Walton is a die-hard fan of the Trail Blazers, but that doesn’t mean he’s blindly supporting them.
His analysis is very accurate; on paper, the Jazz are at a significant disadvantage this year, with no chance at all.
Stockton not only is injured this year with declining form, but the Trail Blazers have also reinforced with Brellock specifically targeting Stockton.
On the bench, Kobe is more mature, and it’s unlikely for Stockton to have an explosive performance like last year.
On paper, there’s a 90% chance of losing, and the Jazz’s remaining 10% chance of winning depends on luck and personal determination.
However, in terms of survival instinct, the Jazz are not as strong as the Trail Blazers.
As soon as the game started, the Trail Blazers played aggressively, with Gan Guoyang repeatedly driving into the lane to draw fouls.
Ostertag and Malone each received a foul, Gan Guoyang made all free throws, and the Trail Blazers took the lead.
Entering the playoffs, Gan Guoyang is clearly more aggressive than in the regular season, making a lot of ball-handling plays, firing early to establish an advantage, forcing opponents into a long chase, then running the entire court to exhaust the opponent.
The Lakers and O’Neal were exhausted in this way, never leading from the first to the last game of the series, eliminated under the dual fatigue of body and mind.
No wonder Tracy McGrady and Jide wanted to relax in Las Vegas as soon as the game ended; after four games, they were exhausted.
After taking the lead, the Trail Blazers’ defensive strategy was very clear: Gan Guoyang tightly guarded Karl Malone one-on-one, giving Malone no easy scoring opportunities.
If Malone can defeat Gan Guoyang one-on-one and score efficiently, the Trail Blazers’ defensive strategy fails, they need to change their approach, allowing the Jazz’s offense to come alive.
If not, the Jazz can’t even find a second point to initiate offense, forced to rely on passing and screens, searching for gaps in the intense playoff atmosphere.
Malone feels enormous pressure, pre-game nerves only amplify it.
After two failed offensive plays, the Jazz choose to let Malone post-up low on the third.
But as soon as Malone receives the ball, Gan Guoyang steals it from behind, a turnover.
Having successfully stolen the ball, Gan Guoyang takes it and dribbles from the backcourt directly to the frontcourt to launch an attack.
None of the Jazz can stop him, Stockton resorts to fouling, quickly reaching team foul trouble.
The Trail Blazers’ offense is not smooth sailing; initially, their shooting touch is average, with Mu Lin and Brellock missing their long-range shots.
But the Jazz have bigger problems, unable to find good shooting opportunities under the Trail Blazers’ intense defensive pressure.
Five minutes into the first quarter, the score is 9:0, the Jazz unable to score in five whole minutes.
Is this still a top-three offense in the League? Jerry Sloan is forced to call a timeout for adjustments.
At this point, Jason’s mask is irrelevant because the true Jason is on the court.
Malone can’t break through one-on-one against Gan Guoyang; Sloan tries using pick-and-rolls to penetrate the Trail Blazers’ three-second zone.
But the Trail Blazers’ strategy is clear, allowing Stockton to shoot or break through, while Gan Guoyang sticks to Malone, denying him any easy shots.
Stockton hits two shots, but his offense lacks continuity and impact. The Trail Blazers thrive on counterattacks.
At the end of the first quarter, the score is 21:8, with the Jazz scoring a mere 8 points, setting a record for the lowest single-quarter score in Western Conference Finals history.
The Trail Blazers’ score isn’t high either, but 21 points represents a 13-point lead, a significant and hard-to-trace advantage in this era’s basketball pace.
"I can’t believe the Jazz only scored 8 points in a single quarter. Moreover, Karl Malone didn’t score a single point. Ah Gan’s revenge mentality is evident; he wants to destroy Malone!"
Walton notices that Gan Guoyang is intent on defeating Malone tonight, not even willing to give him a chance to score a single point.
Malone has 0-for-3 shooting, two turnovers, and a foul in the quarter, struggling to make a shot against Gan Guoyang.
Considering how many opponents Gan Guoyang has shut down defensively this season, Malone has reason to believe he might not score tonight.
Realizing this, his anxiety intensifies, a decade-long shadow looming heavily in his heart.
In his ears, even the cheering of the fans becomes surreal.
In the second quarter, the game rapidly deteriorates for the Jazz. The good news is they start scoring, breaking the scoring drought.
The bad news is the Trail Blazers’ offensive momentum returns, charging like a tidal wave.
Kobe replaces Riddle, elevating the Trail Blazers’ offensive pace.
Outside shooting, Mu Lin, Brellock, and Gan Guoyang consecutively hit three-pointers.
The Trail Blazers possess multiple points for ball handling and attacking the perimeter; almost everyone can dribble and drive, or pass.
Plus, Rick Carlisle’s fluid offensive coaching makes the Trail Blazers’ offense flow like water.
The Jazz’s defense approaches collapse; they aren’t a defensive team, and once their offense is stifled, the fast-break counterattacks overwhelm them.
Due to their backcourt’s lack of height, strength, and athleticism, they’re naturally potent offensively, seldom granting opponents fast-break opportunities, masking this weakness well.
Once the offense stalls, the Jazz face trouble.
During the regular season, the Jazz exhibit a notable trait: when struggling offensively, they often lose by large margins.
For instance, scoring in the 70s leads to conceding 90-plus points to opponents, losing by 20 points, especially against teams strong in counterattacks.
Cases exist against the Trail Blazers, Hornets, and Suns in the regular season, unable to counter rapid fast breaks.
The Jazz exhibit this trend tonight; as scoring efficiency declines, their offensive and defensive all quickly crumble.
This illustrates why offensive teams are less stable than defensive teams in the playoffs; defense is reliable, offense isn’t necessarily.
Seeing impending collapse, Sloan again urges Malone to steady the situation on court.
But Malone’s mind buzzes as he steps on court alongside Gan Guoyang.
Malone vaguely perceives a masked killer walking towards him.
His thought in mind isn’t "minimizing losses" but rather: survive.