Chapter 812 - 255: He’s Actually Learning During the Game! (6K)

The Blazers had a very impressive start!

Nash is still mainly solid in fundamental skills, with good awareness in organizing offense, albeit not mature enough. But with Rashid Wallace as the power forward fitting him very well, and Sabonis assisting at the high post... he displayed the performance of a top-flight playmaker!

Such a playmaker is truly beneficial for the Blazers, obviously stronger now compared to the team’s status under Robert Parker’s leadership in November.

Del Harris made personnel adjustments upon returning from the pause; Kenny Anderson, Doug Christie, Zhang Hao, Barkley, and Jason Williams went on the court.

On the Blazers side, they also made rotations — Nash, Rashid Wallace, and Sabonis continued playing, while last season’s starting shooting guard Aaron McKie replaced the shooting guard, and Stacey Augmon came in as the small forward.

The defensive success rate at the opening phase even surprised Blazers’ head coach P-J Callesimo. Given this, they continued to strengthen defense, compensating for positions of Nash and Rashid Wallace.

P-J Callesimo’s adjustment was crucial, as the Lakers started their aggressive attack.

Whether it’s Kenny Anderson, Zhang Hao, or Doug Christie, whoever faced Nash’s defense went for isolations. When Nash consistently defended one player for several rounds and that player had tired from consecutive isolations, others would also look to isolate Nash even if not directly facing him, using screen plays as needed.

With Sabonis protecting the rim, Aaron McKie and Stacey Augmon covering mid-close range, without O’Neal, Barkley initially tried hard twice under the basket but was ineffective, prompting the Lakers to focus on mid-to-long-range shots, while Barkley and Jason Williams crashed the boards.

In the latter 7 minutes and change of the first quarter, the Lakers scored 18 points. Fortunately for the Blazers, their coach adjusted promptly, or else Zhang Hao, Kenny Anderson, and Doug Christie could have soared during the phase targeting Nash.

However, the main highlight remained Blazers’ effective offense.

After that timeout, Nash continually encountered Zhang Hao’s defense; instead of greedily scoring, he wisely passed early to Sabonis for orchestrating plays when shooting or driving wasn’t feasible.

Though the Blazers scored 16 points in these 7 minutes, less explosive than the earlier 4 minutes, they still performed well.

At the end of the first quarter, the Blazers led the Lakers 28 to 24, ahead by 4 points, entering the break.

...

With 4 points and 3 assists, Nash played an outstanding first quarter, effectively providing space manipulation, and initiated strong offensive strategies in the opening phase.

Zhang Hao looked at his stats — 8 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 block. His score was the highest in the quarter, exceeding Rashid Wallace’s 7 points by 1.

But in assists...

It’s better to focus on how to win the game. Thanks to the old fox’s timely adjustments in the latter part of the first quarter, otherwise, given the Blazers’ mid-season form, the Lakers might have fallen behind by the quarter’s end.

Starting the second quarter, Zhang Hao wasn’t sent back on the court.

With the difference not stretched, staying steady takes precedence, and Del Harris wasn’t in urgency. Certain situations in games can’t be resolved in haste; patience is crucial, for it’s just the first quarter.

The Lakers lined up James Robinson, Brian Shaw, George Lynch, the Magicman, and Jason Williams for the second quarter’s start.

The Blazers sent Robert Parker, rookie Marcus Brown — averaging 1.1 threes per game with a 39% success rate — Isaiah Laird, Gary Trent, and Chris Dudley.

Zhang Hao recalled this lineup from scouting reports, dubbed the "strongest chaotic perimeter."

Marcus Brown’s open threes were pinpoint, while Robert Parker and Isaiah Laird prioritized isolations for scoring.

Originally, this isolation lineup was the Blazers’ starting phase lineup at season kickoff, now positioned in the rotation... truly impressive!

Despite Brian Shaw and George Lynch being excellent individual defenders, facing this duo led to dismal outcomes, with constant isolations proving indefensible.

However, the coordination of the Magicman and Brian Shaw as organizers displayed equally impressive feats — James Robinson’s threes, George Lynch’s cuts, Jason Williams’ crashing and screening under their command were well-executed.

Patience truly paid off; even if sending Zhang Hao back for relentless seconds might not guarantee overtaking the score. Maintaining competitiveness at this phase benefitted the Lakers greatly.

Small personnel tweaks occurred during this rotation, with Lakers substituting Byron Scott for George Lynch, enhancing offensive efforts against defensive struggles.

Over the first part of the second quarter, Lakers scored 13 points, narrowly holding ground against Blazers’ 14 points. Considering the impressive individual efficiency of opposing perimeter players, maintaining close scores was commendable.

At 37 to 42, following Magicman’s driving floater scoring, the Lakers narrowed the gap back to 5 points, prompting a Blazers timeout, entering the official second-quarter break.

After resting for half a quarter, Kenny Anderson and Zhang Hao re-entered, alongside Barkley and Doug Christie, with Jason Williams remaining on the court.