"A new generation of Twin Towers is set to emerge! We don't have to worry about David's retirement anymore... Oh, sorry, David, I didn't mean any offense. I hope you can keep playing and continue to deliver exciting games for us, but we all know no one can stay young forever, just like no one can dominate on the court indefinitely... I'm just glad it seems we've found your successor, a rookie who can step up and share the responsibility you carry, a rookie worthy of Tim..."
Amidst the repeated cheers of the home crowd, the Spurs erupted for 35 points in the first quarter!
He Xi Meng scored 12 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals, while Yao Ming contributed 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks. These two accounted for the majority of the Spurs' scoring! Meanwhile, the nominal leader of the Spurs, Duncan, only managed 6 points in the first quarter, half of He Xi Meng's total. David Robinson barely made an impact, scoring only 2 points.
This scenario left the Clippers' head coach Gentry on the verge of collapse!
He wasn't just frustrated by the 12-point deficit after the first quarter; he was distraught that the Clippers were being outplayed by He Xi Meng and a rookie fresh into the league, even before the Spurs' Twin Towers had truly exerted themselves.
This was a significant blow to the Clippers, who had aspirations of rising this season!
Fortunately, in the second quarter, the Spurs brought out a smaller lineup: Malik Rose was moved to center, with Danny Ferry and Stephen Jackson playing forward. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, who hadn't had many opportunities in the starting lineup, partnered in the backcourt.
Gilbert Arenas was temporarily benched, not getting any playing time.
Arenas was a bit taken aback and helpless by this arrangement. In the pre-game predictions, most media outlets believed Arenas would get more playing time than Parker, but the reality was the opposite. Coach Popovich opted to bring in Parker first, not Arenas.
Arenas was unconvinced, but there was nothing he could do. After all, he was just a rookie who had joined the league this year.
The Clippers' second unit consisted of Darius Miles, Corey Maggette, Quentin Richardson, Sean Rooks, and Kenyon Martin.
Facing Yao Ming and He Xi Meng with this lineup would likely have resulted in them being utterly dominated.
Fortunately, He Xi Meng and Yao Ming were both resting, and Popovich had no intention of putting Duncan and David Robinson on the court. Instead, he let Malik Rose take the lead, playing with four smaller players to gain experience.
Tony Parker's NBA debut commenced in a somewhat subdued and low-key fashion.
Due to Yao Ming's dazzling performance in the first quarter, which drew so much attention, Parker, who was a late first-round pick, didn't receive much focus from the fans when he entered the game.
Fortunately, the French "Little Sprinter" was a player with strong willpower and didn't doubt himself despite the less-than-ideal start. Instead, he set He Xi Meng as his benchmark, focusing his initial efforts on organization and ball-handling!
Parker was actually a very aggressive guard, but seeing the current trend of the Spurs, they didn't seem to be lacking in offensive firepower. Therefore, he suppressed his desire to score and prioritized his passing duties!
It was precisely this trait that allowed Parker to edge out Arenas and get the substitute playing time first. Coach Popovich favored players who were willing to make moderate sacrifices for the team, and Parker's approach perfectly aligned with his preferences.
Once on the court, Parker diligently organized and passed the ball. Although he made a turnover due to a lack of chemistry, his overall performance was decent. He dished out two assists and managed to hit a three-pointer, finishing with 3 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, and 1 turnover. The Spurs didn't extend their lead, but they also didn't let the Clippers narrow the gap.
Later, Popovich gradually brought back the starting lineup. He Xi Meng, due to his exceptionally outstanding first-quarter stats, was kept on the bench by Popovich for an extra two minutes, allowing Parker to play alongside Duncan and David Robinson for a brief period.
In the original history, Parker once complained that Duncan, upon his arrival, didn't speak to him at all, treating him like air...
Now, because He Xi Meng had dragged Parker to Duncan's wedding as a groomsman, Parker had gotten to know Duncan early, preventing him from going a whole season without being able to speak to Duncan.
The benefit of this familiarity was that Parker could more smoothly understand Duncan's needs. When to pass him the ball, when not to, when to drive himself, or when to pass to other teammates.
During these two minutes in this game, Parker played very comfortably. Because Duncan hadn't played with much intensity in the first quarter, he was criticized by Coach Popovich after coming off the court!
"You're our number one star, and the fans want to see you score. You need to pick up your game! At least, put on a show and score, right? 20 points. In this opening game, you need to score at least 20 points to consider the mission accomplished... Mission accomplished early, and you can rest early..."
"20 points..." Duncan calculated. How difficult could that be?
Taking advantage of He Xi Meng's absence and the seemingly unreliable rookie Parker, Duncan, within a mere two minutes, made three consecutive low-post bank shots, increasing his score to 12 points!
Afterward, He Xi Meng returned to the court. While setting a screen for He Xi Meng, Duncan cut to the middle and finished with a not-so-high two-handed dunk!
Some Spurs fans, who had been worried about Duncan's knee not being fully recovered in the first quarter, now saw him dunking and assumed he was fine.
To finish his work early, Duncan was giving it his all. In the latter half of the second quarter, Duncan basically took all the shot attempts for the Spurs. Without forcing plays, he continuously used his footwork, positioning, and bank shots to bombard the Clippers' basket.
As a result, before halftime concluded, Duncan had achieved his key performance indicator for the game, successfully reaching his 20th point! In a single quarter, or rather, half-quarter, he had scored 14 points.
Due to Duncan's sudden surge, the Spurs further extended their lead to over 15 points, and the game was on the verge of becoming a blowout.
Popovich decisively substituted Duncan out to rest: "Are you trying to ruin your knee? You just recovered, and you're playing this aggressively?"
"I'm not playing aggressively," Duncan replied with wide, innocent eyes, "I haven't even had direct physical contact with the opponent..."
"What? You're talking back now? Got bold after getting married, did you?"