The Suns’ third offensive play indeed did not pass through Barkley and Johnson, but instead, Dumars cut through the middle and made a floater.
The ball went over Ah Gan’s fingertips, hit the board high, and scored, showing that the Suns players were in good form tonight.
Gan Guoyang tried to pass the ball to Lewis on the wing for an attack, but Lewis made a turnover when he spun around.
The ball was snatched by Dumars, the Suns counterattacked, Kevin Johnson received the ball and advanced, then passed to Dumars.
Dumars dashed into the paint for a slam dunk, scoring another 2 points, quickly tying the game at 6:6.
Richard Dumars was drafted by the Suns at the 46th pick in 1991, but was suspended in his first season for violating the drug policy.
Thus, this season is Dumars’ rookie season, and his performance of averaging 15.6 points and 4.6 rebounds allowed him to successfully secure a starting small forward position on the team, becoming a member of the all-rookie second team.
He possesses many qualities needed at the small forward position—full of energy on both offense and defense, doesn’t require much ball possession, and can do various tasks, excelling inside and out.
However, when he tried to follow Guoyang on defense to interfere with his catch and shoot, he found it to be extremely futile.
Gan Guoyang moved to the right-side perimeter, received a pass from Porter and took a mid-range jump shot.
The Trail Blazers initiated their offense quickly and simply, with Dumars mismatched against Ah Gan.
His outstretched hand was of no use as he watched the ball go cleanly through the hoop.
Gan Guoyang scored all the Trail Blazers’ 8 points at the start, a warning signal for the Suns.
Yet, Paul Westphal was not preparing to make any adjustments.
As always, the Suns are an offensive-minded team; if you score a lot, I’ll try to score even more.
Kevin Johnson got trapped on the wing but managed to pass the ball out.
Marley Dumors West, and finally passed to the weak side Barkley.
A series of smooth passes, Barkley got a chance under the basket, forced a layup after pushing Sabonis aside.
This resulted in Sabonis’ foul, and after making both free throws, the score was still tied.
At this point, Petrović stepped up to share the pressure with Ah Gan, driving to the basket after a pick-and-roll with Gan.
This led to a foul by Mark West, and he also made both free throws.
During the free throws, Gan Guoyang didn’t forget to check on Petrović’s knee.
"Does your knee hurt?"
"It hurts, but it’s not affecting me."
"Break less, shoot more, buddy."
"Can’t shoot accurately, so I have to drive inside."
The knee pain affects the shooting force, reducing the shooting percentage.
So Petrović must charge inside, closer to the basket.
The Trail Blazers’ players indeed weren’t in top form for various reasons.
But their fighting spirit never wavered, and might even become stronger in adversity.
Both teams started scoring, with high offensive efficiency.
Richard Dumars then received a pass from Barkley under the basket.
He used a fading shot to avoid the defense and scored two points.
The two teams played like tennis players in a long rally, going back and forth, waiting to see who would make a mistake, hit the net, or go out.
Gan Guoyang consistently set screens for Terry Porter at the top of the arc, once, twice, but Porter couldn’t find a chance to shoot.
He has slowed down, and though the Suns didn’t apply targeted defense, their players still defended.
By the time it’s the Western Conference Finals, every player is fighting hard on defense; the defensive attitude won’t be lacking, even if the skills aren’t perfect.
Porter found no opportunity and finally passed the ball to Gan Guoyang for a high-position one-on-one, took a step inside, then stopped suddenly.
The ball didn’t go in, but Gan Guoyang rushed under the basket and got the offensive rebound, scoring with a putback!
points, five minutes into the first quarter, Gan Guoyang already scored 10 points.
Nonetheless, the Suns wasted no time, quickly initiated a fast break from the backcourt.
As Ah Gan just scored and couldn’t retreat to the basket in time, Kevin Johnson received the ball and drove furiously.
Crossover dribble, breakthrough into the paint, and scored with a layup!
The timing of this play was impeccable.
If they were a bit slower, allowing Gan Guoyang to return to the paint, Johnson wouldn’t have been able to break through for a layup.
The Suns were fast, and so were the Trail Blazers. Petrović endured knee pain and made a fast break.
Passing the ball to Lewis, who was also on a fast break, Lewis received the ball, made a quick stop jump shot, and scored!
The Suns, too, were caught off guard.
It seemed like there was a phantom chasing both teams, making them play faster and faster.
The score reached 14:12, which marked the first turning point of the opening quarter.
The Trail Blazers suddenly changed their defensive rhythm, switching from man-to-man defense to a collapsed defense, closing in on the paint.
This gave the Suns a great open shot opportunity from the outside, Kevin Johnson received Barkley’s pass, aimed, and shot a three!
If it went in, the Suns would have taken the lead; more importantly, it would boost the Suns’ morale and confidence.
However, it didn’t score and bounced off the rim, and Gan Guoyang got the rebound—having Ah Gan made offensive rebounds extremely difficult for the Suns.
This was a massive yet subtle contribution by Gan Guoyang on defense, significantly reducing the opponent’s second-chance opportunities and lowering their offensive efficiency.
Another benefit of a stable defensive rebound is that wing players can launch fast breaks with confidence.
Reggie Lewis was already sprinting, Gan Guoyang made a long-range pass from afar.
Lewis received the ball and charged to the basket, Richard Dumars closely followed, trying to intercept this play!
But Lewis jumped high, made a double-handed slam dunk, and even forced a defensive foul on Richard Dumars.