Out of habit, Kidd still decided to follow Scott's pre-game arrangements and maintain the Nets' original tactics.
Therefore, on this possession, Kidd still organized his teammates to pass the ball to the basket.
And the one receiving the ball under the basket was the Nets' blue-collar center, McLoch.
Last season, while playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, McLoch was just an edge-case center averaging only 4 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.
This season, with the Nets lacking players in the paint, McLoch was heavily relied upon by Scott! Especially with Kidd feeding him the ball, McLoch's personal stats successfully improved to an average of 9.7 points and 6.1 rebounds, making him a near-starting center!
Of course, this near-starting center needs an additional qualifier: Eastern Conference!
Yes, only in the Eastern Conference, and on the Nets, could McLoch get a starting opportunity.
And in the Western Conference, for example, Yao Ming of the Spurs, who this season is already averaging 16 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks in the regular season, is still a substitute!
There's no help for it, this is the gap between the Eastern and Western Conferences. In recent seasons, the imbalance in strength between the East and West has gradually reached its peak.
McLoch went one-on-one against David Robinson, and without creating space, he forcibly turned and shot! As expected, the ball bounced off the rim.
David Robinson turned and secured the rebound, then passed it to He Xi Meng.
He Xi Meng continued to push for a fast break, but Kidd's defense was quick, immediately slowing He Xi Meng down near half-court, preventing him from directly driving to the basket or shooting a transition three-pointer.
Seeing no opportunity, He Xi Meng didn't rush and instead slowed down, opting to play a half-court offense against the Nets.
With Duncan, a veritable Buddha, in the paint, what was He Xi Meng worried about?
"Spread out, everyone spread out! Tim, come up and get the ball!"
Right in front of Kidd, He Xi Meng directly instructed his teammates on the court with the most direct and simple tactic: star isolation!
Scott, you're not double-teaming Duncan? Fine, then I'll let Duncan dominate your interior!
"I'm an expert at slacking off..."
Duncan was slightly unhappy in the paint, but upon hearing He Xi Meng's call, he didn't hesitate with his feet. He immediately moved to the free-throw line area to receive the ball.
The Nets continued their strategy of not double-teaming, leaving Kenyon Martin to guard Duncan one-on-one. Duncan, of course, showed no mercy. From the free-throw line, he took two steps into the low post on the right side, then turned for a bank shot, and the ball went in again!
7:0!
This way of scoring was too easy! For Duncan, it was like a practice game.
Oh, no, even the internal practice games of the Spurs put more defensive pressure on Duncan than the current Nets defense.
Because within the Spurs, if it was a one-on-one defense, Duncan's opponent would be either David Robinson or Yao Ming!
Even Malik Rose wasn't qualified to guard Duncan one-on-one, as he couldn't put enough pressure on Duncan!
Now, with Scott making a foolish decision and continuing the Eastern Conference playoff strategy of not double-teaming Duncan, the Nets' interior defense was destined for only one outcome: to be dominated!
The Spurs' interior offense couldn't break through, and their own interior defense couldn't hold.
Although less than three minutes had passed in the game, the Nets' disadvantage on the court was already evident.
Head coach Scott stood on the sidelines with a dark expression, arms crossed, still showing no reaction.
Perhaps he wanted to see the results of his pre-game arrangements further, or perhaps he simply had no emergency contingency plan.
But on the court, Kidd, sensing the crisis, began to proactively organize his teammates to adjust.
Kidd's first adjustment was on offense. After driving, he no longer passed into the paint but chose to pass to the perimeter!
With Duncan and David Robinson in the Spurs' paint, while not impenetrable, it seemed not far from impenetrable for the Nets.
Therefore, to quickly break the team's scoring drought, Kidd passed the ball to Kiddelez on the perimeter.
As part of the 1996 golden generation, Kiddelez's role on the Nets was once a versatile shooting guard who could attack and defend.
However, after several seasons, Kiddelez consistently failed to show the potential of a top scorer on the offensive end, while his defense became increasingly stable.
Thus, Kiddelez is gradually developing into a 3-and-D player!
Primarily defense, complemented by outside shooting, and occasionally a fast break drive to the basket.
On this play, Kiddelez received the pass from Kidd outside the three-point line. He glanced at the basket, successfully drawing a foul on his matchup, Ginobili!
After drawing the foul, Kiddelez drove two steps inside the three-point line, then pulled up for a jump shot, finally helping the Nets break their scoring drought since the start of the game!
On defense, Kidd also began to adjust his strategy.
When He Xi Meng again asked his teammates to spread out and then lobbed the ball to Duncan in the mid-range for an isolation play, Kidd couldn't stand it anymore!
He directly signaled Kiddelez to sag in and double-team Duncan, not allowing number 21 to score so easily anymore!
Seeing that the Nets had finally come to their senses, Duncan immediately cast a plaintive glance at He Xi Meng!
He Xi Meng understood Duncan's intent!
"Manu!"
He Xi Meng immediately called for Ginobili to set a screen away from the ball, shook off Kidd behind him, and then ran to Duncan's wing to receive the pass!
Duncan eagerly passed the ball, shifting the scoring responsibility back onto He Xi Meng's shoulders!
He Xi Meng caught the ball and shot, and this off-ball three-pointer also went in!
10:2!
Kidd tried hard to make changes, and it seemed to have some effect on offense.
But on defense, it was like pressing one leak only to have another pop up.
When Duncan of the Spurs was double-teamed, he decisively passed the ball to the perimeter!
And when the Nets' interior defensive strategy began to adjust, He Xi Meng on the perimeter immediately started shooting three-pointers!
Even with Kidd's tenacious defense, it couldn't dampen He Xi Meng's enthusiasm for shooting from outside!
Anyway, as long as the Nets didn't double-team Duncan in the paint, He Xi Meng would lob the ball inside; once the Nets double-teamed Duncan, He Xi Meng would start raining in three-pointers without blinking!
By the end of the first quarter, the Spurs had already outscored the Nets 29:14, establishing a 15-point lead.
In the second quarter, Scott didn't dare to substitute Kidd, looking as though he intended for Kidd to play the entire game.
On the Spurs' side, Popovich waved his hand, bringing back the regular season's five-in, five-out rotation.