Chapter 827: Never Underestimate the Heart of a Champion
The Spurs' morale had clearly taken a hit.
Popovich knew they could not continue like this.
Something had to change.
On the flight back to San Antonio, he specifically sought out Duncan.
Popovich told him directly that his minutes would increase over the next few games and that he needed to prepare himself.
Duncan had already been thinking the same thing.
His workload had increased in Game 2, but in his mind, it still had not been enough.
If San Antonio wanted to defeat New York, then he, as the foundation of the team, needed to spend more time on the court.
Popovich had always been conservative with the minutes of his veteran players.
That philosophy was a major reason Duncan and the others had remained productive deep into their careers.
But this was different.
This was the NBA Finals.
There was no reason to preserve players for a future that might never arrive.
For this series, convention could be broken.
Popovich delivered the same message to Ginóbili.
Parker needed no such conversation.
His minutes were already high enough.
The day after returning to San Antonio, Popovich called a smaller team meeting.
Tactics were discussed.
But the more important goal was restoring confidence.
Everyone understood what a 0 to 2 deficit in the NBA Finals meant.
San Antonio needed 4 victories to win the championship.
Only 3 games remained at home.
That meant even if the Spurs protected home court perfectly, they would still need to win at least 1 game in New York.
And right now, New York held the advantage in both talent and momentum.
Almost nobody outside the organization believed San Antonio could pull it off.
The players themselves had not surrendered.
This was a veteran team.
They had endured too much over the years to collapse after 2 losses.
Duncan, normally one of the quietest players in the room, spoke.
"Do not think about winning 4 games."
Everyone looked toward him.
"Do not think that far ahead."
His voice remained calm.
"Just think about the next one."
Duncan paused.
"We only need to figure out how to win Game 3."
Several players nodded.
The message was simple, but effective.
Thinking about 4 victories made the challenge feel enormous.
Thinking about 1 game made everything manageable.
Duncan's background in psychology seemed useful at a moment like this.
He did not shout.
He did not deliver some dramatic speech.
He simply changed the way everyone viewed the situation.
Confidence mattered.
Without it, nothing else worked.
...
After arriving in San Antonio, Nelson also held a short meeting with the Knicks.
New York's atmosphere was completely different.
The players looked relaxed.
Perhaps too relaxed.
A 2 to 0 lead had made several of them feel as though the series were already under control.
Nelson did not like that.
Being loose could help.
Being complacent could destroy a team.
After the meeting, Yi Jianlian approached Chen.
"Chen, the Chinese men's national team training camp has already started. You know that, right?"
"I know. Jonas called me."
Chen's arrival in this timeline had created plenty of changes.
Jonas was still the head coach of the Chinese men's national team.
Yi frowned slightly.
"Do you think we are going to have enough time to build chemistry?"
Chen looked at him.
"Do not worry about that yet. Finish the NBA Finals first."
He smiled.
"1 game at a time."
Yi still looked concerned.
"We do not report for training in Guangzhou until July 6. Then we leave for London on July 23."
He shook his head.
"That does not give us much time."
Chen patted him on the shoulder.
"You are thinking too much."
"Most of the national team players are guys we already know. A lot of them played with us in the 2008 Olympics."
He continued.
"Jonas has coached this group for years. We already understand each other. We are not starting from nothing."
Yi nodded.
The concern did not completely disappear.
Chen noticed.
"Then work harder and finish this Finals sooner."
Yi looked at him.
Chen smiled.
"If we return to camp as NBA champions, think about what that does for everyone's confidence."
"2 NBA championship players joining the national team?"
Chen laughed.
"Everybody is going to believe a little more."
Yi's expression became firmer.
"You are right."
He nodded.
"The most important thing now is beating San Antonio."
Not long afterward, Chen's phone rang.
Taylor Swift.
"You really are busy."
Chen laughed.
"What happened?"
"The NBA Finals end and then you immediately go back to China for training. After that, you are going straight to the Olympics."
Chen raised an eyebrow.
"How do you know all that?"
Taylor sounded offended.
"You think I do not use the internet?"
Chen laughed.
"I report to training in China on July 6. Then we leave for London on July 23."
"So our vacation is ruined again?"
Her disappointment was obvious.
Chen thought for a moment.
"You could come to China with me."
There was a brief silence.
Then Taylor's voice immediately became excited.
"Really?"
"Why not?"
"But you are going there for training."
Chen laughed.
"My goodness, training camp is not prison."
Taylor started laughing too.
"Then it is settled."
Chen smiled.
"Just prepare yourself."
"For what?"
"You are very popular in China. You have a lot of fans there."
"That makes me want to go even more."
Chen laughed.
"I hope you are still smiling when there are so many people around you that you cannot move."
Taylor clearly had no idea what awaited her.
Chinese fans could become extremely passionate when meeting international celebrities they admired.
...
Game 3 arrived quickly.
San Antonio's home arena was packed long before tipoff.
Fans filled the building holding signs and wearing Spurs colors.
When the home team came onto the floor, every player looked serious.
San Antonio was already down 0 to 2.
Another loss would push them to the edge.
Barkley looked across the court during the pregame broadcast.
"This is going to be a tough one for New York. Sweeping a team like San Antonio is never easy. The Spurs are home now, and they know exactly what is at stake."
Kenny Smith nodded.
"But if New York wins tonight and goes up 3 to 0, then realistically, they have one hand on the trophy."
When Chen entered the court, the arena erupted in boos.
San Antonio fans hated him.
That hatred had been built over years.
During his Phoenix days, Chen had repeatedly ruined the Spurs' postseason ambitions.
Changing uniforms had not erased those memories.
Chen enjoyed every second of it.
Boos on the road were a compliment.
