The first quarter ended with the Spurs still leading the Lakers by 3 points.
At the start of the second quarter, the Zen Master substituted Kobe Bryant in to lead the Lakers' second unit.
On the Spurs' side, Popovich made a counter move, substituting He Xi Meng in for Kerr.
Kobe's first possession was a post-up against Reed, whom he faked out before hitting a fadeaway jumper for two points. After scoring, Kobe didn't forget to tease Reed, "Welcome to the NBA, rookie!"
This was an old NBA tradition. When Kobe and He Xi Meng were rookies themselves, they had received plenty of "welcoming" greetings from veteran players. Among them, Michael Jordan's greetings were the most frequent, almost every time they met. Truly remarkable…
Kobe only teased a few players, and Reed was one of them. This indicated that Kobe had some high hopes for this Spurs' second-round pick, believing he could develop his potential in San Antonio. Otherwise, if Reed were just an insignificant player, someone who might not even become a role player in the future, would Kobe bother to greet him individually?
Of course, Reed understood Kobe meant no harm and was aware of this NBA tradition. However, on the court, when truly facing such a taunt, a player, especially a scorer, would inevitably feel the urge to do something in return… for instance, score back!
He Xi Meng understood Reed's feelings. They had gone through the same experience in the past. So, he took the ball from Ginobili, passed it to Reed, and signaled for his teammates to spread out, letting Reed go one-on-one against Kobe.
Reed received the ball beyond the three-point line, feigned a step, drove hard to the basket, stopped abruptly, executed a crossover, and drove again… Although Reed's offensive techniques were very polished, they were still not quite enough to get past Kobe with these conventional moves. After all, Kobe was already a frequent fixture on the NBA's All-Defensive First Team, with very solid defensive fundamentals.
Seeing that his chances of directly blowing past Kobe were slim, Reed decisively stopped and turned around, attempting a slightly awkward fadeaway jumper!
Reed's fadeaway jumper was far from as smooth and graceful as Kobe's, but his accuracy was good, matching Kobe's. He steadily sank the shot, scoring back on Kobe. It was a close call, but he managed to save face.
Kobe continued to hold the ball for a solo attempt, but this shot bounced off the rim. Malik Rose grabbed the rebound and passed it to He Xi Meng, who promptly deflected it to Ginobili!
“Your turn, it’s your home court! I’m just here to make up the numbers! If the coach wasn’t worried about Kobe blowing you out, I wouldn’t even have to play…” He Xi Meng unceremoniously pushed Ginobili to the forefront. As the team's sixth man, this was the time for him to shine. Distributing the ball was also part of his responsibilities.
Seeing He Xi Meng’s firm stance, Ginobili no longer hesitated. He took possession of the ball and resumed his offensive drive.
Ginobili was matched up against Horry. He didn't have a strength advantage, but his speed was noticeably superior. Ginobili wasn't the type of player who would just charge straight ahead like a bulldozer. Instead, he was more like a slippery, agile snake!
On this play, Ginobili employed his signature drive, forcing his way past Horry. Facing Kobe's help defense, he used a tricky European step, deceiving Kobe's steal attempt and driving to the basket. He finished with a reverse layup. This time, Ginobili chose not to pass, but to use his most proficient footwork to score directly for the team.
Kobe pouted, wanting to continue his solo attack. Tyronn Lue dared not disobey and was about to pass the ball to Kobe when the Zen Master, unable to stand it, stood up and loudly berated Tyronn Lue, "Pass more, let the ball flow…"
This statement was ostensibly directed at Tyronn Lue, but in reality, it was for Kobe.
Upon receiving his head coach's directive, Tyronn Lue breathed a sigh of relief and switched to normal team tactics. After the ball moved through multiple players, it ended up with Horry, who had slipped into the paint, via a direct pass from Tyronn Lue!
Horry received the ball, made a slight touch, and Ginobili, who had rushed over from behind, took flight, attempting to block Horry…
He Xi Meng couldn't even shout him down… Ginobili was impulsive on defense, prone to gambling, blocking shots, and stealing… This could be considered the "Demon Blade's" yearning for freedom deep within his bones…
After soaring over Ginobili, Horry smoothly retrieved the ball, turned halfway, and easily made a soft floater into the basket.
Ginobili sheepishly patted his chest, indicating it was his fault for leaving his man open and being so easily outplayed.
He Xi Meng didn't blame Ginobili. A Ginobili who never made mistakes wouldn't be Ginobili.
On the next offensive possession, Ginobili collaborated with Brad Miller for a pick-and-roll. Miller set a screen for Ginobili, creating a mismatch against the Lakers' backup center Greg Foster. This drew multiple Lakers players to collapse and double-team. Since Greg Foster was incapable of stopping Ginobili, Ginobili smoothly passed the ball back to Miller, who had rolled to the top of the arc for a three-pointer! The shot was accurate, leaving the Lakers with no response.
Since arriving in San Antonio, Brad Miller's outside shooting skills had been fully unleashed. As a big center who could defend the paint on defense and shoot threes on the perimeter on offense, Brad Miller was an anomaly in the current league. He could also be considered a rare commodity. With a coach who favored rigid tactics, he might not even get much playing time. However, with an open-minded coach, he could secure consistent playing time, have specific plays designed for him, and even a starting position… Of course, the Spurs couldn't currently satisfy the last condition. David Robinson had not yet retired, and no one could replace his starting center position.
However, after last season, Brad Miller had already begun to attract the attention of some teams. After this season, Brad Miller would likely receive many invitations. If a team were willing to offer him the starting center position, Brad Miller would find it difficult to resist the temptation. After all, on the Spurs, he still had to wait, whether it was one season, two seasons, or three seasons… As a professional player, competitive form waits for no one. How many seasons could he afford to wait?