In a moment of urgency, Billups stopped on the spot and jumped to shoot!
He Xi Meng, like a shadow, followed Billups’ jump to contest his shot! Billups’ streak of 3-for-3 in the quarter was thus broken.
Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace fought fiercely for the rebound, disrupting Yao Ming and Josh Smith’s efforts. Carter rushed in and secured the rebound, and He Xi Meng immediately accelerated forward.
Billups chased back with all his might, attempting to stop He Xi Meng’s drive!
He Xi Meng did not ask for the ball; instead, he signaled to Carter to advance it himself!
Carter was unfazed. While dribbling, he looked for an opportunity to connect with He Xi Meng, perhaps to return a lob for an alley-oop dunk or something similar…
As a result, He Xi Meng suddenly stopped and turned after driving to the free-throw line, heading towards the three-point line!
Carter saw this and thought, "Well, forget the dunk; Xi Meng wants to shoot another three!"
So, Carter passed the ball in the direction He Xi Meng was running. He Xi Meng caught the ball a step beyond the three-point line, stopped abruptly, turned, and, with the returning Billups in front of him, once again adopted a three-point shooting stance!
"To jump or not to jump?"
Facing He Xi Meng’s faint smile, Billups hesitated.
And in that moment of hesitation, He Xi Meng, without a second thought, jumped and shot!
He Xi Meng didn’t wait for Billups at all; his shot was extremely decisive!
Even if Billups aggressively lunged, He Xi Meng was prepared to shoot over him. In reality, Billups’ hesitation caused him to miss the initial window to contest, and He Xi Meng had virtually no pressure when he released the shot.
The basketball arced high and went in cleanly!
He Xi Meng scored six consecutive points, forcing the Pistons to call a timeout.
Coach Larry Brown had no choice but to call a timeout to disrupt He Xi Meng’s scorching shooting touch.
However, by halftime, the Celtics still led the Pistons by eight points.
The second half began, and He Xi Meng wanted to continue focusing on Yao Ming. But the Pistons used quick double-teams from their wings to prevent Yao Ming from directly post-up opportunities against Ben Wallace.
Simultaneously, Hamilton continuously attacked the mid-range, living up to his reputation as the "Mid-Range King."
The Pistons, at the beginning of the third quarter, exerted effort on both offense and defense, going on another scoring run and narrowing the deficit to just one point!
At a critical juncture, He Xi Meng changed the offensive strategy, opting instead to have Carter increase his individual drives!
Carter, having been scored on repeatedly by Hamilton’s mid-range jumpers, was seething. Upon receiving He Xi Meng’s directive to change the offensive approach, he immediately entered superstar mode, going one-on-one against Hamilton!
Carter’s first offensive play was a front-facing jab step, a pump fake, and then a pull-up jumper over Hamilton that he made!
This play was simple and brutal, but highly effective! It immediately stopped the Celtics' bleeding.
Carter’s second offensive play was a post-up drive after a front-facing jab step. He feigned a crossover and then, after a between-the-legs stop and gathering the ball with his left hand, executed a fadeaway jumper that also went in!
This shot was considerably more difficult than the previous one, but Carter’s offensive moves were fluid and seamless.
Carter’s third offensive play was after receiving the ball in the high post and turning to face the basket. Billups on the wing couldn't handle it and rotated over, attempting a steal on Carter’s lob!
Carter, understanding the play, passed the ball to He Xi Meng and then cut without the ball!
He Xi Meng immediately understood, caught the ball without dribbling, executed a give-and-go with Carter, and tossed the ball towards the basket!
Big Ben abandoned Yao Ming and slid over, attempting to steal or block Carter’s alley-oop. But Carter soared up to catch the ball first and, before Big Ben’s hand could reach it, slammed the ball through the hoop!
A classic crossover combination followed by an alley-oop dunk!
What was even more remarkable was that the defender being dunked on was Ben Wallace, a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year…
The crowd erupted, chanting Carter’s name again!
It was clear that He Xi Meng and Carter were winning over more and more Boston fans with their performances.
Thanks to Carter’s powerful offensive surge, the Celtics successfully weathered another Pistons rally!
By the fourth quarter, the shooting accuracy of the Pistons’ two main offensive threats, Billups and Hamilton, began to decline.
He Xi Meng, adhering to the principle of "strike while the iron is hot," naturally seized this opportunity to seal the game. He unleashed a barrage from beyond the three-point line, hitting two consecutive step-back threes off pick-and-rolls, successfully extending the lead to double digits and securing the victory for the Celtics!
In the end, 92-83, the Celtics emerged victorious in the first game of the semi-finals.
At the post-game press conference, a grim Larry Brown stated, "We failed to execute our defense as planned, and the Celtics scored too many easy baskets, which kept us on the defensive the entire game. In the next game, we will strive to improve in this aspect. We have the ability to defeat any opponent; we just need to play our game…"
Larry Brown believed that the lackluster defense was the primary reason for the Pistons’ loss.
This was certainly true.
Because four Celtics players scored in double digits: He Xi Meng, Yao Ming, Carter, and Josh Smith!
Among them, He Xi Meng, Yao Ming, and Carter all scored over twenty points!
He Xi Meng had a game-high 22 points and 9 assists, Yao Ming had 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Carter had 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists!
The Pistons failed to contain any of the Celtics' three offensive threats.
Correspondingly, the Pistons’ offense experienced significant problems.
Although Billups and Hamilton showed flashes of brilliance at certain points, their shooting percentages quickly declined after the Celtics adjusted their defense, and they could not sustain their performance throughout the entire game.
Therefore, despite Hamilton, Billups, and Rasheed Wallace all scoring in double digits, none of them surpassed 20 points. The lack of offensive firepower was also a significant reason for the Pistons’ defeat.
However, the Pistons were accustomed to their offensive struggles. Under normal circumstances, as long as their defense was strong enough to disrupt the opponent’s offensive rhythm, they could still win games. But if they couldn't disrupt the opponent's offensive rhythm… as was the case today, the Pistons were in trouble!
On the Celtics' side, Head Coach Kerr showed a touch more joy compared to their victory against the Nets in the first round.
"The Pistons are tenacious! Their defense is strong! They erased our lead several times… It was fantastic! It was a brilliant matchup! We played with great unity; the young players stayed composed, the core players shouldered their responsibilities, and we persevered until the end…"