O'Neal was half a beat slow and reached out to pull Duncan back, but Duncan pushed him away with force.
O'Neal's attempt to pull him back failed. To prevent Duncan from getting a direct put-back, he forcefully pulled Duncan down the moment Duncan jumped.
The referee's whistle blew. O'Neal knew he was in the wrong and didn't bother arguing with the referee.
Duncan stepped onto the free-throw line with a blank expression. Amidst the roaring cheers of the Lakers fans, his first free throw bounced a few times before awkwardly finding the basket.
For his second free throw, Duncan tried to adjust his touch, but the ball still bounced off the rim. Fortunately, he got lucky, and it finally dropped into the basket as it fell.
On the sideline, Popovich couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat from his brow. Meanwhile, Spurs fans in front of their televisions all took a deep breath, anticipating the showdown in the final half-minute.
After Duncan made both free throws, the score was tied once again.
With only half a minute left in the game, the Lakers had the final possession.
Since the score was tied, there was no question of who had the advantage. Head coach Harris still wanted He Xi Meng to find a way to get the ball to O'Neal. Even though it was obvious that the Spurs would foul O'Neal without hesitation once he received the ball, O'Neal's scoring success rate in the paint was still the highest.
He Xi Meng did not dismiss Harris's plan, but he refused to pass directly to O'Neal. Instead, he called for a high screen from Horry, drawing Duncan up to the high post!
Duncan dared not refuse! Because if Duncan didn't come, He Xi Meng was prepared to shoot a three-pointer directly, without any hesitation.
As expected, at such a crucial moment, Duncan dared not leave He Xi Meng open. After creating a mismatch against Duncan, He Xi Meng then passed the ball to O'Neal inside!
O'Neal held the ball, preparing for a post-up against David Robinson. At the same time He Xi Meng passed the ball, Duncan shrunk to the paint to help David Robinson double-team O'Neal.
At this point, O'Neal had not yet driven to the basket. Although there was an opportunity to shoot, it was a relatively distant floater... O'Neal, troubled by his free throws today, wasn't as confident. So, just before collecting the ball, O'Neal saw He Xi Meng quickly retreating to the right corner...
Even though Harris's plan was for O'Neal to take the shot himself in the crucial moment, even if the Spurs fouled him, he would at least get free throws.
But by some strange impulse, O'Neal chose to pass!
Yes, in that instant, O'Neal had a strong premonition: passing to He Xi Meng was the right move!
For He Xi Meng, this offensive play was a subconscious move to the position where he was most needed.
As for whether O'Neal would pass, He Xi Meng didn't have much hope. If his teammate were Duncan at this moment, He Xi Meng would have had a seventy percent chance of Duncan seeing his position and passing him the ball.
But to He Xi Meng's surprise, O'Neal passed! O'Neal not only saw his position but also chose to pass!
This made He Xi Meng quite surprised, even a little flattered. However, this small excitement in his heart did not affect He Xi Meng's actions. He caught the ball and shot. Before Mario Elie, who was scrambling to defend, could reach him, He Xi Meng smoothly released the ball! The basketball traced a beautiful arc and precisely hit the rim!
With just 9 seconds left in the game, He Xi Meng successfully made a game-winning three-pointer, pushing the Spurs to the brink of defeat!
Popovich now faced a difficult choice: go for two points or three?
If they went for two, the Spurs would need to score quickly, foul immediately, send a Lakers player to the free-throw line, and then mount another offense.
If they went for three, the Spurs needed to shoot as soon as possible to leave themselves some room for maneuver. The biggest question with going for three was who would take the shot? Was it Johnson? Or Jalen Jackson, who had a hot hand today?
After a quick decision, Popovich still decided to go for two points. Compared to Johnson and Jalen Jackson on the perimeter, Popovich clearly trusted Duncan and David Robinson more in the paint.
However, after the timeout, Duncan, aiming for a quick two points, took a familiar fadeaway jumper from the low post that clanked out. David Robinson grabbed the offensive rebound and stopped abruptly for a follow-up shot, but it still missed...
In the end, this intense Game 5 battle concluded with the Lakers narrowly winning by 3 points!
Neither Duncan nor O'Neal became the decisive player in this game. The player who secured the victory for the Lakers was He Xi Meng's three-pointer from the right corner with 9 seconds left in the game!
With a 3-2 lead, the Lakers successfully took the match point to advance to the NBA Finals.
In Game 6, back on their home court, the Spurs were cornered. They once again resorted to the brutal "Hack-a-Shaq" tactic against O'Neal, which greatly angered him, leaving him with little recourse. In the final quarter, taking advantage of the twin towers' fatigue, O'Neal attempted to go on a rampage, but during a powerful two-handed dunk, he pulled a hip flexor muscle...
O'Neal hobbled off the court, clutching his backside with a look of frustration.
He Xi Meng's worst fear had come true.
At this moment, with only 3 minutes left in Game 6, the score on the board was 103-100. The Lakers held a slim 3-point lead, and the outcome was still uncertain.
Even more critically, with O'Neal out due to injury, who would replace him?
In the previous few games, O'Neal's playing time was around 42 minutes. In the 6 minutes O'Neal was off the court, Coach Harris had used a small lineup of two power forwards, Luckus and JR Rider.
During the rotation, the Spurs either had David Robinson as the sole big man or Duncan as the sole big man. Therefore, the Lakers' interior pressure wasn't that significant.
But things were different now. In the final 3 minutes of the game, both David Robinson and Duncan were staring intently from the sidelines!
Popovich was roaring at his players on the Spurs' bench, feeding them encouragement, urging them to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and reverse the game to defeat the Lakers!
Meanwhile, Harris was still deliberating, whether to pair JR Rider with Horry, or Luckus with Horry.
Finally, it was He Xi Meng who advised Harris: "Let Knight play!"
Knight's skills were average, but at 2.13 meters tall, he was a pure center. While he would be at a disadvantage against David Robinson or Duncan, the height difference wouldn't be too significant, and the disadvantage shouldn't be too large.
On the other hand, JR Rider and Luckus were similar in skill to Knight, but they were about 7 centimeters shorter. Compared to David Robinson and Duncan, they were even 10 centimeters shorter! Their skills were already not on the same level, and with the added height disadvantage, the paint could easily collapse...