The more an opposing crowd hated seeing him, the more damage he had probably done to their team.
Barkley grinned.
"Listen to this building. They remember him."
Kenny turned toward the court.
"The biggest question tonight is what Popovich does defensively. In the first 2 games, they never found a reliable answer for Chen."
"Do they keep Leonard on him by himself? Do they send consistent double teams? Do they try something completely different?"
Barkley immediately shook his head.
"Keep Leonard alone again?"
He laughed.
"Man, that poor kid has suffered enough. Another couple games like this and he might start reconsidering basketball as a career."
Kenny smiled.
"Leonard is an excellent young defender. He has a lot of potential. But asking someone that young to guard Chen Yan in the NBA Finals is an enormous challenge."
Both of them guessed wrong.
Popovich stayed with Leonard.
For Game 3, San Antonio would once again rely primarily on single coverage against Chen.
The coaching staff had debated the issue for 2 days.
Popovich had seriously considered trapping Chen with 2 defenders.
His assistants pushed back.
New York simply had too many shooters.
And those shooters were good.
Curry.
Battier.
David West from his preferred spots.
Others throughout the rotation.
Worse, Chen was an elite passer.
Sending an extra defender could easily turn into a parade of open shots.
Popovich ultimately agreed.
That was the reason he had resisted constant double teams from the beginning.
San Antonio would continue trusting its system.
Let Leonard battle Chen.
Protect everyone else.
Do not allow the rest of New York's offense to become comfortable.
If Chen scored 40 or 50 but everyone else struggled, San Antonio could still win.
The Spurs did make 1 important lineup adjustment.
Ginóbili moved into the starting unit.
The effect was immediate.
With Manu on the floor beside Parker and Duncan, San Antonio had more creation, more spacing, and more ways to attack.
The Spurs took control early.
Defensively, the approach remained the same.
Leonard stayed on Chen.
No automatic double team.
Make Chen earn his points.
Take away everyone else.
With 6 minutes remaining in the 1st quarter, Ginóbili checked out.
His role tonight demanded careful management because he would also be responsible for leading the second unit.
He rested for about 1 minute and 30 seconds early in the 2nd quarter.
Then he returned.
Ginóbili had been ordinary during the first 2 games.
Game 3 was different.
Tonight, everything was falling.
Difficult jumper.
Driving finish.
Another contested shot.
It did not matter.
Through roughly 1 and a half quarters, Ginóbili had already scored 16 points.
And almost none of them had been easy.
New York's bench struggled badly against San Antonio's pressure.
Jeremy Lin looked lost.
Yi Jianlian struggled as well.
Miss.
Turnover.
Another poor possession.
After only 3 minutes, Nelson had seen enough and pulled both of them.
Al Harrington avoided major mistakes, but his 3 point shot was not falling.
Beverley struggled.
Barea struggled.
Kenyon Martin was actually New York's most effective reserve.
But Martin was not the kind of player who could take control of an NBA Finals game.
Nelson was forced to bring Chen and Curry back earlier than planned.
Popovich saw the substitution.
He immediately countered.
Duncan returned.
Parker returned.
No saving anyone tonight.
San Antonio wanted to protect its lead.
At halftime, the Spurs were ahead 59 to 49.
10 points.
Barkley looked at the box score.
"This is the problem for New York tonight. Their starters have scored 41 of their 49 points."
He tapped the desk.
"The bench has given them 8."
Kenny nodded.
"That is a huge imbalance. San Antonio is getting contributions across the rotation, while New York is depending almost entirely on the starting group."
The 2nd half began.
San Antonio did not chase a knockout blow.
That was what made the Spurs so frustrating.
They were too experienced to become greedy.
Instead of speeding up and trying to turn a 10 point lead into 20 immediately, they controlled the tempo.
Slow possessions.
Careful execution.
Make New York defend for as long as possible.
The Knicks preferred opponents who attacked them openly.
They were comfortable in games where both sides traded baskets.
They hated opponents who refused to play at that pace.
San Antonio dragged the game into exactly the kind of battle New York disliked.
Defensively, the Spurs also became more physical.
Grabs.
Bumps.
Small fouls away from the ball.
Contact that was difficult to notice unless you were directly involved.
It was San Antonio's home floor.
The players understood that minor contact would often be allowed.
Chen kept attacking anyway.
Before the end of the 3rd quarter, he buried 2 3 pointers and briefly cut the deficit to 4.
For a moment, New York looked ready to steal the game.
San Antonio refused to break.
The veterans stayed composed.
In the 4th quarter, the Spurs controlled the pace and dominated the glass.
New York kept fighting.
The opening never came.
Final score:
San Antonio Spurs 110.
New York Knicks 101.
The Spurs had protected home court.
The Finals now stood at 2 to 1.
Chen played 41 minutes.
50 points.
4 assists.
4 rebounds.
San Antonio had almost completely severed the connection between Chen and his teammates.
Their strategy had been clear.
Let him score.
Make him do everything himself.
After the game, Chen refused to blame anyone else.
"I should have scored more."
Reporters stared at him.
"If I had scored enough, we would have won."
Everyone knew the loss was hardly his fault.
50 points in an NBA Finals game should have been enough.
San Antonio's veterans had simply delivered.
Duncan played 40 minutes.
19 points.
14 rebounds.
4 blocks.
Parker played 41 minutes.
16 points.
7 assists.
3 rebounds.
3 steals.
Ginóbili played 33 minutes.
34 points.
4 assists.
All 3 had emptied themselves.
Barkley looked impressed.
"These old guys showed up tonight."
Kenny nodded.
Then he repeated one of basketball's most famous truths.
"Never underestimate the heart of a champion."
....
https://discord.gg/KvMN2CFsMR
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03].