The Red Wall War is one of the most famous battles in the Three Kingdoms, and even those who are not familiar with the story know it. It was a major battle fought on the Yangtze River against the Cao Cao army, which was expanding its power with the goal of unifying the country. Initially, the Cao Cao army was favored in terms of objective power, but various variables changed the flow, and it was a watershed event that eventually started the Three Kingdoms of Heaven system.
The highlight of the Battle of the Red Wall is the ‘fire attack’. Cao Cao’s army, which did not have much experience in water warfare, was suffering from seasickness. 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 winds blowing from north to south, they could easily find themselves under fire. 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 advancing to play the Western Conference champions, the Denver Nuggets.
On paper, the odds were in Boston’s favor. They were one of the clear favorites in the regular season, finishing second in the Eastern Conference and second in winning percentage overall. They finished as runners-up last season, but they were also a finalist. CBS Sports had an analysis segment before the conference finals where they picked both teams to win, and all eight panelists sided with Boston.
The Celtics had a lot to do with the fact that they were anchored by their 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 a number of position-specific players like Marcus Smart and Derrick White.
But when the lid was lifted, the game took an unexpected turn. Led by big man Jimmy Butler (33‧201cm), Miami came out firing on all cylinders and took the first three games. That seemed to seal Miami’s fate, as they became the first play-in tournament team to reach the Finals. Miami needed one win to advance to the Finals, while Boston needed a whopping four.
Backed into a corner, Boston fought back rather than give up. They focused in the elimination games 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 head-on down that difficult road, and now they’re in the final stretch.
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. At that point, something miraculous happened. After passing to Smart, White drove to the rim, grabbed the rebound with incredible concentration that belied his short stature, and scored on a 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 summoned. 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 recreate the baseball miracle in the NBA. While it’s still unprecedented, the Celtics’ momentum is high after three straight wins after three straight losses.
After the game, Brown said, “I think we have a newfound confidence now. We’ve been through hell and back,” Brown said after the game to describe the team’s current mood. The Celtics are riding high. For the first time in NBA history, they’re going to a 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.먹튀검증
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 played better, we wouldn’t be in this situation…”, he also fires up the team by saying, “We will do better in Game 7 and we will win.” They have shown strong mental strength centered on their trusted leader, so they are likely to grit their teeth and move forward even more under pressure.
There’s nowhere for both teams to go but up. 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?