As He Xi Meng successfully drew the attention of the Suns' defense to himself and Brad Miller, He Xi Meng changed direction, not passing to the rolling Brad Miller, but to Ginobili on the other side!
After receiving the ball, Ginobili immediately faked a shot...
Rodney Rogers had been feeling quite frustrated lately! This regular rotation time was supposed to be his moment to shine.
Instead, the Spurs had unearthed this long-haired, eccentric young man from somewhere. He first stole a ball from him, then scored 5 points in front of him, completely embarrassing him. When he tried to retaliate with a slam dunk, he was unfortunately blocked by Brad Miller, proving that it never rains but it pours...
Even more critically, due to his string of turnovers, the coach on the sideline switched to a 3-guard offense, directly stripping Rodney Rogers of his ball-handling and shooting privileges... Visibly dejected, Rodney Rogers saw Ginobili preparing to shoot a three-pointer again. Rage surged through him, and he sprinted over, leaping high, determined to block Ginobili's shot...
Unexpectedly, the seemingly rash Ginobili was actually a cunning fox full of feints. As Rodney Rogers leaped, he retracted the ball, faked out Rodney Rogers, and drove to the basket for a second penetration, heading straight for the Suns' interior!
Clifford Robinson, inside the paint, came to double-team, attempting to use his height advantage to disrupt Ginobili's shot. Ginobili, with a somewhat immature serpentine move, successfully faked out Clifford Robinson and then scored with a layup!
Seeing Ginobili score seven consecutive points, the Suns' coach, Angie, could no longer hold back and called a timeout. He intended to adjust the lineup and bring in the starters early.
Rodney Rogers would likely not see any more playing time in this game.
After the Suns called their timeout, Ginobili, having scored seven straight points, could no longer contain his joy. After high-fiving He Xi Meng, he still took the time to pump his fist in encouragement, a brilliant smile plastered across his face.
Head coach Popovich also gave him a warm smile as Ginobili returned to the bench, giving preliminary approval of his performance on the court: "Well done, Manu!"
The Spurs' other two main stars, David Robinson and Duncan, also stood up to applaud Ginobili.
David Robinson extended his fist for a bump with the approaching Ginobili.
Duncan, with his large hand, ruffled Ginobili's long hair vigorously as a show of encouragement.
He Xi Meng, standing behind Ginobili, had originally wanted to remind him, "Careful of Tim's claws..."
But unfortunately, it was too late!
Seeing that Ginobili didn't seem to mind, coupled with Duncan's subtle threatening gaze, He Xi Meng wisely chose to remain silent!
"Better a dead comrade than a living one... Old Man Popovich has long disliked that lovely head of hair... Don't blame me for not warning you soon enough..."
He Xi Meng silently offered a prayer for Ginobili in his heart. Ah, indeed, his sense of guilt immediately lessened considerably.
After the timeout, the Suns fielded their three starting guards again: Hardaway, Marion, and Kidd.
On the Spurs' side, Popovich brought back their twin towers in the paint, David Robinson and Duncan. On the perimeter, Mario Elie was benched, and Ginobili replaced him, continuing to partner with He Xi Meng.
"Young man, you played well just now!" Hardaway provocatively said to Ginobili's single coverage as he came onto the court.
Facing Hardaway, Ginobili was actually a bit nervous. After all, in terms of fame, the current Hardaway far surpassed the current Duncan, and was even more popular with fans than David Robinson.
For Ginobili, a rookie just entering the league, receiving a "provocation" from Hardaway was not an insult, but an honor!
However, the demon blade was still the demon blade. Beneath a slight nervousness, Ginobili felt more of a surging excitement and a desire to duel with Hardaway!
Ginobili had initially thought that with the current lineup on the court, it wouldn't be his turn to shine. But in reality, the reason He Xi Meng had repeatedly suggested to Popovich to put him on the court was not just for him to tangle with Rodney Rogers! What He Xi Meng wanted him to do was to confront Hardaway!
The reason was that He Xi Meng couldn't handle Kidd and Hardaway alone and needed Ginobili's help to break through the Suns' backcourt blockade on him.
Therefore, on the first play after the timeout, Hardaway drove past Ginobili for a layup.
Turning around, He Xi Meng unhesitatingly passed the ball to Ginobili, telling him to respond with a score.
Hardaway expected Ginobili to be hesitant against him. Unexpectedly, Ginobili was bold. As soon as He Xi Meng told him to attack, he drove with the ball without hesitation, using a sideways cut, a sudden stop fake, and a turnaround hook shot...
With a set of agile and peculiar moves, Ginobili successfully faked out Hardaway and simultaneously sent the ball into the basket.
Every move Ginobili made was not perfectly textbook, but when strung together, they flowed as smoothly as water...
Hardaway suddenly realized that the long-haired young man in front of him was perhaps not to be trifled with.
On the Suns' next possession, Kidd first called for a screen from Marion, then passed back after creating a mismatch. Marion received the ball and drove hard, attempting to use his height and weight advantage to overpower He Xi Meng. However, he failed to notice Ginobili, who had appeared from nowhere, and poked the ball gently from behind Marion...
Before Marion could react, the ball had already flown into the hands of David Robinson in the paint.
The Admiral happily received the ball!
He Xi Meng immediately took the ball from David Robinson and intended to go on a fast break.
Kidd naturally wouldn't let He Xi Meng have his way, intercepting him near half-court, trying to force a turnover from He Xi Meng.
He Xi Meng threw a bounce pass to the streaking Ginobili, letting him go one-on-one against Hardaway.
Ginobili did not disappoint. Without slowing down, he changed direction and cut into the Suns' paint, sticking close to Hardaway. He had intended to complete a layup but saw Hardaway flying in from behind. Ginobili adjusted his body in mid-air, switching the ball from his left hand to his right for a very awkward, contorted layup.
After the shot, Ginobili even lost his balance due to his own maneuver and fell to the ground...
Despite the awkwardness, the ball still found its way steadily into the basket!
The key was that the ball went in, and the whistle blew!