Would the Spurs dare to let Zack keep shooting threes? Robert Horry answered this question in the Warriors' next offensive possession with a rough foul on Zack, which Crawford called.
The truth is, "Good Night, Los Angeles" didn't just deter Angelenos. Because in his second conquest of Los Angeles, "Mayor of Los Angeles" Zack had fully demonstrated to the world how high his "critical damage" truly was.
This era's Spurs were never afraid of players who scored methodically on the court, or those who had to take a few extra steps to drive to the basket but easily fatigued during the game. They were always only afraid of a superstar on the opposing team suddenly unleashing "high explosive damage" and taking them out in one fell swoop. Previously, this player was Zack's arch-nemesis, Kobe. Now, this player could very well be Kobe's arch-nemesis, Zack. As Wade said, Zack often gave the impression that he was a bigger Kobe.
On the sidelines, on the Spurs' bench, Popovich immediately expressed his dissatisfaction to Crawford with a roar over Horry being called for a foul due to increased defensive intensity.
"That's a damn foul? Do you want us to defend with our hands tied?"
The next second, looking at Popovich, who had turned into a hairdryer, Crawford calmly said, "Shut up. Next time, I'll give you a technical foul."
On the court, Zack, who had benefited and was still acting innocent, used his other signature move, his mismatched eyes (0.o), to provoke Popovich before returning to the game. At this moment, Popovich didn't argue with Zack. But he vaguely felt that the Spurs had already been sanctioned by David Stern. This made him increasingly irritable and uneasy. Because he, who always had a flexible moral compass, knew better than anyone that David Stern was the NBA's chief director.
However, before Popovich could finish his thoughts, on the court... Horry incurred his second personal foul of the night due to an unwise action. As Zack drove to the right side of the court with the ball, Horry, knowing that the referees' calls were exceptionally strict tonight, blatantly hooked Zack's ball-handling arm. Honestly, if this were twenty years in the future, it wouldn't be an overstatement for Horry to be called for a flagrant foul for this rough defense. Because "arm clamping" is also a very disgusting move on the basketball court, and it's extremely likely to cause injury to the offensive player.
Crawford did not tolerate Horry's behavior. Zack also didn't give the veteran Horry any face. Instead, as the referee blew the whistle, he used all his strength and directly threw Horry several meters away with his "Qilin arm." Without a doubt, Horry's throwing motion was definitely an act. But Zack immediately turned his gaze to him, giving him no chance to continue acting: "You nomad who fawns over whoever has a chance to win a championship, if you want war, I don't mind ending your career tonight."
Hearing this, Horry thought he could, as usual, provoke the opposing star with small actions to get an opportunity to trade blows with them. But the next second, on the Warriors' bench, Mike Dunleavy immediately stood up with a chair. As the light in his heart, how could Dunleavy let an unknown player like Horry trade blows with Zack? If Horry really wanted to do that, Dunleavy wouldn't mind taking another safety education class from the league.
Seeing this, Crawford quickly stepped between Zack and Horry, and looking up at Horry, he said, "If you don't want to be ejected, you'd better shut up."
Next, Horry "obediently" shut up. However, as he was substituted out by his teammate Nesterovic due to two fouls... he returned to the Spurs' bench while making a "shush" gesture and shaking his head. Since the entire Spurs team was very dissatisfied with the referee's officiating during the first round of the playoffs, in the eyes of the wily old Horry, he was merely conveying the Spurs' dissatisfaction to the league in his own way. But tonight, he not only picked the wrong opponent, but also... his action was tantamount to challenging the authority of the NBA and the officials on the court.
Almost simultaneously with Zack stepping to the free throw line, Crawford greeted the other two referees. Good. Since the San Antonians believed that Robert Horry's "arm clamping" move was a biased call, then they would show them exactly what their so-called tough defense was like under the strictest and most standard officiating.
On the court, Zack made both free throws. Coming back, after successfully forcing his way into the paint and scoring two points for the Spurs with a bank shot, Duncan said to Zack, "When you slow down, the impatience will recede." Zack knew that Duncan wanted to advise him not to lose his temper and act impulsively. But how could Zack lose his cool because of Horry's provocation just now? Zack knew very well that this was just how the Spurs were. If you were influenced by their style of play, it only meant that your cultivation wasn't yet complete.
On the Warriors' offensive possession, Zack actively moved up to the wing to set a screen for the ball-handling Artest. To quickly get around the screen, Bowen deliberately elbowed Zack in the lower back. This was a difficult small action to detect, and referees usually wouldn't trouble Bowen for this level of contact. Therefore, even though his physical condition was average, Bowen could always use his small moves and agile footwork to get around screens on the court. However, the referees, who had specifically opened their eyes tonight, did not let Bowen off the hook.
