As a defensive adjustment, Suns coach Ainge only put out one starting player, Kidd, to contain He Xi Meng. The other four positions were filled with second-string players.
Although the Spurs had brought out Ginobili, a new face, Ginobili was completely unknown at this time and didn't catch Ainge's attention at all.
Ainge had thought that this long-haired kid was just a low-ranking rookie the Spurs had drafted this year, and that Popovich was giving up this game to let the rookies gain experience. He was even a little pleased, thinking the Suns had this game in the bag.
As it turned out, before Ginobili took the court, He Xi Meng pulled him aside, analyzed the situation on the court, and finally exhorted Ginobili: "Perform well, be brave, be yourself..."
Encouraged by He Xi Meng, Ginobili let loose as soon as he stepped onto the court!
His first matchup against Rodney Rogers was a super aggressive, diving steal that made Popovich on the sidelines frown! Fortunately, it worked. Ginobili successfully stole the ball from a still-unreacting Rogers and then broke away, finishing with a "Jordan-esque" stylish one-handed dunk for his first point of the game!
After the dunk, Ginobili, exhilarated, ran a hand through his flowing long hair and high-fived He Xi Meng, who had caught up. He was in high spirits!
"Well done, Manu! Unleash your passion..." As they high-fived, He Xi Meng didn't forget to fan the flames, pouring another bowl of rich chicken soup for the future "Argentine Flyer" to further ignite his passion within the limited time.
The Suns fans in the arena were confused and asked each other, "Who is that long-haired young man in the Spurs' number 20 jersey? What's his name?"
It had to be admitted that Ginobili's dunk was spectacular. But the steal before the dunk was also incredibly risky!
In Ainge's eyes, Ginobili's defensive style was too risky, too immature, and too unreliable! It didn't reflect overall defensive effectiveness and could easily make him a defensive sieve. Within the Suns, such a defensive attitude would generally be considered "needing coaching" and would more likely lead to sitting on the bench than playing time.
Therefore, Ainge remained confident. He didn't believe that such a Ginobili would pose a threat to the Suns. He expected Ginobili to make mistakes in his subsequent defensive efforts.
As expected, on the next offensive possession, Kidd called for Rodney Rogers to set a high pick-and-roll. He then isolated Ginobili, baiting him into an aggressive steal attempt. After Ginobili lunged, Kidd spun, blew past him, and easily drove into the Spurs' paint!
Fortunately, He Xi Meng had anticipated Kidd's intention. He had already abandoned Rodney Rogers, dropped back, and covered behind Ginobili, preventing Kidd from a clear drive to the basket.
Kidd then passed back to the now-open Rodney Rogers. As Rogers caught the ball and prepared to shoot, Ginobili, who was retreating, lunged to try and block him from the wing. However, Rogers faked, didn't shoot directly, instead drawing Ginobili into the air before calmly dribbling and driving again.
Twice in a row, Ginobili had made aggressive mistakes on defense.
Popovich on the sideline couldn't help but frown, but He Xi Meng on the court seemed to have anticipated Ginobili's performance. He immediately called for Brad Miller to slide over and cover Ginobili's defensive lapse!
Rodney Rogers, perhaps because he had gotten past Ginobili so easily, and because Brad Miller seemed just as easy to deal with as Ginobili, accelerated and tried to go for a powerful dunk over him! Little did he know, while Brad Miller might have looked easy to handle, he was not!
Rogers' dunk attempt was firmly swatted by Brad Miller's large hands, sending him and the ball down.
The referee's whistle did not blow. Rodney Rogers' standing in the league wasn't high enough.
He Xi Meng immediately grabbed the loose ball and initiated a fast break. Kidd knew He Xi Meng liked to shoot catch-and-shoot threes, so he immediately stuck to him, not touching him, but using his body to force He Xi Meng towards the sideline.
He Xi Meng didn't back down. He stopped, dribbled behind his back, switched to his left hand, and then accelerated for a drive.
Kidd again moved to his side, sticking close to He Xi Meng, disrupting his path to the basket.
In fact, He Xi Meng knew that it would be difficult for him to score on a fast break against Kidd's defense. His entanglement with Kidd was actually a show for the Suns, designed to draw their attention to himself.
In reality, on the left sideline, Ginobili was moving quickly. He used a sudden stop and reverse cut to get open for a catch-and-shoot opportunity beyond the three-point line on the left. Ginobili's movement was always unpredictable; even his teammates would have trouble tracking his trajectory if they weren't paying close attention.
Fortunately, He Xi Meng had been focused on Ginobili for a while and was paying close attention to his movements. So, as soon as Ginobili was in position, He Xi Meng passed him the ball without hesitation!
To ensure a quick release and avoid Rodney Rogers' close-out, Ginobili shot the three-pointer without any adjustment, with a form that outsiders would consider highly unconventional. To everyone's surprise, this shot, once again defying the expectations of all the Suns fans on the court, found the bottom of the net precisely!
After scoring five consecutive points, Ainge on the sideline began to frown, but he didn't make a substitution. Instead, he loudly instructed Kidd to run play number 3.
The Spurs were unaware of the Suns' "play number 3." However, based on their subsequent offensive choices, it seemed to be a variation of a high-low offense. Power forward Clifford Robinson, recently recovered from injury, and point guard Kidd executed a series of pass-and-cuts, culminating in a precise pass from Kidd that assisted Clifford Robinson on a layup in the paint!
The biggest advantage of having a point guard of Kidd's caliber is the ability to instantly grasp the coach's intentions and make adjustments on the court. Sometimes, before the coach even realizes it, Kidd has already taken the initiative to make changes with his teammates to adapt to the rhythm of the opponent's play.
As it happened, He Xi Meng, after three seasons of refinement with the Lakers, had developed a unified body and mind, and had become a quasi-top-tier point guard capable of competing with Kidd in the league.
Facing the Suns' tactical shift, He Xi Meng feigned a tactical change as well. He didn't look for Ginobili but called for a high pick-and-roll from Brad Miller. High-low offense? Who couldn't do that?