Midway through the first quarter, the Supersonics made their first substitution: Yao Ming out, Morris Evans in.
Evans was a big, physical guard, standing 6'5" and weighing over 220 pounds. Carlisle pulled Yao to play Posey at the four, so Evans' size and weight were a perfect match for Artest. On defense, Kevin Garnett was still tasked with dealing with that headache of a "demon king" (Zack). This was a rotation dubbed, "Let Garnett suffer, and Carlisle will take the blame." Since this Sonics team's bench players were mostly scraps, apart from Evans and Hayes, Carlisle had to stagger the "Northwest Big Three's" playing time across the first three quarters to ensure the Supersonics' talent level stayed consistently high.
Seeing this, Zack immediately initiated a high-low play with Murphy, giving Murphy a taste of "nature's bounty" (an easy score). While most of Murphy's offense started from the perimeter, that didn't mean the 6'11" forward didn't know how to post up and overpower Posey, who was at a disadvantage in both height and weight. Zack snagged an assist.
However, on the very next possession, as Zack tried to run the same play, Posey truly showcased his value as a championship-caliber role player. With an accurate read, Posey suddenly fronted Murphy, intercepting the pass before it reached him. As one of the best defensive role players in the league, Posey's greatest strength wasn't his ability to lock down an opposing perimeter star one-on-one, nor was it resorting to unscrupulous tactics like Bruce Bowen. Instead, it was his exceptional defensive awareness and, when necessary, his ability to switch onto power forwards despite a height disadvantage, using his experience to battle against opposing big men.
Another possession later, the Warriors subbed in Kwame Brown for Murphy. Brown was more mobile, and his athleticism meant Zack could thread passes directly over Posey's head when feeding him. But just as Brown happily caught Zack's lob pass, preparing to finish at the rim, Evans quickly rotated from the wing, wrapping Brown up in a clear foul. Brown's face instantly soured.
This was an obvious foul, and it was the first time the Warriors had encountered the "Hack-a-Shaq" (or in this case, "Hack-a-Kwame") tactic in the playoffs. Why did it take until the Western Conference Finals for the Warriors to face it? Because most of the time, Brown was only used for off-ball backdoor cuts and quick finishes. Opposing teams wouldn't waste precious fouls on Brown, who rarely took more than 7 shots a game. Plus, fouling the Warriors too much could be a dangerous sign. So, the "hack-a-tactics" only made sense in specific situations, like tonight.
With Yao Ming on the bench, the Sonics had to play Posey at center for a stretch. Therefore, with Garnett primarily guarding Zack, whenever the Warriors brought in a big man like Brown who could score easy buckets inside, the Sonics had no choice but to foul to disrupt the Warriors' offense. Yes, it was a desperate "hack."
But facing the Sonics' fouls, Brown, who suddenly became the center of attention, disappointingly missed both free throws. And his second free throw was even an airball!
On the Sonics' bench, Yao Ming couldn't bear to watch; good free-throw shooters just can't stand seeing others waste free throws like that.
"Why were you so rushed on that free throw? Couldn't you have taken a few more deep breaths?" Zack asked Brown, who was drenched in sweat.
"I... I was nervous," Brown whispered.
At that moment, Zack was utterly speechless. He couldn't understand what had happened to Brown during his four years with the Wizards. Brown's free-throw shooting in his first three years wasn't terrible, after all. When he was drafted, Brown's scouting report compared him to an "enhanced Chris Webber." If Brown had been a completely unskilled bruiser, how could he have impressed so many NBA GMs and scouts purely on talent?
"Starting tomorrow, go practice the 'underhand' free throw!" Zack told Brown.
Brown's eyes widened in horror. "Then... you might as well kill me!"
On the court, as Sam Cassell brought the ball past half-court, Zack temporarily halted his conversation with Brown.
The first quarter ended in a 27-27 tie, a relatively slow, grind-it-out battle where both teams were evenly matched. Back on the bench, as Zack propped his leg up for Brown to untie his shoelaces, he said, "What's so bad about the 'underhand' shot? That's a signature move from our team's legend, Rick Barry!"
