In an even-numbered year, ESPN/ABC was once again responsible for broadcasting the Eastern Conference Finals, which officially began at 8:30 PM. PTI and Sports Center had already started warming up for the game.
Starting from 5:30 PM, the pre-game coverage was non-stop.
Doc Rivers, the Champion Coach who had overturned expectations, was currently one of the most popular coaches in the league, and interviews with him were endless.
An inflated Paul Pierce spoke at length to reporters about his choices on the final possession and his mental state during free throws.
Kevin Garnett seemed to have boundless energy in his body, showing no signs of fatigue before the game, constantly emphasizing the "Celtics spirit"!
Marbury's family and friends also appeared on camera.
His father shed tears in front of the lens, and his mother told the media about the hardships her son had endured over the years, proudly announcing:
"Our whole family supports Obama."
Among the The Big Four, only Ray Allen was the most low-key, which was related to his son's illness.
Additionally, Shannon did not want to piggyback on her husband's popularity, resulting in the least related coverage.
For NBA sports reporters, these two days were their happiest moments.
There was endless news to report!
The Champion Coach's reputation crumbled, the coaching staff disbanded, and renowned assistant coach Thibodeau moved to Chicago.
The The Big Four are contending for the championship, Rivers has the opportunity to become a leader among Black coaches, Minnesota Timberwolves fans have forgiven Garnett, and Pierce has once again become the core of the Boston Celtics.
Each of these topics could spawn an article.
Coupled with Shaquille O'Neal's silence after his defeat in the Western Conference Finals, sports reporters keenly felt the changes in the league, which were completely different from previous years.
Madison Square Garden is considered the New York Knicks' in-house media.
New York fans don't need to read other reports.
As long as they tune into the relevant channels, they can see the team's training schedule and preparation every day.
As for Boston's self-congratulation next door, some New York fun-seekers expressed disdain, asking when a semi-final was worth celebrating. Is this all a powerhouse team is?
New York reporters did not participate in the media frenzy.
They neither supported nor opposed it.
Van Gundy was good, but D'Antoni seemed even better.
Eight consecutive championships, slapping the face of the team next door, is what fans currently crave.
From another perspective, most fans do not take the Boston Celtics seriously.
An All-Star will never compare to the true GOAT.
Before the game, a large number of sports reporters interviewed Head Coach Rivers, who was recently very popular.
He did not disappoint, appearing extremely confident:
"Yes!! The team is getting better and better. We've found the true way to win!"
After Game 7, there was only a little over one day of rest.
Considering that the Boston Celtics had gone through two Game 7s, the Old players would inevitably be tired, but Rivers gave a different answer:
"Stamina? We never worry about that problem. My players have enough fighting spirit. A basketball game is not a long-distance race. The desire for victory will be blessed by God!"
Speaking these words in a deep voice, Rivers felt good about himself.
At this moment, he even felt that the "red scarf" on his chest was even brighter.
He was ready to win.
The Cavaliers' fierce Defense transformed the Boston Celtics.
Rivers believed that as long as his players could maintain their game status, there was a high probability they would secure an away victory.
The entire press conference was filled with praise.
Van Gundy is one of the hottest tactical masters in the league, and being able to suppress him, Rivers had already shown the demeanor of a renowned coach.
On the evening of the 20th, after the game began, the broadcasters seized every opportunity to point their cameras at the Head Coachs on both sides.
Rivers passionately directed, as if he had transformed into the team's sixth man, his hoarse shouts almost drowned out by the roar of Madison Square Garden.
D'Antoni smiled and hung back.
From the start of the first quarter, except for one timeout between quarters, he mostly paced the sidelines.
He clapped his hands repeatedly when a basket was scored, and even returned to the bench early towards the end of the first quarter.
The starkly contrasting attitudes of the two Head Coachs also indicated that there was a minor issue with the game's progress.
