After the end of last season, He Xi Meng's decision to voluntarily leave the three-time champion Spurs was met with much regret from fans.
This was because most people believed that the Spurs, without He Xi Meng, would still be a Finals-caliber team, while He Xi Meng, after leaving the Spurs, might not even reach the playoffs, let alone the Finals.
He Xi Meng silenced those who doubted him with his performance.
On his new team, He Xi Meng not only made it to the playoffs but also successfully won the Eastern Conference championship, meeting his former team, the Spurs, on the Finals stage!
"Not bad, Xi Meng, you've got the Celtics in form so quickly!"
Before the game, Duncan was the first to greet He Xi Meng.
He Xi Meng wasn't the only player to leave the Spurs this summer. To weaken the Spurs' dominance, the league actively encouraged other teams to poach players from them.
However, judging by the current situation, other teams' efforts to poach players were not very successful, or rather, Popovich's ability to protect his players and mold his roster remained among the league's elite!
Despite losing He Xi Meng and Yao Ming, Popovich, with Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker at the core, rebuilt a formidable team and maintained their dominance in the West!
Looking at the ease with which the Spurs advanced compared to the Celtics, it was clear that the Spurs had a much easier path.
Could it be that the Spurs were really on their way to a fourth consecutive championship?
In the history of the league, apart from the Celtics' unprecedented 8-peat from 1959 to 1966, no other dynasty had lasted longer than three years!
Even during the peak of the Bulls dynasty, Jordan only managed two three-peats and didn't achieve a four-peat. Could this record be broken by the current Spurs?
League Commissioner David Stern, while publicly congratulating the Spurs on reaching the Finals again, inwardly cursed, "Are you still not going to kick them out of the Finals stage even with all this?"
Stern, slightly enraged, decided to intervene personally, giving the lead referee for this year's Finals, Crawford, a stern order: "You must make it a bit more difficult for the defending champions! They've already won too many championship trophies..."
Crawford, who became a full-time NBA referee in 1977, had been with the league for 28 years, officiating nearly 2,000 games, 300 playoff games, and over 30 Finals games. He was the most senior referee in the NBA, second only to another veteran referee, "The New Yorker" Dick Bavetta.
Dick Bavetta was born in 1939, making him 66 years old.
Crawford was born in 1951, making him 54 years old.
Compared to Dick Bavetta, Crawford was still young, in his prime, experienced, and well-respected!
Faced with David Stern's special request, Crawford did not readily agree. He had long passed the age of blindly obeying the league management.
"My team and I have our own professionalism and ethics! We will continue to officiate impartially... not even the defending champions will get any special treatment from us..."
David Stern nodded with satisfaction, but the subsequent games made him frown.
Because the Spurs didn't need special treatment; all they needed was impartial officiating, and even relatively impartial officiating, to defeat the Celtics.
He Xi Meng and Yao Ming both underperformed in Games 1 and 2 of the Finals, failing to display their true strength.
Instead, Carter became the pillar of the Celtics in these two games, performing the best.
However, one Carter's performance was not enough to withstand the impact of the Spurs' "GDP" trio, and the Spurs cleanly took the first two games, heading to the FleetCenter with a 2-0 lead.
Michael Jordan watched the live broadcast of the first two games and was very dissatisfied with the team's performance.
Especially with He Xi Meng's slump, Jordan couldn't help but offer him a bowl of "chicken soup for the soul."
"Xi Meng, as a leader, you can't be timid in a moment like the Finals... You have to bravely move forward and take on the responsibilities you should carry..."
"Old Joe, what are you talking about... Which eye of yours saw me being timid? I've only had a couple of off games..."
Of course, these words were only something He Xi Meng could say in his heart to Jordan.
On the surface, He Xi Meng wouldn't be foolish enough to argue with Old Joe, the nominal owner of the Celtics. After all, Jordan's intentions were for He Xi Meng's good and for the Celtics' good, but his concern was excessive, and he was slightly misdirected.
He Xi Meng didn't need "chicken soup." He understood the current situation better than anyone. The reason he didn't go all out against the Spurs in San Antonio wasn't that He Xi Meng was afraid, but that he felt it was unnecessary.
The current situation clearly indicated that the enemy was strong and they were weak. The Celtics' best option was to forfeit the first two away games, defend their two home games, and then engage in their first decisive battle with the Spurs on the crucial Game 5.
If they could win, that would be best, and the Celtics' chances of winning the championship would greatly increase.
If they couldn't win, the Celtics would have to retreat to Game 6 and strive to drag the Spurs into a decisive Game 7...
Old Joe was speaking from a position of privilege! During the Bulls dynasty's two three-peats, Jordan faced situations where the Bulls were stronger than their opponents, unlike the Celtics' current predicament.
However, to appease Jordan's anxious heart, He Xi Meng patted his chest and promised Old Joe, "Don't worry, Michael! In the first two games, we were still holding back."
Jordan turned to Kerr with a skeptical look, and Kerr nodded, confirming He Xi Meng's statement.
"Still playing strategy in the Finals? Your hearts are truly something..."
Jordan considered himself to have a big heart, but he never expected the player and coach he hired to have even bigger ones.
After successfully appeasing Jordan and sending him away satisfied, Kerr subtly wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead and turned to He Xi Meng, "Can we win?"
"The enemy is strong, and we are weak. It's up to us! It's just a gamble. The Spurs know me and Da Yao's tendencies too well, as evident from the first two games. To break through their defense against us, we must rely more on players they are unfamiliar with! And Vince has already proven that individual strength isn't enough to beat the Spurs, so do we have other options?"
"No! You're absolutely right, let's take this gamble! Let's see if these rookies can step up after a season of development and shoulder this responsibility..."