Marley, Barkley, and even Kevin Johnson were frequently mismatched against Gan Guoyang, and he easily took advantage of them.
The Suns' lackluster defense gave the Trail Blazers an opportunity to exploit.
Despite the Suns' intense and rough defense, at times nearly clashing with the Trail Blazers' players,
their tactical efforts couldn't hide strategic flaws, nor compensate for systemic issues.
Being short, an inherent weakness in basketball, was brutally exposed by the Trail Blazers, or rather by Ah Gan, despite the Suns' efforts to compensate with strength and speed.
The Suns put up a determined resistance, but the lack of offensive rebounds and loss of defensive rebounds kept them underwater.
The Trail Blazers didn't repeat their Game 1 mistake of being led by the nose by the Suns, but used their height, rebounding, and mismatches to firmly control the game.
When it comes to "control," no one in the history of the league can compare to Ah Gan.
