The Lakers fans on the spot loudly chanted "Shaq's" name, and the Lakers' morale was clearly boosted.
Even though the Spurs' interior defense efficiency improved after David Robinson took the court, Kobe on the perimeter began to shine!
O'Neal, being very smart, chose to rest temporarily, receiving the ball and then passing it out, executing the "in-out" tactic.
Kobe was naturally happy O'Neal was resting. With O'Neal off the court, in this lineup, only "Crazy Fan" could compete with him for ball possession.
But "Crazy Fan" had been severely suppressed by He Ximeng this season.
There is no harm without comparison. The more stable and excellent He Ximeng performed in the starting lineup, the more unreliable and inconsistent Van Exel appeared on the bench.
He Ximeng's rise had encroached on Van Exel's playing time and ball-handling time. Although he dropped from the starting lineup to the reserve unit, Van Exel could at least still be the sixth man, with his shot opportunities somewhat guaranteed.
As a result, Kobe had made rapid progress this season, performing increasingly well in scoring, and further encroached on Van Exel's shot opportunities.
This led to Van Exel's playing time dropping from an average of 32 minutes per game and 14 shots per game last season, to less than 20 minutes per game and less than 8 shots per game...
During the regular season, Van Exel had expressed his dissatisfaction several times, wanting more opportunities to perform.
However, Harris was currently focused on developing new talent, and He Ximeng and Kobe's performances were indeed more stable than "Crazy Fan's." He couldn't abandon the near for the far...
In fact, Harris had considered trading Van Exel last season. During the regular season, he had reluctantly ensured his playing time and shot opportunities, making Van Exel's individual statistics look quite impressive.
As a result, after the season ended, "Logo Man" made a series of inquiries, but couldn't manage to sell "Crazy Fan"...
The general managers of the other 28 teams in the league were not fools. Van Exel's statistics were impressive, but how much of it was substance and how much was inflated, everyone could see clearly by watching a few games of footage.
If the Lakers sold at a low price, other teams wouldn't mind picking up a bargain. But if the Lakers wanted to sell high... sorry, the Hornets' painful experience was right before their eyes, and no one wanted to be the fool...
Two seasons ago, the trade where the Lakers exchanged Divac for Kobe and He Ximeng had made Jerry West legendary, while also putting immense pressure on Hornets general manager Bob Bass!
Who could have imagined that this trade, which involved "exchanging two rookies for an All-Star," would, after more than a season, become "exchanging two All-Star starters for an All-Star reserve"...
And the negative impact this had on the Lakers was that recently, when league clubs made trades with the Lakers, they were extra cautious, wary of repeating the "Hornets'" fate...
In this game, after Van Exel came off the bench, he first passed the ball to O'Neal in a decent manner, earning several assists.
When the Spurs adjusted and O'Neal temporarily rested, giving the ball to the perimeter players, Van Exel took the initiative to attempt a three-pointer, but the ball bounced off the rim. Fox grabbed the offensive rebound and passed the ball to Kobe, who cut to the basket. Kobe directly challenged David Robinson head-on and slammed the ball into the basket with a powerful dunk!
"Wow!" Kobe's move stunned his teammates on the bench. He Ximeng led the way, waving a white towel to cheer for Kobe!
It was important to note that although David Robinson's condition had declined, he was still at the tail end of his prime. Most guards wouldn't dare to directly challenge the muscular "Admiral" head-on. However, Kobe not only challenged him but succeeded brilliantly!
This powerful dunk also earned O'Neal's admiration for Kobe!
In the next few possessions, O'Neal proactively handed the ball in his hands to Kobe, rather than to Van Exel... Kobe also lived up to "Shark Brother's" expectations, making 2 out of 3 mid-range shots, directly forcing the Spurs to call a timeout!
In about four minutes at the beginning of the second quarter, the Lakers went on a 14:6 run against the Spurs, directly extending their lead to nearly double digits.
Popovich quickly made adjustments, sending Duncan back onto the court, and the Spurs were the first to restore their starting lineup.
The Lakers followed suit with adjustments, with He Ximeng, Eddie Jones, and Horry returning to the court, while Van Exel, Fox, and Kobe went to the bench to rest.
The Lakers formed a lineup of O'Neal, Campbell, Horry, Eddie Jones, and He Ximeng!
To be honest, before the game started, He Ximeng saw the Spurs' starting lineup and privately suggested to Harris to replace Fox with Campbell, otherwise, the lineup would be mismatched, and the Lakers would have a very difficult time... But Harris didn't listen. He insisted on sticking with the predetermined starting lineup, letting Fox start, and as a result, the Lakers were almost suffocated by the Spurs at the start... Fortunately, He Ximeng "understood tactics" and directly shifted the offensive focus from O'Neal in the paint to Eddie Jones and himself on the perimeter, using outside shooting to counter the Spurs' inside attack, thus managing to withstand the Spurs' initial onslaught!
Then came Popovich's misjudgment in prediction and unreasonable rotation adjustments, which gave O'Neal an opportunity to attack Duncan. Following that, Kobe had a mini-explosion with O'Neal's assists, and the Lakers successfully widened the point difference! Forcing the Spurs to call a timeout and prematurely bring in their entire starting lineup.
David Robinson took a face-up jump shot, scoring over Campbell, narrowing the gap to 7 points.
However, on the next possession, He Ximeng broke through and passed to Eddie Jones. Eddie Jones received the ball and drove again, but instead of forcing a shot, he passed back to He Ximeng, who cut to the basket!
He Ximeng caught the ball and shot a three-pointer, directly extending the lead to 10 points!
David Robinson continued to attack the Lakers' interior, drawing the Lakers' defense, then dished out an assist to Duncan for a score, narrowing the gap back to single digits.
But on the Lakers' side, He Ximeng was playing with great determination! After bringing the ball past half-court, he saw that Johnson's defensive positioning was generally leaning inward. He faked a drive, further forcing "Little General" to retreat and maintain distance, then a quick stop, a step-back, and a three-point shot, all in one fluid motion...
Johnson's height was originally not comparable to He Ximeng's, and after being faked out earlier, even if he reacted immediately, he couldn't interfere with He Ximeng's shot. In the end, he could only watch helplessly as He Ximeng hit another three-pointer! The point difference was once again widened to 11 points...
After He Ximeng hit two consecutive three-pointers, the Spurs were a bit stunned!
Popovich had put his entire starting lineup on the court to narrow the score, not to get beaten...
As a result, He Ximeng's unreasonable barrage of three-pointers further suppressed the Spurs' already fading morale.