After taking down the Warriors without shedding blood, the Spurs immediately flew back to Texas to challenge the Mavericks in Dallas!
This season, the Mavericks, with Finley, Nowitzki, and Nash at their core, have seen their record steadily improve. They not only made it into the Western Conference playoffs but also became another rising powerhouse in the West.
The Mavericks-Spurs matchup has gradually become another classic rivalry in the league.
However, this particular Mavericks-Spurs game was not as thrilling as fans had imagined.
At the start of the game, Bradley won the tip-off, giving the Mavericks the opportunity for the first possession. Nash brought the ball past half-court and settled into a half-court offense, passing it to Bradley at the edge of the paint.
Bradley couldn't back down David Robinson effectively, so he decisively used his height advantage and drove at David Robinson face-up.
David Robinson could no longer jump as high, so he could only extend his hand to interfere, unable to block. Whether it was David Robinson's aura or Bradley's poor shooting touch, the opening shot bounced off the rim.
Duncan grabbed the defensive rebound and handed it to He Xi Meng.
Facing Nash, He Xi Meng faked a move and then forcefully pushed past his opponent, driving into the Mavericks' paint from the side.
Nash was still a bit too thin, his resistance to physical impact slightly lacking. He Xi Meng wasn't known for his overpowering drives, but against Nash, as long as he attacked decisively, he could usually succeed.
On the Mavericks' side, Nowitzki was tangled with Duncan on the perimeter and couldn't rotate quickly enough for help defense. The closest player to He Xi Meng was Bradley!
Bradley slid over, trying to block He Xi Meng's layup. He Xi Meng didn't give him the chance, executing a no-look bounce pass directly to David Robinson behind Bradley!
David Robinson caught the ball, jumped from a standstill, and with Nash's half-hearted interference, easily made a short-range jumper from the low post.
This was the greatest benefit of the twin towers! When one tower was contained by the opponent, the other tower often found opportunities. Very few teams, while limiting the twin towers, could also interfere with guards driving to the basket. Most teams either sacrificed one or the other, and as long as the player driving had good court vision and passing ability, they could always find opportunities in the crowd!
In this regard, He Xi Meng certainly benefited from the twin towers. In fact, if a less exceptional point guard, like someone of Avery Johnson's caliber, were playing alongside the twin towers, averaging 8 assists a game would be as easy as pie, with no great pressure. Let alone someone of He Xi Meng's caliber. It was not surprising that He Xi Meng's average assists surpassed 10 last season. If Kidd, Stockton, Payton, or Nash joined the Spurs, they would at least perform similarly to He Xi Meng in terms of assists.
On the Mavericks' second possession, Nash moved on the perimeter, received a pass back from Nowitzki, and attempted a shot from beyond the three-point line against He Xi Meng's defense. The ball also bounced off the rim.
Elliott grabbed the rebound and wanted to push for a fast break. The Mavericks' Daniels immediately fouled to stop Elliott.
The Spurs inbounded the ball, and after He Xi Meng brought it past half-court, he passed it around to his teammates. The ball eventually landed in the hands of David Robinson in the paint.
David Robinson backed down Bradley, drawing the attention of the Mavericks' defense. He Xi Meng took advantage of the situation to set a screen with Duncan and circled around to David Robinson's side, extending his hand to receive the ball!
Just as David Robinson was hesitating whether to force a shot, he saw He Xi Meng's movement and unhesitatingly passed the ball!
He Xi Meng, with Nash lunging at him, calmly took the shot. This play was identical to Nash's earlier attempt against He Xi Meng. However, the outcome was the complete opposite. Nash's shot bounced off the rim, but He Xi Meng's shot went in!
There was nothing to be done about it. You could attribute it to a shooting touch issue or luck. This was on the Mavericks' home court, so who could they blame for missing?
On the Mavericks' third possession, Nash gave the ball to Nowitzki to handle. Nowitzki chose to single-handedly attack Duncan head-on.
Among big men, Nowitzki was a rather peculiar presence. He didn't like playing with his back to the basket and preferred facing up. This was mainly because Nowitzki's core strength wasn't particularly strong in the beastly NBA. He didn't have an advantage in post-ups, forcing him to face up, utilize his first step's explosiveness to gain an advantage in the confrontation, and then, after accelerating, combine it with his unique "one-legged fadeaway" jumper to secure a position among the NBA's top power forwards!
With this play, Nowitzki finally used his signature move to score the Mavericks' first point of the game!
If even Nowitzki missed this shot, Old Nelson, the Mavericks' coach on the sidelines, would likely have called a timeout. Because on the Spurs' next possession, He Xi Meng once again attempted a three-pointer from beyond the arc. Although He Xi Meng's second three-pointer missed, Duncan drove into the paint, leaped between Bradley and David Robinson, and slammed the ball into the basket with one hand!
"Wow..." the entire Mavericks crowd let out a gasp to express their shock. To complete a put-back dunk over Bradley and David Robinson, Duncan was truly terrifying and brutal...
But as the player involved, Duncan didn't even celebrate after completing this morale-boosting dunk. He jogged back to defense with a blank expression, as if he had just completed a normal bank shot.
"Smile, Tim! You should show some reaction after a super morale-boosting play like that! Even if you don't punch the air and roar, you should at least show a hint of joy or happiness... Otherwise, people will think you're not normal, like... a stone Buddha!"
"Stone Buddha?" Duncan tilted his head and pondered for half a second while running, then nodded and said, "I like this nickname! It's cooler than Mr. Fundamental, and more low-key than Airborne Devil..."
"Uh..." He Xi Meng was instantly speechless. "Are we talking about which nickname sounds better right now? Have you gone off-topic?"
Duncan ignored him, and with the joy of acquiring a new nickname, he returned to his basket with a blank expression, and casually blocked Daniels' layup drive.
He Xi Meng dribbled the ball up for a fast break, passed to David Robinson again, who attempted a turnaround jumper. This time, the ball bounced off the rim. But Duncan once again grabbed the offensive rebound. Because the distance was a bit far, he couldn't directly dunk it. After landing, Duncan took a step and moved closer to the basket, preparing to jump again...