Two days later, the second game of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Supersonic and the Warriors continued at Oracle Arena.

As a master of academia...

One thing about Rick Carlisle that is not academic at all is that sticking to conventions has never been the style of the head coach whose hair is thinning year by year.

In Qin Yue's previous life, Carlisle, who started his career emphasizing defense, was later best known for his achievements in offense.

Indeed, keeping pace with the times and innovating the tactical library while tailoring strategies for different opponents is, in Qin Yue's memory, the main reason why Carlisle stayed in the ranks of top coaches for so long.

In the second game, Carlisle changed the strategy of starting from the inside in the Supersonic's first game and further reduced Yao Ming's playing time.

For this, the more accurate Kevin Martin replaced Sefolosha in the starting lineup.

On the court, the Supersonic, who increased their outside shooting frequency, also increased the scoring efficiency from the inside when Yao Ming, Garnett, and Duncan were on the floor.

However, many Chinese fans were puzzled by the fact that Yao Ming's playing time was limited to 30 minutes in this game.

Yao Ming played a full 10 minutes in the first quarter.

But in the second and third quarters, Yao Ming only played a total of 8 minutes.

Zhang Weiping, from CCTV, who always wished every night that Yao could play all 48 minutes, said, "Why doesn't Rick Carlisle use Yao Ming today even when he's in such good form?"

Why did Carlisle limit Yao Ming's playing time in the first three quarters of this game?

Of course, it was to allow Yao Ming to output at full power in the fourth quarter.

Even though Yao Ming, who hadn't gained excessive weight in this lifetime, maintained a good condition under Carlisle's long-term protective usage and due to his self-discipline.

But regardless of the career stage, the physical load Yao Ming's body imposed on him was far beyond people's imagination.

Especially as Yao Ming's age increased.

Carlisle knows more than anyone that if he wants this super center to perform efficiently on the court, he must distribute Yao Ming's stamina more reasonably.

And that night, Yao Ming, who knew before the game that Carlisle had pinned all hopes of winning the game on him, was as restrained as he was in the first three quarters and equally aggressive in the final quarter.

On the court, during the Supersonic's offensive possession, even facing the Warriors' inside double-team, Yao Ming could still delicately put the basketball into the basket, even at one point leading the Supersonic to regain the lead.

In the first six minutes of the final quarter, "Big-Yao," who shot 5 out of 6, scored a total of 14 points and 4 rebounds, including free throws.

At TNT TV, Barkley exclaimed, "In the NBA, how important is a good coach to a team? I think this game, Coach Rick Carlisle responded to us with his artful coaching."

If the objective strength gap between the Warriors and the Supersonic after the first game left many Warriors fans already contemplating their next Western Conference Finals opponent.

Then that night, Carlisle undoubtedly poured a cold pitcher at Oracle Arena.

From every defensive choice per possession.

To each offensive strategy idea per possession.

On the Supersonic bench, the busy Carlisle practically turned a bunch of mixed ingredients into a full-course meal with a variety of culinary methods.

So here's the question.

How did Warriors coach Mike Malone respond to Carlisle in this game?

The answer is, Malone, with a playbook thinner than "American History," didn't even bother to show off his "knife skills" and simply served the traditional Bay Area dish called "Steamed Great Qin" with the simplest cooking techniques.

After all, when you have players like Jordan and Qin Yue at your disposal.

Even the most skilled chef would inevitably end up piggybacking off them.

After all, the GOAT indeed doesn't need added "salt" to become great.

On the court, as soon as Qin Yue, whose greatness needed no words (or salt), returned to the game, he used a "three-plus-one" that broke the defense of the veteran Supersonic interior trio to bring the team back into the lead.

The Supersonic had already almost forced a 24-second violation for the Warriors in this possession.

But at the last moment, Qin Yue, taking the responsibility, turned around and shot with a fadeaway under Ariza's aggressive defense, making the basket and drawing a foul from Ariza.

In response, Duncan, temporarily substituted off for a rest, could only helplessly rub Jeremy Lin's head and say, "Is he really destined?"

On the court, Garnett, who failed to prevent Qin Yue from receiving the ball, looked up at the roof of Oracle Arena and said, "Why, why can he always make such crucial shots in these moments?"

In the Supersonic inner court, Yao Ming, with hands on his waist, sighed deeply and cursed, "Damn it."

At the free-throw line, Qin Yue executed the extra free throw and scored.

And from this point on, the balance of the game tilted towards the Warriors.

Final score, 114 to 118.

With Qin Yue's outstanding performance of scoring 16 consecutive points for the team in the last six minutes, the Warriors narrowly defeated Supersonic at home and changed the series score of the Western Conference Semifinals to 2-0.

In the post-game interview session, a completely spent Carlisle, left with only a "relic," said during the interview, "Through the players' efforts and perfect execution of the tactics, we almost dominated the Warriors the whole game, but this is basketball; sometimes, your efforts don't count in front of others."