One Year Left to Play

On the Blazers side, although Nash’s personal offensive capabilities are not as strong as Robert Parker’s, his starting position has surprisingly enhanced the Blazers’ overall offense.

Nash can execute pick-and-rolls with Rashid Wallace, forcing the opponents to make more defensive adjustments.

When Isaiah Rider isolates, although he’s a rookie, Nash, who is already 22 with skills well-honed except for some heft and game experience, has a top-tier three-point shot. His catch-and-shoot ability is much better than Robert Parker’s, and his off-ball movement, positioning, and stamina are superior too.

Occasionally, in transition opportunities, Sabonis plus Nash makes them practically unstoppable!

On the Lakers’ side, with Kenny Anderson absent, the "three heavies" are lazier than ever, leaving Zhang Hao and Doug Christie as the main offensive points.

Even though the Lakers appeared dominant early on thanks to Zhang Hao, as the game progressed, they started to fall behind!

The key was defense. Despite Kenny Anderson’s average defensive ability and vulnerability against strong offensive players, he still ranks among the speediest point guards in the league and maintains decent enthusiasm. The Magician found it quite hard to defend Gary Trent, having to stay under the basket whenever Trent moved a bit more.

The Lakers did a fine job defending the three-second area, but their perimeter defense was lacking. If it were Zhang Hao, Kenny Anderson, and Doug Christie rotating on the perimeter, perhaps they couldn’t completely stop the opponents but could at least use their speed to disrupt them.

In this match’s opening, as the Blazers had four players capable of long-range shots, after a tight contest for nearly half a quarter, the Blazers scored four consecutive shots midway through the first quarter, going on a 9-4 run!

With a score of 21-15, the Blazers secured a 4-point lead. At 6:55 in the first quarter, the Lakers had to call a timeout!

Del Harris, unfazed, held the tactical board. Of the 15 points, Zhang Hao scored 8, O’Neal had 4, Barkley got 2, and the Magician made 1 of 2 free throws.

The combined scoring of the three big players was not as high as that of the second-year player Zhang Hao.

It’s becoming a habit... Del Harris tightened his grip on the tactical board and began adjusting the lineup.

An initially defensive setup would have been appropriate since, in this era, focusing on defense is a strategically correct choice.

However, having already allowed the opponent to catch the offensive rhythm, playing defensively now would be detrimental...

If defense costs us, then let’s focus on offense. Del Harris never rigidly adhered to one strategy.

...

The Lakers sent out a lineup of Fisher, Brian Shaw, Doug Christie, Zhang Hao, and O’Neal.

The Blazers also rotated, substituting veteran Sabonis for a lineup of Nash, Isaiah Rider, Stacey Augmon, Gary Trent, and Rashid Wallace.

Seeing the opponent’s rotated lineup, Zhang Hao thought, "Nash is getting his chance, huh? Am I just a stepping stone? All these new-generation talents seem to get opportunities after facing me. Lucky Star plus?"

After the official timeout, both teams launched into an offensive showdown.

The Blazers, after trading for Rashid Wallace and signing Isaiah Rider and Robert Parker, already had the capability to push for 50 wins. They are an offensive team, averaging 102 points per game, which ranks high in this defense-focused era, and they currently stand fifth in the league.

When Nash elevated the Blazers’ offense slightly, they became even harder to defend.

By the end of the first quarter, with Zhang Hao scoring 13 points and O’Neal adding 9, the Lakers racked up 31 points in the opening quarter.

However, the Blazers notched up 37 points, leaving the Lakers trailing by 6 as they entered the second quarter.

During the interval, PJ Callesimo watched Nash, who played the whole first quarter without even catching his breath... truly a prodigy!

Stamina is undoubtedly an invaluable asset for any player!

Much like the second-year MVP candidate opposite, who’s been enduring the grueling workload of off-ball play and defense, averaging nearly 40 minutes per game even in his rookie season.

No matter how strong a player is, if they can only perform efficiently for 20 minutes per game, they can’t be a superstar, just a sharp weapon off the bench.

Of course, good stamina alone is useless without accompanying skills.

Yet Nash has solid fundamentals, evident from his training sessions, despite his lack of strength, leaping ability, and even wingspan.

But Nash, with his fundamentals, speed, and incredible stamina, in the high-scoring first quarter, managed 9 points and 5 assists... Watching Nash interact with Rashid Wallace, PJ Callesimo seemed to see the super point guard who surpassed Elvin Johnson to become the all-time leader in assists last season and claimed the assist leader title for nine consecutive years!

For a coach, there’s always a special bond with the players they select for their team and nurture from the start.

Similar to the complex emotions Randy Whitman, now an assistant with the Nuggets, Butch Baird, the current head of the Brooklyn Nets scouting department, and the Silver Fox of the Lakers have towards Zhang Hao.

PJ Callesimo decided to give Nash a chance!

"Did we actually pick a budding superstar at the 13th spot?"

PJ Callesimo felt it was absolutely crazy!

...

The ripple effect of the butterfly’s wings is growing; by December, Nash has begun receiving more opportunities, but mostly playing during rotation phases, rarely playing a complete segment alongside core players like Rashid Wallace or Isaiah Rider. Although he’s getting opportunities, his talent in orchestrating the offense hasn’t been fully displayed.