Popovich felt that although they had made the shot just now, something still seemed off.
In their usual practices, when they used their center as the hub, the others moved smoothly, and the center's passes flowed seamlessly. From the moment the center received the ball, the players were constantly in motion.
The whole sequence, right up until the ball went through the hoop, was crisp and fluid.
But today, the players were stumbling through their movements. The center had nearly failed to make the pass, and their guard, Carl, had almost failed to catch it.
Even after she caught the ball and managed to score amid all that awkwardness, she didn't let out the usual roar. Instead, her first instinct was to check her arm.
Clearly, something was wrong.
On their next possession, the Spurs once again used their center as the hub.
But this time, after their center got the ball, Doug not only kept attacking him physically but also went after him verbally.
On top of that, the Spurs' other players faced both physical and psychological pressure from the Kings, whose players were especially active with their little tricks.
As Hugo moved into position, Wang Yi lightly tapped him from behind. Hugo pushed off a little too hard, his feet tangled, and he fell, nearly taking Ali down with him.
Ali almost lost the ball in his hands.
Even though he managed to hold on to it, he had lost the best moment to pass. With the shot clock nearly expired, he had no choice but to force up a shot.
As he jumped to shoot, Doug merely raised a hand to contest him without even jumping, but called out:
"Watch your feet!"
Ali panicked.
He didn't actually look down, just spread his legs to avoid having his