In the final minute, Ginobili drove and shot, sinking two baskets for 4 points, twice helping the Spurs overturn the Mavericks.
But on the Mavericks' side, Nowitzki was not to be outdone. He twice drove to the basket, forcing fouls from Duncan and Horry, leading to free throws for the Spurs.
Without a tall center to protect the rim, neither Duncan nor Horry could establish a decisive defensive advantage against a quick Nowitzki. And this was the Mavericks' home court... the outcome was as expected.
Nowitzki held his nerve, making two out of four free throws, twice reversing the lead Ginobili had painstakingly reclaimed.
With only 7.9 seconds left on the clock, the Spurs trailed the Mavericks by one point, 103-104.
Popovich unhesitatingly handed the final offensive possession to Ginobili!
Given Ginobili's overall performance that day and his success in the last minute, he had a high probability of hitting a game-winning buzzer-beater on this final play.
On the Mavericks' side, head coach Avery Johnson was also extremely nervous.
Coach Johnson knew Ginobili's capabilities well.
When he got into a rhythm, Ginobili was known as the "Argentine Jordan" in a short span of time.
Therefore, when setting up the defense for the final possession, Johnson's top priority was to contain Ginobili's drives and shots, with Duncan in the paint as the secondary focus.
As a result, after the timeout, the Spurs did indeed pass the ball to Ginobili, and the Mavericks quickly rotated, creating layered resistance.
In this crucial moment, Ginobili committed a fatal, careless mistake!
As Ginobili drove, he saw a better opportunity with Duncan cutting to the basket. He decided to change the play, feigning a shot attempt but instead making a risky pass after jumping, aiming to thread the ball directly to Duncan's hands.
"Tim!" Ginobili realized his mistake only after passing. This pass, Duncan couldn't grasp Ginobili's unconventional idea.
Duncan had expected Ginobili to force a shot, given his hot shooting in the previous two possessions. Duncan naturally assumed Ginobili would take the shot himself, and his role would be to fight for the offensive rebound if the shot missed, securing a second-chance opportunity.
Who would have thought that Ginobili would dare to alter the play at such a critical juncture?
Perhaps if He Xi Meng were still with the Spurs, he would have been the only one to understand Ginobili's thinking at that moment.
By the time Duncan heard Ginobili's call, twisted his body in motion, and reached out, the ball brushed past his fingertips and flew out of bounds.
"No!" Ginobili spread his hands, roaring in anguish.
Coach Johnson, overjoyed, called a timeout. An extra possession had fallen into their laps, and he intended to strategize carefully so as not to waste it.
After the Mavericks called their timeout, Ginobili couldn't help but turn to Duncan, "Why didn't you anticipate this play?"
Ginobili wasn't blaming Duncan, but he couldn't understand why Duncan hadn't grasped his intent.
Duncan responded with a stoic "I'm sorry." He didn't argue with Ginobili, knowing such a debate would be meaningless.
While Duncan thought this, Popovich felt differently.
The moment Ginobili made the crucial turnover, Popovich sighed to the heavens and shook his head repeatedly.
"Why didn't you stick to our set play? Why did you choose to pass at that moment?"
Popovich, speaking for Duncan, posed a soul-searching question to Ginobili.
Ginobili could retort to Duncan defiantly, but he had no grounds to question Popovich: "Why couldn't I pass?"
In reality, Ginobili knew the responsibility for this play lay with him, not Duncan. He shouldn't have passed at that time. If he hadn't passed, the turnover wouldn't have happened, and the Spurs would have had a chance to come back. But now...
With only 2.5 seconds left, the Spurs were trailing by one point, and the ball was with the Mavericks.
The Spurs had no choice but to foul in the remaining seconds, sending a Mavericks player to the free-throw line, while hoping for a miss.
But would such a scenario actually unfold?
The league once again validated the classic theory: anything is possible!
After the Mavericks' timeout, Coach Johnson had intended for Harris to give the ball to Nowitzki for the free throws.
However, on the Spurs' end, Duncan and Horry double-teamed Nowitzki, preventing him from receiving the pass. Harris then settled for passing to Stackhouse.
This decision by Harris nearly plunged the Mavericks into an abyss.
Ginobili, trying to redeem himself, sent Stackhouse to the free-throw line himself.
The first free throw from Stackhouse missed, and the atmosphere in the arena instantly became tense.
If Stackhouse had made both free throws, he would have put the Mavericks up by three, securing an unassailable lead.
But now, that possibility had clearly evaporated.
If Stackhouse made the second free throw, he would at least give the Mavericks a two-point lead, forcing the Spurs to attempt a three-pointer from outside.
However, Stackhouse's second free throw also rimmed out!
Duncan secured the defensive rebound, and Popovich used his last timeout.
Only 0.5 seconds had elapsed, leaving the Spurs with 2 seconds for a final possession, still trailing by one point.
If the Spurs could score, they would complete a thrilling comeback.
Popovich scanned his team, his gaze moving from Duncan to Ginobili.
Duncan excelled in adversity but not in desperation.
Popovich had once tried to cultivate Duncan's clutch-shooting ability, but the results were not ideal.
Regarding whether to hand this crucial possession to Ginobili, Popovich hesitated slightly.
"Manu is just too much of a wildcard..."
Ginobili was a wildcard, both for the Mavericks and for the Spurs.
Popovich suppressed the urge for a second gamble, ultimately focusing his attention on another player with a big heart: Horry!
As a well-known clutch player in the league, Horry had made many crucial shots in his career!
Therefore, seeing Ginobili somewhat out of control today and knowing the Mavericks would heavily guard him, Popovich decided on a diversion, entrusting this opportunity to Horry.