Chapter 25 Simple and Efficient

The first regular-season battle between the two Western Conference opponents drew a lot of attention, and despite Ralph Sampson sitting on the bench due to injury, the matchup between Gan Guoyang and Hakeem Olajuwon was still highly anticipated.

However, just three minutes into the game, the Rockets called their first timeout after the Trail Blazers took them by surprise with an 8:0 run, and Bill Fitch admitted he was a bit puzzled by the start.

"Bobby, is this Dr. Jack's team? How come the Trail Blazers started like this?" Fitch was filled with confusion and bewilderment.

In the Trail Blazers' first five offensive plays, Gan Guoyang single-handedly took the ball in the low post for one-on-one play.

He scored on four of those attacks by using a spin move for a hook shot, a turn-around fadeaway jumper, a drive after facing up, and a fake to draw a foul and score, and on another occasion passed the ball out to Vandeweghe on the perimeter, but his three-pointer didn't go in.