If a player gets called "soft," it might be because his defense is terrible, or he shies away from contact.
Or it could be the Nowitzki situation: a big man, a power forward, who constantly drifts to the perimeter to shoot like a guard.
Of course, you could argue that’s just Nowitzki’s playstyle. After all, he’s one of only one and a half players in the entire league over 2.1 meters tall who can initiate the offense from behind the three-point line as a big man.
The other half is probably Milicic.
This meant Nowitzki failed to meet the fans’ expectations. They wanted him to be a Duncan-esque player, but instead, he ran out to the perimeter to shoot.
That’s why he was labeled as soft.
But upon closer inspection, that "soft" label deserves to have quotation marks around it.
His rebounding is pretty good. Ever since he became the team’s core, his season average has almost always been over nine boards per game.
For a power forward, that’s actually excellent.
His agility is in a class of its own. His ability to defend smaller players is at least above average.
His strength is a bit lacking, but you have to consider who he’s defending.
Against center-like players such as Duncan or Stoudemire, his strength is at a disadvantage. But against a typical power forward, his strength is more than enough.
Not to mention, he has top-tier body control and core strength.
Watch him attack with the ball. He doesn’t jump high, and his movements look clumsy, but he just makes the shot. He even draws and-ones frequently.
But he was still called soft.
So, a deeper analysis was required.
Chen Yu and his team believed the root cause was Nowitzki’s inability to adequately punish his opponents.
When facing stronger opponents or double-teams, he struggled to cope.
For some players, that would be their limit.
But Nowitzki still had potential; his talent wasn’t fully developed.
And so, the Golden Chicken Standalone arrived.
Mastering this move gave him the ability to punish opponents even in extreme situations.
Therefore, developing this move was a qualitative leap in his skill level.
His entire skillset was enhanced.
His ability to attack off the dribble was still there!
But before, when facing tough defense with the ball, he couldn’t penetrate. The defensive pressure was too intense, throwing him off balance and leaving him with no room to shoot.
Now, however, he could still drive with the ball, but he could seamlessly transition into the Golden Chicken Standalone.
It might look like he only learned one new move, but as a finishing technique, it caused a qualitative improvement in all his other skills.
So, come the second quarter, Nowitzki’s offense had clearly reached a new level. His threat off the dribble had grown immensely, and he was demonstrating the ability to carry the team.
This was crucial.
A superstar’s job is to be that safety net.
When teammates can’t score and plays break down, you need the superstar to take the ball, isolate, and get a bucket.
Hardaway had that ability a couple of years ago.
But in the last two years, with age, that ability had started to decline.
Even with Chen Yu’s maintenance regimen, which kept him in great physical shape.
But aging is irreversible.
That’s why the Suns were gradually losing this capability, which was a major reason for their early exit from the playoffs last season.
But now, Nowitzki had shouldered that responsibility. When his teammates couldn’t score, all they had to do was give him the ball.
In the second quarter, even though the Spurs tightened their defense on him, he still shot 5-for-8 and scored 13 points, including free throws.
By halftime, he had already racked up 23 points!
"Greg, what do we do?"
Both teams returned to their locker rooms. Callesimo and the other assistants immediately gathered around Popovich, their expressions grim.
Nowitzki was unbelievably hot today. You could say he single-handedly helped the Suns take the lead.
The key issue was that the Spurs couldn’t stop him.
Even Duncan couldn’t stop him.
It was baffling.
Popovich rubbed his cheeks harshly.
He knew he couldn’t blame Duncan.
Nowitzki’s playstyle had completely changed.
Not only was he shooting, but his passing had also improved, and his shot release was far more decisive.
If they double-teamed him, a nearby player would immediately cut to receive the pass. After getting the ball, they’d pass it back, and the readjusted Nowitzki would seize the fleeting opportunity to get his shot off.
The old Nowitzki would often turn the ball over in this situation, or be forced into a bad, contested shot.
Now, he handled it with much more composure.
This change in playstyle required Duncan to readjust.
And that wasn’t something he could fully adapt to in a single game.
"Let’s not discuss this anymore," Popovich said in a low voice.
In such a short time, they wouldn’t come to any conclusions, nor could they make any effective adjustments.
They would have to wait until after the game, watch the tapes over and over, and analyze everything to find a way to counter it.
"Let’s focus on our own offense first."
The men in the room looked at each other and nodded helplessly.
Fortunately, the Suns weren’t having much luck defending the Spurs’ new tactics either.
"Damn it."
After the discussion, Popovich couldn’t help but curse under his breath.
It was clear now that Nowitzki had been training all season.
He just hadn’t expected that Nowitzki could master this skill in a single season, and in the small gaps of time during an 82-game season at that.
That level of proficiency, in Popovich’s opinion, should have taken at least one or two seasons to gradually develop.
So even though he knew Chen Yu’s team was highly capable, Popovich still found it unbelievable.
And if this was possible, could Duncan also follow Nowitzki’s example and improve further?
Popovich couldn’t help but glance over at Duncan.
Duncan didn’t seem to have any weaknesses.
If he were to nitpick, it would be that his scoring ability wasn’t explosive enough.
But it was more than enough. You couldn’t realistically expect Duncan to drop thirty or forty points every game.
If he focused all his energy on scoring, the Spurs would surely lose.
The Spurs played team basketball, and Duncan was the cornerstone of it all. His presence wasn’t just about defense; it was about playmaking and creating opportunities for others.
However, an idea suddenly popped into Popovich’s head.
The way this game was going, Popovich felt they were probably going to lose. Or rather, if Nowitzki kept up this performance in the second half, they would most likely lose.
And if they stuck to conventional methods, Popovich felt their chances of a comeback were slim.
So, he might as well try an unorthodox approach.
For example, unleashing Duncan and letting him take over!
’Maybe Duncan can create a miracle.’
This was only the first round! They’d spent so much money this year, not for a quick trip to the playoffs, but to contend for the championship.
If they were eliminated in the first round, Popovich felt Holt would chew him out.
"Tim!"
Popovich immediately waved Duncan over.
’So Nowitzki has his Golden Chicken Standalone and is unstoppable on offense... but if I unleash Duncan, won’t he be just as unstoppable?’
When he was truly out of options, Popovich could still trust Duncan.
Meanwhile, in the Suns’ locker room.
Skiles was visibly excited.
Nowitzki’s performance had completely exceeded his expectations.
It was just as Chen Yu had said before the playoffs began: "He’s fine, and there won’t be any issues."
It turned out he wasn’t just bluffing.
Nowitzki’s offensive game as a whole had gone up a level.
"Chen, I think we’re going to win," Frank Johnson couldn’t help but say.
Skiles nodded in agreement.
Even if the Spurs chose to relentlessly double-team Nowitzki in the second half, it would be useless.
Double-teaming is a double-edged sword, and the Suns’ other players were no pushovers.
They couldn’t stop him one-on-one, but if they doubled him, they’d die even faster. It was hard to see how they could lose.
"Don’t celebrate too early."
Seeing their confident expressions, as if victory was already in hand, Chen Yu couldn’t help but throw some cold water on their excitement.
After all, they were up against Popovich. And they were up against Duncan.

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