"Stop double-teaming Ah Gan, revert to one-on-one defense, I'll move ahead and block him from receiving the ball!" Olajuwon instructed his teammates to change their defensive strategy.
Olajuwon's judgment was correct. Initially, Riley was overwhelmed, as the long-awaited revenge made him overly concerned with outcomes.
After Olajuwon received the ball, he turned and cut into the basket, using his back to force Gan Guoyang into a defensive foul. He made both free throws, stabilizing the Heat slightly.
But when one looks at the score, the Miami Heat were already trailing the Trail Blazers by 8 points. The wrong decisions at the beginning put the Heat in a huge disadvantage.
This became a turning point in the game.
Riley started to come to his senses. He subbed in Brian Shaw to strengthen the team's backcourt defense, allowing Starks to rest for a while and prepare for the next offensive push.
