May 27, 2008, tuesday, the TD Garden was filled with boos, and Boston fans were greatly disappointed.
This was not the game they had expected.
In the past two days, Cleveland sports reporters had been constantly attacking them, believing that the Celtics had stolen their victory, and some fans even called them—thieves.
This was a familiar epithet.
New York fans had hurled similar insults at the Lakers in previous years.
Now, the tables had turned, and it was the Cleveland fans' turn to strike back.
After Game 3, the series was no longer in suspense.
By Game 4, it was basically a blame game, and no one cared about the outcome anymore.
As early as after the Eastern Conference Semifinals, some commentators were already pessimistic about the "The Big Four."
A Game 7 in the first round, another Game 7 in the semifinals, and even trailing 1-3 at one point—this hardly looked like a championship team.
This morning, an ESPN program even initiated a topic that completely ignited public opinion:
"Where are the Celtics' 100 tactical sets?"
Clearly, someone wanted to shift the blame to the Head Coach.
After all, the "The Big Four" couldn't disband in their first year together, so the coaching staff was the only one left to take the fall.
Before the game, Rivers lacked his usual passion, and the Celtics' interviews were perfunctory.
When the game began, as shot after shot clanked off the rim, the Boston fans in attendance could no longer hold back.
From the ESPN commentary booth, feeling the completely opposite atmosphere in the TD Garden compared to the day before, Mark Jackson also showed a helpless smile.
The Knicks' dominance continued:
"In my opinion, the Celtics must quickly reinforce their roster in the offseason. In the Eastern Conference Finals, a nearly 7-man rotation is a disaster for veterans."
"Besides roster depth, they also need to consider their offense. Once the game enters a stalemate, someone must step up and take responsibility."
"Pierce played well, but he needs more help."
With little time remaining in the 3rd quarter, the Celtics' score was stuck at 55.
After scoring 39 points in the first half, they continued to go cold in the second half, and the game had become a Knicks' show.
After the first quarter ended 31:17, Mike Breen knew the game was over.
He had witnessed too many collapses in a single quarter.
As the game was about to enter garbage time, he also gossiped:
"Clay Lee's statistics in this series have even declined. Compared to previous years, this seems to be the easiest Eastern Conference Finals he has experienced!"
"Although the game isn't over yet, I want to commend the Knicks' young men. They played too well, completely suppressing their opponents."
"Raja Bell should be selected for the All-Defense team this season. He did a great job limiting Ray Allen, which made the Celtics even more passive."
The two chatted during a free throw.
Tonight's game was heading for another 3 hours.
The Celtics had not completely given up.
They were still trying to foul, showing their "tough guy spirit."
Lee went to the bench to rest with 3 minutes and 46 seconds left in the third quarter.
His playing time tonight was less than 30 minutes.
With the lead established early, Mike D'Antoni began extensive rotations.
The intensity of Game 4 was difficult for commentators to be satisfied with.
Many even felt that this year's Eastern Conference Finals were not as exciting as the semifinals, and the Celtics did not look like a 60-win team.
Marbury, having picked up 4 fouls too early, was replaced by veteran Sam Cassell.
Watching the lead continuously widen, "New Yorks Son" kept his hands clasped over his head.
"You got the shit beat out of you!"
As soon as the boos ended, the New York fans behind them started shouting loudly again.
Some fans even held up whiteboards, jumping and cheering happily.
From the start of the game, the shouting never stopped, and fans from both sides had already gotten into two fights, which forced the Celtics' security personnel to stand behind and watch the game together to prevent further conflicts.
The jeers and laughter never ceased.
The TD Garden tonight did not display the aura of a "Devil's Home Court".
Instead, the New York fans seized the opportunity and continuously poured out their taunts.
Both sides continuously missed shots and exchanged free throws.
By the end of the 3rd quarter, the score was stuck at 85:58, and the game officially entered garbage time.
Back on the bench, Pierce was so frustrated he became a meme.
These past two days, he had been using injuries as an excuse to avoid interviews, but news about him soiling himself was becoming more and more frequent.
The constant mocking even made it difficult for him to concentrate.
Of course, more than that, his stamina was at rock bottom.
He couldn't push himself anymore.
He shot 2-for-11 from the field and 8-for-8 from the free-throw line, contributing 12 points, having given his all.
Gasping for breath, Pierce threw his towel on the floor.
Staff members quietly cleaned up, and the Celtics' bench became even quieter.
Kevin Garnett had actually played well in the first three games, but tonight he also struggled, shooting 4-for-12 from the field and 4-for-6 from the free-throw line, also contributing 12 points, too tired to speak.
