Beelman decided at a crucial moment to have Mario Ely guard Lawufo one-on-one, and let Petrović match up against the less threatening Reggie Williams.
It was the right decision, and Petrović knew his defense was lagging. He felt dissatisfied with himself but was helpless.
Defense also requires talent. Petrović’s biggest problem is his arm span conditions are average, and his lateral movement speed isn’t enough.
These two points put him at a disadvantage when facing fast, explosive American guards. This wasn’t required for being the sixth man, but when starting at the number one position, he couldn’t handle the pressure.
Of course, compared to when he first came to America, where his defensive efficiency was among the worst in the league, Petrović has made great progress over the years. At least his attitude is absolutely fine.
After the timeout, the Nuggets indeed focused their offense on Lawufo, who was the core arrowhead of the Nuggets in this game, and Mario Ely immediately went up to meet him.
Facing Lawufo’s continuous changes of direction and abrupt stops, Ely’s footwork wasn’t chaotic at all. He stuck to Lawufo tightly, neither losing position nor risking a steal.
Finally, Lawufo’s forced jump shot was blocked directly by Ely. Gan Guoyang knew as soon as the shot was taken that it was no good, so he immediately spread his arms under the basket, clearing out a rebounding vacuum zone.
Then, with a light jump, he gathered the rebound into his hands, securing his 15th rebound of the game, and also securing the first victory of the new season for the Trail Blazers.
The final score settled at 101:104, with the Trail Blazers defeating the Denver Nuggets, who played well in a back-to-back. They achieved a new season’s successful start thanks to Mario Ely’s last defense.
Like completing a task, the entire Rose Garden Arena felt relieved. This was a small part of the team’s stable, long-standing performance over the years.
Although the road ahead for this season looked particularly uncertain, they ultimately took the first step, quite a good step.
The players of the Nuggets, regretfully losing the game, weren’t particularly disappointed because from the first two games they already saw hope. They will open a new Nuggets era.
In his debut, Ely scored 15 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal, performing steadily and brilliantly. Most importantly, he quickly gained Gan Guoyang’s recognition.
This is extremely important for the newcomers of the Portland Trail Blazers. With Ah Gan’s endorsement, they can not only survive on the Trail Blazers but also earn the pass to survive in the NBA.
In the games over the next week, Ely continued to have eye-catching performances.
In the second game, the Trail Blazers hosted the Phoenix Suns. Facing the aggressive Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson, Mario Ely made 12 of 8 shots and scored 17 points!
The game was played intensely until the very end, with the Trail Blazers trailing the Suns by two points—they managed to drag the game to the final stage despite being short-handed against the complete lineup of the Suns.
Charles Barkley scored a mid-range shot at a critical moment, breaking the balance on the court, leaving only 5 seconds for the Trail Blazers.
When choosing the final attack, Gan Guoyang was undoubtedly the first choice. Everyone in the Rose Garden Arena knew.
The Suns will definitely guard Gan Guoyang closely. Barkley and Sam Bowie were already prepared for an early double-team.
During the timeout, Bobby Beelman decided to use Gan Guoyang’s defensive attraction to create opportunities for other players, aiming to finish the game with a three-pointer.
But in deciding who would finish, Beelman hesitated for a moment. Petrović looked at Beelman with eager eyes, hoping that he could take on this responsibility.
Petrović’s performance tonight was outstanding as well. He scored 23 points and made 8 assists, holding his ground against Kevin Johnson.
Ultimately, Beelman took out the tactics board, and gave the primary finish option to Mario Ely, which left Petrović quite frustrated.
As a qualified team player, Petrović would not raise objections during the game, nor did he dare.
Ah Gan had no objections, so who else would dare have any?
In the final 5 seconds, Gan Guoyang received the ball at the arc and immediately charged towards the basket.
The defense of the Suns immediately contracted, leaving a gap at the right-side corner. Gan Guoyang passed the ball to Mario Ely who was lurking there.
Ely caught the ball, raised his hand and shot, hitting a three-pointer, bringing his total to 17 points in the game, and helping the Trail Blazers eliminate the Suns, achieving a two-game winning streak.
Mario Ely’s name quickly appeared in various sports media and newspapers after showing crucial performances on both offense and defense in consecutive games.
After the game, Ely was interviewed by a TV station. He said that he has been preparing for this moment for a long, long time, so long that others find it hard to understand.
Back in the locker room, teammates celebrated with Ely. He made a beautiful shot, and his basketball destiny might change from this moment.
But Ely acted calmly, feeling joyful inside, yet he found it difficult to celebrate like the young players.
Ely came from a very poor background. His father was a radiator factory worker from Haiti, and his childhood dream was to join the New York Knicks, earn millions of US Dollars, and open his own sneaker store.
Because he played basketball without shoes in his childhood, he could only wear handcrafted shoes discarded by his brother, and to prevent foot pain, he had to wear five pairs of socks.