Chapter 821: Leonard With a Poker Face
The 1st quarter ended with New York leading 29 to 19.
A 10 point advantage.
Popovich already had enough problems trying to figure out how to slow Chen Yan.
Then the 2nd quarter created an even bigger headache.
Nelson kept Chen on the floor and surrounded him with reserves.
Almost immediately, Chen attacked DeJuan Blair on 2 consecutive possessions.
Score.
Score again.
Blair simply could not stay in front of him.
The matchup was becoming ugly.
Popovich had no choice.
Leonard returned earlier than planned.
Leonard could not completely stop Chen either, but at least he could make every possession more difficult.
San Antonio had its own weapon coming off the bench.
Manu Ginóbili.
After using a screen, Ginóbili stepped into a 3 pointer.
Swish!
For the first 4 minutes of the 2nd quarter, the game became a scoring duel between Chen and Ginóbili.
Neither backed down.
Popovich gave Ginóbili complete freedom.
There was little reason to restrict him.
San Antonio needed his offense.
If Ginóbili stopped creating, New York's lead could quickly become unmanageable.
With 7:01 remaining in the 2nd quarter, both coaches gradually restored their main rotations.
New York had all 5 starters back on the floor.
San Antonio had 3 starters alongside Ginóbili, who replaced Stephen Jackson.
Duncan remained on the bench.
Even during the Playoffs, Popovich strictly controlled Duncan's minutes.
That careful management was one of the reasons Duncan had maintained such a high level for so many years.
During the regular season, he averaged only 28 minutes per game.
In the Playoffs, that number increased to roughly 32.
Age was only part of the issue.
Duncan had accumulated plenty of minor injuries over the years and was currently dealing with plantar fasciitis.
Overusing him in 1 game could damage his performance not only that night, but later in the series as well.
Parker and Ginóbili were not unlimited stamina players either.
Parker had recently turned 30.
He averaged about 32 minutes during the regular season and around 36 in the Playoffs.
Popovich was even more cautious with Ginóbili.
Injuries had already forced Manu to miss 32 games this season.
That had convinced Popovich that he could no longer push his veteran guard too hard.
In previous seasons, Ginóbili usually played around 30 minutes per game.
This year, that number had dropped sharply to 23.
Even in the Playoffs, he was playing only around 28 minutes.
That was one of the biggest differences between San Antonio and Miami.
When Miami became desperate, Spoelstra could keep James and Wade on the court almost indefinitely.
Popovich did not have that option.
He had to preserve his veterans.
That placed even more pressure on his rotations and tactical decisions.
At this point, New York led 41 to 30.
San Antonio had possession.
Ginóbili continued to run the offense.
He was in rhythm.
He was also fresh after sitting through the entire 1st quarter.
Ginóbili received the ball near the top and settled into a triple threat stance.
He did not rush.
Instead, he called for a screen.
Battier was shaken loose.
Ginóbili attacked left.
David West stepped over.
DeAndre waited inside.
Ginóbili split the space between them with a Euro step.
Then he twisted sideways in the air and attempted an extremely difficult leaning shot.
Even for Ginóbili, it was ambitious.
Clang!
Front rim.
Miss.
New York immediately ran.
Chen exploded up the floor.
He reached the top of the arc and looked toward the right side.
His hands did the opposite.
No look pass.
Curry caught the ball.
He gave a quick fake on the perimeter.
Then attacked with his right hand.
1 dribble.
Pass back.
Chen received it in rhythm.
The exchange created just enough space.
Chen rose immediately.
Around Madison Square Garden, thousands of hands went into the air.
3 fingers raised.
Fans were already celebrating.
Clang!
Miss.
A disappointed groan swept through the building.
At this point, people had become so accustomed to Chen making difficult 3 pointers that they almost expected every attempt to fall.
For a moment, they had forgotten that even Chen Yan could miss.
David West crashed the glass.
Instead of trying to secure the rebound, he slapped the ball back outside.
Without Duncan on the floor, San Antonio's interior presence dropped considerably.
Rim protection.
Rebounding.
Post defense.
Offensive stability.
Duncan influenced all of it.
Chen recovered the ball and immediately passed to Curry.
Then he moved toward the low post.
Curry dribbled toward the top.
Between the legs.
Small separation.
Entry pass.
Chen caught it with his back to the basket.
Whistle.
Leonard had been called for a push.
The rookie was playing with enormous tension and had become too physical with his hands.
The contact was strong enough to knock Chen slightly off balance.
New York inbounded again.
Chen received the ball near the elbow.
He stepped laterally away from the defense.
Then lobbed the ball inside to David West.
West caught it and released a soft shot.
The ball bounced once.
Twice.
3 times.
Then finally fell.
30 to 44.
San Antonio came back down.
Parker crossed half court.
Diaw moved up to screen.
Instead of using it normally, Parker immediately attacked the opposite direction.
Curry stayed attached.
Parker went between the legs and changed direction again toward the top.
Curry remained in front.
The broadcast booth praised the effort.
"Excellent defense from Curry. He has stayed connected through every change of direction."
The words had barely finished when the whistle sounded.
Defensive foul.
Curry stared at the referee.
Then smiled and shook his head.
"I pushed him?"
The official ignored the complaint.
The call stood.
The broadcast booth could only laugh.
"Praise him for 2 seconds and immediately he gets called for a foul."
San Antonio inbounded from the frontcourt.
Parker eventually found a mid range opportunity.
Miss.
New York ran again.
Curry pushed up the middle.
About 2 steps beyond the 3 point line, he passed toward Battier.
Battier did not hold the ball.
Immediate swing.
Chen caught it around the 30 degree angle beyond the arc.
San Antonio's defense was scattered.
Too much space.
Chen did not hesitate.
Rise.
Release.
Swish!
Nothing but net.
30 to 47.
Popovich looked toward his bench.
He hesitated.
Duncan remained seated.
Popovich understood Duncan's importance better than anyone.
He also understood Duncan's physical condition better than anyone.
There was still an entire 2nd half ahead.
He wanted his veteran big man to preserve as much energy as possible.
San Antonio responded with a rare quick inbound.
Parker advanced a few steps and passed to Ginóbili.
Manu caught the ball and immediately prepared to shoot from beyond the arc.
Chen came flying from behind at an angle.
Ginóbili sensed him.
Instead of forcing the shot, he used an aerial pump fake and redirected the ball toward Diaw at the top.
It was the correct decision.
If Ginóbili had released, Chen might have blocked the shot or at least severely altered it.
Diaw caught the pass.
His eyes immediately went inside.
Tiago Splitter was open beneath the basket.
Diaw fired a hard pass into the paint.
DeAndre stepped across.
Splitter received the ball but did not force a shot over him.
Instead, he wrapped a pass around DeAndre's body toward the baseline.
Leonard caught it.
Attack.
Chen had rotated toward Ginóbili and was no longer in position to help.
DeAndre turned.
Battier rushed over from nearby.
Leonard went straight through both defenders.
He rose in the narrow space between them and finished through the contact.
Good.
Whistle.
And 1.
Popovich finally exhaled.
San Antonio desperately needed something to slow New York's momentum.
Leonard clenched his fist in celebration.
His face remained almost completely expressionless.
It was his first basket of the game.
More importantly, it was the first basket of his career on the NBA Finals stage.
Inside, Leonard was thrilled.
Looking at his face, nobody would have known.
…..
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