Although the Kings couldn't stop the Spurs right now, their own offense was working just fine, so there was no need to make a substitution.
Old Popo of the Spurs saw that they couldn't defend the Kings' style of play, but he didn't consider making substitutions either.
Instead, he considered changing their defensive strategy.
First, he told the center not to double-team Wang Yi, and to let Wang Yi take one-on-one shots from mid-range.
With Hugo defending him one-on-one, Wang Yi easily sank two mid-range jumpers.
Seeing that, Popo didn't dare let Wang Yi play one-on-one from mid-range. But he didn't have the center double-team Wang Yi again, either. Instead, he had their guards, power forwards, and small forwards each take a turn.
But the Kings' players were really stepping up during this stretch.
When their power forward, Little Duncan, went to double-team Wang Yi, Tures got two chances to shoot from mid-range.
Tures made one of those shots and drew a foul on the other.
When their small forward went to double-team Wang Yi, Danny hit a three-pointer.
And when their guard went to double-team Wang Yi, Rose sank a mid-range shot, too.
The Kings were scoring from all over the court in the first quarter.
The Spurs, meanwhile, had been efficient on offense in the first quarter, too.
So it was a clash between evenly matched opponents, each with a worthy rival.
The two sides battled back and forth through the first quarter, eventually ending it tied at 33.
Since both teams had been efficient on offense, neither made any adjustments in the second quarter.
They kept playing the same way, and with four minutes left in the second quarter...
The Kings' offense began to slow down.
First, Danny missed a three-pointer. Then Rose missed a mid-range shot,