There was no choice, Manu's snake-like breakthrough was too unconventional! It not only demanded extremely high core strength and flexibility from players but also tested their balance to the limit! Anyone with slightly weaker balance could easily trip over their own feet during the crossover, falling flat on their face…
He Xi Meng had studied Ginobili's move countless times during regular training, but in actual combat, due to its high difficulty and risk of injury, He Xi Meng rarely chose this move!
If it weren't for this play, with O'Neal and Kobe simultaneously closing in from both sides to block, He Xi Meng wouldn't have been forced to use this "inhuman" maneuver…
Unstoppable from three-point range, unstoppable on drives. He Xi Meng's red-hot form today had the entire Lakers team shaking their heads.
By halftime, the Spurs had once again gained a 5-point lead. He Xi Meng, with his drives and shots, had already scored 23 points in the first half, essentially matching his usual full-game scoring output.
During the halftime break, the Lakers coaching staff urgently deliberated on how to contain He Xi Meng in the second half.
When facing opponents with potent scorers previously, the most common adjustment was to double-team. If one-on-one wasn't working, then two-on-one!
Against some extreme interior players, like the inside force O'Neal, some teams didn't even mind going all out with a three-on-one, just to prevent O'Neal from destroying their basket…
But the Spurs were truly different from most teams in the league.
Looking at Duncan and David Robinson inside, no Lakers assistant coach dared to suggest double-teaming He Xi Meng on the perimeter to Coach Harris… Because prior to this season, those two giants inside alone could have made the Lakers fight for their lives!
If the Lakers piled all their defensive strength on the perimeter, leaving O'Neal to face the Twin Towers alone… it was likely that Shaq would be toyed to death by the duo…
After much consideration, Harris decided to stick to the overall defensive strategy! The interior defense absolutely could not be compromised. On the perimeter… they would let Harper and Kobe take turns harassing He Xi Meng. Even if He Xi Meng was truly going to explode today… so be it…
It was still slightly better than letting the Twin Towers explode and take down O'Neal, right?
But was He Xi Meng's explosion truly more acceptable to the Lakers than the Twin Towers' explosion?
In the second half, the Lakers maintained their overall strategy, with the defense still primarily focused on protecting the paint. He Xi Meng was still defended one-on-one, with Harper starting. When Harper couldn't contain him and tried to use fouls to disrupt He Xi Meng's shots, He Xi Meng responded with a 3-point play and a 2-point play. Harris quickly switched Kobe onto He Xi Meng!
Kobe's defense was cleaner than Harper's, but less effective. With no other option, Kobe could only try to counter with offense, using attack as defense…
He Xi Meng makes a shot, Kobe answers with a shot!
Kobe answers with a shot, He Xi Meng makes another!
…
Kobe couldn't contain He Xi Meng, nor could he force He Xi Meng back. Instead, he ended up igniting He Xi Meng's full shooting touch!
The result was that Kobe started missing, while He Xi Meng continued to make shots…
He Xi Meng's scoring for the game soared from 30 points to 40, and then from 40 to 50!
On the Spurs' side, Duncan and David Robinson were also very cooperative, happy to let He Xi Meng go on a rampage on the Lakers' home court!
Coach Popovich also stopped emphasizing the idea that "individually high scoring is detrimental to team unity." Instead, he encouraged He Xi Meng to "shoot boldly and destroy the Lakers…"
Under the Lakers' "unintentional indulgence" and the Spurs' "intentional indulgence," He Xi Meng unconsciously scored 50 points!
50 points in a single game! He Xi Meng directly broke his personal career-high scoring record and also set the record for the highest single-game scoring in the league this season! Before this game, the record for the highest single-game score this season was Iverson's 46 points, achieved on November 10th when Iverson scored against the Timberwolves.
This was also He Xi Meng's first 50-point game of his career!
In fact, before the game started, He Xi Meng hadn't expected his shooting touch to be so explosive in this game!
In the original plan, He Xi Meng had only aimed to score 30 points! On the Spurs, a single-game 30 points was already considered a solid team-high.
Even though, as he got hotter, He Xi Meng himself couldn't stop shooting, making three-pointers one after another. In the end, he not only achieved a personal career-high but likely also the highest single-game score for the entire Spurs team this season!
Because in games that had concluded earlier, the highest single-game score for the Spurs was Duncan's 36 points! Yes, just 36 points, not even reaching 40…
109:99, led by the explosive He Xi Meng, the Spurs successfully won this season's Christmas Day game!
Chinese media had been hyping up the "China Derby," but He Xi Meng's 50-point performance instantly thrilled Chinese fans, making them forget that Da Zhi was also in this game…
Da Zhi's performance today was actually good. He shot 4-of-6 from the field, including 3-of-4 from three-point range, and made 2-of-2 free throws, scoring 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist.
Unfortunately, He Xi Meng was simply too brilliant today!
Under the halo of his 50-point game, Kobe's 35 points and O'Neal's 28 points seemed lackluster, let alone Da Zhi's 12 points…
At the post-game press conference, both the Lakers and the Spurs showered He Xi Meng with praise.
"I know He Xi Meng's ability. We fought side-by-side for more than three years, and he has this scoring ability. He just doesn't like to score much…" Kobe said at the press conference.
"Yes, the He Xi Meng I know doesn't really like to score… how to put it, he prefers to facilitate the team and lead them to victory… He once believed that scoring would distract him, preventing him from controlling the flow of the game… I've refuted this point countless times… So today, I just want to ask Xi Meng, brother, do you still think scoring affects your control of the game?"
Compared to Kobe's calm analysis, O'Neal was his usual emotional and humorous self!
"I was deceived! Xi Meng deceived me for three years! He always told me he wasn't good at scoring, so he made me take on more scoring responsibilities! Under his deception, I had to defend, rebound, and score… In fact, you all saw it, he scored 50 points over my head! 50! Can anyone tell me how many 50-point games I've had? I've been in this league for almost 8 seasons and only had one, at most two, 50-point games! But Xi Meng always praised me for being good at scoring, and now I feel like he was mocking me… Xi Meng, I need a reasonable explanation from you…"