When Stockton stepped off the court, he draped a towel over his shoulders and wondered, "Did I come off too early? With Ah Gan still on the court, he’ll exploit every gap. Tonight, his desire to win is strong."
Sloan replied, "I know, let him be. Give Karl some room to shine. Besides, it’s just the regular season; we can’t reveal all our moves."
"That’s true, but I really want to win this one. If we win, it’ll be 3-0 this season. We hope to sweep the Trail Blazers."
"It’s just the first quarter, don’t rush, John."
"I am a bit anxious. Ah Gan said he wants to score 60 points."
"Oh, really? Well... why don’t you have a drink of water and prepare to go back in later."
"..."
On the court, the Jazz scored two more points amidst chaos, with Brian Russell hitting an open three-pointer.
PJ Brown had already blocked Asley’s breakthrough, but the Trail Blazers couldn’t control the ball outside.
In the ensuing chaos, Brian Russell was left open, and AC Green couldn’t close in time, resulting in a three-pointer.
Then, Gan Guoyang missed a mid-range shot, and the Jazz countered, with Malone orchestrating from a high position, passing straight inside, allowing Russell to score again.
The Trail Blazers’ man-to-man defense appeared full of holes against the Jazz’s intricate and coordinated moves.
Gan Guoyang persisted in one-on-one defense against Malone, and wisely, Malone didn’t force it but opted to orchestrate from high positions.
"Sonny, this is a tactic you often used against other big men. It’s really effective," Malone said boastfully after the assist.
"You keep watching my tapes every day. Did you pay your tuition?"
"I did, haven’t I paid enough, Sonny."
Malone’s biggest improvement this season wasn’t his scoring, but his assists.
His average assists per game rose to a career-high of 4.5 — almost half of Ah Gan’s.
From an early score-focused forward with little assist capability, Malone had become adept at orchestrating high-to-low plays.
Reaching 65% of Ah Gan’s peak level, it was enough to usher Karl Malone into the most glorious phase of his career.
Afterward, Hornersek scored another mid-range shot during a fast break. This guy didn’t break in fast breaks; he just stopped and took a jump shot.
He knew breaking inside would give Ah Gan a chance for a block, so he opted for the steady jump shot, securing two points.
As Malone and Hornersek held the fort, Stockton could rest assured on the bench, preparing for his return to exploit mismatches.
Nearing the end of the first quarter, the Trail Blazers trailed the Jazz by 8 points, 18:26, with the gap widening.
Gan Guoyang had already scored 10 points with 2 assists, but the team struggled against the Jazz, with Fan Madman’s point consistently ineffective.
At the end of the first quarter, Bird substituted Kobe for Gan Guoyang, who went to rest, asking, "Do we need adjustments?"
Gan Guoyang shook his head, saying, "No, no need to adjust. Stick to our game plan; things will get better later on."
Bird nodded, knowing the situation on court couldn’t be changed by adjustments. The Jazz had a lineup and style that restrained the Trail Blazers.
When your style is countered, all you can do is stick to the optimal strategy, wait for players to hit form, and rely on individual skills to turn the tide.
Gan Guoyang’s performance in the first quarter was standard. Calculatively, he had taken Ostertag off early, but the Jazz maintained stability.
After Kobe came on, the situation didn’t improve. The Trail Blazers’ outside shooting percentage at the start was poor; everyone seemed out of form.
Stockton soon returned to the court, playing through to the end of the first quarter. With the start of the second, he led the Jazz’s second lineup in battle.
At 22:32, the Jazz once expanded the lead to 10 points as Stockton, like a commander, orchestrated the team’s offense effectively.
Stockton’s assists had significantly declined this season compared to before, not due to poor form, but because he adjusted his role and play style.
He reduced his time holding the ball, reallocating some organization responsibilities to Malone and Hornersek, making the Jazz less dependent on his passing.
Stockton knew his weakness: His ball-handling offensive ability wasn’t strong. A player with weak ball-handling offense controlling too much output isn’t beneficial to the team, especially during crucial offensive moments.
Maintaining a proper balance between passing and shooting creates enough decision-making dilemmas for opponents.
A guard with inadequate attacking capability holding much ball control is easily targeted in crucial moments.
This could lead to the team struggling offensively after losing his ball control, which is particularly detrimental in high-stakes games.
Although Stockton’s stats declined in all aspects this season, the Jazz’s overall combat effectiveness reached its peak.
When the difference reached 10 points, Bird called a timeout, and Gan Guoyang took off his jacket to return to the court.
PJ Brown stepped off to rest. Surprisingly, Bird didn’t substitute Dudley or use Little O’Neal, but teamed up Ben Wallace with Gan Guoyang.
At that moment, Ostertag had already returned to the game, and Ben Wallace, standing a little over two meters tall, appeared dwarfed by Ostertag.
However, Bird had his plan with Ben Wallace. He valued Wallace’s agile movements and defensive coverage.
Though Wallace was young, on the court, his build didn’t look much inferior in width and strength to Karl Malone’s; he had trained himself to be quite robust.