Sabonis is tall and strong, but in terms of strength, he is a notch below O'Neal.
Once he's trapped in the low post and pushed inside, there's basically no way to stop the Shark's attack.
Bird doesn't plan to have Gan face O'Neal right from the start; Bird knows he must conserve Gan's energy.
The Trail Blazers also start from the inside line; compared to O'Neal's low-post bombardment, Gan Guoyang plays more flexibly.
He knows the Lakers' perimeter defense is highly adaptable; in a low-post strong assault, they double-team quickly, and they can also quickly cover the pass.
Holi, Tracy McGrady, and Jide are all tall with long arms and quick footwork, so they can't play too rigidly.
Gan Guoyang actively cooperates with Kobe and Brellock in screen-and-roll plays, exploiting O'Neal's defensive weaknesses and hitting consecutive mid-range jump shots.
