"No! Old Fan dares not bet with me this time, so I recommended Da Yao to him!"
"Let Da Yao bet with Old Fan?" Duncan was stunned. Did He Xi Meng want to slack off in the playoffs?
"That won't do, the Mavericks are not weak!" Duncan earnestly advised He Xi Meng.
"I know! That's why I'll urge Da Yao to play well!"
"Just Da Yao playing well isn't enough, is it?" He Xi Meng asked Duncan with a playful tone.
"Don't you have me to hold the line?" He Xi Meng retorted with a smirk.
Duncan was speechless. "Of course I'll play well! But you can't slack off either, otherwise, if we capsize here, it'll be ridiculous..."
"Relax, relax! I won't slack off! At least, I'll secure the victory first before considering slacking off..."
He Xi Meng said the word "slacking off" so openly in front of Duncan, it left Duncan speechless.
A slacker met an old slacker, and two slackers got together. Where could one find reason in this?
As the two slackers finished their conversation, the first game of the Western Conference Semifinals was finally about to begin.
The Mavericks' starting lineup was La Frentz at center, Nowitzki at power forward, Najera at small forward, Finley at shooting guard, and Nash at point guard.
The Spurs' starting lineup remained unchanged: David Robinson, Duncan, Bowen, Ginobili, and He Xi Meng.
However, Bowen and Ginobili switched positions today.
Bowen would play shooting guard, matching up against the more scoring-oriented Finley.
Ginobili would guard the Mexican Najera.
The two centers entered the center circle. David Robinson defeated La Frentz and won the tip-off!
Amidst the cheers of the home crowd, the Spurs launched their first offense of the game.
The Mavericks had no obvious weaknesses in either their inside or outside game. However, overall, they were a team that was stronger on offense than defense.
Coach Popovich's strategy was to slow down the pace, play primarily in the half-court, and focus on defense! Learning from the Timberwolves' quick defeat, they aimed to prevent the Mavericks from playing their preferred fast-paced offense and control the game's rhythm.
The battle for rhythm was crucial at the start.
Therefore, after He Xi Meng brought the ball past half-court, he didn't rush into an attack. Instead, he directed his teammates to pass the ball around the perimeter and then opportunistically passed it to Duncan in the low post.
The Mavericks did not double-team Duncan, allowing Nowitzki to guard him one-on-one.
Duncan made a post-up move against Nowitzki and completed a turn-around fadeaway shot, but unfortunately, his first attempt of the game bounced off the rim.
Nowitzki grabbed the rebound and passed it to Nash to bring the ball up.
As Nash tried to accelerate, He Xi Meng immediately closed in. He didn't swipe for the ball, but used his body to bump Nash, disrupting his drive and forcing him to focus on ball control. He then retreated, slowing Nash's acceleration and buying time for his teammates to get back on defense.
Nash's speed and change-of-direction ability had always been his strengths, but his physical strength was always his weakness.
Although He Xi Meng wasn't an explosive guard in today's league, he had an advantage against Nash, not being at a disadvantage in core strength clashes.
Nash's attempt at a fast break failed, so he had to bring the ball past half-court and pass it to Finley on the wing. Finley attempted a jab step against Bowen but couldn't get past him on the first step. After a pull-up jumper, he passed the ball to Nowitzki in the low post.
Nowitzki made a strong post move against Duncan, turning and driving to the middle, executing his signature one-legged fadeaway jumper!
Duncan's defense was tight. Although he couldn't block Nowitzki's shot, it significantly impacted Nowitzki's balance, causing his final shot to miss the rim.
David Robinson secured the rebound and passed it to He Xi Meng to bring the ball up.
Nash immediately ran to He Xi Meng, wary of a fast break.
In today's league, it wasn't just Nash who was good at fast breaks; He Xi Meng was also famous for his quick transition game. And because He Xi Meng, during his Lakers days, liked to push the fast break with Kobe, while Nash was still gaining experience on the Suns' bench with limited playing time, in the minds of most fans, it seemed like Nash was always imitating He Xi Meng's style, not the other way around...
It seemed Nash also felt similarly, as He Xi Meng's style of play was indeed very suited to his own game...
However, He Xi Meng in the early stages of the game had no intention of pushing the pace. As per Popovich's instructions, the Spurs needed to play steadily and control the tempo.
Therefore, He Xi Meng didn't speed up. Instead, he continued to look for half-court opportunities and passed the ball to Duncan. Duncan, holding the ball in the post, was about to go one-on-one with Nowitzki again, but he saw an opportunity on David Robinson's baseline cut. Duncan then executed a no-look behind-the-back pass to David Robinson, who was cutting along the baseline.
David Robinson faked after receiving the pass, making La Frentz jump, and then took his shot.
La Frentz, still in the air, couldn't interfere but refused to give up, intentionally fouling David Robinson and sending him to the free-throw line.
David Robinson was unfazed. With two makes, he gave the Spurs the first points of the game from the free-throw line.
Turning around, the Mavericks' Nash also looked for Nowitzki. However, this time, facing Duncan's strong defense, Nowitzki didn't force a shot. Instead, he used a screen from Najera and passed the ball to Finley, who cut into the lane. Finley received the pass and didn't drive into the Spurs' paint. Instead, he completed a pull-up jump shot, and the ball swished through the net!
On this play, Bowen was too late in his closeout and couldn't get a block, so he could only watch as Finley helped the Mavericks score two points.
At the start of the game, both teams' offensive tactics were quite clear, revolving around their respective inside stars.
The Spurs looked for Duncan, while the Mavericks looked for Nowitzki.
However, neither of the main stars seemed to have scored yet.
On the Spurs' next possession, Duncan changed his scoring method, opting for a turnaround jumper followed by a bank shot. This was Duncan's most practiced scoring method, but unfortunately, the ball again bounced off the rim.
Fortunately, Ginobili emerged from somewhere and, before David Robinson and La Frentz could get to the ball, grabbed the offensive rebound. He then drove to the basket, sidestepped Nowitzki's block, and with a rather awkward motion, made a left-handed layup, successfully scoring!