The Pistons, back in the Motor City for Game 6, regrouped, hoping to force a Game 7.
But the Celtics gave them no such opportunity!
He Xi Meng also abandoned outside shooting and joined Carter's onslaught, driving to the basket with the toughest style, using the most basic but effective method to score alongside Carter!
Having learned from their losses in Games 3 and 4, Yao Ming gradually figured out how to play against Ben Wallace. Simply put, as long as Ben Wallace couldn't dunk, he could shoot all he wanted!
Yao Ming would only raise his hands to interfere, never attempting a block!
If Ben Wallace could shoot the Celtics to death, Yao Ming would accept it, and so would He Xi Meng!
With several factors combined, even the frenzied fans of the Motor City couldn't help the Pistons accept defeat!
100:95, the Celtics took another win, eliminating the Pistons 4-2 and ending the playoff journey of this heroic team without superstars.
He Xi Meng genuinely admired the fighting spirit of the Pistons players! Especially from a head coach's perspective, the Pistons were a highly respectable team.
But respect aside, as a player, He Xi Meng wouldn't go easy on them.
Besides offering a silent apology in his heart, He Xi Meng could only give veteran coach Larry Brown a big hug.
In the other Eastern Conference matchup, the Heat and Wizards played a clean and decisive series!
He Xi Meng had originally thought O'Neal would be an insurmountable obstacle for the Wizards, but surprisingly, O'Neal didn't explode. He averaged only 17.5 points, 7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block per game over four games. Instead, Wade erupted!
In Game 1, Wade played cautiously. The home-team Heat had multiple players scoring, and Wade led the team with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists!
In Game 2, Wade found his rhythm, feeling that the Wizards were nothing special and that the semifinals were also nothing special. He then let loose, posting 31 points, 15 assists, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, and 7 turnovers! His scoring, assists, defense, and even turnovers all exploded, making Coach Van Gundy at courtside feel both love and hate!
Game 3 took place at the Wizards' home court. O'Neal's old injury flared up, and he was sidelined. Mourning, who had a stint with the Nets and Raptors before returning to the Heat, filled O'Neal's starting spot and performed admirably, scoring 14 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks, proving his former Defensive Player of the Year prowess.
Wade, feeling that O'Neal was absent, decided he needed to work even harder! Thus, he once again posted 31 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 8 turnovers!
Aside from a slightly high turnover rate, Wade's performance was nearly perfect in all other aspects!
In Game 4, the Wizards fought for pride, attempting to avoid the embarrassment of being swept by the Heat.
Arenas, Jamison, and Larry Hughes all launched numerous shots from the perimeter, but their accuracy was dismal!
Arenas shot 5-of-17, Jamison shot 4-of-15, and Larry Hughes shot 4-of-17! None of the three reached a 30% shooting percentage, a truly bewildering state.
In contrast, Wade shot 13-of-22, a 59% success rate, and 16-of-17 from the free-throw line, a remarkable 94%, scoring 42 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block!
It was essentially the second-year Wade against the Wizards' trio!
Such a performance sent the Heat fans back in Miami into a frenzy!
Meanwhile, the Wizards fans at the arena were despondent, watching their team be swept 4-0 by their opponents with helpless resignation.
The Heat and Celtics would meet in the Eastern Conference Finals!
In the West, the Spurs easily defeated the SuperSonics 4-1, while the Suns engaged in an offensive shootout with the Mavericks!
The Suns' trio of Nash, Stoudemire, and Shawn Marion all played at peak form in this series!
Nash averaged a series-high 30.3 points, 12 assists, and 6.5 rebounds, Stoudemire averaged 28.8 points and 12.5 rebounds, and Marion averaged 23.3 points and 12.2 rebounds!
In comparison, Nowitzki's average of 26.5 points and 11.5 rebounds seemed somewhat lackluster…
The world was changing too quickly, leaving the German Tank bewildered.
4-2, the Suns defeated the Mavericks 4-2 to advance to the Western Conference Finals. The Mavericks were unsure how many seasons they had been stopped in the Western Conference Semifinals, feeling utterly dejected.
In the Western Conference Finals, the Suns aimed to continue their momentum and sweep aside the three-time defending champion Spurs!
After all, this season's Spurs exhibited the league's top defensive efficiency, while their offensive efficiency… well, averaging 96.2 points per game, ranking 18th in the league, slightly below average!
Therefore, D'Antoni set the main strategy for the Suns before the series: offense to compensate for defense!
"Defend when possible, and when not… let it go! As long as we have an absolute advantage on offense, can't we still achieve victory?"
During the regular season, the Suns averaged 110.4 points per game, a full 14 points higher than the Spurs!
By conventional logic, D'Antoni's strategy was sound. The Suns' firepower should have overwhelmed this dismantled Spurs team!
As a result, in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, the Suns were stunned!
The Spurs scored 30 points in the first quarter, taking a 10-point lead over the Suns!
In the second and third quarters, the Suns fought back, and by the start of the fourth quarter, they had managed to tie the score.
In the fourth quarter, the Spurs exploded for 43 points! A decisive run sealed the game.
By the end of the game, four Spurs players scored over 20 points!
Parker had 29 points and 7 rebounds, Duncan had 28 points and 15 rebounds, Ginobili had 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, and Bruce Bowen had 20 points and 5 rebounds and 3 steals!
From the bench, Horry contributed 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists and 2 steals!
The Spurs scored 121 points in total, even higher than the Suns' scoring efficiency!
What in the world was happening? Was this still the Spurs team that ranked 18th in the league in average scoring?
The Suns' head coach D'Antoni at the sideline was bewildered, and all the Suns players were equally confused.
If they couldn't defend against the Spurs, and they couldn't outscore them either, how could they possibly win the remaining games?
After Game 1, D'Antoni convened an emergency meeting with his coaching staff to discuss how to approach their second home game and what tactical adjustments to make.
As they deliberated, they could only arrive at one conclusion: Was Game 1 an anomaly? Had the Spurs played an exceptionally good game?