Chapter 40: First Playoff Victory
The second quarter had just begun, and the main players from both teams were resting on the bench.
On the Spurs' side, Ginobili led the reserves, while on the Suns' side, Allen Iverson led the reserves.
Just as Iverson said, as long as he was on the court, he could score!
This was a man born to fight!
He drove to the basket, shook off the defender, and pulled up for a jumper!
He stole the ball and fast-broke!
In the first three minutes of the second quarter, Iverson scored six straight points, leading the reserves to take the lead.
The reserves were originally the Suns' weakest link, but with Iverson's addition, they filled the gap.
Three minutes into the second quarter, the Spurs' vaunted bench, not only failed to extend the lead but started to fall behind the Suns. Popovich immediately called a timeout.
After the timeout, Duncan, Parker, and Leonard all returned to the court.
This lineup was not something Iverson and the reserves could handle. In just one minute, the Spurs tied the score again.
Wade Dong and Nash couldn't sit still any longer and returned to the court.
The Suns' lineup was Nash, Wade Dong, Hill, Iverson, and Gortat, with only Gortat being over 2 meters tall.
The Suns' run-and-gun tactics had once shocked the league. Gentry arranged a lineup with one big and four smalls, with Gortat playing center. The backcourt was controlled by Nash, along with Wade Dong and Iverson, two players with superb scoring abilities. This lineup's scoring power was terrifying.
Although this lineup had significant flaws, it was enough to give the Spurs a hard time for a while.
After Wade Dong and Nash returned to the court, their initial tactics caught the Spurs off guard, and the Suns scored consecutively, gradually extending the lead.
However, the experienced Popovich quickly changed tactics after encountering the Suns' strategy. By the end of the first half, the Spurs were not far behind the Suns.
In the third quarter, the Suns' defensive weaknesses were exposed, and the Spurs started scoring frequently.
By the time there were seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Suns were trailing the Spurs by 11 points.
"X Tactic!"
Gentry stood on the sidelines, making a gesture and shouting.
"X Tactic?"
Popovich also heard Gentry's shout. What was this X Tactic?
Of course, the Suns players knew what the X Tactic was. Nash dribbled the ball up the court and passed it to Gortat on the wing.
Gortat raised the ball, and Morris quickly moved to Gortat's side.
Nash drew the defense, and Wade Dong circled into the paint. Gortat immediately passed the ball to Hill. Hill, after receiving the ball, quickly passed it to Wade Dong as he slipped between Gortat and Morris.
At the moment Wade Dong slipped through, Morris and Gortat closed in together, blocking Leonard's path.
Hill passed the ball to Wade Dong.
Leonard was blocked by Morris and Gortat, leaving Wade Dong with a wide-open shot!
Earlier, during the team's training, Wade Dong had already exchanged for Curry's three-point shooting skill package as a precaution.
"Swish!!!"
The open three-pointer went in without any surprise.
"Hmm?!"
Popovich was stunned for a moment, then shouted at the referee, "Illegal screen, illegal screen!"
The referee just looked at Popovich and did not blow the whistle. The basket counted!
91:83!!!
The Suns trailed by eight points.
This basket greatly boosted morale. On defense, the Suns stopped Parker's attack.
Using the same tactic, Wade Dong hit two more three-pointers in a row.
91:89!!!
The lead was down to two points.
Even the usually calm Leonard was rattled. Every time he chased Wade Dong, he was blocked by Gortat and Morris!
Once, he even collided with Gortat, but there was nothing he could do. The referee never blew the whistle! Popovich had no choice but to call a timeout!
After the timeout, the Spurs changed their tactics!
When Wade Dong circled into the paint, the defender on Gortat immediately switched to defend the three-point line. This tactic seemed effective, but Gentry had already thought of it. After the timeout, Wade Dong just moved around in the paint and did not slip between Gortat and Morris!
He drew the defense, and the one executing the tactic became Nash.
Nash's three-pointers were equally hard to defend, especially when facing wide-open shots, with a success rate of over 60%.
"Swish!!!"
"Swish!!!"
"Swish!!!"
After Nash hit three consecutive three-pointers, the old fox Popovich was furious on the sidelines!
He had never encountered such a frustrating tactic!
With the game down to less than five minutes, he couldn't think of a way to counter this tactic.
The lead gradually widened!
"Beep!!!"
With the final whistle, the game ended.
117:103!!!
The Suns defeated the Spurs, securing their first playoff victory.
The stats for the game:
Wade Dong: 31 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, 1 block
Nash: 19 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks
Iverson: 21 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 0 blocks
Duncan: 26 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks
...
"Great job, brother!"
The Suns players started high-fiving and celebrating. Winning a game on the Spurs' home court was a huge morale boost. At least for now, the home-court advantage had shifted to the Suns.
...
In the CCTV-5 broadcast studio:
Yu: "The Suns' tactic in the fourth quarter caught the Spurs off guard."
Zhang: "As I said, the Suns need a trick to beat the Spurs, and this is Gentry's trick."
Yu: "I've never seen this tactic before."
Zhang: "This tactic turns a single pick-and-roll into a double pick-and-roll, especially with the Suns having Wade Dong and Nash, two superb three-point shooters. This tactic is almost unstoppable."
Yu: "Zhang, you really know your basketball!"
Zhang: "When I was on the national team, I had this tactical idea, but I never used it."
Yu: o(′^｀)o
Yu didn't dare to argue. Zhang, you are the senior, whatever you say goes.
...
After the game, the Suns players quickly returned to the hotel to rest. They would play the second game there the next day.