Although Gan Guoyang held Olajuwon in check tonight, Olajuwon's performance was not bad judging from the statistics and his showing on the court.
In three quarters, he scored 17 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, recorded an impressive 5 blocks and 2 steals, and apart from Ah Gan, everyone else was at a disadvantage when facing Olajuwon.
The Trail Blazers, unlike the Lakers, do not have someone like Jabbar, and on the front line, they have James Worthy who can punish Olajuwon with his incredible speed.
But after three quarters, the Rockets were nearly 20 points behind, and unless a miracle occurred in the fourth quarter, the Rockets had essentially lost the first game.
The key reason for such a large deficit was that Ralph Sampson was completely neutralized by Gan Guoyang, not just limited, but completely shut down.
After three quarters of play, he scored only 2 points, made just one field goal, had no free throws, and contributed only one block on defense, and that was it.
