Regardless of what the outside world thought, the Spurs, against all odds, defeated the Mavericks to win the crucial Game 5.
For the upcoming Game 6, which was to be held at the Mavericks' home court, everyone expected the Spurs to strategically forfeit after the grueling Game 5. The plan would be to rest, conserve energy, and then battle it out in a decisive Game 7 against the Mavericks.
Popovich had indeed considered this option, but before he could finalize his decision, He Xi Meng approached him and vetoed the idea.
He Xi Meng's suggestion, or rather, his plea, was to allow him to go all out in Game 6. If he failed, they could give up in the third quarter and it wouldn't affect Popovich's original plan to strategically forfeit. But if he succeeded, the Spurs might not have to play a Game 7 against the Mavericks, allowing them to finish the semifinals cleanly, get a day or two of rest, and then prepare thoroughly for the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers.
This was because, in the other Western Conference Semifinal matchup, the Lakers had swept the newly rising Kings with a resounding 4-0 victory.
The Lakers' Kobe-Shaq duo had displayed unparalleled dominance in this year's playoffs.
Kobe averaged 35 points, 9 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in those four games.
Shaq averaged 33.3 points, 17.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 3.3 blocks in those four games.
How could a young Kings team, still in its formative stages, withstand such a peak Kobe-Shaq combination?
Popovich looked at the scene next door, weighed the current situation within the Spurs team, and decisively agreed to He Xi Meng's suggestion: "Do whatever you want, go crazy..."
Thus, from the opening of Game 6, the confident Mavericks were instantly stunned by He Xi Meng.
In the first quarter alone, He Xi Meng launched 10 three-pointers! No matter how the Mavericks defended, He Xi Meng resolutely took shots from beyond the arc. If catch-and-shoot threes didn't work, he used off-ball screens to get open. If ordinary catch-and-shoot attempts weren't enough, he unleashed his boss-level off-ball screening technique: the elevator door!
The Spurs always had doors, they just lacked the people to open and close them! The teammates' relentless screens only fueled He Xi Meng's determination to shoot wildly. After making 6 out of 10 attempts in the first quarter, He Xi Meng went 2-for-5 in the second and 5-for-10 in the third quarter.
By the end of the third quarter, He Xi Meng had taken a staggering 28 shots, including 25 three-pointers, of which he made 13. He also took 3 two-point shots, making 2, and went 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, accumulating a total of 45 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block.
Led by the unhinged He Xi Meng, the Mavericks couldn't hold on for even two quarters. They collapsed completely, trailing by as much as 20 points at one point.
In the final quarter, seeing no hope of a comeback, Old Nelson completely gave up the game and fielded the rookies to gain experience. On the Spurs' side, Popovich quickly called a timeout, pulling the scorching hot He Xi Meng off the court to prevent the Mavericks from getting desperate and retaliating in a mutually destructive way, which would have been disastrous for the Spurs.
In the end, what most fans had expected to be the Mavericks' revenge game was instead a game where He Xi Meng summoned a meteor shower of three-pointers, directly crushing the Mavericks.
Miles away in Los Angeles, Kobe was comfortably lounging on a large sofa in his study, watching the live broadcast of the Mavericks-Spurs game. As he saw He Xi Meng rain down one three-pointer after another into the Mavericks' basket, Kobe couldn't help but exclaim excitedly at the television.
Vanessa, who was doing kickboxing exercises in the living room, heard Kobe's cheers and poked her head out to ask what was happening.
"Nothing, just some exciting moments in the live broadcast!" Kobe waved dismissively with a smile, trying to send Vanessa away.
Vanessa's curiosity had been piqued by Kobe's cheers: "This is the first time I've seen you cheer like this for a game. I really want to see who it is..."
"Then come watch with me!" Kobe made room for Vanessa.
"You know this guy very well too!" Kobe pointed at the Spurs' number 4 jersey on the screen with a smile.
"Xi Meng?" Vanessa recognized He Xi Meng's unique Eastern features at first glance.
"If not him, then who!" Kobe sat up, his eyes sparkling as he said to Vanessa, "You know, this kid has already made 10 three-pointers in this game... Oh, no, he just made his 11th three-pointer of the game..."
"Unbelievable! This is insane!"
"Yes, it's crazy, Crazy Xi Meng... haha..."
At the same time Kobe was commiserating with Vanessa about He Xi Meng's craziness, many people in the league were also talking about it. Of course, in addition to "crazy," there was also "perverted." Crazy Xi Meng, Perverted Xi Meng... he became famous overnight! He Xi Meng's gentle and elegant image was completely ruined. No one in the league expected He Xi Meng to be so perverted when he went crazy.
Thus, in addition to being nicknamed "The Carter of San Antonio," He Xi Meng gained another nickname: "Crazy Shooter!"
"Well done, Crazy Shooter!" Duncan, who was in San Antonio at the Christus Santa Maria Hospital, also sent He Xi Meng a congratulatory text message from his hospital bed.
"A gift for you, do you like it?"
"Haha! I'm not a beauty, what gift? But I watched the live broadcast and saw you guys beat up the Mavericks... it was really satisfying! Thank you, Xi Meng..."
"Don't mention it! I was just throwing out a brick to attract jade! When you recover next season, we'll team up and keep beating up the Mavericks..."
"I like that plan..."
"So, it's settled?"
"It's settled... By the way! Be careful against the Lakers in the next round..."
"You forgot, I know the Lakers very well, what's there to be afraid of?"
"Shaq's elbow is still very dangerous! Without me by your side, you shouldn't push yourself. It's not shameful to lose to the Lakers..."
"Got it! You're talking a lot today?"
"...Can't play basketball, can't modify cars... Life on the hospital bed is so boring it's driving me crazy..."
"Speaking of boredom, I suddenly have a rather unconventional request..."
"Since it's an unconventional request, you'd better not ask!" Duncan suddenly had a bad feeling and wanted to outright refuse He Xi Meng's request.
"No! I've already decided. I'm just informing you in advance and hope you don't mind..."
"What if I mind?"
"Mind? If you mind, then come to the scene and hit me! Hahahaha..."
On the other end of the phone, He Xi Meng's arrogant laughter echoed.