In the first quarter, the SuperSonics' Payton and Kemp played the entire time, as did the Lakers' Zhang Hao and Van Exel. In the first half of the second quarter, the SuperSonics were led by Schramm and the Lakers by Magician. During this stage, the Lakers' rotation lineup included Sedale-Srte, Doug Christie, George Lynch, Donyell Marshall, and their offense was decent. Like the last game, the rotation stage was not disadvantageous.
In the second half of the second quarter, many of the starters were back on the court for both teams.
An unexpected factor in a game can have a significant impact if the strength gap between the teams... let's say if the advantages and disadvantages between these two teams are not large.
As the winner, George Karl is a very confident and even stubborn head coach. Although the SuperSonics prioritize preparation training, their tactical strategy is to reinforce the successful defense from the last game.
