O'Neal drove the ball forward, intending to use his massive frame to overpower David Robinson. However, Duncan's help defense was exceptionally active, moving quickly to double-team O'Neal with David Robinson. Duncan, being rather cunning, didn't directly confront O'Neal. Instead, he focused on poking at O'Neal's dribble, forcing O'Neal to pull the ball back and quickly pass it to the nearest player, Kobe.
With the confidence from his first made basket, Kobe didn't hesitate. He drove in and took a pull-up fadeaway jumper over Jaren Jackson.
Jaren Jackson, holding down the starting shooting guard position for the Spurs, was not a liability on defense. This time, he successfully disrupted Kobe's rhythm. While he couldn't get a block, his interference caused Kobe's mid-range shot to bounce off the rim. Duncan grabbed the defensive rebound and passed it to Johnson to advance the ball.
After Johnson brought the ball past half-court, he again fed David Robinson to post up O'Neal. This time, O'Neal was playing extremely tight, and David Robinson couldn't find a clear shooting opportunity. While struggling with his back-to-the-basket post-up, unable to drive deep, Duncan used a clever move against Brown to successfully box him out. David Robinson immediately executed an inside pass to Duncan. Duncan caught the ball, turned, and smoothly slammed it through the hoop.
Both teams seemed to be off to a smooth start. The Lakers focused their offense around O'Neal, while the Spurs countered around David Robinson and Duncan.
Just as the home Spurs fans thought they were about to witness an offensive showcase, the game's momentum shifted dramatically.
Over the next three-plus minutes, both teams inexplicably went cold from the field.
For the Lakers, Kobe missed, then Eddie Jones missed, then O'Neal missed. He Xi Meng couldn't stand it. Was the basket at the Spurs' home arena that difficult to make?
As a result, He Xi Meng's shot from three-point range was also rejected by the rim.
Fortunately, the home team Spurs didn't fare any better. Logically, the Lakers' scoring drought was an opportunity for the Spurs to build a lead. However, the Spurs failed to capitalize.
David Robinson's layup after a strong drive into the paint was blocked by O'Neal. Duncan's mid-range turnaround jumper was stolen by a quick play from He Xi Meng. Avery Johnson's outside three-pointer also bounced off the rim under intense interference from He Xi Meng.
Harris was the first to lose his composure and called a timeout.
Popovich, more patient, used a timeout to adjust his team's offense.
During the timeout, Harris reiterated the strategy of O'Neal forcing the issue inside. With the team's shooting touch completely gone, O'Neal's strong post-ups were indeed a potent weapon. If He Xi Meng were in charge of adjustments, he would likely choose the same path.
The Spurs' choice, similar to the Lakers, was to focus their offense on their inside players.
When the shooting touch is off, the best approach is to attack the basket. And there are two ways to attack the basket: either let the big centers pound inside, or let the guards and forwards drive aggressively.
The Lakers could actually employ both of these strategies. For the inside game, O'Neal was already entering his prime and was well on his way to becoming the league's best center, perhaps even without the "one of" qualifier. On the perimeter, Kobe's rapid development formed a potent driving duo with Eddie Jones, and this was without even considering He Xi Meng, who was playing a more reserved role.
In comparison, the Spurs' perimeter offense lacked significant advantages, making them more reliant on the pounding inside game of their twin towers. David Robinson didn't have a significant advantage against O'Neal, but Duncan had a clear edge over Brown.
Thus, both teams entered a new phase of interior battle. Slow pace, low scoring, and intense physicality.
The scores remained tight, with neither team able to establish a significant lead. The hard-fought contest continued until the final minute of the fourth quarter, with the score tied at 74-73, the Lakers leading by one point and holding possession.
He Xi Meng continued to hold the ball, looking for O'Neal. The Spurs had dedicated 80% of their energy to defense today, both inside and out, playing with remarkable ferocity. Combined with the benefit of home-court calls, many borderline fouls went uncalled, leading to an extremely uncomfortable situation for He Xi Meng.
He Xi Meng didn't want to force things in a regular-season game and decided to play it safe, focusing on facilitating and controlling the ball. He figured the outcome could be left to the team's star players.
On the sideline, Harris felt He Xi Meng was slacking off again. However, seeing He Xi Meng consistently passing to O'Neal, it seemed he wasn't doing anything wrong, as he was executing the tactic Harris himself had set. This left Harris pacing back and forth, feeling uneasy without being able to pinpoint why.
This time, He Xi Meng didn't force the pass. He faked a pass to Kobe on the perimeter, intentionally drawing the Spurs' defensive attention and creating a good passing lane for O'Neal.
O'Neal received the ball comfortably without any interference, turned, and took a short hook shot.
David Robinson's close-out was a half-step slow, and he couldn't block the shot, resorting to a foul that sent the "Big Shark" to the free-throw line.
Popovich had figured out the best way to contain O'Neal: the Hack-a-Shaq strategy.
This tactic was effective against O'Neal most of the time, given his notoriously poor free-throw shooting percentage. However, on some occasions, O'Neal would have a strong spurt. For example, in this game, O'Neal had made seven of his previous ten free throws, a respectable percentage.
This time at the line, O'Neal calmly sank both shots. O'Neal himself seemed surprised, looking down at his huge hands with an exaggerated expression.
O'Neal's free throws gave the Lakers a three-point lead. The Spurs responded with a strong drive, and Duncan also got to the free-throw line. Ironically, Duncan, known for his excellent shooting touch, only made one of his two free throws, making O'Neal even more triumphant.
In the end, thanks to O'Neal's steady free-throw performance in the clutch, the Lakers defeated Duncan and won this defensive battle 78-74.
78 points marked a new season low for the Lakers. With O'Neal, Kobe, Eddie Jones, and He Xi Meng on the roster, the Spurs were still able to limit the Lakers' scoring to such a low total, demonstrating that after over a season under Popovich's tutelage, the Spurs had significantly improved their defense. If not the best in the league, they were at least one of the top defensive teams.