The Spurs, returning to their home court, would host challengers for a stretch.
The Hornets, Hawks, Cavaliers, and then the Magic!
Duncan and He Xi Meng had played excessively during the previous three-game road trip. Upon returning home, Popovich did not rest them, as it would be unsportsmanlike to begin resting players so early in the new season. However, reducing their playing time was inevitable.
Coupled with the fact that the first three home opponents were relatively weaker and posed little threat to the Spurs, He Xi Meng, Duncan, and David Robinson all found themselves playing only three quarters.
The time and ball possession freed up were primarily allocated to Ginobili, Yao Ming, Parker, and Arenas by Popovich.
Ginobili received the most opportunities, as he was already a starter and had earned Popovich's trust after two seasons with the Spurs.
However, the player who performed the most outstandingly was not Ginobili, but Yao Ming!
With the twin towers' playing time reduced simultaneously, Yao Ming had to shoulder more responsibility on both ends of the court.
The Spurs, in fact, were a team that enjoyed playing through the post.
Under Popovich's tutelage, all players would subconsciously focus their attention on the big men.
Thus, Ginobili's stats showed a noticeable improvement in these three games, though not yet a breakout performance.
But Yao Ming, it seemed, could be considered to have broken out.
In the first game against the Hornets, Yao Ming scored 17 points and grabbed 9 rebounds!
In the second game against the Hawks, Yao Ming scored 21 points and grabbed 7 rebounds!
In the third game against the Cavaliers, Yao Ming scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds!
Over the three games, Yao Ming performed better each game, setting new personal scoring records one after another, to the point where the Washington D.C. media exclaimed, "We missed out on the next Duncan..."
Yao Ming and Duncan were, in fact, two different types of players. However, the Washington D.C. media used this statement to express that Yao Ming had achieved a feat similar to Duncan's "peak from debut."
Whether Yao Ming could achieve a "peak from debut" was still uncertain.
But what was certain was that Yao Ming had adapted very well to the Spurs' basketball environment.
Yao Ming's high basketball IQ helped him quickly grasp Popovich's coaching philosophy, and his playing style fit perfectly with the Spurs' current tactical system.
Furthermore, He Xi Meng assisted him, constantly creating opportunities for him to perform.
And the team's leader, Duncan, was a magnanimous player, unconcerned with team status or unlimited ball possession.
All these factors contributed to Yao Ming's rapid growth with the Spurs!
However, against their fourth opponent at home, the Magic, the Spurs did not have an easy time. Yao Ming's steadily increasing playing time and personal statistics came to an abrupt halt. Popovich needed several core players on the court to contend with the Magic's dynamic duo.
Grant Hill returned at full strength after a season on the sidelines. Of course, all Magic fans believed Grant Hill was at full strength, including the Magic management. Otherwise, they wouldn't have pushed Grant Hill to his limits.
Grant Hill's return had indeed contributed to the Magic's strong start to the season.
In the 10 games played so far, the Magic had a commendable record of 7 wins and 3 losses. Although they hadn't defeated any powerhouse teams, winning was always a cause for joy.
The Magic management was also dreaming that, led by the star duo of McGrady and Grant Hill, the team could contend for the Eastern Conference title this season. Even if a championship wasn't immediately in sight, they could at least aim for the Eastern Conference title, right?
Because in addition to the league's top-tier duo of McGrady and Grant Hill, the Magic also had veteran Ewing and veteran Horace Grant.
Yes, this Horace Grant was the "Cobra" Grant who had just helped the Lakers win the championship trophy last season.
Before the start of this season, the Magic management signed "Cobra" Grant to a two-year, $5 million contract with a guaranteed starting position, luring him to Orlando!
With a star duo, two veteran leaders, North Carolina standout and point guard Armstrong, streaky player Troy Hudson, and promising rookie Mike Miller…
The Magic's top brass exuded a sense of confident leadership, ready to make a grand play!
This challenge against the Spurs was, in the Magic management's view, a crucial test of the team's championship mettle. Therefore, before the team departed, they had prepared a significant amount of motivational speeches. McGrady and Hill, in particular, each received a large dose to ensure they would be full of energy and vigor when facing the Spurs!
He Xi Meng and McGrady were not meeting for the first time. When McGrady was still with the Raptors, He Xi Meng had initiated a greeting. Later, they had crossed paths in the All-Star game. However, because they had never played together and McGrady was naturally more reserved than the enthusiastic Carter, He Xi Meng was not as familiar with McGrady as he was with Carter.
This was the first time McGrady and Yao Ming had met. He Xi Meng enthusiastically introduced Yao Ming, who was beside him, to McGrady. McGrady merely gave Yao Ming a cold nod, completely unaware of why He Xi Meng would introduce his fellow countryman to him.
Yao Ming was also somewhat puzzled as to why He Xi Meng insisted on introducing him to McGrady. The Magic's number one player always looked at him with a roll of his eyes, seeming not easy to get along with…
Duncan had almost joined the Magic and become Hill's teammate. At least, in another timeline, Duncan had been tempted. But in this timeline, because He Xi Meng had joined the Spurs, Duncan's desire to leave had significantly diminished.
Even though the Magic management had shown 100% sincerity, deploying all their resources to try and acquire Duncan for Orlando…
As a result, the Magic had incurred Popovich's wrath!
Whenever the two teams met, Popovich adhered to a strict principle: no "warm welcomes"!
They might not play to kill, but they absolutely couldn't lose! That was the bottom line.
But from the beginning of this game, McGrady and Hill played with extreme aggression. McGrady with his pull-up jumpers, Hill with his drives to the basket, they took the initiative and led the Magic to a scoring advantage over the Spurs!
This greatly displeased Popovich! Standing on the sidelines, his brow furrowed, he would occasionally spit in frustration, clearly unsatisfied with the players on the court!
"Tim! Drive to the paint, be tougher..."
"Xi Meng, why aren't you shooting? If your outside three-pointers aren't falling, our interior offense is very passive..."
"Bruce, defense! Guard Hill..."
"Manu, stop trying to steal from Tracy. Disrupt his pull-up jumper..."
"David… Well, you're doing alright, keep it up..."