Tony Parker had three modes:
"reckless little sports car," "shot selection isn’t great but can play according to tactics little sports car," and "combining drives and passes, capable of disrupting the opponent’s formation under Tim Duncan’s cover—a top-league sports car."
The last mode was something Popovich imagined Tony Parker could achieve but had never appeared.
In fact, even the "French sports car" who won the Finals MVP in ’07 lacked a clear tactical thinking.
He could win the Finals MVP, thanks in part to facing the weak Cavaliers.
To deal with LeBron James, and to ensure a smooth transition for the Spurs’ core strategy, Popovich forcefully reduced Tim Duncan’s role on the offensive end.
It turned out:
Tony Parker lacked the ability to be the team’s core.
Following Tim Duncan’s transformation and change in playing style, the team never made it to the finals again until Kawhi Leonard’s rise.
Tony Parker’s ceiling could only reach the mode of "shot selection isn’t great but can play according to tactics little sports car."
But tonight, because Su Wan was "flirting" with the girl he saw as his future girlfriend right under his nose,
even with Popovich’s raging shouting not stopping for a moment, he remained in the "reckless little sports car" mode.
The Spurs had four turnovers in the first quarter, three of which were committed by Tony Parker. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
Yet even so, the Spurs still ended the first quarter leading by one point.
Tim Duncan’s dominance over little O’Neal was even more exaggerated than Rick Carlisle originally thought.
Mainly because little O’Neal was outclassed in tonnage, strength, and core confrontation by Tim Duncan, with no speed advantage, making it really tough to play against him.
Plus, Su Wan hadn’t switched to "The zone" mode yet, and he and Manu Ginobili were in a 50-50 situation.
He couldn’t defend Ginobili, and Ginobili couldn’t defend him either.
The Pacers, under such circumstances, were only one point behind, thanks to Stephen Jackson exploding against his old team, sinking three three-point shots in the first quarter.
Bruce Bowen’s absence did have a bit of an impact.
"Mr. Key" Horry could play both small forward and power forward.
But at small forward, he mainly bullied people on the offensive end with his 2.08-meter height.
However, on the defensive end, his movement was relatively slow.
Especially now that he was older.
Stephen Jackson coming off screens to catch the ball, Horry really couldn’t handle him.
I have to give little O’Neal credit for one thing: even though he had become an All-Star, he hadn’t forgotten his "blue-collar mindset." He was limited on the offensive end in this game, but his movement on the defensive end was very active.
Of course, this might have had something to do with the influence of Su Wan’s "Indiana Bible."
Not just him, but all the Pacers players’ initiative improved a lot after this.
I can only say that people involved in sports really do get worked up easily, just hearing a bit of "chicken soup" can make them slam the table.
The second quarter remained evenly matched, 48-49, with the Pacers this time as the leading side.
But actually, they only won by 2 points in the second quarter.
Tim Duncan had 16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks at halftime.
While the "French sports car" was basically running around like a "headless fly," the "Stone Buddha" once again displayed his stabilizing presence on the court.
Whether it was individual offense, helping in help defense, or filling in gaps for the team, he was almost omnipotent.
Alright, to be honest, besides lacking a three-point shot, Tim Duncan didn’t really have any weaknesses.
But not having a three-point shot in this era wasn’t really a big problem.
And even in the "Small Ball Era," who expects a big center to go out and hit three-pointers to win the game?
Popovich’s shouting continued on the sidelines, mostly directed at Tony Parker, but he didn’t make drastic adjustments.
A close-scoring game was acceptable to him.
The Spurs were very good at playing these score-alternating games; they often unleashed their power at the final moments of the last quarter to end the game.
It was like "boiling a frog in warm water."
By the time the "frog" realized it was almost cooked, it was already done.
Popovich wasn’t in a hurry, coincidentally, neither was Su Wan.
This was probably the only time they shared the same view.
But with this, the atmosphere at the scene got a bit dull. This was also why San Antonio fans weren’t too keen on watching Spurs games. It’s like some online writers who seem to write a lot every day but only publish about 4,000 words at a time, leaving readers unsatisfied.
They wanted a climax in one go.
At 6 minutes and 45 seconds into the third quarter, the climax they were waiting for came...
But alas, it wasn’t the Spurs who produced the surge.
Instead, the Pacers hit a high.
Su Wan entered "The zone," suddenly exploding and catching the Spurs wings off guard. By the time Popovich called a timeout, Su Wan had already scored 6 points, widening the gap to 7 points.
But...
It was timely enough!
Some head coaches might not even think to call a timeout until their team was 20 points behind.
After the timeout, the Spurs’ first possession was Tim Duncan.
Rick Carlisle guessed the Spurs’ play this time and also set up tactics for Tim Duncan.
The "Stone Buddha" initially received the ball at the baseline, got double-teamed, and wasn’t in a hurry at all. After passing the ball out, he quickly moved to a high post position and raised his hand for a standard mid-range jumper.