Free Web NovelChapter 401: Chapter 129: The Spurs Attack (Part 2)
Reggie Miller hadn’t mentioned this to anyone. Even now, his voice was just a murmur, audible only to himself.
BEEP!
The whistle blew, and the game began.
The Pacers’ starting lineup was unchanged: Su Xi, Artest, Jackson, Jermaine O’Neal, and Foster.
Of them, Stephen Jackson had been a member of the San Antonio Spurs’ 2003 championship team.
The Spurs’ starting lineup was: Tony Parker, Ginobili, Robert Horry, Tim Duncan, and Mohammed.
Surprisingly, the Spurs didn’t start Bruce Bowen, opting to give the veteran Horry the start instead.
Robert Horry was still playing at a high level. He was one of the NBA’s most clutch players, and also one of its luckiest. Every single season since he entered the NBA, he had made the playoffs and advanced past the first round—no matter what team he was on.
Moreover, he had been to the NBA Finals five times and won the championship all five times, a perfect 100% success rate. Just like Jordan.
And now, he was in the starting lineup.
Was Popovich trying to see if Indiana could handle Horry, a man who seemed to bend the laws of fate?
Foster won the opening tip against Mohammed.
Su Xi brought the ball up the court, with the "French Torpedo," Tony Parker, guarding him. Parker was quick, a master of penetration, and finished with a high percentage at the rim.
He was the quintessential small, quick, and agile point guard.
Under Popovich’s verbal lashings, his defensive awareness had steadily improved, and he had become adept at team defense.
Su Xi reached the frontcourt, surveyed his teammates’ positioning, and then made a quick drive toward the paint. Duncan shifted his position fluidly. He was unassuming, but his control on the defensive end was immense.
Su Xi forced a jump, but Duncan quickly came over to help. Su Xi passed the ball to Jermaine O’Neal.
The pass was nearly stolen by Ginobili, who darted in from the side.
Jermaine O’Neal hesitated for a moment, and Duncan closed in. O’Neal kicked it out to Artest on the perimeter, who hit the jump shot... SWISH!
It went in.
That possession was dangerous.
The Pacers’ first two set plays had failed, both disrupted by Duncan.
Duncan truly lived up to his reputation as the active player with the most All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team selections.
Furthermore, the Spurs’ team defense was suffocating. Even without Bruce Bowen on the court, they maintained an extremely high level of defensive tenacity.
Play shifted to the other end.
The Spurs’ offense ran through Duncan.
Duncan went one-on-one with Jermaine O’Neal. His moves were old-school, every motion fundamental and solid.
Jermaine O’Neal couldn’t handle him. Artest quickly came over to double-team, but this tactic, often used against Shaquille O’Neal, was awkward against Duncan. With the flexibility and coordination of a former swimmer, Duncan easily evaded the trap, turned to his side, and banked the ball in.
It looked easy, with no fancy flair.
Just a clean two points.
Jermaine O’Neal pressed his lips together. He felt the pressure.
Jermaine was in his prime. He could practically be considered the third-best power forward in the NBA. Aside from being unable to beat Duncan or Garnett and trading blows with Nowitzki, there wasn’t a power forward who could get the better of him.
But his weakness was obvious: he was a classic bully who dominated weaker opponents but shrank against stronger ones.
He could overpower ninety-eight percent of the league’s power forwards, but the man right in front of him, Duncan, was in that other two percent. Not only was he the best power forward currently playing, but he was also the greatest power forward of all time.
If he couldn’t handle him, he couldn’t handle him.
The game was a struggle, with both sides trading blows.
Although the Spurs were the away team, they held the tactical advantage.
Duncan’s advantage in the paint quickly translated into offense from the perimeter.
After Robert Horry hit his second three-pointer, Carlisle had no choice but to abandon the strategy of having Stephen Jackson help in the paint.
Then, Popovich unhurriedly played his next card, subbing in Bruce Bowen.
Bowen was a crucial part of the Spurs’ overall defense.
He did more than just play dirty and throw cheap shots.
