The next day, a rest day after having just finished three games in four days, the Spurs got three days off.
Zhang Yang arrived at the ATT Stadium just after 9 am, requesting the scout reports for the remaining 12 games from Popovich to study.
Over a month had passed; he had diligently studied tactics and techniques and trained. Although his shooting and playmaking did not show noticeable improvement, the techniques to execute those skills had become much richer than before.
And it was precisely because of his solid basic skills that he could learn so many things so quickly and put them to use.
Having introduced rotations early on, although a bit late after a four-game losing streak, its benefits were starting to show.
And even if it was only starting now, it was better to have Duncan and Ginobili rest one game and play the next rather than being continuously defeated and exhausted. Besides, the chances of winning were higher after a rest.