Manu Ginobili's drive and assist after coming onto the court successfully gave the Spurs a three-point lead.
Harris hadn't expected Popovich to still have Ginobili up his sleeve in the latter half of the fourth quarter. The Lakers had no more substitutions left and had to soldier on with their current lineup.
For the next four minutes, the Lakers struggled to overcome the three-point deficit.
When O'Neal attempted to go on a rampage, the Spurs immediately resorted to intentional fouls to contain him.
When Kobe tried to go on a rampage, He Xi Meng was strategically matched up against Ginobili, using the "stranger he knew best" tactic to disrupt Kobe's consecutive scoring.
When Glen Rice attempted to go on a rampage, Bowen decisively employed every means necessary to contain him, except for the dreaded “kick-out.”
The Lakers' three strongest players were consistently suppressed by the Spurs.
Of course, the Spurs' three strongest players, Duncan, He Xi Meng, and David Robinson, were also evenly matched and unable to dominate against the Lakers.
However, the Lakers had no effective way to contain Ginobili. If this current Ginobili were in his prime, the Lakers would likely have been outscored by the Spurs long before the final minute. Thanks to Ginobili's immaturity, the Lakers, despite trailing by a few points, still had a glimmer of hope for a comeback.
As the game entered its final minute, the Spurs maintained a 98-95 lead over the Lakers.
Harris called for a screen from Harper for Kobe. Kobe drove into the Spurs' paint alone and hit a pull-up jumper to score two points.
Popovich countered with a low-post isolation play for Duncan. Duncan turned and hit a bank shot, returning the two points to the Lakers, and the score remained a three-point game.
O'Neal then missed a strong post-up attempt, drawing a foul on David Robinson. O'Neal made one of two free throws.
In response, He Xi Meng drove to the basket and drew a shooting foul from Horry, also making one of two free throws.
The score remained at three points. With only five seconds left, the ball was with the Lakers. Coach Harris was forced to call a three-point play, but Kobe's buzzer-beating three-pointer bounced off the rim. The game was over.
After four quarters of intense battle, the Lakers ultimately lost this crucial Game 5 by a score of 98-101, with a three-point difference.
At the post-game press conference, even O'Neal, who usually joked around with reporters, was in no mood to play along.
“It was a tough game. We played hard, but the victory wasn't ours. What can I say? That's just how it is sometimes, in games and in life. No championship is won easily, even for the defending champions…”
Unlike O'Neal's slightly optimistic sadness, Lakers coach Harris sensed an ominous development. The Lakers' victories in the first two games of the Western Conference Finals were built on the performances of O'Neal and Kobe. However, in the subsequent three games, both O'Neal and Kobe found themselves in a difficult struggle, with declining shooting percentages and scoring efficiency. The Spurs were clearly adapting better to the Lakers' offensive rhythm, and their targeted defensive strategies were becoming increasingly effective.
Furthermore, the Lakers' playoff run this year had already seen them entangled in a Game 5 with the Kings and a Game 7 with the Trail Blazers. The physical reserves they had built up in the earlier rounds had been largely depleted. Now, in every game against the Spurs, when the contest became a grind, the Lakers found themselves at a disadvantage.
Originally, the Lakers also had the home-court advantage. If they could have held onto Game 5, they could have at least dragged the Spurs into a Game 7. Now, having lost Game 5, the Lakers could afford no slip-ups in the remaining two games if they wanted to turn the tide.
Harris suddenly felt utterly exhausted.
On the Spurs' side, Popovich wore a rare smile at the press conference. This victory was truly significant for the Spurs.
“This was a great game! Both teams played at an extremely high level! Shaq, he showed incredible dominance in the paint and gave us a lot of trouble… And Kobe, Kobe’s pull-up jumper is practically unguardable. We tried many ways to contain Kobe’s mid-range shot, but as you saw, we could only try to lower his shooting percentage through relentless effort, not truly stop him from scoring…”
“What about us? Well… we played hard, we were resilient, and we stuck to our pursuit of victory and our desire to win. We fought until the final minute, the final second… This victory was hard-earned…”
“And our players? Tim played very consistently. Xi Meng had a good three-point shooting percentage today. David… well, David struggled a bit today, but it’s understandable. Shaq’s big backside at the basket is a huge threat… you know, that solid push that sends defenders flying out of the paint. It's hard to stop him…”
“You’re asking about that rookie from Argentina? Well… it wasn’t exactly a stroke of genius. I just had a thought to bring in a player the Lakers weren't familiar with from the bench to see if we could break the deadlock on the court. That’s all. As for his future potential, I think Manu is very good, but he still needs to calm down, train diligently, and improve step by step…”
Popovich remained true to form, dedicating most of his comments to the opposing team and offering only a general assessment of his own players. Regarding the biggest X-factor of the game, the Argentine player Ginobili, Popovich deliberately chose to downplay his contribution, aiming to reduce media attention on the rookie.
The game was over, the Spurs had won. Popovich reluctantly granted He Xi Meng a day off in Los Angeles, requiring him to return to San Antonio before sunset the next day for adaptive training two days later. This was because there were only two days of rest before the next game, Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals.
He Xi Meng patted his chest and promised, telling Popovich not to worry, that he would be disciplined and wouldn't misbehave.
Popovich remained silent, patting He Xi Meng on the shoulder with a knowing look, neither confirming nor denying his promise. Some things were beyond a person's willpower. They might plan for a simple act of duty before bed, only to find it stretching until midnight. He Xi Meng probably didn't have to exert himself this much even for a regular-season game…
Of course, Kayla believed this was simply exercising He Xi Meng’s back. With her supervision and help, He Xi Meng’s dunking skills seemed to have improved significantly… And for dunking, a strong back is the most important thing!
Well, you’re the one collecting the ‘tribute,’ you’re in charge, you make the rules…