Brown mumbled, "But that posture is just... it's so damn ugly!"
Zack shot back, "So, can you promise me you'll actually make those damn free throws when the Sonics use their 'hack-a-tactics'?"
"..."
"No!" Brown's expression screamed. "But even if you kill me, I'm not doing the underhand!"
"Next season, do you want to go to Minnesota or Toronto?" Zack suddenly asked, looking at Brown's face, which was plastered with "REJECT."
At that, Brown, who was almost ready to kneel on the spot, quickly pleaded, "Boss, I... I really used to be a shooter, believe me! Give me one summer, and I'll definitely fix my free throws!"
Was Brown really a shooter back then? The answer was definitely no.
However, looking at Brown's physique, which was much leaner than during his Wizards days, Zack felt that Brown's declining free-throw accuracy and his worsening shooting might be related to his excessive muscle gain in Washington. Again, an unskilled big man with absolutely no shooting ability wouldn't be labeled a "new Webber" by even the most outlandish NBA scouts. In Zack's memory, as Brown's weight continued to increase, you couldn't even see a hint of a former number one pick in him in the future. You'd only see a more cumbersome, stiff, and even fumbling Kwame Brown who'd get too nervous to catch passes.
This season, with Brown dropping his weight to around 265 pounds, his running and jumping ability had noticeably improved. So, realizing this, Zack told him, "This summer, I need you to lose another six pounds."
"!!!"
Zack knew that no matter how much weight Brown gained, he'd be the one guarding Yao Ming in the post anyway. Therefore, Zack planned to have Brown lose more weight to recover the excellent coordination he displayed during his draft combine. Zack wanted to see if shedding that extra, unbearable weight could help Brown fix his free throws... and perhaps even develop a decent mid-range jumper. If Brown could achieve all that, he would undoubtedly become an even more valuable blue-collar big man.
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At Oracle Arena, Zack didn't re-enter the game until five minutes into the second quarter. Mike Dunleavy Jr.'s absence due to suspension wasn't very noticeable against the Spurs. But tonight, with Carlisle staggering the "Northwest Big Three's" minutes to maintain offensive firepower, combined with the Warriors' difficulty in truly "going wild" in this slow-paced half-court game... "In the second half, we'll have to stagger Messiah's and Baron's playing time," Mike Malone thought to himself on the Warriors' bench.
Zack, playing with an injury, would inevitably see his minutes decrease. This meant the Warriors had to re-evaluate their rotation system to ensure they maintained an advantage in this half-court battle. Because the Sonics' weakness was precisely that, besides their main stars, Evans, and Hayes, their roster was mostly composed of absolute benchwarmers.
On the court, on Zack's first offensive possession back, Richardson received a pass from him and drained a three-pointer for the Warriors. On the next possession, Davis, better able to drive directly into the Sonics' paint from the wing with Zack's screen, faked out Yao Ming, who rotated over to help, with an acrobatic scoop layup.
On the Sonics' bench, Carlisle frowned. "I can't believe this is a team whose star player is playing injured and is missing its Sixth Man of the Year."
Davis's excellent form, complemented by Zack, gave the Warriors a truly unique offensive ability in this era, whether in half-court sets or in transition. Despite the Sonics successfully signing "the Alien" Sam Cassell before the trade deadline, a 37-year-old Cassell couldn't guard Davis, who was playing like a man possessed, slaying gods and Buddhas alike, after returning from injury this year.
Halftime score: 52 to 51. Thanks to Yao Ming's dominance in the first half of the second quarter, the Sonics would enter the second half with a slim lead. At this point, both Carlisle and Malone realized... this was going to be a battle of attrition, a "who can knock out who first" type of game.
It was true that the Sonics couldn't guard the Warriors' offense. But in return, the Warriors also found it incredibly difficult to defend the Sonics' half-court offense. With Garnett feeding him the ball, Yao Ming's receptions on the court were much easier than during his Rockets days. Zack, who had been responsible for passing to Yao Ming in the World Championships last year, had experienced this firsthand. As long as Yao Ming could successfully catch the ball in the low post, there was basically nothing you could do against him unless you double-teamed him. And, under Carlisle's tactical system, you also had to constantly guard against Ray Allen's sudden sharp-shooting.
