Chapter 143: Mayor of San Antonio.
After the posterizing dunk, Han Sen finally understood why the Spurs got knocked out by the Grizzlies in that infamous 8th seed upset.
It wasn't just a matter of tactics. Didn't Parker and Duncan's pick-and-roll counter Randolph?
In later playoff series, didn't the Spurs consistently dominate the Grizzlies?
At the end of the day, it was because Duncan just wasn't the same this year.
Some Spurs fans loved hyping up Popovich, calling him the true soul of the team.
But the truth is, once Duncan retired, Pop fell off. His coaching seemed stiff on the FIBA stage too.
Bottom line: Duncan was the true core of the Spurs. When your core is compromised, no way the team stays dominant.
Han Sen's shooting was off tonight.
Although he managed to score by attacking the rim, the core issue was that his poor shooting limited his ability to create spacing on the weak side for Randolph, making it tough for him to operate in the low post.
In a way, their inside-outside play, combined with the Grizzlies' half-court style, resembled a weakened version of the 'Shaq-Kobe' duo.
Meanwhile, even though Duncan was struggling, Parker and Ginobili were in good form. Especially Parker, who was tearing up Randolph with his pick-and-roll.