Payton and Kemp both displayed the demeanor of star players, confidently playing against the six-time champions on both ends of the floor.
During an offensive play midway through the first quarter, Kemp tried to post up and call for the ball to challenge Ah Gan’s defense.
But before he could receive the ball, Gan Guoyang swooped in from behind, knocked the ball out, and successfully made the steal.
After testing the waters, Kemp realized it was better not to push himself.
Utilize speed and explosiveness more and play in tandem with teammates.
Going one-on-one against Ah Gan in the low post wasn’t a smart choice.
A player who can recognize himself, properly position himself, can also play a good game.
Gan Guoyang opened his scoring account in the seventh minute of the first quarter.
He received Lewis’s pass at the free-throw line and nailed a mid-range jumper.
The score was 14:12, with the Supersonics leading the Trail Blazers by 2 points.
Payton, with a lowered stance, brushed past Porter near the three-second zone, turned and took a shot, making it.
Porter was already considered a relatively large and strong point guard.
But Payton was even bigger and stronger than Porter.
Unlike most sharpshooting point guards, Payton’s shooting had always been a concern.
When KC Jones was the head coach, he always hoped Payton would do what a typical point guard should do at the one position.
Organize the offense, hit mid to long-range shots from the outside, and occasionally break through to the basket to punish opponents.
Just like Stockton, who is the ideal point guard in most coaches’ minds.
But not Payton, he often liked to do things a point guard shouldn’t do.
Such as ferociously defending, marking the opponent’s shooting guards and small forwards.
Gamble for steals, fight for rebounds underneath, battle for sideline balls, and set screens for teammates in the offense, all while creating difficult passes.
In the regular season, Payton would intentionally make a difficult pass to create exciting scoring opportunities.
When successful, it’s spectacular, but a miss means a turnover, a disaster.
These are all permitted by George Karl, who likes Payton’s playing style.
Though sometimes he would scold Payton for his crazy choices, the two would trash talk each other courtside.
But they appreciate and adapt well to each other, as no other coach suits Payton better than George Karl.
In the first quarter, the Supersonics played exceptionally well, matching the Trail Blazers closely, leading 24:20 by 4 points.
Their defense seemed effective, putting the Trail Blazers in quite a tough spot.
Many passes that could be made more easily against other teams’ defenses became risky.
Then run the play and eventually create an opportunity.
But facing the Supersonics’ defense, the passer had to jump or shift positions.
The receivers had to stay extremely alert, or they might get the ball stolen by the Supersonic players.
The home Trail Blazers fans watched with concern, feeling that any careless move could lead to a turnover.
Gan Guoyang faced tight guarding in the first quarter, with Kemp, Perkins, McGee, and Payton taking turns to defend him.
Whether Gan Guoyang was inside or beyond the three-point line, the Supersonics always had at least two players near him.
To defend outside ball handlers, the Supersonics’ defensive formation would open up wide or get squeezed very narrow.
What if the opponent made a large-scale ball move?
The Supersonics’ response was simple and crude: run back desperately for defensive help.
Relying on relentless running and infinite switching, the Trail Blazers’ offense in the first quarter lacked vitality.
They couldn’t find collective success nor maintain any continuity, with their piecemeal efforts posing little threat.
Karl was very satisfied with his team’s first-quarter performance, emphasizing during the break to keep an eye on Ah Gan.
"Stay on him! Constantly watch him! Pressure him. Our strategy’s right, no one can keep winning forever! We’re on the right track, keep defending like this!"
Karl kept encouraging the players, telling everyone the Trail Blazers and Ah Gan weren’t invincible and that there was a big chance this year.
Though it seemed these words were meant more for himself than for the players.
Payton picked at his ears, not wanting to hear Karl’s long speech.
"You’re talking too much George, a game isn’t won just by shouting slogans."
"Constantly focusing on Ah Gan will deplete our energy quickly, not exactly a good idea."
"And what about the others? Are we just hoping the remaining Trail Blazers won’t explode?"
