In the final minute, He Xi Meng requested Ginobili, Bowen, Malik Rose, and David Robinson from the head coach.
Brad Miller was tasked with guarding Nowitzki today, and the effort was immense. Like He Xi Meng, Nowitzki was a core offensive and defensive player for the Mavericks, playing at least 45 minutes with minimal rest. As long as Nowitzki didn't rest, Brad Miller couldn't either. Frankly, his footwork struggled to keep up with Nowitzki's. Although Nowitzki was also tired, he was still quicker than Brad Miller.
He Xi Meng saw this clearly from the court, so in the final moments, he asked Popovich to substitute Brad Miller for Malik Rose, employing a strategy of wearing down Nowitzki through frequent substitutions.
The matchup between the veteran guards David Robinson and Bradley was at a low intensity, thus not as draining. When it was time to rest, both head coaches had them take breaks on schedule, allowing them to continue playing in the crucial final moments.
After the timeout, the game resumed. The Spurs fans in the arena unconsciously lowered their breathing frequency, wishing they could hold their breath, just for the Spurs to successfully score this basket!
Before He Xi Meng went back on the court, he found Ginobili. "Can you play?"
Ginobili nodded. "If you dare to let me play, I'm ready anytime!"
"Good! For this play, we'll do this..."
He Xi Meng inbounded the ball, Malik Rose came to set a screen, and He Xi Meng drove hard against Nowitzki. This year, Nowitzki had been driven against enough by He Xi Meng. The Nowitzki of the past never considered He Xi Meng a skilled driving guard, but after this game, Nowitzki felt he had to retract that statement.
To prevent He Xi Meng from driving all the way and scoring directly, Nowitzki accelerated with all his might, aiming to reach the basket before He Xi Meng could shoot.
However, He Xi Meng had no intention of driving all the way. Instead, after drawing the Mavericks' defensive attention, he passed the ball to Ginobili!
Yes, at this critical juncture, He Xi Meng truly trusted Ginobili with the ball! Was this a transition or a finish?
The Spurs fans off the court couldn't see clearly, and the Mavericks players on the court were even less clear.
Nash was beaten by Ginobili, and he loudly reminded his teammates to help defend the paint.
At the same time, Finley was also shouting, reminding his teammates to watch out for He Xi Meng circling the baseline to the perimeter.
Who was the real Spurs offensive threat? The Mavericks couldn't tell for a moment and could only rely on instinct to spread out and cover.
As Ginobili drove into the paint, his gaze suddenly shifted to He Xi Meng, who was circling the baseline towards the three-point line.
"Could it be that the Spurs' final shot attempt is still for He Xi Meng?"
Nowitzki, who had already abandoned pursuing He Xi Meng and was preparing to shift to cover the driving Ginobili, suddenly froze.
Seeing Ginobili make a behind-the-back pass motion, Nowitzki became even more "certain" that the Spurs would ultimately pass the ball to He Xi Meng beyond the three-point line!
Thus, Nowitzki reached out to intercept Ginobili's pass from behind him. Little did he know, that motion was just a fake!
From beginning to end, He Xi Meng's movement along the baseline to the wing, Ginobili's watchful gaze, and the behind-the-back pass were all fakes!
The sole purpose was to mislead the Mavericks' defensive attention!
Even the Spurs fans in the arena thought Ginobili was setting up He Xi Meng for this shot, let alone the Mavericks who were not very familiar with Ginobili.
In reality, He Xi Meng was the one making the setup, running energetically, seeking off-ball screens, and looking for open perimeter shots, all to create an easier scoring opportunity for the driving Ginobili!
And ultimately, the Spurs succeeded!
Ginobili successfully shook off the closest defender, Nowitzki, and made a three-step layup, hitting the right side of the backboard for the score!
Ginobili was indeed left-handed, but his right hand was equally capable of delivering a killing blow!
With this play, the cooperation between He Xi Meng and Ginobili deceived the world, with Ginobili ultimately playing the role of the assassin, easily scoring with a layup!
The Spurs extended their lead back to 6 points. With only 40 seconds left in the game, the Mavericks' hope was fading!
Finley, unwilling to give up, turned and shot a three-pointer, but the ball bounced off the rim.
He Xi Meng chased down the rebound. Nash fouled him, sending He Xi Meng to the free-throw line.
Amidst the unified "MVP" chants from the crowd, He Xi Meng sank both free throws, capping off his personal performance at 40 points, 13 assists, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 1 block, narrowly missing a triple-double.
On the Mavericks' final possession, Nash hit a transition three-pointer, but the final buzzer sounded immediately afterward.
89:94, the Mavericks ultimately lost this crucial Game 5!
And the Spurs, with He Xi Meng's explosive performance, successfully defended their home court and took a commanding 3-2 lead in the series, holding the first match point for advancement!
At the post-game press conference, reporters first asked Popovich for his thoughts on He Xi Meng's performance.
Popovich nodded. "Simon played very well, but playing like this is too tiring. Duncan's absence has a significant impact on the team. We had to change our strategy and chose a more difficult path, but fortunately, the result was good, and we didn't disappoint our fans..."
Judging by his tone, Popovich did not seem entirely satisfied with the Spurs' performance today.
Next, reporters asked He Xi Meng about his own feelings.
He Xi Meng glanced at Popovich, thought carefully, and replied, "We had a dream start, which gave us a significant advantage in this game, both in terms of score and mentally. The Mavericks played tenaciously today. If I remember correctly, they organized at least three very effective counter-attacks, and we were almost reversed, almost losing this very important game, but fortunately, we persisted until the end... My teammates gave me their most selfless trust and support, which is the biggest reason for my outstanding performance today..."
The reporters embedded with the Spurs couldn't extract any substantial information from Popovich or He Xi Meng.
On the other hand, reporters covering the Mavericks obtained quite a few evaluations of He Xi Meng's performance from Old Nelson and Finley.
"He Xi Meng's performance exceeded our expectations! He was very decisive in scoring today, and his shooting touch was excellent, which is the biggest reason for our defeat."
"We failed to contain He Xi Meng and couldn't execute our offense as we intended..."
"We were led around by the Spurs, and losing our rhythm was our biggest problem in this game..."
"If I had another chance, I would choose to extinguish He Xi Meng's scoring threat from the very first second of the game..."