After the second quarter began, laughter gradually filled the Madison Square Garden, and the New York fans completely relaxed, starting to enjoy the rare home game.
The Boston Celtics' bench unit played for less than two minutes before Pierce immediately subbed out James Posey, and Perkins also replaced Glen Davis, bringing all the starters back.
In contrast, the New York Knicks still used their regular rotation for the transition period.
Rajon Rondo and JR Smith formed the backcourt, while Prince, Diaw, and Gasol were in the frontcourt.
The difference from the regular season was that Gasol played more in transition, and Gadzuric's playing time in the playoffs was significantly reduced.
"Defense!"
Amidst the defensive cheers, Marbury once again received the ball at the top of the arc, and soon Garnett stepped up to set a screen.
He had expected to have an absolute advantage in the matchup, but the former "Wolf King" might have been a bit tired.
His low-post single-play was extremely ineffective at the moment, so he immediately popped out after the screen.
As Marbury accelerated with the ball in his right hand, Ray Allen in the left corner immediately prepared to receive the ball.
On the right wing, Pierce was also watching his teammates, while Perkins was lurking under the left side of the basket.
Watching the video diligently still paid off.
As Rajon Rondo squeezed through the screen, he realized that Marbury most likely wouldn't pass, so he intentionally lagged half a step behind, adjusting his footwork from behind.
"Oh!"
When Marbury lowered his shoulder for contact and drove straight to the basket with three big strides, the fans in the front row gasped.
Rajon Rondo reacted quickly, swinging his arm to deliver a big block just as the ball was about to hit the backboard.
His long arms came into play.
When the ball rebounded, Rajon Rondo, who had landed, immediately extended his right arm, controlling possession of the ball at the first opportunity.
Disregarding the referee's whistle, he charged forward with the ball.
Cheers erupted again. Marbury fell out of bounds, and the referee made no call.
In a blink of an eye, Rajon Rondo had already crossed half-court.
Garnett, retreating on Defense, gritted his teeth and chased hard.
Seeing Rajon Rondo charge all the way into the paint, he used his huge strides to catch up from behind, attempting an aerial interception.
Holding the ball with his left hand, Rajon Rondo charged forward, ignoring the Defense and jumping directly.
Just as he was about to be separated by the opponent, he suddenly curled his body and tossed the ball behind his back.
"Oh!"
Amidst the shouts echoing through the Madison Square Garden, Diaw, trailing behind, received the ball unopposed and easily.
Garnett, who had already flown out of bounds, could only watch as his opponent powerfully slammed the ball with both hands and then hung on the rim to taunt him.
"Good job! Bro!"
On the New York Knicks bench, Lee, wearing a practice uniform, also stood up, clapping his hands and encouraging Rajon Rondo, who was jogging along the sideline after completing the pass.
After nearly two seasons of "being beaten up," Rajon Rondo also began to compromise with New York fans, showing off some "fancy moves" when he had the chance in games, which was completely different from his playing style in college.
26:37. With 8 minutes and 31 seconds left in the half, Rajon Rondo once again broke the deadlock with a transition offense.
After scoring only 30 points in the first quarter, the New York Knicks seemed a bit slow to start, but their opponent was in even worse form.
Pierce, facing his old rival, was defended to 1-for-4 shooting.
The staggered travel didn't work, which made Head Coach Rivers on the sidelines even more anxious.
He had already noticed his players' poor game status when they scored only 22 points in the first quarter.
At this point, he could only rely on fighting spirit:
"Hey! Move, keep screening!"
On the offensive possession, Garnett, following instructions, came to the left wing to attempt a screen.
However, Rajon Rondo strongly squeezed through, and Marbury, holding the ball in his right hand, failed to accelerate in time, so he simply stopped abruptly, dribbled, and spun around.
When he returned to the three-point line, Garnett was already backing down against Diaw.
Using his height advantage, he leaped high when his teammate delivered a lob pass, and immediately faced the basket to attack after landing.
