Duncan posted up, and Rasheed Wallace braced himself to resist.
Duncan faked a spin move, and Rasheed Wallace, falling for it, stepped sideways. Duncan spun back, drove to the basket, ignored Dale Davis's block attempt directly in front of him, and soared for a powerful slam dunk!
Duncan didn't jump particularly high on this play, at least not as high as before his major injury.
However, Duncan's dunk was executed flawlessly. From the moment he spun back, he seemed to accelerate, giving no chance for Rasheed Wallace on the wing or Dale Davis in front of him to block. He powerfully slammed the ball through the hoop.
The Spurs fans in the arena responded with enthusiastic cheers for Duncan. Many fans chanted in unison.
David Robinson and Dale Davis battled for the rebound, and David Robinson successfully secured it. Seeing no opportunity for a fast break, He Xi Meng patiently advanced the ball for a set play.
Duncan continued to call for the ball at the edge of the paint.
"Hmm, Tim seems very aggressive in scoring today! It looks like the 'Screaming Mute's' stimulation is quite effective…"
He Xi Meng, very satisfied, lobbed the ball to Duncan. Duncan, continuing to post up Rasheed Wallace, executed a spin-and-step-back jump shot.
Rasheed Wallace, wary of being tricked, hesitated to move. By the time Duncan jumped, it was too late for him to close out. He could only watch as the ball sailed over his head and dropped precisely into the basket. Duncan scored another two points.
With Duncan scoring consecutively, Rasheed Wallace grew impatient. He actively sought out Amar'e Stoudemire for the ball.
Amar'e Stoudemire refused to take the blame and directly repeated the head coach Cheeks' strategy: "As long as you can guard David Robinson, I'll pass you the ball…"
With no other option, Rasheed Wallace initiated his next possession by calling for an off-ball screen from Dale Davis. After getting past Duncan, he posted up deep for the ball.
Amar'e Stoudemire kept his promise and passed the ball immediately. After receiving it, Rasheed Wallace leaned into David Robinson and, ignoring his defense, turned and shot. It was good!
Thus, the game's opening began with a shootout between Duncan and Rasheed Wallace.
They traded baskets, thoroughly enjoying the back-and-forth.
On the sidelines, both head coaches were somewhat displeased with the situation.
Cheeks was unhappy because his intended strategy was to double-team Duncan and prevent him from scoring early, yet Duncan was now on fire. He also realized the issue wasn't Dale Davis's fault but Rasheed Wallace's. Rasheed Wallace not only guarded Duncan but also pulled Dale Davis away, completely disrupting his pre-game plan.
Popovich was dissatisfied because David Robinson was completely unable to contain Rasheed Wallace today, who was scoring at will on offense. While Popovich didn't blame David Robinson, this performance needed to change.
Therefore, with more than half of the first quarter gone, the Spurs called for a timeout and made a substitution.
Yes, David Robinson was replaced by Yao Ming!
Popovich wasn't sure if Yao Ming could handle the "Screaming Mute," whom David Robinson couldn't stop. But at least, the young player had to try, right?
"Big Yao, Rasheed's straight-arm jump shot has a very high release point! But it's not without flaws; his shooting speed is slightly slow! You don't need to rush him, but try to jump as high as possible to block…"
He Xi Meng immediately shared his defensive tips for guarding the "Screaming Mute" with Yao Ming. Whether it would work depended on Yao Ming's performance in the actual game.
However, before defending, the Spurs needed to complete their own offense.
He Xi Meng had intended to continue feeding the ball to Duncan for low-post singles. After all, Duncan's shooting percentage on those few possessions was quite high.
He Xi Meng wanted to maintain momentum and score a few more baskets while Duncan's enthusiasm for trading baskets with Rasheed Wallace was still high.
Manu Ginobili suddenly appeared, extending his hand for the ball.
It turned out that Ginobili, who had been quiet on both ends of the court recently, suddenly remembered his coach Popovich's pre-game instructions and decided to make his presence felt.
This rhythm felt wrong!
The player with the best feel for the game right now was Duncan, and the Spurs' strongest point was their inside twin towers. Logically and reasonably, the Spurs should have continued their current strategy and maintained their smooth rhythm, rather than suddenly changing. Ginobili dared to ask for the ball at this moment; could it be that the "Demon Blade" had his own plan?
He Xi Meng didn't want to dampen Ginobili's enthusiasm and decided to let him handle the ball.
After receiving the ball, Ginobili signaled his teammates to spread out, seemingly preparing to single-handedly guard Bonzi Wells.
A one-on-one against Bonzi Wells? That wasn't a wise choice!
Although Ginobili played impulsively at times, he wouldn't be this irrational, would he?