On the court, Crawford blew his whistle again.
"Hey, Dan, that couldn't be a foul. I didn't even touch him."
At this moment, if one didn't know Bowen's character, Crawford might have genuinely been fooled by his innocent appearance. But how could Crawford be that foolish?
"Put away your hypocrisy, Bruce. Tonight, I won't allow any transgressions."
To hell with transgressions! Are we even allowed to defend anymore? At this moment, Bowen thought to himself.
But... does defense always have to involve dirty plays and small actions? It's true that Crawford wasn't biased against the Spurs tonight, but that didn't mean he was biased for the Warriors. He simply adopted the same strict officiating standard for the defensive actions of both sides. And this was precisely the key to him, as Stern's personal enforcer, always maintaining a place in the NBA. Of course, for the Spurs, who relied on defense to win, Crawford's officiating standards would certainly only make them feel hateful.
But... did the Spurs really not know how to play without those small moves and dirty plays? In the low post, facing Zack, the always calm Duncan demonstrated a textbook-perfect defense. Throughout Zack's turnaround jumper, Duncan had no unnecessary movements. He not only gave Zack enough physicality but also applied strong interference. As for Zack's incredibly lucky turnaround fadeaway that bounced several times off the rim before finally rolling in?
"Lucky shot!"
In the paint, looking at Zack, Duncan commented sharply.
"Luck is also part of skill!"
Zack responded shamelessly.
Then, a few more possessions passed. As Artest and Richardson were also successively called for fouls due to overly aggressive defensive actions, Popovich discovered that David Stern, the NBA's chief director, was clearly targeting the Spurs! There was no other way; people who were adept at double standards were like that. As long as the officiating standards were unfavorable to him, even if the Warriors were playing under the same officiating standards tonight, Popovich would only think that Stern was messing with the Spurs.
So now the question was, was Stern really targeting the Spurs? The answer to this question... was yes and no. The reason for "yes" was, of course, that Stern genuinely didn't want to see the Spurs and Pistons meet in the Finals for two consecutive years. The reason for "no" was that Crawford's consistent officiating tonight had already told Popovich that as long as you could still win without those small moves and dirty plays... then Stern would never stop the Spurs from winning the championship.
Stern was targeting the Spurs, that's true. But he wasn't like Adam Silver in later generations, directly knocking you out and sending you away. Maintaining a certain level of competitiveness was essential for the NBA to continuously attract fans. Historically, the Lakers and Celtics in the future would use a high-quality defensive battle to tell the world that defense could actually be very exciting and could attract fans.
But... Finals like last year's Pistons-Spurs series, where defense dominated to the point of breaking up the game, Stern absolutely did not want to experience again. So, starting from the first round of the playoffs this year, Stern kept reminding the Spurs and Pistons: You want to win, you want to win a championship, no problem. But please put away those actions that shouldn't appear on a basketball court, and please keep your defensive intensity within a normal and acceptable range.
Did Crawford call things very strictly from the start tonight? If he was truly strict, then after Horry's two extremely rough fouls on Zack, Horry shouldn't have been allowed to stay on the court. Crawford's increasingly strict officiating was simply because the Spurs, throughout the first quarter, acted like a bunch of disgruntled women, including Popovich, Horry, and Bowen. Every time the whistle blew, they would constantly complain and grumble through their actions. So, how could Crawford, who was sent by Stern to remind the Spurs, possibly indulge them?
On the court, Zack violently sped up from the perimeter, shaking off Nesterovic, driving straight to the Spurs' basket, and scoring while being defended by Bruce Bowen.
"Beep--!"
And-One!
The shot went in with the whistle, and an extra free throw! At the AT&T Center, after testing Crawford's officiating standards, Zack, who had initially pretended to punish the Spurs with threes, had been fiercely attacking the basket all night.
At this point, Duncan also realized that Zack's "little schemes" had become increasingly cunning since he entered the NBA.
"Where did my cute, sensible, and understanding junior go?" Duncan deliberately asked before Zack's free throw.
Hearing this, Zack said, "He's dead, killed in battles with various NBA stars."
Provoking Popovich at the start. Displaying toughness in front of Horry. Even going so far as to make himself feel that his on-court behavior was too aggressive. At this moment, after a charming smile, Duncan suddenly realized that his junior had quietly grown into a true monster. His burning eyes held only one victory after another. Nothing could stop him. Duncan was absolutely and completely convinced. The NBA had, at this moment, welcomed the post-Jordan era's most terrifying and purest winning machine, born for victory. As long as his desires were not met, he would keep trying to win.
