In the first quarter, Gan Guoyang grabbed 5 offensive rebounds and 4 defensive rebounds, nearly hitting double digits in rebounds in a single quarter.
Last season, the Jazz managed to suppress the Trail Blazers’ individual performances with their methodical offense, ultimately securing the victory.
This season, however, the Trail Blazers’ set offense is even more methodical, more cohesive, and detailed than the Jazz.
With both teams having similar tactical acumen, and the Trail Blazers even slightly better, the talent gap became apparent.
Gan Guoyang didn’t even need to make solo shots; in the first half, just by grabbing rebounds, he nearly dismantled the Jazz team.
The Trail Blazers tonight were retaliating by opening fire from long range at the Triangle Center, with Mu Lin, Brellock, Sabonis, Kobe, and others taking three-point shots whenever they had the chance.
If they made it, nothing more needed to be said; if not, Gan Guoyang’s success rate in grabbing offensive rebounds was astonishingly high.
In the first quarter, 5 offensive rebounds, and in the second quarter, 6 offensive rebounds; after grabbing them, Gan Guoyang didn’t go for a second attack but passed the ball to the perimeter for his teammates to continue shooting.
With 11 offensive rebounds in the first half, he provided the Trail Blazers with plenty of second-chance opportunities; missed shots from the perimeter were no problem since they could shoot again, eventually scoring.
Therefore, although the Trail Blazers’ three-point shooting percentage was not high in the first half, at 38%, it couldn’t withstand the volume—21 attempts with 8 makes, totaling 8 three-pointers.
Both the number of attempts and makes in the first half set a season record, and the Trail Blazers led by 11 points at halftime.
During the Jazz’s halftime break, they realized that the Trail Blazers were treating them like targets tonight!
The biggest problem with the Jazz’s perimeter defense is height and lack of athleticism.
Stockton and Hornersek, two white guards, often had no good solution against the Trail Blazers’ strong outside shooting.
Before the start of the third quarter, Stockton and Gan Guoyang chatted on the sidelines.
"Sonny, are you treating us like targets to shoot at? Shooting three-pointers like crazy?"
"Uh... we’re just exploring tactical possibilities. Someday in the future, crazy three-point shooting will become the mainstream in the league."
"But crazy offensive rebounding won’t. Are you trying to break the offensive rebound record? Don’t do that, Sonny."
"What, are you afraid Karl can’t handle it? He’s a professional player; it’s what he deserves."
Gan Guoyang said, glancing at Karl Malone warming up not far away.
Malone was targeted by Gan Guoyang in the first half, looking very frustrated.
When Gan Guoyang wasn’t scoring but focused on defense and rebounds, he was quite terrifying.
Malone felt defeated, like all his 12 years of career experience were wasted, and all his body training in the summer came to nothing.
Couldn’t finish post plays, couldn’t grab defensive and backcourt rebounds, completely suppressed by Gan Guoyang.
However, Malone did better than Duncan in that he could still score with mid-range jumpers, scoring 8 points in the first half, avoiding a shutout by Gan Guoyang.
Shutting out an experienced and strong MVP-level player like Malone is very difficult and requires the opponent to be in poor form.
But Malone didn’t consider 8 points enough for himself; on days when Stockton wasn’t around, Malone carried the team alone.
In the season opener against the Lakers, without Stockton, the Jazz suffered a heavy defeat, losing by 20 points to the Lakers.
Afterward, the team continued losing, seemingly losing the grandeur of last season.
But Malone quickly propped up the team, reliably outputting every night like The Mailman, fulfilling his duties.
When Stockton returned in December, the Jazz’s record was decent, having not lost too many matches.
Afterward, the Jazz slowly overtook the Los Angeles Lakers and the Seattle SuperSonics in the standings, securing their second place in the Western Conference.
In this respect, Karl Malone, like Michael Jordan, propped up the team when the most reliable teammate was absent, awaiting the return of the comrades.
Therefore, as a teammate, Stockton felt supportive and empathetic towards this old comrade.
