Kobe and O'Neal couldn't even find a chance to block He Xi Meng because He Xi Meng's floater was so fast. As they barely took off and hadn't reached their highest point, He Xi Meng's basketball had already flown to a spot beyond their reach, then it fell and directly hit the basket!
"Wow, that was quick!" Kobe, failing to block, couldn't help but complain after landing.
"You bet! I don't want to get blocked!" He Xi Meng turned to head back on defense, not engaging in a prolonged exchange with Kobe.
Kobe bared his teeth, personally took the ball from Fox, and advanced past half-court! Shaq lumbered past half-court, crossed the free-throw line, turned, and established position against David Robinson. He jostled with David Robinson with his left hand, raised his right hand high, spread his massive palm, and directly called for the ball!
The Lakers now had O'Neal like an insatiable beast, constantly demanding possession. Crucially, coach Phil Jackson's tactical arrangements also catered to O'Neal's offensive desires. With O'Neal, the interior weapon, in play, it wasn't just Jackson, but even if He Xi Meng were coaching the Lakers now, the priority tactic would indeed be "Give the ball to Shaq"...
However, Kobe had just been scored on by He Xi Meng and his offensive drive was at its peak. He didn't want to pass; he wanted to take on He Xi Meng himself!
Therefore, Kobe ignored O'Neal's call for the ball, turned his back, and directly went one-on-one against He Xi Meng!
The Spurs' defensive strategy against Kobe was to play him straight up. It wasn't that Kobe didn't deserve a double-team, but the Spurs couldn't double-team O'Neal and also double-team Kobe simultaneously; their defense simply couldn't withstand it. Kobe's personal stats were rapidly improving, and in a sense, this was due to O'Neal's immense threat in the paint. Otherwise, given Kobe's current scoring ability, it would be incredibly difficult for him to get open one-on-one opportunities on the perimeter.
This time, after ignoring O'Neal's call for the ball, Kobe went to work with his back to the basket against He Xi Meng, executing a signature turnaround jump shot!
As Kobe performed that picturesque move, He Xi Meng knew the chance for a counter-attack was gone, because there would be no offensive rebound.
As expected, Kobe's turnaround shot precisely hit the rim.
From the start of this game, the OK combination displayed incredibly strong offensive firepower!
Fortunately, the Spurs were playing at home, so with He Xi Meng's strong response and his teammates' full cooperation, the Spurs were generally not at a disadvantage!
At the end of the first quarter, the score was tied at 24. He Xi Meng scored 15 points in the quarter, Kobe had 12, and O'Neal had 6.
At the beginning of the second quarter, Coach Jackson didn't let the OK combination rest. He only subbed out Grant for Wang Zhizhi, Fox for Horry, and Fisher for Tyronn Lue, clearly intending to use the OK combination's immense firepower to directly wear down the Spurs!
Gregg Popovich detested tactics that heavily overused starters. If this were just a regular season game, Popovich would certainly stick to his rotational rhythm, allowing players to rest as needed, even against the Lakers. But the problem was, this wasn't the regular season; it was the Western Conference Finals. In a situation where they were already at a disadvantage, even the stubborn Popovich couldn't afford to be too rigid.
If the Lakers weren't going to rest O'Neal and Kobe, the Spurs couldn't rest He Xi Meng!
As for David Robinson, Popovich had no choice but to sub him out, because at this intensity, David Robinson would quickly be worn down by O'Neal.
Therefore, at the center position during rotation, Brad Miller stepped in, and simultaneously, Malik Rose came in to assist Brad Miller in doubling O'Neal.
David Reeder had played very hard in the first quarter, expending a lot of energy, but his offensive efficiency wasn't great. Reeder, playing in the Western Conference Finals for the first time, seemed a bit nervous. Every time he finally got the ball, he thought about getting a little closer to the basket to increase his shooting percentage. However, with O'Neal as the guardian of the paint for the Lakers, it was a no-win situation for smaller players to drive in. Yet, the young Reeder didn't believe it, thinking he was the exception. 138 Reading Network.
"Others can't, but I can!"
As a result, after being firmly blocked twice by O'Neal, Reeder became obedient. Popovich, frustrated with Reeder's lack of progress, also subbed him out to calm down, replacing him with Manu Ginobili to play alongside He Xi Meng.
He Xi Meng took the opportunity to hand over ball-handling duties to Ginobili for a while, acting as his assistant and catching his breath.
However, the Lakers were unwilling to give He Xi Meng any respite.
Tyronn Lue immediately stole Ginobili's pass and initiated a fast break to the trailing Kobe. Kobe didn't catch the ball cleanly, took three steps, and finished with a powerful, rim-rocking one-handed dunk, kicking off the Lakers' offensive onslaught in the early second quarter!
After Kobe's dunk, O'Neal, with David Robinson off the court, wreaked havoc in the paint, leaving the young Brad Miller and Malik Rose in disarray. Popovich on the sidelines was frustrated several times and wanted to employ the fouling strategy against O'Neal, but He Xi Meng stopped him!
"Let's wait a little longer. It's not time yet..."
Popovich also knew it wasn't time yet, but O'Neal was simply too arrogant!
With O'Neal's consecutive dunks and shots, the Lakers had extended their lead to 8 points. If they didn't stop him, and the Lakers' lead expanded to double digits by halftime, the second half would be even more difficult to play.
At a critical moment, He Xi Meng instructed Ginobili to control the ball at the top of the arc and wait for a signal! He himself used screens from the big men, shaking off Kobe by cutting through the paint, then slicing to the three-point line, catching and shooting!
Kobe was actually familiar with this play. When He Xi Meng was still with the Lakers, he had tried this off-ball three-point tactic. At that time, the player feeding him the ball was Kobe himself!
Now, with He Xi Meng on the Spurs, the passer had changed from Kobe to Ginobili.
This play was very simple, but not easy to break. This was because He Xi Meng's cut after coming from the low post was random and unpredictable. He Xi Meng could cut to the right or to the left. As long as the player handling the ball had good chemistry, He Xi Meng could flexibly choose the most suitable direction based on the opponent's defensive positioning.
The passer needed to time the pass perfectly, so the ball arrived as the player did, without hesitation! If the pass hesitated, the opportunity He Xi Meng created by running out would be disrupted by Kobe's chase-down defense...
Fortunately, Ginobili was quick-witted, and He Xi Meng and Ginobili had enough chemistry!
At the crucial moment when the Lakers were about to extend their lead to double digits, He Xi Meng and Ginobili collaborated, executing two consecutive catch-and-shoot three-pointers after cuts. One from the left 60-degree angle and one from the right 45-degree angle!
For He Xi Meng, these were all positions from which he excelled at shooting!
He Xi Meng made two consecutive three-pointers, helping the Spurs immediately stabilize their footing.
The Lakers' attempt to build a winning foundation by halftime was thus thwarted.
Ultimately, with Kobe hitting a buzzer-beating two-pointer, the score was 51-47. The Lakers finished the first half with a 4-point lead over the Spurs.