The match against the Trail Blazers tonight isn’t the Nuggets’ season opener. Just yesterday, they completed their first game of the new season at home, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 125-121 in overtime, claiming their first win of the season.
They had a good start, so the team morale was high.
In the second game of the back-to-back against the defending champions, the league’s kings, the Trail Blazers, the young team of the Nuggets was eager to prove themselves at the Rose Garden Arena.
Dikembe Mutombo scored 15 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 blocks against David Robinson.
Meanwhile, Lawufo exploded for 32 points and 6 assists, showcasing his strong offensive power this season as he grows into a star player.
After the start of the second half, the Nuggets continued to play well. Dan Issel reorganized the team, completely erasing the brief traces of Westhead.
Whenever a new coach joins a new team, they always like to emphasize defense, because defense brings discipline, discipline brings unity, and unity often connects to victory.
Both sides played evenly in the crucial third quarter. The game pace was neither fast nor slow, as it was still the beginning of the season, and everyone was still finding their game rhythm.
Gan Guoyang remained focused. Known as the "King of the Third Quarter," he didn’t exert himself in this quarter to topple the Nuggets, although he saw many holes in the Nuggets’ defense.
The most notable aspect was that the Nuggets had mediocre defense against fast breaks; Mutombo’s speed and Lawufo’s height were major issues in their defense.
If the Trail Blazers sped up and accelerated their offensive rhythm, there was a great chance for them to widen the gap.
However, the Trail Blazers had their own problems tonight, making so many mistakes that Gan Guoyang wanted to hit someone.
Once they accelerated, the number of turnovers would increase further. The cost of increasing turnovers was a significant increase in the game’s uncontrollable factors.
Their own offensive rhythm was disrupted, giving the opponents a chance to score, and most importantly, causing their mindset to be disturbed by turnovers.
It’s like a runner who stumbles over a pebble on the track, seemingly losing only a second, but this stumble could lead to the failure of his entire long-distance race.
Too many inexplicable pebbles suddenly appeared on the Trail Blazers’ forward path, various small mistakes, small errors, which easily made a team seem mediocre.
The difference between elite teams and mediocre teams often lies in these small details, rather than how strong the players’ personal abilities are, how high they jump, or how good their stats look.
Gan Guoyang tried hard to prevent the team from sliding into mediocrity in the third quarter. He was teaching the young players how to play, and teaching Petrović how to control the backcourt rhythm.
NBA games are ultimately different from FIBA, especially considering that Petrović hadn’t grown into a true master of court control in FIBA either.
He relied more on his talent, speed, shooting, and diligence to play, which was where he couldn’t compare to Porter, and why people often thought he wasn’t as good as Toni Kukoc.
Petrović knew how Porter and Kukoc played, but actually starting on the court and controlling a team’s offense for 40 minutes was absolutely not as simple as it seemed.
PJ Brown was still making mistakes, and by comparison, Antonio Davis was much better. However, what surprised Gan Guoyang the most was Mario Ely—in fact, Ely couldn’t really be considered a young man.
Entering the draft in 1985, he was even a year older than Gan Guoyang. He had abundant experience, having persistently worked his way through professional basketball circles after going undrafted, including achieving impressive results under George Karl. He was a very mature player with a clear self-positioning.
This type of player often lacks apparent talent, making it difficult for them to make spectacular plays, achieve high scores, or turn the tide.
But he rarely makes mistakes, can perform well at his own level, and with an ability of 60%, he can play at that same level.
He is reliable on defense and has a good shot on offense. If given the opportunity, he can make the shot, but won’t create opportunities on his own, nor will he waste opportunities lavishly.
Moreover, every NBA player used to be a standout talent locally, and Ely was no exception. His occasional flashes of brilliance could also make you exclaim in wonder.
In the 1990-1991 season, when Ely was with the Warriors, he once stole the ball directly from Gary Payton in a game against the Supersonics, followed by a coast-to-coast dribble to dunk over the opponents.
At that time, the game was in its final five minutes of the fourth quarter. The Warriors were trailing the Supersonics on the road, and this play was very crucial for the Warriors, showing that Ely dared to make a move at critical moments, dared to perform, and dared to take responsibility.
It was precisely this quality that made Jerry West decide to sign Ely, to strengthen the increasingly weak forward line of the Trail Blazers.
In tonight’s game, Ely’s performance also gained the approval of Gan Guoyang. During a timeout, Gan Guoyang voluntarily said to Ely, "Bring me a towel."
Ely promptly handed a towel to Gan Guoyang. Not just anyone on the Trail Blazers could hand a towel to Gan Guoyang; being able to do so meant you were someone Ah Gan could call upon, and he would consider you important in the game.
Bobby Berman realized this too and requested Ely to shoulder more responsibility for ball handling on the perimeter in the remaining games, as the team’s third or fourth ball handler.
Ely didn’t back down, nor did he hesitate. He knew this was his opportunity. He was already 29, almost 30, and the time left in his career was limited. He had to seize every possibility.