Entering the playoffs, He Xi Meng's offensive threat greatly increased, while Kobe's desire to organize and connect the team also became stronger than in the regular season.
He Xi Meng didn't mind Kobe taking some of his ball possession. If he wasn't dribbling, he could switch to Thompson's off-ball mode and still shoot down opponents when opportunities arose!
On this play, He Xi Meng actively pulled to the wing, down to the baseline, creating space for Kobe to isolate.
Kobe made a post-up against Mario Elie, and the Spurs didn't double-team, letting Mario Elie guard him one-on-one. Kobe pulled up for a fadeaway jumper near the free-throw line, successfully helping the Lakers score the first basket of the game!
Turning around, the Spurs advanced and ran a set play. Johnson passed the ball to David Robinson in the low post. David Robinson posted up against O'Neal, feigned a move, and also attempted a fadeaway jumper! David Robinson possessed the fadeaway jumper ability.
But O'Neal seemed prepared, successfully anticipating David Robinson's move, stepped in, leaped high, and swatted Robinson's jumper away!
The Lakers fans in the arena erupted in cheers!
The Lakers fans were quite happy to see David Robinson, who was still nominally the Spurs' leader, get shut down!
But unfortunately, the Lakers fans' joy didn't last for three seconds. It was Duncan again, who, over both O'Neal and David Robinson, completed a deft put-back!
Duncan, utilizing his advantage of a long reach, flicked the ball with his fingertips back towards the basket before either of them could touch it.
The ball rolled on the rim and finally dropped in, with Duncan scoring two more points.
O'Neal, returning empty-handed, glared, while David Robinson happily high-fived Duncan, praising his "younger brother" for a job well done!
While David Robinson was still the nominal leader of the Spurs, in reality, on both ends of the court, Duncan had already replaced David, becoming the Spurs' most important pillar!
Turning around, the Spurs stopped holding back. No longer using David Robinson as a shield, they directly passed the ball to Duncan on the other side of the paint, letting Duncan initiate the offense!
Duncan posted up against JR Reed. JR Reed had strength but couldn't keep up with Duncan's awareness. Duncan faked and turned, throwing off JR Reed's balance, then used an inside step and another fake to completely break JR Reed's stance. He easily drove in and laid the ball up and in!
The reason Duncan was invincible at the power forward position was not only his superior strength and skilled technique but also his incredibly agile footwork! This meant that in terms of both physique and basketball IQ, Duncan was top-tier. He truly had few rivals at the power forward position!
The Spurs' first three possessions all came from Duncan. JR Reed had clearly been outmatched. Lakers head coach Harris, watching from the sidelines, shook his head and immediately initiated a substitution, replacing JR Reed with Horry.
Although Horry didn't have the same weight as JR Reed, at least his footwork, awareness, and agility wouldn't allow Duncan to create such a large gap. More importantly, Horry possessed outside shooting ability!
After the adjustment, it was the Lakers' turn to attack. The Spurs continued to pack the paint, strictly defending O'Neal inside.
He Xi Meng no longer hesitated and directly called for Horry to set a screen. Duncan didn't dare to defend too far out for fear of He Xi Meng throwing a lob into the paint.
Seeing Duncan's position, He Xi Meng feigned a drive to the basket, further compressing Duncan's space. Instead, after a behind-the-back dribble and a sudden stop, he immediately pulled up for a step-back three-pointer!
Even for Duncan, with He Xi Meng creating two steps of separation, it was difficult to contest the shot.
And the Lakers' home court rim was very cooperative. He Xi Meng's first shot of the game was a solid make, and the entire arena erupted in cheers, anticipating the return of the brutal He Xi Meng!
The Spurs' defenses tightened, but their overall strategy didn't change.
On offense, the Spurs continued to play through Duncan. O'Neal stepped up to help, and Duncan passed it inside to David Robinson for a soft floater on the weak side.
On defense, the Spurs still heavily guarded O'Neal, trying to control the game by controlling the paint.
He Xi Meng had long anticipated the Spurs' grand strategy. With the twin towers of Duncan and David Robinson, the Spurs' interior was essentially the strongest in the entire league. Both offensively and defensively, their overall strength was paramount. Especially after the Lakers traded away Campbell and Blount, their interior height and weight were reduced, allowing O'Neal to be unstoppable one-on-one inside, but less effective in double-teams.
To weaken the Spurs' interior, the only way for the current Lakers was to strengthen their outside offense. By hurting the Spurs from the perimeter, they could force the Spurs to expand their defensive range and break the blockade of the twin towers on the Lakers' interior.
Did the Spurs know this principle? Of course, they did. But the Spurs had no other choice. Their advantage was in the paint. Once their defensive line expanded, it would be easy to concede points both inside and out. Rather than being trapped between inside and outside and picked apart by the Lakers, the Spurs preferred to hold their ground inside and gamble on the Lakers' outside shooting!
But unfortunately, in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, the Spurs lost their gamble!
As He Xi Meng had told Duncan before the game, he would show no mercy in this series! Especially on the Lakers' home court, He Xi Meng quickly found his rhythm by shooting, constantly pressuring the Spurs!
Popovich refused to relax the interior defense, so he had to shift defensive strength from the perimeter to double-team and surround He Xi Meng.
The Spurs' early version of the "zone defense" concept thus began to take shape!
The so-called "zone defense" was a strategy where the defending team purposefully drove the offensive team to one side of the court, either left or right, in order to create opportunities for numerical advantages within half-court areas.
Unfortunately, the Spurs at this time were still in the early stages of understanding zone defense. The entire team lacked synchronized cooperation, so the effect was mediocre. Even more fatal was that He Xi Meng's understanding of zone defense was even deeper than Popovich's, let alone the ordinary Spurs players.
As a result, He Xi Meng repeatedly exploited the loopholes in the Spurs' defense, doing the opposite of their direction, moving laterally to break down the Spurs' zone defense, and frequently delivering assists to Kobe, who was open on the weak side!
The Spurs, who had been undefeated all season with their twin towers and zone defense, had finally run into a brick wall in the Lakers! Or rather, they encountered He Xi Meng, a brick wall that significantly reduced their defensive efficiency...