But Gan Guoyang did not choose to charge directly to the basket for a dunk; instead, he stepped back and shot a mid-range jumper from the baseline, scoring again.
"I heard your mid-range shots are pretty good too, why not give it a try?" Gan Guoyang said to Nowitzki while retreating on defense.
Nowitzki was already driven by a competitive desire. He did not respond but did not back down either. Instead, he came out to the three-point line to receive the ball.
The Mavericks went even further than the Trail Blazers in their spatial lineup. When Nowitzki played the center position, they left no one under the basket.
All five players transferred the ball outside the three-point line, driving, passing, and receiving. In this sense, Old Nelson truly had an experimental spirit.
Even the Trail Blazers, a team that had emphasized three-pointers early on, always had at least one player guarding the basket.
Furthermore, the more they shot threes, the more they valued building the inside. Since 1984, good inside partners and backups for Gan Guoyang have been continuous.
Nielsen’s reform was undoubtedly more thorough, going all the way, with all five shooting from the outside, challenging how you could defend.
Nowitzki faced a one-on-one defense from Gan Guoyang on the perimeter. He dribbled to adjust his rhythm and would directly go for a jumper at the right moment.
Nowitzki had been using this move very effectively this season, even against Malone he could still score. His rhythm and softness of his shot were excellent.
Most importantly, Nowitzki’s height is a solid 7 feet, with no exaggeration, which is a considerable height advantage.
But Gan Guoyang was not Malone; his defense declined the least. Through Nowitzki’s rhythm, he predicted Nowitzki’s next move.
At the moment Nowitzki was about to shoot, Gan Guoyang closed in. If Nowitzki shot, it would be blocked; if he didn’t... not shooting meant a dead ball.
With intense tight defense, Nowitzki couldn’t pass and was forcibly stripped by Gan Guoyang, leading to a Trail Blazers’ fast break!
No one from the Mavericks could stop Gan Guoyang’s tank-like fast break. Strickland simply gave up, watching Gan Guoyang glide in for a dunk, scoring 2 points.
As the first quarter was about to end, Gan Guoyang easily scored 10 points, and the Trail Blazers took the lead, forcing Nielsen to call a timeout.
Facing Nielsen’s inquiry on the bench, Nowitzki honestly replied, "I can’t handle him at all, completely can’t handle it."
Nielsen said, "I know you can’t handle him, but you still have to keep trying. Also, learn more things."
Nowitzki was very smart. He realized Nielsen hoped he could learn more skills and techniques from Gan Guoyang.
Indeed, after a few short confrontations, Nowitzki realized he had many areas lacking, especially in details.
Thinking his shooting was precise, the problem was good defenders wouldn’t give you a chance to shoot, disrupting you before you could attempt.
For a shooting big man, height is naturally an advantage, but if used improperly, it can become a disadvantage, especially when attempting both inside and outside plays.
Gan Guoyang, being the best at combining inside and outside as a big man, knew very well the strengths and weaknesses of big men holding the ball outside.
In this aspect, Nowitzki was still too inexperienced, being firmly controlled by Gan Guoyang, who apparently wasn’t even exerting force, teasing with mid-range on offense.
When Nowitzki returned to the court in the second quarter, Gan Guoyang also shed his warm-up suit and returned to the game. The score was 47:43, with the Trail Blazers leading by 4 points; both teams were offensively flowing.
After the first quarter, Gan Guoyang had rested for a considerable time. Currently, on average, Carl limited Gan Guoyang’s playing time to around 36 minutes per game.
This was the lowest average playing time of his career. The downside was increased team instability, but the benefit was Gan Guoyang’s increased offensive efficiency.
During the bench duels, Mike Finley and Eddie Jones scored consecutively, with Finley especially getting 16 points by halftime, suppressing Kobe.
The nearly half-quarter rest did not cool Gan Guoyang’s hand. As soon as he returned, he received the ball and shot a long-ranged jumper from the three-point line, scoring.
Nowitzki hadn’t started yet. Returning to the court, when he attempted to receive the ball for a strong attack, he couldn’t handle the ball properly, almost disrupted by Gan Guoyang.
Though not stripped, the rhythm was disrupted, forcing Nowitzki to pass back to his teammate, wasting an offensive opportunity.
Nowitzki sensed what top-tier NBA defense felt like—not only full confrontational intensity but also detailed, subtle moves omnipresent, making him exceptionally uncomfortable.
Gan Guoyang nearly predicted every nuanced move and position of Nowitzki, which pained Nowitzki, who relied on rhythm and fakes to score, to the extreme.
Fortunately, as Gan Guoyang focused on Nowitzki, the Trail Blazers had one less rim-protecting barrier, allowing Eddie Jones to score two points on a driving floater.
Gan Guoyang again took the ball at the 45-degree low post. Nowitzki forced himself to defend, his defense being entirely passive, lacking any aggression.
However, this time Gan Guoyang missed the shot. Feeling lucky, Nowitzki grabbed the rebound and dribbled past half court, sending a long pass to the running Mike Finley.
Finley was about to attack the basket but got blocked by the swiftly returning Gan Guoyang, who leapt from the side to swat it down!
Nowitzki marvelled, wondering how this guy returned so fast and if he had anticipated Nowitzki would long pass to Finley?
Originally a great chance for the Mavericks to close the score, Gan Guoyang’s big block disrupted it, with the Trail Blazers regaining possession for a counterattack.
The ball went to Gan Guoyang at the top of the arc. He paused after receiving the ball, and as Nowitzki hesitated, Gan Guoyang suddenly accelerated for a central breakthrough.
Nowitzki had no reaction chance, cleanly surpassed, then watched Gan Guoyang storm into the basket for a two-handed dunk.
This move Nowitzki also used but not with such smoothness and naturalness. Once a big man’s breakthrough is launched, it’s hard to stop them at the basket.
After scoring, the Trail Blazers stabilized their advantage. Nowitzki used his jersey to wipe off sweat, still scoreless, wondering what to do.
At this moment, Gan Guoyang came again with earnest enlightenment, saying, "Do you know how to score 30 points in a game?"
"Each quarter, make two mid-range shots, one drive, two free throws—8 points a quarter; add a three-pointer or two, and 30 points are in hand."
"It’s not simple, but it’s very easy for you," Nowitzki replied.
"Yes, it’s a bit easy. So in this game, I’ll try to make 15 mid-range shots. That makes 30 points, doesn’t it?"
Nowitzki’s face turned dark, thinking, is he really going to make 15 mid-range shots over my head? How many has he already made?
Oh man, how will the rest of the game go?
No time for much thought, Finley hit a three-pointer, helping the Mavericks pull some points back.
But immediately, Gan Guoyang received the ball at 45 degrees, facing the basket, with Nowitzki fully pressing him on mid-range defense.
Yet, Gan Guoyang squeezed through with just one move, taking a step back while giving Nowitzki a charming smile.
The mid-range jumper was released and scored again! This was the sixth mid-range shot tonight, nearly halfway there.
Evidently, for a long time, Gan Guoyang’s smile would become an inescapable nightmare for Nowitzki.