Popovich had Duncan switch to defend Yao Ming, and Duncan directly held him back, causing Yao Ming's shooting percentage to plummet.
Popovich had Bowen switch to defend He Xi Meng, but Bowen dared not foul.
After being influenced by He Xi Meng for several seasons, Bowen had basically forgotten that he knew how to "step on." Normal defense had been enough to help the team win three championships, so why would he risk ruining his reputation by fouling other players in the league?
Without needing to foul, Bowen used his endless stamina to entangle and severely disrupt He Xi Meng's shots and drives. Meanwhile, Parker was always ready to provide help defense, and the two worked together successfully, leaving He Xi Meng frustrated.
Carter singled out Parker for mismatches today and had many opportunities to shoot, but Prince's help defense was always there. Carter wanted to explode, but couldn't.
Ultimately, under the Spurs' suffocating defense, the Celtics suffered their first crushing defeat of the new season!
90:107, the Greens lost by 17 points!
"Is this truly the gap between us and the defending champions?"
After the game, the Celtics' locker room was filled with self-doubt.
This is how teams with many young players behave!
When they win, they win wildly, feeling like the whole world trembles beneath their feet.
When they lose, they become dejected, feeling like the whole world has abandoned them.
From one extreme to another!
Kerr tried to use words to stimulate and encourage these youngsters, but the effect was not very effective.
He Xi Meng patted Kerr's shoulder, signaling him not to be anxious.
"Relax! The best way to shake off the shadow of a crushing defeat is a resounding victory! Only a resounding victory can do that."
"Guys! Go home and get a good night's sleep. These are the ups and downs you must experience during your growth. I like to call them growing pains..."
Growing Pains was a sitcom that many players watched during their student days.
Now that He Xi Meng was comparing them to rowdy high school kids, everyone in the locker room couldn't help but laugh.
Compared to Kerr's grand pronouncements, He Xi Meng's "pretend" mature way of speaking was clearly more popular.
Taking advantage of the easing atmosphere, He Xi Meng smoothly poured them another bowl of chicken soup.
"In fact, we do have a gap with the defending champions, but the gap is definitely not as big as you all imagine!"
"The season is long, and anything can happen! Of course, I'm not cursing the Spurs! I'm just stating an objective fact!"
"On the road to a championship, I've seen too many strong teams lose their chance to compete for various unbelievable reasons!"
"We are definitely not the strongest team in the league right now, but compared to other stronger teams, we have a huge advantage: youth! Youth means infinite possibilities! Your growth speed will affect our final results this season, whether we stop at the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Finals, or the Finals..."
"Don't worry about playoff tickets! As long as I'm on the court, as long as Vince and Big Yao are on the court, the playoffs are just our baseline!"
"Finally, I have prepared a small gift for you all to wish you a Merry Christmas!"
In the winter of 2004, the hottest electronic products were the Apple iPod mini player, ranking first, and Sony's ultra-thin laptop, ranking second.
He Xi Meng got one for everyone on the team, from players to staff. Every Celtics staff member who accompanied them to San Antonio received one.
When He Xi Meng was with the Spurs and Lakers, he didn't have to worry about these things.
Because with the Lakers, Shaq always gave out gifts.
With the Spurs, it was David Robinson who initially gave gifts, and later Duncan prepared gifts, and He Xi Meng only had to receive them.
Although NBA players are millionaires and no one lacked these electronic products, the meaning was different!
This was an indispensable ritualistic gesture for the team leader to promote harmony within the team.
From the Lakers to the Spurs, He Xi Meng had always been a core player, a tactical core, and a scoring core!
But it was only with the Celtics that He Xi Meng truly became, in the league's sense, the leader of a team!
Not everyone was qualified to give gifts!
After the Christmas game, the Celtics had two days off before returning home to face the visiting Wizards!
The Wizards came at the perfect time, the perfect moment, the perfect timing!
He Xi Meng wanted to use a resounding victory to sweep away the gloom of being thrashed by the Spurs in the Christmas game!
As soon as the game started, He Xi Meng called for Josh Smith's high pick-and-roll. After the screen, he didn't drive directly to the basket but stopped abruptly and pulled back!
"Josh!"
He Xi Meng shouted and then lofted the ball directly upwards!
"I'm here!"
Josh Smith, who was streaking down the middle, didn't hesitate. He accelerated at full speed, leaped into the air, and slammed home a two-handed dunk, giving the Celtics a explosive start!
After Josh Smith's opening dunk, He Xi Meng repeated the maneuver. He feigned another lob to the basket, drawing the entire Wizards team to collapse inward. He Xi Meng then pulled the ball back and threw a no-look behind-the-back pass to Ariza on the wing!
Ariza's three-point shooting was not very stable at this time, especially under defensive pressure.
However, this pass from He Xi Meng was very clever, basically clearing the defenders in front of Ariza, allowing him to shoot without pressure!
Swish, Ariza's wing three-pointer was good!
On the Celtics' third possession, He Xi Meng called for Yao Ming to receive the ball in the high post and then ran a hand-off cut. He Xi Meng received the ball and drove into the paint, drawing the attention of several Wizards players.
In the crowd, He Xi Meng saw Yao Ming cutting in from the weak side, preparing to fight for the rebound. He immediately made an extreme between-the-legs pass, threading the ball through the surrounding defenders and accurately passing it to Yao Ming!
Yao Ming caught the ball and took off. Before he could react, he simply dunked it with one arm, smashing the ball into the basket!
Throughout the game, He Xi Meng could be heard controlling the ball on the court and directing his teammates through plays, completely disregarding the Wizards.
Carter realized that today, He Xi Meng was prepared to create opportunities for the young players with all his might!
Therefore, Carter also restrained his offensive desire and cooperated with He Xi Meng to create scoring opportunities for the young players.
Unlike the previous game, where He Xi Meng went all out and scored 40 points, finishing the game in three quarters.
In this game, He Xi Meng hardly exerted himself on the scoring end!
The few shots he did take were only when Arenas provocatively taunted him, and He Xi Meng silenced him with a three-pointer.
He Xi Meng also didn't play much during the rotation, playing almost the entire game and successfully leading the Celtics to a multi-point attack!
Thus, under the watchful eye of Jordan, He Xi Meng led the young Celtics to a 113:92 victory, once again crushing the Wizards!