Catching the ball, turning, and a jab step – the movements were fluid.
Diaw did not easily shift his center of gravity.
After several fakes, Garnett pulled up directly, launching a decisive long two-point jump shot!
28:37. The basketball swished through the net, and Garnett immediately glared at his opponent, pounding his chest in celebration.
The New York Knicks' offense was extremely fast.
Diaw, despite gaining weight, remained agile.
After receiving the ball at the top of the arc, he quickly executed a hand-off, then ran to the left wing.
Rajon Rondo, who had re-received the ball, had not shaken off his defender, but facing Marbury, he appeared full of confidence.
The moment he received the ball, he accelerated and drove hard with his right hand.
At the same time, Diaw, who had just run out to the three-point line, inadvertently set a screen for JR Smith.
The latter first feigned a move towards the top, then suddenly accelerated and ran back to the left corner.
Ray Allen was momentarily out of position.
Garnett initially wanted to switch, but seeing Rajon Rondo suddenly execute a spin move near the free-throw line, shaking off his old teammate, he instinctively rushed to defend the paint.
The ball was faster than the man.
As the lazy player turned near the basket and threw the ball behind his back again in mid-air, JR Smith, who had run to the left corner, made a drifting jump shot.
The New York fans cheered:
"Oh!!"
The basketball swished through the net again.
JR Smith, who finally made a field goal, immediately pointed to the sky with one hand after landing.
Noticing Garnett glaring at him, he shook his head and taunted:
"We're going to beat the crap out of you."
28:40. Garnett chased JR Smith, spewing venom.
He hadn't expected that in the playoffs, New York's bench unit would be able to go back and forth with them, which was completely inconsistent with pre-game expectations.
There was no "main player showdown."
After a few more minutes, Lee wouldn't even play, and the score difference seemed to be getting larger and larger.
At the ESPN commentary desk, Mike Breen looked at Rajon Rondo, who was in excellent form, and couldn't help but praise him again:
"In his second professional season, Rajon Rondo has made significant progress. Perhaps his shooting still has some minor issues, but his control over timing is impeccable."
"On the defensive end, he successfully contained Marbury. Considering that he most likely consistently guarded Lee in practice games, this is not surprising."
"The Boston Celtics need to be careful. They are already showing some fatigue. Head Coach Rivers' rotation strategy tonight seems a bit conservative."
Watching the continuous passing on the perimeter during the offensive possession, eventually giving the ball to Pierce for an isolation play on the right block, Mark Jackson found it difficult to comment on such a simple and crude tactical approach:
"Game 7 clearly affected the Boston Celtics players' condition. The opponent has awakened, and they need to respond quickly."
Catching the ball and turning, the moment Pierce faced the basket, he immediately put the ball down with his right hand and backed down hard against Prince towards the basket.
Noticing Gasol on the other side of the basket had already shifted his feet, Pierce suddenly executed a spin move, instantly arriving in the paint directly in front of the basket, and then passed the ball to Perkins, who was cutting to the basket.
It was thought to be a brilliant play, but unexpectedly, Prince was already prepared.
Gasol twisted his body and raised his long arm, while Prince quickly slid his feet and powerfully slapped the ball away.
The preparation time was too long.
Just as Perkins was about to exert force, the basketball was swatted away.
He jumped up dramatically, letting out a tragic cry:
"Ah!"
Watching Prince regain possession, Pierce clapped his hands and couldn't help but complain to the baseline referee.
The New York Knicks seized the opportunity and launched another transition offense.
When Rajon Rondo received the pass, everyone was accelerating towards half-court.
The Boston Celtics' retreat speed was not slow this time.
Even Perkins had retreated to the basket.
Diaw stood on the right wing, which made Garnett uncomfortable.
He occasionally turned his head and loudly reminded his teammates, but the excessively noisy environment of the Madison Square Garden made his voice indistinguishable.
