He Xi Meng's first move was to feign a breakthrough, luring Finley to contract his stance. He then stopped abruptly and pulled back, pretending to make a step-back three-pointer, which prompted an eager Finley to lunge forward. After two sets of feints, Finley was left dizzy and completely off-balance by He Xi Meng.
Seizing the opportunity, He Xi Meng lowered his head and accelerated, passing Finley. Finley twisted his body, attempting to catch up, but it was clear he couldn't match He Xi Meng's speed.
He Xi Meng drove into the Mavericks' basket again. Facing the double-team defense from Bradley, He Xi Meng didn't evade this time but chose to confront him head-on.
Before Bradley's long arms could reach, He Xi Meng was half a beat faster, slamming the basketball fiercely into the hoop.
"Wow!" All the Spurs fans erupted in excitement. They hadn't expected He Xi Meng, who hadn't even dunked in the All-Star game, to deliver such a spectacular one-handed dunk in the Western Conference Semifinals.
"Did he... did he just posterize the tall guy?"
"No, no! It looked like a posterization, but he just timed it perfectly, dunking the ball before Bradley could get there."
"Ah, whatever! Our great San Antonio Carter rarely dunks like this, let's just say he successfully posterized him."
In the Spurs' stands, the fans were already engaging in wishful thinking, exaggerating He Xi Meng's above-average, forced dunk into a rare posterizing slam.
Fortunately, He Xi Meng on the court couldn't hear the fans' discussion, or he might have... given them a thumbs-up for their excellent taste.
During the stalemate, the Mavericks anticipated He Xi Meng would resort to his signature three-point shot, hoping to gamble on his shooting touch, betting that his performance in the second half would decline due to fatigue. Unexpectedly, He Xi Meng didn't play their game.
He Xi Meng saw things clearly. The Spurs were leading, so the Mavericks were the ones who needed to rush. Why should he gamble on shooting? In this situation, attacking the basket was the best option. While He Xi Meng's strongest scoring method appeared to be three-pointers, he never slacked off in practice when it came to his driving game. He Xi Meng knew better than anyone the importance of driving ability for a point guard.
To the fans, it seemed He Xi Meng rarely drove for layups.
However, to the professional statisticians, He Xi Meng's drives in games were not infrequent. The difference was that most of the time, after driving, He Xi Meng chose to pass the ball for an assist instead of scoring. Otherwise, where do you think all his assists came from? He couldn't rack up so many assists just by passing from the perimeter.
He Xi Meng not shooting threes put the Mavericks in an awkward position. To catch up, the Mavericks needed to stifle the Spurs' offense by preventing them from scoring. If they couldn't do that, the Mavericks would have to rely on three-pointers to close the gap. But did the Mavericks dare? They didn't.
Old Nelson's choice was to play it safe. The game wasn't at a point where they needed to go all out, so Coach Old Nelson didn't dare to gamble on threes. Instead, he loudly reminded his players, "Take the ball to the basket!"
In a deadlock, it all came down to who had the more consistent shooting percentage.
On their next possession, following their head coach's instructions, the Mavericks moved the ball to the basket. Nowitzki was preparing for a fadeaway jumper near the hoop, but seeing David Robinson shifting to help defend, Nowitzki immediately realized Bradley had a better opportunity. He opted for an inside pass.
Bradley had a good position under the basket, but he was caught off guard. He was ready to fight for a rebound, not expecting Nowitzki to pass at the last second, which almost resulted in a miscommunication. Fortunately, Bradley managed to control the ball as he turned, and by the time he rose to shoot again, David Robinson had recovered his position. Bradley forced up a shot, and the ball rimmed out.
"Opportunity!"
He Xi Meng immediately grabbed the loose ball from David Robinson and, without hesitation, pushed the fast break.
Finley of the Mavericks slowed him down at the frontcourt, and Nash double-teamed him at mid-court, attempting to stop He Xi Meng near the center circle. But He Xi Meng was determined this time. He broke through the double-team from the Mavericks and then, taking advantage of the disorganized Mavericks defense, pulled up for a shot from beyond the three-point line.
Yes, just moments ago, when the Mavericks wanted He Xi Meng to shoot threes, he refused.
Now, when the Mavericks were afraid of him shooting threes after a missed shot, He Xi Meng shot. Not only did he shoot, but he made it!
With seven consecutive points, He Xi Meng helped the Spurs extend their lead to double digits again.
The crowd immediately started chanting "MVP" for He Xi Meng today, as he had played with unparalleled dominance.
He Xi Meng had powerfully repelled the Mavericks' surge in the third quarter.
The Spurs maintained a double-digit lead until the final minute of the fourth quarter.
Coach Old Nelson decided to go all out and let his players gamble on three-pointers.
Nowitzki led the charge, executing a pick-and-roll with Finley, retreating to the three-point line to receive the pass and hitting a corner three.
On the ensuing defensive play, Nash anticipated He Xi Meng's pass and stole the ball. He raced past half-court in five seconds and shot directly within six seconds, hitting a classic "Nash-style" transition three-pointer.
The Spurs' lead instantly shrunk to just four points, with only one minute left in the game, making the outcome once again uncertain.
At this point, He Xi Meng had already accumulated a game-high 38 points, 13 assists, 7 rebounds, 4 steals, and 1 block. It was He Xi Meng's most explosive game of the playoffs this year.
In terms of physical exertion, He Xi Meng was also nearing exhaustion. In the previous 47 minutes of play, He Xi Meng had rested for less than two minutes combined.
From Coach Popovich's perspective, it wasn't that he didn't want He Xi Meng to rest, but rather that he couldn't afford to let him. The Mavericks were playing exceptionally tough, and despite being pushed back several times when they tried to rally, they refused to give up, persistently clinging to the ten-point deficit and looking for opportunities to make a comeback.
Hard work pays off. The Mavericks' perseverance had earned them this opportunity in the final minute.
With a four-point deficit, could the Mavericks complete a comeback?
In the final moments, He Xi Meng called for Ginobili. He suggested that Coach Popovich substitute Reed out and bring in Ginobili to partner with him.
Popovich glanced at Ginobili, who was standing and warming up, and quietly asked He Xi Meng, "Are you sure Manu playing now won't have the opposite effect?"
He Xi Meng, panting heavily and trying to control his heartbeat, smiled and replied to Popovich, "Don't worry! Manu might be unreliable at times, but in crucial moments, he's more reliable than anyone!"
Popovich touched his temples, forcing a smile, "I'll leave the rest of this game to you..."
"I won't disappoint you..."