Qin Yue, with an astonishing willpower, sustained the Warriors' offense in the clutch moments.

Injuries indeed can only trap ordinary people.

But Barkley apparently forgot, Qin Yue is also an ordinary person.

It's just that Qin Yue is a lucky ordinary person.

One who, after breaking through for the team with personal offense, frequently receives positive feedback from teammates.

Final quarter timer:

——4 minutes 11 seconds

Artest hit a three-pointer with a behind-the-head pass from Qin Yue.

——3 minutes 28 seconds

Brown, described by Zhang Weiping as "crafty," cut under the basket off a screen to score two after receiving a pass from Qin Yue.

——2 minutes 45 seconds

Davis forcefully pushed through, passed to Qin Yue, who then dished to the corner, and Richardson elegantly hit a long two-pointer.

——2 minutes 14 seconds

Brown grabbed a long offensive rebound, handing it to Qin Yue to reorganize.

——2 minutes 01 seconds

Brown again grabbed a long offensive rebound, Qin Yue received it and nailed a two-point jumper.

At the end, 104 to 108.

Witnessed by the golden tide at Oracle Arena, the fully engaged Warriors arduously ground out this survival of the fittest match.

This wasn't an easy game. For the Supersonics' horn tactics in the fourth quarter, Mike Malone was puzzled postgame: "The 'Big Yao' and Kevin Garnett's horn setup is practically cheating!"

Cheating? More than that?

Because with these two horns capable of breaking walls with phantom screens at any time, and the Warriors having to constantly keep a close eye on Ray Allen...

A slight lapse and Garnett and Yao Ming would get prime shooting opportunities.

However...

What continually puzzled Malone was...

If the Supersonics' horn tactics were so fierce, why didn't they use it all the time but waited until the fourth quarter?

This doesn't align with the playoffs' principle of sticking to one strategy until the opponent stops it.

In response, seeing Malone's confused face, Qin Yue offered his analysis: "When I was in college, Coach Skip Prosser once said, although Flex tactics suit my game style...

Considering the fatigue from excessive off-ball movement, unless in specific plays, having Chris (Paul) control might actually enhance my efficiency."

Energy consumption, specific plays...

At this moment, with Qin Yue's help, Malone smiled and said: "I understand now. The Supersonics' horn offense can only be a specific tactic; they can't use it throughout regular time."

The double horn of Yao Ming and Garnett, while powerful,

For the Supersonics, who must stagger the "Northwest Three Giants" playtime to ensure lineup strength, the coexistence of Yao and Garnett on the court is naturally limited.

Moreover, in executing the horn tactic...

Since Yao Ming and Garnett frequently need to attack via screens and fake screens, if the Supersonics use this as a regular tactic, how could Yao and Garnett sustain their stamina for a full game?

The limited time Yao and Garnett can play together, and the Supersonics' need to rigorously control their exertion during regular play, dictates that they can only unleash this tactic during decisive moments in the final quarter.

Thinking through this, a relieved Malone turned proudly, "Hmph! Even if they could run the horn all game, we wouldn't be afraid. This game, we just weren't accustomed to their offense yet."

This "pride" from Malone is not unfounded.

Despite basketball...

As professional players and coaches, nobody is unfamiliar with any tactic.

Yet, due to the different evolutions and variations of tactics depending on the teams and players, it can only be described as ever-changing.

Therefore, the main reason the Warriors couldn't stop the Supersonics' horn tactic in this game indeed was because the players needed time to adapt to the Supersonics' style.

Two days later.

The second match of the Western Conference Finals continued at Oracle Arena.

With each additional two days of rest, Qin Yue's ankle injury eased slightly, and during the pregame warm-ups, he felt like he would "level up" every two to three days.

However, further "upgraded" Qin Yue...

found himself and his teammates embroiled in a tough battle that night.

Against Rick Carlisle's bold strategy of "ignoring" Troy Murphy, who would always draw Yao Ming out to the perimeter when pairing with Qin Yue, making it difficult for Yao to protect the paint effectively.

This strategy's feigned "ignore" involved intense physical confrontations by the Supersonics against Murphy off the ball.

Under the current NBA's lenient defensive standards, if Murphy could nail those open shots, Carlisle had to accept it.

Fortunately, Murphy shot worse that night, going 2 of 9 from the field, with a 22% shooting percentage.

Due to Murphy's inaccuracies in high-intensity confrontations, the success rates of Artest and Davis driving to the rim were greatly impacted.

Qin Yue's outside finesse similarly diminished in effectiveness due to the Supersonics' ever-tightening defensive pressure that night.

If the first game was a battle of who could outlast the other in positional warfare...

After probing in the first game, Carlisle clearly intended to pull the Warriors into a "classical basketball" match.

Carlisle knew well that before fully recovering, Qin Yue couldn't be as invincible as before.

Though the Supersonics also compromised their own rhythm by instigating this defensive war, in this classical basketball confrontation...

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