The Suns' starting lineup: Charles Barkley, Mark West, Kevin Johnson, Eddie Johnson, and Danny Ainge.
The Trail Blazers still go with Sabonis, Gan Guoyang, Kossie, Reggie Lewis, and Terry Porter.
Different than before, Gan Guoyang is at center court for the jump ball, which means he's returned to the center position.
This change causes Charles Barkley to light up, thinking to himself, "Ah Gan's back at the five spot? Does that mean Sabonis is guarding me?"
Barkley guessed right; the task of guarding Barkley has indeed fallen to Sabonis, with Gan Guoyang returning to the five spot mainly to hold down the three-second zone.
This is a major defensive change for the Trail Blazers; Bobby Berman no longer requires Gan Guoyang to undertake the heavy task of sweeping the middle.
At the beginning of the game, Gan Guoyang received the ball, turned around, and made a strong attack on Mark West, easily pressing to the basket for a hook shot that went in.