Rivers put on a facade of "you played very well" in front of everyone, no longer offering empty platitudes, and encouraged them, staring at each one:
"We didn't lose! In our first year as a team, we made it here, to the Eastern Conference Finals. This is a great achievement!"
"Now, all you need to do is applaud your own performance, and then compose yourselves, show good sportsmanship, and congratulate our opponents after the game!"
"Hey! Remember, the Celtics' era will come very soon. This season, we are the biggest winners."
Kevin Garnett, wide-eyed, for a moment suspected he had misheard.
Rivers' encouragement made him instinctively look up.
On the scoreboard, a 27-point deficit indicated they had lost terribly tonight.
Ray Allen, drenched in sweat, leaned back in his seat after realizing the Head Coach was going to surrender completely.
He had never been blindly confident, and two Game 7s had made him somewhat dissatisfied with the coaching staff.
The team should have been better prepared.
"Do we need to go back on the court? Sorry, I'm not interested in playing garbage time."
As soon as Rivers' pep talk stopped, Ray Allen stared at him and asked the question.
Having lost so badly, "winners" was just a self-deceiving trick.
He just wanted to end it early and go home to take care of his kids.
"We need to hold on for another 5 minutes. Remember, the Celtics won't give up."
"."
Seizing the opportunity, Rivers delivered another dose of pep talk.
For the coaching staff, if the deficit was within 20 points, the loss would be more respectable, and at least the post-game public opinion would be better.
Marbury, who had been looking down the entire time, suddenly spoke up.
He agreed with the coach's approach.
He still wanted to go back on the court and continue playing.
No one from the atmosphere group spoke.
In a somewhat subdued atmosphere, the Celtics made no substitutions, putting their starting lineup back on the court.
They were going to "fight to the end."
"Boo!!"
Amidst the boos, JR Smith moved quickly on the left wing, using Boris Diaw's screen to easily get to the left corner, received a pass from Rajon Rondo, and hit another three-pointer.
Pierce, who should have switched defensively, almost gave up on Defense.
Ray Allen also didn't want to communicate.
Everyone on the court knew the team had collapsed.
The unified cheers had long disappeared.
Kevin Garnett's screen at the top of the arc allowed Marbury, holding the ball in his left hand, to drive hard to the basket.
Pau Gasol, who had consistently stuck to deep drop Defense, still moved nimbly.
When his opponent tried to take a hop step to the basket, he once again used his long arms to interfere.
He had almost shaken off most of the Defense, but Marbury's left-handed bank shot still missed.
In this series, the Knicks had consistently targeted his weak hand, with very significant results.
The basketball bounced off the rim, and Perkins couldn't hold back Gadzuric, who wasn't afraid of fouling.
His boxing-out move was very aggressive, and he once again secured the defensive rebound with his height advantage.
"A 5 million dollar superstar!"
As JR Smith ran towards half-court, he didn't forget to mock.
Seeing the taunting smile on his opponent's face, Marbury couldn't hold back again and started yelling:
"Show some respect, you nigger!"
"You spineless trash! Go check my next contract, you're just like old dogs wagging their tails."
Nearing the mid-court line, with JR Smith's loud taunts, Marbury instantly lost his temper, abandoned his defensive matchup, and charged straight over.
When JR Smith was pushed into the front row of the stands by Marbury, the angry Celtics fans cheered.
The sideline referee rushed to the two of them immediately but was quickly engulfed by players from both sides.
The game was interrupted again.
Staff from both teams rushed onto the court.
Marbury, who had been separated, was so angry his eyes were red.
On the other side, JR Smith was still yelling:
"Go endorse toilet paper! They'll definitely give you a good contract."
"Referee suck!"
Marbury was eventually ejected, and the Celtics fans at the arena began to curse the referees, many unable to accept the sweep.
Tearing off his jersey and walking towards the player tunnel, Marbury expected fans to cheer for him, but no one on either side greeted him.
Fans were very dissatisfied with his poor performance in this series.
The staff wanted to say something, but Marbury's fist hitting the wall scared them, so they just quietly escorted him back to the locker room.
2 of 9 from the field, 2 of 4 from the free-throw line, 6 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 turnovers— Stephen Marbury's stats were no different from the first three games, once again at the bottom of the "The Big Four."
Perhaps disappointed with his own performance, an emotional Marbury sat down, covered his face with both hands again, and gradually began to cry.
Even though he earned the least, he still had to bear the responsibility for the loss.
New York fans looked down on him, mocking him as a "traitor and softie," and Boston fans didn't respect him either, believing the series was lost because of him.
