Although the Mavericks lost Juwan Howard, Nowitzki was still there, Finley was still there, and Nash was still there! This means all three core players the Mavericks had accumulated over the past few seasons were still in. After Juwan Howard was sidelined, the Mavericks simply reverted from a three-big-man lineup back to their previous double-German big-man lineup. The overall impact on the Mavericks was significantly less than that on the Spurs.
For the Spurs to win, they had to change their original two-tower playing style! Popovich was forced to turn his attention to He Xi Meng…
"I have no problem taking on more responsibility, but you have to give me absolute command on the court!"
"Granted!"
"The starting lineup needs a slight change according to my ideas!"
"Change it!"
In the crucial Game 5, the Spurs, back on their home court, began to seek a change!
Popovich heeded He Xi Meng's advice, bringing Reed off the bench into the starting lineup to form a backcourt duo with He Xi Meng. Elliott was removed, and Bowen was moved to small forward to defend the wing. The twin towers in the frontcourt remained unchanged: David Robinson and Brad Miller, who was replacing Duncan.
However, He Xi Meng stripped Brad Miller of many of his tasks, retaining only two: defending the paint on defense and spacing the floor on offense!
Brad Miller was not Duncan, and he couldn't handle as much work as Duncan. Letting him simply be himself was the best way to unleash his potential.
Thus, as the game began, David Robinson battled for the tip-off, defeating Bradley and giving the Spurs the first possession.
He Xi Meng brought the ball past half-court and called for Brad Miller to come out to the three-point line for a screen. Nowitzki, aware of Brad Miller's three-point shooting ability, dared not underestimate him and followed him to the perimeter. He Xi Meng took advantage of the switch to a one-on-one against the German tank!
He Xi Meng's first step wasn't as quick as Iverson's or as explosive as McGrady's, but it was enough to deal with a big man like Nowitzki!
Using a pump fake and a sidestep drive, he got past Nowitzki and drove into the Mavericks' paint, appearing to head straight for the basket! Bradley, seeing He Xi Meng's fierce approach, fell for the bait and stepped up to attempt a block. Seeing the "tall bamboo pole" take the bait, He Xi Meng retracted the ball and threw a low-hand pass to David Robinson, who was behind Bradley!
David Robinson quickly caught the ball and laid it up, creating a time difference on Bradley and easily scoring the first 2 points for the Spurs!
In this play, David Robinson actually had the opportunity for a two-handed dunk. But since Duncan was injured and out for the season, the veteran players on the Spurs, led by David Robinson and Elliott, had clearly started to hold back!
Shots they could make without dunking, they made without dunking; drives they could make without driving, they made without driving.
The Spurs' style of play, as their head coach Popovich had wished, was finally developing in the direction of a retirement home…
It was the Mavericks' turn to attack. Nash brought the ball past half-court, and Nowitzki called for it high, wanting to face-up and single out Brad Miller. Bowen, guarding the wing, immediately collapsed to help Brad Miller double-team Nowitzki.
Nowitzki quickly put the ball down and passed it to Finley on the perimeter.
As soon as Nowitzki put the ball down, Bowen was already recovering his position, not giving Finley any space for a direct shot.
After Juwan Howard's injury, Finley had also moved up from shooting guard to small forward, continuing to match up against Bowen.
Bowen's defensive abilities had made significant progress this season, and compared to history, Bowen's defense was now cleaner and more effective.
Finley attempted a jab step to fake out Bowen and find an opening, but Bowen defended well, not giving Finley much room to drive. Finley eventually chose to lob the ball back to Nowitzki, who had already re-established his position!
Bowen tirelessly retreated again, helping Brad Miller double-team Nowitzki!
Popovich, on the sidelines,'s eyes lit up, and he nodded silently: "Bowen's effectiveness on the wing seems to be better than Elliott's…"
The Mavericks' shot clock was winding down, and Nowitzki was forced to take a contested shot under a double-team. The ball bounced off the rim, and David Robinson secured the defensive rebound, handing it to He Xi Meng.
He Xi Meng immediately pushed the ball up the court for a fast break, attacking against Nash's defense in seven seconds. Was this truly authentic?
Nash at this moment had clearly not realized that He Xi Meng was copying the style of play he would become most famous for in the future!
Currently, as Nash backtracked quickly, his sole thought was: "Hmm, this style of play seems very suitable for me…"
He Xi Meng was pushing the fast break. Ideally, Duncan would have been trailing in the middle to provide support. But with Duncan out, Brad Miller's mobility and driving power were no match for Duncan, as had been proven in previous games. Therefore, He Xi Meng faked a pass to Reed, who was trailing on the other side, and instead pulled up for a transition three-pointer just inside the arc!
Nash's defensive focus was on He Xi Meng's passing and drives. He didn't expect He Xi Meng's shot to be so decisive, shooting the moment he got the ball without giving him time to close out. Nash's height and jumping ability were already at a disadvantage against He Xi Meng, so this shot could only be a token effort, with no real impact.
The Spurs' home rim was very friendly, and He Xi Meng's first three-pointer of the game was an immediate make!
The Spurs fans in attendance erupted in cheers. With Duncan injured and David Robinson's form declining, He Xi Meng had become the de facto leader of the Spurs.
For the Spurs to win, to defeat the Mavericks and advance to the Western Conference Finals, He Xi Meng's performance in this game was crucial!
In the previous two games, Popovich had also tried to play team basketball without an absolute core. He Xi Meng had also cooperated with Popovich's idea, maximizing his playmaking abilities to activate his teammates. But without Duncan, even with David Robinson, Ginobili, Reed, and Brad Miller, the Admiral was no longer in his prime, Ginobili and Reed were not yet mature, and Brad Miller was in the prime of his career, capable of posing some threat to the Mavericks. However, overall, the current Mavericks had grown into a quasi-top-tier powerhouse in the league!
The combination of Nowitzki, Finley, and Nash proved to be more troublesome and harder to defeat than Popovich had imagined.
Therefore, after losing two consecutive games, the Spurs were pushed into a win-or-go-home situation.
Popovich had no choice but to ask He Xi Meng to change his playing style, shifting from primarily organizing to a combination of organizing and scoring, or to put it more bluntly, the Spurs needed He Xi Meng to unleash his full firepower and attack without limits!
Yes, to win, Popovich ultimately chose the offensive tactic he disliked the most: the superstar approach!