At the top of the arc near the left wing, Rajon Rondo, who had just stopped, then feigned observing the Defense, then suddenly accelerated without any hesitation, driving towards the basket with Marbury on his heels.
The Boston Celtics were all unprepared.
Ray Allen, guarding the left corner, watched helplessly as his opponent drove to the left side of the basket before finally attempting to help defend.
Rajon Rondo, continuously backing down hard against the Defense, feigned a layup.
As he approached the basket, he suddenly stopped abruptly and faked, and under the contact, Marbury instinctively jumped to block, then flew out of bounds.
In a blink of an eye, Rajon Rondo quickly completed a spin, and before Ray Allen could reach out, he leaned his body to the left side of the basket and, with his right hand, threw the ball off the backboard with one hand!
"OH—! What a move!"
The basketball banked in.
On the commentary desk, Mike Breen immediately exclaimed loudly.
Madison Square Garden erupted again.
Their Rookie had blown up a "Giant."
The Boston Celtics had boasted before the game that they would leave the Rookie open.
Rajon Rondo had clearly read the newspapers, playing with extreme aggression.
After scoring, he even yelled at his opponent:
"Keep leaving me open! Bitch!!"
The New York fans in the front row were already beaming.
The loyal cheerleader Spike Lee, who used to dislike the Rookie with poor shooting, was now cheering loudly for Rajon Rondo's performance.
"You guys got your butts kicked by a Rookie!"
Spike Lee stood up and shouted at Garnett, who was running towards half-court.
More and more people started to jeer, and soon someone shouted "softie," making the atmosphere even more heated.
An enraged Garnett drove hard to the basket and went to the free throw line.
Diaw, who committed the foul, wasn't gentle, pulling his opponent off balance.
Pierce, unable to stand it, wanted to go argue.
The referee immediately separated everyone.
Standing beside the paint, Diaw clearly didn't care that his foul count was accumulating too quickly.
He even had the leisure to tease his opponent beside him:
"Dude, why did you guys play Game 7 in the semifinals?"
"..."
Pierce vaguely heard the gist of it.
He wanted to argue with his opponent, but Garnett missed his first free throw, which made him quickly go up and high-five his teammate.
29:42. Garnett ultimately made one of two free throws, helping his team narrow the score difference by a tiny bit.
The game had to continue, and neither side called a timeout.
Gasol also quickly stepped to the free throw line.
The Boston Celtics, who were somewhat unable to keep up with the game's pace, ultimately chose to foul.
Rajon Rondo's amazing performance made Head Coach Rivers on the sideline stare wide-eyed.
In the previous two rounds, the opponent hadn't shown such a performance.
Compared to Marbury, Rajon Rondo looked more like a "Giant," completely dominating the Old players on both ends of the court.
As the score slowly climbed, Ron Artest on the New York Knicks bench watched his teammates steal the spotlight and felt a bit anxious.
He hadn't "performed" in a long time and now just wanted to get on the court and show off.
When the timeout came, D'Antoni only substituted out Diaw, who had two fouls, and brought in Chandler.
Ron Artest, returning to the bench, couldn't help but mumble:
"I don't want to play garbage time."
Lee understood his teammate's little thoughts.
In this year's playoffs, Prince had reduced his playing time, and Ron Artest's stats had dropped compared to last year.
To get a big contract, stats were essential:
"Ron, my promise is always valid!"
Ron Artest, who had shaved his head for the playoffs, immediately broke into a smile.
Mark Bartelstein had also given him the same promise, but if he couldn't show off, he wouldn't be comfortable:
"Boston's newspapers wrote about Pierce as a hero. I just want to teach that spineless guy a lesson!"
The Rookie Thaddeus Young couldn't interject.
He was extremely envious of Ron Artest's situation and also longed to be "promised" by his boss:
"I want to make money lying down too."
...
By the way, don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate me :)