Chapter 2 Section 2, the duel between the rotational lineups began. The Mavericks knew their bench strength was inferior to the Spurs', so Old Nelson deliberately reduced the rotation, especially after Juwan Howard's injury. The players who had earned Old Nelson's trust and playing time, besides Nahjura mentioned in the starting lineup, were the core rotational players: substitute center Boost, and two guards, Howard Eisley and Greg Buckner.
On the Spurs' side, Brad Miller and Reed were mentioned in the starting lineup, with Ginobili, Mark Hendrickson, Elliott, and veteran Kerr on the bench.
Kerr's playing time significantly decreased after Reed joined the Spurs. Popovich intended to make way for the younger Reed, but when short-handed, Kerr remained a veteran coach Popovich trusted dearly.
In the bench battle, the Mavericks were always at a disadvantage. In the previous two wins, the Mavericks had primarily gained an advantage in the starting lineup matchups. During the rotation time, Coach Old Nelson successfully withstood the impact of the Spurs' bench lineup by reducing the rotation and increasing the playing time of core players, ultimately winning those two games.
In this game, the Spurs caught the Mavericks off guard by changing their starting lineup and tactics. The initiative of the game returned to the Spurs' hands. If the Mavericks wanted to make a comeback, the rotation time became a crucial battleground!
Old Nelson pulled Bradley and Nash to rest, leaving Finley and Nowitzki on the court to continue the fight, attempting to erase the deficit from the first quarter.
On the Spurs' side, Popovich certainly wouldn't cede the advantage he had painstakingly gained. David Robinson was too old and needed rest. The only one who could shoulder the responsibility and continue fighting was He Xi Meng!
Popovich sent He Xi Meng out with Brad Miller, Malik Rose, Elliott, and Ginobili.
The Mavericks' backup point guard, Howard Eisley, immediately drove at He Xi Meng. After driving, he intended to make a bounce pass to Nowitzki.
From the beginning, He Xi Meng believed that Howard Eisley lacked the desire and confidence to attack the basket directly, so he was wary of Howard Eisley's passes. It would either be a backward pass to Finley on the perimeter, or a bounce pass to Nowitzki inside. During his retreat, He Xi Meng deliberately showed a slight opening, making Howard Eisley think passing to Nowitzki was a better option. Little did he know, this option was so good precisely because He Xi Meng had set a trap for him…
Howard Eisley fell into the trap. He Xi Meng reached out and stole the ball. As he turned to initiate a fast break, He Xi Meng saw the back of number 20, with his long hair flowing, already in attack mode!
He Xi Meng decided to conserve energy and made a half-court long pass, directly leading Ginobili to the free-throw line area. After receiving the pass, Ginobili immediately took three steps, dodged Greg Buckner's pursuit, twisted, and made a layup off the board.
"Beautiful play!" He Xi Meng gave Ginobili a thumbs-up from afar.
Ginobili ran his fingers through his flowing hair and gave He Xi Meng a shy smile. Although the smile was shy, He Xi Meng knew Ginobili's playing style was anything but. When he got hot, he was like a madman, unstoppable.
The only regret was that in the subsequent defensive possession, Ginobili couldn't stop Finley's counter-attack. After Finley drove strongly, he made a mid-range jump shot.
The game continued.
At the beginning of the first quarter, He Xi Meng had a brief scoring spree, prompting Coach Old Nelson to immediately double-team him. After being double-teamed, He Xi Meng didn't force shots. Instead, he switched to playmaking, focusing on activating his teammates.
On the Mavericks' side, seeing He Xi Meng's threat diminish, they quietly eased up their double-team. Especially after the second quarter began, Old Nelson did not emphasize double-teaming. Coach Old Nelson predicted that He Xi Meng, having played the entire first quarter, had already expended considerable energy and should now be playing at a semi-rested state, with a low probability of another scoring outburst... Therefore, the Mavericks' primary defender on He Xi Meng was now only the Mavericks' backup point guard, Howard Eisley!
"Looks like another chance to score is here…"
Coach Old Nelson did not anticipate that after Duncan's injury, He Xi Meng's status in the Spurs was extremely special. He could switch between scoring and playmaking without direct instructions from Head Coach Popovich off the court. He Xi Meng himself could decide what state to be in on the court and what tactics to employ.
Therefore, upon seeing the Mavericks' defense relax, He Xi Meng pretended to direct his teammates' positioning, intending to pass again. In reality, he advanced to the three-point line, and with Howard Eisley guarding him, he rose up for a step-back three-pointer!
Deng Ge's step-back three-pointer was also a bug-like existence. It didn't require coordination or screens. As long as one had enough confidence, took sufficiently large steps backward, and had clear footwork, without being called for traveling by the referee, it didn't require much physical exertion to shoot over a defender! Especially against defenders who were shorter and slower, it was like entering an unmanned realm, shooting however one pleased…
He Xi Meng wasn't opposed to the step-back three-pointer. In his regular training, He Xi Meng often used the step-back three-pointer as a tool for lazy scoring when fatigued. However, the step-back three-pointer had a drawback: extremely low teammate involvement!
Theoretically, with the ball in He Xi Meng's hands, after advancing the ball, his teammates didn't need to do anything. They would all spread out, creating space for He Xi Meng and preventing the opponents from double-teaming him.
He Xi Meng dribbled the ball himself, got into a comfortable position, feigned a drive, stopped abruptly, stepped back, shot, and made it… it was that easy, that effortless…
During regular training, when He Xi Meng was hot, he could single-handedly dominate the entire Spurs bench lineup! Duncan and David Robinson were reduced to blue-collar workers who only needed to grab rebounds before heading off the court…
If He Xi Meng were a shooting guard or a scorer, he could ignore these negative impacts. Did it matter to him whether his teammates were involved or not?
But He Xi Meng, as a point guard, playing this way was somewhat heartless. His individual scoring could certainly increase significantly, but the atmosphere of team basketball would be damaged. This kind of superstar play was extremely unsuitable for the Spurs. However, there were exceptions under special circumstances. For example, the current Spurs!
Without Duncan, the Spurs' biggest foundation for team basketball was lost. To win games, playing a bit of isolation ball was the best option amidst helplessness…