In fact, home-court advantage also requires certain conditions to cooperate.
For example, constantly attacking the paint, constantly forcing shots under the basket.
The Heat today were a bit too careless.
Wade kept trying to adjust to find his outside shooting touch, instead of using his greatest speed advantage to attack the Celtics' basket.
As for O'Neal, he wanted to attack the Celtics' basket, but Yao Ming was no longer the Yao Ming of the past.
O'Neal was also no longer the O'Neal who could easily score 30 points against Yao Ming.
Even when Yao Ming first entered the league, he dared to block O'Neal three times in a row. Now, if O'Neal dared to force a shot without establishing position, Yao Ming wouldn't mind giving O'Neal three blocks again!
In fact, Yao Ming didn't block O'Neal any less in this game. Yao Ming had 4 blocks for the entire game, 2 of which were against O'Neal, 1 against Wade, and 1 against Haslem.
Yao Ming diminished O'Neal's dominance, while He Xi Meng gave the young Wade his first taste of pressure from an older generation.
Tony Allen's one-on-one defense couldn't stop Wade, but He Xi Meng was like a ghost, always appearing on Wade's driving lanes, forcing Wade to stop multiple times and opt for pull-up jumpers. This was also a significant reason for Wade's poor shooting percentage today.
He Xi Meng himself, with the assistance of Josh Smith, dominated Haslem.
Haslem's interior defense was strong, but once He Xi Meng created a mismatch, he was lost!
If he defended closely, he was directly blown by. If he relaxed, he was directly shot from three-point range… No matter how he defended, it was a mistake!
The Heat also tried not to switch defenses, with Damon Jones and Haslem both rushing He Xi Meng!
He Xi Meng took advantage of the situation and passed to Josh Smith, who had a breakout game today and easily scored double-digit points!
In summary, in the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals, when everyone thought the Heat should win, the Celtics caught them off guard.
In Game 2, Coach Spoelstra made urgent tactical adjustments. He cleverly utilized home-court advantage, setting up pick-and-roll players for Wade at various positions to help him attack the basket.
Wade successfully drew 18 free throws, making 12, and at the same time, he improved his shooting percentage by attacking the basket. In this game, he shot 12 of 21 from the field, playing like a top superstar, scoring 36 points on his home court!
Meanwhile, O'Neal made 8 of 12 free throws, Eddie Jones made 8 of 8… the Heat as a team got as many as 54 free throws! From free throws alone, they scored 38 points, a full 10 points more than the Celtics!
Also, thanks to Wade's outstanding performance and the Heat's advantage at the free-throw line, Miami successfully defended their home court!
In Game 3, the teams moved to the North End Garden arena.
Wade wanted to repeat his strategy of using his speed to attack the Celtics' basket, but the away-game referees were not as accommodating.
Tony Allen didn't have to worry about his close defense being called a defensive foul, and He Xi Meng's lateral movement to help defend wasn't called a blocking foul.
Wade's efficiency in scoring with this tactic dropped sharply.
At the same time, Yao Ming wreaked havoc in the Heat's paint, successfully drawing O'Neal into foul trouble.
O'Neal picked up two fouls in the first half. As soon as the second half began, Carter and He Xi Meng went for O'Neal's big hands and, before the Shaq could react, forced O'Neal into two more fouls, compelling Coach Spoelstra to take O'Neal out and bring in Mourning!
Mourning could still contribute a little in the interior against the Wizards in the previous round, but against Yao Ming, Mourning was willing but unable! The iron man, plagued by kidney disease, refused to surrender to the illness, but his competitive form had long since declined. Otherwise, the Nets wouldn't have given up on Mourning, and the Raptors wouldn't have bought him out.
Mourning also wouldn't have accepted a backup role to O'Neal and returned to Miami.
In short, Mourning's footwork couldn't keep up with Yao Ming, and the height difference was 18 centimeters. Facing an aggressive Yao Ming, Mourning couldn't handle it alone and had to call for Haslem's help.
And that's exactly what Yao Ming was waiting for – the Heat's double-teams!
Once Haslem received the coach's instructions to help defend, Yao Ming switched to a facilitator role, constantly creating opportunities for He Xi Meng and Carter on the perimeter!
He Xi Meng and Carter, using Josh Smith's off-ball screens, constantly looked for catch-and-shoot opportunities on the wings!
With just this one tactic, the Celtics successfully made the Heat scramble and unable to cope.
By the end of the third quarter, the Celtics had successfully taken an 11-point lead!
In the fourth quarter, O'Neal returned to the court, trying to help the Heat reverse their fortunes.
But how could He Xi Meng let O'Neal have his way? He immediately drove to the basket, drawing a foul, and went straight for O'Neal!
Seeing He Xi Meng's determined gaze, O'Neal was so scared that he froze in place, allowing He Xi Meng to drive for an easy layup and score two points.
Then, O'Neal laboriously scored against Yao Ming, and Carter, holding the ball, came straight at him again…
This game was unplayable!
O'Neal was like a target, being attacked by He Xi Meng and Carter in turns!
Even Yao Ming, when receiving the ball and posting up O'Neal, didn't seem to be focused on scoring directly…
Soon, O'Neal committed his fifth foul!
Spoelstra wanted to gamble, but the Celtics, led by He Xi Meng, gave the Heat no chance. Midway through the fourth quarter, O'Neal fouled out and was done for the game.
O'Neal's departure signaled the end of the Heat's game.
The Celtics, led by He Xi Meng, pushed forward with a decisive run, sealing the victory.
106:91, the Celtics, in front of their home fans, decisively defeated the Heat and took a 2-1 lead in the series.
The crucial Game 4 continued to be played in Boston.
The outcome of this game would directly determine the direction of the Eastern Conference Finals.
If the Heat made a comeback, the two teams would return to square one, and the Heat, with their advantage in regular-season record, would also have home-court advantage.
If the Celtics won, Green Army would lead 3-1, essentially extinguishing the Heat's hopes of advancing. 138 Reading Network.
Therefore, both sides treated this game as a crucial battle.
Before the game, Wade was very focused during warm-ups, constantly searching for his shooting touch from mid-range and beyond.
In this game, Wade had decided to change his playing style and couldn't just blindly attack the basket like in the previous game. Because this was Boston, the North End Garden arena, the Celtics' home court!
Wade had to rely more on his shooting ability to help the Heat score!
O'Neal was also unusually focused, practicing his free throws at the free-throw line!
What was going on?
Could it be that O'Neal also knew the Chinese saying "a last-minute cramming session can also be effective" and was starting to cram?