"But I haven't won enough either, what should I do?"
In the Spurs' paint, looking at Zack making the extra free throw, Duncan put away his smile. Then, on offense, he switched Brown onto himself, and Duncan hand-guided a textbook back-to-the-basket move for Zack on the side. Low center of gravity, leaning on the defender, spin, bank shot. The "scholarly top pick" was once again defeated by the "elderly top pick." There wasn't a single superfluous movement. This set of movements was far from elegant, but it perfectly showcased Duncan's fundamental skills. In the NBA, not everyone gets the chance to show off their fundamentals. Because even the best fundamentals require corresponding talent to be presented to the world.
The Spurs couldn't rely on tough defense to restrain Zack tonight. So Duncan decisively shifted his focus for the rest of the game to offense.
Parker in good times, Buddha in adversity.
Seeing this, on the Spurs' bench, assistant coach Mike Budenholzer quickly reminded Popovich, who was still fixated on the officiating standards: "Pop, stop thinking about how the referees are calling this game! We need to adjust our tactics first!"
Hearing this, Popovich, in the next second, displayed one of his few but crucial strengths. Turning to Budenholzer, who had already pulled out the tactical board, Popovich said, "Mike, how do you think we should adjust?"
Budenholzer suggested, "Let's switch to a zone defense first."
Popovich asked, "1-3-1 or 2-3?"
Budenholzer replied, "2-3. We can't let Tim expend too much energy on defense tonight."
Popovich pressed, "2-3 alternating with man-to-man?"
Budenholzer nodded and said, "Also, we need to immediately sub in Michael (Finley) for Manu."
Popovich stroked his chin and said, "You want to stagger the playing time of our key players to maintain our lineup intensity?"
Budenholzer said, "Manu needs to rest first, and... we need to play at a faster pace from now on."
Popovich was surprised, "Faster pace? But that's the Warriors' preferred tempo."
Budenholzer said unequivocally, "Listen, Pop, the referees' calls tonight are simply not conducive to defense. We only have a chance to win this game if we play run-and-gun. We can't let that No. 30 for the Warriors keep getting free throws, understand?"
Being good at listening to advice. This was undoubtedly one of Popovich's great strengths.
---
At the end of the first quarter, the score was 35-34. Although there were still many fans at the AT&T Center complaining that Crawford was giving Zack too many "star calls," as the Spurs started trading blows with the Warriors... this arena, which had originally felt like a "giant coffin," was gradually awakened with vitality. If even Spurs fans started to find the offensive showdown more exciting, how much more so for neutral fans watching the live broadcast on TV?
In the second quarter, for the Spurs, Ginobili, who had been substituted out early in the first quarter, returned to the court. On the sidelines, Brown, who had taken at least two kicks from Ginobili tonight, couldn't help but complain, "Is there no good person on this Spurs team besides Tim Duncan?"
Good person? Brown was clearly overthinking. Because weren't these Spurs clearly all villains? And who told Brown that the Warriors could represent "justice" tonight?
On the court, facing Ginobili, whose breakthrough rhythm was extremely unpredictable... Murphy, knowing that he couldn't stop him after being forced to switch onto this player who would sooner or later become the Pampas Vulture, simply tackled Ginobili to the floor. Since the Spurs hoped that Ginobili, this magical blade that could always slay gods and demons in desperate situations, would help the team hold on through the first half of the second quarter, the Warriors naturally had to apply maximum intensity, even at the cost of fouls, to exacerbate his physical exertion during offensive drives. Murphy's foul just now was decisive.
And when it was the Warriors' turn to offense, seeing Ginobili actively defending him, Little Dunleavy even ran him all over the court like a madman. On the Spurs' bench, Popovich stomped his foot in anger at Little Dunleavy's running, which was clearly not for offense. "Why doesn't he switch to running marathons?"
Fortunately, on the Warriors' next offensive possession, the smarter Ginobili gave the task of defending Little Dunleavy to his teammate. But before Ginobili could catch his breath, Jack, his matchup, after giving him a slight smile... entered full-power crazy running mode. Ginobili chose not to tightly follow Jack on this defensive possession.
And then... "Magical Jarrett" made a three-pointer from the top of the arc for the Warriors after receiving a pass from Zack, with his playoff three-point percentage as high as 25%. On the sidelines, Popovich angrily yelled at Ginobili, "Why the hell didn't you stick with him?"
