Popovich asked the Spurs players to continue to limit Yao Ming's effectiveness in the paint.
Yao Ming was a point that absolutely could not be given up. Once he was freed, the entire Celtics team would come alive, their tactical choices would become more flexible, and their offensive strategies would be richer...
As for He Xi Meng, Bowen would defend him if he could; if not, Popovich did not force his teammates to contain He Xi Meng.
Because Popovich also knew that for a shooter of He Xi Meng's caliber, stacking more defenders on him was not a wise choice.
Often, finding a reliable one-on-one defender to disrupt He Xi Meng's shooting rhythm was more important than anything else.
And Bowen was currently one of the league's top defenders. If even Bowen could not affect He Xi Meng's shooting percentage, then He Xi Meng in this game was virtually unstoppable.
As was the case in the current game.
After He Xi Meng and Yao Ming returned to the court, He Xi Meng initially wanted to help Yao Ming open up the inside offense.
But on the Spurs' side, Mohammed guarded Yao Ming tightly, while Duncan roamed the wing to help defend.
If Yao Ming wanted to connect with Josh Smith, Duncan's positioning was very cunning; two quick steps were usually enough for him to recover and easily thwart Yao Ming's attempts to pass inside.
Therefore, Yao Ming's inside offense was blocked, and even with He Xi Meng's coordination, they could not break through.
The Celtics' lead was gradually chipped away by Duncan.
Seeing the situation turn grim, and with Popovich unwilling to loosen his grip on Da Yao, He Xi Meng was forced to step up and stabilize the team! And indeed, his shooting percentage remained online!
He Xi Meng's first forced shot over Bowen in the latter half of the second quarter found the basket accurately.
Following that, He Xi Meng and Yao Ming executed a high-low play. Yao Ming assisted He Xi Meng with a hand-off for a driving layup, and then with a post-up pass, assisted He Xi Meng for a three-pointer from the right 30-degree position!
After scoring eight consecutive points, He Xi Meng successfully withstood Duncan's counterattack, helping the Celtics maintain a six-point lead at halftime!
The return of Crazy Xi Meng, with 21 points at halftime, already signaled the direction of the game.
In the second half, He Xi Meng's shooting touch did not diminish, and he also ignited Ariza!
Ariza became the Celtics' surprise weapon today! Not only did he help the Celtics gain a lead in the early stages, but he also stepped up in the third quarter when He Xi Meng was in a back-and-forth battle with the Spurs' GDP trio, helping He Xi Meng share the scoring pressure and successfully establishing a double-digit lead for the Celtics.
In the end, He Xi Meng scored a game-high 42 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals. Ariza had 18 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals, and Hu Wei Dong had 15 points and 3 rebounds.
With He Xi Meng as the core, complemented by the outstanding performances of surprise players Ariza and Hu Wei Dong, the Celtics defeated the Spurs 108-102, tying the series at 1-2.
This left Popovich perplexed: "How should I adjust?"
In this game, the Spurs' defense was not a failure.
Because Yao Ming and Carter were both in poor form under the Spurs' maximum defensive pressure.
If not for He Xi Meng's explosive performance, and if not for Ariza and Hu Wei Dong stepping up, the Spurs might have broken the Celtics' home-court advantage.
Once the series became 3-0, it would have been an impossible uphill battle for the Celtics to turn the tide.
The Celtics secured their first home game with an unconventional victory, avoiding the embarrassing situation of being swept by the Spurs, but it was still too early to reverse the momentum.
For Game 4, Popovich decided to stick to the same plan, keeping all defensive tactics unchanged, with the only emphasis being on Bowen to disrupt He Xi Meng as much as possible!
Popovich firmly believed that Ariza and Hu Wei Dong were anomalies, uncontrollable factors.
The key for the Celtics was still the trio of Yao Ming, He Xi, and Carter!
Logically speaking, as long as they could contain the other two, the Spurs' chances of winning would still be quite high.
However, for Bowen, he had given his all in the first three games. Succeeding in two and failing in one was already the best outcome for Bowen.
Even if Popovich asked Bowen to increase his defensive pressure and steals, Bowen had nothing more to give.
Tripping? Bowen had long forgotten about this bad habit of his. Moreover, facing He Xi Meng, Bowen would never dare to trip him.
In his years with the Spurs, Bowen knew clearly the relationship between the entire Spurs team, including Popovich, Duncan, and Ginobili, and He Xi Meng.
Even for the championship trophy, no one on the Spurs would be willing to harm He Xi Meng in any way.
Therefore, although Bowen nodded in agreement, both Popovich, who issued the order, and Bowen, who was about to execute it, were well aware: whether He Xi Meng could be contained depended on fate!
The Spurs were not so lucky; in this game, He Xi Meng's shooting percentage was not as good as in the previous one.
However, the referee Crawford, subtly and intentionally, favored the home team with his calls, helping the Celtics activate Yao Ming in the paint.
When Yao Ming realized that even if his strong drives didn't result in direct scores, he could draw fouls and use free throws to help his team score, he naturally went all out, wreaking havoc in the paint.
In this game, the Spurs' starting center Mohammed fouled out, and both Duncan and the backup center Nestrovic had five fouls, hovering on the verge of being disqualified.
Yao Ming went to the free-throw line 24 times, making 20 of them. Just from free throws, he scored 20 points, truly going on a rampage!
Thanks to his excellent performance at the free-throw line, Yao Ming scored a game-high 39 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks in this game!
He Xi Meng and Carter took a step back and played supporting roles for Yao Ming.
Playing at home, the Celtics won their second home game 97-88, tying the series at 2-2.
At the post-game press conference, Duncan, who rarely complained about the referees, couldn't help but grumble: "This was the toughest game I've ever played! Every defensive move with contact was treated as a foul tendency... Is this the Finals? They call preseason games more reliably than this..."
Popovich knew more than Duncan. He was aware of the league's stance, and Crawford's performance today was largely within Popovich's expectations.
At the very least, Crawford did not make any outrageous calls; he was simply more strict with the Spurs' defensive actions.
Was being strict wrong?