Coach Harris quickly made adjustments, attempting to replace Glen Rice with Fox from the bench to plug the gap. But Harris seemed to have forgotten one thing: Fox's playing style was actually quite similar to Glen Rice's, both being offensively strong and defensively weak. Furthermore, since arriving on the Lakers, Fox had dedicated most of his energy to his side hustle: the Hollywood film industry! It wasn't that his basketball skills had completely deteriorated, but at least there hadn't been significant improvement. Especially on defense, where he was never strong to begin with, he was essentially living off his past glory from his Celtics days.
Thus, with Elliot as a surprise weapon, the Spurs successfully tied the series on their home court!
In this game, Elliot scored 19 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists, providing strong support for the Spurs' twin towers.
Meanwhile, O'Neal was mired in the "Hack-a-Shaq" tactic, and his free-throw percentage was abysmal, hitting only 2 out of 10 attempts...
"I can make more free throws with my eyes closed than Shaq," Kobe couldn't help but complain to He Xi Meng.
He Xi Meng was speechless for a moment, but still weakly defended O'Neal, "Maybe the Spurs' basket is unfamiliar to Shaq..."
It was the first time Kobe had heard such an excuse, and he froze on the spot before bursting into laughter.
Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals continued to be played on the Spurs' home court.
The Lakers, having learned from the lesson of the previous game's defeat, had their head coach Harris adjust their matchup strategy. Kobe was tasked with guarding Elliot in a mismatch, while Glen Rice was matched up against Mario Elie.
The Spurs were caught off guard and temporarily adjusted their offensive focus, having Mario Elie carry the load on the perimeter. However, Mario Elie couldn't replicate Elliot's explosive performance from the previous game, and the Lakers' adjustments yielded immediate results.
The two teams battled fiercely for three quarters, entering the final quarter with tied scores.
The Lakers' hopes of securing a match point increased significantly. If they could disrupt the Spurs' home-court advantage and take a match point lead to advance to the Finals, it would be virtually impossible for the Spurs to stage a comeback.
At the crucial moment, Duncan erupted without warning!
In the final quarter, Duncan went all out, shooting 6 of 11 from the field and a perfect 12 of 12 from the free-throw line. He scored 24 points in the quarter, leading the Spurs to a 36-24 scoring run that utterly crushed the Lakers!
On the Lakers' side, He Xi Meng had considered going all out, but the Spurs, leveraging their home-court advantage, spared no effort in employing their strongest defensive tactics. They were willing to commit fouls to stop He Xi Meng and prevent him from finding his rhythm from three-point range.
Ultimately, in the final quarter, He Xi Meng shot only 1 of 4 from three-point range, though he was a perfect 8 of 9 from the free-throw line, scoring 12 points in the quarter. However, compared to Duncan's 24 points in the quarter, it was exactly half – 12 points! And these 12 points were precisely the margin by which the Lakers ultimately lost to the Spurs in this game.
With the series tied 2-2, thanks to the explosive performances of Elliot and Duncan, the Spurs successfully defended their home court and leveled the series score.
The teams returned to square one, back in Los Angeles, at the Lakers' home court.
In the pivotal Game 5, O'Neal, who had been struggling for two games, exploded on his home court!
Having tasted success, the Spurs continued to employ the "Hack-a-Shaq" tactic, sending O'Neal to the free-throw line. Compared to his 2-of-10 performance in San Antonio, O'Neal, on his home turf, managed at least 12 of 23 from the free-throw line, a free-throw percentage successfully exceeding 50%, at least reaching the passing line.
The explosive O'Neal scored a game-high 36 points and 14 rebounds, helping the Lakers withstand Duncan's onslaught.
Duncan shot 11 of 14 from the field and 11 of 14 from the free-throw line in this game, scoring 33 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, with his overall performance being on par with O'Neal's.
The outcome of the game hinged on the other players on the team.
On the Lakers' side, it was He Xi Meng, Kobe, and Glen Rice.
On the Spurs' side, it was David Robinson, Johnson, and Elliot.
Three players versus three players, there was no doubt that the Lakers held the advantage!
If no one else stepped up for the Spurs, the Lakers would have been able to suppress them throughout the game.
However, Popovich was clearly not one to surrender meekly! He heavily utilized Jaren Jackson off the bench, letting Jaren Jackson go all out during his rotation minutes, scoring 20 points for the game, which in turn helped the Spurs gain an edge over the Lakers!
Regarding the issue of how to best utilize the sixth man, Popovich was considered one of the most studied coaches in the league.
Because of this, Jaren Jackson became the X-factor for the Spurs in this crucial Game 5, successfully helping the team battle to the final minute of the game!
The Lakers had possession of the ball, and Coach Harris instructed He Xi Meng to drive and create scoring opportunities for O'Neal.
The Spurs anticipated the Lakers' objective. Duncan moved prematurely, nearly intercepting the pass He Xi Meng was preparing for O'Neal. At the critical moment, He Xi Meng used his hang time, pulled the ball back, and in the process of descending, forcefully flicked the ball off his fingertips...
It was a non-opportunity that became an opportunity, and with a touch of luck, He Xi Meng successfully banked the shot, giving the Lakers a two-point lead.
The game wasn't over yet, and the Spurs chose to give the ball to Duncan. Duncan was the team's most stable scoring option, and there was nothing inherently wrong with that. However, Duncan had a subtle weakness in his career: his success rate on clutch shots was not high!
Logically, Duncan's mental fortitude should have been unquestionable. But whether it was due to luck or not, whenever it came to do-or-die situations, Duncan always struggled to make the shot.
Duncan wasn't afraid of adversity; even if they were down by 20 points, as long as there was enough time, Duncan could lead the team back. But once the game tightened to the final minute, or the final shot, Duncan's winning percentage was not as high!
This was why, during the era of the "Big Three," it was "The Knife" who was relied upon in clutch situations, not Duncan. Because Duncan's play style was too steady and predictable, making it easy for opponents to anticipate and specifically limit him.
For example, on this play, Horry absolutely refused to let Duncan drive to the basket. Duncan was forced to turn around, trying to get around Horry, only to fall into the Lakers' defensive trap. O'Neal suddenly appeared in front of Duncan, nearly blocking his attempted floater!
Fortunately, Duncan reacted quickly. At the moment of his shot, he forcefully increased the arc. The ball successfully cleared O'Neal's fingertips and was not blocked by the Shark, but the force was too great, and it hit the inside of the rim.
Duncan had already anticipated that the ball might miss, so he immediately shoved O'Neal aside, squeezed into the paint, and secured the best position...