The air in the TD Garden for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals was different. It wasn't the festive roar of the regular season or the anxious buzz of a close game. This was a deeper, more guttural sound. A hungry sound. The banners hanging from the rafters weren't just decorations; they were expectations. The smell wasn't just popcorn and sweat; it was tension, distilled and electrified.

Their opponents were the Chicago Bulls, a tough, physical eight-seed that had fought through the Play-In Tournament. They had nothing to lose and everything to prove. They were led by DeMar DeRozan, a master of the mid-range, a surgeon who operated with methodical, old-school precision. For Kyle, it was another new challenge, another test in the endless examination of his defensive versatility.

The Bulls, as expected, came out swinging. They were physical, they were aggressive, and they hit their first four shots. The crowd, so ready to erupt, was instead hushed, a sense of "not again" lingering from the Oklahoma City debacle.

Kyle's first possession matched up on DeRozan was a lesson. DeRozan caught the ball on the wing, gave a series of deliberate, probing jab steps. He wasn't trying to blow by Kyle; he was trying to lull him, to find a rhythm. He took two hard dribbles to his right, planted, and rose for his signature pull-up. Kyle, expecting a drive, was a half-second late. *Swish.*

"Welcome to the playoffs, young'n," DeRozan muttered as he backpedaled.

The message was received. The playoffs were a different game. Every possession was a chess match. Every shot was contested. Every mistake was punished.

The Celtics settled their nerves. Tatum hit a three. Brown attacked the rim. But the Bulls refused to go away. The first quarter ended tied. The second quarter was a slugfest. Bodies hit the floor. The referees were letting them play, and the game took on a brutal, visceral tone.

Kyle's tuning was being tested. He fought through screens set by the massive Nikola Vucevic, each one feeling like a car crash. He stayed down on DeRozan's pump fakes, learning the subtle hitch in his gather that preceded a shot attempt.

*Play 1:* With three minutes left in the half, DeRozan tried to post him up. He backed Kyle down, two dribbles, then went into his fadeaway. But Kyle, having studied the film, knew the move was coming. He didn't leave his feet. He stayed grounded, bodied him, and when DeRozan faded, Kyle extended his arm, not to block, but to contest the vision. The shot was short. Rob Williams grabbed the rebound.

It was a small win, but in the playoffs, small wins accumulate.

The Celtics took a five-point lead into halftime. The locker room was all business. Stevens drew up plays, but the main message was about endurance. "It's a marathon. They're going to keep coming. Your composure is your weapon."

The third quarter was when the tuning paid off. The Celtics came out with a surgical intensity. The ball movement was crisp. The defensive rotations were flawless. They began to grind the Bulls down.

*Play 2:* Kyle came off a pin-down screen, received a pass from Smart, and immediately attacked closeout. The defense collapsed. Instead of forcing a difficult shot, he fired a skip pass to the opposite corner where Tatum was waiting. Tatum drained the three. The lead ballooned to ten.

*Play 3:* On the next defensive possession, Kyle pestered DeRozan full-court, refusing to let him get comfortable. He forced him to pick up his dribble near half-court. As the shot clock wound down, a desperate pass was thrown into the post. Kyle read it, jumped the passing lane, and took it the other way for an uncontested dunk.

The Garden erupted. The run was 10-0. The Bulls called timeout, their spirit visibly breaking.

The fourth quarter was a formality. The Celtics' defense was a vice, and the Bulls had no answers. The lead grew to twenty. Stevens emptied the bench. The final score was 112-95.

Kyle finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. He had held DeMar DeRozan to 7-of-19 shooting. It was a complete, two-way performance. The kind of performance that wins playoff series.

As he walked off the court, the crowd chanting his name, he felt a sense of accomplishment, but no celebration. This was just the first note of a long, complex symphony. He found Ari in the stands. She was smiling, but her eyes were serious. She gave him a thumbs-up. He nodded back. The message was clear: one down.

**Game 2: The Response**

The Bulls were not going to roll over. For Game 2, they made adjustments. They were more physical. They double-teamed Tatum aggressively. They dared anyone else to beat them.

For three quarters, it worked. The game was a rock fight. The score was low, the tempers were high. The Celtics were frustrated. Shots weren't falling. The Bulls, feeding off their underdog status, hung around.

Kyle was struggling. His shot was off. He was 2-for-9 from the field. The Bulls were ignoring him to load up on Tatum and Brown, a blatant sign of disrespect. The frustration mounted. He forced a drive into three defenders and had his shot swatted into the stands.

The third quarter ended with the Celtics down four. The Garden was nervous.

In the huddle, Stevens was calm. "They're giving you the shot, Kyle. They're disrespecting you. Make them pay. Be ready. The ball will find you."

The fourth quarter began. The Bulls' strategy remained the same. Double team Tatum. Kyle found himself wide open on the wing. Tatum, trapped, fired a pass to him. The entire Bulls defense relaxed for a split second. *The non-shooter.*

Kyle caught the ball. His feet were set. His form was perfect. He didn't think about the previous misses. He didn't think about the pressure. He thought about the thousands of shots he'd taken in an empty gym. He rose and fired.

*Swish.*

The net snapped. The crowd roared. The lead was cut to one.

On the next possession, the same thing happened. Double team Tatum. Pass to Kyle. *Swish.* Another three.

The Bulls called a timeout, panic setting in. Their strategy was backfiring. Kyle had made them pay.

The floodgates opened. With the defense now forced to respect him, driving lanes opened up for Tatum and Brown. The Celtics' offense, once stagnant, began to flow.

*Play 4:* With two minutes left, and the Celtics up five, Kyle made the defining play of the game. He drove baseline, drawing the defense, and leaped as if to shoot. But instead, he fired a behind-the-back pass to a cutting Jaylen Brown for a thunderous dunk that sealed the game.

It was a play of utter confidence, a statement that he was no longer just a role player; he was a catalyst.

The Celtics won 102-96, taking a commanding 2-0 series lead. Kyle finished with 16 points, but 12 of them came in the fourth quarter. He had been challenged, and he had responded. The tune-up was complete. The engine was not just humming; it was performing under playoff pressure.

As they headed to Chicago, the message was clear: the first note had been played, and it was perfectly in tune. The symphony of the playoffs was underway.

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