After the game, the 76ers players were excited, well, only a few people were excited. For Durham Porter, it was the first Finals of their careers, and it was a good sign that they were able to beat their opponents. Moreover, they all played well in this game, Arenas had 17 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists, Durham Porter had 7 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks, and Oku had 11 points and 4 rebounds, basically meeting Brown's requirements.

However, the veterans are relatively calm, after all, they have reached the top podium of the league last season, although this year's opponent has been replaced by the Spurs, but in their eyes it is no different from last year's Lakers, winning the first game of the Finals is not something to be proud of, and they will not be eligible to celebrate this season's victory until they win the O'Brien Cup again.

Of course, for Arenas's excitement, the seniors all look at it with a tolerant attitude, and they will not accuse them of poisoning their team. As newcomers, their performances on the field have earned the trust of their seniors.

However, the coaching staff had to take a break from the win and concentrate on the second game. None of them have yet been carried away and know that the victory in the first game was nothing more than a surprise, and that the chances of relying on the same routine to win the Spurs in the second game were too slim. But no one knows what adjustments the Spurs will make next, and with Popovich's level, they will definitely not continue to insist on using the same starting lineup.

Their guess was completely correct, and Popovich mysteriously said in an interview with reporters before the start of the second game: "Larry is my teacher, he taught me a lot in the last game, so I want to show all that I learned in this game." The 76ers are indeed strong, but we are also the champions of the West, so we will not throw in the towel easily! ”

Just when everyone was guessing what Popovich had learned, the Spurs' starting lineup gave them a big surprise, and Popovich adopted a routine - one big and four small! That's right, he decisively gave up the twin towers that the Spurs have relied on for several seasons, put Robinson as Duncan's backup, and then added Rose to the starting lineup.

This has led to the height of the Spurs' starting lineup becoming a big spectacle, except for Parker who is 1.88 meters tall and Duncan who is 2.11 meters tall, the other three people - Rose, Smith and Bowen are all 2.01 meters tall, to some extent, Popovich directly on the three wing players, such a variation of one big and four small is also rare, after all, you can't directly say that the three wings are "small" in terms of height alone, although their activity area tends to be high rather than three-second zone.

It can be said that Popovich's hand completely follows the idea of the 76ers' strange lineup, and he actually plays a No. 5 tactic. The so-called No. 5 tactic is the playmaking style of play, which requires the center to have strong mobility, playmaking and ball-handling ability, and Duncan is obviously very suitable for this positioning, and the playmaking center is a piece of cake for him.

The 76ers use Lewis to play center is actually not a No. 5 tactic, because Lewis's assists are all brushed by passing to the open position to take advantage of his teammates' strong offensive firepower, and he basically does not take on the task of holding the ball in the high post, the ball is either not in his hands, or he passes in his hands, and it is rare to protect the ball in the high post and then use the pass to guide the operation of his teammates. If the center in the No. 5 tactic is a conning tower, then Lewis is at best a staging post, completely incomparable.

Of course, the No. 5 tactic is a purely offensive tactic, and the performance on the defensive end is relatively average, but first, the overall height of the 76ers' starting lineup is shorter, and second, Duncan can contract all the defense under the basket alone, so Popovich dared to come up with this tactic to compete with the 76ers, which also fully demonstrates his tactical quality as a historical head coach.

I have to say that the No. 5 tactic is really powerful, as if it was tailor-made for Duncan, on the offensive end he can calmly direct his teammates to run, and then pass the ball everywhere in the open space or the player who is most sure. In fact, with the height of the Spurs' starting lineup, most of the opponents in the same position are crushed by height, as long as they can avoid the bag.

Fortunately, the 76ers also felt good in this game, although it was not as hot as the previous game, but it was enough to cope with the scene. However, the only problem for them is that the players who are facing each other after receiving the ball are generally one size older than them, and they are able to switch defenses indefinitely, which makes Iverson and Reed feel very uncomfortable.

Although Parker, who is responsible for defending Iverson, has little experience, he can't stand the speed of others, and the ball quotient is not low, Iverson is much more honest after he made an offensive foul. Reed is even more painful, every time he gets the ball, the Spurs' number one outside gate Bowen can always switch to the front, which makes him struggle to fight with Bowen every time, and may even fall into the bag because of this, the shooting rate has not decreased much, but the offensive efficiency has been greatly affected.

The only good news for them is that Duncan doesn't always shrink under the basket when defending to prevent Lewis' sudden shots, which makes the Spurs' interior often open the door. As long as the 76ers' perimeter players cover each other, someone can sneak along the baseline to the basket and then receive a pass to complete an easy layup.

The first quarter was tied at 42, which is a fairly common score for the 76ers, and their strong offensive firepower allows them to often score high points in a single quarter. But this is relatively rare for the Spurs, and the twin towers can provide containment on the inside, but it is not easy to score more than 40 points in a single quarter, thanks to Popovich's No. 5 play.

In fact, for Popovich, the deeper meaning of the No. 5 tactic is not to improve the team's scoring ability, but to save Duncan's physical strength, although Duncan played a full 12 minutes in the first quarter, but he did not show fatigue at all, which is very different from the previous game. It's always easier to play in the high post than it is to play the inside, and it takes less stamina, so Popovich can feel comfortable playing his ace for more time without worrying about his form dropping as a result.

Even if Duncan needs to rest, Robinson can take his position, and with the awareness and experience of an "admiral", it is equally easy to act as a playmaker in the high post, so that the Spurs' tactics can continue.