In sum, Carter will shuttle between shooting guard and small forward for the future Celtics.
Depending on the opponent, He Xi Meng will try to start Ariza or Tony Allen.
The starting lineup for the Heat is center O'Neal, power forward Haslem, small forward Eddie Jones, shooting guard Wade, and point guard Damon Jones!
At the start of the game, O'Neal played a little trick, faking with his posterior to disrupt Yao Ming's jump rhythm, and then successfully tipped the ball into Wade's hands!
After his little trick worked, O'Neal happily said to Yao Ming, who was chasing him, "Big Yao, you're still a bit green..."
Yao Ming responded speechlessly, "Shaq, you're a bit more ripe, aren't you!"
O'Neal chuckled, set up Yao Ming at the edge of the paint, and started calling for the ball!
Wade, who had the ball across half-court, immediately lobbed it to O'Neal, then suddenly accelerated, using a screen from Damon Jones, shook off Tony Allen, and drove into the Celtics' paint!
He Xi Meng, who switched to defend, had retreated in advance but couldn't stop Wade's cut from the side!
One had to admit, Wade's speed right after entering the league was truly blistering!
Seeing this, O'Neal immediately made a bounce pass, right behind He Xi Meng!
Wade accelerated again to catch the ball, took flight, dodged He Xi Meng's trailing block, and finished with a layup off the glass. It was a seamless play, and two points were scored.
The Heat fans in the arena erupted in cheers, chanting Wade's name in unison.
My goodness! Wade, in just his first season in the league, seemed to have garnered a considerable fan base. He was truly a standout from the 2003 draft class!
It was the Celtics' turn to attack.
After He Xi Meng brought the ball past half-court, he still looked for Yao Ming first.
Whether Pierce or Carter played small forward, the Celtics' core strategy remained unchanged! That was to attack the paint first. With an interior presence like Yao Ming, it would be a terrible waste not to utilize him properly!
However, attacking the paint didn't mean having Yao Ming force shots mindlessly.
It was about using Yao Ming's threat in the paint to stretch the opponent's defense. If Yao Ming didn't have a good opportunity inside, he could then look to pass out.
They would search for weaknesses in the opponent's defense by shifting between interior and exterior play.
Carter's role was the same as He Xi Meng had previously envisioned for Pierce: a free agent on the wing.
While He Xi Meng and Yao Ming worked together, Carter could freely seek opportunities. If an opportunity arose, He Xi Meng would pass him the ball.
He Xi Meng had communicated this with Carter before he joined the Celtics, and Carter had agreed to He Xi Meng's plan, believing that He Xi Meng would play the game in the most correct way!
The "Yao-Shark" matchup had always been a favorite for Chinese fans.
In previous seasons, when Yao Ming played against O'Neal, he had Duncan's assistance and never seemed at a disadvantage.
But now, having left the Spurs and joined the Celtics, Yao Ming only had Josh Smith beside him.
Josh Smith's help defense was good, but still a considerable gap compared to Duncan. Therefore, theoretically, Yao Ming would need to rely more on his own strength.
On offense, with Yao Ming's core strength improving over these past few seasons, he could now back down O'Neal with the help of footwork!
On this play, Yao Ming backed down O'Neal, used a pump fake with his feet to make O'Neal lose his balance, then spun towards the basket and, facing Haslem's help defense, completed a one-handed dunk directly over him!
"Dominant!"
Carter immediately gave Yao Ming, who was retreating, a thumbs-up!
Yao Ming returned a confident smile to Carter.
Now in his fourth year in the league, Yao Ming had shed his former shyness. Through countless battles with O'Neal, Yao Ming had become increasingly confident and dominant!
On the Heat's second possession, Damon Jones brought the ball past half-court, and O'Neal again extended his hand to receive the ball.
Wade, using his speed, cut into the Celtics' basket again, but this time O'Neal didn't pass. Instead, he faked and used his powerful physique to push the ball towards the basket!
He Xi Meng immediately called for Ariza on the wing to collapse and help Yao Ming!
They couldn't let O'Neal plow his way deep into the paint with his backside. If they could disrupt O'Neal's dribble and force him to receive the ball further from the basket, O'Neal's shooting percentage would drop dramatically.
This was valuable experience gained by He Xi Meng and the Spurs through repeated confrontations with the Lakers over several seasons!
Besides the "Hack-a-Shaq" strategy, this was the best way to contain O'Neal's scoring.
During the regular season, "Hack-a-Shaq," wing collapses, and high-low post double-teams were sufficient to deal with O'Neal.
As expected, after being double-teamed by Ariza on this play, O'Neal was forced to pick up the ball early!
O'Neal's best option would have been to pass to Eddie Jones on the perimeter, but O'Neal was unwilling to pass. He forcefully turned around, leaned on Yao Ming, and shot a high-arching floater!
The ball, with no suspense, bounced off the rim!
Yao Ming turned and calmly secured the rebound, then handed it to He Xi Meng to advance the ball.
He Xi Meng had intended to run a set play, but seeing Carter rapidly sprinting down the right sideline, he immediately changed his mind and threw a quarterback-style long pass across half-court to Carter!
Carter caught the ball, took three steps, and prepared to initiate his new career with the Celtics with a beautiful soaring dunk!
Unexpectedly, Wade refused to give up! Relying on his speed advantage, he quickly sprinted up from behind Carter, attempting to block him from behind!
The Heat fans in the arena all stood up excitedly, wanting to witness Wade's miracle.
As a result, in mid-air, Carter caught a glimpse of the flying Wade out of the corner of his eye, pulled the ball back, and changed his one-handed forward dunk to a reverse dunk after hanging in the air!
This move was more difficult and visually more spectacular!
If it had been on the Celtics' home court, it would have surely elicited a roar from the crowd.
The Miami fans in the arena didn't cheer, but they couldn't help but gasp in amazement!
Because Carter's dunk was simply too damn brilliant!
One had to admit, Half-Man, Half-Amazing was still Half-Man, Half-Amazing!
Wade inadvertently became the backdrop for today's best play!
Compared to Carter now, Wade was still a bit immature...
"Still as beautiful as ever!"
As Carter retreated on defense, He Xi Meng unhesitatingly gave him a thumbs-up!
Carter casually high-fived He Xi Meng and replied, "It was your pass that was great!"