The "horror impact" from Ah Gan shows the Seattle people what true Supersonic is.
George Karl’s heart keeps sinking, as he realizes that they ran too aggressively at the start of this marathon.
Now Ah Gan begins to sprint, and no one on the Supersonics can keep up with his pace.
On defense, another block, the footwork of the Supersonics players is clearly slowed, and their jumps are lower.
At this moment, Ah Gan’s steps appear particularly light and fast, another fast break while holding the ball.
The Supersonics choose to triple-team, but Gan Guoyang can pass, and he gives it to Petrović.
Petrović dodges McGee’s block and scores a layup, the Trail Blazers hit the Supersonics with a 6-0 run.
The Trail Blazers establish a 7-point lead, and George Karl can only call a timeout.
At this point, the Supersonics don’t have much time left, with seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
Karl dispatches his troops, trying to use multi-layer trapping defense to stop Ah Gan’s attack.
But the Supersonics players look very fatigued, and they’ve somewhat overextended themselves.
They ran too fast earlier without building a sufficient lead, clearly lacking stamina.
Karl inwardly curses Beelman and Ah Gan for being cunning, but that’s how the playoffs are.
How to reasonably plan players’ energy and manage rotations is a basic task for a coach.
Karl and the players were too impatient, though they played well in the first three quarters.
It’s just that the Trail Blazers’ experience is too rich, using the Supersonics’ emotions to lead them into a trap.
Of course, the Supersonics also exposed a huge problem: their core players lack offensive talent.
Payton and Kemp are good scorers, but not great scorers, and certainly not one-on-one masters.
They’re too reliant on team offense and defense, and sometimes a superstar scorer making a stand can change many things.
If the Supersonics had a Dantley now, someone who could take on four defenders while others rest, scoring by himself.
The Supersonics wouldn’t be this tired tonight, consuming so much energy.
The Trail Blazers are also very tired, with injuries, but they have Ah Gan.
Ah Gan can accomplish many things by himself, he starts exerting effort, and others just need to watch.
Karl and the Supersonics certainly won’t give up resistance, during the timeout, Karl made an adjustment.
He shifted the team’s offensive focus onto Glen Rice and Ricky Pierce.
He has only one demand for the two: "Find a way to put the damn ball through the damn hoop!"
Karl’s strategy is that simple and brutal, but he indeed saw the key to the problem.
Since they’ve fallen into Portland’s trap, they shouldn’t waste energy climbing out, better to drag the Trail Blazers down with them.
Pierce is already a good organizer, and Glen Rice’s catch-and-shoot is quite excellent.
The two are already the Supersonics’ best long-range shooting resources.
At this time, Payton and Kemp must not be allowed to challenge Ah Gan in the paint.
Karl was right, after the timeout ends, Rice curls out at the top of the arc, receives Pierce’s pass, and takes a three-point shot which goes in!
A very crucial three-pointer, Rice might not be the best three-point shooter in the league, but he has a good shooting touch and great long-range talent.
This shot revitalizes the Supersonics, stabilizing them, and the whole team calmed down.
Gan Guoyang once again holds the ball on the perimeter, seeing the determined expressions of the Supersonics players, he knows this is no longer a team that can be easily beaten down.
If you expect to rely on one tactic to completely defeat them with a burst in the fourth quarter, you’ll surely pay the price.
Gan Guoyang is also fully focused, not daring to relax at all, looking for any gaps in the Supersonics’ defense.
He passes to Sabonis in the low post, drawing enough defense to allow Sabonis to go one-on-one.
He spins to the baseline, presses Kemp, drives to the basket, but his layup is blocked by Kemp!
A beautiful defensive play, clearly Sabonis’s explosion from his knees was lacking on this play.
The Supersonics counter, Payton immediately passes the ball to Pierce, who drives in.
He dishes the ball to the wing corner, where Glen Rice receives, takes a mid-range jump shot, and it goes in!
Rice scores 5 straight points, reducing the deficit back to 2 points, as the Trail Blazers’ defense begins to relax.
Petrović quickly dribbles past half court, Gan Guoyang starts positioning in the low post.
The Supersonics’ double-team comes up very quickly, almost enveloping him as soon as he receives the ball.
Gan Guoyang immediately passes to the middle, Porter receives but misses the floater.
But Gan Guoyang spins in, grabs the offensive rebound, jumps again, and dunks it in!
Porter is frustrated with his missed floater, the pain in his legs makes it hard for him to exert power.
The Supersonics realize that aside from Ah Gan, the level of the other Trail Blazers has indeed deteriorated significantly.
Payton backs down Porter, spins into the lane for a layup, but is denied by Gan Guoyang coming from behind.
Obtaining possession, Gan Guoyang throws a long pass to the front court, with the Supersonics quickly retreating, Lewis slows his pace.
After all his teammates cross half court, Lewis suddenly makes a direct pass to the middle.
It’s Gan Guoyang again, receiving, giving a dribble feint, then driving from the left and into the lane.
He quickly leaps off both feet, switching from left to right hand in mid-air, avoiding the blocks from Kemp and Perkins with a low-handed scoop.
The ball bounces off the rim once but still falls into the net.
A very beautiful finish, the Trail Blazers reestablish their advantage.
Bernard King is on the sidelines frantically waving a towel.