For the Celtics, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.
The Trail Blazers, like a cunning hunter, lay in ambush in the mud for three and a half quarters, only to pull out a sharp dagger at the last moment.
Though the dagger hadn't completely pierced the heart of the Celtics, everyone could smell the dangerous scent of its blade.
A sense of panic spread throughout the Fleet Center. The sweet dreams of the Bostonians were about to be shattered by harsh reality.
On the bench, Bobby Berman calmed himself down. During the previous timeout, he was really bewildered.
Anyone would have been bewildered; the Trail Blazers' rhythm change was too quick, too fierce. They hadn't been lying low for just three quarters but had been setting up an ambush for a full seven quarters, starting from the last game.
Although the first game was more of a passive ambush because of the energy spent fighting the Lakers in Game 7, they hadn't fully recovered.
