In the first two games, Gan Guoyang's scoring was rather unremarkable—21 points in the first game, 22 in the second.
Forget about 40 points; he didn't even hit 30. But in those two games, he recorded 9 assists in one and 8 assists in the other.
His high-post playmaking with Sabonis created a wealth of opportunities for the Trail Blazers' forwards and guards to attack the rim.
The big men the Lakers carefully prepared for the Trail Blazers' interior were reduced to mere decorations—the two were simply unwilling to mix it up physically.
The Trail Blazers won the second game, taking a 2–0 series lead. The entire Lakers roster could feel the gap between them and the Trail Blazers.
Don Nelson refused to take any questions from reporters after the second game and remained silent the entire bus and plane ride back from Portland.
