On the Heat's third possession, Eddie Jones, who hadn't touched the ball, grew impatient. He proactively ran to Dwyane Wade's side to ask for the ball, then drove hard at Trevor Ariza, pulling up for a mid-range jump shot!
Despite his youth, Ariza possessed long limbs and solid defensive fundamentals!
Though Eddie Jones had created shooting space, he hadn't completely shaken off Ariza.
Under Ariza's determined interference, Eddie Jones's mid-range jumper clanged off the rim!
Shaquille O'Neal battled for position in the paint and successfully snatched the offensive rebound from Yao Ming.
Upon receiving the ball, O'Neal didn't dare to shoot immediately. After multiple confrontations with Yao Ming, O'Neal had gained a profound and unforgettable impression of Yao's shot-blocking prowess.
Ordinary pump fakes were utterly useless against Yao Ming.
Therefore, O'Neal chose to take a risk and take an extra dribble, forcing his way to the basket, shouldering Yao Ming and Josh Smith before rising up and slamming the ball into the hoop, finally letting out a sigh of relief.
Although O'Neal was past his prime and his footwork was noticeably slower, once he reached the paint, he was still the unstoppable Big Diesel!
On the Celtics' third possession, He Xi Meng still opted to find Yao Ming, running a half-court offense.
However, he didn't have Yao Ming directly post up O'Neal. Instead, he called for a screen from Trevor Ariza and cut to the basket for a pass!
Yao Ming bounced the ball back to He Xi Meng. Both O'Neal and Udonis Haslem rotated back, attempting to block He Xi Meng.
To their surprise, He Xi Meng didn't immediately shoot. He faked a shot in the paint before driving out to the left!
Vince Carter didn't let He Xi Meng down, appearing on the left wing outside the three-point line almost instantly!
As one of the league's top scorers, Carter's instincts were incredibly sharp!
Before the game, He Xi Meng's instructions to Carter were to roam freely. As long as Carter found an opportunity to shoot, He Xi Meng guaranteed he would deliver the ball to him at the first chance.
Now, Carter had fulfilled his promise by positioning himself in the best spot. He Xi Meng also kept his word, abandoning his opportunity for a turn-around floater and delivering a no-look pass to Carter!
Carter caught the ball and shot a three-pointer – splash!
Among the league's "Four Aces," Carter was renowned for his explosive dunks. However, in reality, Carter's off-ball three-point shooting was also quite consistent.
Among the four, Carter might have been slightly inferior in on-ball offensive ability, but in terms of scoring off the ball, Carter had emerged as the leader!
From this perspective, Carter's chemistry with He Xi Meng should be no less than Kobe Bryant's, and at least superior to Allen Iverson's and Tracy McGrady's.
In a roundabout way, Doc Rivers had helped the Celtics further optimize their lineup.
With Yao Ming inside and Carter outside, He Xi Meng didn't even need to score himself in the first quarter, and the Celtics' offensive firepower was enough to go toe-to-toe with the Heat.
On defense, Josh Smith helped Yao Ming contain O'Neal, while Haslem helped O'Neal contain Yao Ming, resulting in a stalemate with each player matching up against an opponent.
On the wing, Ariza defended Eddie Jones one-on-one. While he made minor mistakes, the overall effect was decent, at least keeping Eddie Jones's shooting percentage below his average.
On the guard line, Dwyane Wade was playing with exceptional energy today, likely eager to prove himself against two All-Stars in He Xi Meng and Carter. The home rim was also being kind, leading to Wade's shooting percentage being slightly above average in the first quarter.
Defensively, Wade was expending too much energy, failing to chase Carter, failing to steal from He Xi Meng, and attempting an unsuccessful sneak attack on Yao Ming... The more Wade tried to make an impact defensively, the more he became a liability for the Heat!
Wade's overzealousness frustrated Head Coach Pat Riley, who repeatedly reminded him, "Calm down, Dwyane, calm down!"
The first quarter ended with the score tied at 26:26.
At the start of the second quarter, Old Man Payton entered the game with four rookies!
Karl Malone and Derek Fisher had been playing as starters for a while and became overly excited, directly exacerbating old injuries, requiring a period of rest.
Payton accepted fate and led the rookies from the bench, playing against other teams' reserves, finding himself more lively and happy than ever!
Why do they say that old age doesn't rely on muscle and bone?
It's to advise older comrades to accept their age!
Even if you love basketball and maintain good form, if you continue to confront players in their prime in the starting lineup like younger players, your body will quickly signal trouble!
Of course, Malone wanted to play, his spirit was young despite his age.
Fisher was purely forced into a difficult situation by Rivers; his primary purpose for coming to the Celtics wasn't to play basketball at all...
But the result was the same: both were forced to the sidelines due to injury.
Malone looked troubled, sighing deeply, worried that the team's record would decline without him.
Fisher, on the other hand, looked refreshed, wearing a sharp suit, chewing gum, and sitting on the bench, enthusiastically cheering for He Xi Meng.
He Xi Meng had promised Fisher a supporting role in Pirates of the Caribbean 3!
The script would be sent to Fisher's email in the next couple of days, giving Fisher the perfect opportunity to study the role during his time off due to injury...
Replacing Malone and Fisher were Kendrick Perkins and Hu Weidong.
The Celtics' current rotation lineup was one big man and four small guards!
Perkins anchored the paint, while Tony Allen, Kevin Martin, Hu Weidong, and Payton formed a perimeter line of four smaller players.
This lineup had weak defensive capabilities on the wing, as the 6'7" Kevin Martin, a swingman, was forced to play power forward, presenting a significant defensive challenge for him.
The Celtics weren't without options; reserve center Mark Blount could have paired with Perkins, creating a more complete lineup.
Rick Pitino's original plan was to have Mark Blount replace Hu Weidong, with Kevin Martin returning to small forward and Tony Allen playing shooting guard.
However, He Xi Meng directly informed Pitino that he wanted Hu Weidong to have more playing time and opportunities to perform!
"In our rotation, we don't prioritize stability; we play offense to compensate for defense, giving the young players chances to make mistakes and grow. That way, we can develop sufficient bench depth before the playoffs arrive..."
He Xi Meng had expressed the same sentiment to Doc Rivers, who had refused, while Pitino had accepted it!
As a result, Rivers packed his bags and left Boston, while Pitino became the new head coach of the Celtics.
On the Heat's side, Pat Riley replaced O'Neal and Eddie Jones, keeping Dwyane Wade on the floor!
Wade was like a bulldog right now, brimming with inexhaustible energy! He wished he could play all 48 minutes of every game.
As long as Head Coach Pat Riley allowed him to stay on the court, he would sprint across the floor for the Miami fans.
Thus, the rotation time became a battle between the Heat's rookie Wade and several of the Celtics' rookies!