However, before that, the Jazz needed to complete their own offense.
In this possession, Stockton still chose to cooperate with Malone, but because He Xi Meng was defending from behind, he didn't give Stockton a chance to attack the basket again. Stockton immediately changed his plan, passing the ball to Malone after he had rolled out. Unexpectedly, the cooperation between Duncan and He Xi Meng on the Spurs side was also very tacit.
After He Xi Meng went behind, Duncan had predicted that Stockton would connect with Malone, so he moved in advance and attacked precisely, intercepting the pass Stockton originally intended for Malone!
Duncan, having stolen the ball, didn't try to push forward aggressively. Instead, he immediately handed the ball to He Xi Meng. He Xi Meng caught the ball and spun around, getting past Stockton, who lunged to steal it back. Then, He Xi Meng picked up speed and drove past half-court, chasing the retreating Jazz defense!
Just as everyone thought He Xi Meng was going to charge alone and challenge Malone, He Xi Meng pulled the ball to the right side of the court, seemingly preparing to end the offensive possession with a mid-range jump shot...
The retreating Jazz players didn't have time to think too much. They rushed towards He Xi Meng's position instinctively. He Xi Meng, after drawing the attention of the Jazz, pulled back the ball and passed it on the bounce to Duncan, who was following in the middle!
Duncan caught the ball and took three steps, launching into the air. He completely ignored Malone, who was rotating back to the basket to attempt a block, and unleashed an exceptionally brutal two-handed slam over him...
When the flying demon took flight, it didn't matter if you were "The Mailman" or "The Hammer," you were all going to be slammed beneath him!
Malone failed to block and was almost knocked over by the force of Duncan's slam. He stumbled to the basket and, using the rim for support, finally stabilized himself.
Malone's disheveled state upon landing made Duncan's dunk even more ferocious!
The Spurs fans in the arena were immediately ignited, and they began to chant Duncan's name in unison, cheering for the brutal Duncan.
When healthy, even with his understated style, Duncan was very watchable! That cool, no-nonsense aerial slam right over your head, leaving you with no recourse... Even He Xi Meng, who passed the ball, felt exhilarated!
The Spurs' morale began to rise, but the Jazz side showed no signs of panic. After all, they had seen it all before, and a dunk from Duncan wouldn't scare the iron-blooded Salt Lake City.
Stockton advanced past half-court and continued his pick-and-roll with Malone. After a sideway drive, Stockton neither shot himself nor passed back to Malone in the middle. Instead, he faked a shot and passed to Hornacek on the wing outside the three-point line.
Hornacek caught the ball and faked, trying to get Elliott to bite. Elliott wasn't a rookie and didn't jump easily. Unable to get a clean look for a three-pointer, Hornacek immediately changed his strategy. Seizing the opportunity when Elliott's momentum was forward, he dribbled forward two steps. Elliott twisted and chased him, and Hornacek smoothly executed a pull-up jump shot...
This shot was perfect in terms of rhythm. But the final result was less than satisfactory. The ball missed and bounced off the rim. A scramble ensued under the basket, and Polynes managed to grab the ball in the melee. He faked on the spot, attempting a put-back. Polynice thought he had paid enough attention to the twin towers, but he still underestimated their power! Polynice successfully faked out David Robinson's block, but he couldn't evade Duncan's block!
When the Spurs' twin towers attempt to block at the basket, they rarely jump at the same time. They will tacitly stagger their take-offs. The defender facing head-on jumps first, often just as a decoy, luring the opponent into thinking their fake was successful and they can shoot. In reality, the true defender is the one providing help from the side or rear!
Polynice had previously played as a reserve for the Jazz and hadn't faced the twin towers directly many times. Therefore, he was momentarily caught off guard and received a solid block from Duncan from the side and rear.
As Duncan executed the block, David Robinson, who landed first, turned and jumped to secure the rebound. The two worked in tandem, their coordination exceptionally tacit.
On this play, the Jazz retreated very quickly. He Xi Meng couldn't find an opportunity for a fast break, so he had to patiently advance the ball past half-court to play half-court offense.
He Xi Meng passed the ball to Mario Elie, Mario Elie to Elliott, and Elliott then to Duncan at the edge of the paint... The Spurs played very patiently in their half-court offense. Following coach Popovich's instructions, the ball was circulated sufficiently to wear down the Jazz's defensive intensity before being given to the key players to initiate the offense!
On this play, the initiation point fell to Duncan!
Duncan posted up Malone, which, to be honest, was not easy. Malone's iron elbow was extended for a solid hit. David Robinson had previously been knocked unconscious on the court by Malone's elbow and couldn't be woken up for three minutes, requiring immediate transport to the hospital by ambulance. Therefore, within the Spurs, Malone was labeled a villain. Before engaging with him, the coaching staff had repeatedly warned Duncan to be extremely cautious, to use finesse rather than brute force.
Compared to the honest and straightforward David Robinson, Duncan was actually more cunning. He appeared wooden but was inwardly quite astute. With David Robinson's tragic lesson learned, Duncan naturally wouldn't repeat the mistake. He didn't force his way through to challenge Malone's iron elbow. Instead, he held the ball and observed his teammates' movements.
David Robinson in the post immediately understood and slid over to set an inside screen for Duncan, helping him get away from Malone's iron elbow.
At the same time, He Xi Meng on the perimeter was not idle. He used Elliott's off-ball screen to shake off Stockton and drifted to the corner to receive a pass from Duncan.
Duncan first used David Robinson's inside screen and took a step sideways with the dribble. When he switched to guard Polynice, Duncan actually had a scoring opportunity. Whether it was a pull-up jump shot or another dribble straight to the basket for a strong dunk on Polynice, both were good options!
However, Duncan's peripheral vision caught He Xi Meng, who was about to position himself in the right-hand corner... On the principle of taking fewer shots outside of crucial moments, Duncan unhesitatingly gave up his own shot and passed the ball to He Xi Meng beyond the three-point line.
He Xi Meng caught the ball and faked out Hornacek, who rushed to switch and guard him. He then dribbled a small step sideways and calmly shot, hitting the target precisely!
Following David Robinson's short mid-range jumper in the post and Duncan's powerful dunk down the middle, He Xi Meng's three-pointer from the outside also swished!
The Spurs' three strongest scoring threats had all connected! This indicated that the Jazz's defense in the opening stages of this game had significant problems.
Logically speaking, the Jazz should have been able to contain at least one or two of the Spurs' scorers to have a chance of beating them on the Spurs' home court. At this pace, with the Spurs' three points of attack all firing simultaneously... the Jazz would likely only be able to brace for impact...