The Battle of the Red Wall is one of the most famous battles in the Three Kingdoms of China. It was a major battle fought on the Yangtze River against the Cao Cao army, which was expanding its power with the aim of unifying the country. Initially, it was a situation where the Cao Cao army had an advantage in objective power, but various variables changed the flow, and it was a watershed event that eventually started the Three Kingdoms of Heaven system.스포츠토토
The highlight of the Battle of the Red Wall is the ‘fire attack’. Cao Cao, who did not have much experience in water warfare, was suffering from seasickness at the time. Fang Tong, a spy for the allies, suggested tying the ships together with chains, which Cao Cao accepted. There was a risk that the other side would attack with fire, but it was winter and the northeast wind was blowing.
The allies were eager to unleash their firepower, but with the wind blowing from north to south, it was likely to blow back at them. Only when the southeasterly winds blew, could they open fire on the Cao Cao army. At this time, Zhuge Liang vowed to create a southeasterly wind, and after several days of prayer, he was able to make it happen, turning the Cao Cao’s camp into a sea of fire. Of course, Zhuge Liang is not a master of the arts. It’s more likely that he made his prediction by reading the flow of nature rather than the laws of fortune, but it’s clear that the arrival of the southeasterly winds at just the right time was a decisive event that changed the fortunes of both sides.
The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat are currently battling it out in the Eastern Conference Finals, and it’s the NBA’s version of an arch-rivalry. In order to win supremacy, the East must first be pacified. Both teams have climbed their way up with their own armies and have met at the pinnacle, with the winner setting up a final showdown with the Western Conference champion Denver Nuggets.
On paper, the odds were in Boston’s favour. They were one of the clear favourites in the regular season, finishing second in the Eastern Conference and second overall in winning percentage. Unfortunately, they finished as runners-up last season, but they were also a Final Four team. CBS Sports picked both teams to win in an analysis segment before the conference finals, and all eight panelists favoured Boston.
The Celtics had a lot to do with the fact that they were anchored by the offensive and swingman combo of Jayson Tatum (6-foot-10) and Jaylen Brown (6-foot-9), who won the inaugural Larry Bird Trophy (Eastern Conference Finals MVP) last season for their demolition of Miami, and they also had other position-specific talent like Marcus Smart and Derrick White.
But when the lid was lifted, the game took an unexpected turn. Led by Jimmy Butler (33‧201cm), a man who thrives in big games, Miami came out firing on all cylinders and took the first three games. That seemed to seal the deal for the Heat, as they became the first play-in tournament team to reach the Finals. Miami only needed one win to reach the Finals, while Boston needed a whopping four.
Backed into a corner, Boston fought back rather than give up. In the elimination matches, they focused and won three straight after losing three in a row. It was unbelievable. There have been 150 times a team has been down 0-3 in a best-of-seven NBA playoff series, and every single one of them has been eliminated. The odds are stacked against them. But Boston’s fighting spirit has taken them through that difficult path head-on, and now they’re down to the wire.
The path to a three-way tie was dramatic. In the make-or-break Game 6, Boston trailed by one point with three seconds left in regulation. It looked like the game was over until Smart’s shot rimmed out, and then something miraculous happened. After passing to Smart, White drove to the rim and with incredible concentration that belied his short stature, he grabbed the rebound and scored on the putback at the buzzer. It was a split-second play that was reviewed on video.
Boston’s performance was so spectacular that the Red Sox, a professional baseball team in the same city, were called out. In 2004, the Red Sox famously came from 0-3 down to win the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees in four games to three. Boston’s basketball team is hoping to replicate the baseball miracle in the NBA. It’s still unprecedented, but after three straight wins after three straight losses, Boston’s momentum is high.
“I think we have a new confidence now,” Brown said after the game. We’ve been through hell and back,” Brown said after the game to describe the team’s current mood. Indeed, the Celtics are flying high. For the first time in NBA history, they’ve gone to Game 7 in both the conference semifinals and finals in back-to-back years, and in some ways, that’s a testament to the team’s ability to stay in close games and never give up.
Of course, Miami has come this far and has no intention of backing down. While Butler, the leader, blames himself by saying, “If I had done a better job, we wouldn’t be in this situation…”, he also fires up the team by saying, “We will do a better job in Game 7 and we will win.” They have shown a strong mental strength centred on their trusted leader, so it is likely that they will grit their teeth and move forward even more under pressure.
There’s nowhere for both teams to back down. As Brown said, Boston has been through hell and back, and Miami has been through hell and back. It’s a series that’s been through both the sweet and the bitter. It’s about putting all your energy into one game and leaving the rest to chance. With the final game of the series on the line, the question is: which team will the southeast wind blow for?