Chapter 780 - 17 Breaking a Sweat_2

From his height and physique, he is more suited to the power forward position, and pushing him to play as center is truly out of necessity; the Suns had no better option.

In regular-season and playoff games against other teams, Mark West was sufficient, but when facing the Trail Blazers, Mark West alone could not support the team.

Whether it was Ah Gan or Sabonis, when they strongly attacked the Suns’ inside position in the low post, Mark West’s back defense was insufficient.

After the start of the second half, Gan Guoyang initiated the low post power mode along with Sabonis at the beginning of the third quarter.

The two took turns attacking the Suns’ tough but shorter inside players from the elbow and flank positions.

When Charles Barkley had no choice but to forcefully withstand Sabonis in the low post, and then was beaten by a turn-around hook shot that made him unable to even jump, the frustration was evident on his face.

Mark West was even less able to resist Ah Gan’s heavy blows in the low post; after returning to the center position, Gan Guoyang increased the frequency of his low-post attacks, choosing not to settle for mid-range shots as much as he had last season.

Each season has its changes; after implementing the Princeton system, the proportion of mid-range shots has declined across the Trail Blazers team.

Efficient three-pointers and under-the-basket attacks are better options, with mid-range shots appearing only at critical moments.

Hence, the Trail Blazers have such high scores this season, and their offensive efficiency is gradually reaching historical peaks.

Of course, the increase in three-pointers also brings instability, and with the unfamiliarity of the Princeton system, the Trail Blazers have experienced more offensive breakdowns than last season.

In the third quarter, relying on low-post attacks to regain a 12-point lead, the Trail Blazers immediately fell into a scoring drought lasting 3 minutes — several outside shots missed.

The Suns quickly seized the opportunity to catch up, with Eddie Johnson and Danny Ainge consecutively making shots.

After entering the second lineup rotation, the Trail Blazers’ defensive intensity slid further, engaging in a scoring battle with the Suns.

The score of both sides alternately increased, and Bobby Berman for the first time this season substituted Antonio Davis into the inner line.

The young Davis committed fouls immediately after coming on, granting the Suns free throw opportunities.

Midway through the third quarter, the Suns slowly caught up with the score again—they are quite resilient.

Beelman was very patient, giving Antonio Davis 5 minutes of playtime.

Despite his continuous mistakes after coming on, missing defensive assignments, committing fouls that led to free throws, and making offensive positioning errors.

These caused the Suns to close the gap to just a 3-point difference.

Only then did Beelman call a timeout and let Antonio Davis sit out for a break.

After coming off the court, Davis kept drinking water and apologized to Beelman, saying he performed too poorly.

Beelman did not blame Davis, saying: "You perform well in training, but you need to bring that performance from training into the games, always be ready!"

Antonio Davis nodded, he had not expected to be suddenly put into the game.

With Anthony Mason being taken away by the Heat, Antonio Davis became the new muscle man of the team.

In terms of talent, Antonio Davis is more outstanding than Mason, taller, more agile, and has good blue-collar potential.

Compared to Ed Pinkney, who was traded from the Celtics, Pinkney leans towards offense, while Davis leans towards defense.

He has a good sense of rebound, is strong, young, and energetic.

In the 80s, the Trail Blazers’ biggest trouble each offseason was finding a suitable backup for Ah Gan.

In the 90s, with the arrival of Sabonis and the formation of the Twin Towers, the need for a backup was less pressing.

Now, the management and Beelman are most concerned with developing a third option in the interior line to replace Mychal Thompson, who could retire at any time.

Thompson is already 36 years old, and he discussed with the management this summer that he is very likely to retire after this season.

Aside from a few games at the start of the season, Thompson’s performance was still passable, but as the season progressed, fatigue and injuries accumulated, and his form was increasingly getting worse.

Last season he could still consistently contribute 10 points and 6 rebounds per game, but this season, his scoring has been hard to hit double digits, and his rebounding capability has significantly declined.

With five Championship Rings in hand, Mychal Thompson’s career has no regrets, and his life is fulfilling; he married a beautiful wife, and in February this year, their second son was born, named Klay Thompson.

For a strong team like the Suns, letting young players play for 5 minutes is more meaningful and effective than playing 10 minutes of garbage time.

As Beelman said, role players must always be ready, so when the opportunity arises, you can seize it.

Although the score was closely contested, the Trail Blazers still held the initiative on the court; after the timeout, Sabonis returned to the court and immediately hit a three-pointer from Gan Guoyang’s pass.

A 5-point difference stabilized the situation.

This season, the cooperation between Sabonis and Gan Guoyang has increased.

Last season, Sabonis was more like a supportive blue-collar player by Gan Guoyang’s side.

This season, with the implementation of the Princeton Offense, Sabonis is increasingly resembling a tactical core.

The Suns are still persistently catching up, playing tremendously tough, clinging to the score, and looking for opportunities to turn the game around or clinch a victory.