He Xi Meng had not attended many post-game press conferences in previous playoff series, so the media reporters were naturally eager to seize the rare opportunity, bombarding him with several questions.
First, they asked the customary question about his thoughts on the victory.
He Xi Meng's answer was a blend of composure and a touch of arrogance: "I never doubted that we could win this game! We prepared for a whole season for the playoffs, and we won't give up easily, no matter who the opponent is!"
"During the game, you attempted an elbow pass. May I ask if it was because you felt the Pistons' defense was nothing special?"
"No! The Pistons' defense is top-tier in the league! But how I pass has nothing to do with who the opponent is! I only make what I believe to be the most reasonable judgments based on the situation on the court! The elbow pass was just an accident!"
No matter what anyone else said, He Xi Meng himself would never admit otherwise.
"During the game, Carter had several explosive dunks. What impact did you feel that had on the team?"
"Of course! Vince's dunks were spectacular and very morale-boosting! They were extremely important for our team as a whole!"
"There seemed to be a lot of communication between you and Billups during the game. May we ask about the content of your communication?"
"I apologize! That's a private matter and I can't discuss it in too much detail!" He Xi Meng immediately rebuffed the reporters' presumptuous inquiries. It was a joke; their exchanges were just banter and playful teasing between him and Billups. If it were made public... Billups already wanted to kill him, and now he would probably act on it directly?
Game 2 continued to be played at the North Garden Arena.
The Pistons' lineup remained unchanged. In fact, Coach Larry Brown didn't have many other options. The Pistons' roster was relatively stable, with limited room for adjustments.
Larry Brown attempted to increase the shot attempts of his backcourt duo, Billups and Hamilton, by emphasizing the Pistons' offense to seize opportunities for victory.
But it seemed this path was indeed not suitable for the Pistons!
This was because it was obvious who on the Pistons had strong offensive capabilities and who didn't.
The Celtics were in no position to allow Billups and Hamilton to easily find their shooting rhythm. The Pistons were formidable in the past because there was also Prince lurking outside the three-point line!
When Billups and Hamilton were heavily guarded in the mid-range, Prince's three-point firepower could often produce surprising results. Unfortunately, Prince was now on the Spurs roster in the Western Conference...
Speaking of the Spurs, He Xi Meng couldn't help but feel a bit worried.
Because while the Celtics were continuously defeating the Pistons, the Spurs were also continuously defeating the SuperSonics!
The SuperSonics' two core players, Ray Allen's shooting percentage was abysmal under the double-teaming of Bowen and Prince, and Lewis was struggling both offensively and defensively against his matchups with the Spurs...
The SuperSonics were completely outplayed by the Spurs, offering little resistance in the first two games!
In Game 3, the SuperSonics, returning to Seattle, finally played a high-shooting percentage game in front of their home crowd. Of course, whether the Spurs had eased up was another matter.
The SuperSonics avoided the embarrassing situation of being swept by the Spurs, but in the following two games, the Spurs gave the SuperSonics no more chances, winning them both and ultimately advancing to the Western Conference Finals with a commanding 4:1 series victory!
Given the Spurs' consistently strong performance in recent seasons, no one believed any team could stop their progress before the Western Conference Finals.
On the Celtics' side, He Xi Meng also wanted to maintain their strong performance in the playoffs. However, their overall strength was not equal to the Spurs, and the Pistons were not the SuperSonics.
Back in the Motor City, the Pistons once again increased their defensive intensity, utilizing relentless rotations and double-teams to stifle the Celtics' perimeter shooters, while also pitting Big Ben against Yao Ming in the paint!
With the synchronized cheers of the home crowd, the Pistons finally played a classic defensive battle, holding the offense-oriented Celtics to just 81 points!
It was worth noting that the Celtics averaged 104 points per game this season, ranking second in the league, only behind the Suns.
To limit the Celtics to 81 points, it had to be admitted that the Pistons had a very successful game.
In Game 4, the Pistons continued with the same strategy from the previous game, pushing their defensive focus outwards to suppress the Celtics' outside shooting as much as possible.
The Celtics, of course, would not surrender meekly and also adjusted their offensive strategy, beginning to emphasize individual drives.
Years ago, the Spurs' method of dismantling the peak Pistons was by using the dynamic duo of Ginobili and Parker's drives. Ginobili's unpredictable, unconventional drives, in particular, caused immense difficulties for the Pistons, ultimately becoming the key to cracking the Pistons' ironclad defense!
He Xi Meng was now merely borrowing a page from the Spurs' playbook, preparing to crack open the not-so-impenetrable Pistons.
Although the Celtics lacked a Ginobili, they had He Xi Meng and Carter, whose driving abilities were top-tier in the league.
Combined with the lack of Prince's defensive help on the perimeter, the difficulty for the Celtics to break down the Pistons' lineup should not be greater than it was for the Spurs!
What the Spurs could achieve, He Xi Meng felt, the current Celtics team should also be able to accomplish.
Therefore, in this game, the Celtics' backcourt duo began to exert their strength simultaneously.
Fortunately, Rasheed Wallace of the Pistons' frontcourt erupted, dominating Josh Smith and becoming the Pistons' third strong offensive point.
And Yao Ming, due to Ben Wallace, the home crowd advantage, and foul trouble, was unable to play to his full potential.
The game went down to the final minute, with He Xi Meng missing a three-pointer, and Carter grabbing the offensive rebound only to miss a turnaround jumper.
The Pistons won 93:91, narrowly defeating the Celtics by 2 points and successfully defending their two home games.
However, Game 4 was not without its gains for the Celtics. Through the strong drives of their backcourt duo, He Xi Meng had validated his idea.
The ultimate solution to dealing with the Pistons was to constantly break down their defense through relentless drives.
In Game 5, returning home, the Celtics staged a magnificent comeback at the North Garden Arena!
Carter drove for scores, He Xi Meng rained down three-pointers, and Yao Ming dominated the paint!
With all three of their core players firing on all cylinders, attacking from all three lines, the Celtics completely tore apart the Pistons' defense. With a resounding 107:92 victory, the green team secured this crucial pivotal game!