In the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, Popovich did not even use a five-on-five adjustment strategy, but rather chose core player matchups and rotations cautiously.
Unlike the current situation, with the Nets not having Kidd withdrawn, Popovich should not have withdrawn He Xi Meng.
However, the problem was that the Spurs had gained a considerable lead in the first quarter. Popovich did not want He Xi Meng to exhaust himself unnecessarily. It was better to let Parker and Arenas come on to gain experience.
And these two rookie point guards did not disappoint Popovich's expectations. Led by Yao Ming, they battled back and forth with the Nets' bench lineup led by Kidd, holding their own on the court and keeping the score close.
When the Spurs' starting lineup returned, He Xi Meng immediately hit a three-pointer!
Even after missing three consecutive shots initially, he did not change his determination to shoot from beyond the three-point line, his attitude exceptionally resolute!
If this were any other team, with He Xi Meng's momentum, he would have been "competing" with Duncan for...
He Xi Meng helplessly gave a thumbs-up to Duncan, who had grabbed three offensive rebounds in a row. Duncan returned a simple, honest smile.
Before halftime ended, He Xi Meng had hit 7 three-pointers, Duncan had grabbed 15 rebounds, and the Spurs were leading the Nets by 21 points...
The second half directly turned into garbage time.
Kidd did not want to give up, but the Spurs did not give him a chance to come back.
Popovich had Duncan and He Xi Meng lead the team in turns, staggering their play in the second half, while also vigorously bringing in and developing new players.
Treating the Finals stage as a rookie training camp was a rare sight in recent years!
Even so, the Spurs still won 109:94, beating the Nets by 15 points!
He Xi Meng unexpectedly dropped 33 points and 9 assists, while Duncan achieved near triple-double numbers with 22 points, 20 rebounds, and 8 assists!
Yao Ming had 14 points and 8 rebounds, and Parker had 13 points and 6 assists.
All 10 Spurs players who took the court scored.
With the Spurs' decisive victory in the first game of the Finals, the reporters in San Antonio felt a sense of vindication, thinking that Popovich would finally speak kindly this time.
However, Popovich still delivered the same speech: "The Nets are a great team, and they are very strong! They have the best point guard in the league! Yes, I think Jason is the best point guard in the league! Let's look at Jason's assists, 10! Points, 23! And rebounds, 10! My goodness! A versatile point guard who can orchestrate, score, and rebound! Isn't he the best point guard in the league?"
"And Kenyon, how many times did he dunk over us today? Every dunk was so spectacular, it makes you lament that youth is everything..."
"And Corey! Corey's defensive ability on the perimeter is something that makes me drool..."
...
Under Popovich's barrage of "poisonous milk" (compliments that can be detrimental), the reporters present almost felt as if the Nets had defeated the Spurs by a large margin, not the other way around.
"Xi Meng! Xi Meng also performed exceptionally well today!"
A reporter off-stage reminded Popovich.
It would have been better if they hadn't reminded him. After being reminded, Popovich snorted coldly, glanced at He Xi Meng beside him, and asked him with a forced smile, "Have you been wanting to transition to shooting guard lately? Or should I accommodate you in the next game?"
The attention of the reporters instantly shifted to He Xi Meng, who was beside Popovich.
As the best-performing player for the Spurs in this game, He Xi Meng was the natural representative for the Spurs at this press conference.
He Xi Meng had originally wanted to bring Duncan along as well. After all, the nominal leader of the Spurs was number 21, not number 4.
But Duncan had disappeared immediately after the game ended, and no one knew where he had gone.
Unable to bring this mascot, He Xi Meng had to attend the press conference alone with Popovich.
Hearing Popovich's questioning, He Xi Meng quickly waved his hands and denied, "It was just luck! My feel was good today, so I shot a few more shots! In the next game, I will definitely pass more and try to let Tim score more. After all, he is our team's primary scorer, and I should focus on organizing..."
Hearing He Xi Meng's statement, Popovich appeared slightly satisfied and let He Xi Meng off the hook.
However, the reporters on the scene did not want to let He Xi Meng off the hook so easily. After all, Popovich had just declared in front of He Xi Meng that Kidd was the best point guard in the league. As a fellow point guard, could He Xi Meng accept that?
Remarkably, he could!
"Among the point guards in the league, my current admiration goes to Jason! Not only because Jason can achieve triple-doubles, but also because Jason has a unique talent in inspiring his teammates and leading the team! Kenyon Martin, MacLeod... these Nets big men are like extensions of Jason's will, obeying his every command, which I envy greatly... In this regard, I truly need to learn more from Jason..."
"Achoo!" Duncan, hiding in the shower room and refusing to come out, couldn't help but sneeze.
"Could I be catching a cold? Hey, that's a good excuse... I can slack off happily in the next game..."
The second game of the Finals continued to be played in San Antonio.
"What, you have a cold?" Popovich asked Duncan with a grave expression, "Do you have a fever? Any muscle soreness?"
"Not really, just a bit of a runny nose and I'm not feeling quite right! Don't worry, coach, I can play!"
Duncan rubbed his nose, his voice sounding a bit hoarse.
"Alright! Xi Meng, Tim isn't feeling well, so in this game, you'll have to shoulder the scoring responsibility again..."
He Xi Meng stared at Duncan suspiciously. Duncan replied very seriously to He Xi Meng.
"Don't worry too much, Xi Meng! I'll try my best to draw double-teams from the Nets in the paint and create opportunities for you to shoot... I should be able to score around 20 points, I'm confident about that..."