Protests or curses, the game had to continue.
For Popovich, this Zhuge Weiqi, the biggest problem remained how to defeat the Phoenix Suns.
After the first game, if there was one lesson to be learned, it was that they couldn't simply give up on their perimeter defense.
Of course, they couldn't give up on the paint either.
Giving up on double-teaming O'Neal in the paint would only lead to a more brutal defeat.
This placed even greater demands on Duncan. He had to position himself further out to link the interior and exterior defense, and the moment O'Neal got the ball, he had to instantly rotate back to trap him.
There was no other choice. They just had to work Duncan even harder.
And then...
The Spurs collapsed once again.
And it only took three quarters.