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After halftime, the game continued. On the court, it was the Warriors' offensive possession. Zack initiated a handoff play with Davis on the right side of the court. Garnett hedged for Cassell to delay Davis's drive, but that also gave Zack an opportunity to pop out for a pick-and-pop. Seeing this, Davis decisively dished the ball.
On CCTV, Zhang Weiping vividly described, "Whoa, the Warriors' offense, just a simple two-man game, and they easily get a shot!"
Swish!
Compared to all the other star forwards he had faced, Zack was definitely the most tormenting for Garnett. Perhaps if you only compared shooting ability, Dirk Nowitzki was better. If you talked about post-up fundamentals, Tim Duncan was superior. But Zack's terrifying quality was that you simply couldn't guess what weapon he would pull out of his arsenal on the next offensive possession. And that was just Zack as a "patient"; otherwise, he could even use his guard-like offensive skills to repeatedly torture you.
Thankfully, on the Sonics' offensive possession, before the Warriors could double-team, Yao Ming hit a fadeaway jumper over the player whose online gaming ID was "I'm Taller Than Yao Ming," making him flush with anger. Tonight, every time Yao Ming scored on Zack, Garnett couldn't help but thump his chest for Yao. "Good job!" Garnett exclaimed, giving Yao Ming a hearty high-five as they retreated on defense, finally letting out some pent-up frustration.
Back on offense for the Warriors, Zack continued to initiate handoff plays with Davis. This time, Garnett didn't give Zack an opportunity to pop out, but because his hedge came too early, Davis simply floored it, driving straight to the basket. Left with no choice, Cassell had to commit a tactical foul to stop the Warriors' attack.
At this moment, a very interesting scene unfolded on the sidelines. On the Sonics' bench, Gary Payton kept pointing out Cassell's defensive mistakes. However, facing this "little brother" who needed Payton to carry him to a win, Cassell responded with a disdainful look:
—You try it!
In that moment, Payton was left speechless by Cassell's stare. Zack, noticing this scene, made up his mind: whenever he felt his own game start to decline in the future, he would end his career without hesitation. Zack absolutely didn't want to end up like Payton, facing side-eye and disrespect due to his diminished skills in his later years. In this world, only turtles are destined to live longer than everyone else.
In the third quarter, Carlisle still only played Yao Ming for half of the period. The Sonics hoped to save Yao Ming's energy for the more crucial fourth quarter. This was another significant difference between Yao Ming under Carlisle's coaching and his time with the Rockets. Unlike Jeff Van Gundy, who would always exhaust Yao Ming's energy bar in the first three quarters, Carlisle preferred to conserve his strength so that Yao Ming could unleash his power in the fourth quarter. The most direct result of this adjustment was that Yao Ming appeared much more impactful on the court, with a greater star presence than during his Rockets days.
However, unlike the first half, in the third quarter, with Yao Ming on the bench and Hayes subbed in, the Warriors immediately increased their frequency of attacking the basket. This wave of high-frequency charges was initiated by Ron Artest. Posey had excellent defensive awareness, but facing Artest's relentless, bulldozer-like charges, he could only resort to fouling to stop him on possessions where Artest was simply too much to handle.
Zack was subbed out by Mike Malone with about three minutes left in the third quarter. Artest and Davis's excellent play was enough to sustain the Warriors' third-quarter offense; now Malone had to strategize his lineup for the decisive fourth quarter.
At Oracle Arena, after three quarters, the score was tied at 77-77. Ray Allen's difficult catch-and-shoot jumper right before the end of the third quarter brought both teams back to square one.
