Popovich's spit flew out instantly, and Duncan wisely chose to shut up.
In the second half, Duncan, who was eager to get off work early, still honestly played the third quarter. Because He Ximeng and Yao Ming went wild in the first quarter, and Duncan went wild in the second quarter, the Clippers had long forgotten who to guard.
In the third quarter, Brand, who had not yet been crowned the King of the Clippers, tried to lead a comeback for the Clippers. However, after the score was narrowed to double digits, it could no longer be reduced.
Whether it was Duncan's inside layups or He Ximeng's outside three-pointers, they gave the Clippers a sharp counterattack.
Even David Robinson, who had not played much in the first half and was caught in a foul trap, exerted himself in the third quarter, at least bolstering his stats to justify his position as the highest-paid player on the Spurs...
Yes, this season, David Robinson, with an annual salary of $10 million, still held the position of the highest-paid player on the team. He was tens of dollars more than Duncan in second place, and over a million dollars more than He Ximeng in third place...
By the end of the third quarter, the Spurs had re-extended their lead to 16 points!
In the fourth quarter, Duncan got his wish and clocked out! Also clocking out with him were He Ximeng and David Robinson.
Replacing them were Yao Ming, Malik Rose, and Parker. Along with two starters who had not yet left the court: Bowen and Ginobili.
Arenas also got a chance to play in the fourth quarter, scoring 3 points, 1 rebound, and 1 steal on 3-of-1 shooting.
Parker had 7 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Stephen Jackson had 5 points and 3 rebounds.
Yao Ming was the most outstanding among all the rookies, scoring 16 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 blocks in his professional debut, achieving a double-double!
In fact, Yao Ming scored 12 points in the first quarter when he was playing with He Ximeng. However, Yao Ming did not play with He Ximeng in the subsequent three quarters. Duncan and David Robinson also started to perform, and Yao Ming's shot opportunities were significantly reduced.
Fortunately, Yao Ming adjusted his mentality well. When he didn't have offensive opportunities, he focused on defense. Thus, he achieved the stats of 11 rebounds and 4 blocks.
For an NBA debut, Yao Ming's stats were already perfect enough.
Under Duncan's "encouragement," He Ximeng scored a team-high 25 points and 10 assists, while Duncan had 24 points and 11 rebounds, second only to He Ximeng. David Robinson had 14 points and 8 rebounds.
Ginobili's first game of the new season saw him moved to the starting lineup by Popovich, but his performance was not ideal. Before the game, He Ximeng had advised Popovich that starting Ginobili would waste his abilities. It would be better to put veteran Danny Ferry in the starting lineup and let Ginobili continue to play as the sixth man off the bench, paired with Yao Ming and Parker.
But Popovich was not convinced. He believed that after two seasons of training, Ginobili was qualified to be a starter. Regardless of whether it was suitable or not, this opportunity had to be given to Ginobili to try, right?
He Ximeng was speechless at what Popovich said. Logically speaking, that was indeed the case.
"Alright, anyway, the Spurs this season don't seem to be lacking Ginobili's firepower... If the old man wants Ginobili to try a new role on the team, then let him try..."
At the post-game press conference, Popovich did not mention Ginobili, nor He Ximeng or Duncan, but he very rarely praised the rookies of the year.
Especially Yao Ming, Popovich's evaluation was quite high: "Yao reminds me of Tim four years ago... Hey, Tim, how many points did you score in your debut?"
Popovich turned to ask Duncan, who was next to him. The players accompanying Popovich to the post-game press conference today were Duncan and He Ximeng.
Since last season, David Robinson had rarely attended post-game press conferences, with He Ximeng taking his place.
Hearing Popovich ask him, Duncan snapped out of his daze: "Debut?"
"The first game you played for the Spurs!"
"Oh, I don't remember clearly, it was around 15 points and 10 rebounds!"
"Yes, it was 15 points and 10 rebounds! I remember now. No wonder I felt familiar! You see, their debut performances were so similar... One had 15 points and 10 rebounds, the other had 16 points and 11 rebounds... Hmm, it seems Yao Ming's stats are slightly higher than Tim's..."
In comparison, although Parker and Arenas had limited playing time, Popovich did not forget about them.
"Tony played steadily, and we believe he will be Ximeng's best backup..."
"Gilbert played aggressively, and we need such energetic rookies..."
In Popovich's words, there were no bad rookies. No matter how much he scolded them in private, Popovich rarely criticized players in public press conferences, especially rookies.
"It's not a rookie if they don't make mistakes! Rookies need space and time to grow, and we must have enough patience to help them grow, not destroy their confidence..."
After Popovich finished his interview, Duncan secretly placed his microphone in front of He Ximeng.
"I have no thoughts on this game. You can directly ask Ximeng. He is more eloquent than me and can help you write your articles better..."
Duncan was telling the truth, but did he consider He Ximeng's feelings?
He Ximeng rolled his eyes beside him, but Duncan pretended not to see. He truly practiced the principle of "if I'm not embarrassed, then others are."
"Regarding the game, I don't think there's much to say. Our overall strength is just a little bit better than the Clippers', so winning is not an unexpected event."
He Ximeng cleared his throat and said mysteriously, "I wonder if everyone noticed that there were several number one overall draft picks on the court today!"
With He Ximeng's hint, the media personnel present suddenly had an epiphany.
Duncan was the number one overall pick in 1997!
Olowokandi was the number one overall pick in 1998!
Brand was the number one overall pick in 1999!
Yao Ming was the number one overall pick in 2001!
Well, the only missing piece was the number one overall pick from 2000, Kenyon Martin! He was currently with the Nets, waiting to be unleashed by Kidd.
"Even among number one picks, there are different levels. No matter how good the talent, without professional training, a number one pick can also become an ordinary player...
Fortunately, we have experience in developing number one picks! Tim is the best example! So, I want to ask all Spurs fans to be patient and not to focus too much on Yao Ming's performance fluctuations and wins and losses in individual games...
Tim is unique, one of a kind, and Yao Ming is also unique!
We cannot train Yao Ming to be a second Tim, but we can train Yao Ming to be a great player like Tim..."