This season, Ewing has been plagued with injuries, appearing in only over 40 games, but the Supersonics have maintained a solid record.
In the summer of 1997, they signed Jim McIvain at a high price as a replacement for Ewing, which was considered extravagant.
The reason the Supersonics had room to sign McIvain was that Ewing’s contract, like Olajuwon’s, was only 3 million US Dollars this season, leaving space for the team to strengthen itself through signings.
The purpose of signing McIvain was obvious, it was to counter Ah Gan and the Portland Twin Towers.
McIvain stands at 7 feet 1, with an impressive wingspan, an undeniable giant of the center position.
Although his scoring ability is worrisome, with no ability to initiate offense on his own, he contributes an average of 2 blocks per game on defense, thanks to his outstanding physique.
In the eyes of the Supersonics’ management, he is a weapon against Sabonis or Ah Gan, filling the defensive gap left by Ewing’s absence and contributing to the team’s 60 wins.
Moreover, with the defensive powerhouse Charles Oakley, on paper, the Supersonics’ inside presence doesn’t fear the Trail Blazers.
Of course, in an actual game, it’s a different matter; the Supersonics haven’t beaten the Trail Blazers this season.
And every time they meet, Ah Gan tears through their inside defenses, making McIvain look like a toy in front of him.
On the contrary, the aging Ewing, in the games he played before, could rely on years of experience to restrain Gan Guoyang a bit.
In the first half, both sides played a tight game, and despite the Supersonics’ addition of hard-nosed forward Charles Oakley, George Karl’s team maintained an aggressive style.
The open attack and constant ball-handler harassment saw Ewing’s low-post appearances decrease at the start of this season.
He has become more of a finisher rather than an initiator on offense, channeling what little energy he has left into defense.
Ewing’s knees have been tormented by injuries, and his movement on the court has become slower and heavier.
His playing time has decreased to 32 minutes, with an average score dropping to 20 points, though critically maintaining over 10 important defensive rebounds.
This is where Ewing has improved over the years; his defensive rebounds have gotten better than when he was younger.
But youth will not return; Ewing can no longer run freely on both ends of the court.
In the third quarter, the Trail Blazers began using a younger lineup.
The troublesome Ah Gan started playing at the small forward position, a setup that really troubled the Supersonics.
The Supersonics’ defense is very skillful at double-teaming inside, pushing interior players to the wings and away from the Three Second Zone.
Gan Guoyang doesn’t need defensive pressure; he goes to the wings himself, as he’s actually a small forward.
In the final regular-season game, everyone was a bit fatigued. A vitality-driven team like the Supersonics especially needed some rest.
As a result, the Trail Blazers started playing a track meet with the Supersonics in the third quarter, clearly aiming to outrun them to death.
Ewing is 36, and Oakley is already 34 this year. They excel at half-court battle, but chasing the young Trail Blazers players in fast breaks is truly tiring.
Later on, Larry Bird also subbed out Brellock, putting Kobe at the point guard to set the pace, and AC Green at the shooting guard.
Green had to be on the court, as his streak of consecutive appearances since the 1987-1988 season had reached 901 games.
Including this game, it would reach a record 902 games; his iron man status, like his vow to remain a virgin until marriage, was admirable.
Even though AC Green wasn’t part of the core rotation this season, Bird still ensured he got playing time each game.
Even if it was just a few seconds on the court, Green had to make an appearance. Sometimes, if Bird forgot, Hart, Carl, or other players would remind him.
"Time to put AC in! Otherwise, his virginity is at risk!" they’d jokingly say.
Of course, he couldn’t miss this game either, because without a proper point guard, the Trail Blazers played chaotically on the court.
But chaos as it was, the Trail Blazers relied on a group of young players running wildly on the court, with Gan Guoyang and Kobe, having the ball, ready to charge inside.
The Supersonics had to either allow the two to break through for layups or commit fouls, while the other three simply had one task: grab offensive rebounds.
The Supersonics, originally the wildest team in the League, were outdone by the Trail Blazers when it came to being wild.
Gan Guoyang thrived at the small forward spot, disregarding defense, not even bothering to contest for defensive rebounds or establish positions, seizing every chance to sprint for fast breaks.
This game, Kobe thoroughly enjoyed passing, launching long passes to the frontcourt for Gan Guoyang’s fast breaks whenever he had the chance.
George Karl quickly realized that Ewing and Oakley couldn’t withstand Ah Gan’s charges, as he played unpredictably.
Everyone’s aging, trying to rely on strength and experience in the Three Second Zone, wrestling in the mud, and teaching bouncing youngsters a lesson in defense and technique, wouldn’t it be better?
But this kid refuses, relying on his physicality, still being able to run and jump at 34, generating massive impact through inertia from his substantial weight rather than the first step, making him unstoppable in the entire League.