"Petrović and Lewis are tough guys, use your brain a bit more."
Payton was very pragmatic; he had a point guard’s mind, just a sharp tongue.
Within the team, he was always blunt to George Karl, often putting him in awkward situations.
The break was short, Karl didn’t have time to say much, and the game resumed.
From the second quarter on, the Supersonics consistently maintained their intensity and flexibility on defense.
On the offensive end, they decisively attacked the inside, regardless of how many blocks they ate, refraining from outside shots easily.
This aggressive style put enormous pressure on the Trail Blazers’ interior defense.
Soon, Sabonis picked up his third foul in the second quarter and had to sit out for a break.
Davis substituted for Sabonis, and Gan Guoyang returned to the center position.
To conserve energy and reduce fouls, Gan Guoyang also had to ease his defense of the hoop.
There were shots the opponent was determined to make, and he had to let them go.
Unlike the Supersonics, the Trail Blazers were a team that heavily relied on outside shooting.
Under the persistent interference of the Supersonics, the Trail Blazers’ three-point percentage was quite mediocre tonight.
However, their Princeton system still managed to find some opportunities inside to score.
But such cases weren’t frequent, causing their offensive efficiency to lag behind.
From the second quarter on, the Supersonics gradually built a lead of over 5 points.
Gan Guoyang consistently faced extremely tight Supersonics defense — two players off the ball, three with the ball.
Some defenses teetered on the edge of illegal, and even if called by the referees, the Supersonics did not change.
Under such stringent guarding, Gan Guoyang scored only 6 points in the first half.
He set a record for the lowest halftime score in the playoffs.
Additionally, he had three turnovers, which affected his offense.
He focused most of his energy on organizing, defense, and rebounding.
But basketball is ultimately about scoring, and the Trail Blazers remained behind the Supersonics.
The Supersonics’ defensive strategy seemed very successful as it effectively restricted Ah Gan.
By halftime, the score was 47:43, with the Supersonics leading into the second half.
The Trail Blazers’ 43 points clearly indicated poor performance — partly due to their form, partly due to the Supersonics’ solid defense.
However, Gan Guoyang didn’t seem flustered; he was accustomed to big scenes, and such defense from the Supersonics wouldn’t truly trouble him.
During halftime, he even took the time to check out the Suns vs. Nuggets game on another court.
The third quarter had ended over there, and entering the fourth quarter, the Suns and Nuggets were still neck and neck.
Halfway into the fourth quarter, with Mutombo grabbing an offensive rebound and scoring a second-chance point, the Nuggets and Suns were tied.
If this continued, the Suns and Nuggets would surely decide the outcome at a crucial moment, possibly going into overtime.
Gan Guoyang watched Charles Barkley’s solemn, gasping figure on the TV screen and thought, "Charles is too useless, letting the game get to this point."
"No matter what in the fourth quarter, a result must be achieved. Being forced into a corner by the eighth seed in the West would be too shameful."
He turned off the TV, focused, and adjusted his breathing and physical state.
He knew the Supersonics’ defense tonight was very targeted and indeed well executed.
So he was patiently lying in wait for the moment the Supersonics slipped.
When planning the strategy pre-game, Beelman discussed with Gan Guoyang.
Gan Guoyang said, "The Supersonics are in high spirits and that madman George will surely target me fiercely in the first game, just like last year. It’s best to avoid their sharpness at the start of the series; I’ll focus more on organizing and assisting to stabilize the defense. When they’re exhausted, strike them with a fatal blow."
Beelman said, "The idea sounds good, but are you sure about the fatal blow? What if you lose the feel and miss the shots when the time comes? It would be embarrassing if it flopped."
"Are you joking, Bobby? Is this your first day knowing me?"
"Haha, just asking, just following protocol."
The two of them sat in the dark video room, exchanging ideas over a Supersonics game on the TV.
"Is it really okay?"
"Resign, Bobby. Give me the money, and I’ll do it."