Okay!
I don't know if Cole was flattering me or genuinely thought this tactic was brilliant.
Judging by the final result, this tactic was quite successful!
Although the young players of the Boston Celtics suffered 8 huge blocks against the ironclad Detroit Pistons, committed 15 turnovers and 22 fouls, they successfully helped the "Ter-T Meng Combination" wear down a lot of the Pistons' defensive energy.
He Xi Meng, after scoring 36 points against Pierce in the previous game, once again achieved 33 points and 11 assists in this game!
Carter, after scoring 34 points in the previous game, once again got 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists in this game.
Yao Ming had deliberately held back in the last game to fully support the firepower of the "Ter-T Meng Combination." In this game, he was forced to hold back. Facing the defense of the twin Wallaces, Yao Ming struggled greatly in the low post. He decided to move to the high post, becoming the mid-range pivot, helping his teammates clear out the Pistons' interior defense and disrupt their defensive formation...
So, when the game ended with the Celtics defeating the Pistons 100:98, Billups was a bit stunned, and the Pistons' players were also stunned!
They were told this was a newly formed team, newcomers to the Eastern Conference, so how could they suddenly turn the tables and take down the Eastern Conference champions of last year, and the second-ranked team in the East this year?
If the Pistons had encountered the Celtics earlier, that is, before Carter arrived and while Pierce was still injured, the Pistons would have definitely secured a victory!
Because at that time, the Celtics only had two strong points: He Xi Meng on the perimeter and Yao Ming in the interior, which were relatively easier to contain.
But now, it's different!
Not only has Pierce been replaced by Carter!
But Cole has replaced Rivers, and Collins has replaced Angie... For the Celtics, the team's strength has been maximally integrated, and their power has greatly increased.
It's no exaggeration to say that the Celtics are now on the right track!
For their upcoming games, it will simply be a matter of integrating the lineup and developing rookies. With no external factors hindering them, the team's strength will improve to some extent every day...
After a three-game winning streak, it was time for this year's Christmas Day game!
Based on their record last season, the Celtics actually didn't qualify for a Christmas Day game.
But David Stern, who was adept at creating headlines, specifically arranged this cross-conference Christmas Day game!
Of course, it would be the Celtics flying to San Antonio to challenge the defending champions, the Spurs!
The reason for this arrangement was, of course, that the Celtics had two former core members of the Spurs: He Xi Meng and Yao Ming!
Even more coincidentally, this was the first time He Xi Meng and Yao Ming had returned to San Antonio after leaving the Spurs!
Therefore, the Spurs were also going to present championship rings to these two meritorious players from last season!
Was this a coincidence?
David Stern said so, but this old man's words are even less reliable than Coach Popovich's.
Believe it or not, He Xi Meng certainly wouldn't believe it!
However, the return of He Xi Meng and Yao Ming to San Antonio still made the city quite lively!
Before the game officially started, the Spurs prepared a small award ceremony for the two.
The arena lights dimmed, and the big screen began to play highlights and precious memories of He Xi Meng's five seasons with the Spurs and Yao Ming's three seasons with the Spurs!
Finally, the video concluded with a message of thanks!
"Thank you, Xi Meng and Da Yao, for every contribution you have made to the Spurs! San Antonio will always be your home, and you are welcome to return anytime..."
The video was quite emotional, and many fans in the audience shed tears of excitement. As the individuals involved, He Xi Meng and Da Yao also had tears in their eyes.
"How was it? My idea, pretty good, right?" Duncan somehow sidled up to He Xi Meng.
"People like you, whose interests cannot bind you, and honor cannot restrain you, the only thing you cannot let go of is true sincerity! As long as San Antonio treats you sincerely, you will never treat San Antonio as a past that can be discarded at any time..."
"Stop! Tim! I've warned you many times, don't use what you learned in your psychology class on me..."
"No, no, no! I call this applying what I've learned! To deal with you, this is the only way! Just tell me, is it effective?"
He Xi Meng scratched his head helplessly, "I admit, you win! I will always remember the good things about San Antonio..."
"Great! Remember your promise today, you must come back to San Antonio before retiring..."
"Ugh, ugh, ugh, what are you talking about? Me remembering San Antonio fondly has nothing to do with whether I return before retiring!"
Duncan ignored He Xi Meng and happily slipped back to his own team.
After the video ended, Spurs owner Peter personally came to the center of the court, accompanied by Popovich, and solemnly presented the championship rings to He Xi Meng and Yao Ming, while once again expressing their gratitude for their contributions to the team!
In any case, the Spurs went all out in terms of emotional appeal.
After the ceremony, old teammates such as Ginobili, Parker, Bowen, Prince, Liu Yudong, and Battelle all came forward to congratulate He Xi Meng and Yao Ming, shaking hands, bumping chests, and hugging them!
This summer, the three-time champion Spurs disbanded, and teams across the league swarmed to poach any player they could from the Spurs!
So, He Xi Meng and Yao Ming were not the only players who left.
David Robinson chose to retire directly, and Boozer was poached, in exchange for Nesterović!
After Yao Ming left, Popovich felt he should find a lower-tier partner for Duncan, so after much deliberation, he set his sights on Nesterović!
Other players like Pachulia, Korver, and Willigreen also left, replaced by Horry, Devin Brown, and Brent Barry, among others.
The Spurs' current starting lineup is Nesterović, Duncan, Prince, Bowen, and Parker.
The reserve lineup includes Ginobili, Matt Bonner, Horry, Devin Brown, Brent Barry, Liu Yudong, and Battelle.
History, as if possessing its own corrective mechanism, began to gradually return to its intended course.
But He Xi Meng's influence remained! At least until Prince's rookie contract expired, Popovich wouldn't let him go. Liu Yudong and Battelle, these two Chinese players, also hovered between the Spurs' second and third lineups, ensuring they wouldn't be without a team to play for.
The pre-game festivities were lively, but the game itself wasn't as exciting as expected.
Because Popovich was too familiar with Yao Ming and He Xi Meng...