Turning around, Tony Allen successfully disrupted Wade's layup, and Josh Smith grabbed the rebound and passed it to He Xi Meng immediately. He Xi Meng turned and pushed for a fast break.
Damon Jones attempted to block He Xi Meng near the half-court line, but He Xi Meng didn't slow down. With a move of extreme change of direction, he brushed past Damon Jones and accelerated into the Heat's three-point line. He stopped abruptly, rose up, and before anyone could react, took a pull-up three-pointer!
The three-pointer was good!
He Xi Meng, scoring five consecutive points, instantly helped the Celtics extend their lead back to 11 points, forcing Coach Van Gundy to call a timeout to re-strategize their offense and defense.
However, the situation did not improve after the timeout.
This was because He Xi Meng was too determined to shoot in this game, and his touch was burning hot!
When these two factors combined, the result was that He Xi Meng had already scored 25 points before halftime.
At this pace, 40 points would likely not stop He Xi Meng, and 50 points might even be possible.
During the halftime break, Coach Van Gundy gathered his assistant coaches for an urgent discussion to see if there was any way to contain He Xi Meng, who seemed to be on his way to a god-like performance.
Man-to-man defense was impossible. What would be the consequences of double-teaming?
Compared to the consequences of double-teaming, should they let the Celtics spread the scoring, or gamble that He Xi Meng couldn't maintain his incredible shooting percentage from the first half in the second half?
The assistant coaches debated heatedly, but no one could give Coach Van Gundy a definitive suggestion. The final decision still rested with Coach Van Gundy.
Coach Van Gundy decided on a compromise: double-team He Xi Meng within a limited scope.
This required the Heat players to provide quick help defense and fast rotations, expending more energy and effort to help Damon Jones contain He Xi Meng together, while also minimizing the chances of any defensive breakdowns.
Coach Van Gundy's idea was good, but reality was cruel.
This half-hearted double-team strategy couldn't stop the seemingly divine He Xi Meng at all.
Facing the half-court double-team, He Xi Meng quickly passed the ball to Carter and Tony Allen, letting them handle the ball before moving without the ball to find open spots after screens from Josh Smith and Yao Ming. He then circled back to the three-point line, caught the ball, and shot, and it still went in! 138 Reading Net
After all, He Xi Meng's off-ball and on-ball three-point shots were equally unsolvable!
As He Xi Meng continued to make three more such off-ball three-pointers, the Heat's defense finally began to show signs of collapse.
When all efforts could not stop the opponent from scoring, it was a very despairing situation for the defenders.
And despair could be contagious.
O'Neal and Eddie Jones tried their best to maintain the team's rhythm, but the actual helmsman of the Heat was the young Wade!
The more Wade wanted to prove himself, the more impatient and anxious he became.
On both offense and defense, Wade began to make unnecessary elementary mistakes. While He Xi Meng appreciated him, when the young Flash made these mistakes, He Xi Meng certainly wouldn't be merciful, and he unleashed another powerful offensive barrage on Wade!
By the end of the third quarter, He Xi Meng had successfully scored 40 points in the game! And the Celtics had also successfully extended their lead to 18 points!
The game had essentially entered garbage time. In the final quarter, Coach Van Gundy abandoned his rotation lineup and sent out his core players for a desperate half, but seeing no sign of the deficit shrinking, he decisively pulled Wade, O'Neal, and Eddie Jones, preserving what little dignity they had left!
The Celtics, on the other hand, showed great sportsmanship. Seeing the Heat concede, Coach Kerr immediately substituted He Xi Meng, Carter, and Yao Ming, bringing in a full lineup of rookies.
In the end, the Celtics won at home with a decisive victory of 102:86 against the Heat, defeating their opponents 4:2, and successfully becoming the Eastern Conference champions, securing their ticket to the NBA Finals.
He Xi Meng had an incredible performance in this game, scoring a game-high and series-high 45 points in just under three and a half quarters!
So much so that after the game, Michael Jordan patted He Xi Meng on the shoulder and praised him with a laugh, saying that He Xi Meng was becoming more and more like him...
He Xi Meng actually wanted to ask Jordan, "Are you sure you could make 9 three-pointers in a single game?"
However, out of respect for his elder, He Xi Meng swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
After the game, O'Neal found He Xi Meng with a look of dejection and said, "I knew it, I should have been on your team..."
"It's not impossible! If you're willing to take a pay cut, Shaq!"
"Oh, damn pay cuts! I hate losing, but I hate pay cuts even more! Can I cooperate with you without a pay cut?"
"Then wait a few more years! After your big contract is over, I think we'll have an opportunity to cooperate again."
"Oh, shit! That's five years from now! Honestly, I'm not sure if I'll still be as strong as I am now in five years!"
"You will be, Shaq! Don't doubt it, you're getting stronger and stronger!"
He Xi Meng patted O'Neal's midsection, which was already hard to distinguish between waist and back, and comforted him with ill intent.
"I suspect you're teasing me!" O'Neal immediately caught the meaning in He Xi Meng's words.
"But you have no proof!"
Saying that, the two laughed heartily and embraced in farewell.
After chatting with O'Neal, Wade also finished talking with Carter and approached He Xi Meng.
"Xi Meng, you know, you're my idol!"
"Oh? I remember, wasn't your idol Allen?" He Xi Meng pointed to Wade's number 3 jersey and smiled.
"Allen is my first idol, and you are my second idol!" Wade replied without batting an eye.
"Alright! It's my honor to be your idol!"
"To pay homage to your strength, I will work hard to defeat you! Not this season, but next season, I will work twice as hard!"
"Can I take that as you issuing me a challenge?"
"No, no, no! Just paying homage! Just as you did in the past, paying homage to Michael..." Wade said, slyly pointing to Michael Jordan in the VIP section.
The Flash, arrogant on the court but polite off it, was no wonder he was so well-received in the league.
After seeing off the Heat, the Celtics had two days of rest before flying to San Antonio to challenge the three-time champion Spurs!