He had suggested to Yi Jianlian that he change his style of play, transitioning from a seemingly all-around power forward to a 3D power forward, a stretch four.

This play on both ends of the court showed that Yi Jianlian had not only listened, but had also made progress through training!

This was to be expected.

Yi Jianlian's athletic talent was already good, and his speed was already considered fast among big men.

After losing weight, his speed became even faster, and his reaction also quickened, which gave him the ability to chase down blocks on the defensive end.

As for the three-pointer, he already had a long two-point shot. Strength wasn't an issue for big men, and as long as he adjusted properly, it wasn't impossible for his range to increase.

Popovich also realized that Yi Jianlian had a three-pointer and signaled Mills on the sideline to extend his defense a bit when switching.

During the Spurs' offense, Ginobili's three-pointer after an outside screen missed, and Yi Jianlian squeezed past Diaw to grab the defensive rebound.

The Mavericks advanced to the frontcourt, Terry ran a screen play, and Barea used Yi Jianlian's screen to drive inside again.

Terry's run drew the defense, and Yi Jianlian cleared the basket again, allowing Barea to break through Diaw and score a quick layup.

The Mavericks launched a 5-2 run, narrowing the score difference to only 1 point.

"Are you an old man in your forties? Are you so old that you can't survive in this league anymore?"

Popovich yelled at Diaw at this time.

Duncan needed rest, and Bonner's replacement didn't work well, so Popovich patiently shouted, otherwise he would have already replaced Diaw.

Diaw was shocked after being yelled at, Popovich's words reminded him.

This was his contract year, and he finally had playing time. If he didn't seize it, he would really have to go back to France to play!

Ginobili dribbled the ball to the frontcourt.

Diaw went straight to the low post at this time, leaning against Yi Jianlian and reaching out for the ball. He suddenly changed from a Buddhist-like demeanor to a strong desire!

Ginobili passed the ball inside and then signaled the outside to spread out.

Diaw had an advantage in size over Yi Jianlian, so the Spurs seemed to have an advantage in this matchup.

This was indeed the case when they actually played. Diaw's big butt made Yi Jianlian very uncomfortable, and soon he reached the heart of the restricted area.

Mahinmi came over to help defend, and Diaw turned and suddenly made a direct pass.

The ball went straight to Splitter's hands under the basket, and it was right at his chest.

This move was amazing.

Splitter caught the ball and scored directly with a two-handed dunk.

A whistle sounded at the scene, Diaw's pass was really fast and accurate.

Tang Tian couldn't help but smile at this time.

Diaw's passing talent was really strong, and that kind of passing while moving was really rare among big men. The "French Magician" wasn't just a name for nothing.

During the Mavericks' offense, Terry's three-pointer from outside missed, and Diaw firmly held Yi Jianlian with his lower body to prevent him from jumping.

However, Mahinmi's position under the basket was better than Splitter's, and he jumped up to grab the offensive rebound, then turned around and prepared to attack forcefully.

Diaw came over to help defend at this time, blocking Mahinmi and standing his ground.

Mahinmi immediately felt that his lower body was sucked in, he jumped but couldn't get up, and the ball slipped out of his hand and went out of bounds.

Whistles sounded at the scene.

In this offense and defense, Diaw seemed to have been reborn!

Diaw's ability hadn't really deteriorated to the point where he couldn't survive in the league, as Popovich said. He still had at least six or seventy percent of his peak strength.

It was just that he had really developed bad habits from just getting by on the Bobcats, and Popovich's head-on blow woke him up.

Although changing habits wasn't something that could be done all at once, the change in his aggressiveness still made his presence felt on the court.

During the Spurs' offense, Ginobili found Diaw for a pick-and-roll and then passed the ball out. Diaw's three-pointer from outside missed.

But the next second, he rushed into the inside himself, and his shot after grabbing the long rebound caused Mahinmi to foul, sending him to the free throw line.

One of two free throws made.

After all, this was his first time playing such a high-intensity game, and his condition didn't seem to be very good, but you could feel that he was showing his stuff little by little.

In the last attack of the first quarter for the Mavericks, Terry hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer, leaving them only 2 points behind the Spurs at 26-28.

Diaw contributed 3 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist in two minutes, especially the last two offensive and one defensive plays, which showed his talent.

Back in the second quarter, the Mavericks replaced Odom with Marion.

The Spurs didn't make any adjustments to their lineup. Popovich continued to keep Diaw on the court.

During the Mavericks' offense, Yi Jianlian got another chance outside the three-point line, but he failed to make it this time.

Splitter collected the defensive rebound, and Ginobili passed the ball to Diaw in the frontcourt. Diaw directly held the ball and organized the offense in the high post.

Ginobili continuously ran around screens from Leonard and Splitter.

The Mavericks' defensive focus was also entirely on his side.

At this moment, Diaw suddenly made a direct pass inside.

No one noticed that Leonard was cutting inside, and this pass was just right.

Leonard caught the ball and took a step to the basket without any defense, directly scoring with a two-handed dunk!

The fans at the scene were completely excited.

Apart from Ginobili, no one on the Spurs could make such a saucy pass. Diaw had improved the team's overall offensive entertainment!

Tang Tian was also happy at this time. Diaw's passing was highly connective, which was definitely a great help to the Spurs.

Because Ginobili had to play as a substitute, the tactical flexibility of the Spurs' starting lineup was actually relatively small.

Once the hammer tactic couldn't be opened, they could only rely on Parker or Duncan's individual plays.

But if Diaw could enter the starting lineup one day, then he would definitely be a jack-of-all-trades adhesive.

Terry's breakthrough layup was successful. Turning around, Diaw faked a pass, and then threw it himself from outside the three-point line.

The shot was a bit heavy, but the ball hit the rim and bounced into the net.

He was getting a feel for the game, and the three-pointers followed!

The Spurs widened the score difference to 5 points!

Carlisle reached out and called a timeout. He reacted quickly and immediately realized that Diaw was a new threat.

When the timeout returned, the Mavericks put Haywood and Nowitzki on the court in advance.

Diaw threw another three-pointer from outside after the timeout, but missed. He was also fouled by Nowitzki on defense and was replaced by Popovich.

In his debut game for the Spurs, he played for more than 4 minutes, scoring 6 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists, as well as the physical defense and help defense that didn't appear in the data. His performance was quite impressive.

And now his condition hadn't been adjusted to its best yet.

If he could get rid of all the bad habits he had developed on the Bobcats and adjust his condition, he would definitely be able to sit firmly in Duncan's first substitute position!

Lin Hai Ting Tao