The Trail Blazers didn't have a good start, and aside from Gan Guoyang's poor shooting touch, their backcourt was being pressured by the Celtics.
This was a major issue the Trail Blazers had encountered in the Western Conference Finals, and clearly KC Jones had made thorough preparations.
During video analysis in the locker room before the game, Jones repeatedly emphasized that the defensive focus should be on the weakest part of the Trail Blazers: the backcourt.
Houston had failed, but their three wins undoubtedly provided the Celtics with a good sample. Suppressing Ah Gan's backcourt was the Achilles' heel for Portland, an exercise in futility.
After all, Gan Guoyang was a center; even though he could dribble the ball himself to launch a counterattack and initiate offense from outside, his most threatening aspect was still his low-post game.