Tomjanovich still remembered how in this season's regular-season opener, Roger and Shaq had combined for 61 points, due to the Rockets' "wanting both... and..." defensive strategy, which ended up guarding neither of them effectively.
Now, what Tomjanovich needed to do was to make sure neither Roger nor Shaq could get their offense going simultaneously.
So, Olajuwon absolutely could not go out to help defend Roger.
Currently, the Rockets only had Dream as a true inside player. Without him guarding the paint, it wouldn't be surprising for O'Neal to shoot 80% from the field.
Therefore, Dream had to stick close to Shaq, unable to move even a step away. It was better to let Roger score than to have both Roger and Shaq scoring.
From the beginning, Dream and Roger set the tone for the game.
Today, it was a face-off between two sharp swords!
Today, was the brutal contest of fencing!
