Entering the break between quarters, commentators from various TV stations analyzed the Bobcats’ first-quarter playstyle, with nearly every commentator cursing a couple of times.
Bickerstaff’s whimsical and adaptive strategy once again dazzled everyone.
People finally understood why Bickerstaff, whose coaching style had always been criticized, could work in the NBA for over 30 years, and why so many owners were willing to give him opportunities.
He always managed to surprise people when things looked bleak!
On Turner Sports, Hubie Brown had done a lot of analysis during the game, and during the break, he didn’t analyze much but emphasized, "For the Bobcats, leading in the first quarter doesn’t mean they’ve got the win secured, the Spurs’ defense will get tougher and tougher.
And just because Ginobili didn’t play well in the first quarter doesn’t mean he won’t play well later. He often has very bad first halves or even three quarters, but then suddenly explodes in performance at the last moment..."
Fans in front of their TVs found Hubie Brown’s words to make a lot of sense. In Ginobili’s five years in the NBA, he had left the impression of being the one Spurs player to look forward to when they were in a dire situation. Though he occasionally underperformed, his highlight moments were unforgettable.
However, courtside, Popovich was not so optimistic. While he also had very high expectations for Ginobili, it depended on who the opponent was.
If the opponent was a mature, steady team, with players who were experienced veterans careful not to make mistakes or even peak superstars, Popovich would be much more optimistic.
He didn’t fear steady, methodical opponents but was very wary of brash young opponents, and the Bobcats were the latter!
The first three games had small point differences. Those who only looked at the score might think the Bobcats and the Spurs were trading tactics, evenly matched, but it was actually the Spurs consistently taking the initiative, with the Bobcats staging a comeback every now and then, forcing the Spurs players to stay in a state of high tension to maintain control.
Popovich’s attempt to break the Bobcats’ morale had also failed. After losing G1 and G3, the Bobcats played even more aggressively and irrationally in the second game. In the Finals, it was impossible to suppress their morale!
In some respects, Popovich was very similar to Jeff Van Gundy—he could always clearly judge the situation on the court and accurately predict what the other side would do.
At the same time, both were rarely effective in making adjustments.
This time his prediction was correct again.
Into the second quarter, the Bobcats continued to play desperately!
Duncan continued to play the entire second quarter, going 4 for 7 from the field, plus 1 for 3 from the foul line, scoring 9 points with 4 boards and 1 steal. Parker also had a good quarter, scoring another 6 points with 2 assists.
Thanks to Parker’s assist, Barry, cutting to the basket, scored a 2+1 on Muhammad, and Finley hit a close-range baseline jumper.
With Ginobili scoring only 3 points in 5 minutes of the second quarter, Duncan and Parker led the Spurs to score 23 points in the quarter.
On the Bobcats’ side, Felton played 10 minutes, going 2 for 6 from the field, including 2 for 4 on three-pointers. Despite having two drives disrupted by Duncan, he still scored 6 points.
Zhang Yang made a free-throw line jumper against Bowen and dunked on a fast break, plus he drew a foul from Elson on a cut to the basket and made both free throws, scoring 6 points in 7 minutes.
Together with Gerald Wallace’s 3 points and 1 assist, Jumaine Jones making a three-pointer off a pass from Gerald Wallace, Okafor scoring a layup and a free throw for 3 points, and Rondo scoring on a drive after coming off the bench... the Bobcats also scored 23 points in the second quarter.
At halftime, the Bobcats led the Spurs by 4 points, 48-44!
After the mid-game break, the Spurs couldn’t hold on in the third quarter, as Duncan only played 8 minutes, making 2 of 4 shots, adding 3 out of 6 free throws for 7 points.
Adding to this were Parker’s 6 points, Ginobili’s 1 for 3 shooting netting 2 points, and Bowen making a three-pointer, the Spurs only managed 18 points in the quarter!
For the Bobcats, Okafor attacked the paint fiercely while Duncan rested in the third quarter, going 3 for 4, plus 1 for 2 from the line for 7 points.
Gerald Wallace added 4 points, 4 boards, and 1 assist. Millsap, capitalizing on an offensive rebound for a second-chance score, got 4 points. Zhang Yang and Felton each added 4 points, with Perkins contributing 2 points... scoring 24 points in the quarter.
By the end of the third quarter, the Bobcats had extended their lead to double digits, leading the Spurs by 10 points, 72-62!
Falling behind by 10 points going into the final quarter, Popovich was almost in despair. If the opponent was down by 10 points, he would worry about being overturned, but them being down by 10 points... The only reason he wasn’t completely in despair was that he still hoped for Ginobili to explode because if Ginobili fired up, it wasn’t impossible to overtake a 10-point deficit in a single quarter.
It wasn’t just Popovich; many commentators were discussing the possibility of Ginobili exploding in the last quarter.
Soon, the fourth quarter began.
Zhang Yang didn’t start; Felton, Rondo, Gerald Wallace, Millsap, and Perkins were on the court.
He looked across at the Spurs, Jacque Vaughn, Ginobili, Bowen, Oberto, and Duncan.
He felt Popovich really didn’t trust Parker. With 18 points and 4 assists in the first three quarters, Popovich sat him in the last quarter. Ginobili, with only 7 points on 3 of 11 shooting in the first three quarters, was regarded by Popovich as the hope.
But thinking about their side, in G2, Zhang Yang missed every shot in the last quarter, but when it came down to the game-winning shot, Bickerstaff still designed the play for him to take the shot, which seemed understandable too.