If it were any other team, it might not have worked.
The league was short on interior players who possessed both the strength to fight for position and high basketball IQ.
But Duncan was precisely among the cream of the crop. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was the most elite interior player.
Thus, with both offense and defense firing on all cylinders, Duncan successfully helped the Spurs withstand the Celtics' initial onslaught and thwarted Kerr's plan for an early surge.
After Duncan, Parker followed suit. After Parker, Ginobili stepped up.
Popovich strategically rotated the GDP trio to ensure a continuous flow of offense for the Spurs.
On the Celtics' side, after He Xi Meng's initial attack was blunted, Yao Ming launched their second wave. But for the third wave, Kerr had originally intended for Ilyasova to pick up the scoring slack left by Carter, but Ilyasova failed to deliver.
Kerr then tried having Hu Wei Dong and Barnes take shots, but their effectiveness was also poor.
At this moment, Kerr desperately missed Carter, Monta Ellis, and David Lee...
By the end of the half, the Celtics had not achieved the desired lead. Instead, Ginobili, with two consecutive baskets before the second quarter concluded, had reversed the score.
In the third quarter, Kerr gave the younger players more opportunities to perform.
He brought in Rondo and Milsap from the third unit.
Rondo and Milsap, as a pairing, briefly created the chaotic tempo Kerr had envisioned.
But unfortunately, Ginobili, alongside veterans Horry and Brent Barry, calmed the chaos before the end of the third quarter and successfully helped the Spurs extend their lead to 6 points!
A 6-point difference wasn't significant, but it was difficult for the Celtics to stage a comeback on the Spurs' home court.
Early in the fourth quarter, Parker ignited, driving and shooting, even sinking two three-pointers, which propelled the Spurs to a 10-point lead!
Kerr's original plan for He Xi Meng to sneak in for a steal in the final quarter was thus rendered obsolete.
In the end, this pivotal Game 5 concluded without a particularly thrilling finish.
With a 3-2 lead, the Spurs were on the verge of winning their fifth championship trophy in franchise history, just one step away.
Game 6, a do-or-die battle for the Celtics!
Michael Jordan had arrived early in the locker room to pump up the players.
But for this game, the Celtics didn't need any pep talks. This was a battle of desperation. A win meant the hope of a three-peat remained; a loss meant the end of their season, everything reduced to zero.
No one wanted to lose. No one wanted their entire season's effort to end in nothing.
Even Carter, sidelined with injury, arrived at the arena in a suit, leaning on a single crutch, to cheer on his teammates.
He Xi Meng and Yao Ming were paradoxically the two least nervous players on the Celtics roster.
During their time with the Spurs, they had already won a three-peat.
They knew very well that for top honors like a championship, luck was sometimes crucial.
No one could defy luck.
And the Celtics' overall luck this season had been far from good.
Before the regular season even began, they had lost two key players.
Just as their starting lineup returned, two important role players on the bench suffered season-ending injuries.
Through sheer effort, the Celtics pulled off an upset and won the Eastern Conference championship, only to lose a core player, Carter, again just before the Finals began.
Such a tumultuous season had truly been unkind to the Celtics.
The fact that they had managed to reach the Finals stage step by step had genuinely surprised most of the league's media.
Before the season started, many media outlets had even suggested the Celtics should tank for draft picks!
Lie dormant for a season, then come back fully revitalized next year.
If salary cap considerations were ignored, this suggestion was actually quite sound.
However, if one considered the Celtics' current financial situation, it became clear that this suggestion was pure nonsense, designed to cripple the Celtics.
The Celtics' current Big Three would each need to enter their third professional contracts after this season, placing immense salary pressure on the team, making a breakup almost a certainty.
Therefore, both Michael Jordan and Kerr understood that this season represented the Celtics' best chance to contend for a championship in several years. Missing this opportunity, while not necessarily fatal, would make it significantly harder to return to the Finals stage.
Thus, from the outset of this game, the Celtics adopted a decisive stance, while the Spurs opted for defense, seeking to control the pace and drag the game into a decisive endgame.
Early in the first half, Barnes scored the Celtics' first points off a drive-and-dish from He Xi Meng!
Seeing that Barnes had good touch today, He Xi Meng immediately created opportunities for him on subsequent possessions.
Barnes did not disappoint He Xi Meng's expectations, shooting 3-of-5 from three-point range in the first quarter and providing significant offensive support.
The Celtics successfully seized the initiative, leading the Spurs early on.
However, as soon as the second quarter rotation began, Ginobili, with a Eurostep drive and an improbable three-pointer, instantly erased the Celtics' first-quarter efforts, bringing the teams back to square one.
By the end of the half, the Celtics held only a 2-point lead over the Spurs.
In the third quarter, Yao Ming led the charge, successfully helping the team establish a 6-point lead.
However, before this 6-point advantage could even settle in, Duncan, with a block and three post-up bank shots, erased the deficit.
Early in the fourth quarter, wanting to avoid a prolonged battle with the Spurs, He Xi Meng made a move during the rotation, launching a surprise attack with two long-range three-pointers, thirdly giving the Celtics a 6-point lead.
As a result, for the Spurs, Bowen hit a corner three, and Parker sank a three from the top of the arc, rendering He Xi Meng's efforts futile.
The Celtics' hope for a relatively easy victory was dashed, as the Spurs tightly clung to the score, dragging the game into a final-minute showdown.
The Spurs attacked first. Popovich entrusted the opportunity to Duncan. Duncan's performance in the post today was extremely steady; he made 10 of 14 shots, an astonishingly high field goal percentage.
Therefore, for this play, Popovich's strategy was for Parker to handle the ball, Ginobili to make off-ball cuts to draw the Celtics' defensive attention, and then ultimately pass to Duncan in the post...