Despite Hardaway's explanations to the referee that he hadn't fouled and that Ginobili had lost his balance in the air, causing him to fall, either due to the angle or because the referee still believed Hardaway's aerial contact with Ginobili was the primary reason for the loss of balance...
Ginobili stepped to the free-throw line and calmly made the extra shot!
Ginobili completed a three-point play, reaching 12 points in the quarter! He also had 2 crucial steals.
Ginobili's defense wasn't particularly outstanding, but he always managed to create unexpected fast-break opportunities for the Spurs.
It was precisely Ginobili's ability to create unexpected moments that He Xi Meng valued, which led him to strongly recommend Popovich promote him from the third lineup to break the Spurs' current unfavorable situation...
Judging by the results, He Xi Meng had likely won this gamble!
With the fourth quarter not yet halfway through, the Spurs, led by Ginobili, had gone on a 12:4 scoring run, successfully narrowing the deficit to just 1 point!
The lead the Suns had painstakingly built over three quarters, point by point, was erased in an instant by Ginobili's surge!
The Suns fans in the arena looked bewildered, exchanging glances and asking each other.
"Who is that Spurs number 20?"
"Who is Ginobili?"
...
Ginobili's sudden rise also disrupted the Suns' game plan. Angie was forced to adjust his defensive strategy on the fly, diverting limited defensive resources to contain this Ginobili who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere...
He Xi Meng, of course, wouldn't miss such a good opportunity!
Ginobili was originally the knife He Xi Meng had deployed, the vanguard to break open the Suns' defensive line!
Now that Ginobili had successfully fulfilled his mission, forcing the Suns to adjust their defensive strategy, He Xi Meng would naturally strike while the iron was hot, utilizing the distraction Ginobili created to open up his own three-point shooting again!
When both Ginobili's drives and He Xi Meng's three-pointers were hot, it was difficult to contend with, even for a backcourt pairing like Kidd and Hardaway!
Add to that the fact that Duncan and David Robinson, though not having a significant impact in the first three quarters, were not merely decoys!
As Ginobili and He Xi Meng battled fiercely with the Suns' backcourt duo, locked in a close contest, Duncan's alley-oop dunks and David Robinson's post-up fadeaway jumpers became the final nails in the Suns' coffin!
In the end, Hardaway led the Suns with 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Kidd had 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists. Marion contributed 12 points and 9 rebounds. The three of them had contained the Spurs for three quarters, only to be reversed and defeated in the final quarter by the Spurs!
He Xi Meng had a team-high 22 points, 12 assists, and 5 rebounds for the Spurs, but the true hero of the Spurs' victory was Ginobili!
Ginobili only played 12 minutes in the final quarter, yet he scored 15 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, dished out 1 assist, and had 3 steals!
If you considered the ratio of minutes played to points scored, Ginobili's scoring efficiency was absolutely remarkable!
Ultimately, with the "twin towers" having a relatively quiet game, Ginobili's unexpected emergence helped He Xi Meng withstand the onslaught from the Suns' backcourt duo and made a significant contribution to the final comeback victory!
In desperate moments, look to the "demon blade"!
Although this game couldn't be called a desperate situation, Ginobili had indeed displayed his "uncanny" qualities!
It was after this game that Ginobili truly entered Popovich's sights. Popovich had previously felt that Ginobili still needed refinement and experience, but now it seemed Popovich had been too conservative... He thought he had a grasp of Ginobili's potential, but in reality, he had underestimated Ginobili's uniqueness...
After concluding this four-game road trip, the Spurs returned to San Antonio with a six-game winning streak, enjoying two days of rest before hosting the Indiana Pacers at home!
If the Spurs' twin towers were still struggling as they had during the four-game road trip, the Pacers would have had a good chance of defeating the Spurs!
After all, in the current Pacers lineup, Miller hadn't completely faded, and Jalen Rose had developed!
With the veteran point guard Mark Jackson orchestrating the offense, supported by center Rik Smits and Dale Davis in the paint, and with reserves like Al Harrington and Ron Artest on the bench, the Pacers had considerable roster depth!
But unfortunately, after a few sluggish games, David Robinson finally found his touch, achieving a long-awaited double-double of 20+10!
As for Duncan, it was simply the fatigue from consecutive road games. After a simple rest at home, he immediately returned to his 20+10 form!
David Robinson had 22 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 4 blocks. Duncan had 22 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block. Coupled with He Xi Meng's 21 points, 10 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals...
With the Spurs' core trio all performing, the Pacers' abundance of scoring options was in vain...
In the end, the Indiana Pacers, who had arrived with high spirits, returned defeated.
Following the Pacers, the next challengers to San Antonio were their good friends, the Charlotte Hornets!
That summer, the Spurs had traded with the Hornets, sending "The General" Johnson to Charlotte in exchange for a future first-round pick and backup center Brad Miller, in order to make room for He Xi Meng.
The Hornets had assembled a starting lineup of Eddie Jones, "The General" Johnson, Anthony Mason, David Wesley, and Muggsy Bogues, with rookie Baron Davis on the bench! Davis was a player the Hornets had selected with the 3rd overall pick in that year's draft...
The Hornets' overall strength had likely improved compared to previous seasons, but against a fully-staffed Spurs team, they were still outmatched.
The Spurs' three core members easily achieved double-doubles: Duncan had 22 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 blocks; He Xi Meng had 18 points, 13 assists, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals; David Robinson had 16 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 blocks...
In addition, Malik Rose contributed 14 points and 7 rebounds today, and Brad Miller had 10 points and 5 rebounds.
Ginobili's playing time had increased in the last few games. However, in the previous game against the Pacers, Ginobili went 0-for-4 with 0 points and 3 turnovers after coming off the bench! Popovich, who had high hopes for him, could only frown from the sidelines.
In this game, Ginobili again received about 10 minutes of playing time, and the result was 3-for-3 shooting, scoring 8 points, 1 rebound, and 0 turnovers.
After several games, Ginobili's performance had left Popovich bewildered! Was this Argentine kid good or not? Was he worth developing or not?
In fact, Ginobili at this stage was inconsistent, performing brilliantly in one game and poorly in the next. Even he himself probably didn't know whether he would play well or poorly in the next game...