The Spurs' second offensive possession saw Parker pass the ball to Duncan in the paint. Seeing Duncan double-teamed, he immediately made a back cut, trying to shake He Xi Meng and dash into the Celtics' interior.
He Xi Meng was all too familiar with this move from Parker! Coupled with the review from the previous two games, He Xi Meng knew exactly what Parker was planning the moment he twitched.
He Xi Meng immediately retreated, nearly intercepting the pass from Duncan back to Parker.
Fortunately, Duncan saw He Xi Meng's movement and gave a bit more space, evading He Xi Meng's interception. However, Parker couldn't control the ball cleanly. A beat late, Parker stopped abruptly, intending to attempt a floater, but He Xi Meng's block followed suit.
Parker retrieved the ball and spun like a top, intending to complete a step-and-layup.
Unexpectedly, He Xi Meng's block hadn't been at full force. As Parker regained possession, He Xi Meng retracted his outstretched foot and twisted, lunging towards Parker's right hand as he dribbled.
Parker truly hadn't anticipated He Xi Meng's defensive explosiveness. One misstep, and He Xi Meng swatted the ball out of bounds with a single hand.
The ball possession remained with the Spurs, but the shot clock was nearing its end.
Bowen inbounded the ball from the baseline. Josh Smith fiercely tangled with Duncan, preventing him from receiving the pass. Bowen then passed to Prince on the perimeter. Prince caught the ball, drove hard against Carter, and pulled up for a three-pointer from beyond the arc. The shot missed!
However, Duncan secured the offensive rebound, took a step, drove deep into the paint, and faked out Josh Smith and Yao Ming with consecutive pump fakes!
Duncan was either inactive or a master of deception, the kind that would deceive you to your death. His post moves, amplified by his footwork, sent the Celtics' paint into disarray.
Finally, utilizing a change of rhythm, Duncan rose from the crowd and slammed the ball into the basket with a one-handed dunk!
Well played! Just as the home team Celtics were gaining momentum, Duncan responded with a powerful dunk!
Duncan's grasp of the game and timing had reached an incredibly refined level. He didn't need any reminders from the coach; Duncan knew exactly what to do…
As a teammate, you'd wish for a dozen more like Duncan.
But as an opponent, you'd wish he'd stay as far away as possible.
On the Celtics' third possession, He Xi Meng advanced the ball steadily, first passing to Carter. Prince guarded him fiercely, preventing Carter from advancing comfortably. Carter felt the rhythm was off and passed back to He Xi Meng. He Xi Meng, in turn, lobbed a pass to Yao Ming!
Yao Ming received the ball in the low post and posted up against Mohammed. Duncan immediately collapsed, denying Yao Ming an easy shot, forcing Yao Ming to pass again.
He Xi Meng received the pass and pump-faked, drawing a lunge from Bowen. Bowen didn't bite. He Xi Meng was forced to drive, and the Spurs' defense collapsed quickly, with at least three players preparing to trap He Xi Meng.
In previous games, He Xi Meng had repeatedly fallen into the Spurs' multiple traps, even struggling to pass and committing unforced errors.
This game, He Xi Meng was prepared. The moment the Spurs began to converge, he passed the ball! Ariza on the wing once again found himself with an open three-point shot.
Following the pre-game instructions, Ariza decisively shot and hit another three-pointer!
In a crucial moment, the young Ariza didn't falter, successfully shouldering the offensive load for the Celtics' early surge.
Popovich, for all his calculations, hadn't anticipated Ariza evolving from a defensive stopper to an offensive weapon, leading to frequent sneak attacks from Ariza on the wing in the early stages!
Past the midpoint of the first quarter, Ariza had already hit 3 three-pointers, giving the Celtics a 6-point lead.
Popovich initiated the rotation early, bringing in Ginobili from the bench and taking out Parker.
Ginobili was assigned to guard Ariza.
This season, Ginobili still played a sixth-man role for the Spurs, but his playing time was nearly equivalent to Parker's, and his tactical importance was on par as well. However, because Ginobili joined the Spurs earlier than Parker, he was now the second most important player on the team after Duncan.
The second most important player as a sixth man? This was unheard of in other teams, but in the Spurs, Ginobili willingly accepted the sixth-man role for the team's lineup.
Ginobili's objective upon entering the game was clear: to bolster the offense!
Compared to Prince, Ginobili possessed superior scoring ability, but his defensive stability was not as robust as Prince's.
Therefore, Popovich utilized the alternation between Prince and Ginobili to shift the Spurs' offensive and defensive styles.
After the timeout, Ginobili immediately scored two points for the Spurs with his signature serpentine drive!
With Ginobili on the floor, the Spurs' offense, which was at its strongest, was about to be unleashed!
The Celtics' first moment of danger in this game had arrived!
He Xi Meng, who had been relatively quiet, also began to showcase his scoring ability after Ginobili entered the game!
For the first time this game, he attempted a shot from beyond the three-point line, contested by Bowen's defense!
The home court hoop was much kinder than the one in San Antonio, and He Xi Meng's first three-pointer swished through, signaling a good omen for him.
Ginobili continued his offensive attack. For his second shot, he used Duncan's high pick-and-roll and immediately pulled up for a step-back three! The "Demon Blade's" shot selection was always spontaneous, lacking a fixed pattern. Unless coach Popovich repeatedly emphasized going for two points instead of three, the "Demon Blade" would seize opportunities based on his intuition, even if others deemed it a bad choice. He possessed a "demon" ability to turn the impossible into the possible!
On this three-pointer, just as everyone expected him to drive inside using Duncan's screen and attempt a European layup like the previous play, Ginobili suddenly stopped and pulled up for a step-back three! This caught Ariza, who was trailing him, completely off guard.
Ariza's defense was not the issue. Even as a first-year rookie, Ariza had reached an above-average defensive level in the league due to his excellent physical condition and defensive talent.
However, against Ginobili, even the league's top defenders couldn't predict his next move, let alone the current Ariza.
Before the game, He Xi Meng hadn't expected Ariza to lock down Ginobili.
The only one who could lock down Ginobili was Ginobili himself…