After the timeout, the Cavaliers made a substitution adjustment, with old Parker coming on to replace James.
And after coming on, it was Hansen who got the ball on the strong side, not Williams.
This happened as the playoffs progressed, and Hansen’s performance had elevated his tactical status above Williams.
O’Neal was also very familiar with this tactic; after all, the triangle offense had started with him playing low-post singles back in the day.
The only difference was that Hansen posed a greater three-point threat, so there was no need to empty the strong side behind him; just standing there could create space for him.
Moreover, at this time, all five players on the court had sufficient three-point capability, which to some extent directly replicated the Magic Team’s playing style.
Then immediately, O’Neal proved that he was better suited to play this strategy than Howard.
He received Hansen’s lob, powered up with his back to the basket, and his huge body forced Perkins to lower his center of gravity; then a quick turn squeezed past him for an easy dunk.
Perkins was of course no pushover; as O’Neal turned, he sneakily exerted force with his elbow, which could have thrown off the balance even if it was Howard on the receiving end.
But on O’Neal, it was useless!
Just like Hansen had analyzed before the season started, although O’Neal was older and his stamina had declined, and he couldn’t defend at all, as long as he got the ball in the low post, he was still the Big Shark.
Back on defense, Pierce tried a pick-and-roll with Garnett to beat O’Neal, but Hansen’s tight defense made it unsuccessful.
If you had been following the Cavaliers since the preseason games, you wouldn’t find anything that was happening on the court unfamiliar.
Because in the first preseason game, when James didn’t play, it was this lineup that was on the court.
Everything seemed predestined, as if that preseason game was a rehearsal for tonight.
In the end, Pierce, facing Hansen’s defense, forced a shot off target.
Whether Hansen is really the Celtics’ daddy is a matter of opinion, but fans agree that ever since Hansen appeared, Pierce has been like facing his own father.
Those awkward moments are hard to witness.
The Cavaliers defended the next round, and O’Neal continued to ask for the ball in the low post.
Perkins knew he couldn’t hold his ground and tried to front him, but O’Neal was too wide, and Perkins was quickly sat down behind him.
That was really a bit humiliating.
Hansen eventually lobbed the ball in, and the weak side of the Celtics team was forced to help defend.
O’Neal, after turning around, didn’t hesitate and flung the ball straight to Williams at the weak-side 45°.
As the Celtics helped defend, Williams passed it to the wide-open Jamison in the corner, who shot the three-pointer swiftly and decisively.
At that moment, O’Neal couldn’t help but wish he had been born ten years later; if he had, taking Howard’s place in Magic, would he still need to compete with Kobe for his fifth championship ring right now?
On defense, Hansen and O’Neal high-fived each other.
Although it came somewhat late, their previous preparation still came into play.
Garnett set a screen for Rondo, who, after receiving Rondo’s brilliant pass, made a tough jump shot to stop the bleeding.
But back on the other end, O’Neal in the low post again drew a double team and passed the ball out; this time, after a few passes, the ball ended up in Hansen’s hands.
Hansen, too, made the shot decisively.
The Cavaliers had launched an 8 to 2 counterattack wave.
This was truly Simplicity, as the Cavaliers’ offense suddenly seemed more fluid with James off the court.
Following a missed offensive round by the Celtics, when O’Neal turned to receive the ball under the basket again, Garnett directly chose a help defense foul.
Rivers hadn’t quite caught on yet, but his assistant, Thibodeau, reminded him: the "Hack-a-Shaq" strategy had come into play.
Free throws, O’Neal’s eternal pain.
As the referee passed the ball out, O’Neal caught it, with a thundering distraction noise filling the venue.
Previously, you could often see a certain apprehension on O’Neal’s face at these moments.
But at that time, O’Neal looked quite relaxed.
Because in the tactical discussion with Hansen earlier, they had anticipated this scenario, and Hansen had taught him a very "special" method.
The content of this advice was for O’Neal to mutter to himself during free throws: "For every free throw I make, I get 1% more chance of having another championship ring than that guy Kobe."
The issue with O’Neal’s free throws started as a technical one but gradually became both technical and psychological.
After all, if something has been proven your entire career to be ineffective, even you would start to doubt your ability to achieve it.
Hansen’s method was about using what O’Neal cared about the most to overcome the psychological issue and let the technical side handle making or missing the shots.
And as it turned out, O’Neal’s first free throw swished in!
The fans were incredulous, and Rivers cast a reproachful glance at Thibodeau beside him.
And truth be told, even O’Neal was a bit surprised himself; he couldn’t help but pick up his hand and look at it as if it had suddenly been endowed with magic.
Then, O’Neal’s second free throw went in as well.
He made both free throws!
This made O’Neal laugh heartily, much like he had during that preseason game; retreating on defense, he hugged Hansen’s head and kissed it hard.
Hansen looked on with a mix of disgust and a relieved smile.
The method he provided O’Neal wasn’t decided on a whim but was based on his observation of O’Neal’s practice performances.
Certainly, O’Neal’s free throw shooting wasn’t great, but it wasn’t as bad as it appeared during games.