting spirit and soothe our emotions..."
In this scoring battle, Pierce played his most brilliant game of the season, scoring 45 points and grabbing 7 rebounds.
But He Xi Meng and Carter were not to be outdone!
He Xi Meng scored 36 points, 7 assists, and 3 rebounds, while Carter had 34 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. Together, they scored a combined 70 points, causing the fans in the arena to cheer repeatedly.
Kidd also provided some support to Pierce, but not much in terms of scoring, primarily in rebounds and assists.
Kidd finished the game with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, a triple-double master quietly achieving his personal goal in the background while "Pitemeng" were fighting a cataclysm on the front lines.
108:104, the game was exciting, but the outcome was never really in doubt. The Celtics consistently maintained a lead.
Even when Pierce led a scoring surge in the final moments, it only narrowed the deficit from 9 points to 4.
After the game, the Celtics fans in the arena gave a warm round of applause to the exiting Pierce. Pierce waved to the fans but refused to shake hands with He Xi Meng and Carter after the game, heading straight back to the locker room.
Kidd was not as emotional as Pierce and stayed behind to offer a brief explanation for Pierce.
"Paul is deeply attached to Boston and cannot yet accept the change in his status..."
"Understood! Understood! It will get better after a few more games..."
After seeing off the dejected Captain Pi, the Celtics continued to host another strong Eastern Conference team, the Pistons, at home!
The Pistons should have ascended to the league championship throne last season, but unfortunately, they encountered a divinely-powered Spurs team!
Even a crucial player for the team, Prince, was on the Spurs roster. Such a Pistons team had no chance against the Spurs.
This season, with the divine Spurs disbanded, the Pistons regrouped, ready to make another run at the championship.
Facing the newly rebuilt Celtics, the Pistons did not initially take them seriously!
After all, a lineup consisting of the Twin Wallaces, McDyess, Hamilton, and Billups was essentially the defensive ceiling of the league.
Apart from the divinely-powered Spurs, the Pistons were confident they could stifle any other team with their suffocating defensive tactics.
Therefore, the atmosphere between the two teams was very amicable before the game.
Mr. Jordan himself descended to the court to have a friendly chat with his junior fraternity brothers.
Rasheed Wallace, Hamilton, and even Carter were all from North Carolina! It was practically a mini alumni reunion!
And McDyess had played alongside Carter on the Raptors before joining the Pistons, so he had a good relationship with Carter.
Billups, on the other hand, was an old acquaintance of He Xi Meng!
Billups had been "bullied" and encouraged by He Xi Meng all along his journey from the Celtics to the Raptors, from the Nuggets to the Timberwolves!
Upon joining the Pistons two seasons ago, Billups felt his chance for a turnaround had arrived!
He never expected that He Xi Meng's Spurs team would become divinely powered, and Billups' attempt to turn things around was in vain.
If He Xi Meng had not left the Spurs and stayed with Duncan, Billups believed his chances of a career turnaround would have been minuscule.
As a result, He Xi Meng unexpectedly left the Spurs and chose to rebuild the Celtics in the Eastern Conference.
Billups instantly felt that his hope of defeating and surpassing He Xi Meng had returned!
Thus, before the start of this regular season game, Billups was very happy to see He Xi Meng.
It wasn't a case of revenge, as Billups didn't hate He Xi Meng. On the contrary, he was grateful for He Xi Meng's consistent encouragement over the years.
But gratitude aside, Billups still really wanted to defeat He Xi Meng.
This was a simple desire that had been suppressed in Billups' heart for many years.
After the game started, Billups played with great effort!
He was not only active in playmaking but also displayed strong aggressiveness on offense, with an intense desire to score.
Unfortunately, He Xi Meng's shooting touch continued to be exceptionally hot today!
Perhaps the hot hand he developed from the previous game's scoring duel with Pierce had not yet faded.
From the beginning of this game, He Xi Meng was firing on all cylinders from beyond the three-point line, guarded by Billups!
Facing this impenetrable Pistons team, conventional half-court offense was extremely difficult.
Even with Yao Ming on the Celtics, it was hard to break through the paint guarded by the Twin Wallaces.
Therefore, He Xi Meng's suggestion to Kerr before the game was to split their efforts!
Young players like Josh Smith, Tony Allen, Ariza, and Kevin Martin would leverage their youthful energy to repeatedly attack the Pistons' defense, wearing down the power of their impenetrable scheme.
He Xi Meng and Carter would focus their offense on the three-point line initially, engaging in a shooting duel with the Pistons!
Once the strength of the impenetrable defense was significantly depleted by the Celtics' younger players, He Xi Meng and Carter would come off the court to finish the game!
This approach was somewhat unfair to the young players.
Because facing the Pistons' impenetrable defense, they were likely to suffer heavy blows, like cannon fodder on the battlefield.
However, not only did Kerr adopt He Xi Meng's suggestion, but he also praised this strategy wholeheartedly!
"The court is like a battlefield! Core players should have the privileges of core players..."