As the first quarter was drawing to a close, the Lakers made the first adjustments.
The Lakers had depleted too much of their physical reserves during the Western Conference Finals. In the Game 7, O'Neal and Kobe played almost the entire game, resting for less than a minute before barely defeating the Trail Blazers.
There were only two days of rest between the end of the Western Conference Finals and the start of the NBA Finals. Compared to the Spurs, the Lakers had relatively insufficient physical reserves.
Therefore, Coach Harris had to make full use of the rotations in the first few games of the Western Conference Finals, when the intensity was not yet at its peak, to give the core players, especially O'Neal and Kobe, a chance to rest.
After O'Neal left the court, the Lakers' previous strategy was to have Da Zhi play power forward and AC Green move up to center. However, facing the Spurs' twin towers, Harris dared not operate this way, fearing that their inside presence would be overwhelmed by the Spurs. Thus, he brought in the conventional Nate!
Nate had gradually become a blue-collar defensive center, relying mostly on his weight to contend with powerful opposing centers.
Compared to AC Green or Da Zhi, Nate had a stronger ability to battle in the post.
After Kobe left the court, Fox replaced him at shooting guard.
The Lakers' offensive focus shifted to Glenn Rice at small forward.
Popovich, seeing the Lakers' early adjustments, had the option to match them or stick to his own rhythm and create lineup mismatches against the Lakers.
Popovich's choice was to match.
In Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, with a physical advantage, the Spurs had no need to create lineup mismatches with the Lakers; maintaining their positional advantage systematically was the best option.
Undoubtedly, this was the Spurs' most prudent choice.
Popovich chose to take David Robinson and He Xi Meng off the court, keeping the most effective Duncan on the floor to lead the team. Brad Miller replaced David Robinson, and veteran Terry Porter replaced He Xi Meng. This was also a conventional adjustment. One position was replaced by another, without cross-positional changes. For instance, Ginobili was not brought in to play point guard.
In the matchup between Glenn Rice and Duncan, Duncan held the advantage. Duncan's scoring in the paint was more consistent, and Duncan could also orchestrate playmaking from the high post. Rice, on the other hand, relied more on mid-to-long-range jump shots. Since joining the Lakers, Rice had gradually transitioned from an on-ball player to an off-ball player; scoring was not an issue for him, but leading the team was still a bit of a stretch.
Fortunately, before the end of the first quarter, Da Zhi hit an open three-pointer from the perimeter when Duncan retracted into the paint, providing significant help to Rice. At least, at the end of the first quarter, the Lakers were only trailing the Spurs by 1 point.
At the beginning of the second quarter, both teams entered a period of full rotation.
On the Lakers' side, Nate was replaced by Horry at center, Da Zhi remained at power forward, Devin George at small forward, Fox continued at shooting guard, and Fisher at point guard.
On the Spurs' side, Brad Miller played center, Malik Rose at power forward, Ginobili at small forward, Jalen Jackson at shooting guard, and Terry Porter at point guard.
Subjectively, neither head coach had a habit of overplaying their starters. Objectively, this was only Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, and neither team felt immense pressure. Therefore, both teams opted for extensive rotations, hoping to find an in-form substitute player off the bench.
The Lakers, under Harris, did not find a breakout performer. Horry made a turnaround jumper in the paint, Devin George hit a mid-range shot, and Fisher made a driving layup. Da Zhi's three-pointer bounced off the rim, and Fox's side-step jumper also missed.
The Spurs had a similar situation. Ginobili, whom Popovich had high hopes for, missed a serpentine layup, and his outside three-pointer also bounced off the rim... Conversely, Terry Porter made a mid-range jumper, and Brad Miller hit an outside three-pointer...
Whether it was the starting lineup or the reserve lineup, both teams maintained an even state, neither able to gain a decisive advantage.
This state persisted from the first quarter to the final minute of the fourth quarter.
The Lakers, playing at home, did not gain much of an advantage, and the Spurs, with their physical edge, did not secure a significant lead. Both teams entered the final minute of the game with the score tied at 94-94.
Kobe had the ball, looking to isolate Mario Elie. However, while backing down, he didn't notice He Xi Meng sliding in from behind. By the time his teammates loudly alerted Kobe, He Xi Meng had already successfully stolen the ball and immediately pushed for a fast break.
He Xi Meng showed no hesitation on this play, attacking with determination. Without waiting for the Lakers' defense to set, he drove directly to the basket and, with a mid-air, twisting layup, evaded Kobe's pursuing defense, leaving Kobe's block attempt in vain. The ball spun and went in.
With a 96-94 lead, He Xi Meng's steal and aggressive fast break gave the Spurs the advantage again.
Kobe, having suffered a significant setback, was naturally unwilling to let it go.
Turning around, he didn't look for Mario Elie but intentionally sought out He Xi Meng for a mismatch. He then forced his way past He Xi Meng and drove into the paint, aiming for a one-handed slam dunk over him.
How could this be tolerated? While He Xi Meng did not wish to engage in a direct confrontation with Kobe, the idea of Kobe dunking over him was absolutely unbearable! He Xi Meng exploded upwards, leaping with all his might, and with a two-handed block, stopped Kobe, ball and all, in mid-air...
The referee's whistle blew, and He Xi Meng was called for a shooting foul.
Kobe, stumbling as he landed, laughed instead of getting angry. "This is how you should play! You still owe me a dunk..."
"Stop bragging there!" He Xi Meng retorted, unable to hold back. "I admit I can't stop your shot, but you want to dunk over me? No way!"
Kobe made a "we'll see" gesture and stepped up to the free-throw line. He confidently made the first shot. For the second, he was still confident, but the ball unexpectedly bounced off the rim.
David Robinson tried to box out O'Neal to create an opportunity for Duncan to grab the rebound, but he failed... Yes, O'Neal exerted significant force on this play, shoving David Robinson aside with his shoulder, pushing into the paint, and before Duncan could secure the ball, he reached out and tipped it towards the basket...
O'Neal's intention was to first get the ball out of Duncan's control, then jump again with force and seize the ball. However, the tipped ball flew directly towards the basket, hit the backboard, and went in. O'Neal scored on the putback!