David Robinson defeated O'Neal, helping the Spurs take the lead on the road and gain the opportunity for the opening possession.
He Xi Meng, facing the veteran Harper, dribbled the ball up the court. David Robinson deliberately moved to the high post, wanting to draw O'Neal out of the paint and create space for Duncan in the low post.
As a result, the Lakers remained unmoved. O'Neal immediately called for AC Green to switch onto David Robinson, while O'Neal himself stayed in the low post to guard Duncan. During this exchange, He Xi Meng used David Robinson to shake off Harper's interference. An offensive disconnect appeared between AC Green and O'Neal. He Xi Meng seized the opportunity, drove all the way to the basket, and shot a layup off the glass before O'Neal could get into position, scoring the first points for the Spurs!
The Lakers fans in the arena were caught off guard. The Spurs' first basket actually came from He Xi Meng! Even O'Neal in the paint, his initial reaction was to prepare for a lob pass from He Xi Meng to Duncan behind him, not expecting He Xi Meng to take such a decisive shot!
Kobe, as the Lakers player most familiar with He Xi Meng, immediately sensed something different from He Xi Meng's handling of that play!
"Interesting!" Kobe smiled slightly, took the ball from Harper's hands, crouched down, and used a jab step to single-handedly drive past Mario Elie. After creating space, he drove right, stopped abruptly, changed direction to his left, stopped again, and pulled up for a fadeaway jump shot from mid-range... Mario Elie defended with great effort, his footwork generally keeping pace with Kobe's rhythm, but he was ultimately unable to contest Kobe's final shot!
The ball swished through the net, and Kobe answered for the Lakers, matching the Spurs' score! This basket could also be seen as a response to He Xi Meng.
On the Spurs' second possession, He Xi Meng again called for David Robinson's high post screen. This time, the Lakers' defense was clean, denying He Xi Meng a direct drive to the basket. The mismatch guarding He Xi Meng was AC Green!
Facing AC Green, He Xi Meng faked a drive, compressing AC Green's stance, then stepped back to the three-point line and suddenly pulled up for a three-pointer over AC Green's defense!
He Xi Meng shot this one with extreme decisiveness! It was a far cry from his usual style, which focused on passing. Therefore, both AC Green and the Lakers fans in the arena were quite surprised. Even more surprising was that He Xi Meng's shot found its mark. Two for two from the field to start the game, He Xi Meng had directly scored 5 points, giving the Spurs a strong opening!
On the Lakers' second possession, Kobe wanted to continue his offensive streak, but O'Neal positioned himself at the edge of the paint and signaled for the ball. Kobe hesitated for a moment before handing the ball to O'Neal. O'Neal posted up David Robinson, trying to drive to the Spurs' basket, but David Robinson defended fiercely, and Duncan immediately double-teamed, trying to force O'Neal to pass.
Perhaps a little provoked by He Xi Meng, O'Neal was also very determined this time. Shrugging off the interference from the Spurs' twin towers, he turned and hooked the ball into the basket.
On the Spurs' side, He Xi Meng was handling it himself. On the Lakers' side, the OK duo teamed up for a counter-attack.
On the third possession for both teams, He Xi Meng initially wanted to be a bit more low-key and let Duncan have a scoring opportunity. Unexpectedly, after the rookie wearing #21 got the ball, instead of posting up, he "stared intently" at He Xi Meng... seemingly giving He Xi Meng a signal...
That signal was too subtle! Fortunately, He Xi Meng and Duncan had been playing together for a long time. If it had been a newcomer like Ginobili or Parker, He Xi Meng was sure they wouldn't have picked up on Duncan's hint!
With Duncan continuously signaling, He Xi Meng moved to the weak side and called for a no-ball screen from Jaron Jackson on the wing...
This game, starting small forward Chucky Brown was injured and unable to play, so Jaron Jackson took his place.
Harper was blocked by Jaron Jackson and immediately called for Glen Rice to switch. But Glen Rice was a step too late. As soon as He Xi Meng shook off Harper, Duncan passed him the ball! He Xi Meng, at the right-wing baseline, received the pass and shot over the diving Glen Rice...
Glen Rice stretched out his fingertips, trying to contest He Xi Meng's shot, but He Xi Meng had adjusted the arc of his shot very high... Glen Rice could only watch as the ball sailed over his fingertips and, once again, landed perfectly in the basket!
"Wow..." The Lakers fans in the arena let out a gasp! They clearly hadn't expected He Xi Meng to be so explosive in this game. In the first three possessions, He Xi Meng was three for three, scoring 8 points, clearly showing signs of a breakout performance!
What to do? Who can stop He Xi Meng?
Kobe stepped up without hesitation, proactively requesting a mismatch against Harper.
However, before initiating the mismatch defense, Kobe first took the ball from Harper, drove hard past Mario Elie, then stopped abruptly for a jump shot, but unfortunately, Kobe's shot hit the rim and bounced out!
David Robinson held off O'Neal and secured the defensive rebound. He intended to pass the ball quickly to He Xi Meng for a fast break.
Suddenly, Kobe burst from behind He Xi Meng and stole the ball! After the steal, Kobe took a step and attempted a two-handed dunk!
He Xi Meng, having the ball stolen by Kobe, couldn't let it go unanswered! He lunged forward and poked the ball out of Kobe's hands and over the baseline, causing Kobe to dunk air...
Although the ball possession remained with the Lakers, Kobe's potential two points had vanished.
Angered, Kobe couldn't help but punch the air. He Xi Meng patted his backside, signaling him to calm down.
"Calm down! But wasn't it you who stole the ball from me first?"
"I don't care! Anyway, next time, I won't let you get away with it again..."
"Shouldn't the same words be coming from me to you?"
"You can try again?"
...
The Lakers inbounded the ball from under the baseline. O'Neal and Kobe were tightly guarded by the Spurs. Harper reluctantly passed the ball to AC Green, who then passed it to Glen Rice. Glen Rice drove to the basket against Jaron Jackson, trying to attack the Spurs' rim, but was met with aggressive help defense from Duncan, almost getting his shot blocked... In the end, Glen Rice opted for a floater, forcing it past Duncan's outstretched hand, but the ball grazed the rim and bounced out, missing the mark!
Duncan turned and grabbed the rebound. Learning from the experience, he waited until the Lakers had retreated on defense before passing the ball to He Xi Meng, avoiding a potential turnover from a Lakers steal.
The Spurs, as a team, generally did not favor fast breaks. Their core building block was their twin towers in the paint, so they preferred to play in the half-court set and were more accustomed to it.