"Champion!"
"Champion!"
Popovich looked around. The fans in the stands were a surging mass, their unified chants echoing throughout the entire arena.
He glanced at the scoreboard with a bitter expression.
101 to 87.
With a minute and a half left in the game, the deficit was still a full 14 points.
"Peter, we're still no match for the Suns," Popovich sighed softly.
Their victory in the last game had briefly given him the illusion that the Spurs could still turn this around.
Now, it seemed that was all it was—an illusion.
The Suns, who had been leading 2-0, had clearly gotten complacent.
Or perhaps, they hadn't expected Duncan to explode like that.
They had made specific adjustments for this game, and although Duncan still contributed 27 points, he clearly couldn't decide the outcome this time.
Thinking back on that game, you could actually see some signs.
The Suns had maintained a lead throughout the first half.
