On June 6th, the rain that had been falling in Boston for a week gradually stopped, and by 7 o'clock in the evening, the rain clouds had completely disappeared over Boston, which made the enthusiasm of Boston fans even more hot. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

The plaza outside the North Shore Gardens arena was filled with fans who had gathered from all over the Boston metropolitan area to watch the game on a big screen because they couldn't get tickets.

"We can see through the footage that Garden Square is packed with Celtic fans in green jerseys, and it's been a long time since we've seen such a pageant. Even last year, when Boston reached the finals, the square didn't have such a large number of fans, it was a big party. Because their opponent tonight is the Los Angeles Lakers. ESPN's Grand Finals streamer Mike Brin recounted the frenetic spectacle of Boston through a television camera.

Countless green fans crowded the square, and the local police department in Boston had to send a large number of police to maintain order at the scene, but for those cops, tonight was a good opportunity to come out and watch the game, and everyone scrambled for the spot, and those who couldn't get it had to drive to patrol other places and listen to the radio in the police car.

At the North Shore Garden Arena, just over half an hour before the start of the game, the crowd began to sing the U.S. national anthem. Before the opening national anthem was sung, the Star-Spangled Banner never fell and reverberated on the floor and dome of the Garden Arena.

On the gleaming parquet floor, Lakers players in blue-and-purple jerseys are trying to get out of the way and warm up their shots. However, several players were visibly tired on their faces, as they had not had a good night's sleep until just after 3 o'clock in the middle of the night last night. One moment ago, the fire brigade said that it was on fire, the other time the police ran to say that there were people trading drugs here, and the next time there was a lot of ping-pong noise downstairs, and the hotel owner said that the water pipe in one room was broken.

In short, it was noisy in the middle of the night, although I could sleep lazily in the morning, but the irregular sleep made the players a little uncomfortable. And when they arrived at the North Shore Garden Arena, they found that their locker room was not the one they used during the regular season, but a smaller, more aggrieved little locker room. O'Neill's head was almost touching the ceiling.

Of course, the Lakers players didn't know that this was not a locker room at all, but a makeshift locker room with a cleaning equipment room, and the staff removed all the mops and vacuum cleaners, put them in some locker cabinets and stools, and it was over. Jackson angrily tried to find the stadium property to complain before the game started, but no one could be found, and the league couldn't do anything about it, even if it had to be changed, it would have to wait until the next game.

Such a terrible environment naturally reminded Jackson of his own experience as a player, and he was mentally prepared for it, but he forgot that not everyone has this kind of valuable experience. Obviously, the Lakers players were inevitably affected, although Jackson asked everyone to be calm and take it as an experience like an ascetic.

Shaquille O'Neal was the one who complained the most because of his huge body in that tiny locker room, and in an interview with reporters before the game, O'Neal told reporters directly, "We were thrown into the washing machine, small and dizzy." ”

And Big Mouth Peyton mocked, "Before I came to Boston, I didn't expect it to be so poor here, and I didn't even have a decent locker room." ”

In contrast, the Celtic side was calm, with the players saying they would focus on the pitch and there was no war of words between the two sides. This is a principle that Auerbach has always adhered to, no matter how he uses off-the-field tricks or attacks each other in public opinion, he will try not to involve the players as much as possible, but to make them focus on the court.

The Auerbach tradition is correct and effective, Leon has inherited this tradition, and the Celtics players have not been affected by much public opinion, they have focused their energy on the basketball court, and they are full of energy and fighting spirit until the game starts.

When American pop singer Jason Mayez sang the national anthem in the center of the North Shore Garden Arena, the atmosphere reached its peak, with more than 20,000 spectators singing together, plus tens of thousands of fans outside the stadium, and the singing shook the Boston night sky for a while. This is not an important American holiday, the national anthem is not an expression of American patriotism, and the Star-Spangled Banner never falls at this time, like the Boston Celtics war song, not the Star-Spangled Banner, but the championship flag and retired jersey that flutter over the dome of the arena.

At this time, Fox Leon looked up at the dense flags in the air, which included not only the championship flag and retired jersey of the Celtics, but also the championship flag and retired jersey of the NHL team Boston Bruins. Leon heard that what Larry Bird looked up at at the opening game was not the jersey or championship flag of any Celtics player, but the Bruins' hockey legend Bobby Orr.

The second-greatest ice hockey player in NHL history symbolizes the legacy of sports throughout Boston. León also noticed that the retired jersey, which was not so conspicuous among the many flags, was a number 4. Looking up at it today, he could feel that it was not only the Celtic souls that survived here, but also the traditions and spirit of sporting throughout the Boston area.

"The game is about to begin, the starters on both sides are on the court, and sixteen years later, the Purple and Gold are once again standing on the parquet floor in Boston in the Finals. The sea is crossing, things are wrong, and two great teams are competing for the highest honor in this basketball temple. Loud slogans have sounded on the scene! Although Brin is an out-and-out Knicks fan and once hated the Celtics, he couldn't suppress his excitement when he felt the deafening slogan at the scene.

Because the audience began to chant the slogan "beat-la".

“beat-la！”

“beat-la！”

“beat-la！”

The old slogan is like a war song from the golden age of the '80s, and there's no better stadium than the North Shore Gardens to make that slogan sound. The Celtics players' blood was starting to run wild, and Kevin Garnett was pounding his chest like crazy. Even the usually calm Fox Leon could feel the irrepressible heartbeat in his chest, and he clenched his fists and waited for the game to begin.

"Are you all ready? The game is about to start, and I hope you can play well and follow my command. I've hosted more finals than all of you combined. Before the start of the game, referee Bavita said to the players on both sides with a half-warning warning, and at the same time began to prepare to throw the ball in the center circle.

PJ Brown contracted his muscles, he was fearless in the face of Shaquille O'Neal, and he was ready to hinder the beast's progress as much as possible, even at the expense of himself, in the next battle.

The ball flew into the air, Brown felt the pressure from the opposite side, and O'Neal was like a killer whale jumping out of the water, and was the first to touch the ball. Gary Payton got the ball, the Lakers launched their first offense, and the first game of the 2004 Finals finally began!

The atmosphere on the Finals is unlike any regular season game or any other playoff game, where everyone will be honest with each other and the past will be left behind. Historical head-to-head records, playoff records, player rhetoric, or tactical traits are nothing more than boring predictions in the media. Any player or coach who clings to these superficial things will pay a heavy price.

The Lakers' first offense, Gary Payton unexpectedly attacked with the ball on his own. He started from outside the three-point line with his back to Arenas, then took advantage of a cover from Karl Malone to cut around the box from 45 degrees, and calmly threw a throw that grazed the basket against Kevin Garnett and PJ Brown.

Payton scored the first point of this Finals, something that many people didn't expect, including Leon. This is clearly a dangerous sign, and throughout the season, Payton has not found the right place and comfortable offensive feel in the Lakers' triangle offense, including since the start of the playoffs.

However, if he can play at the top 70 percent of his past in the Finals, he will cause huge problems for the Celtics.

There was no doubt that it would be a do-or-die battle that would determine the course of the series, and Leon's mind immediately calmed down in the hustle and bustle of the North Shore Garden Arena, and he squatted on one knee to begin a battle of wits with Phil Jackson. (To be continued.) )