The Supersonics' second possession, Payton controlled the ball outside, directing his teammates to run plays. The ball was passed from the perimeter to the interior, but the interior found no opportunities and passed it back outside. Seeing that the 24-second clock was running out, Payton forced a mid-range isolation against He Xi Meng and pulled up for a jump shot!
Not bad, Payton seemed to have a good touch today. Even this less-than-ideal opportunity was seized by him, and the two points were made. Payton helped the Supersonics score their first points.
"It's okay, everyone just play like this!"
On the sidelines, Popovich remained unperturbed, watching his players perform with a relaxed demeanor.
On the court, He Xi Meng loudly encouraged his teammates. In the previous defensive possession, the Spurs had actually done quite well, successfully pushing the Supersonics to the brink of an offensive violation. However, it was Payton's individual skill that forced the shot in, which was beyond their control.
He Xi Meng's shout wasn't to make excuses for himself, but to stabilize morale and prevent his teammates from becoming anxious. The defensive rhythm of the previous play was not an issue, and continuing to play like that was the correct approach!
On the subsequent Spurs counter-attack, He Xi Meng utilized Duncan's screen and pick, feigning a three-point shot. This successfully drew a double-team from Jerome James. He Xi Meng then drove to the basket and, before Droblyak could recover, scored an easy layup!
In the early stages, the Spurs were resolutely implementing their head coach's intention to break down the Supersonics' interior defense.
However, Supersonics head coach McMillan was quite patient. Despite the Spurs' continuous assaults on the basket, he remained unmoved, unwilling to collapse his defense or double-team Duncan. He directly instructed his players on the court to intensify their offensive pressure, attempting to use offense to compensate for defense and alleviate pressure on their own end.
In fact, McMillan wasn't against collapsing, but if he did, the perimeter defense, which the Supersonics could otherwise hold, might leave significant gaps.
If the Supersonics were lucky and the Spurs' outside shooting was cold, the Supersonics could exploit this time difference to contain the Spurs' inside offense.
If the Supersonics were unlucky and the Spurs' outside shooting was hot, then the Supersonics would face the dire situation of both interior and perimeter defenses collapsing simultaneously. This was a burden the Supersonics could not bear...
Therefore, McMillan, despite knowing the flaws in his team's interior defense, dared not rashly change his defensive tactics. He held onto a glimmer of hope, wanting to see if his players could withstand the Spurs' onslaught...
Following his coach's instructions, Payton created an opportunity for Mason, who drove hard into the Spurs' paint with the ball. In this possession, he successfully drew a foul on David Robinson.
Stepping to the free-throw line, Mason made the first shot but missed the second, which hit the rim and bounced out.
Duncan grabbed the defensive rebound and handed it to He Xi Meng for the advance.
He Xi Meng didn't rush the fast break. Instead, after steadily crossing half-court, he called for Duncan to run a set play. After the ball circulated among several Spurs players, it finally found its way to Duncan in the low post.
Duncan faced Jerome James, post-up battle, a fake, then a turnaround jumper! All the movements were executed in one fluid motion, not flashy, but incredibly smooth and well-timed. More importantly, the ball hit the backboard and dropped in steadily, without any suspense...
8:3!
Despite the Supersonics' strenuous defensive efforts, due to the disparity in strength, they were simply unable to resist the Spurs' interior attack with normal defensive positioning.
Thus, after half a quarter, seeing the score gap about to widen to double digits, Coach McMillan could no longer bear it and called a timeout, fully collapsing the Supersonics' defense and double-teaming Duncan.
This would inevitably force the Spurs to pay a higher price to attack the Supersonics' basket.
But the Spurs were clearly not going to play so rigidly!
He Xi Meng didn't even need Popovich to call a timeout and change the strategy; he naturally made adjustments on the court, shifting the offensive focus from the interior to the perimeter.
He Xi Meng's first three-pointer of the game came from a kick-out pass after Duncan was double-teamed. He Xi Meng received the ball around the right 45-degree angle, caught it, and shot a three-pointer!
This was definitely not good news for the Supersonics!
Payton was the first to react, instructing his teammates to do everything they could to stop He Xi Meng from getting off such easy shots.
Therefore, on the next possession, with Duncan being double-teamed, He Xi Meng was also tightly guarded. However, He Xi Meng didn't force a shot. Instead, he passed the ball to Bowen, who appeared to be the least "threatening"!
This season, Bowen's role on the Spurs was that of a 3-and-D player: primarily perimeter defense, with an emphasis on outside three-pointers.
On this play, after Duncan and He Xi Meng continuously drew the Supersonics' defense, Bowen found himself wide open in the right corner.
He Xi Meng delivered a perfect pass. Bowen caught the ball, shot, and it smoothly went through the net. The Spurs' second three-pointer was also made...
And so, the Supersonics were in trouble!
The Spurs used the interior as a point of attack, compressing the opponent's defense, and then unleashed their perimeter game, successfully linking interior and exterior play, entering an unsolvable mode...
With the roar of the home crowd, the Spurs scored 33 points in the first quarter, leading the Supersonics by 12 points!
To avoid a complete collapse by halftime, Coach McMillan had to extend the playing time of his starting lineup, relying on his starters to narrow the deficit.
However, the Spurs' bench lineup was also strong.
Center Yao Ming, power forward Malik Rose, small forward Stephen Jackson, shooting guard Arenas, and point guard Parker.
Although the lineup was relatively young, they were full of impact. Especially with the lead, and playing at home, this group of young players genuinely feared no one against the Supersonics' starters!
The game situation appeared somewhat chaotic, but the Spurs' rotating lineup successfully dragged the Supersonics into a similar chaotic rhythm, making it difficult for them to execute fluid counter-attacks.
By the time the Spurs' starting lineup gradually returned to the court, the Supersonics were still trailing by 10 points!
McMillan's strategy of "sending weaker horses to fight stronger ones" had essentially amounted to nothing!
At halftime, the Spurs had successfully extended their lead to 15 points.
At the end of the third quarter, the Spurs further widened their lead to 20 points.
Duncan, He Xi Meng, and David Robinson successfully "clocked out" after three quarters in the first playoff game.
Duncan had 21 points and 10 rebounds. He Xi Meng had 21 points and 10 assists. Ginobili had 17 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Yao Ming, in his first career playoff game, scored 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
Parker, also in his first career playoff game, scored 13 points, along with 3 rebounds and 5 assists.
Arenas, in his first career playoff game as well, had 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.
110:89, the Spurs convincingly defeated the Supersonics at home!