His defensive ability was also extremely strong, different from the style of physical, man-to-man defenders like Artest and Stephen Jackson. He had the best grasp of defensive big-picture strategy in the league. His ability to read fakes was second to none, his contests on shooters were extremely disruptive, and his anticipation of opponents’ running lanes was top-tier. When defending off the ball, his footwork was incredibly precise. He was like a piece of foul-smelling, incredibly sticky taffy.
And that was just his individual defense. His greatest value to the Spurs was... he was the perfect team defender. He excelled at cutting off the middle, forcing opponents to drive baseline where he and Duncan would collapse on them.
Besides his synergy with Duncan, his defensive coordination with his other teammates was also exquisite.
If Duncan was the foundation and framework of the Spurs’ defensive system, then Bowen was the assassin who roamed everywhere—and an assassin who was exceptionally good at collaboration.
Moreover, the guy had an extreme obsession with defense and would stop at nothing.
As long as he could stop an opponent, he was willing to do something spiteful even if it didn’t help him.
As soon as he stepped onto the court, he made a beeline for Su Xi.
He and Su Xi were old rivals.
In a March interview, when asked who the hardest player to guard was, the name he gave wasn’t Tracy McGrady, it wasn’t Kobe, it wasn’t Ray Allen... it was Su Xi.
"He’s strong, he’s fast, he has superb handles, and his one-on-one ability with the ball is improving. He can run all over the court like Ray Allen, then catch and shoot. He can also attack in bursts like Iverson. If he wants to, he can play on pure talent like Tracy McGrady. And now, you can even see shades of Kobe Bryant in his one-on-one game in the key."
Bruce Bowen had given Su Xi very high praise.
But in the game, his defense on Su Xi was even tighter, and he constantly used his little tricks.
The moment Su Xi started to make his move on a drive, Bowen gave him an elbow.
Though it only made Su Xi’s drive more ferocious, as he powered straight to the rim, bumped Mohammed aside, and finished the layup.
But Bruce Bowen would do it again the next chance he got.
Dirty play was his instinct.
That’s what the Spurs paid him for.
As the team’s primary offensive initiator, Su Xi ended most game nights covered in bruises from all the elbows he took. This was normal in the NBA. Even when matched up against Wade, Wade would sometimes give him an elbow, or even throw a punch.
However, the unpredictability of a guy like Bruce Bowen was... he didn’t just stop there.
Even if he jumped and was faked out on defense, he would still stick out a leg to try and trip you.
"You’re a fucking dirty player."
Su Xi said to Bruce Bowen as he ran back on defense.
"Thanks for the compliment."
Bowen took it as a badge of honor, not an insult.
At that moment, Jackson rushed over. He said to Bowen, "You should come match up with me, get a taste of my fists."
"Talk to me when you can hit a few threes in a row," Bowen shot back, his words sharp.
And on the very next play, Stephen Jackson showed him a thing or two.
When Bowen caught a pass from Ginobili and went up for a jump shot, Stephen Jackson flew in from the side and viciously slapped the ball out of bounds.
Jackson’s ferocity was no less than Bowen’s, which was one reason the game between these two teams was so intense.
The first quarter quickly came to an end.
The Spurs led 27-26.
At this rate, both teams were on pace to break 100 points.
And according to the Spurs’ past playoff records, when an opponent scored over 100 points, their winning percentage was only twenty-five percent.
"We have to change our approach."
Su Xi suggested from the bench, "Our half-court offense is only going to get tougher. The Spurs excel at this. There’s no way we’re more experienced at it than they are."
"But this is our most lethal set of tactics," Carlisle said frankly. "If we change tactics, what are we supposed to do? Play fast-break basketball? The Suns just lost to them doing that."
"Yes, that’s right! Play the fast break, run-and-gun!"
Su Xi said earnestly.
"But they just beat the Suns. Are we better at that than the Suns are? Jack, calm down. If we play a steady game like this, we have a decent chance to win. But if we try to run-and-gun, we’ll be playing right into the Spurs’ hands."
"No, we’re different from the Suns. We have defense!" Su Xi said with conviction. "Let’s give it a try, Rick!"
