This is the charm of the NBA, and also the frustrating and headache-inducing aspect; coaches must solve past problems while confronting new ones.
Bird made an important rotation decision: in the second half, he had Kobe start as a small forward, with the main task of defending Brandon on the defensive end.
In the first half, Kobe played for 8 minutes. In several rounds where he was paired against Brandon, his performance was quite good, only allowing Brandon to make a successful pass into the basket once.
Brandon undoubtedly went all out and did not hold back, especially when facing Kobe. Brandon played aggressively, but surprisingly, gained no advantage.
Obviously, Kobe’s defense against fast and explosive small guards was much more effective than against those powerful heavy forwards.
He was not afraid of opponents playing ankle-turning games with him, nor was he afraid to follow opponents like a hound. Defending Brandon made him increasingly confident.
After the third quarter began, Kobe, having earned the starting position, was fully engaged in the game. He had a premonition that tonight would be his glorious moment.
Guoyang, known as the "King of the Third Quarter," started strong in the second half, aiming to change the game’s tempo by holding the ball and attacking consecutively in the low post.
The Cavaliers’ starting center is Mark West. After leaving the Suns at the end of the 1994 season, he spent two years in Detroit and signed with Cleveland this year.
At his peak, Mark West was able to defend Ah Gan in the paint, but this year, at the age of 36, he plays about 20 minutes each game.
Nowadays, in one-on-one defense, he is no match for the 270-pound Gan Guoyang, who consecutively forced him to the basket for a dunk with his weight and strength.
After being dunked twice, West had no choice but to foul on the third one. He held Guoyang and said, "Brother, could you ease up a bit? Don’t dunk again."
Guoyang patted West and stepped up to the free-throw line, making both free throws and leading the Trail Blazers on a 6-0 run to take the lead.
Opponents like West have gradually faded. After finishing this season with the Cavaliers, West will begin the veteran’s wandering career, playing as the 12th man on various teams’ benches, filling gaps until he leaves the league.
Fratello called for a timeout, and the most nervous person was Bird.
He urgently instructed the team from the bench that after returning from the timeout, they must defend against the Cavaliers’ offense.
"How should we defend?" Kobe asked.
"Defend with your life," Bird replied.
Kobe was stunned for a moment, and Dick Hart quickly signaled that there was nothing life-threatening involved.
He took out the tactical board to start arranging the defense, emphasizing the lockdown of the perimeter and attention to the weak side.
The Cavaliers excel at moving the ball up the court and finding open shots and penetration opportunities on the weak side.
Of course, due to a lack of offensive talent, Brandon’s attacks with the ball at the top of the arc and 45-degree angles are quite important.
He is a crucial offensive engine for the team, adept at using flexible ankles and dribbling to tear open the opponent’s defense.
With the timeout over, back on the court for the Cavaliers’ offensive round, Brandon took the ball.
Kobe watched Brandon like a Bulldog, having already learned to maintain a certain distance.
Lowering his center of gravity in preparation to defend against the opponent’s breakthrough while also observing the situation behind with slight angles.
Brandon attempted to shake off Kobe’s defense with nimble dribbling and swift changes in direction, but Kobe maintained a tight watch on Brandon.
He neither hurried to make contact nor aggressively pressed inward, which could easily result in a foul, but instead maintained a distance where he could block the shot.
Brandon didn’t dare attempt a shot; he had already been blocked once by Kobe in the first half.
Moving in further? Ah Gan was already moving towards that direction, making Brandon hesitant to attack the basket directly.
He had no choice but to turn back; just like that, the Cavaliers’ recently arranged offensive tactic had failed.
Fratello shook his head, as Brandon couldn’t break through the defense of this No. 8 rookie.
He could only pass the ball out, and the forced three-point shot from the perimeter missed, with Gan Guoyang grabbing the rebound.
The Trail Blazers had an opportunity to counterattack, with Kobe sprinting forward, but the Cavaliers’ retreat was very quick.
In their offense, they basically abandoned the offensive rebound, focusing fully on retreating.
Seeing this, Kobe immediately slowed down, as Gan Guoyang had already passed the ball to Nick Van Exel.
Van Exel used his elusive footwork to shake free from the defense and break into the paint, attracting defenders.
Although the Cavaliers’ formation was still quite chaotic, Kobe found an opportunity at the left corner, with Van Exel passing him the ball.
Kobe caught the ball and immediately made a mid-range jump shot and scored!
This was Kobe’s first field goal since joining the NBA.
He didn’t just rush blindly inside but learned to observe teammates and opponents.
Positioning himself wisely, he seized this scoring opportunity upon catching the ball.
After the goal, Kobe appeared calm and immediately applied full-court pressure defense on Brandon.
Guards like Brand, facing a young, tall, and athletic defender like Kobe, really struggled.
Throughout the third quarter, Brandon was locked down on offense by Kobe, showing almost no significant performance.
In addition to one mid-range jump shot, Kobe also scored with a cut-and-dunk play assisted by Gan Guoyang during a set offense!
As he began to score in open play, Kobe’s confidence in the game gradually built up.
By the end of the third quarter, the Trail Blazers extended their lead to 10 points, an insurmountable gap for the Cavaliers.