In the early fourth quarter, Malone, choosing to "make Davis suffer a bit more," didn't give the Sonics' second unit, led by Yao Ming, a chance to take the lead. And, surprisingly, in the decisive moments, Malone brought in Brown to partner with Zack instead of Murphy. Although Brown had been rattled by the Sonics' "hack-a-tactics" in the first half, only Brown's mobility could ensure the Warriors could effectively double-team Yao Ming without leaving gaps when Yao posted up. Malone believed that no matter how much Carlisle conserved Yao Ming's energy, in the fourth quarter, as fatigue set in, it would be the perfect opportunity for the Warriors to force more turnovers from Yao Ming through double-teams.
On the court, it was the Sonics' offensive possession. Double-teamed by Brown and Zack, Yao Ming couldn't find an outlet pass, and Zack, with his quick hands, stole the ball. Richardson caught Zack's long outlet pass and converted a fast-break layup.
Carlisle immediately called a timeout. After the timeout, he once again showed the world how his Yao Ming differed from the Rockets' version. From the high post, off a Garnett screen, Yao Ming received a pass from Ray Allen. No longer seeking to post up deep, he calmly rose for a long two-point jumper, sinking it.
In Zack's past life, throughout Yao Ming's entire Rockets career, long two-point attempts made up less than 6% of his total shots. In Carlisle's eyes, this was undoubtedly a waste of Yao Ming's shooting ability. Furthermore, unlike coaches obsessed with having big centers post up in the low block, Carlisle was always a coach who placed great emphasis on scoring through jump shots. For Carlisle, it was a simple math problem: as long as your player can complete an offensive possession with a close to 45% two-point shooting percentage, why should you care if he scores with a jump shot or a strong attack at the rim? Carlisle knew that as fatigue set in, and Yao Ming faced more double-teams in the low post, he would inevitably commit more turnovers. So, instead of letting him be trapped in the low post, it was better to bring him up high to solve the battle with jump shots alongside Garnett.
And on the next Sonics' offensive possession, they deployed a 1-2-2 alignment, which immediately made Zack realize the true difference between various "horns" sets. Yao Ming and Garnett's excellent high-post screen quality ensured that the Sonics' horns offense could be perfectly executed. And because both Garnett and Yao Ming had shooting range, it was incredibly difficult to anticipate the Sonics' next move when they initiated their subsequent horns variations.
This was a trump card that Carlisle had kept hidden until the Western Conference Finals. In the current era of the league, there was no team that could utilize the horns offense as effectively as the Supersonics.
On the court, as Ray Allen moved towards the high-post horns, Garnett suddenly popped out. Yao Ming, using Ray Allen's cut to draw attention, set an immediate screen, momentarily blocking two Warriors defenders who were chasing. Then, Cassell quickly delivered the ball, and Garnett coolly pulled up and hit a tough jumper. In this horns variation by the Sonics, Carlisle's team, like a master painter, drew a world-renowned masterpiece named "team basketball" right there in Oracle Arena.
This was Carlisle's stubborn response to Zack and the Warriors, a coach who, to this day, couldn't appreciate the beauty of a ball-dominant superstar.
And now, it was time for the defending champion Warriors to respond to the Supersonics.
On the court, it was the Warriors' offensive possession. Zack isolated "Full Power KG" (Garnett) on the right side of the court. By this point in the game, Zack had long forgotten his ankle pain. After a full-speed drive, he suddenly pulled the ball back, then faked a shot, successfully "bowing to Buddha" (a pump fake) and faking out Garnett. In the Sonics' paint, Yao Ming hastily spread his arms and retreated to the basket. But in the next instant, Zack, making contact with Yao Ming, used his superior wingspan to forcefully slam the ball through the hoop!
Beep—!
The shot went in, the whistle blew.
AND-ONE!
On TNT, Charles Barkley didn't give Kenny Smith a chance to interrupt this time. He grabbed the microphone and roared, "The Messiah is unstoppable tonight! What a magnificent dunk! Injuries are destined to only shackle mortals! But a deity has descended at this very moment!"
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What do you think of Carlisle's strategic adjustments and Yao Ming's evolving role? Do you think the Warriors are truly "awakened" now, or will the Sonics push them further?