In response, Ginobili, who chose to directly ignore Popovich, immediately performed a fadeaway three-pointer on the Spurs' offensive possession that nearly caused Popovich's heart rate to fluctuate. This three-pointer went in cleanly. And, on the retreat, Ginobili even deliberately spread his hands at Popovich. Although he didn't say a word, Ginobili's expression and demeanor at that time clearly said, "Shut up, don't tell me what to do when I'm playing."
It must be said that Ginobili was indeed a double-edged sword.
"Don't stop me, I'm trading him tomorrow! This Argentine idiot who only knows how to eat barbecue and drink mate tea! I don't want to see him anymore!" Popovich, broken by Ginobili, roared from the Spurs' bench. But Budenholzer and his colleagues, who were long used to this, complained, "Pop, the offseason is still two months away... we can't trade Manu right now."
Trade Ginobili? That was absolutely impossible. Because Popovich knew better than anyone that the Spurs simply couldn't find another "pseudo-superstar" as good and inexpensive as Ginobili.
AT&T Center, halfway through the second quarter, Duncan and Parker successively returned to the court. At this point, it was the Warriors' turn to struggle. Since they failed to pull away in the first half of the second quarter, the Warriors had no choice but to keep their star player, Zack, on the court. This was the San Antonio Spurs. When they calmed down and started playing seriously against you... no matter how much you detested them, they were one of the best teams in the NBA in this era.
On the Spurs' bench, Popovich, who had already recovered, sneered, "If they keep playing like this, I don't believe he (Zack) can last until the fourth quarter."
Popovich seemed to like setting flags tonight.
So... to prove that Zack could last until the fourth quarter, Artest stepped up. Since Artest's defensive efforts were hampered by Crawford's strict officiating, it actually gave Artest more opportunities to perform on offense. As long as Bruce Bowen couldn't use his dirty moves to limit the opponent's perimeter star, in front of Artest, who was like a bulldozer, his pitiful physique could only be described as... horrifying.
Clang, clang, clang!
On the court, to limit Artest, Duncan and Horry had to shrink their defensive area. The result was... on the Warriors' offensive possession, after Artest drove Bowen into the paint, he immediately found Zack lurking in the corner.
Swish--!
"I knew you'd be there!" Artest, who had clearly "blindly passed to Zack" moments before, said, patting Zack's back on the retreat.
Hearing this, Zack asked curiously, "How did you know I'd be there?"
Artest smiled, "Whenever you want to be lazy, you stand in the right corner. And that spot is also your most accurate shooting spot from all three-point areas."
At this moment, no more words were needed. What was called chemistry? This was chemistry. These Warriors were not just Zack growing.
Coming back, on the Warriors' defensive possession, under the interference of the "scholarly top pick," the "elderly top pick's" strong attack under the basket missed. Tim Duncan was indeed strong. But over the past season, Brown was also one of Zack's regular sparring partners.
Next, on the Warriors' offensive possession, Richardson drained a three-pointer from beyond the arc! After the shot, Richardson, feeling that this three-pointer had gone in too easily, even shook his head as he retreated on defense.
"60%."
On the Warriors' bench, Little Dunleavy, who had been substituted out, suddenly said. Murphy, who was wiping sweat with a towel nearby, asked, "60% of what?"
The next second, Little Dunleavy clenched his fist and said, "Jason's three-point percentage in the playoffs so far this year."
Murphy was surprised, "That high? Although I also feel he's very accurate..."
Little Dunleavy smiled, "Haven't you noticed that Jason seems like a changed man since entering the playoffs?"
Murphy thought back for a moment and said, "You mean?"
Little Dunleavy said, "He hasn't dunked once in the playoffs."
After a pause, Little Dunleavy said, "He's put away those flashy regular season skills, controlled that heart of his that always wants to show off... he's our Ray Allen now!"
On the court, no sooner had Little Dunleavy spoken than Richardson, off an assist from Davis, hit another trailing three-pointer!
"6 to 1!"
"What 6 to 1?"
"Baron's assist-to-turnover ratio in the playoffs this year."
"That high?"
One, a point guard with excellent athleticism who can control his emotions, reduce ill-advised shots, and limit turnovers.
One, a three-point sharpshooter who no longer seeks flashiness but constantly moves on the court, looking for the most efficient shooting opportunities.
One, a star small forward who, despite occasionally bullying the weak and fearing the strong, always makes the right choices at the right time, excelling on both ends of the court.
One, a "bust" top pick who is diligent and hardworking, never complaining, and whose defensive level has visibly made huge progress.
One, a reliable star player who always steps up in crucial moments.
At this instant, turning to look at the Warriors' bench, Little Dunleavy's eyes welled up with tears: "Plus us nobodies... This is the Golden State Warriors!"
