Heading into the halftime break, the Spurs team was exhilarated!
Compared to Games 3 and 4, they actually had far fewer fouls tonight, committing only 4 fouls in the first quarter and allowing only 5 free throws.
In the second quarter, their defense was even better, and, theoretically, there should have been even fewer fouls, but they ended up committing 6 fouls, giving the Miami Heat 8 free throws for the quarter.
But what’s 5 against 8? And what’s 5 free throws compared to 13? They still dominated the competition!
However, in Zhang Yang’s view, their ability to dominate wasn’t because their defense was exceptionally good or their foul control was perfect – they still gave up 13 free throws in the first half.
They could overpower their opponents because their teamwork and precision in offensive plays were excellent, which reduced James and Wade’s chances for defensive counterattacks.
With fewer opportunities for counterattacks, James was forced to attempt harder offensive plays in set positions.
Even though James had the referee’s favor, achieving 5 out of 8 free throws, his shooting was only 3 out of 9.
Of course, Zhang Yang acknowledged James’s strong individual skills; their side couldn’t defend him one-on-one, but relying on team collaboration, it wasn’t hard to guard against the kind of simple plays James excelled at.
If it hadn’t been for Wade scoring 8 points in the latter half of the second quarter, the game could have been blown wide open—this reminded Zhang Yang of Irving in 2016 and Davis in 2020...
Popovich, faced with an ’unstoppable’ situation, surprisingly resolved it with offensive strategies, a significant change compared to the last decade.
Just when Zhang Yang thought they had the game well in hand, by the third quarter, the referees told them that the 6 fouls and 8 free throws per quarter were only the most they could achieve in dodging fouls, not the limit of the whistle’s lifespan!
In the third quarter, the Heat ’drew’ 12 fouls from the Spurs, obtaining 18 free throws, making 15 of 18, and scored 27 points for the quarter.
The Spurs, on the other hand, only managed to draw 3 fouls from the Heat, none of which were shooting fouls.
For the Spurs, committing many fouls meant not just losing points; with the opponent continually walking to the free-throw line and frequent match interruptions, it also affected their offensive rhythm. After shooting over 50% in the first half, they slipped to a mere 8 made shots out of 21 attempts in the third quarter, less than 40%!
The game was played as if they were employing a hacking strategy against the Heat!
Out of 21 shots, including 6 three-pointers, the Spurs scored only 18 points this quarter.
By the end of the third quarter, with a score of 68 to 69, the Spurs were overtaken by the Heat!
During the intermission, Popovich ran over to the referees, vehemently complaining, but was ignored.
Nevertheless, the referees were human too; they knew how absurd their officiating had been.
Once, as Parker shrank back to help defend, he barely touched James, who immediately grimaced as if in great pain... It was evident how formidable the finals MVP was, affected so dramatically by just a graze.
The referee felt the whistle might break from overuse tonight and needed to change it at the tech desk, so he had no time to eject Popovich from the game.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yang had never thought a game could be so infuriating.
Watching his teammates standing on the sidelines, hands on hips, equally frustrated, Zhang Yang exclaimed, "The Jewish old man in the box doesn’t want us to win, but I refuse to accept it. I want to win!"
To Zhang Yang’s surprise, the first to respond was Duncan.
"Let’s see if their free throws are more accurate, or if our shots are!"
Seeing his teammates transform their anger into fighting spirit, Zhang Yang marveled at Duncan’s ability to ignite everyone with just a few words.
Indeed, if Zhang San hadn’t spoken up just now, would Duncan have stayed silent?
Could it be that Duncan is socially anxious? If so, they were indeed fortunate, otherwise he might have just been another guy kicking around at the village entrance.
After cursing his way back from the referees, Popovich wanted to seize the moment to boost the players’ morale since their spirits had been dampened by the officiating.
Zhang Yang and Blair, both being more outspoken, had previously argued with the referees, but to no avail. The whistles remained the same and as a result, both could only stew in their frustration.
Unexpectedly, upon his return, he saw fire in his players’ eyes!
No time to ponder – since his players’ spirits hadn’t been completely blown away by the referees, he quickly moved to strategize directly.
Popovich’s coaching philosophy had indeed undergone a 180-degree shift compared to the last decade; when facing problems, offense takes precedence!
This aligned with the Spurs’ drive!
The break between quarters ended and the fourth quarter began.
The Heat sent out Chalmers, Wade, Mike Miller, James, and Bosh.
The Spurs sent out Parker, Zhang Yang, Ginobili, Leonard, and Duncan.
The Heat had the ball first, with Wade breaking through and passing to the cutting James; Duncan pulled back to the basket, James passed again, and Bosh made a mid-range jumper from the baseline.
Duncan quickly picked up the ball and passed it to Zhang Yang, who immediately drove a fast break.
The Heat’s smaller lineup was quick on defense and collaborated well in stopping the fast break, with Chalmers and Wade catching up to Parker, James sticking with Ginobili, and Bosh hindering Zhang Yang’s progress.
But Zhang Yang didn’t wait for an open shooting opportunity before passing; Ginobili was still two or three steps from the three-point line when Zhang Yang passed the ball!
Ginobili caught the ball just outside the three-pointer line, dribbled past James, and drove straight down the left lane.
The ’Magic Blade’ and the ’Race Car’ drew the attention of three defenders retreating to the paint, and Ginobili passed again... Leonard soared for a dunk, scoring two points.