Having collaborated for 12 years, "Stockton to Malone" had become a well-known catchphrase.
Whenever people mentioned the Jazz, it was Stockton and Malone; they were the best partners, inseparable.
However, Stockton knew deep down that his most seamless partner was actually Ah Gan.
The variety and power of their pick-and-rolls were several times stronger than "Stockton to Malone."
Since Malone joined the Jazz in 1985, when Frank paired Stockton and Malone, Stockton couldn’t help but compare Malone with Ah Gan.
At first, Stockton couldn’t stand Malone’s rough play and clumsiness.
Why are the pick-and-rolls so rigid? Why are the rolls so monotonous, the shooting so poor, and the impact so weak?
The differences in detail need not be mentioned; the more he compared, the more unbearable it was for Stockton.
Still, he endured it until Malone improved gradually, learning bit by bit.
Stronger body, better shooting, more solid screens, smarter play handling.
Stockton knew Malone was always learning from Ah Gan, learning his shooting, his underbasket impact, and his play handling, among other things.
Though in the end, he could only learn about sixty percent, it was enough for Malone to dominate in the league; however, whenever a fake meets the real, he would suffer greatly.
This included during the All-Star game in Salt Lake City, where people had expected Malone and Stockton to stand together on the MVP podium, but Ah Gan still snatched the MVP away.
Deep down, Stockton always had mild criticism towards Malone; not just on the court, but they didn’t have much in common off the court either.
Things Malone enjoyed, Stockton wasn’t very interested in, plus Stockton was very repulsed by Malone’s stains in his private life.
However, out of respect for their team bond and years of cooperation, Stockton didn’t make much of it.
Until last season, when they beat the Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals, although Malone’s personal performance still couldn’t compare to that of Ah Gan, the team won in the end.
From that moment on, Stockton’s hidden sentiments were finally quelled, and he stopped being overly critical of Malone; those slight feelings of disdain finally disappeared.
Malone’s consistent efforts over so many years indeed yielded some rewards, even though they eventually lost to the Bulls in the Finals, 1997 was still a year when the Jazz made a name for themselves.
Stockton could already foresee that if the season continued like this, the Jazz wouldn’t be a match for the Trail Blazers.
Their efforts over more than a decade might well turn into nothing.
That’s how it is with Ah Gan in this League; he leaves a very small window of opportunity for you.
If captured, winning the championship is a complete success; if not, once he regains his form, it will be troublesome.
"No, I didn’t mean that to ask you to go easy on us. It’s just... Sonny, you know, sometimes the way you crush your opponents is so cruel, it’s quite... inhumane. I know you don’t like Karl, but he’s still my teammate,"
Stockton was quite right, especially this season, Gan Guoyang often made opponents feel humiliated.
Shutting out opponents on defense was a common thing; tonight he was about to completely dominate Malone on the boards, leaving him helpless.
Gan Guoyang didn’t deny this and said to Stockton, "Your contract is up in the summer; if you consider coming to the Trail Blazers, I’ll spare Malone."
Stockton shook his head with a smile, saying, "Don’t joke, Sonny, I’m already 35. My career, my family, and friends are all in Salt Lake City. I don’t think I’m going anywhere; I just want to stay here."
Gan Guoyang said, "Why? That way you might never win a championship; don’t you want to win a championship with me?"
Stockton was silent for a brief moment; the second half of the game was about to begin, and the players were gathering towards the center of the court.
"Of course, I want to, but... Sonny, I’ve already won a championship with you. Even if I don’t win the NBA championship, I feel there’s not much regret,"
"Besides, winning a championship by riding coattails isn’t so great, right? You know I care about my dignity, Sonny."
After speaking, Stockton went to the backcourt to receive the ball and started the second half of the game.
Gan Guoyang thought to himself, Bernard King said the same back then.
Later on, didn’t he end up succumbing to the reality, joining the Trail Blazers, and winning a championship completing his career?
is still early; Gan Guoyang didn’t believe that after a few more years, at the end of his career, Stockton could still be so stubborn.