Although currently at the AT&T Center, Little Dunleavy believed that a thousand kilometers away in Oakland, at Oracle Arena, the golden wave must have already started rolling with the Warriors' run!
In the latter half of the second quarter, despite the Spurs successfully slowing down the Warriors' momentum in the first half of the quarter according to their plan, and in Popovich's eyes, Zack's stamina rapidly declining... without any warning, the Warriors suddenly exploded! In the final moments of the first half, Zack, having successfully regulated his breathing, faced up Tim Duncan in a high post isolation. After faking a drive to shift Duncan's weight, Zack quickly pulled the ball back.
Then, under the gaze of Crawford, who had personally experienced that "last shot"... at this moment, time rewound, a dream back to 1998! Zack, with a perfect jumper, set the halftime score for the two teams at 68-51! The Golden State Warriors were getting closer and closer to conquering the AT&T Center!
The referees couldn't help the Warriors make those difficult, even acrobatic, shots tonight.
During halftime, Popovich's face was ashen. His strategists, who always offered him advice, also looked grave. It was evident that the Spurs' collapse in the second quarter was related to their grueling seven-game battle with the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs. Although Angelenos deeply hated Zack, they had, in this year's playoffs, used their actions to assist Zack and the Warriors.
After halftime, the Warriors didn't give the Spurs a chance to turn the game around. 108-91. This was the final score of the night. The Spurs, who had initially turned the tide through an offensive shootout in the first quarter, had many reasons for losing this game. But those weren't the main points. The main point was that the Warriors had brought that golden wave to San Antonio.
After the game, Zack, who totaled 39 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 blocks, and 1 steal for the Warriors, said in an interview: "Can we win this series and advance? My answer is, as long as we work together every night, we can defeat any opponent."
On site, a reporter pressed, "Since entering the playoffs, your form has gotten better and better. What role do you think you've played in the Warriors' progress to this point?"
Zack replied, "If we calculate by percentage, I should have played 1% in it."
The reporter was surprised, "1%?"
Zack nodded and said, "The remaining 99% I'll give to my teammates, because without them, I couldn't have led the Warriors this far. Basketball is a five-person sport."
Now, it was a time when the Warriors needed unity, and Zack couldn't say anything detrimental to unity. However, his teammates didn't agree with Zack's statement.
Artest said, "1%? That's just the Messiah being humble. He's our absolute core. With him, we can defeat any opponent. Without him, we can't beat anyone."
Davis confessed, "I think that's why he can guide us forward. He always gives us the credit, but we all know he's the 99%."
Richardson stated, "I love playing with him. He always makes winning easy. He deserves all the praise. In fact, in my mind, he's the most outstanding NBA player, bar none."
Because all the good words had been eagerly said by his teammates, when being interviewed, Brown said, "Actually, the Messiah doesn't need to praise me so much. You tell me, how can I deserve that 99%?" After a pause, Brown smiled, "That was just a joke. Honestly, I don't know how to describe him... In short, he's the best NBA player I've ever seen, ever."
---
After the game, due to his extreme reluctance to praise Zack, especially his "unorthodox" style of play in his eyes, Popovich simply entrusted the responsibility of attending the press conference to Budenholzer. As a result, Budenholzer immediately praised Zack: "He completely crushed us tonight. We can only pray that in the next game, God doesn't play wearing the Warriors' No. 30 jersey."
To this, Popovich angrily retorted afterward: "I don't object to you praising him, but why did you give him such a high evaluation?"
Hearing this, Budenholzer said with a wry smile, "Pop, do you want people to say that the defending champions lost to a team that was unknown last season and a rookie?"
After a long sigh, Popovich's eyes suddenly sharpened: "We only lost the first game, but the bystanders are acting as if we've lost this series. We've already tested the Warriors' depth in this game. As long as the referees aren't all like Dan Crawford, we'll definitely be the ones laughing last."
Budenholzer nodded and said, "I agree with you. We were really too tired in this game and couldn't fully unleash our strength."
According to the schedule, the Spurs would get two precious days of rest and would continue to host the Warriors on the night of the 13th. To give his players ample rest, Popovich accepted the advice of the Spurs' staff and canceled the Spurs' training plans for the next two days.
Now, the Warriors must forget the joy of conquering the AT&T Center in Game 1. Because, after two days of rest... the Spurs in Game 2 would gradually shake off the impact of their grueling seven-game battle with the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs.
Although after Game 1, the world was saying, if a miracle had to have a color, then why couldn't it be the golden color of the Warriors? But until the series was completely over, the Warriors must not take opponents like the Spurs lightly.
"This will effectively be a pivotal Game 7 battle."
Before Game 2 began, Zack said this to his teammates.
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