Although it’s a three-axes play, the derived variations are quite numerous, but under Van Gundy’s coaching, they appear somewhat rigid.
The Trail Blazers’ defense has shown significant improvement in these recent games. After establishing a stable rotation, each player gradually clarifies their role.
The Trail Blazers employ an extreme shrinkage defense, with Gan Guoyang, PJ Brown, and AC Green constructing a solid three-second zone defensive triangle.
On the outside, Van Exel and Riddle go for one-on-one man defense. If they’re overwhelmed, so be it; if they’re shot through, so be it; anyway, the basket is resolutely defended.
This is the best solution for the current Trail Blazers lineup, plugging the biggest leak.
Other small leaks can leak; scoop the water while leaking to ensure the ship doesn’t sink.
The Knicks choose to pass the ball to Mourning, Mourning doesn’t have the confidence to overpower Ah Gan in the low post, so he passes it out to Chais.
Chais holds the ball and hesitates, facing Van Exel who is a size smaller, he decides to play it himself.
Breaking through the middle, but inside PJ Brown and Ah Gan are menacing, Chais finally stops abruptly for a jumper and misses.
Gan Guoyang grabs the rebound, directly dribbles from the backcourt to launch a counterattack, penetrating the Knicks’ defense all the way to the basket.
Kemp can only reach out and foul, sending Gan Guoyang to the free-throw line, which leaves Van Gundy on the sidelines a bit unhappy.
"Don’t foul so early! Control it, one fast break is okay!" Van Gundy commands loudly.
Fouling too early is a dangerous signal, Knicks players are visibly agitated.
Because they all know that tonight Ah Gan wants to exert himself, and deep down they have the desire to topple Ah Gan, putting the Knicks players in a tense and sensitive state.
Gan Guoyang makes both free throws, giving the Trail Blazers a good start.
However, in the subsequent few attacks, Gan Guoyang doesn’t continue the good touch for constant scoring.
After missing two shots, he needs to adjust, and the Trail Blazers also need to switch their offensive mindset.
Gan Guoyang comes out frequently to the high post, cooperating with Van Exel for pick-and-rolls, while giving Riddle opportunities for strong attacks in the low post.
Results are average; the Knicks’ defense is indeed tough, relying on strong confrontation and precise blockades to make Trail Blazers’ offense sluggish.
Both sides fight till 7:5, entering the official timeout of the first quarter, seeming like tonight will be another low-scoring defensive battle.
Van Gundy slightly breathes a sigh of relief; with this scoring pace, Ah Gan taking 50 points will probably be difficult.
During the timeout, he re-emphasized the defense, requesting to continue slowing down the game’s pace, preventing the Trail Blazers from speeding up.
Tonight the Knicks have poor shooting touch for scoring, but they also don’t want the Trail Blazers to score.
On the other side, Larry Bird makes a substitution, replacing PJ Brown with Winfield.
This unexpected adjustment makes Rick Carlisle and Dick Hart give Bird puzzled looks.
Bird says, "Just do it... Winfield, spread out the space, don’t crowd under the basket. Focus on guarding, don’t worry about anything else."
In the middle of the first quarter, the Trail Blazers voluntarily substitute their inside force PJ Brown; this move is a bit perplexing.
However, once Winfield is on the court, the Trail Blazers’ offensive space opens up; Winfield has three-point shooting capability.
Gan Guoyang receives the ball in the low post, quickly spins off Mourning, drives along the baseline to push the defense, and dunks strongly with his left hand!
A beautiful low-post isolation play.
Immediately following, Gan Guoyang suddenly expands outward in defense, together with Riddle to trap Alan Houston.
Houston makes a mistake, AC Green intercepts the ball, Gan Guoyang leads the charge ahead.
Receiving Riddle’s pass, a fast-break glide dunk succeeds!
The hoop at the Rose Garden Arena quakes, Gan Guoyang’s dunk is powerful.
Though the basket has been reinforced, every time they see his dunk, NBA staff still worry it might get damaged.
After coming back from the timeout, Gan Guoyang continuously scores, causing Van Gundy to become very anxious, standing up from the bench.
But it’s not over yet; once again Gan Guoyang blocks Kemp’s breakthrough at the basket, grabs the rebound, and the Trail Blazers launch another fast break.
Van Exel fully leverages his phantom-like footwork advantages, the Knicks attempt to block his advancement but Van Exel evades them.
This madman doesn’t make a crazy choice this time – sometimes when he’s too excited, he’ll force a long shot in a counterattack, catching everyone off guard.
If it goes in, fine; if not, it really hurts team morale.
Van Exel passes the ball to the horn position AC Green, Green sets a screen, then tosses the ball to the wing at a 45-degree angle to Gan Guoyang.
No one defends Gan Guoyang at the perimeter, no matter how tight the Knicks’ formation is, in defending fast-break counters, it’s impossible not to leave any gaps.
What’s more, a player like Gan Guoyang pulling out to shoot a three-pointer is inherently the hardest defense order, most likely to cause mismatches.
Unmarked, Gan Guoyang accurately hits a three-pointer! Scoring 7 consecutive points, with the first quarter over halfway, he’s already blasted 11 points.
Van Gundy, seeing things are unfavorable, immediately calls another timeout for adjustments, as Rose Garden Arena erupts with jubilation.
[First quarter, scored 14 points, including two three-pointers.
Shooting quite well, Bird’s substitution was very effective.
When number 10 with a thick neck and fat head came on, the offense sped up significantly.
The Knicks are a bit chaotic, looking dizzy and confused.