From a "Giant" to a "scapegoat" only took one series.
Marbury, feeling wronged, couldn't stop his tears.
No one could understand his sacrifice—those were green dollars!
"Coach Rivers is right, this is only our first year as a team. We became a 60-win team, we achieved success!"
"Buddy, everything will be fine. Don't mind the fans' complaints."
Hearing the staff's comforting words, Marbury tried to control his emotions.
To regain respect, he only needed to win a championship:
"I'll live in the training facility during the offseason. They will respect me!"
The few people in the locker room exchanged glances, offered simple encouragement, and said no more.
In fact, everyone had similar thoughts, they just found it hard to voice them:
"No one in the league respected you before either."
With 6 minutes and 26 seconds left in the game, as the Celtics called a timeout, the atmosphere group took the stage, and the New York Knicks bench erupted in cheers.
They had swept their opponents and were heading to the Finals again!
In this series, Clay Lee's stats declined, but everyone else's stats saw a slight increase.
Ron Artest and Raja Bell weren't very efficient, but they scored in double digits in three games.
Players in a contract year always can't help but show themselves.
Even if they say stats aren't important, their bodies become more honest at this time.
They just want stats.
With stats, they can gain more trust from the coaching staff.
With stats, agents can confidently demand a contract.
In a contract year, if anyone said stats weren't important, Ron Artest might just punch them.
Even if he was New Yorks Son, the General Manager wouldn't give a big contract to a guy averaging less than 10 points per game.
Although his performance didn't meet expectations, Lee did take care of them.
Raja Bell beamed with joy, bouncing back to his seat and subconsciously praising:
"In front of Lee, the Celtics are a joke! They will never succeed, and Kevin Garnett might regret coming to Boston!"
Ron Artest, who used to complain, had unknowingly stabilized his emotions.
Although his field goal percentage was just over 40% and his three-point shooting wasn't great, he successfully limited his old opponent in this series.
4 of 16 from the field, Paul Pierce didn't rebound at the end either.
He scored some points against Diaw, but his overall performance was still poor.
"They're already past their prime. In the Finals, Lee will destroy that arrogant clown!"
"'I'm the best player in the league,' who does he think he is?"
Ron Artest imitated Kobe in a gruff voice, and everyone laughed even harder.
Pau Gasol, who had just been substituted, also covered his mouth with a towel and chuckled softly.
Noticing Chandler sighing, he quietly comforted him:
"Next season, the Rebounding King will be yours. Maybe you'll even win two trophies."
Chandler smiled in response.
He was just agonizing over one thing: the team didn't want him to participate in the Olympics, and his agent also hoped he could focus on next season, which would reduce injury risks:
"I'm just thinking about the offseason training camp. You know, they also sent me an invitation, but the time is too tight."
Pau Gasol didn't want to offer advice on this.
In terms of physical condition alone, his recovery speed was getting slower and slower.
Every time he participated in international competitions, he had to use games to train at the start of the season.
Injuries also started to catch up to him.
His almost year-round non-stop state was bound to affect the league and cause losses for the team.
The TD Garden was no longer noisy.
It seemed everyone was waiting for the game to end.
Lee, sitting next to Mike D'Antoni, was still discussing the Lakers' changes with head coach.
They had watched game footage this morning:
"We can be bold and try something new. Ray Allen gave me an idea. Maybe I should defend the opponent's core players more."
The two had just talked about the Lakers' home-court issues when Lee suddenly changed the subject.
Mike D'Antoni was a bit surprised, as in the current system, everyone was trying to lighten the burden on the core player:
"This might be a good attempt, but we'll have to discuss it. You know, Lee, the team wants you to stay healthy, and the fans want to see your individual performance even more."
Last season, with an undefeated home record, James Dolan didn't shy away from lobbying the referees.
The officiating standards, at times, are very subjective.
Even if a referee makes a mistake, at most, they apologize after the game.
This season, due to the betting scandal, the Referee's Union has reined in a lot, which also affected New York's home court, but overall, it wasn't a big problem.
The New York Knicks, who had already won big, not only didn't want to lose but also wanted to win beautifully.
Lee had no objection to this, but sometimes he also needed some fun:
"Why not try? Maybe the league's best player also likes this kind of challenge, and fans like this kind of matchup."
"..."
Lee smiled and gave his reasons.
Mike D'Antoni didn't speak, just smiled along.
When the final buzzer sounded, the two stood up, exchanged a simple hug, and Mike D'Antoni suddenly whispered:
"As long as we keep winning, we don't need to please anyone."
.....
By the way, don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate me :)