The basketball swept through a super high arc, finally landing precisely in the net!
Ginobili, who had made the game-winning shot, excitedly pumped his fist at the Spurs fans in the arena. Duncan, who provided the assist, immediately rushed over to hug Ginobili, thoroughly messing up his hair.
In 2005, Ginobili still had long hair, but the volume was noticeably thinner compared to when he first entered the league and reported to the Spurs.
Duncan once comforted Ginobili, saying, "This is due to hormonal changes, a sign of male maturity..."
He Xi Meng was standing nearby, not daring to say anything, but he did remind Ginobili, "When you have time, browse Chinese fan forums more and listen to Chinese fans' opinions..."
Unfortunately, He Xi Meng didn't realize one thing: Ginobili didn't understand Chinese...
Ginobili sank this game-winning three-pointer with 2 seconds left in the game, giving the Spurs a 3-point lead and ensuring their undefeated streak.
However, the Celtics had not yet lost, and they still had time for one last possession.
Therefore, the fans in San Antonio were not yet in a celebratory mood.
Because they all clearly remembered that the man in the No. 4 jersey had, more than once, helped the Spurs make game-tying or game-winning three-pointers with less than 2 seconds remaining.
Now, this man was wearing the Celtics' No. 4 jersey, and could at any moment give the Spurs a taste of the extreme.
All the Spurs fans in the arena focused their attention on He Xi Meng, and the Celtics fans in front of their televisions also had their eyes fixed on him.
On the sidelines, Kerr was drawing up a play for He Xi Meng.
He Xi Meng suddenly asked Carter beside him, "Want to do something exciting?"
Carter paused for a moment and immediately patted his chest, saying, "I'm in!"
"Excellent! Then for the final possession, we'll run this play..." He Xi Meng took the play-drawing pen from Kerr and swapped his position with Carter.
After the timeout, as all of the Spurs' defensive attention was on He Xi Meng, Diaw, who was inbounding the ball from the sideline, passed it to Carter, who had come back after a screen with He Xi Meng!
Carter caught the ball and immediately turned and shot!
The timing was excellent, but unfortunately, there was a slight lack of luck, or perhaps a slight lack of touch.
The ball grazed the rim and bounced out, and the game ended.
Carter shook his head and walked apologetically towards He Xi Meng, "Sorry, man, I screwed it up!"
"It's okay! First time's the charm, second time's the routine. Buzzer-beaters are all about probability. If it didn't go in this time, the probability of it going in next time doubles!" He Xi Meng smiled and comforted Carter, showing no concern for the loss in this game.
As someone who planned to take it easy and play a more "health-preserving" style of basketball this season, how could he not have been prepared for a loss?
On the other side, Yao Ming also came over to comfort Carter, "That shot was just a little bit off, I thought it was going in!"
In terms of emotional intelligence, Yao Ming was definitely top-tier.
With the comfort from He Xi Meng and Yao Ming, Carter's dejected mood improved slightly.
"That's what basketball should be about, win together, lose together!"
As the three walked side-by-side towards the bench, He Xi Meng didn't forget to instill his "brotherhood basketball" philosophy in his two teammates.
He had done this with the Lakers.
He had also done this with the Spurs.
And now, with the Celtics, He Xi Meng was still doing the same.
If playing basketball was only about stats and calculations, only for big contracts and endorsement fees, then what meaning would such basketball have?
At least, for He Xi Meng, that kind of basketball was worse than not playing at all.
The Celtics narrowly lost to the Spurs by 3 points, ending their four-game winning streak.
At the post-game press conference, Kerr was asked by reporters why he didn't let He Xi Meng take the final shot. He Xi Meng's three-point shooting percentage was clearly more reliable than Carter's.
Kerr smiled mysteriously, "It was a strategic decision. Xi Meng is indeed great, Xi Meng is top-tier. But we don't just have Xi Meng on our team. Everyone needs to be responsible for the team's victory or defeat, it's not just Xi Meng's responsibility. This time, Vince stepped up to take the lead, perhaps next time it will be Big Yao. We don't have a fixed choice; our tactics are flexible..."
Kerr, with his experience playing for the Spurs, had honed his "speaks smoothly and convincingly" skill to perfection years ago.
This statement not only affirmed He Xi Meng's status but also explained why Carter took the shot, essentially saying nothing concrete.
On the Spurs' side, Popovich initiated his "divide and conquer" mode.
"Xi Meng played very low-key today, but his threat to the Celtics is still the highest! He almost delivered a fatal blow to us at the last moment. Kerr shouldn't have given that shot to Carter; Xi Meng is the most dangerous player for the Celtics, and Vince was still a bit lacking. I'm glad Kerr chose Vince, which saved us from overtime... As everyone knows, I hate overtime, I hate working overtime..."
When reporters asked about the Spurs' own performance, Popovich instantly switched from "divide and conquer" mode to "blarney" mode.
"Everyone played very hard, and I'm very satisfied with the players' performance. The Celtics are a strong team, and we were able to win this game through the collective effort of the whole team. Manu played well, and the last shot was exhilarating. Duncan and Parker also didn't play badly. Perhaps because of the Celtics' defense, they weren't as outstanding in scoring, but they helped Manu draw defensive attention..."
Anyone with eyes could see that Parker struggled significantly in this game, Duncan didn't play at full strength, and Ginobili was more than just "played well."
But in Popovich's words, the performances of the three seemed not much different. It was unclear whether Popovich's aesthetic sense was flawed, or the reporters' aesthetic sense was flawed...
After the game, He Xi Meng did not return to Boston with the team. He chose to stay in San Antonio for a day, wasting his valuable rest time on eating and drinking with a group of old friends from the Spurs.
They set up a grill in the backyard of Popovich's villa and had a barbecue. He Xi Meng also brought a case of Maotai.
Popovich, Duncan, Ginobili, Parker, and Bowen were all familiar with the Maotai He Xi Meng brought.
Dabao and Liu Yudong were even more so.
Finley was not included in the barbecue guest list.
Even so, there were still too many people, and one case of Maotai wasn't enough.
Popovich had to reluctantly part with it and temporarily provide a case of Maotai from his cellar, which He Xi Meng had given him years ago, to tide them over.
It was agreed that it was a temporary loan. After it was finished, He Xi Meng would be responsible for replenishing Popovich's stock, and it had to be the same vintage; new wine was not acceptable...
Barbecue paired with Maotai, that taste was truly extraordinary!